I honestly do not usually leave reviews, because it's not that serious. BUT after my experience today, I have to agree with many of the most recent reviews. Especially in regard to the hospitality of the staff. I probably wouldn't care much about my experience, but the staff was rude to my dad, who is hard of hearing and rarely makes these kind of outings to avoid difficult interactions. We were on time for our reservation, but our table was not ready. So, my dad was attempting to stand out of the way as we waited (since there is not a waiting area) , but was told quite rudely to move out of the way by one the hostesses. No, "excuse me," but instead a, "you're in my way." My sister got there just after we were seated and was treated as an inconvenience by the same hostess while she was asking about our table. While ordering, our primary waitress was wonderful and kind. The secondary waitress, who assisted us most, was rude and inconvenienced by or defensive of simple questions. For example, a question about the NA beverage, Little Dove, was asked ("have you tried this" or something along those lines) and was met with, "of course, I've tried everything on the menu" and an unhelpful response about the cocktail itself. The delivery of her response was very defensive and implied that the question was stupid. The whole table noticed the interaction. The best experience of the day was the valet. The young man working was so kind and welcoming and did a great job managing the influx of people coming and going. Food was fine but overpriced for what it is. Just wasn't special enough for $30 plates. The margaritas were lacking. I probably would have given this another try for the beautiful setting alone if the vibe set by the staff hadn't felt so unwelcoming. I also may have felt different about my other interactions throughout the meal if my very first experience walking through the door had been better. read more

I got the Jolene Plate and it was off the chain!!!! Amazing atmosphere and fabulous drinks. I got several spicy margs and they are delish!!!! Obsessed with this place read more

El Royale - Jolene special is off the chain!! So good and I got several spicy margs that were fireeeeee! 10/10 so delish! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

The ambiance was inviting and conducive to a romantic date. The food and service on a scale of 1-10 was an 8.

I will say for ambience, 10/10, spectacular! Everything was so tasteful and I was so impressed. The food was unfortunately underwhelming. I'm not sure if it was what we ordered or because it was their first weekend open - maybe they're still trying to work out the kinks! My mother in law ordered the grouper and it came to the table practically raw inside, she was unable to eat it. I ordered a salad and it was very bland - maybe I shouldn't have ordered a salad at a Mexican restaurant, but I thought given the quality of the restaurant that I could expect a tasty salad. Also, the service. Not great. Again, hoping it will get better as they find their groove! I ordered a mocktail and the wrong one was brought to me. Then, we ordered a queso that just never came to the table. My husband also ordered a beer that we saw sitting at the bar ready for 10 minutes before it was brought to us. All in all, I will definitely give this place another try, but will wait a few weeks and hope the food and service is better! Definitely glad to see a cool new spot opened in Bham! read more

Great food, great service. Jose Cashmir is also so great at what he does. Great chef.

I have heard a lot about this place and had high hopes that the food would be "Tex-Mex" but the flavors were anything but that. The food was okay but I'd much rather go to Frida's to actually eat. El Royale has a cool vibe and is a good place to hang out but the food is way too expensive to be mediocre... read more

I love this place! Food is excellent! Price is on the high end but I totally tired of still paying too much for low quality food!! So this is worth it to me!! read more

Food was heavily salted and tasted of powdered garlic. The chips were cold and also too salted.

We had a reservation for four o'clock since all of the other times were filled. This is when El Royale opens and there were quite a few people waiting to be seated when they opened the doors at four. We got a great corner table and ordered a couple of Margaritas that were OK, if a bit small. Both the indoors and outside of the place/patio are beautiful. The atmosphere inside is cozy. We ordered Rib Eye Fajitas, a Chili Rellano and Fish Tacos. We were impressed with the Salsa Verde that came with the chips in addition to classic red sauce. The Chili Rellano ordered by one of us was "as good as any" and the Rib Eye Fajitas was incredible. You have or order them and eat them to fully appreciate that they were no ordinary fajita. While a bit pricey, I will definitely be back. read more

We've eaten here several times. The bar is excellent. The food is adequate but expensive.

Has potential. Won't get better until they correct their lack of seating and servers. Servers wait on you like they've never worked at a restaurant before and hover over you to place an order making you feel pressured to order. read more

I was in town for business and took a client to dinner here. Food and ambiance was fine. Service was just okay. However, just like another poster wrote they are thieves and added an additional $30 tip on top of what was already a 20% tip. I cannot get them to answer the phone, the managers voice mail box is full. The fact that I'm not the only one that this has happened to here should tell you what kind of business this is. read more

Nice restaurant which good menu options, drinks were good, I ordered the steak fajitas and they were delicious, I will say the dish could have had more seasoning read more

Went to El Royale for my friend's birthday brunch today. Let me start by saying that the restaurant itself is absolutely beautiful. However, everything else about my experience was extremely underwhelming. It took a long time for the food (and even the waters) to come out. When it did come out, my taco salad was just a complete miss. The cheese on top was cold and not even melted a little, there was WAY too much taco seasoning on the ground beef which was also cold, the tortilla chips were cold, and the salad itself lacked any depth of flavor (other than being over seasoned). I could get a better taco salad for much cheaper, even the OG taco salads at Taco Bell were better than this. My date complained his enchiladas were not good, as did my other friend. Furthermore, at the end of the service they refused to give us separate bills and had one person pay for the entire party. He had to become an accountant and calculate every couples meal separately. We asked the manager to split it and they said they won't do more than 2 cards because it's "too complicated".....ok, so you make it more complicated for your guests? Bad service and worse food. read more

El Royale - Tex-Mex Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

Madeline at the front was so sweet and funny! Excellent bar service from brothers, Alex and Brian who never stop smiling and have the best vibe! Clint, the GM, is the nicest guy ever and so personable and accommodating! Nathen was our server who had a very light and funny presence while giving great service. Lastly, the food was amazing! We had several dips and entrees and desserts, they all exceeded our expectations. Cocktails were wonderful. We will absolutely be regulars. Beautiful surroundings and amazing vibe. It's nice to spend time in a place where the staff is also having a great time!! Can't wait to come back!! read more

My friend and I went to lunch at El Royale on 6/14/25. The wait was long, but the food was good, and the ambiance was nice. Fast forward two days to my credit card company contacting me with an alert regarding a FIFTY percent tip charged to my account. I left more than 20%, but not 50! I tried calling the restauran, left a message, but never received a reply. I contacted them via Instagram DM, and they asked for my email address, but have since been ghosted. If you like your Tex Mex with a side of theft, then by all means go check out El Royale. Color me disappointed in this experience and their customer service. read more

we have tried to eat here for months but could never get a reservation until New Years Eve. We were seated promptly at 530. the waiter brought chips and said water coming but we waited 12 minutes after eating the pretty spicy salsa. We ordered drinks and our dinner when he returned around 545pm. we waited and waited and waited. The tables near us seem to be getting timely service but when our meals came. it was exactly 650 pm AND the ribs came out as a ribeye in error and my grouper was a charred room temperature fish stick....horrible. I went to the busy hostess desk and ask the manager to step in. he came over and tells us the waiter is new (right!) and he would fix it. The right order came literally in about 10 minutes and he promised us complimentary deserts which was never offered again nor served. He also said he would be back to check on us, sorry sorry etc. He never came back. The ribs were all gristle and fat and the second grouper was maybe 3 ounces and over cooked again. This place is just incredibly horrible and I am so sad as my hopes for high end tex mex were very high. Thanks for nothing Mr manager and El royale...you ruined NYE. read more

Brian at the bar was THE BEST!! He is so kind and always had a smile on his face!! We had a bday in our party and he went out of the way to make her feel special. And Zoë was an amazing server/bartender! She ensured we had all we needed and checked on us throughout. The food and drinks were both spectacular. Loved this experience! read more

My boyfriend and I were very excited to try this place, but were extremely disappointed and left completely unsatisfied. It started off not great from the second we walked in the door. There were 4 hostesses standing there and not one of them greeted us. We had to speak first. We waited about 35 minutes to get a table which was not bad. We were seated and our waitress did not come to our table for 10 minutes. When she arrived, we wanted to start by ordering appetizers. She rudely told us that we need to place our appetizers and meals at the same time. (This was odd to us as we've never been to a restaurant that asked this) we finally got our food. I ordered the chicken and my boyfriend ordered the taco trio. My chicken and fries were terrible. I had all of two bites. And the tacos were heavily over salted on one or lacked in flavor on another. Our waitress never came to our table once to ask how are meals were. I have a background in the service industry, and I understand being busy, but communicating that to your customers is way better received than being ignored, as she was paying good attention to tables around us. I think it's safe to say that we didn't match the typical demographic of the folks around us who seemed to be paid more attention to. We paid the bill and our waitress only talked to us once we were writing the tip. I wouldn't come back and I would not recommended wasting your money here. read more

We were so excited to try this place!! Atmosphere is so fun! Birria tacos were amazing and my husband had carne asada tacos that were okay! Unfortunately, service was awful. We did not have a reservation for Sunday night. However, we waited an hour (from 6:45 to 7:45) for a table when there were many open tables! I understand that it might have been staffing but there were plenty of servers and staff, so I can't imagine that was the reason- seemed to be a tactic to make it seem more busy than it actually was. Our server, Kristin (only knew that from the check), actually never spoke to us. Walked up and stood there and waited for us to order then we never saw her again until she dropped the check off and scurried off, all while chatting and offering dessert/ more drinks to tables around us.... Weirdest experience we have ever had. Would recommend Phil Sandoval's over this overpriced place. read more

Was able to grab a bar seat opening night and I was not disappointed! When you first walk into the restaurant the first thing that hits you is the music. Wonderful vibes and everyone is so welcoming. The restaurant is gorgeous as well, greenery everywhere, ambient lighting. This would be a great date night spot too. Zoë, Alex, and Irina took care of me at the bar and I've never had such attentive service. I got a frozen margarita and then a strawberry margarita on the rocks. These were literally the best margaritas I've ever had. I started off with the Elote and it was very good! It was off the cob and presented with the sauce on the bottom and the corn sprinkled over top. I would definitely get that again. Unfortunately I don't get any pictures of the lobster fajita I ordered because I devoured it, but the portions were huge! It was an 8oz lobster tail that came with all the fixings. Rice, beans, guacamole, cheese, and flour tortillas. I finished the night off with some flan and it was the best I've ever had. They also offer tres leches and churros for dessert as well. I will be coming back very soon! read more

El Royale - Flan - Tex-Mex Near Me - Birmingham, Alabama

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El Royale has beautiful decor and a great plant-filled vibe, though the chairs weren't the most comfortable. We went in the late afternoon- I imagine the atmosphere is even nicer in the evening. The drinks were underwhelming. My spicy margarita came in a small glass, only half full, which didn't feel worth the $16. When I was asked if I'd like a second, I refrained as $32 for basically one correctly portioned drink is a bit crazy. On the food side, we sampled all of the tacos - the Chicken Tinga was the standout. The elote was more of a creamy mystery than corn and should have been served warmer. (Could be more of a preference thing). Overall, our group rated it a 7 for food and experience but there's room for improvement, especially on comfortable seating and drinks. read more

My wife , a friend , and myself went for lunch . After tearing down the front stone of what was first Plant Odyssey and then Carrigans in a couple forms , we weren't sure what to expect . The ambiance and buildout didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, it didn't go as well with our meals . The Corn Alote app was the only real thing that stood out . The salsa was good but not great , the chicken tacos were just mediocre , the beans and rice didn't offer anything special and were just average at best . No one had a great meal which would have been acceptable at a cheap Mexican place . This place is the opposite of cheap and priced for what should be exceptional . Instead of sloppy refried beans , how about some unctuous Charro Beans . Rice , it should stand out on its own instead of being a mere plate filler . The list goes on. Not a lot of motivation to overspend here again . At least until they step up their culinary game . Side note , the service was good . read more

El Royale is such a unique experience in Birmingham. The atmosphere is stunning and you can tell no stone was left unturned in creating an experience that leaves guests feeling like they are on a vacation rather than in Birmingham. Many restaurants that are this stunning have sub par food, but that is NOT the case for El Royale. My husband has the taco sampler and every single taco he liked even more than the last. He never gives a 10/10 but he immediately gave high praise even as a Texan. I had the Ribeye fajitas and they were incredible. The steak was seasoned to perfection and the tortillas were clearly fresh and made in house. I also ordered their version of a Paloma which was one of their two mocktails on the menu. Not only could you have never guessed it was a mocktail it was truly one of the best drinks I've had in Birmingham. Service was fantastic. You can definitely see how hard the staff are working to get the place up and running, but they are quick and so kind. Each person from the hostess to the waitstaff to the bartenders are creating an amazing experience for guest. We are already planning another visit and looking forward to spending some time in the gardens outside. This is a 5star addition to the already amazing food scene in Birmingham! read more

For starters - this is an honest 4 star review. I believe that it will certainly grow into a deserved 5 star restaurant with the weight of time. We visited on the 13th day of service and I have to say, we were impressed. It is set up to be great, but right now it's only good. We ordered the El Royale Dip (fancy rotel - no football involved). Our drinks were phenomenal (we had several). When our entrees arrived, we were a little bit disheartened by the look of the ground beef taco, but to our delight, it was great. Steak fajitas were well executed with extremely thin tortillas. It could have come with a bit more sodium, but you can't win them all. The star of the show was the cream filled churros if you know what I mean . The vibes, decor, and ambiance are immaculate for the city of Birmingham. As this restaurant evolves into something great, we look forward to coming back many times and plan to deliver the hard earned 5 star review. Seriously though - get the churros. read more