Best authentic Mexican food in north Houston! Great atmosphere!! Staff is super friendly!!

Oh yea! We like many others have been waiting to try El Refu. Our experience was definitely worth the wait. The wait staff were very nice and attentive. They were helpful in making suggestions as it was our first time visiting. The food was fresh and came out quickly. The menu is extensive and there are many dishes I look forward to trying in the future. read more

El Refu Seafood 6 - Seafood Near Me - Spring, Texas

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Service is good...And that's about it. The restaurant it self feels a bit dirty and the food is just not made with love. It's just a trap...Stay away from this place, there are so many good places near by. read more

El Refu Seafood 6 - Shrimp fried rice and grilled octopus...Meh, really meh. - Seafood Near Me - Spring, Texas

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New location opened in Oct and we already go to the other locations in Humble (near Wilson rd) and Willowbrook (249/1960) so we had to try this place We went in with high expectations as El Rufu has never disappointed. Location is in a tight business area but parking lot is large enough as some businesses are closed at night. No issue finding parking 7pm Sat night. We decided to sit Outside as it was a huge area and weather was perfect and we wanted to be near the music. We sat front row and so glad. Service is always great and the food and drinks kept flowing. The live music was awesome, a man and woman that took turns singing and from 8-12 no stoppage, they took their breaks as each sang a song. But non stop entertainment. They sang classics, tejano, ranchero, new and other party songs. If you like good food, drinks and live music you must check this place out. But make sure you come with some tip money for the music entertainers as they do requests and really keep the vibe going. read more

El Refu Seafood 6 - Main outdoor area the stage was right behind my view from table - Seafood Near Me - Spring, Texas

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The restaurant is very large with lots of outdoor and indoor seating. It would be great for large groups or just a date for two. We went on a Sunday and they had a live dj outside. The music was upbeat but also pretty loud so it was kinda of hard to talk. The service is fantastic here. We had people checking in on out table pretty often and they are quick to refill drinks or help with requests. I ordered a shrimp cocktail with octopus and the mix was a little on the sweeter side but after adding a little Valentina it was delicous. They have nice plump shrimp and good size pieces of octopus. Their house margarita was also good but a bit in the sweet side but overall we enjoyed our meal and look forward to coming back. read more

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The grilled octopus ( pulpo parrilla zarandeado) was not bad to begin with, but since it's on a hot plate, the texture got chewy very quickly. They need to serve this dish without a hot plate. The fried rice that came as an accompaniment was a bit mushy-- not great at all. The shrimp cocktail was meh--We had better. The ceviche was not very fresh and had almost cooked fish, which is strange because usually fish in any ceviche has a raw texture to it. I think the mango margarita was the only saving grace. It was made well. The service was great. The ambience was noisy as expected on a Saturday evening. read more

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I've been patiently waiting for this establishment to open, and the day finally arrived. We stopped by on a Friday night of their opening week. The parking lot has limited parking but we were able to find space on the opposite side of the shopping center. Upon arrival, the restaurant was super busy, outside seating was completely full, however we were able to find seating inside with no wait. We were approached right away by our waitress Jackie. She was attentive, and had a pleasant attitude throughout our night. The managers also walked around and greeted us multiple times! AMAZING customer service! The decor is very unique! It's like Cracker Barrel, Saltgrass, Mad Max and Bourbon street all came together to have a decor baby lol... it's quirky, overwhelming, antique, bright, fun, and strange lol....the inside of the restaurant was a bit smokey, I'm hoping this was a just a one off and not something to be expected during each visit. The live music was phenomenal, the young lady who performed had beautiful vocals, and she entertained the crowd very well. They also have a VW cart that goes around the restaurant with free shots. Not sure if this is a regular occurrence or if it was just for the grand opening. The menu is vast! Although I wanted to try multiple items, I had already had my mind set on trying the octopus. I ordered El Pirata Especial which comes with grilled octopus, and oysters (I ordered them grilled). The octopus was well seasoned and cooked to perfection. The texture is similar to calamari or scallops. The oysters were also flavorful and paired well with the Vuelve a la vida cocktail. Overall, I enjoyed the experience! Their food and restaurant culture is unique and that sets them a part from other restaurants in their food category. read more

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Finally the restaurant with the big crab and boat is open! This is just a fun restaurant to go to. The decor is whimsical and just beckons you from the street as you drive by. I had read there's live music at 4 pm but I got there at 6:30 pm on a Saturday and there was none. But by 7 pm I saw them starting to gear up for something. The staff was super nice. Tonight it was Kinda smoky inside. I think this can't be the norm though. Maybe technical difficulties. We left smelling like you do when you go to Korean do-it-yourself bbq. Should've opted for the nice big covered patio they got outside, but I wanted to see if the free shot cart would be making the rounds. But sadly it remained parked the entire time we were there. The free chips and salsa were good and fresh as we browsed the menu, which is quite extensive. Since this is a seafood restaurant I decided to treat myself to the Molcajete Patron. I later found out this is really meant for two people however as it comes with two separate sides of tortillas, guacamole, rice, beans and pico. The shared bowl has several items including as the highlight a half huge grilled octopus. I feel bad eating of octopus these days after scientist determined that they're sentient. Anyway it was very tender and not rubbery like most times I've eaten octopus. This entree also comes with 3 shrimp momias, which is bacon wrapped with pepper and cream cheese. There were also 3 half strips of sausage links, 3 strips of chicken and 3 strips of cactus all on a bed of grilled onions. The cactus was kinda slimy. Like strings of slime when you cut off a piece and pick it up. Ack. Not my favorite, but it was interesting. If you pay cash there's no service fee, which was a little more than 4% of the subtotal. read more

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Soft Opening VS Grand Opening - Highly Recommend I have been seeing this restaurant be built for quite some time and just been waiting for it to open only because I like the other El Refu in Willowbrook. I came for the soft opening. This location is heavy seafood menu as the other one is more Mexican food. The soft opening went well no complaints on the food. Music was a little loud, but you could tell they were still trying to adjust it, but everyone was having a good time outdoors and indoors. Indoors was a little smokey from the kitchen. The fun still continued as there was a wagon cart of shots being passed around the restaurant on the house. Lastly, I have to say how nice the staff was and so attentive. The owner let us know about the grand opening, which would be on Monday so we plan to go back and try out more menu items. So we came back for opening night. Had even more fun! Everything was consistent with service the quality of the food and the fun no kinks at all. The entertainment was different every hour as they were testing out new entertainment, and we had enjoyed every hour that we even stayed longer than we anticipated. We ordered more delicious food and drinks and had a great time with the owner, the staff, the entertainment, and just whoever was on the patio that night. It was a great grand opening as well as soft opening. read more

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A new favorite for my family! Such a fun atmosphere with great decorations! Service is on point & the food is amazing! The lengthy menu has SO many options for everyone. Huge outdoor patio with live music on the weekends and games. read more

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Very festive decorations covered all of the walls and ceilings. The place is huge. Looks like a fun place to have a big happy hour with pool table and shuffle board outside on patio. Food was delicious read more

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Amazing food. Strong margaritas. Yonathan the bartender is the best. Great vibe. Felt very welcomed.

Incredible ribeye and the green sauce is amazing. Yonathan the bartender on Friday afternoons is great. 10/10 service. Margaritas are lit bro read more

Deyanira was very kind and helpful! I had oysters and Enchiladas!! Super fresh and tasty!! Live music almost all week, you can sing and dance!! Indoor and fantastic outdoor seating!! read more

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Service and food poor. We ordered the shrimp n corn bolsa as a appetizer. Shrimp were mushy but taste ok. Main meal, I ordered the cocktail patron with grilled octopus and wife ordered crawfish........45mins later and a couple pacificos later(only good thing) food was served. Crawfish were room temp and grilled octopus was not cooked properly. This place is catered to people who dont know proper mexican seafood dishes. read more

El Refu Seafood 6 - Seafood Near Me - Spring, Texas

Food: Best Tex-Mex by far that I have ever had. And their in-house salsa is the best salsa I have ever had. This is the new standard I'll be judging every Mex and Tex-Mex eatery from here on out. 5 Stars Service: friendly, warm, and fast. 5 Stars Ambiance: lively, festive music. What a fun place to eat. 5 Stars Overall: strong 5 Stars! read more

Best seafood restaurant in the area of the woodlands great customer service atmosphere and service with Dulce our waitress she was so nice and respectful. read more

El Refu Seafood 6 - The main floor - Seafood Near Me - Spring, Texas

Stopped by today for the first time and it was a great experience. Waitstaff was very welcoming and attentive. We chose to sit inside. Place was clean and the food was delicious. Very family friendly. We ordered the shrimp à la diabla (sauce was so good), the ribeye and shrimp, the fish fillet topped with grilled veggies and cheese (yum!), and a combo plate with shrimp and enchiladas, plus the kids chicken taco plate. All portions were very generous. Chips and salsa were also very good. So happy to have finally stopped by. We will definitely be back soon. read more

Starting with the positive the staff was very friendly and did a great Job. The ambiance was cool. The drinks were delicious. The Shrimp boil was pretty good 8/10. However, I ordered steak fajitas and they were not good in my opinion. The meat was mushy and had no char the plate wasn't sizzling and it tasted like Chinese food beef 3/10. I may return but stick to the seafood read more

Food was mid at best and overpriced but the drinks were good. Loud ambiance. Won't return.

Service was really great. I loved the atmosphere. We ate Mexican food and it was okay, nothing special about it. Charro beans were under cooked. Ordered a dozen oysters on the half shell and they were beyond small. Some didn't even resemble an oyster. Size of a quarter. Probably won't go back. read more

It's incredible. The food is so good. The service is so wonderful. I need to give her such a great review cause I'll start being packed, but that's good. I want this restaurant to do well, and if you're there ask for delightful Deyanira or Dubraska read more

Fany the waiter gave good service and food recommendation. Also the ambiance of this place is really chill and i loved the music.

Excellent food and service. After months of waiting patiently for El Refu to open, we were so excited when the day finally came. We were pleased with the unique food, fun and creative margaritas (don't miss out on the Happy Hour specials!), and the attentive service. We will be back! read more

Great experience from start to finish. We'd been looking forward to El Refu's opening for months, and it was worth the wait. The menu offered distinctive flavors, the margaritas were lively and delicious (especially during Happy Hour), and the staff made us feel genuinely welcome. Already planning our next visit. read more