Great ambiance and food! We enjoyed the Bob Armstrong dip, and tacos. Plan to return for the red snapper meal. Service was efficient sec friendly. read more

Twenty-three years in ATX and I've never visited Matt's, my loss. We visited on a Sunday Funday with two of our special amigos and were very impressed with their food, drink, and service. Others have mentioned that their dining experience was hit or miss. I am happy to report we experienced a hit! Matt's has a great history/story; you should access their website before visiting to read how Matt's came to be. Do not be alarmed by the vast expanse of the restaurant with multiple rooms and a large patio just chill out (dining inside) and just enjoy your cocktails and TexMex. We kicked off the activities with Matt's Knockout Martini with Milagro reposado tequila, Contreau, & fresh lime juice. This was a very good Mexican martini and dare I say as good if not better than Trudy's. Of course, we ordered their famous Bob Armstrong queso dip. Bob Armstrong? The story is on their website. You could order the large version and it's a meal, but we did not want to spoil our appetite Oh, the chips, the chips, handmade wide and sturdy enough to not break apart when you are dipping. Their salsa will put some quick in your step as it is spicy but not overly hot. Plus one ordered the Asadero tacos. You can easily split this entree as it arrives with two large beef tenderloin tacos with onion, peppers, and to-die-for grilled asadero cheese. My green chicken enchiladas were also two large enchiladas with verde sauce and sour cream. I added their spicy salsa to kick it up a bit. Four diners and four cleaned plates equals four happy diners! Even though they were busy (I'm pretty sure they are almost always busy) service was prompt friendly, and professional. We never lacked for attention and our water glasses and chips were replenished right on time! They offered desert but our bellies were full. Pro tip: They do not accept Amex CC and they do not split checks. read more

3.5 stars but ok. We waited about 45 minutes. Once we got a table we ordered right away. We had tix to a concert next door. We shared a queso and the deluxe plate. Not bad Just your typical Tex-Mex restaurant. This restaurant is huge but prepare for a wait. It's a Sunday evening yet it was busy! The waitress was great and food arrived quickly. I hope to visit again soon and try the fajitas and a margarita. I will update my review then. read more

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I had such a great time while we waited for our table. The vibe is so amazing and people are super nice understanding that everyone needs to have a table and it will happen in time. Just be prepared to wait and go to the bar and get some margaritas. My food was amazing but I didn't take pictures cause a sister was so hungry. I had great service from my waiter. He moved quickly and had a smile the whole time. I want to go back but it will be before sunset lol. read more

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Dropped my daughter and her friends downtown at Miracle on 5th and Matt's was on the top of my list for a solo dinner. Got a table in the bar to watch some basketball, had to skip the margaritas as I was the DD. Fantastic steak with excellent service! read more

Visited El Rancho while in town for a few days. The place packed for a weekday. We had 45min wait which ended up being 15min which was great. Our waiter was great, attentive and busy since we had a party of 14. The atmosphere was lively and full of laughter. I ordered the queso as an app and the grilled salmon with rice n beans. The cook the salmon was great but it needed a little more flavor. Aside from that I enjoyed my meal. The chicken tortilla soup was also tasty with big slices of avocado. My margarita was small but guess I should have ordered the one with the shaker. Either way this is good place to visit for some tex mex grub. read more

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This review has been a long time coming, but I forgot to make it. The food is an attempt to be a bit more upscale for a higher price. This is fine in theory, but you need to best cheaper places and they don't. Their margaritas are extremely sour and don't have enough sugar to balance the sweetness. If you really like very sour margaritas, they're great. I disagree. Their queso comes in a large, very flat dish. This results in queso that cools to quickly and starts to congeal. There is a reason that almost no one does this in restaurants unless it is queso flambeado, which uses different cheeses and sits in a heated skillet. If these were my only issues, it's probably 3 starts, but their seating policies are absurd for a Mexican food joint. We had a large party that was missing just a single couple that was stuck in traffic on I-35 due to a wreck. There was a long wait and we let them know that they were running late, and they said we couldn't be seated until they arrived. That's fine and standard. What they didn't tell us, and what make no sense, is that after we waited for an hour and our friends made it, they put us at the bottom of a 1+ hour waitlist. They arrive ahead of the actual estimated wait time too. We talked to the manager and they didn't care and their attitude made that clear. Not only were we not informed of this terrible, silly policy ahead of time, it's a ridiculous policy. It isn't typical. It costs them nothing to change it. And would have cost the manager nothing to fix the misunderstanding and bump us to our correct wait time. I'll never return to this overhyped, poorly managed restaurant with mediocre, overpriced food and terrible wait policies. I don't know why they are so popular outside of nostalgia of locals. read more

This is an Austin staple. You may have to wait a bit, but you can swing by the bar for margaritas. They will text you when your table is ready. Here's the thing, it's everything you'd expect from a Tex Mex restaurant. It's a little chaotic but that's worth the nostalgia. read more

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Pro tip: If you're planning on visiting on the weekend, go at 4pm to beat the dinner rush! This place doesn't take reservations, won't seat you until everyone in your party is present and gets wall to wall packed during the dinner rush! This was our first time visiting this restaurant but our friends that we were visiting with have come many times over the last few years. They have always raved about the food and drinks but forewarned us about how busy it gets! For drinks, we got the burnt orange margarita, a mojito and the martinis. All were delicious but the martinis are TO DIE FOR!!! They are very strong so if you're a light weight, one of those is enough! We had other dinner plans so we only came to do appetizers and drinks. We got the Bob Armstrong dip and it is as amazing as expected. It holds true to the legends of being an amazing dip. We will definitely be returning the next time we're in Austin! read more

This is a shockingly busy place for it being around as long as it has! I came here for a lunch date, and the place has an odd balance of both casual and slightly nice? They have a big private lot that was very full even on a random weekday at lunch time so that was interesting. We ate on the outdoor patio; it was warm out there and there were some flies but otherwise the vibes are good! They have lots of inside seating too. The food was made fairly quickly, and definitely fresh. It was good, but tbh I prefer genuine Mexican food over Tex-mex these days, and what we had was DEFINITELY Tex-mex. So it was good, but it didn't blow my mind. Service was great, though. Overall solid 4/5 stars :) read more

Matt's El Rancho - A couple lunch special plates - the taco in the left upper screen is actually VERY large. The enchilada plate also BIG, and very hot! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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SO SO SO YUMMY!!!! The queso was the best part. Our waitress was lovely and I enjoyed talking to the staff. It eas incredibly chaotic and they need more places for people to sit and wait. Other than that, I loved my time. read more

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Good food. Good margaritas. Do not go here if you have a large group, as they do not take reservations. We had a group of twelve and had to wait an hour and 15 minutes for a table. Ridiculous. When I called and found out they didn't take reservations, I asked what a good time to come in would be as to avoid a wait. We went at that suggested time and still had to wait for seventy-five minutes. Never again. read more

Oooold school Tex-mex This is a resto straight out of the 80s (or maybe earlier), huge portions, retried beans, not terribly seasoned, etc Unfortunately, portions only don't suffice any more. That said, it's worth coming here to people watch, and remember how things used to be... read more

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LOVE LOVELOVED it dining at Matt's El Rancho The BEST Mexican (NOT TEX MEX!!) that I have had in Austin, imo ~ sorry but when I want Mexican food this is what I crave, sorry Texas We started with the Burnt Orange Margarita ~ tasty however it could have been served colder, a few ice cubes fixed that and the guacamole was delicious and the chips were nice, thin & served warm YUMMMMMO ~ Our first time here we order what we ALWAYS order figuring if this is good the next visit we would explore the different options on the menu. Classic combination plate crispy beef taco (still making my mouth water) plus cheese enchilada rice & beans. Both plates were cleaned like we hadn't eaten in days! Matt's is a huge restaurant and very nicely decorated & laid out. Our server, Grace was lovely allowing tine for us to order then enjoy our cocktails,chip read more

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This restaurant is the best Tex-Mex restaurant I have enjoyed in almost six years of searching in Austin! It is pricy, as we paid $130 for the two of us, plus tip. The atmosphere is wonderful, and the restaurant operates within an Austin Historical Building. The service is impeccable! Water, huge chips and wonderful spicy salsa are replenished automatically. They read minds; the moment you are thinking you want more of something, staff appear to fill your unspoken request. This restaurant is busy, but we were able to score table in a couple of minutes. The food menu is so good that it is hard to choose. I would not recommend their salads and soups, as they are very expensive and are plain. My guacamole salad was three strips of avocado on a bed of shredded lettuce. I ordered a couple of margaritas. They were small and not worth the $15 and $29 paid for them. Our entrees were sizzling fajitas, one beef and one shrimp. The beef was great, but for some reason, the shrimp are served with tails on. This presents the diner with a huge amount of work to remove the tails before building fajitas. The menu says you get flour tortillas with dinner, but they will bring corn tortillas for you. The overall fajitas were very tasty and filling. The one odd practice the restaurant follows is putting all of your side fixings on a side plate, with the fixings on a large lettuce lear. This make it very hard to get the fajita fixings off the plate. There was no room for dessert, but many wonderful memories of this restaurant. We will return frequently. read more

The chips and salsa and their queso dip with the brisket were good but I can't say the same for the main dishes we received. The flour tortillas seemed like they were store bought quality and there wasn't really much to add into my tacos csrbon. I ended up eating the meat (which was delicious) solo read more

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All the food was amazing. We sat in the back patio an it was so relaxing. Get there early because it gets really busy after 5. Even with the rush, our server was amazing and we were very well taken care of. Can't recommend it enough! read more

This is not it. Having authentic Mexican food, this fell very short. Food was lacking flavor. Asked for medium rare steak and got a hockey puck. Drinks were great, got Matt's knockout martini. Very good. The queso was also great. Theses two items had us excited for entrees and unfortunately it fell short. read more

Old school food with generally good quality ingredients. Beef taco and tamale were with ground beef instead of asada or shredded beef, so more American than traditional. Service was fast and attentive. "Matts knockout martini" is a good straight margarita with olives to make it look like a martini. It's strong and citrusy. Would definitely recommend but not for lightweights. Rice and beans are good. Tortilla chips are BIG and legit. Free salsa is spicy but not habanero hot. Will definitely be back! read more

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Prices are alright! Not too expensive, staff is great and the place is huge! I know it's Tex mex so I would recommend the cheesy stuff! My favorite stuff was the BOB queso!! Enchiladas were great too, beans were awesome but the rice could use a little more moisture lol. Al pastor tacos were amazing! Overall I would recommend this place for a more laid back meal, or to get drinks. The whole place is super colorful, with lots of Hispanic inspired art work, beautiful place and outdoor seating seems nice too! read more

They add stuff to your tab and think you won't notice!!! Found something on our tab and called the next day, manager didn't even say sorry. Apparently this is a common occurrence!!!! read more

Terrible Service & Incredibly Rude Manager at Matt's El Rancho Austin Wow. Just had one of the worst restaurant experiences since moving to Austin, and it was at Matt's El Rancho. Heard it was an institution, but our visit was a complete disaster thanks to their rigid policy and an unbelievably rude manager named Charlie. We were a party of 8, including family visiting from outside the country. We knew it would be busy, so we were prepared for a wait and put our name down. Waited for a full hour, which was fine. When they finally called our table, one person in our group had to quickly take a toddler to the restroom inside the restaurant. The rest of us went to the host stand, ready to be seated. The server refused to seat us because the party wasn't "complete" - meaning everyone wasn't standing right there at the stand, even though the missing person was literally just steps away in the bathroom with a child. We tried to explain the situation, thinking surely they'd understand a quick restroom break after an hour's wait. Nope. The server just stuck to the strict "incomplete party" rule. We asked for a manager, hoping for some common sense. Manager "Charlie" came over, and his attitude was awful from the jump. Looked totally bothered, wouldn't make eye contact, and just kept repeating, rudely, "We do not seat incomplete party." He didn't listen to our explanation, showed zero flexibility, and made us feel like we were trying to pull something over on them. It was honestly humiliating, especially with our visiting family there seeing us treated so poorly. After waiting an hour and then getting this kind of rude, inflexible treatment over a simple bathroom trip, we were too upset and embarrassed to stay. We ended up leaving and had to find somewhere else last minute for dinner. Wasted an hour of our time and had a really unpleasant encounter with Manager Charlie. That level of rigid policy enforcement combined with such a bad attitude is unacceptable. Plenty of other great Austin Mexican food spots that treat customers better. read more

Matt's El Rancho - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

We came here with a larger group, really just to check out the place since it has such a history. The ambiance is nice/fun, and the place is surprisingly huge! I ordered Matt's special (if I remember the name correctly), which was essentially a green enchilada and taco combo. I was not particularly impressed, the taco was more of a tostada but didn't taste fresh. The enchiladas also just didn't have a depth of flavor, and the beans/rice seemed reheated. I did, however, really like my sangria margarita and the price that came with it. Great bang for your buck! Overall it's a fun experience to try out but wouldn't return for the food. read more

Matt's El Rancho - Chicken "taco" - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I've now been to Matt's a handful of times, so this review is based on the average of my experience. Firstly, it is so busy always and they do not take reservations, so expect to wait. When you do get seated, the service is impeccable. Their servers are constantly working their asses off. The drinks are good and food is hit or miss. The bob's Queso is always good and a stable. Would not recommend any chicken dishes as it's generally pretty bland and dry. Steak is pretty good on any of the dishes. Is it the best Tex Mex in austin? No, it's somewhere there in the middle. Definitely more up beat party vibes type of place. read more

Best old school Tex Amex. Been going since the '70's. The salsas or great as are the margaritas

Matt's has been a staple in my family since before I was even born, so I know it well. My go to order is a bob, Mexican martini (make sure you have a driver), and the al pastor tacos. There is plenty of parking on site, but you may have to drive a little to find an open spot, or you can always use the valet. They are always busy, so be careful prepared to wait for a table. If you can snag a spot at the bar while you wait, it definitely makes the time go faster. They have 4 different rooms inside where you can be sat, as well as a large back patio. I have always had great service at Matt's, though lately it definitely feels a little more rushed as they grow more and more popular. read more

This spot was recommended to me by a coworker. I came by myself on a Monday night and it was very busy (always a good sign). I was able to snag a table for 1 in the bar with no wait. I ordered a dobel margarita and it's one of the best margs I've had. Not sweet and really well balanced. After perusing the menu I saw that the asadero tacos were named one of the 120 tacos you must eat before you die. It was the right choice they were delicious. I had to ask for additional tortillas because they were so packed with goodness. Definitely one of the top 120 tacos I've ever had. Also they were so quick, they didn't rush me but everything was always coming right up. read more

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Love their food, great service and I always enjoy their margaritas while sitting on their patio. read more

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There is a large waiting area when you enter which is nice with plenty of seating. The restaurant itself is HUGE! There are many rooms and the wait time was minimal. The service was friendly and relatively quick. The green enchiladas were great! They bring chips and salsa as an appetizer and the salsa has a good spice to it. Overall, a wonderful experience. read more

Matt's El Rancho - Green Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My friend David wanted to go to Matt's for his late birthday celebration. I hadn't been in quite a while and was looking forward to it. When he mentioned Matt's I told him they had the best frog legs. We arrived at a packed restaurant with a 20 min wait. I met our friends at the bar and joined them in margaritas. The service at the restaurant was good. Chips, hot sauce, waters right away. They no longer serve frog legs. If you Google frog legs in Austin, one of the first restaurants is Matt's El Rancho. Due to the lack of frog legs, I ordered the Grilled Brisket Tacos. While eating I stopped the waiter to ask if they were grilled or fried. He said they were grilled. These tacos were definitely not grilled. They were greasy and crunchy like Taco Bell tacos...deep fried. I wish I would have sent them back but it was tough enough getting the waiter's attention in the first place. What's the hype with Matt's. Not what it used to be! Thanks for the unhealthy heart attack meal...if they were grilled they wouldn't look like this! read more

Matt's El Rancho - Supposedly Grilled Brisket Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Mediocre drinks, bad food, worse parking and obscene waits. Not only is Matt's not worth the wait, it's simply the worst Tex-Mex I've tried in town. read more

When it comes to Mexican food and costumer service I'm an expert, I worked at Las margaritas Mexican restaurant in Gainesville,Fl for 12 years. I tried everything on the nenu, I was a server, a bartender, and hostess when I was 8 months pregnant (I couldn't serve tables anymore), I was also friends with all the cooks so when I messed up orders they would help me out lol With that said I would love to give Matt's El Rancho 5 stars, wow!!! How delicious and authentic Mexican food. I normally eat there but today I got a to go order of steak fajitas, I was so pleased to open up my food and see how careful they had pack everything. Thank you so much for taking the time to pack the sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese and pico de gallo individually. The fresh home made tortillas were so good! The steak cook to perfection with onions and peppers, best flavors and the rice and beans, omg, the rice and beans get their own 5 stars lol!!! I had to order extra sides of rice and beans because they are the best of the best!!! I know I shouldn't say this but I could order 3 sides of rice lol The place has a great atmosphere and the servers are great!! This is the best Mexican restaurant! (The queso, chips and salsa are amazing too) I will bring my kids there on our next family dinner!!! maybe they will share the rice recipe with me ‍ read more

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Authentic and family values food is great tasting, and service is friendly and kind. For15 years I have eaten here and always great. Thank you for keeping just the way it is great. Thank you, J.J.Seaver read more

From an OG austinite, This place is over hyped... margs weren't strong and they cap it at 1 marg at the table unless you get an entree... bc we ordered guac and a large queso. Long story short... we (as a table) were only allowed one marg each bc we "had to order food"... ordered the LARGE queso and guac. Then our server said actually y'all need entrees. We weren't aware of this policy... But just a heads up to people visiting that aren't from here. Margs & queso were average, guac was fresh. Server kept making weird faces and laughing, we took that as him being awkward but made the ambiance a bit weird and uncomfortable. Over all not our fav place. read more

We saw that there were some seats available so we stopped in for dinner. The room we were seated in was really hot, maybe the air conditioning was not working? We ordered a margarita which was delicious, as well as the deluxe plate and the asadero tacos. Overall, the food was pretty tasty, the enchiladas were by far the best item I ordered from the deluxe plate, and the Bob Armstrong dip was also cheesy goodness. The one food we didn't love was the pork tamale. It was very dense and dry, despite the sauce on top of it. The chips and salsa were crisp with the right amount of heat. However, our server was not very attentive. We had to ask multiple times for refills of water and chips. When we were done, we also had to find someone to get our waiter for the check. Not sure if we will be back or not, but I did enjoy some aspects of the experience. read more

Matt's El Rancho - Deluxe Dinner - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Matt's is an iconic Austin spot. Perfect for game days, UT events, or anything festive. The drinks are great and the service is usually pretty nice, but it's always packed and the wait times can be rough. Honestly, it's a little overhyped in my opinion, but it's definitely an Austin staple you should check out at least once. read more

DOG HATERS! We are needing the abilities of our licensed aservice dog for support and travelling around the country we have NEVER been denied access anywhere. He is calm and extremely well behaved. We requested an outdoor table but were stopped at the reception desk and asked to present his credentials which we did but the manager started interrogating us as to the dog's necessary tasks. He did this in front of the crowd of patrons which was extremely unprofessional. Enough said, we had had enough and left. We won't patronise a dog hating establishment. read more

This was a big shocker to me because they have a HUMONGOUS parking lot and their wait was an hour minimum so I felt it was worth the big crowd and wait time. Boy was that a wrong assumption! We waited 45 minutes while buying a drink at their smelly bar. I used to manage a restaurant and would never let my bar get so full of a foul odor like that! The service was quick and it was so quick that my drink order was messed up! I did not feel heard and was dismissed. It really was a bummer because that place has potential to be great! The food tasted mediocre at best. They even have stickers hyping up their Bob Dip but as I read in a previous review, it tasted like Velveeta. The tacos were only okay and we were too full to eat dessert because the server accidentally brought me an extra beer that I had to pay for. Needless to say I will not be back. This is a tourist trap for sure! Glad I came here but sadly I will not be coming back. read more

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Don't really understand the bad reviews. My son started at UT in September and I think we have been to Matts 5 times already and going back tomorrow. This is by far the best Tex Mex I've ever had, so much better than anything in the Houston-Conroe area. Only thing is I still don't get the whole new reserve a table process. read more

Wow! What an incredibly seamless operation, and some of the best service my partner and I have ever had in the Austin area. Our server, Austin was so immensely kind and took care of us during our visit here. He was so attentive, remembered our orders down to a T, and was extremely knowledgeable about the menu and gave amazing recommendations. I order the No. 1 dinner with a beef enchilada and verde salsa on top, SO DELICIOUS! I am still thinking about that wonderful verde salsa paired with the soft cheesy enchilada. We also grabbed the loaded queso they offer and my partner and I were battling chip-to-chip on who can get the first/last cheesy dip of goodness. Queso was demolished by the time our food came, and my partner ordered the mixed beef and chicken fajitas. I could not stop picking off his plate and having him make me little dressed up tacos with all the fillings they bring you as well, (sour cream, guac, cheese, pico) to construct a gorgeous tasting beef fajita taco. Got to mention the pillowy soft tortillas that were such a taste of home that we were more than happy that Austin brought us some to take to-go! (Such incredibly service!). May I say this is some of the best service in town, fabulously authentic tex-mex vibes, anddd a great place to bring a group or hit for an afternoon cerveza. Check out Matt's El Rancho!!!! read more

Matt's El Rancho - beef fajitas and no 1 dinner - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas