We are from California where Mexican food is in our opinion authentic and delicious. In our traveling experiences, we have found it very difficult to find good Mexican food. We were delightfully surprised when we went to El Soñador in Gatlinburg. My husband and I shared a margarita flight with strawberry being our favorite and the trio chips and dip. Queso was warm and tasty, guacamole was chunky and full of the perfect flavor and refried bean dip was delicious. It was served with warm, fresh chips and salsa. The salsa was okay, not the best we've had. We only went for an afternoon snack because we were a little skeptical but we would like to go back for a full meal. The service was excellent with warm, inviting and friendly people. We sat by the window which was nice to be able to look out at the activity of Gatlinburg. read more

This place has a claim that they are the best and I question that. The food was mid at best. The drink flight was tasty but don't bother because there's barely any alcohol just get a virgin one and save some money. Also, it took FOREVER to get our bill. read more

El Sonador - Drink flight - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

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Excellent food and service. Chips were hot, tamales were delicious, and margaritas were tasty. Try this hidden gem. Parking is free across the street. We will be back next time we are in Gatlinburg. read more

Lovely Mexican restaurant in Gatlinburg, gets crowded , food was delicious . They start you off with chips and salsa, dont load up on those coz the food quantity is quite large. I got the steak fajitas, my kiddos got the chicken tacos and chicken quesadillas and hubby got the Al pastor burrito. I thought that was the best! All the other items were great as well, but the pastor was read more

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Y'all check this place out! Worth the walk up the main drag and there's an ELEVATOR up to the 3rd floor, so don't worry if you're tired. All our meals were amazing, the service attentive and well - perfect. There was a magenta orchid in my margarita! TRY IT. read more

El Sonador - Magenta orchid in my excellent margarita! - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

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As a local content creator here in Gatlinburg The Gatlinburg Hussey I tell all of my subscribers to visit El Sonador...Great food and view overlooking the Gatlinburg Parkway read more

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Lovely Mexican restaurant with a nice view, excellent food, and friendly service. Plenty of seating, and the chips, salsa, and guac were fresh and delicious. Highly recommend and would definitely come back! read more

Every thing was great! From the view to the good to the drinks so the service! We ordered a little of everything from the menu and not one thing disappointed us! Plus the host and our server were so much fun! read more

El Sonador - Margarita flight and queso - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Great food great service and traditional Mexican ambiance! The food is so good it competes with my California favorites. So authentic and the portion sizes are huge you can definitely share one plate for 2 people. Every person in our party left stuffed and satisfied. The service was quick to seat and order but took a minute for the food to come out. We WERE NOT disappointed! The chips and salsa are complimentary and they did not hold back, they filled our chip baskets a few times while we were waiting on our food. Aside from the food portions being huge, they served all full size drinks in pint cups I couldn't even finish mine. We would absolutely come back if we ever find ourselves in the area it's a must try!!! read more

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Really great people watching from the windows. The service was excellent. The fajitas were a generous portion. We would definitely go back

I was in town in staying at Margaritaville Resort and wanted Mexican food. This spot was a 3 min walk across the street. There is a cross walk for you to cross the busy Parkway. The restaurant is located in the 3rd floor and way up above which makes it a cute place to eat at as it looks like you are eating up in a tower. There is an elevator to go up to the 3rd floor but we opted to take the stairs. While walking in, we were seated right away in a nice booth. Having craving some Mexican food for a while now. I knew exactly what I was looking for. I ordered the Carne asada and my better half ordered the Pina Loca. We even for the little one a kids meal (chicken/fries). The meal came with complimentary chips and salsa. There was a fine print that the first round was free and if you requested more chips and salsa, it would be $2.99 extra. That the first time seeing something like but then again, this a highly populated tourist area. My Carne asada was super tasty. The meat was juicy and tender and wasn't dried out. The corn tortillas and Mexican rice was good as well. Waiter service was fast and friendly! The chicken and fries weren't half as the chicken was very crispy. Fries were more on the soft side. The Pina Loco wasn't bad as the shrimp and grilled chicken had a nice flavor to it. I definitely recommend this place if your in town and wanting some good Mexican food. read more

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We first visited this mexican restaurant on our trip to Gatlinburg in 2019. We were excited to see that it was still open and we decided to have dinner here on a Saturday night during our most recent visit. The restaurant was busy but we were able to get a table without any trouble. The staff is super friendly. The chips and salsa are plentiful and the margarita packs a punch! I had the carne asada street tacos and they were delish. The only drawback was that we had to pay for parking but definitely shop around. There are some cheaper lots than the $20 one across the street. read more

El Sonador - Carne Asada Street Tacos with side of shredded cheese. - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The food and service was excellent. We arrived with a party of 7 & got seated right away. We were hungry after a long day of exploring so the chips and salsa were great. My only complaint would be the bathrooms. Wish they would have been cleaner then I would have given 5 stars. read more

Bit of a hidden gem. Inside is great and a cool view exist from most all of the tables. Food is great and service is great. Parking is not always the easiest but I do like this place. read more

Awesome place!! . Great food! Staff went above and beyond ! margarita was the size of a small pool. Delicious

Had my sons rehearsal dinner catered through El Sonador. The food was hot fresh and everyone absolutely loved it! Just Absolutely delicious ! Portion size was great !! Jose was amazing in helping me decide what to serve. He even recommended the delivery service. Just exceptional! If you want a taco bar set up,or Mexican cuisine ,I highly recommend ! read more

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Love the bartender and the food was so so good! We will definitely be back when we visit gatlinburg again!

We came in right before closing. They didn't rush us and the food was excellent! They had a wide range of food. The chips were crispy and the salsa was just right. We will definitely stop in again the next time we're in town. read more

3.5 stars We were seated with no wait on a Friday night and enjoyed the view of the sunset through the tables by the large windows. We had good service and the food came out quick. The rib eye steak was a bit chewy and tough. Tamales and enchiladas were just okay. I would recommend the The mar y Tierra platter. It definitely had the best presentation and came with tons of food, of which we really liked the fried cheese and elote. read more

El Sonador - Tamales Mexicanos - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

In a town filled with fast food chains, we discovered this authentic Mexican restaurant. Tacos, tamales, enchiladas, homemade chips and salsa, oh my. I had one of everything in a combo platter and my husband feasted on steak tacos. The food was fresh, plentiful and authentic. The service was exceptional. Our waiter was charming, chatty and very familiar with the area. The only drawback was margaritas in a can. They are in the process of getting their liquor license. read more

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This was a good little place and easy to get into when we were hungry. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly, and food was prepared quickly. You won't find margaritas or mixed drinks here yet though, as they do not have a liquor license for that type of drink. Ciders, draft beer, and other things from cans or bottles are available. Great salsa! The chopped streak for my tacos was overly-crisp, but otherwise everything was delicious! read more

Standard Tex Mex fast hot and fresh. A little tough to find up on the top floor of the plaza. Off the beaten path so a little more chill and quiet. Use the parking garage across the street for $10 flat rate. read more

El Sonador - Chicken Pork and Beef Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

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Walked in about an hour before close on a sunday night and was seated right away. Nice view of the sunset from our seats. Our server was friendly and the food was also very good read more

Yum yum yum! The food here is absolutely amazing. We took our leftovers home and ate them the next day and it was still amazing! The food comes out quick, our server was very nice, and the place generally very clean. Also sitting above the town was cool! Definitely come try El Soñador read more

Super friendly staff, quickly seated. Lots of great menu options. My husband had the enchiladas and I had the chicken quesadilla fajita. Super quick service and the food was delicious. Restaurant was busy but not overwhelmingly noisy. Nice solid tables. read more

El Sonador - Chicken quesadilla fajita with rice - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The food, customer service, and ambiance is very incredible, especially in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.

Bland food and really terrible service. None of the staff is interested in helping customers and food is spilled by children. Manager doesn't care to customize any food even through their menu has the option. Don't go here. Eat pizza instead. read more

Went here in Saturday Night. To start with this ace is on 3rd floor and the elevator was no working. The place was extremely busy. There was 2 big parties from what I can understand. We were seated within 5 minutes of being there. Our server was nice and friendly. But had messed up our order due to our both miscommunication. Their spicy salsa was really spicy, which I really liked. Food was average. Service was slow. Limited vegetarian options and I was told they are bot able to substitute anything on the menu, so for example they are not able to remove chicken and add veggies to one of the wet burritos, which I can understand that every restaurant has their ways. So basically limited with substitutions which limits items to order vegetarian/ vegan. The prices are sort of on higher end for the quality of food we had. Overall 3/5 . read more

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Ok, the low rating has nothing to do either with the taste of the food, the service, or the other 99% of the meal. The food was outstanding! My wife and I loved it! I had a steak with French fries covered in cheese! My wife had grilled chicken soft tacos! We had salsa and cheese dip and coke and ALL of it was so good!! Our waiter was very helpful, friendly, and happy!! And it was fast even though they were busy on a Friday night! The whole meal was great and in the last 5 minutes when we were getting the check a cockroach crawled down the wall from behind our booth at table height. And it crawled on the edge of our table. Then on our way down the stairs there was a huge pile of poop, hope it was dog poop, but it could have been human... Hate to give them a one star, I know all restaurants struggle with insects, but wowza.... Gotta do better than that... To those about to dine, wear a blindfold.... read more

El Sonador - So good! - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Amazing food and atmosphere and great service! Definitely recommend to any Latinos in the area very family friendly.

This restaurant was in walking distance of our hotel, and we went out on a Saturday night. There was no wait and we were seated immediately which was amazing! We both ordered Carne Asada Tacos, and we both agree it was by far the best steak tacos we've ever had! It was fresh steak and very tasty! We will definetly return on our next visit to Gatlinburg! read more

El Sonador - Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

During our recent trip to the Smoky Mountains, we stopped here for dinner (based on how good the food looked in pics shared by others). To start with, the chips and salsa here was very good (the salsa was better that the chips). My daughter and I had Horchata to drink and it came in a frosted mug (the best way to enjoy Horchata)! For dinner, I had the El Sonador quesadilla, which was delicious. My daughter had steak fajitas and really enjoyed them. My wife also liked her steak burrito. Breakdown: Food 4 1/2 stars, Service 4 stars, Atmosphere 3 1/2 stars We recommend stopping here if you are in the Gatlinburg area. read more

El Sonador - El Sonodar quesadilla and a steak taco - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Olé - yelpers led us here and didn't disappoint for Tennessee standards of Mexican food. Tried the "Carnitas" and found it to be perfectly fried porky deliciousness. The fajitas came out sizzling to the table. Found the meat to veggie ratio was a little lacking. Overall a decent dish which need a tad bit more of fajita seasoning to compliment the meat. The restaurant is on the 3rd floor and has a decent view up the mountains minus the power lines draping the window. The restaurant is clean but in need of some updating of the interior. Gove it a try as it was a decent food experience for us. read more

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Tried this place recently during a rare moment when I ponied up the $20 for nearby parking. My wife and I enjoyed their food. I had their version of the fajitas and my wife ordered the chicken quesadilla. Both were delicious. Their location is unique and cool. Lots of big windows to watch Gatlinburg while eating. The staff was friendly and on top of things. read more

El Sonador - Good Mexican beer!! - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

I was going to rate a 4 because the food is solid. However, they do not have a bar so only beer and can margaritas. Ambiance is lacking. Also I knocked down a half star because I asked for hot sauce. They brought me some in a little side dish. Got the bill and was charged $2 for hot sauce,,,soooooo. Just asked for hot sauce nothing special. $2. So 3 stars overall. read more

Decent food, good service, and nice atmosphere. prob the best mexican food in town but definitely better outside of gatlinburg

Sat us immediately. Food was served amazingly fast. Carnitas were tender and not dry!!!

Great service and amazing food! Portions were good for a reasonable price. Definitely recommend

An absolute gem on the Gatlinburg strip! Most of the places in the area are complete tourist traps but this place was delicious and authentic. The service was prompt and gracious. We had a family of 4 and they brought out our own individual salsa cups and we were thrilled. The food was beyond flavorful. We loved every bite! Highly highly recommend. The only downside was they don't have their liquor license yet so no margaritas but it was absolutely worth it. read more

El Sonador - Steak torta was epic! - Mexican Near Me - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

If I ever come back it will be too soon. Wasn't here long before we were bombarded by a guy with a camera wanting to take our picture for the restraunt poster I was told. I was OK with it then he hit us with the it's $20 for a fridge magnet to go around the picture gave me a weird vibe ruined our dinner experience. He lingered while asking me to review the restraunt 5 stars, didn't leave until I finished my review. The food wasn't even that good my steak was overcooked and chewy. I didn't complain I just paid and tipped nicely and left. The server was great. read more