I couldn't wait to go to Polvos after hearing that it was one of the best spots for Mexican food. However, I was utterly disappointed and will not return. The guacamole was bland as can be, our order took forever to come out, and the waiter barely had a pulse. The music was terrible and acoustics inside made it difficult to carry on a conversation. Oh, and the charge of $1.99 for salsa was a complete rip-off. I hate leaving a negative review, but this place is no bueno! read more

Polvos is my favorite restaurant. I started going when it didn't have a patio that was finished out and haven't stopped going since. The food is the tastiest around and the servers are always nice and mostly quick. Just don't sit inside unless you have to and definitely try to avoid the bathroom at all costs (at least the men's). And if you truly love avacado, the Michicon Salad is the freshest plate of avacodo you can find in Austin. read more

Got to go and the food was awful. The enchiladas are some of the worst enchiladas I have ever eaten, they have walnuts and peanuts with a sweet sauce. NOTHING like they were described online. Really strange flavor, do not recommend at all. read more

Polvos South - No clue how they messed this up, but this was what I got when I ordered enchiladas de la casa. It is terrible - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

A good cheap place to eat. pretty authentic, great salsa really! margaritas are passable...food overall is good especially considering the price. the cheapest way to go is the breakfast tacos-they are GIANT - I cant even finish 2. decor is a little eh...kind of always looks unfinished. Anyway, I recommend trying them out... read more

This place is a filthy DUMP!! Last week my family and I went there to eat at 5pm. Upon arriving, the inside was so HOT that they had portable fans placed inside to cool the building. When we asked the waiter to please turn down the AC they said they could not because the breakers would blow and everything would quit working... really? So they cannot upgrade their electrical wiring / AC units to keep their restaurant pleasant? So their workers are SWEATING in the back, OVER YOUR FOOD, while preparing and delivering it? The fajitas we had were horrible, the meat tasted like shoe leather and the queso was a thick, lukewarm pile of disgusting cheese. There was food on the floor, under tables, waiters had dirty towels to clean / sweep off tables, etc... Then, to make matters worse, some trashy / crass female, that was obviously drunk and they were still serving, decides she wants the fans pointed just at her table and moves them. When we complained and moved them back to cool the three tables they were directed towards, she flips off my wife and then proceeds to get up and throw water all over me and our table. When I asked to speak to Management, they said they DO NOT HAVE ONE ON DUTY...EVER!! When I pressed for the name of the owner of Polvo's, they gave me the name of JOSE B. LINARES. I have called 6 times so far, leaving my name and asking for a returned call and have never received one!! To sum it up.... this place is a filthy dump, cares nothing about their customer's dining experience, food preparation / cleanliness or satisfaction of their customers and their owner / management is non existent if you ever have an issue that you want resolved. read more

I realize the restaurant can't pay to remove this review...which is exactly why I'm posting it. Came here on several recommendations, supposedly the salsa was to die for (it was nothing particularly special). Ordered the quintessential guac: they're out of avocados. Okay, no big deal; let's get the "like in Mexico shrimp" instead. Wait 10 minutes: NOPE, we're out of shrimp too. Alright, 0-2, couldn't possibly screw up a third appetizer. Let's get the chorizoqueso, which is delicious apparently. Wait another 10 minutes. WHOOPS...sorry, can't give you that either because we won't have enough chorizo for the morning. I sit in the restaurant as I type this, have been here for an hour and still have not eaten anything besides my 30 minute late ceviche (which took them a good 45 minutes to procure), and some chips. Don't bother, especially with so many better options around town. PS the enchiladas are actually quite tasty. read more

Very impressed with the margaritas and beef fajitas. Not to mention the complimentary cinnamon hot tea offered after our meal because it was cold outside (even offered to put tequila in the tea)!! read more

I live in Florida - have pity on me - but I love this place. We were there last month for the first time and really enjoyed the nachos and the service was great. We have nothing like it in our area so treasure what you have Austinites. This is a great place! read more

3 words- Veggie Goliath Burrito. I have been in love with it and their salsa bar for 10 years. I can't try anything else.

Enchiladas de la casa for your favorite vegetarian! Amazing ceviche, this from someone who lived in Panama for two years.

Love this place. I've been here about two times the first time I ordered the Burrito Compuesto. It was delicious and enough for at least two. They have a salsa bar which you have to pay an extra $1.99 for but it is totally worth it. The Mexican martinis are delightful and huge. They remind me of the shakers at Trudy's. The second time I came here I order the chicken fajita tacos and potato egg and cheese taco. Both were delicious. The tortillas are made in house and are fresh and flaky. This is going to be my go to spot for breakfast tacos! read more

I've been meaning to write this review for some time. The first time I visited Polvo's I easily would have given this establishment 4 to 5 stars. Being a pescatarian, there is much here for me. Lots of vegetable and seafood options and on those plates that are for meat eaters, you can easily replace the chicken or beef with fish. I was so enamored by Polvo's I took my out of town guests as a required eating experience. Over the past couple years I have witnessed the quality of the food and the service begin to take a dive. I steady decline. Today, my visit sealed the deal almost determining that I put a moratorium on visits to Polvo's for a couple years to come. They were making people get their own menus and seat themselves. This is not a seat yourself establishment. Our waitress was prompt in the beginning but once the food was out we never saw her again. She didn't even bring water, we had to ask for it. After finishing our meal, we sat there wondering where, still, the waitress was. She finally came and we just asked for out check. Also, mind you, she barely spoke a lick of English. I was left wondering if she understood our orders or anything we were asking her. She came back and we think she said the credit machine is down. I had cash. I should not have mentioned I had cash. I feel Polvo's owes me that meal. But, we paid cash and left. A $32 meal and I left her only $2. I shouldn't have even left that. I would appreciate anyone else who has noticed this steady decline in service and quality at Polvo's over the years, if they would also make mention here. Polvo's was once a great Austin establishment. Now, I am just ashamed to call it an Austin original. read more

OK, first off, Polvo's is NOT Tex-Mex food. They serve interior Mexican, and it's amazing. Effing fabulous. Which makes the crappy service tolerable. I don't care if my waiter is snotty if the food is this good. Their ceviche is the best in town, hands down. Their fish or shrimp a la plancha is just incredible -- a surprising delight for your taste buds. Their margaritas are tasty and strong. Even their breakfast tacos are ridiculously good. And huge: You don't really need two; you'll just *want* two (or three, or more...). Oh -- and the garlicky salsa, the brown one with chipotle, I think? Ohhhh, man... That's the flavor I want in my mouth when I die. read more

Food is OK...however, their saving grace is their margaritas. Holy cow are they amazing...we have never had a bad night starting off at Polvo's! They need a downtown location so we don't have to take a taxi from there! read more

I love this place. I understand some of the other reviewers complaints, but I say: YES, it is worth parking two blocks away, waiting ten minutes to pee after too many margaritas (one stall bathroom), it is okay to yell a little over the crowd in order to communicate with your fellow dining buddies, and you may even have to tolerate a 45 minute wait.. .but suck it up, get a margarita, find a nice spot on the curb and take a seat because in the near future you will be dining on some super delightful Mexican cuisine! This place has absolutely no frills, but the atmosphere is fun and feels authentic. My favs are fajitas al guajillo, veggie enchiladas, anything with mole sauce, and the avocado salad. It's all good :) read more

Polvos. What can I say but the food wasn't all that good music was WAY too loud. Had to constantly raise my voice just so friends can hear what I was saying. I'm sure that I'm not gonna come here no more! The service was great, I have no complaints about that..... read more

Holy crap, if you haven't had Polvo's marinated vegetables from the salsa bar, go there today. I usually sit there eating them with chips until my food comes, and then I have to wait 5 minutes for my mouth to stop hurting, but it's worth it. read more

Our party of three waited almost 2 hours for our food. . Also we had to ask 3 servers to get water refills they were all rude and they never refilled our water. Just to get anyone's attention was a nightmare. After waiting so long for our food our server came to us and said 2 of the cooks got drunk and had to go home so the manager had to go back and cook?! What?! So we ended up leaving and never got our food. We told the server we didn't want to wait any longer and he rudely said to us "Aren't you going to at least pay for your drinks?" He must have forgot that he didn't serve us drinks we got the margarita pitchers at the bar while waiting. Lol. Long story short that was my first and last time at this place. I hope they don't treat all of their guests this way. They have lost my business. read more

My daughter and I were visitin from Austin and this place was favorited by the locals. PROS: The fajitas were good, the meat was seasoned really well and overrall we had no complaints about the entree. I like the salsa bar with the peppered carrots/jalepeno sides to munch on, and tortillas were yummy and fresh. CONS: no draft beer, house margaritas were weak (tastes like lemondade), and everything was kind of dirty/trashy.The restroom was GROSS, there was some water leaking and paper towels stuff to absorb it. I thought I might collapse and fall off the toilet at one point (rusting and old), and the service was not par :( We asked for quacamole to start and was given a slab of plan avocado with lettuce instead of prepared guacomole. yeah, in a nutshell...wouldn't this place reccommend to anyone read more

The margarita was mediocore - the drink itself was salty for some reason - not just the rim of the glass. The chips were terrible - looked like tostitos Hot salsa and peppers were good The server was decent - came around several times to refill drinks and ask how we were doing. Food was cold, enchiladas tasted like they had spaghetti sauce tomatoes on them instead of enchilada sauce And...it was expensive - over $30.00 for two Not going back - disappointed Gueros is better read more

Fish fajitas and espaditas. Best thing on the menu. Great visit here! Absolutely one of my favorite local dives. Shhh!!! Keep it a secret!

i like it. its not crazy awesome, but it'll do. i'm more of a curra's/el chile fan. the reason i only give this place an ok is because there's always something slightly off: so the good: -patio -margs -enchilada platters -fish platter (it was delicious, sweet and savory sauce) -good portions -3 different delicious salsas (i'm a salsa snob and love it here, the roasted chile salsa . . . *licks lips*) -TAMALES AVAILABLE ALL THE TIME -fried food doesn't feel overly heavy (like the flautas) the bad: -one time a friend and i waited 15 min before a waiter even brought us menus -sometimes the food isn't the right temp - like the chips aren't warm. sometimes i feel like my food sat out for about 10 min before the waiter even brought out. -parking -sometimes the food isn't 'zesty' enough . . . i know its not tex mex, and i'm not looking for enchilada sauce, cheese, or use of cumin. i just want the food to have a better kick to it then it does. yeah, so i'm indifferent. i love the fact that they have tamales but they don't always taste the freshest. i do love however that you get a queso, salsa, and carne guisada like sauces to eat with them. i'm a sauce kind of person and to get a whole plate of dipping sauces is like xmas to me. so yeah, i think as scattered and unfocused this review was is a real reflection of my feelings on this restaurant. i'll continue to go there bc my friends love it. i'll even take people there, bc it's good enough to get the job done and they have a better patio than curra's. however it isn't out of this world . . . read more

My wife and I ate there on a Friday night. We'd heard it had the "best fajitas in Austin. Can't say they are, but they are high up on the list. They have four different kinds of fajitas and we tried two of them. Both tasted very good. Service was very good, While we waited for a table (only 30 or so minutes on a busy Friday) we saw every waiter and waitress hustling. We asked for first available seating and wound up inside where, due to the acoustics and the crowd, it was very noisy. If you're with a larger party, that may be a problem. Once seated, service was prompt and the food arrived faster than we anticipated. Now for the bad news. We'd heard about the legendary margaritas here, but they sucked. I think it was due to an inexperienced bartender. My wife ordered a Tanqueray and Tonic, he said they didn't have that until she pointed out the bottle. Her drink was fine, but the basic machine made margarita was mediocre at best. I then ordered a top shelf margarita and it was easily the worst I've ever had (and I've been drinking Margaritas regularly since the '70's. However, the waiter quickly removed it from my bill. One final note: Parking is difficult on busy nights. The parking lot is postage stamp sized, which means you need to park on the street. We parked three blocks away. Not complaining, just pointing that out so you won't be surprised. We will be back in the fall when the heat breaks and we can sit outside. And if the margaritas don't measure up, we'll let the waitstaff know. Or switch to beer. Bottom line: Try it. read more

Another fun place to go for people watching, good 'ritas, and if you're willing to get something a little more interesting - such as chicken soup with chipotle chile - some great food. Again, you will probably have to wait and the staff may be a bit distracted, but if you're with fun friends and enjoy the vibe of South First, that's okay. read more

I was so excited to try this place because I had heard a lot about it, but I was incredibly disappointed by everything except the service. ALL of the Salas were forgettable, the guac was absolutely terrible, and the veggie quesadillas were not good. The ambiance is ok. The Marg was very weak. Way too expensive. Honestly two stars is generous. In a place where Tex Mex is all over, I have no idea how this place is so popular. Seriously do not waste your time. read more

Man oh Man, was this food good. lately, all I can think about is that none of my food is spicy enough, hot enough, intense enough, flavorful enough. I want MORE MORE MORE in the flavor department all the time. This place had that in spades, they are not screwing around. My food wasn't just HOT, it was Spicy and hot and flavorful all at the same time. My Margarita, on the other hand, was icy cold. Goodness all around, in my book. read more

I must be on a different planet because this food is not worthy of 5 stars. I cannot believe how many people gave this place good reviews. I feel bad for them. I want to take them by the hand and feed them good mexican food. Oh Lordy. The food was meh and since I went alone, I had to go inside, leave my seat and grab my own chips and salsa. Really? read more

They have a great food selection, yummy salsa bar, fresh tortillas and cozy spaces. I have been here several times and usually find smiling faces and happy diners. It is good for a quick grab or a long lunch over frozen Margaritas. read more

Polvos was and has been a solid Mexican dinner spot on S 1st. I wouldn't wait to eat here but I have no complaints.

My husband and I agree that Polvo's is pretty much the best Mexican food we've ever had, and we eat a lot of Mexican food! The reason - everything was great - the hot sauce, the chips, the tortillas, the queso, the enchiladas, the margaritas - all great! read more

Great atmosphere and solid food! The plates venture closer to interior mexican food than common tex-mex you'll find around town. The patio is nice, no frills. Piped in music seems to be random selections of the staff and provides amusement comparing one visit to another. Expect a good wait on weekends for dinner. read more

i do hate to wait for a seat here considering the voluem of mexican restaurants available to choose from in this city. but i like Polvo's for one thing....the self serve bar of marinated carrots and peppers. i absolutely LOVE them. bring me more than a few bowls of those, some chips and a couple of cold ritas and i'm good to go! read more

Their margaritas will hurt you. Mostly because they're full of Everclear. The food is so-so. I don't get why people eat here when they could go to Matt's El Rancho or Curra's or soooooo many other, better places. Oh wait, yeah I do: they're so wasted they don't remember how meh the food is. Also pricey. read more

Great fish fajitas. Service can be spotty but the food has been consistently good.

Polvo's? How about "sucko's"! Seriously, what is the deal with this place? I've been there 4 times and at best it's been average. Chips blow and have had better store bought bag kinds than what they serve up. Can you guys just make a decent enchilada? The only reason why I've gone is to take people from out of town who want to go to a place that's packed. I have tried all their main dishes and honestly I just don't understand why this place gets any pub. If this place was in NYC I could see it as a hit but in Austin this is a sad state to see a place like this thrive. read more

We go there all the time. You will too if you just know what to order. The easiest way to do that is to read this review or just ask the candid servers. While there are some items on the menu that are less than stellar, most of the bad ratings of this place are probably due to people not reading the check to see that there is a 18% tip noticeably factored in to the total. The secret to any restaurant is to get what they are best at: in this case, Polvo's have won citysearch etc awards for their fish tacos and fish fajitas (my personal favorite) and these are exactly what you want to get. It is nothing short of amazing. The encrusted Mahi-mahi comes on a bed of rice surrounded by a sea of fixin', sides, and tortillas. More than enough food, you'll need to bring an appetite if you have an aversion to taking food home. Prices are reasonable if not on the cheap, the salsa bar is much better than comparable places like Gueros, and the margarita pitchers are very strong (get the frozen - it is better and stronger than the rocks). Take heed about the 18% tip included, get a pitcher of drinks to plan for it taking a little longer than it should, relax and just go to enjoy the top-notch tacos etc. and drinks. This place is better than several of the more hyped placed in town and well worth the trip. read more

Great place to meet up and have dinner w/ a big group of people. The food is good, the margarita's good but a little too sweet for me but then again I prefer my liquor straight up. The wait time can get a little crazy. I read a couple of posts, and agree that the consistence really is there from night to night. read more

So many reviews for Polvo's, I feel no need to elaborate. The queso is pretty darn good, with all the pico, beef and guacamole to add at will. I have had a couple of seafood dishes, the special fajitas, and today I had the Enchiladas de la Casa with beef, which were solid. The beans and rice are better than most in my book. The parking sux and the noise level can be obnoxious. But, its hard to slam a place for folks having a boisterous good time. Hate to pay for chips and salsa in a town where that is usually gratis, but ok, charge if you need to. The salsa bar is great, with a nice array of serve yourself salsas. read more

This place gets four stars simply for introducing me to a dish that I cannot EVER have enough now -- chilaquiles. I got mine with eggs over easy and they were so divinely delicious that I've made countless recipes since, trying to duplicate it. I didn't even notice the salsa bar cost extra and I wouldn't have cared. Those chilaquiles cast a rosy glow on the entire day for me. We ate outside on their patio and enjoyed the gorgeous spring day. read more

I've lived in Austin for 43 years and have been to Polvos many times. However, my last few experiences have been disappointing, to say the least. Something has definitely changed with their wait staff, management, and quality of product overall. With the abundance of Mexican food we have in this town, I would think restaurants that have been around a while would step up their game. I guess they don't feel they have to for whatever reason. Sadly this one has not and it only seems to be getting worse. If you want handmade margaritas, delightfully fresh tasting cuisine and an awesome atmosphere go down the street to Fresa's and experience the higher standard that Polvos should strive to achieve. read more