Food and drinks are great, wonderful staff, always treat us well I hate adding letters read more

Summary: My Favorite Restaurant!! My family and I started eating at this restaurant 15 years ago when we first moved to this area. At that time it was owned by the previous owner. It was always packed, sometimes with a 30-45 minute waiting line. Sometimes with 30 minute waiting to get our order served to us because the kitchen was so busy. So we tried to only eat there at weird hours or less busier days. After the ownership changed, there was a lot of "bad press" on social media that the food, service, and prices were terrible under the new ownership. I'm posting this review to state that I have found through personal experience that these negative "reports" were outrageously wrong and most likely put out there to damage the restaurant's reputation and clientele attendance. So, to set the record straight..... Don't believe everything you are told on social media..... especially in small owns. The food is GREAT, the service is top notch, and the menu has more options than the old menu. For example the fried avocado dish is SUPERB, and is a new addition to the menu. No waiting to be seated.... Typical wait time for freshly prepared entrees is 5-10 minutes and the chips and salsa are addicting! I grew up in Corpus Christi, and was raised on Mexican cuisine. So I am picky and finicky about quality and entrees. Ellios is my "GO TO" place to get extremely good food and service without having to drive to Athens, Tyler, or Dallas areas. read more

My wife and I eat there every Sunday we make Church. I really enjoy the Deluxe Fajitas when we share and the Malakoff Enchiladas when we order separately. Great service and nice people. You should give em a try. read more

The food is pretty good. Some feels very authentic like the chili rellenjo. Some of it feels more adapted to the local tastes. The only salsa was very mild, the "hot" version of the sirloin tips did not impress my son who was hoping for a lot of heat. A lot of ground beef vs shredded. The service is top notch, friendly, quick, eager to help. We didn't run low on water, salsa or chips. The food came out quickly and all of the orders were accurate. The prices amazing. About $100 for 8 people including a couple of appetizers not much alcohol. The portions are very generous although the tamales seemed to be smaller than what I'm used to. Go for the larger plate if you're hungry. It was a little crowded however we enjoyed it quite a lot. I don't think you'll find many places in the Malakoff area that will give you as good a bang for your buck as you will get here. You're not likely to want to drive from the more authentic options in Dallas to get to this place. We wouldn't hesitate to return if we end up out on the lake again. We phoned ahead for a reservation. There were 8 of us and I think that would be important for any large group. For 2-4, I think you would not have had a long wait at 6pm on a Sunday. You would have a longer wait around 7 without a reservation. read more

Ellios Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Little Joe - Mexican Near Me - Malakoff, Texas

We had above average unexpectedly good Mexican food - enchiladas and flautas, refried beans, chips and salsa. Our server was pleasant and helpful, answered all our questions. Great service and great food! read more

We were in the area and looking for a place to grab some food and a good margarita. The margarita was great and the food was fantastic! We had the mariachi street tacos and flaiutas - so full of flavor! The service was great and everyone was so friendly! Glad we found this little jewel! read more

Wow! This place is our new favorite Mexican Place. To star off, we ordered Margaritas Yeah! They are strong ! Beware! And tasty! The food, ...We ordered steak fajitas, chicken quesadilla, queso and chips. So GOOD.. They are very generous with their portions so you may be able to share or split plates. Erik (manager) and dalia (server) we great. read more

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Not even close to authentic Mexican food! Everything about it was off-putting! I feel we wasted money here. On the plus side and reason for the one star, the people were nice!!! The food was gag worthy!!! It seemed old, stale, dry and covered (hidden) in an over abundance of clearly canned cheese sauce that tasted like a**. No seasonings at all and very bland for everything except the a** cheese sauce and to add to it the thing that's usually always decent...the chips, were stale and the salsa had next to no taste. How do you even make salsa that has barely any taste? I was confused and disappointed to say the least. One bite of each item included rice, beans, chip, burrito. It was then put to rest... in the garbage can. My husband will eat pretty much anything and enjoys all foods. Even he could not eat the food here! read more

We walk in the door, reach our table, and have drinks within a couple of minutes. They do check that we want the same entree, but it also comes out within minutes. We are never rushed. Of course, we come every week. read more

This place is riding on its reputation at this point and the furniture and fixtures are worn and old. I ordered the mixed fajitas plate and the shrimp, chicken, and most of the beef tasted off. I ate very little because I didn't want to get sick. Some of the rice was so old and hard it got stuck in my teeth. The soda was undrinkable. The coconut candies were rancid. Nothing was good and we spent a lot of money including a generous tip because the service was good. I tried to look up their health score but it's a small county and I couldn't even find food inspection mentioned on their website. Never again. read more

This is Tex-Mex by Cedar Creek Lake. Several locations in East Texas. Great local hangout. Margaritas were big, strong and frosty cold; really hit the spot after a hot day at the lake, I got the Jalisco Plate which is a Beef Taco, Two Cheese Enchiladas, & a Cheese Taco - added rice and Beans under $10 for dinner. fresh chips and salsa throughout the meal. Lots of people here but they practiced all the required protocols. Friendly staff, always refilled the water, chips and salsa. I was hungry and forgot pictures after that first margarita. Next time. Fun place. I will be back! read more

Ellios Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Malakoff, Texas

Passing through and stopped in for dinner. The fajitas were great! Our drinks were kept full. Really liked their lemonade as well. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Will definitely stop in again! read more

Definitely the best place to eat! Fresh homemade food everyday. If there is ever any inconvenience, they will go above & beyond to make it right. read more

We Really like their menu and it is more Mexican and not so much Tex-Mex. Service is great and always checking to see what we want. Very friendly! It is really a treat and decor is nice. read more

We came here a few months a go, right after the new owners bought the Ochoa's restaurant in Malakoff. We were very disappointed with the food & especially the margaritas. So bad, we sent them back. We returned today & were shocked by the difference a few months made. On Tuesdays they have small Margaritas for 2.25 that are very generous with size & tequila. They are superior to the ones we sent back. We shared a chicken fajita salad that was huge. It came with a side order of ranchero beans. Best salad we ever had. Service was outstanding! read more

Good Mexican food if you eat at the restaurant. We like their fajitas and enchiladas. Decent margaritas. Friendly service. Take out has not been consistent re heat for us. read more

Ordered 3 meals on-line for pickup. Got home and one meal was supposed to be 3 Tacos Al Carbon but there were only 2. Food was tasty but I get peeved having to pay for their mistake. read more

The sizzling fajitas and taco El carbon dinner was great! The frozen margarita are good too. read more

Ellios Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Taco El Carbon - Mexican Near Me - Malakoff, Texas

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Loved the service! Will be going back, food is good and service even better. Family environment too read more

Ellios Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Mexican Near Me - Malakoff, Texas

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What a great date night spot for me and my number 1. Must visit if seeking strong tasty margaritas and yummy Tex Mex.

I don't typically do Yelp reviews but this place was exceptional. We shared the Steak Ranchero and it was tender, juicy and incredibly flavorful. The staff was wonderful. My Perfect Swirl margarita had just the right amount of kick. I'm bummed that I live in California and can't visit Ochoa's more often. read more

We had a large group and we got in right away. Service was good and the food was just ok for us. We would go back and try it again.

Got some tacos, tamales, & enchiladas to go, Staff was friendly and the prices were more than fair. Large glass bottle coke was great finish . read more

Ochoas is a big restaurant in a little place. Malakoff is a lovely little town with plenty of opportunities to go looking for antiques and collectibles, which is what drew us there. The decor is old and tired, with old banquettes and a frame chairs. They've had a side room that was closed off which was a bit strange since the main room was crowded and busy. The service here is friendly and pleasant, but just a little bit on the spotty side. Our server was very sweet and nice but a bit distracted. The food is good, but not spectacular. The chips were a bit thick and flavorful but the salsa, though very fresh, was quite bland. It was almost they made the salsa without any peepers, and then slowly walked past it with a jalapeño. It had good flavor though. My enchiladas were fairly greasy but tasty. The rice and beans were on point and quite good. I had a taco that came with combo number 2, and my wife had the taco plate. We boththought that the taco meat was very peppery. It was more spicy than the salsa. Additonaly, the taco shell was a bit tough, and they skimped a little bit on the cheese. All in all, Ochoas. Is a good little place for Tex Mex is you find yourself in Malakoff. read more

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Mediocre Mexican food and no liquor license the last time we ate there. BYOB. Bummer!

This is one of our 2 go to's around the lake. It used to be Ochoa's, which was pretty good, but it's even better now. If you like good traditional Tex Amex enchiladas and tacos, you'll love Ellio's. Their chips, salsa, and margaritas are great too! read more

I was surprised it was more then fantastic the skinny Margaritas we're fantastic the ribeye tacos were the best Mexican food I've ever had

Fajitas were fantastic, chips were hot and crisp, salsa was so good! We will be back, great service, wonderful food.

The food was excellent a little spicy but extra large servings! The price was reasonable and the service was very good! Definitely will go back! read more

Excellent service. Great food & amazing salsa!! The fajitas are always my favorite but I've never had anyone in our group say they disliked anything on the menu. read more

Authentic, delicious Mexican food. I always enjoy the chili relleno. My type of comfort food and a great atmosphere!

Taco Bell and Taco Casa have way better tacos. This place is a joke, don't bother going

I enjoyed the Mexican tacos and beans. They have good chips and hot sauce and great margaritas of coarse! read more

Ellios Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Great margaritas! - Mexican Near Me - Malakoff, Texas

Food is pretty decent and the portions are good size. Services can be a little slow though.

I don't think it's a good idea to chastise your employees in front of customers. We walked in and the owner told the staff to greet us. After I wrote that sentence, it doesn't sound all that bad, but he did it in a way that was embarrassing. On to the food...the kitchen is very clean. The salsa tasted house made. Quesadillas were just meh. When the plate came out, it just didn't look very appetizing. The refried beans are delicious. The burrito, I was told, tastes like Mexican food. So I think kind of meh too. Overall, ok. read more

Great food and service!!! Coldest and biggest draft beer's I have ever seen!! I haven't tried the other locations yet

The best Mexican food I've had in a long while Ordered the Taco Al Carbon Mexican style and they were so so good Perfect tender flavorful meat and the grilled onions and peppers topped it off to perfection Going back again soon even tho it is a 35 minute drive read more

Great place, servers and workers were great & friendly! Order the enchilada plate which was plenty of food. Their queso and salsa was great. Definitely will come back again! read more

I honestly don't know why this place has an average of 4 stars. I was never crazy about their location in Athens but a friend said this location was much better. Ummm; nope. I will say the service was great! I gave our server a very generous tip because she was awesome. But the food was not amazing. The only thing I really enjoyed eating was the salsa which I would give that alone 4 stars. Everything else was sub par in my opinion. Trust me I am Mexican and know what it should taste like and this stuff isn't fit for a dog. The side of queso we ordered to have with our chips was and the same queso that came on my wife's cheese enchilada was cold. I didn't eat everything on my plate and regretted not stopping sooner. An hour later when we got home I felt like hurling. Never again will I visit either location. read more

Great mexican food!! We love this place. We call it in and they will curb side delivery. Never disappointed