Went to visit my sister and decided to pick up some take out...amazing! I make another call trip on the way out!

My boyfriend and I frequent for dinner/happy hour (I've never been for lunch because I don't work in the area). They have nightly drink specials and their house margaritas are better than the other Mexican restaurant in the area. We've always had quick and attentive servers when we go. I recommend the veracruz chicken, yum! read more

Prices have gotten higher and quality of food and service has gotten nothing but lower. The service is the worst. Tortillas are the worst ever, corn or flour...doesn't really matter. Queso is like nothing but microwaved Velveeta with a few chips of onion or something. At one time before they rebuilt back after the fire, they seemed pretty good. Waiter we had today was lucky he got 10%. Throw a couple of drinks on the table, throw the food down and disappear until you have to wave anyone down to get a check. Then he wants to act all friendly and interactive. Not the way it works earners. read more

I have always been a fan of Papagayos until today!! 5 of us walked in for dinner one drinks, waited for 20 minutes and no one came to help us. I walked up to the manager on duty Quentin and asked if someone could help us because no one had even taken our drink order, he said ok and came past my table to clean off a table (there were about 5 tables taken and all the rest were open) then he came back by with a piece of paper in his hand, I assumed he was going to take our order, he didn't, he walked to the register. I asked him about the managers, he stated that the other 2 managers were out of town. I got the owners number and called her and she was more concerned about me having her personal number than about the service at her restaurant.. I will never support Papagayo's again!! Worst service ever!! read more

First visit since the reopening and wouldn't you know it they got my order wrong. Forgot an entire entrée. There isn't much more to say about this. Will give it one more try before I put them on my do not visit list. read more

Back open, and still have the .99 cent tacos, and 2.50 16oz beers for happy hour (3-7). The place and bathrooms were clean and had a friendly staff. Say hello to Mary and Roland (bartenders), and Bree (waitress), who are always cheerful and very attentive. Fresh food and a bunch of good people. I will definitely continue to come here. read more

Smells like ass, taste like shit and they will nickel and dime you for everything. It's not worth trying, visiting, and me writing a review about it is a waste of time. read more

Service is good, margaritas are good and the food is ok but the restaurant reeks of cigarettes. And I am not against smokers, but really its overwhelming and you leave stinking. Not worth it.. read more

They just reopened 2 months ago after a fire. There's no smoking as some complaints have said. This place is awesome! Beyond awesome! This is now our go to place, and my husband moved here from Mexico! Great prices, fantastic food, great bar with all the games, friendly people and staff! We will be back. This is now our go to place! read more

Good consistant mexican food. The flamiado is great and the Vera Cruz is our favorite. Happy hour is busy at the bar usualy.

One of my favorites places, been eating here for 18 years. I like you will like it. The owners is friendly and her staff remembers you. Go eat here tell them I sent you. read more

Love this restaurant! I've become a regular! Their top shelf Margarita is quite pricy but you only need a couple of them! Food is awesome! Staff is super friendly! Especially Mary! They won't let your drink get low or chips and salsa get cold! Highly recommend! read more

The food and service are great, my wife and I go there often. The only reason they don't get 5 stars is that there is no barrier between the smoking section and the non-smoking so it can be smoky in there sometimes. read more

Food is average. ..i wouldnt recommend unless u are desperate.....i usually go during lunch time and service is very slow..i had better mexican food before .......the crowd is an average crowd....the parking is plenty.... read more

I need my fix of Papa Gayo's............. Are they going to open back up. I went by a few weeks ago and they were closed due to a fire I was told. I really really really want them to open back up. Does anyone know if they will open up again and if so when? I miss my Favorite Restaurant!!! read more

After coming here for so many years a d recommending this restaurant to so many friends it has gone down to @#!%. I don't know what has gone wrong but the food quality is not there anymore. My wife and I were sitting down and I noticed that the couple on the next table starred at their food and made a comment like not wanting to eat it. Anyway my wife ordered the Carna Gisada and I ordered the pasta dish. What my wife received was a plate of beef stew with beans and rice and the flour tortillas were raw. They were just placed in a tortilla warmer and microwaved. My pasta dish came with shrimp and they smelled. The excuse form the waitress was that their Carna Gisada is different. I then pointed out that I've never seen it with clear liquid, carrots, squash, corn, potatoes and cabbage besides the beef. That will be the last time we go back and I will definitely be telling my friends and family about our experience. read more

Me,my wife and son just returned from this place. The entire dining room reeks of cigarette smoke- kind of a big deal if you're bringing your family. Our waiter didn't clear completed plates when passing the table - not such a big deal. The enchiladas were mediocre at best - a big deal. We asked him to wrap the unfinished chips and dips and he told us he had to charge a buck for a half a ladle of the red sauce and two bucks for the same amount for the green sauce - the deal just got bigger. My shirt still reeks of smoke. We look forward to a nice meal on Friday evenings. This was a disappointment. This place sucks. read more

Nice Mexican restaurant with some nice bartenders and a normal menu. Fair prices.

I have been coming here since I was a little girl! It was my best friend's first job! Definitely has the family feel here! Food is amazing, definitely one of the best places in our neighborhood! Never disappoints for me from appetizers to desserts. I will always come here at least once a week! read more

The best cheese enchiladas and the salsa is amazing! Lunch is great here. Quick service. Friendly. Clean.

Favorite consistently awesome Mexican food place. Staff is always awesome, last three times I've gone I've had Ian as my server and each time he's been great. Their seafood enchiladas are unparalleled by any other establishment. Love it here. read more

Just came back from Papa Gayo's - service and food was terrible! Thought we'd grab a bite after watching a movie and we walked in at 9:25. They told us the kitchen would close in 5 minutes when the restaurant closes at 10pm. The waiter literally gave us 5 secs to order and when we asked for two minutes you should have seen his face! It was like we committed a cardinal sin! Sorry buddy, you shouldn't have sat us. They cared more about making a fast buck than offering us ANY service. It was the fastest dinner I ate and the food was less than mediocre. The proper serving utensils weren't even provided with the salsa nor fajitas; we had to use our hands. No joke. DO NOT eat here if you have a choice. read more

Not bad good food good service and for smokers you may smoke in side the bar while eating:-)

The food at Papagayo's is good. The waitresses have always been nice every time I have gone to the restaurant. The seafood enchiladas and the beef chimichanga were both tasty. The food is fresh and taste homecooked. I have taken two guests on different occasions and both enjoyed and desired to return in the future. read more

My neighborhood Mexican restaurant is only 1 block away in a main street. I go there once in a while when I want some good Tortilla soup.Yummy! I also like their enchiladas which are not outstanding but good. read more

Love this place. Stop by two, or three times a week. I always sit at the bar. Hard to find a place that can make a decent martini, and you can still smoke in. Laidback, reasonable prices for drinks, and food. Food is always of fresh quality, and attentive wait staff, without being obtrusive. Would recommend. read more

This place is disgusting!!!!! My enchiladas tasted like a TV dinner!!!!! Will never eat here again!

Everything about this place is just okay, nothing special. It's a nice place if you feel like having Mexican food and chips. The service is okay and the food is okay. I would it's pretty plain straight your average Mexican restaurant. read more

Typical mexican food that is overpriced because they're the only full service mexican restaurant in the area. One of the last few places that is still in the stone ages that has a smoking section so be prepared to have a side of second hand smoke along with your bland fajitas. The red salsa is hardly acceptable but the green salsa is ok. I live walking distance from this place and have tried many different things. They are consistant for sure; consistantly blah. Nothing sets them apart from the million other tex-mex places in Houston and I think the only reason they stay in business with their prices is because of their location. It's certainly not because of their food. Unlike most other mexican restaurants, there is no vegetarian option either. My vegan fiancee, the one and only time she visited this place, tried to order something vegetarian. Pretty much all other places we've been to, they've been able to make something like vegetarian fajitas or veggie enchiladas/tacos if they don't already have something vegetarian on the menu, but this place said they could make veggie tacos and all they did was bring out some tortillas, a side of lettuce, a side of tomatoes, and a side of guacamole! Nice try and would have been fine since they had nothing on the menu but they charged almost $8 for these SIDES! Had they actually made something that's not on the menu we would have paid whatever since they would have gone through some trouble to actually cook something but they didn't. They brought out side plates of various toppings and it was all bad...and definitely not worth the money. Lesson learned, if you're looking for something vegetarian, don't come here because they're not like every other mexican restaurant in Houston that has some veg option and the cooks apparantly can't actually cook, all they can do is reheat or serve cookie cutter dishes. If you're looking for decent mexican food at a reasonable price, walk down to the other end of the strip center to La Moreliana Meat Market. They sell excellent tacos, burritos and more. It's not a restaurant, just a nitty-gritty place with real food (try the lengua taco with flour tortilla and plenty of fresh cilantro and onion and of course, red & green sauce). If you want overpriced, unoriginal, typical tex-mex, then pay this place a visit. I won't even say I told you so after you eat here... read more

Friendly bartenders and decent green and red salsa, but the food is definitely lacking. I think it is a little expensive for the quality of food served. There are excellent food and drink specials during happy hour. If it wasn't for the happy hour specials I'd never go back. The crazy nachos for $3 and $2 beer are good during happy hour. read more

Recently moved to this side of town, originally from Southwest side of Houston... I ordered beef fajita enchiladas and my fiancé and mother in law ordered papag burger and carne asada I can honestly say that I think we found our new go to restaurant! Btw I took it to go and it was still hot and fresh when I got home big plus for me! Now I have next to try out their bar!!!!! read more

This place needs to close off the bar to the rest of the restaurant. The smell of cigarettes overwhelms the place. It seriously is absolutely horrible! They put up plexiglass on the dividing wall but that doesn't help a lot when both ends of the bar are open to the restaurant. I wish the would just close that area off so that customers who don't smoke don't have to be subjected to it. Because of the cigarette smoke, my family, friends and I no longer go there. read more

Watered down margarita, microwaved tortilla from a bag, microwaved Luke warm fajita in my tacos. And on top of that they're expensive. Why anyone would come here, I don't know. The waitstaff wasn't even good. Probably worst Mexican food I've had next to jimmy changas read more

The margaritas are fairly cheap, which is the main reason that my girlfriends and I frequent this place. They have decent quesadillas, and the enchiladas are actually good with the poblano sauce option. It's a great little neighborhood Mexican restaurant! read more

So, I discovered this little place a few months back when my good friend invited me to happy hour. I happen to love skinny margaritas and wow, this place really knocks it out of the park with the way they make them. The food is always good and reasonably priced. The bartenders have always been really great and cool... until last night. So we get there about 20 minutes until happy hour is over (plenty of time). Although the skinny margarita is not on the happy hour menu and it costs quite a bit more, I ordered one. It got closer to 7 so we ordered a second round. I figured I would go ahead and order a regular frozen margarita since it was on special. The bartender comes back about 10 minutes later with another skinny margarita. I reminded her I had ordered a regular frozen. She said "oh yeah, I knew that I was over there just squeezing away" (skinny margaritas are made with a lot of fresh lime juice). Anyway, herein lies that issue I have with the bartender last night.... Since she messed up and knew what I ordered, she didn't offer me the skinny at happy hour price which was fine. However; halfway into my regular margarita another couple comes in and she loudly says to the woman "oh, hey drink this... it's free" What?!?! I kind of made a joke about it and she said, "oh yeah, she's my buddy" Maybe it's me and maybe I am thinking about this all wrong but I'm thinking if she's going to give her "mistake" to anyone free it should have been me, but she chose to show herself unprofessional and with attitude. Yep, I won't ever go back. I will take my @ 25-30% tip somewhere else. read more

We have been in this area since 1980 and have eaten at all the Mexican restaurants that have opened and closed and experienced the good and bad points of each. The bar area does pose a problem because of the heavy smoke that sometimes permeates to the dining area. Now that remodeling is being done due to a recent fire, I hope they correct this design. As for the food, it is good and the staff is attentive. I hope Mary and the chef/staff come back when they open in July. Great Margaritas! read more