Not gonna lie, I'm a little surprised at the rating here. I've been a couple of times, and each time the food has been great. I know everyone's experience is different though, so let me share mine. Let's get into it! Location and Parking They are located on Ponce (of course) in what was once upon a time El Azteca. There is plenty of parking on side of the building but make sure you take your time and go in slowly because its at a downward angle. Venue and Atmosphere They have one of my favorite patios here. It's fun and colorful is people watching paradise in the summer time. Inside there are booth and table seating. The decorations are colorful and always in tune with the holidays, which I think is an added extra touch. I've never had to wait for a table or a seat on the patio, which I love. Food and drinks I have four words for you: Happy. Hour. Every. Day. From 4-6PM El Ponce has happy hour, with $7 Margaritas and Palomas. I haven't even tried the Palomas yet because the margaritas are so good. They have various flavors, if you want to add a flavor I believe it's $1 more. If you're a fan of a Michelada, according to my wife they're great. For food we had a few things: Tres Amigos dip Nachos Grande burrito All shareable, all delicious. You'll leave full or with leftovers for sure. Service Service is easy and friendly, things came out in good time, and they definitely kept an eye on us to make sure those margarita glasses weren't too low. Verdict In the city El Ponce is one of the best places to go for good Mexican food at reasonable prices. Catch me on the patio this summer! Until next time! read more

They had an awful lot of rules for such mid food. A group of 4 of us met for dinner and drinks on a Tuesday evening. Three arrived half an hour before happy hour ended and I was stuck in traffic on Ponce and arrived about 3 minutes after 6. My friends had tried to order me a drink and were told that they could only order one drink at a time and not for anyone not present. Fine. Annoying, but fine. Then, there were rules about mixing and matching tacos and various other things that weren't stated on the menu. We weren't even asking for anything special, but the default was no. We didn't even get water glasses without asking. I felt like they were doing us a favor by being there. I could understand having a lot of rules if it was a busy night like a match day or something else, but the restaurant was mostly empty. If the food was outstanding, it would be a different story, but there are plenty of restaurants around town with better standard Mexican food and a better attitude. I'll keep going to Nuevo Laredo and skip this one. read more

Seeking great Mexican food without having to drive to Buford HWY? Look no further! Located in VA Highland, there is plenty of free parking, both at surface level and downhill next to the former El Bar (RIP). W strolled in on a Thursday evening; there was no wait for a table. They have a spacious, partially covered patio which is also heated. The interior is clean, colorful, and happened to be lavishly decorated for el Dia de los Muertos. The patio is excellent for people watching in Midtown (iykyk). We enjoyed the following: *Tres Amigos (small $16) - Queso, Guac & choice of Salsa- Verde, Ranchera or Mango *Grande burrito with chicken ($15) - rice, beans, pico, lettuce, sour cream & topped with queso, salsa verde & burrito salsa *Michelada (price not listed) Everything was delicious. The guac was especially fresh and the michelada was effervescent with the chamoy straw adding a nice punch of flavor. I'd order each of the above items again. Service was prompt, curteous, and efficient. I'll be back! read more

El Ponce - Michelada - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

I was here for all of 20 min. I met a party here. I enjoyed the fish taco a lot! The steak was dry in the steak taco. The happy hour $7 margarita was really tasty. The service was okay on the patio. read more

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Underrated tacos, cocktails, quesadillas - a must try! A couple of my go-tos are their shrimp or fish tacos, quesabirria tacos, como la flor cocktail, frozen margarita with hibiscus agua fresca added to it, queso dip with jalapeños added to it, etc. In the winter I like the pozole verde when it is available. Overall love what they did with their menu revamp! read more

El Ponce - Bar seating by the window - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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I just had a great steak quesadilla at El Ponce this evening while watching the game on the big screen. Great food, great service, and great new cocktails as well. Definitely will be back!! read more

El Ponce - Amazing steak quesadilla. - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

That was terrible. Stale chips. Bland meat and beans. 0/5 stars. Just thrash. I can't believe they are still business

First time here & it was very delicious! The decorations were gorgeous for Day Of The Dead! Our server was incredible & very sweet & friendly! Food was delicious & they have so many great options for vegetarians. Definitely going back to try more options! read more

El Ponce - Potato taquitos with guac & queso - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

We sat outside on a beautiful day and really enjoyed the atmosphere--great vibe for a casual meal. We started with chips and queso, which is always a make-or-break at a Mexican spot. Thankfully, it passed the test! Not the best queso I've ever had, but definitely solid. Chips were excellent though. The salsa with jalapeños that came out was also really flavorful and had just the right kick. For food, we got Mexican street corn initially --it was great, extremely flavorful. The main course for me was the chicken chimichanga, and unfortunately it didn't quite hit the mark. The shell wasn't crispy enough and the overall flavor was just okay. The rice and beans on the side were bland as well, did not really enjoy the taste. That said, the service was excellent--our server was attentive, kept our water filled, and checked in often. Unfortunately the food just didn't quite hit the mark for me. read more

El Ponce - Elote (v) - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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I wish I was writing a review about how I've been coming here for years and it didn't disappoint but, my experience left me hungry. Last time I've been was 2020. Had 2 blue corn tortilla tacos that were so amazing. The tortillas tasted homemade and fresh. Like a real Oaxaca taco. Last night I was asking for the same thing. They didn't even know what I was talking about. So I got tacos on blue corn tortillas and some queso with jalapeños. It was so bland! The tortillas were clearly not homemade anymore. The queso was warm not hot enough to dip our chips. I'll post before and after but I'm really disappointed in the quality. read more

El Ponce - 2020 blue corn tortilla tacos - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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Amazing ambience, amazing food, and even better amazing service. Every time I'm in town I have to come to El Ponce with all of my buddies.

I never even heard of El Ponce. I was invited to a tasting event hosted by Copita Club which featured Producer Mezcal. We had the opportunity to indulge in four distinct expressions of Mezcal, paired with three savory courses to enhance the tasting experience. This was a very informative guided tasting with producer Mezcal Maestro Juan Pacheo and Coo Carlos Sada visiting from Oaxaca, Mexico. My takeaway from this immersive educational journey was excellent. I really had the opportunity to learn the process and profile of Copita Mezcal. The food was so so nothing to brag about,but I did enjoy the Chocolate Tarte for dessert. I even tried crickets and worm salt for the first time. We were gifted Producer Mezcal and a mixer provided by Tiendita along with a copita. I would definitely return to El Ponce. read more

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People have to be coming to this spot for something other than the food. Terrible. Everything was awful; tacos were tasteless, quac was 'weird', server was sullen and snippy. Clearly they're counting on whatever 'regulars' are frequenting this restaurant, for whatever reason. There's so much Mexican food in Atlanta there is zero reason to eat here. read more

I had a chance to try El Ponce at their food cart which was at the Molly Sanyour pottery studio opening and it did not disappoint. The margaritas were great and the highlight was their selection of tamales. I tried the vegan, chicken and pork tamale, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. My favorite was the vegan mushroom, based the amount of them that I consumed. My next mission will be to check out the restaurant and have a proper sit down and try some of their other dishes! read more

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Party of 6. Everyone's food was horrible. Drinks wasn't even any good. Chips was hard .

I have to agree with the overall rating. I was hopeful for this place but overall felt disappointed. Service was okay, food was okay, outdoor seating was nice. But overall don't have anything great to report. read more

Went here after wine tasting at 3 Parks and it did not disappoint. Sat outside on a beautiful evening with friends, our server was the bomb he was knowledgeable and provided the history of the woman owned restaurant . Chile rellano stuffed with chicken was delicious and a great recommendation. The mezcal cocktail was superb with Tajín on the side yum! Definitely a spot we will keep on the return list! read more

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Had a great dinner here. We sat on the patio because it was great weather. They have lots of indoor and outdoor seating. They have happy hour from 4-6 and have $6 select cocktails and $3 small bites. We got the frozen marg (add $1 to the happy hour special) and the mini queso. For entrees, we got the grande burrito with chicken and chicken enchiladas with a side of refried beans. The burrito was massive! Everything was super yummy. They have a huge menu - lots of things that's I'd go back to try! read more

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The weekend I stopped by Recuerdos Cafe was having a pop-up. I had the Mole Caramel for the first time and it was excellent. I would highly recommend trying it before the winter menu hits. Ivan ( the owner) loves what he does and it shows. His drinks are inspired by his Mexican heritage. read more

We ordered our server was very friendly ordered the chicken soup and barria taco burnt no flavor the tacos basic also ordered steak burrito over cooked hard not good I used to come here a long time ago the food was fabulous not today read more

El Ponce - ELL Pollo Asado - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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Decided on stop in for Taco Tuesday this past week. The restaurant is super popular with it being close to the Beltline and in a walkable area. So, it was nice to be able to visit during "off season". Unfortunately, I forgot our server's name but, he was excellent. I was bummed out when learning that the Lychee Cocktail was recently removed from the menu, he quickly suggested another drink, Como la Flor, which was DELICIOUS! For food, I ordered the Shrimp Bowl which was your basic bowl with toppings. I hi-key wish it was served as a skillet but, that's just personal opinion. The food didn't blow me out the water but, it was a good experience. read more

El Ponce - Salsa - Small (4oz) 2 Enchiladas Taco Combo Rice Bowls - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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Just ordered takeout- carnitas and tacos- it was $89. We asked for extra sauce - they charged $30 and the cashier took cash for $10/pint. No salsa included in order. Salsa tasted like ketchup. This place is a rip off for bad food - never again. read more

CHIPS AND SALSA NOT INCLUDED!!!! The food was ok... Queso was great! Fajitas for 1 could feed 2! No coronas at a Mexican restaurant???? Auto 20% tip....be careful read more

The ambiance and friendly staff definitely make this a go-to spot any time I'm in town! I love meeting at this spot with friends as the staff is very accommodating to small AND large parties! Not to mention, I love their margaritas with a good tajin rim! The best! A great lunch or dinner spot literally any day of the week! Can't wait to visit again!! read more

This Sunday we arrived at 2:45 pm for lunch. We were stopped at the door and told service was closed until 4pm. However, I saw waiters bringing out cocktails to people on the patio... FORWARD... So...after a SPECTACULAR lunch and cocktails at TACOS & TEQUILAS at Midtown Place down the street we won't be returning to EL PONCE because you can't even post your service hours correctly on your site and your reviews are so low. Add this one to your low review bucket. read more

The food and service are great here. Love the tamales and the enchilada. Get the mole!

I ordered rice chicken w grilled veggies on top - to go and it was $34! They were "side" sizes and the onion was raw! Then tried to charge me $1.50 on a separate tab when I asked for a side of sour cream. Never. Again! read more

We have heard so much about El Ponce and decided to give it a try on Cinco de Mayo no less lol. Thankfully even then we did not have to wait long for 3 people which was awesome! We waited maybe 20 minutes and got a seat on patio quickly. Our waiter was nice and brought us some water to start. We got the queso with jalapeños and the salsa they have is delicious. I got a margarita as well to drink which was delicious. For the entree, I got the chicken fajitas and the portion was massive!!! It came with rice and beans on the side and it was steaming hot. The food was delicious and well priced. And for Cinco de Mayo, considering how busy it was the service was really good. Our waiter was attentive and nice and they had a great DJ outside on the patio. Would definitely come again! read more

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El Ponce is a favorite local spot! Food is fabulous & the service is great. The outdoor seating has fans & inside is a cute vibe. The best spot to linger with friends Get the chile relleno with chicken and we love the pineapple mezcal drink. Also fabulous fajitas & enchiladas. At happy hour: chicken flautas & frozen skinny marg read more

Such a fun spot! Great food, awesome drinks, and the best staff--Juanma is a rockstar. Definitely found my new happy hour spot! Can't wait to come back! read more

El Ponce - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

We had excellent service and food; we really enjoyed the beautiful, thoughtful decor! read more

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Such a find! Good food and great prices. Everything tasted so fresh and everyone enjoyed their meals. Salsa is great and there's a good selection for everyone. Great quesadillas and burritos. Nice choice for a simple takeout meal. read more

We LOVE El Ponce! It is our go to place for queso, margs, quesadillas, fajitas, you name it! If I could give 10 stars I would. As a local - it's hard to feel at home but El Ponce does it. Also ask for Juanma, he will make sure you are well taken care of :) read more

My go-to Mexican spot. Great variety of tequilas and mezcales. They have that authentic™ Atlanta white cheese dip and you can get it with jalapeños up in there. The Chile relleno with beef is my wife's favorite and I like the variety of authentic Mexican and your standard Americanized Mexican food choices. Like not many places have a tlayuda or wings with Valentino sauce or good Elote but also have a taco with ground beef, so your adventurous eater and your picky eater can all be happy. read more

This was just so bad. I'm sorry, we really wanted to like it. 1 star just for a nice patio with a fun atmosphere but literally every single bit of food was bad. We had the chicken mole, chimichangas, and some enchiladas. Everything tasted like it came out of a jar and was just awful. We had multiple errors in our order and eventually just gave up. $100 for two adults and a child (admittedly we did get one margarita each.) I can't find a thing to compliment here... read more

I can't believe it's taken me so long to try El Ponce! Really solid, standard Mexican food. We had the Queso fundido, a tamale, a chicken enchilada, and a few tacos as well as margaritas. The tamale was a little wet and lacked filling. Everything else was pretty good. It seemed like there was just one server for the patio with a few food runners and bussers. Service was friendly but not the most attentive. We sat on the patio, which has fans overhead. A bit of a tropical vibe to the plastic tablecloth decor. Overall good neighborhood spot. They do add 20% gratuity to all checks. read more

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Me and my girlfriend came here after her coming by before, and she said it wasn't so bad, but unfortunately this was a first and done for me, and a second and done for her. The ambiance was meh, the service was alright, but the food and the 20% gratuity despite the food not being good is what killed it. There was absolutely no flavor in the food we had, and it's like there was seasoning used whatsoever. She couldn't even eat the tacos she ordered because it was so bad. I ordered a burrito combo, and the most appetizing thing was the cheese on the burrito. The chicken was essentially cooked with not even salt or pepper. The only good thing was the horchata, but it was so grainy from not sifting out the rice granules. I've always wondered why it was always so empty when I passed by this place, but now I know why. Them fixing their menu would definitely be a turnaround in a good direction. read more

Now that the weathers turning around best patio on ponce! Plus pet friendly, server was very kind to my dog. Got the grande burrito and sheesh it really is grande!! Had leftovers for the next two days. Enjoyed my marg as well, all around had a great time, happy hour margs were strong and cheap read more

El Ponce - Grande burrito - Mexican Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

My review is based on several UberEats deliveries from this restaurant. I have been in person and it is better. BUT, if you order via UberEats, you will spend $12.00 on stale, disgusting chips. I enjoy the chips as much as the entrees at Mexican restaurants. Both must be good. I have paid for stale chips three times now. I kept hoping they would improve. They didn't. I'm convinced these $12.00 bags of chips are several days if not several weeks old. They are beyond stale. They are gross. It's like biting into garbage. Save yourself and never order chips from this restaurant. Roll down your window and throw your $12. out the window. You'll feel better. My Mole Chicken enchilada was delicious. It's too bad sending out old chips ruins the enjoyment of the meal. I will not be spending my $35. for one meal ever again at El Ponce. Zocalos is always good. read more

Before going to see Wakanda Forever, me and a friend decided to grab some food. She wanted Mexican so I looked up a few places I haven been but wanted to check out and El Ponce was on that list. It was a Friday evening so you know it was packed however, it wasn't hard to find parking given their nice size lot on the side and rear. Nor did it take long to be seated either. They have seating inside and out with great shade and lights. We elected to eat inside where there was plenty of seating. The setup is real nice and it gives you a real Mexican vibe. We started with drinks and an appetizer of course. Which was a strawberry margarita ($13) and a full nacho ($12) with ground beef. The nachos comes with all the toppings on the side except for the cheese that's on top ( black beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and jalapeños). Its up to you add or eat without. The portion is enough for two people, even three if it's an appetizer for you. We didn't even finish but of course I took it to go. The margarita was amazing. Not too strong and not to sweet either. Just the right amount to give you a great feeling. Which is why I ordered another to go with my main entree. I went with the Texas Rice Bowl which is a combination of steak, shrimp and chicken cooked with Mexican rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded cheese and sour cream on top. My friend had the Carnitas ($10) which comes with traditional Mexican style Riverview Farms braised pork, lettuce, guacamole and pico de gallo with tortillas and a jalapeño. This also includes the choice of rice and beans or elote; corn on the cob with mayo, cotija cheese, lime and chile salt. Her choice was elote ($5). Between the Texas Rice bowl and nachos I enjoyed everything. The portions are hefty and if it wasn't for having to go to the movies I would've finished it all and went home to bed. I had a hard time of putting a stopping point on eating because it was so good. Every piece of meat was seasoned and tender. The steak was amazing and the shrimp were nice size pieces. Once you stir and combine all the toppings in the bowl it makes for an amazing dish. Flavorful and filling for sure. I'm a big fan of rice bowls and El Ponce didn't disappoint. The nachos were good too so you can't go wrong here when it comes to those 2 dishes. My friend thoroughly enjoyed her tacos and elote so I know for a fact we both will be back. read more

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