The only thing I liked here is the chip and salsa :/ My food was gross and the rice upset my stomach. I will only come here for chips and salsa :/ read more

Nice size restaurant and no Spanish music playing... I could hear the next table over crunching their chips. The mechalada; was terrible... no garnishes... couldn't taste the beer only all the Clamato juice with water down ice. My shareable nachos got could within 5 minutes from the time it got on our table. And there red sauce that they use for their dishes tastes like it came from a can. This restaurant has a lot of potential if they fix the little things. read more

I usually go to the spot in Springville but on occasion go to this location. So glad I did tonight! I ordered 2 enchiladas and a taco. I have to rave about the barbacoa taco tonight. Might be the best barbacoa I've had in my life. So flavorful and so good. read more

Great service very big amounts of food for the price of each plate. Great place to take the family on the weekends

Food is not authentic Mexican; but Americanized Mexican food. I don't really find anything stands out as great food, but the portions are huge...I'd say about double the size of any other restaurant. The asada was not very good, tasted like a cheap London broil or something, and the rice and beans were just okay. But, like I said, if you are hungry you will be satisfied with the portions. The prices though reflect the huge portions. Nothing is cheap here...like a chimichanga is $12 and the 2 taco and enchilada combo is like $14. Hate to feel like I'm bashing the place, it's just not that good. I call it like it is. Steve read more

The food was great. Customer service was good also! They over loaded our plates it was so much food we had to give some away.

I've written a review about this place before. However I felt I need to write about my last experience. So this time my wife, my mother in law, my best friend and I go for breakfast with cash in hand to avoid the 2.5% fee. We order and get our drinks, the waitress starts our order and when she gets to my wife proceeds to tell her that they will no longer put her beans on a separate plate. My wife does not like her food to touch, she has been ordering her food from here for years. Well we cancelled our food, paid for our drinks and ate elsewhere. read more

Best Mexican food restaurant in town definitely recommend. They have the best salsa and chips

Came here for a friends birthday and dam was i disappointed. I get there around 640pm, our food arrived at 740pm and that was all good but come to find out that on a Friday night the close at 8 pm so they gave us our food and Proceed to kick all 25 of our party out. Staff was rude and have no clue on what food service industry is. I will never be back you couldn't pay me to go back. read more

Heard this place was good. I was severely disappointed. The only thing I enjoyed was the chips and salsa. Food was not good. Service was horrible. Margaritas tasted like a melted slushie. Manager was extremely rude. Will never return. read more

First time I came here the food was good. Sooo I went again I ordered camarones a la diabla and they brought me camarones rancheros. The shrimp were very dry and chewy and the girl who served us took forever to come back. When the girl finally came back I let her know about the shrimp and how it was not what I ordered so she took my place then came back and offered me to order something else. When it came time to pay I was told I had to pay for all plates since I had already picked at it!!! I'm never going back there. read more

Make your own chips? I love that the tortillas come to the table in one piece and I get to break them apart myself. I highly recommend El Tapatio-spelled like the hot-sauce but no relation. I had the hard shell tacos combo and they were delicious. The service was quick and efficient, and they left a pitcher of iced tea on my table, I assume because they thought I was a big drinker. The atmosphere was muy authentico, with all the locals enjoying themselves fully. So if you ever get stuck in Porterville, like I did, give El Tapatio a shot. read more

El Tapatio - Make your own chips... - Mexican Near Me - Porterville, California

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Yummy food awesome beans and rice! Love the karate chips and the salsas bomb!!! Never got disappointed at this location.. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Porterville, California

I had heard this place was very good. When I decided to try it out my food was very cold and dry. The only food item I enjoyed at this place was the chips with salsa. Also, there was bad customer service. I feel like this place could do better. read more

Great Mexican food large plates and great service! I love this place . I ordered the shredded beef and rice and beans . Outstanding!!! read more

The food is delicious, no doubt about that. Been here multiple times, but this last time we called on the phone ahead of time to see if we could bring our small dog to the outside area, and they said "yes, that's fine." But when we got there and brought our dog to the outside seating area, the first restaurant worker we saw told us that we needed a permit. We told him the person on the phone said it was okay but he rudely told us it was not. He proceeded to tell us that he was the owner and was very short with us and unapologetic. We had driven 20 minutes to get there but he didn't seem to care at all... So the owner is a jerk. And the place isn't dog-friendly (c'mon, get with the times). So we had to leave. Good food though. read more

Great food First plate came out with big hair.. waitress took it back and it looked to be the same plate brought back out... looks like they just pulled off hair and put in oven to make look fresh...then grabbed sugar to put in tea and roach under basket on table....asking for some of my beans... so we killed him... besides the slow wait staff , sitting with no drinks or chips and salsa or the crazy price the food was great.. I highly recommend.. it was very authentic read more

Best Mexican food around , the people are friendly and although I have been getting take out since COVID-19, when I did eat in, the service was great also read more

Worst experience ever!!! I called in a Togo order and it was wrong. I drove back to El Tap and they were so rude to me. I asked to speak to a manager and the guy named Miguel told me he was the manager and wouldn't even talk to me, ignored me and told me to pay for the meal or leave. He told me he was always right and the customers could leave if they didn't agree. I was trying to get cash out of my purse and he told me to hurry and pay or leave. He was so rude. My family and I have been going there for years and now we will never go back. We will take our business to Chinas. read more

First time here and I was super excited to come here for lunch since everyone in Porterville raves about this place.Portion size was good for the price. Ordered a combination plate with barbacoa taco, cheese enchilada, a chile relleno rice and beans. The enchilada sauce tasted like Ketchup. The chile relleno was a type of egg enchilada as in cheese and pieces of pepper rolled in an egg like Tortilla. The Barbacoa was unseasoned Shredded beef.. every other time I've ordered it, it was wayyyy more flavorful. Food wasn't horrible, just not what I expected at all. read more

This restaurant used to be a must for me. Over the years as the prices skyrocketed the quality tanked. On our last visit my rice was undercooked and bland, my tamale was mostly masa, and no filling, and my meal was not warm at all. It saddens me to give this place a less than stellar review, but it's just not at all what it used to be. They do have really good salsa, and one of the best margaritas in town. If you choose to visit, be prepared to spend a lot of money. They are pretty pricy. read more

My rating is solely for the Chips & salsa! That salsa is killer in the best way possible!!!

We miss you El Tap!!! since moving to SoCal 3 1/2 years ago we still haven't found a more "favorite" place for Mexican food :) read more

In my never-ending quest to find a potaco that can stand up to Lucy's, I ventured all the way up to Porterville, CA. Here, in this casual, mom-and-pop establishment, I found me a pretty decent potaco. The potato filling was definitely solid. Not as creamy as I'd like, but mildly seasoned, with delightfully soft potato chunks. However, there was WAY too much cabbage, the shell was too soft, and it was entirely lacking in queso and crema. :( That said, I gobbled the whole thing down, and then stole the rest of Elbo's. So, clearly it didn't suck. Was El Tap worthy of a trip that involved: a 4.5 hour drive, 105 degree heat, and 2 sneezes in my wine glass? Probably not. Thankfully, 1 cool family was more than worth it. read more

Hands down one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to. I don't think you can go wrong with anything you order here. Even the chips and salsa are amazing. I got a Midori Margarita (large) which is a great value for the money and pretty strong, too. For my meal, I got the chicken chimichanga. It was huge and would probably have been two meals! I almost finished all of it but couldn't take it with me since I was traveling :( So good, so flavorful! I also sampled my mom's order of enchiladas, rice, and beans which was yummy. The staff are always so friendly here and service is quick. I make it a point to visit any time I'm in Porterville :) read more

El Tapatio - Midori margarita - Mexican Near Me - Porterville, California

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Best machaca burrito I've ever had. I added boiled beans and sour cream. Great beans! The service was fast and the staff was friendly. I felt like I was sitting in a family kitchen. The cook forgot to mix eggs into the machaca but the meat was so tender and juicy I forgot all about the eggs. The tortillas tasted homemade (whether they were or not). The onions and peppers were a highlight. Good grilled flavor while retaining their tender crispness. A little pricey but the burrito weighed about two pounds. I probably should have shared it with someone. No pics with this review. I was too hungry! read more

Coming from TX, I'm spoiled when it comes to mexican food. But I can honestly say this place beats any mexican place I've had. The salsa is fresh and spicy and the brisqet nachos were amazing. I even went back a second night and got a taco, enchilada, and tamale and they were great. I can honestly say that this place rivals any mexican food place in TX read more

El Tapatio - Best plate of nachos I've had - Mexican Near Me - Porterville, California

Horrible service, waitress talked like she was in the barrio, super rude. Everyone dresses up like this is a fancy restaurant but eating inside Northgate is more fancy than this guetto place. Their salsa is ketchup mixed with el pato sauce. Their beans taste like pure lard and the pineapple water taste just like sugar mixed with water. We rather starve than ever go here again. EL TAPANASTY. PLUS they should invest in training their waitresses that lack any kind of costumer service. read more

if you like good food and good drinks this is the place to go but I do have to warn you that the chips and salsa are so good you'll only wanna eat that plus drink the salsa thats how good it is read more

Although I'm no longer a resident of the wonderful Central Valley, El Tap is on my list of "must eats" anytime I visit. I've sampled many different items from the menu, but once I had the enchiladas, there was no going back. Definitely the best enchiladas I've ever had; they never disappoint me. If ever I'm having a bad day, El Tap's enchiladas are what I can count on to fill me up and put me so deep into a food coma that I'll wake up with no recollection of why I was upset. The sweet enchilada sauce is comforting, and unlike any I've tried elsewhere. If El Tap were cleaner and more updated, I'm sure I'd give it 5 stars. But the jankiness is part of the charm, isn't it? Oh, and the margaritas are pretty kick-ass as well. One large margarita, and I make my little sister drive me home. read more

Here you choose your own seats, get chips and salsa (salsa has a good kick to it) right away, and will be welcomed to a big room of booths and long family style tables. The small margaritas are less than $5 and they have a pretty good selection on their menu for food. I ordered the carne asada burrito and it definitely made a good first impression. I may have cried a little inside even. My sister ordered the 2 beef tacos, cheese enchiladas combination that included beans and rice. It came out piping hot to where 20 minute later we were still remarking at how hot the food was. We didn't mind it, especially since it was windy, cold, and raining outside. Service was great, too. I wish this was in Visalia! read more

This used to be my favorite Mexican place in town. I still love the mole, however the food quality has really gone down hill.lnandnthe prices have gone up dramatically. The hours have also been reduced so no more after church visits. With the food quality dwindling and the prices skyrocketing I rarely find myself here anymore. read more

Not authentic Mexican food at all it's disgusting Not even the chips with salsa were good they were burnt Also the ceviche tasted old the customer service was really nice but really the food was so bad never going back again probably the worst Mexican restaurant in town read more

Grew up eating El Tapatio, however they are now taking advantage of people by ridiculous over priced Mexican food! I really can't believe how greedy the family is to people that supported them when they where just a little whole in the wall business! Good luck! read more

Sweet enchilada sauce. Really? It's ok food but nothing spectacular. The best item are the chicken tacos. Ask for them not fried though, they are much better. I think locals like it because of memories. read more

I seriously think that Mexican food is over rated. I am Hispanic and it all pretty much tastes the same. You need to experience a Mexican restaurant that serves food with a traditional flair. This place uses a mole recipe that they say hasn't changed since 1959. It is slightly sweet but not too much. The seafood tostada was incredible ! The portions are HUGE! I gave this place 5 stars because I usually don't even bother rating Mexican restaurants but if you're in town give it a try! read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Porterville, California

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We came for dinner before the football game. My husband ordered the carne asada nachos and I ordered the posole. The nachos came fully loaded and the guacamole is delicious. The medium posole is so delicious and full of flavor. We will come back for sure read more

I LOVE their chips and salsa. It's very very addicting. I usually get it to go when I'm craving it. I usually get the carne asada plate or the enchilada combo and a horchata to drink. The asada plate is huge. It can probably feed two people. They are known for their mole sauce but I find it too sweet for my taste. But I know people that will drink it up. The restaurant is always busy and very loud. On most days it may be difficult to flag down a waitress. So when you get a hold of them, lay down all your requests because they don't come around too often when it is busy. read more

My experience by far was terrible. The service was poor to start. The food was awful. ..enough said. We waited 20 minutes for the old lady to bring my credit card back. The rice tasted old and mushy , I almost threw up. Nasty. No topping were served with the posole, I will never go back!! Trust me....your not missing out on anything. Save your money and buy a store bought frozen meal. read more

Was with friends in Porterville, camping. On a quick trip into town for supplies, a friend recommended this place. At first I was skeptical, as we were in what seemed the middle of nowhere & was thinking to myself ... So we went in headfirst, being hungry & all. We started with appetisers. Moved into our entrees, ordered horchatas; food & service was great. Salsa is fresh, the family seems to be in the kitchen making the food; orders came out quick, entrees were hot. We really enjoyed our meal. We left satisfied. read more