Right after Corona the staff was attentive to the few customers they had, now it's a run of the mill Mexican restaurant with bad service and food. Ordered the mixed fajita plate, meat was not freshly prepare, it came out way too fast, tortillas must have been from yesterday, very dry around the edges. Picture shows that the plate had 1/3 tomatoes (cheap filler food) and a lot of small chx and beef pieces. No refill on the salsa and the waiter never asked if food was ok. Way overpriced as well, I get much better quality at Uncle Julio in PP or Mazatlan in Denton. read more

Great food! Tastes like home cooked. Very fast service. Good Mexican atmosphere, from the building to the decor and the food.

The food and service was fantastic. We will return again. Also the margaritas were great.

Until today, this was one of our favorite places-if today's meal had been served earlier we would not have gone back. Things right: 1) salsa was good and mildly spicy, but could have used some salt 2) chips were nice and crunchy. 3)Husband's beer was ice cold as was the mug. 4)Guacamole was nice and creamy - good flavor. 5) Waiter was quick and attentive. What was wrong - A LOT! 1) My margarita on the rocks was warm, as was the mug. The little ice quickly melted because the drink was so warm. We were seated in the bar area - I went to the bar and got a glass full of ice to cool it down. 2) Husband ordered a combo with carne carde sauce - he gets some sort of chili sauce that looks like spaghetti sauce and is sweet, not spicy. 3) I ordered the lunch chicken fajitas - they came out looking like chunks of chicken (think dog food) and very few vegetables. 4) flour tortillas were hard around the edges and tough - they were hot, but tough like they were left overs. 5) tried to eat the fajitas - they had an odd taste like a citrus whang - didn't taste good - over 3/4 left on plate. 6) Refried beans were pale tan, had a strange taste. I ended up eating very little of my meal. Before we get home, about 18 miles away, I started feeling sick to my stomach. The taste from the fajitas would not go away. As soon as I got home I brushed my teeth hoping to get rid of the taste. Really didn't help. And after 3 hours my stomach hurts even more and my husband is complaining of a sick stomach. I honestly hope we were not given bad meat and do not end up with food poisoning. We may or may not give this location another chance, but as for now if anyone mentioned going there within the next few weeks I would have to say no. read more

Order the Spicy Guacamole! One of the best appetizers that I've ever had. It could be a meal. Fajitas were also good. read more

El Tapatio - SPICY GUACAMOLE - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Chips and Salsa are very good. Some guy dropped off the chips and salsa but we never even saw him - just part of a hand. Then the person was gone! But so far - we can't get waited on. Service is absolutely horrible. But I'm writing this in real time- so maybe it will slide to a 5 star. Okay, we had a change.... My beautiful bride winked at the staff - now we are served. Food was excellent. Service now is excellent. Wow - what a difference a wink can make! read more

Great vibes, group friendly, bar with TVs and great appetizers. I had a margarita and a fish taco, and chips with all of their salsas. It wasn't too loud but the vibes and music were great. Plenty of parking. Many families eating so I'm guessing it's a local favorite, it was a Wednesday. The service was fast and attentive. Their other plates being served looked great, definitely will be returning. Also, no wait, I was seated immediately. The fish taco was delicious but I didn't get a picture. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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The Denison El Tapatio beats every other location hands down. Our waitresses are always on point keeping our drinks filled and serving our food hot. We cannot wait to come back and enjoy another flavorful and cheesy meal! read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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Not a ton of choices because of the weather but we decided to give it a try based on the reviews. The salsa and chips were spot on, I ate four bowls before the food made it out. The dishes look really nice except for the watery queso. The overall taste of the dishes just weren't that great. It was a table wide consensus. Appetizers - White Queso. 4/10 It was watery and needed some help in the flavor department. It was cheese, that's about all I can say about it. Main Dishes - Enchiladas Supremas. 5/10 Four rolled corn tortilla, one beef, one chicken, one cheese and one bean, topped with enchiladas red sauce, cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream. $7.99 The beef enchilada was ok but the sauce was a bit too spicy. The chicken, bean and cheese enchiladas were blah. Enchiladas Mexicanas. 5/10 Three enchiladas: 1 topped with green sauce, 1 topped with white sauce, 1 topped with red sauce, Served with rice and salad $7.99 Like the other dish the beef in these tasted decent but the salsa verde was a bit too spicy. The guacamole was pretty good. Burrito El Tapatio. 4/10 A large flour tortilla filled with seasoned ground beef or spicy chicken topped with lettuce tomato, sour cream and cheese. Served with Mexican rice and beans $7.49 It was ok, the spicy chicken wasn't very good. It once again lacked flavor. Nacho Fajita. 4/10 Cheese nachos topped with marinated tender strips of chicken, beef or mixed. Cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes. Topped with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo $9.25 A lot of food but the fajitas were not that great and it was coated in that watery queso. Chimichanga Fajita. 5/10 Flour tortilla stuffed with beef or chicken fajita, deep fried to a golden brown topped with cheese sauce. Served with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, onion, bell pepper and tomatoes $8.79 As with the nachos the fajita meat wasn't that great and the watery queso was there as well. The customer service was ok, not horrible but not great either. Give it a try if you want, I don't recommend it, but people have different tastes and you may like it. read more

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Authentic Mexican food! Great family business and friendly service! This is one of our favorites!!

Fun atmosphere. Huge TV for games. Margaritas are typical. The vegetarian quesadilla is delicious!! Great wait staff. read more

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Wonderful food. High quality Mexican food, and we are native Arizonans so our standard is pretty high. Great service, too!

Stopped here looking for some good grub after a weekend at the lake. The chips and salsa were good, as was the white queso. The menu is absolutely huge so you can pretty much find any Mexican food item you can imagine. The food is decent and ranges somewhere between authentic Mexican food and Tex-Mex. What I experienced here service-wise was rather disappointing though. From the host who seated us, to the waiter and the guy at the register, no one smiled or was very friendly at all to us. I don't know if it's because we are not Hispanic or if everyone was just having a bad day, but I paid the bill and the guy didn't say one word to me. Not one. Not thank you, not the total amount due, not 'come again', or 'how was everything?'. Very strange experience here. Doubtful that we will return for this reason. Shame. read more

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Chicken fajita salad and fajita nachos were delicious. Margaritas were great too! Service was great!

This place is a must if you are in town or driving through. Great salsa and the Fajitas Broccoli are my favorite!

Trying to find a solid mexican/tex-mex place in Gainesville. We drove up on a friday late afternoon, early evening and found a jam packed El Tapatio. It looked super promising so we worked our way inside and found a spot at the bar. The place has a good vibe and looked like it was going to be our new spot. I ordered a ranch water, sparkling water/topo chico, tequila and lime...and got a "what's that you want?" From the bar tender. I order a margarita on the rocks and received a drink that reminded me of a gatorade with tequila...super sweet, too sweet. The chips and salsa came out and reminded me more of a blend between a pico de gallo and a tomato sauce. Very little spice and not much flavor to speak of. One of the worst I have had in years. We ordered the bean and cheese nachos and received a plate that was super hot, that's good, and loaded with an odd pouring of smooth beans, refried, with a white, liquid cheese with large slices of pickled jalapeno. Not a bad flavor profile, but after about 2 minutes it was a soggy mess. The place was packed, so we are going to return because we must have just not ordered correctly. I will never have another margarita at el tapatio, nor will I get the nachos. Again ,the place was hopping, so we will give it another try...but this attempt was less than stellar. By the way, sitting at the bar is not ideal as it is more of a service bar. The bartenders are busy taking care of the entire restaurant. read more

Good food great service there caso is very good we like both locations there food is always good and the service is fast

Upon entering the place was clean and the staff friendly but they had Mexican techno music playing and quite loudly. We ordered the combo chicken steak fajita and they brought us chicken fajitas. Then took this back to being out the correct order. They brought it back 10 min later, now the rest of the meal was cold. Salsa and chips were just ok. Nothing fantastic, and for me, the chips and salsa are the best part of the meal. We ordered sweet tea and it was good. We left quickly because the music was way to loud and stressful while we were trying to relax at dinner. Drove out and hit up sonic on the way home. We won't be back to visit. read more

Always one of my favs either location. The food and service is good and fast. My one issue is the other the steady business they have, very little improvements inside. All the booth seats are horribly uncomfortable. Very worn out. read more

El Tapatio - Worn out seats - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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Stopped here totally by chance and everything was very good. I got the Nachos Fajita and they were delicious. It was fun and everybody was nice- would return. read more

El Tapatio - Nachos Fajita (Chicken) - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Great local Mexican place. Not the typical menu; many unusual dishes. Very rare to see an empty parking lot!

Stopped for lunch while passing through. Wife had tamales the res sauce had a kick to it she said, I had tamale and chili relleno it was good. We had Queso blanco not bad but needed a bit more kick for our liking. Salsa was good had a good amount of cilantro in it. We will have to stop in next time we area passing through. read more

One of the best Mexican food around and based on food it would get a 5 stars! But.... They like to charge for every little thing, if you ask for cheese on your beans and rice, they will charge you for. They are never consistent with their prices and sometimes they are not always professional and nice. But food is wonderful! read more

I'm a Vegan -- Dr said if I wanted to keep the ole ticker thicken - so guess what- told my wife stop spending the retirement money. -- I'm going Vegan! And this restaurant made my dish exactly my finicky way! Lots and lots of options for Vegans -- check it out! read more

El Tapatio - This is what u r lookin for! - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

We were originally aiming for Taco Casa on Grand, however when we arrived it was boarded up with a For Sale Sign. El Tapatio was just across the street, and it's good reviews convinced us to give it a whirl. A kitschy interior and a friendly waitress with an adequate grasp of English greeted us inside. Service was prompt, and the salsa had a good flavor to it even though it had almost zero heat. Encouraged by Shaunda T's review, we ordered the $5 half plate shrimp cocktail. I forget the name now, it's found under the "Seafood" selections. Cocktail El Tapatio I think? OMG!!! Our best guess is Bloody Mary mix OR Clamato, with pico de gallo minus the peppers and with avacado in a big glass full of shrimp. It is DELICIOUS and yes you will want to drink the stuff. The Mr ordered the lunch fajita plate and I got the lunch fajita chimichanga. The plates were huge, way more than we could finish, and delicious. The fajita meat doesn't compare to Frescos (no one does) but definitely a better flavor than some of the big chains. Service was great, and the building was very clean all around. Overall one of the better Tex-Mex places we've been to and that shrimp cocktail is going to have us busy trying to duplicate it for a while! read more

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I am only writing this review in regards to the service. The food was good, like always. However, last few times, I seem to get the same waiter and he acts like he does not even want to wait on us! Everything was a hassle and not one smile on his face. It was just myself and 2 young daughters, so it was an easy order and we didn't ask for anything extra. The location off of 35 is 20 times better with better service. So with that being said, we will not return to the one on grand. One more thing, the manager who cashed us out was rude as well. No thank you, no smile, or anything! read more

Food iit's ok.. but iif you want to get treated liike shiit by the waiter.. thiis iis the riight place..

Nice atmosphere , great chips and salsa . Big huge portions ! Excellent margaritas ! Defiantly a gem of Gainesville

Stopped here on the way up to the casino in Oklahoma. DH had carnitas and I had the Tapitio nachos (chicken and beef fajita meat, grilled onions and peppers, cheese). DH said the carnitas were tender, but nothing special - didn't seem to have any seasoning. The nachos came out and looked great, but something was missing. No spices and the cheese (both regular and creamy) had made the chips soggy. Beef fajita meat had a liver taste - hard to describe. I ate some of the stuff off of the plate, but never got a satisfying bite. Not bad, just not particularly better than OK. Finally put some of the meat, peppers and cheese in a tortilla, salted it, drenched in salsa, then it tasted fairly good. I did, though, like the salsa and chips. My favorite kind of salsa - tomatoey with onions, cilantro and spices. Very good. We probably won't stop here again if we're in the area. A lot of people seem to like it, so there must be other items that are better. read more

They're finally back open on grand. And what they have done for the remodel is amazing. Service is great the food is amazing. Can't go wrong

El Tap is my favorite Mexican food in Gainesville. There are two locations, this could be for either I suppose, but I tend to go to the one on Grand Ave. The menu isn't as huge and repetitive as other Mexican restaurants, and I haven't had anything bad so far! I hate enchiladas and tamales, so the reviews for bad enchiladas and tamales on here sound about right. Those dishes suck no matter who makes them. But I feel confident recommending their chimichangas, fajitas, nachos, and burritos. Their fajitas are so greasy and delicious, I have a hard time ordering anything else. As with most other Mexican restaurants like this, their tacos are so subpar compared to tex-mex taco spots. I feel like unless the name of the restaurant has the word "Taco" in the name, you're going to get disgusting, basic tacos. I don't know why! I think Texans have completely overtaken and improved tacos far beyond what they originally were. Fajitas, chimichangas, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, and anything else fried or stuffed with their awesome fajita meat is your best bet here! The service is very friendly and they have the most consistently good chips and salsa in town. read more

If you're going for the pleasant service, don't. The hostess/waitress will not be winning any personality awards. Order is taken promptly and food comes out relatively quickly. Ordered the cheese dip and it was runny, the chips are not thin and crispy as I prefer. Corn tortillas are soft as they should be. The steak Veracruz was delicious and the grilled shrimp are excellent. Chorizo and huevo were a little salty. Not the friendliest bunch. read more

This has got to be the worst TexMex food I've ever eaten. The cheese sauce is terrible, and over-all the worst mexican food I've eaten in years. I will never eat here again... the noise was insane also. read more

This was my first time here I always like to try Mexican restaurants when I'm on the road, the service was good salsa and chips were good as well.. I had the Giant Burrito and was not disappointed not completely authentic but satisfied the craving for some good Mexican food. Will be back next time around this area. read more

El Tapatio - 7 out of 10 - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

El Tapatio delivers a good meal 9 times out of 10. The complimentary chips and dip has a great dip - spicy but not overwhelming. Meals are served quickly and portions are plentiful. When you order dinner you can easily have a nice portion left for lunch tomorrow. read more

El Tapatio - El Tapatio Gainesville TX - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Great road food. Extremely clean. Sit-down restaurant with complimentary chips and salsa. Can't beat the prices! My entire bill was less than $12! As a gal from LA, who knows her Mexican food - for the price, speed, and kind service (and considering its in the middle of nowhere), its worth the stop. read more

El Tapatio - All this for $11?!!!! Fajitas. - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Went for lunch today. I had chicken taquitos, mom had tamales. It was all great! Hot fresh food. Friendly wait staff. Will return soon!

I saw their billboard near town and decided to try it for dinner. Nice interior with lots of Mexican art, so it felt authentic enough. Then they brought out the special salsa- if you like spicy- they deliver. Their standard is very good but the habanero based one is as scorching- but still tasty. Their enchiladas were good and the price is right. Nothing gourmet here- just tasty food at an affordable price. read more

El Tapatio - The hot, scorching habanero, and regular salsa - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Let me preface this by saying we have had a few bad dishes YEARS AGO from here. Not sure what changed but the service is always fast, the margaritas always cold, and fajitas to die for. Service is speedy, and our to-go orders are always overflowing with yummy goodness. read more

Pretty good - bit over-salted. We went here for an early dinner on our way back from the Casino on a Sunday. It wasn't very busy which was nice I guess. The place looks great on the inside - crazy colorful and neat artwork on the table tops and backs of the booth seats. Even the bathroom is colorful - check out that awesome sink! The menu was huge, which scared me. Too-big menus make me think they throw most of the food together: it's the only way you can, really, with a menu so large. Our food came out super-quick, which also scared me. But maybe it's because the place was dead and there weren't any other orders at the time. I don't remember what I got: I mean to me, it's all the same. Meat rolled up in a tortilla of some kind smothered in sauce. That's literally what I got. The chicken was EXCELLENT. Moist and flavorful. I really liked that. The beef was overly-salted. Like, VERY salty. The avacado salad (guacamole, lettuce, refried beans and 1/2 slice of tomato on a crispy flat taco shell) was good. The food was really filling. Their handmade tortillas are amazing - definitely try those. I don't know that I'd go back: If I do, I'll stick with the chicken dishes and avoid the overly-salted beef ones. But overal we liked it and it was good for the price. read more