We used to go to Mary Lou's two to three times a month, but we haven't been getting out as much as we used to and hadn't been to this restaurant since July. Friends came to town, and we suggested we should meet at Mary Lou's yesterday, March 5. What a disappointment! From the moment we stepped in the door, we could feel the change. The manager, if you could call him that, was indifferent and left the impression he really didn't want to be bothered. Our waitress was scattered and clueless. We wanted margaritas and nachos to start, and just ordering that turned into an ordeal. The place wasn't that busy, and it still took over 15 minutes to get our drinks. There were four of us, and our server still couldn't get our drink order right. It took three tries. The management staff we had come to know was nowhere to be seen, the servers who were always on top of their game, were also gone. The place was hot and uncomfortable, very loud, the food was tolerable at best. I was so exasperated by the drink experience, I tried to be simple and just ordered beef flautas a la carte. Who knew that three flautas could be both dry and greasy, undercooked and burned , and flaky and soggy all at the same time? We used to spend $400 to $500 a month hanging out at Mary Lou's. We knew what we were going to get: decent food, good drinks, and excellent service. Well, that has certainly changed. If there has been a change in management, it has been for the worse. Mary Lou's built a great reputation over the past couple of decades. More experiences like ours, and that reputation will be destroyed in a few months. The only reason this isn't a one star review is that I rememeber what Mary Lou's USED to be, and I hope will be once again. read more

This place is a favorite growing up. I've been coming here since I was a kid and my kids have been coming here since they were kids. The tortillas are unmatched. My go-to is always a potatoe and egg with bacon and cheese and a carne guisada with cheese. My kids love the bean and cheese. The service is always top notch. They are so friendly. In all my years I have never had a rude server. read more

Where can I start ? Slow service , restaurant needs a major remodel - tables , chairs , walls . How does a handicap person get Into the bar area- steps are a struggle . No menu provided and when asked for one the waitress brought pieces of paper, if this is your menu then put a menu online . We can't wait to get out of here. read more

Been coming here since I was a young girl with my grandma. Always great good and service...and tortillas.

I've passed by this place for several years and never went in. The Pink Sign just threw me off. i really thought the place was a diner all-american. Thanks to yelp. i finally discovered this place. When it comes to Breakfast Tacos this place is Top Notch. They were so good i came here two days in a row. Second time because i had family in from out of town. Those tortillas were absolutely Delicious. i got a bacon and egg and the taco was stuffed full. One family member requested Chicharrones and eggs. it was $1.99, but was well worth it. The fried pork skins seemed to fried fresh. Which is a major plus. The green hot sauce is the bomb. Adds just the right amount of heat. i know the cashier probably thought I was crazy for asking for ketchup ( i put ketchup on barbacoa...that's just me) i will definitely be back for lunch or dinner. read more

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Puffy tacos aren't real greasy, which is good. Tortillas are among the best in town. Service is good. Margaritas suck. Go elsewhere. It's a shame not many people know about this place read more

I came to Mary Lou Cafe with my boyfriend's family at least once when I'm in Texas. This is a great Tex-Mex spot and we really enjoyed it. I got tacos of lengua (beef tongue) with flour tortillas this time, they came with thick gravy and are really good. read more

Mary Lou's Cafe - Tacos de Lengua - Tex-Mex Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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I've only been to Mary Lou's for breakfast, but it's always been acceptable. I've never had service problems here and always get a friendly waitress who takes care of our table well. I don't prefer it over any of the other spots nearby, but it does work for larger parties. Typical warning though: don't go after Mass is released on a Sunday. You'll be waiting forever, and then I can tell you the experience will NOT be worth it. If you can sit down right away and order and enjoy your food at your own pace, it's a nice, easy stop. My rating system: 5*= Driving across town just for this! 4*= I would recommend visiting. 3*= Average, acceptable, positive. 2*= You might be able to drag me in. 1*= I will definitely not be returning. read more

Mary Lou's Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I wish I would have taken a picture before I started eating but this meal was amazing I couldn't resist! read more

Mary Lou's Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

This is a great spot for Mexican food. I enjoy there different plates. The plates are filling and full from end to end. The tortillas are home made and fluffy. The red Chile sauce that comes with the chips is homemade. The tea is good nice and sweet. read more

Mary Lou's Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Trash next to my table. Pretty disgusting With COVID around it should be super clean. read more

Mary Lou's Cafe - a cart full of items - Tex-Mex Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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The lady at the works in the front at the south side location is very rude. She has a lack of professionalism, demonstrated on multiple occasions The food is great but their service is subpar. read more

The food is tasty. I have had lunch here with coworkers a handful of times. The tortillas are good and so are the beans. I have had the cheese enchilada plate, chicken fajita nachos, and chalupa plate (not ordered on the same day!). I haven't had their beef fajitas but they smell good. I knocked off a few stars because the restaurant does have a family environment but doesn't have a good kid's menu. I probaby wouldn't dine here with my family simply because I have a little brother who needs a kid menu and there wouldn't be food that he would be likely to eat. For a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, its a GREAT place to stop in for a quick breakfast taco or lunch! read more

The tortillas are great, breakfast taco's are wonderful, and the dinner choices are great too, the only thing that turns me off about this place is the servers and cashiers. Such attitude they have! No respect for their customers at all. They really need to be more friendly. The Cashiers always seem like they are in a bad mood and once I was even asked if I was going to leave a tip *gasp!* horror. The only reason I said it is not good for kids is because they don't have KID FRIENDLY MEALS OR MENUS. Which I wish they had because they refuse to specially make plates for the kids...shame on them. I'll probably only go back for breakfast tacos, but I do receive better treatment at other establishments so eh, I'll have to think about visiting Mary Lou's again. read more

Good food Great service Calm, casual place Tortillas are superb, chips and salsa great . read more

Food good. Prices good. Service great. Go here cause my wife and her friend like it. About average to me. Have never had bad food. But not amazing. read more

Flavorless "Mexican" food. Don't waste your time or money. I don't understand how people can actually like this spot. I ordered chalupas and they were on store bought crispy shells, can beans, and topped with packaged cheese. They were terrible. Go down the street to Bobbies Cafe for homemade Mexican food. The breakfast isn't great either. Coffee was probably Folger's (the worst) and food had no seasoning. Just...no. read more

I had a bad experience today with Mary Lou herself. The mean lady that closely watches her employees all day. I ordered the gordita special and one of my gorditas was raw and doughy with balls of dough inside. I showed the cashier and the infamous Mary Lou and they said nothing was wrong with it. I told them it's raw and if they could replace it with a cooked one. They said no and I told them to forget it. When I was paying for it I mentioned to Mary Lou that it was raw and she said no. I told her that she is ugly and she wouldn't have fed that to her kids. I told her that I've brought her tons of business and I'll tell my friends and family to stop going there. I also told her to give her employees some room and stop being an ugly boss. She said to leave and not come back. I told her I won't come back. I've been going to this place since I was a kid. I really like their food but if they ever make mistakes they don't know how to fix it. They blame it on the customer or act like nothing is wrong. I had stopped going a few years ago because of their roach problem. Since then, I've tried to go back but with this experience, I'll never go back to this restaurant. Not even if they are giving free tacos. Mary Lou, you don't understand that the customer is always right and telling a customer not to come back really hurts your business. I know a lot of people and they will listen to me and they will tell their friends and family not to go. And you will lose lots of money. Maybe one day you will trust your employees enough and give them room to breath because your ugly face is not welcoming. read more

Had never eaten here before; just driving by and decided to stop for breakfast. Great tacos, homemade tortillas and even better hot sauce! Highly recommend! read more

Great breakfast tacos and plates. We move away from the area but make time to go there when we can. The staff has always been polite and helpful. read more

Great food. Fresh. This is not a tapatia place!. The tortillas are always soft with a hint of flour on the outside.. Great lengua. My favorite is the chicken tomatillos enchiladas! Caldo de pollo is great. Go to the Pleasanton location almost every Saturday and Sunday. The Chile sauce is the real thing. read more

The chilaquiles are great--just don't order them with the sauce if you're a vegetarian (our party asked for it on the side, and it was clearly made with some sort of meat broth). Breakfast tacos are a winner, and the tortillas are to die for. I've been here an average of once a week for the better part of the summer. Some of the best hand-made tortillas I've ever had. They keep me coming back, time and time again. They'll even sell you a dozen to take home. Only in San Anto! read more

I love this place. The food is great. I've recently become a regular here. The Carne a la Mexican is why I keep coming back. Super good!!

Their rice tatse like pickles and ketchup. I couldn't get that disgusting flavor out of the mouth. My plate overall was okay... But that rice.. I just couldn't eat it or even stand the smell. Next time I go I don't want the rice... I don't want to suffer, seriously no lie, it was the worst. I have nightmares about that rice, looking up at me with its tiny rice eyes... No! Eww. Don't eat the rice. read more

Got the Mary lous special. Thought it was good. Tortillas a homemade and great. Wife got puffy tacos. They were good also. Will be back!!!

Typed in "handmade tortillas" and this place brought back memories of my mother's perfect ones. The staff was incredibly friendly and sweet. Timing was great as well (I was on the clock); along with a Current newspaper I could read in the meantime. I haven't had a pretty good original taco in while and these just made my day. I can't wait to bring my family over! read more

My mom loves this place for their soup. It's very average food with hit or miss service. Today the restaurant was mostly clean, except for our table. No one came to wipe it down and pretty sure our server had somewhere much more interesting and important to be. read more

It's my dad's home town and Mary Lou's is as close to home cooking as you can get homemade flour tortillas Chicharron con egg it's all simple and has nothing in the way of flair instead it realize on flavor and honest ingredient in the words of my mom God rest her soul "Rick Bayles Who the fuck is that puto" . True food true cooks . Don't mess with Texas . read more

Mary Lou's Cafe - Inside Texas home cooking heaven . - Tex-Mex Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

One of my all-time favorites. I used to be a regular here until health reasons forced me to cut back on the great tacos I would usually order 5 days a week. Now I usually only go once a month, but it's still a treat. The tortillas are the best in town IMO, and I've never had a problem with service. Parking can sometimes be a bit tight, and they cut back on their hours. I highly recommend it. read more

First time stopping here it was okay nothing exciting about it the staff wasn't that helpful never really showed up at all to help definitely would never come back read more

It was ok. Nothing special. Only have the green salsa. No red salsa. Tortillas were good. Healthy amount of food. Reasonably priced. Probably will not be back with other restaurants so close by. The service was really good. Plenty of parking. I had a Mexican plate. It just wasn't very good. Tasted bland. I had heard this place was really good so I was disappointed. I really hate when you ask for napkins and they give you one napkin. read more

They had the best enchiladas and flour tortillas. But then everything changed I guess they changed off cooks because the enchiladas aren't the same anymore they lost their taste everything is bad. Please bring back those enchiladas read more

Do not go to this restaurant! This comes from a long time regular who has recently been given worse and worse service each and ever time causing my family to come less and less. The food use to be so much better but now lacks the quality and flavor that made it a popular dining spot on the south side. Owner has definitely stopped caring about service and has shown to be disinterested with keeping customers. Found a rock in the refried beans in a bean and cheese taco and got no apology only taken off the ticket. Then I asked for togo cup and got charged for that to, Totally disrespectful and dont understand how u can make such little effort to please ur customers, read more

Rude service, rude owner, overpriced and filthy. And the food was yuck!