Perla should be a server at El Tapatio, she was so polite and this is why we are doing a 5star review. The food was excellent, but our male server had zero interest in helping us, thank god for perla, she took over and helped us right away. Thank you. read more

We love this place. We used to eat at the one in Citrus Heights, but now we love the auburn one. That staff is so friendly, and their dishes are pure comfort food. We live in Roseville but we don't mind driving up to get the best Mexican food around. read more

Great location with semi enclosed patio. Quick service and good food. Lunch prices available and can buy some things a la crate. Waiters are knowledgeable for any allergies and they are accommodating. Good for Keto if you substitute some items. Overall good experience. I hope it can get through the pandemic. read more

My boyfriend have made this our regular date night place if not one but at times two times a week. The staff are always amazing and so attentive . They have come to know us, so they always make a point to say hello when we come in. The food is always amazing and have never had one complaint. The margaritas are on of our favorites parts to order. We love to bring family and friends here also which they have always had great things to say. Thank you for making this place a special parts of our date night memories ! read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

My main issue is the lack of social distancing and they aren't enforcing masks. At least 25% of the people who walked in weren't wearing a mask and not a single one was asked by staff to put one on. There is next to no distancing going on, the place was packed and had apparently been every day of the week. I didn't even want my mom sitting in there waiting for our food. I would absolutely not come back here if they're going to continue to skirt the regulations like this. I hesitate to leave a poor review for a newly opened business. The food was just ok, except for my moms taco salad which she said was excellent. There was a long wait (called in a phone order and wasn't ready for like 45 minutes). But I can attribute that to it being new. read more

Fun place to take a big group, service is great and Josie makes the best drinks in town

Wow. Have not been completely ignored by a bartender in a long time. I came in tonight for dinner. Hostess said bar was faster. That's trouble. I waited 11 minutes for the bartender to finish her conversation with a co worker before she asked me what I wanted. No, it's not that busy. I am well over ten minutes waiting since then for my cocktail. I don't want to come back and I haven't even seen any food. So far this place has the worst service in town. Btw, just got my Manhattan. It's not good. Only ok. Just got to a table and the other folks having dinner with me have arrived. I did not relay the extent of my annoyance to them. The waiter was prompt and friendly. We managed to find something on the menu for each of us. Looks like an old Chevys menu. Not surprising, this is the former chevys location. We placed orders, I had mole enchiladas and thothers ordered different items. Food was prepared quickly which was nice. The cocktail waitress came around, she is the bartender I spoke of, and we had a few more. The drinks were ok, not great. Priced well at least. Food arrived. We of course tried each other's as well as our own meals. Sadly, nothing moved above ok in taste. All looked good but just not that fantastic. My enchiladas seemed as though they were cooked ahead and then fresh mole put on them. Sad. I think maybe they have all enchiladas ready for whatever is ordered and dump the appropriate sauce on them. Or so it seems. Dinner for four with cocktails was noticeably cheaper than elsewhere. That is nice. Though my wife's comment was "no reason to come back". I understand that. All I really need is an excellent cocktail to make the evening a success. She needs the whole deal. Don't come for the food. Or drinks. Unless all you want is a low price. And the bartender in question wears her mask under her chin. Just sayin so y'all can hate her read more

Another Great job! By Rudy,Mario,Luis,and Alex! The Food is very tasty and service always great! They take pride in what they do! ! Thanks to all the crew! At El Tapatia! In auburn ca! read more

So this place has opened up and the family and I decided to try it for our weekly Mexican night dinner. Not a good first impression of this restaurant so far. When I brought the food home the orders were wrong so had to go back and make them right. Still screwed up and had to make a third time. The black beans I had with my quesadilla had zero flavor as they did with the chili relleno. Over all not pleasant wouldn't recommend. read more

I don't understand why there are so many Mexican restaurants out here with good reviews and horrible food. People in this area have no idea what good Mexican food is. It's sad. This is like a Chevys type restaurant but with worse, overpriced food. It tasted like frozen microwave dinner. Such a disappointment. Will not come back. Will not recommend. Better off cooking my own Mexican dishes. read more

Amazing staff and a delicious food. The chorizo huevous Rancheria is to die for and the drink menu is spectacular. Had a really amazing foodie experience there. ​ read more

Amazingly good. Chips are crisp and fresh as is the salsa and bean dip they serve them with. The bacon wrapped shrimp are a definite on the menu. The fajitas are so fresh and hot. Not only do you have to be careful with the sizzling platter they come on but the foil wrapped tortillas that come hot off the press. Chili rejeno is a favorite as well. read more

Had a wonderful dinner here. The menu has so many great choices. There is something for everyone. Excellent flavors. Pleasant service and extravagant portion sizes. We'll be back! read more

Food is fresh and tasty, but a bit pricey, hence the 4-star review. Service is friendly and prompt.

I read the reviews to this place before coming here and when we were seated we had a server named Rudy; I recognized the name from a past review and wanted to say that Rudy was a very attentive and kind server that made sure we had everything we needed. To the ignorant comment made by ROBERT, claiming he should be a dishwasher in the "back of the house," (incredibly uncalled for and rude to say no matter what), you completely misjudged Rudy. He opened up to us and shared the fact that his daughter was hospitalized about 3 months ago (which is around the time ROBERT left him that horrible review). He's been working for El Tapatio for a long time and it seems like your bad experience wasn't because he's a bad server like you think; it's because he was going through a hard time. People need to be more mindful of servers and realize that they're people too. ‍ read more

Had another great lunch there today! The food was absolutely fresh and delicious. We had enchiladas-beef & chicken, that were so tasty with great cheese & sauces. Love the chips & salsa. The service was friendly and efficient. The ambiance and decor add to a wonderful experience. read more

We lived in Auburn for 2 years and this is the first time we tried El Tapatio and my wife and I were very pleasantly surprised. The service was great and the food was very good as well. My wife had a shrimp dish she said was delicious and I had the steak fajitas which was excellent. They brought us plenty of chips and salsa and were very well organized so we didn't have to wait long to get our drinks or meal. I thought the prices were very reasonable given how much inflation we've had and some of the jacked up prices we've seen elsewhere. read more

We went for an early dinner and got right in with no wait. We had fajitas, carnitas quesadilla and steak salad. We also had a frozen mango margarita and it was huge and delicious! The steak fajita salad is amazing! The steak is so flavorful! Can't wait to go back! read more

Excellent food, ambiance and service is absolutely great! Everything they make is just delicious.

Delicious Mexican food with abundant portions! . They stay busy, which is another sign that their food is good! They also have great tasting tortilla chips. Even though they were busy, they were quick to serve me. read more

I finally got to eat at El Tapatio yesterday. I really enjoyed it. The food and drinks were good. Everything was fresh. I ordered a Mas Platter and a House Margarita. All of the menu options looked delicious. It was hard to choose but not overwhelming. The staff were very warm, welcoming and attentive. I'm already planning on going back. I'll try to remember to get a pic next time. read more

Just ordered the Steak Fajitas at $21.00. Received three small street size tortillas. After they were consumed I asked for additional tortillas. Received the check and they charged $1.99 for the additional small street size tortillas. I am a pretty good tipper. Usually 25 to 40%. Guess what , I left a 10% tip and I won't be back. El Tapatio is going the way of their predecessor. Nice knowing you Chevys too. read more

Fast service and so polite. Horchata is tasty plus they serve coke in the bottle! We can't wait to come back. This is my new favorite Mexican food restaurant. read more

See all

I am so glad these folks took over Chevy's old spot because they've got a great thing going (I kinda miss that tortilla machine, but oh well. It's OK.). The service is efficient and courteous even when the place is busy, which is almost always because it's a fun place, and among other niceties they keep the chips and salsa coming. My favorite entree is the enchiladas mariscos suiza, which are generous with the seafood and just spicy enough (They're addictive. They really are). The burritos and chile rellenos are also really good, as is the sweet corn cake, and the iced tea is good and strong if that's anyone's thing. The food is slightly expensive but the portions are gigantic so it's more than worth it. I never walk out without a doggie bag. read more

Wish I could give a sixth star to this gem in Auburn. Not one negative thing to say about this place. A very friendly staff top to bottom. Restaurant is beautifully decorated and felt extremely safe from Covid-19. They were obviously taking all necessary precautions. The service was fantastic, food was amazing and well priced, the margaritas left you wanting more, because they were so darn good! The food portions were huge leaving us with plenty of delicious leftovers. If you're in the mood for Mexican food, this place is a must!! read more

So glad we gave El Tapatio another try. Fantastic food, quick service, great cocktails, and attentive to our needs during the meal. When they first opened last year we were disappointed with long delays, inconsistent pricing, poor service and a $5.00 surcharge for paying with a credit card. We decided not to go back. But yesterday, we were in the mood for Margaritas and Mexican food, so we thought we would give them another try. I took cash to avoid the surcharge for credit card, but was pleasantly surprised to see they no longer put a surcharge on the bill. Our experience on last night's visit could not have been better. Five stars all the way around. We requested a table in the bar area with all the TV monitors surrounding it. We were seated promptly, with Margaritas, water, chips, salsa and bean dip on our table within a couple minutes. It was Happy Hour and we were pleased with the nicely sized Margaritas at Happy Hour prices. Our food order was taken as soon as we were ready and arrived at our table within 10 minutes. We chose the Fajitas for Two, chicken and steak, which was delicious with generous portions. Our waiter was attentive and his assistant checked on us occasionally which was great. Chips were refilled promptly when needed and we were asked several times if we needed anything else, which was nice because I had forgotten to ask for butter for my tortillas and normally would just go without at most places. We enjoyed our fajitas, and particularly enjoyed the steak which was deliciously seasoned and very tender. A second round of Margaritas was delivered promptly when requested, and we were offered a to-go container for our leftovers. The bill was dropped off when we were done and collected promptly once we placed our payment with the bill. Prices were fair, with no surprises or unexpected add-ons. We chose to leave a 25% tip for the exceptionally good service, which is a little more than normal for us, but wanted to reward the positive experience. Really glad we gave El Tapatio another try. If this is their new normal, we will likely become regulars. read more

Really really tasty. Good service. But not sure of Covid precautions. Not much separation between tables at 5. Lots of customers without masks. Table was wet and not sure that meant it was cleaned. But food good and plentiful. A bit salty. Oh and the margarita while tasty had little or no booze. Beer selection is great for local places with Breaking Bud and another local hazy read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

See all

We love this place!! The steak fajitas are fabulous as is the service!!! You definitely won't be disappointed. Chips with salsa and the bean dip are really addicting. read more

By far the best place in town. They have great food, drinks and service. The restaurant is always clean and welcoming.

I always go to the el tap on sunrise when I'm at work down the hill. So glad they put one in auburn. Always great food and service!

I love it there, in-fact plan on going back tonight. The deluxe is awesome. Loved the atmosphere & the waitress. I rate you #1 read more

It is a cute restaurant, but the bathrooms usually need a lot of attention when we have gone. It has been pretty good service, most of the times we've been there. BUT the food is quite bland (not talking about hot & spicy, just not a lot of taste). We imagine there are quite a few people who go for drinks & bar food, we usually have gone for lunch. The last time we went, a couple weeks ago, nothing had much flavor. The chile relleno was bursting with heat from the actual chile...so much that we couldn't eat it (it is always like that now, our first visits a couple years ago weren't, and we've been hopeful for awhile), but not great flavor. The refried beans & rice are totally tasteless. We really want to like this place, it's convenient for us and comfortable....just not tasty. And we have found a fairly new place in old Auburn that is quite good. read more

We ate there on a Wednesday night. It was pretty busy for a week day. The survive was fast, we did not wait for anything. Our waitress was Rosa she was very quick and efficient and very nice to the family. I had steak fajitas they were marinated beautifully and super tender. This was our first time here and we will totally come again.Mario the manager came by every table to check on people and the margaritas were huge. read more

El Tapatio - Pomegranate margarita - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

This is THE best spot for Mexican food. My delicious alcoholic drink came in a bowl. My combo faitas are absolutely delicious. The flour tortillas are made from scratch. The guacamole is very good. You get chips (made fresh) and salsa and beans to start. The service tho, the best service ever!! Glad I came. You should go, you won't be disappointed. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

See all

Oh my gosh, this place is amazing. This was the second time we were in town and visited El Tapatio. The service was fantastic, the food was great and the margaritas were amazing!!! Great service, hot food and very clean. Definitely would recommend!! read more

The plentiful portions are always tasty. The house margarita is quite large. Their servers are friendly and very attentive.

Horrible service and waitress was very rude not friendly at all! Food is way over priced. Enchiladas sauce was like think spaghetti sauce.

Well we tried again and were dissapointed. I loved my tapatio salad but it was much smaller this time. Last time we went the smothred burrito was just a mess. His tostado for sixteen dollars was on a tiny tortilla with very little meat. When you have to go looking for the meat after two bites....we mentioned our sincere dissapointment and server just said yea I know. Did not offer to comp anything. Maybe we dont know best items to order but everything should be good. I also wish they had Mexican music. 80s rock killed the atmosphere. Looking for a more authentic and welcoming mex food place read more

Good food. Large portions. Good atmosphere. Will go back. Had the Los Tres Compadres. Highly recommend it. read more

Our waitress took forever to return with our check. She never came back to pick up my credit card. I had to approach the front counter to get someone else to accept my payment. She did not give us a chance to ask for more salsa. The machaca was dry. The other food: refried beans was overcooked and Spanish rice was Al dente. I'll try somewhere else for a Mexican lunch next time in Auburn. read more