The food is always excellent and the service is top notch! My very favorite Mexican restaurant ever!

West Asheville staple that has grown in popularity but not quality or price. The service is very friendly and the food is predictable but over the years it has gotten increasingly expensive. For example, I just paid $4 for a soda water that was never refilled. I got the salad one time and it was wonderful but a second time it was pretty horrible so I opted for fajitas this time $19). There was plenty for two meals, which I super appreciated. read more

El Que Pasa - Salmón and marg - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Salsa bar is amazing. Fast, inexpensive, good food. Friendly staff and great margaritas. And if you haven't had the chicken Cesar salad wrap- DO IT. Thank me later. The avocado tacos are a go to as well. Love the bean dip they bring with the free chips. Easy for date night, quick food before a show downtown, groups or birthdays that fit most everyone's budget, or an easy take out. read more

Excellent food and service. We love the salsa bar! Go here now ! Try the huevos rancheros! Yum yum yum read more

How do you bring out soggy ass barria tacos and then when we send them back, you then come out with some mini tacos with chunked up beef in them not even shredded and slightly toasted. Then when we say we don't want them you take the plate in your hand And drop it on the plate on the table snatch it up and start talking shit walking off?! This wasn't just a regular Worker it was the motherfucking OWNER‼‼ understandably today was probably one of the busiest days being that it's Cinco de Mayo but that's not the way to handle no situation and we were talking to you very nicely ‼ I absolutely love Mexican food, but I will not spend my hard earned money at an establishment where the owner doesn't have a bit of customer service sense!! read more

This place gets five stars because of the quality and the value you can find here. I ordered the Papas Bean Burrito and for $7.99, I got a MASSIVE hot burrito featuring a fresh flour tortilla stuffed with refried beans, cheese, and ample potato chunks, doused in a red sauce, served with a generous dollop of sour cream on a small salad, and plenty of delicious Spanish rice. I am fully satisfied, and that's after saving half of everything for a mighty fine lunch in a couple days. Throw in the awesome FREE salsa bar, with a great selection of beautifully colorful hand-crafted offerings sure to please every palate, and you've got yourself a truly outstanding dining value. Tired of paying 18 bucks for a simple hamburger? This place, mis amigos, has got your back. read more

Based on their location in a strip mall, I didn't expect much. But I gave it a try yesterday and I loved it! Wow! [[HIGHLIGHT]]When you walk in there's plenty of tables to accommodate entire family outings.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Beyond that, is a separate, proper bar where excellent Mexican food and drinks are served up quickly.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'll definitely be back. read more

El Que Pasa - Huuuuge Burrito Ranchero, steak. It was awesome. So awesome, I brought half home. - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

We enjoyed our meals which were the Carne Asada and the Steak Ranchero. The salsa bar is about the best I've experienced and the side of Caesar salad in place of rice and beans was high quality and delicious. I was impressed most of all by our server, Nathaly, who helped me make the right choice for my order, and made a helpful suggestion about how to order it that made it even tastier! I certainly would like to get this level of service at any price point, but was especially delighted to get it in a casual dining restaurant like El Que Pasa. Brava! I would have given a 5 star rating except for the greedy addition of a credit card surcharge. Boo hiss to you, owners, for that tacky move. read more

By far the best Mexican restaurant anywhere. Huge portions of hot delicious authentic Mexican. Wait staff is very friendly and so attentive and knowledgeable. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place is spotless and bathrooms clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I don't go anywhere else for my Mex fix! read more

El Que Pasa - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Classic Mexican spot for a casual, fun time.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Come Sunday for $9.95 Cadillac Margs, best marg I've tried in Asheville! Zacatecas fajitas were awesome as well! read more

By far the best Mexican restaurant. The portions of hot delicious food are large and filling. The wait staff is friendly and will bring you piping hot plates before you stop talking about the extensive menu. At the top of my list! read more

Food has never wanted to leave my body so quickly & violently ever in my life. Mexican is my second favorite food, and I eat it all the time, but I won't be coming back here. Lots of people seem to love this place, but I'm absolutely defeated right now from the enchiladas suizas. The margarita tasted really good, but it was tiny. They snuck in a 4% surcharge for not paying cash. The service was good, but the food destroyed me like the Dumb & Dumber turbo-lax scene! read more

El Que Pasa - Enchiladas Suizas & tiny margarita - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Stumbled upon this place while visiting my son who lives in Asheville. It doesn't look like much at first. Located in a nondescript strip mall off a busy road. It is easy to miss it. The food is pretty decent. The Chile Con Queso appetizer is a highly recommend. This isn't some small little bowl of cheese dip. It comes in a large skillet type bowl with chorizo and grilled jalapeños. Excellent. For the entrees, we got Mexico City Tacos (steak), Streak Taco Salad and a Torta. Entrees were 3 1/2 stars. My entree was the Mexico City Tacos. Three flour steak tacos with cilantro and onions. Simple but very good when done right. These tacos were suppose to come with chipotle sauce but for some reason they left it off. Service was good. They do take the COVID-19 precautions seriously. Separate entrance and exit. Masks required. Last thing, they have a bar section and outdoor seating as well. read more

Food was ok except chimihanga and flatas needed to be crunching. Service outstanding..have dietary issues and host nailed order. Was very patient and kind regarding special order. The decor was cute as you will see from pictures. Will return read more

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Don't be put off by the exterior; much nicer inside. 10 different choices on the salsa bar--several quite spicy; with the pumpkin salsa a distinct pleasure. Complimentary chips served with warm bean dip, which was very good. I should have asked, but the menu started its numbering at 14 for some reason. Menu items do not appear to be in any order; soup was on the third page with burritos, while tacos were spread around. The Asheville burrito with chicken was a good size and was served with no sides at lunch. It was too big for me to finish anyway, bursting with sour cream, guacamole and rice. Slightly grilled and served hot. The horchata was cold and refreshing, but with less cinnamon than I was used to. Overall a nice place in an unexpected spot. read more

Delicious! I had the vegetarian enchiladas, which were fantastic. Wife had chicken enchiladas, also great. Even the rice was outstanding. And only $12 each. We got too much food; couldn't finish the rice, and didn't touch the beans. Sunday afternoon there was a 10 minute wait; they gave us a buzzer, so we could walk around outside. The service was quick all around. Boy, those folks hustle. The noise was kind of high, between the music and every table full of laughter. A great meal experience for a low price. read more

We revisited our favorite restaurant after two years and found that it is now owned by Papas and Beer. The food is simply delicious. I typically get the Chicken Caesar salad with a cilantro dressing. Chicken in every bite. My wife gets the Asheville burrito that is pan seared with yummy insides. Can't go wrong here. Service is fast and food is consistently good. read more

We have always had great food and service is always top notch!! Never have to wait more than about 15 minutes and that's on a very busy Friday or Saturday night!! read more

Food really good would recommend the chips are really good and the ocho really good and taco tooo read more

El Que Pasa - Chip and rice bean - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

After a long travel day, we wanted something filling that would be delivered to our door. We landed on El Que Pasa via the DoorDash app. What an enormous menu! After reading some reviews on Yelp, we decided to go with the Sizzling Enchiladas and the Shrimp Enchiladas. Both were fantastic, flavorful, and filling! We also got 2 orders of churros, which were just okay, but worth a try. We also ordered horchata, but that was missing from our delivery. Definitely give this place a try--in person or delivered! read more

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Best chicken fajitas I've found in Asheville. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great atmosphere and service this turned into the go to spot.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

I ate two different dishes here today for lunch. I have never been here before. I had gone to the Taco Bell just to the west but all doors locked there and a long line I decided to opt for something a bit better, or so I hoped. This place is 2 large rooms, has an attractive bar, a big menu, and you can eat inside or out. So, what can go wrong??? Well a lot.. I found a Mexican restaurant serving at least at that moment 100 % non Mexicans the most bland and unauthentic food possible. It looks ok visually, but is devoid of any real flavor or authenticity. Your Aunt Madge from No Dot Kansas might like this, but anyone used to good Mexican food should run! I grew up in a border state. I dont expect that here but sometimes you can find close to it. Here, they put sugar in the red sauce! Thats a trick to hook kids, or a way to make hot spicy food acceptable to those not used to it. Here though there is NO heat in the food. So why are they adding sugar? I ordered #51. enchiladas Poblanas. The poblana is a big wonderful dark green chili often roasted and used for chili rellenos. Its very flavorful. The color of the sauce was red, and no poblano flavor. When the server came by later I said theres no poblano in here AT ALL. She smiled and admitted yes, there is none. Well whatta you know! No wonder I see no Mexicans in here eating. I had a small burrito also, same sauce. Evidently one sauce goes on everything! It also appeared to have a pink/orange sauce in addition. The only thing with any heat at all was the sauce they bring with the chips. Usually you get salsa at most places. Here its watery refried pintos with a bit of heat there. One dish came with a mushy corn sugarball too. Never seen that before. Guess another trick to hook the kids The rice on the plate is ok. The rest though is a disgrace. The drink menu has no prices. read more

Gotta love El Que Pasa! It's a great Americanized Mexican restaurant on Patton avenue in West Asheville, really close to downtown. They recently renovated and are large now with a whole bar room. The new space looks great and is really well decorated and inviting. I definitely look forward to coming back soon, sitting at the bar and enjoying some margaritas. El Que Pasa is wonderful because: 1. Consistency is key! I always know what my food will look like and taste like when I go here. They have their consistency down and I appreciate that. The fajitas are always great, every single time. 2. The service is friendly and quick! Again, every time. 3. They serve their bottomless chips and salsa with a delicious bean dip. 4. The margaritas and beers are large and in charge. Or in other words, their drinks are big and cheap! This is always a fun casual date night or a fun night out with friends. read more

I never get on yelp and leave a review but this is the best Mexican food I have ever had in my entire life, walked in ordered a blue moon and got handed some chips with salsa refried beans. It was the most refreshing rejuvenating beer I've ever had, also I HATE refried beans but I got 2 baskets of chips and 2 cups of salsa beans before my meal that's how good it was, I ordered the "carne asada con camarones" (steak and shrimp) I got it medium and it came with Better rice than my mother used to make and a salad with a dressing that's amazing, also that refried bean salsa I got as a free appetizer. Foods a 10/10. service was just as good, attentive bartender ( Elizabeth) that's stayed on top of making sure we were good, running all over the place taking care of multiple guests while will being aware of all of them. 10/10 service [[HIGHLIGHT]]Atmosphere is also a 10/10[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'm tired of typing so I'm not gunna give a paragraph on that Anyway this place is a 10/10 and I'm here for work out of charlotte and I will be making the 2 and a half hour drive with my girlfriend so she can have this same experience. EAT HERE!!!!!! read more

Love stopping in here. Tropical margies are the bestests. Atmosphere: plenty of seating (especially booths!) with great decor. Parking: easy - tons of spaces directly outside the restaurant Fun tip: check out the front of the beauty shop next door for entertaining pictures security photos. read more

Some of the best margaritas in town. They have 9-12 salsa salsa bar, chips come with bean dip, everything is super fresh and delicious. Try the Crispy Flautas Vallartas! read more

El Que Pasa - Their wings are delicious too. - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

"This is the best Mexican I've ever had." Fantastic service and delicious food. My party was skeptical of the bean dip handed out in the place of salsa, but we found it surprisingly delectable. It's creaminess was almost queso-like. If salsa is your thing, there is a full salsa bar with a plethora of options. My friends and I all ordered different meals, and the consensus was that the food is fantastic. The waiter took time to talk to us about the area and asked us questions about why we were there. His interest was a pleasant addition to the entire experience. If you're in the area, there's no need to look anywhere else. read more

Thursday October 3rd and Friday October 4th, this restaurant was selling burritos for $10 a piece. Mind you, this is after Asheville and surrounded area got impacted by hurricane Helene causing electricity outage and no running water. While the location in question more than likely has electricity, I am not aware of there being any running water. Even if food is made off-site, most areas still have no running water, while the areas that have running water are under boil advisory. Multiple restaurants have also been giving out free food, so all together questionable sanitation and high prices for food during a time that so many have had their refrigerated and frozen food spoiled. Before this natural disaster, I was happy with their food. Now, after more than a week without running water and no electricity (though reportedly West has had electricity back), I will forever question this restaurant's (and it's Papas and Beer sister locations) sanitation. Needles to say, I don't plan on going back. read more

So happened upon this place passing by and what a gem!! Good amount of serving for a great price, but most importantly, the food is good!! I had low expectations, but this California girl was pleasantly surprised! If ever back in Asheville, I will definitely stop by again!! Great service also - quick! read more

Pre-made, mediocre food slung on a plate, served to you by waitstaff that has zero personality or care. A step up from taco bell, but just barely. read more

It was ok. I got the most basic thing on the menu.. ACP. They charged me an extra dollar for the queso that is supposed to come with the dish. When I got home to eat my food there was NO QUESO IN SIGHT!!! My food was$16 for rice, meat and cheese that I never got. ?!?! Other than that the salsa bar is free and has lots of options. Check your food before you leave! read more

El Que Pasa - Arroz con Pollo /steak - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

I will NEVER be back to this place after how I was treated today, and I used to come here about twice a week and bring family. The woman who seemed to be the head of the take out station needs an attitude check and to be fired. That was one of the most rude, condescending people I've ever encountered at a restaurant especially when THEY were in the wrong. She didn't have a uniform on so I'm assuming she's management, but she didn't even know her job. My take out order was WRONG like it always is which is why I checked it in the car. I went back in to tell them it was wrong and to get the correct order made. She proceeded to ARGUE with me and talk down to me and tell me that it was my fault it was wrong and that "I needed to be careful next time when placing the order and place it correctly" . I then pull out my receipt on my phone which she didn't think I had and then this hateful woman tries to GASLIGHT me into saying that my order was still wrong because I typed it wrong whenever I had the receipt right there in her face showing, low and behold, that I placed it CORRECTLY. It wasn't my fault, it was theirs. Shocker. . Then she gets quiet and tries to find something else to argue about so she says i didn't pay for the extra cheese on my order. Yeah, i did..I have THE RECEIPT AND SHE'S STILL TRYING TO GASLIGHT ME TELLING ME I DIDN'T PAY WHEN IT SAYS I DID . I wasnt about to let her make me out to look like a liar so since I wouldn't let up she finally stomped to the back and said I'll just remake it. Good. Congrats for actually doing your job! I will NEVER be back. This woman mind you was eyeing me the second i walked in the door so she just wanted to argue. Maybe she has a jealousy problem. Sure seems like it. She needs to be fired. Horrible experience. Never again. You get better treatment at McDonald's. read more

Entrees were just ok, guacamole was filled with onions and just awful. Beans were not tasty at all. We took out, so no service or ambiance comments. Overall, not a place we'd return to. read more

Excellent food. Reasonable prices. Quick and very fresh. I ordered Fajita tacos with Caesar salad - Hubby had the Mexico City tacos. We both agreed they were better than any tacos we had in 5 years of living in California. read more

El Que Pasa - Fajita tacos w Caesar Salad and house margarita - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

The absolute best Mexican restaurant around! Their extensive menu never leaves one wondering what to eat.

Guac was amazing. Daniel cheffed it up. Service was intimate and passionate. Ambiance was lit, outside seating was everything.

For the most part, great Mexican food! Large restaurant and bar. Beans, rice, salsa, are great. Enchiladas so-so. Taquitos were hard, burnt and dry, including the meat inside, and needed salt. The service is super fast but not friendly. I would eat here again but try something else. read more

Visiting Asheville because of our honeymoon and really wanted to try a Mexican restaurant (we love Mexican food, ha). Chose this place and my god, really love all the food we got! To the chips to our main entree. Knocking a star off because of location. It was 20+ min drive and not the best area but other than that, definitely recommend. read more

El Que Pasa - a plate of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Ordered through door dash for lunch. Got the ACP. It was amazing. Chicken was grilled perfect, not too much cheese. Had a great flavor to the whole dish. Wasn't a fan of the dip that came with chips but that wasn't important to me. Might need to ask specifically for salsa next time. read more

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the entire world. And my wife and I go here once a week. A must try