We love On the Border. This location is always a bit slow on service but that's ok, we're retired. Anyway, we always get the Guacamole Live (no longer made at table side) but a large amount and oh so tasty. Since it was Taco Tuesday we bought $2 tacos. They were pretty substantial with seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce and tomato. I added salsa from the bottomless chips and salsa plus some of the guac. Two tacos plus the chips, salsa and guac was plenty. Great inexpensive meal for two - $24. I always miss this place when we return home to Washington as there isn't one near us. read more

Came for the Friday evening at their outdoor seatings. There were live music and singing performances from 7pm, then followed by the DJ stage. The dance floor was great for probably up to tens of people. The Grande Taco Salad was filled with a lot of ingredients. The Chicken Tortilla Soup was delicious. The Fresh Guacamole Border Bowl and the Bolder Border Chicken Bowl were both well prepared and presented. read more

Barry's Bistro Mcallen - Bolder Border Chicken Bowl - Tex-Mex Near Me - McAllen, Texas

See all

In town for work my coworker and I stayed at the beautiful Embassy Suites which has this On The Border in their lobby. The service was 5 stars. The food was 5 stars. If youre a guest at the hotel you get 2 free happy hour drinks. They have daily specials. Definitely a great experience. If youre staying at the Embassy Suites dont bother leaving. read more

This on the border is inside the embassy suites. It was happy hour and I felt like half the staff was serving drinks in the hotel lobby the other two employees were in the restaurant. We were one of two parties and the service was pretty slow. The happy hour specials were pretty great. Margaritas were good, I would recommend the $5 strawberry over the $4 original. The Fajita combo was marketed 9.99 but was 10.99. Which isn't a huge deal. But the Fajitas were pretty charred and didn't taste that great, the vegetables were just ok. The rice and beans were just your average big chain beans and rice. I'd maybe go back and give them another try...might have been an off day maybe read more

Barry's Bistro Mcallen - Fajita combo - Tex-Mex Near Me - McAllen, Texas

Disaster from the first margarita spill. (Which never got cleaned) Our server Adam was absolutely terrible, had to ask multiple times for water, chips, a lid for sauce, etc. The menu smelt like diapers. The table was a mess. My food didn't come out for 45 minutes AFTER the rest of the table had already finished all their food and paid their tab ! And we got charged a gratuity fee on two people for 17 dollars... like wtf is that?! It's okay though. He gave me a free queso dip for my wait... Not to mention the outside band was so loud you couldn't even hear your own thoughts.. Horrible experience, NEVER AGAIN 0 stars ! read more

We stopped by to charge our car, and saw that this location was conveniently located inside the hotel. Upon coming in we were immediately greeted and sat by our waitress Linet. She was so nice and made some awesome recommendations. She was very knowledgeable and attentive. We had a hiccup to where my sister did not like her plate and Linet handled it with grace, she made another recommendation for a different plate and delivered. 5/5 stars for Linet! Best service ever! read more

Barry's Bistro Mcallen - Lunch Special Enchilada and Chicken Tortilla Soup - Tex-Mex Near Me - McAllen, Texas

See all

Total rip off!!! $60 order, burnt chicken nachos, charged $9.00 for queso with no chips. Don't waste your money. Not the same restaurant anymore, Pathetic quality read more

The restaurant was very slow when we went in so the food came out quickly, but the bartender wasn't there so we had to wait a long time for the manager to make our drinks. The food was good, nothing special, but the slow and calm atmosphere and bar area made it enjoyable. The margaritas were the star of the show, especially the strawberry shaker. The staff were nice and it was all around an enjoyable experience, a chill place to have a good drink. read more

See all

Honestly On the Border is delicious....the ones up in Houston because this place is not on that level. It's located inside the Hilton...when I took my wife it was lunch time and it was dead. However, the food was slow. The one thing OTB is known for is it's chips and salsa...and it didn't disappoint. The chips were nice and hot...the salsa was tangy, fresh, and the perfect start. So we ordered the queso w/ chile as well...and it took nearly 25 min to get it. The waitress was actually quite nice... attentive...BUT she forgot the queso. Its already premade....she just has to go over and have a cook pour it into a cup. We finished the whole basket of chips...she brought us more...but no queso. I then told my wife I was going to cancel the queso since our food should be coming out and we were already getting full on just chips....and guess what happened, she overheard me talking about it which reminded her and then she finally brought it...after we already had our fill of chips. Mind you...the queso was bomb...great consistency, good spice, nice and hot, perfect. But after eating a whole basket of chips already...we couldn't enjoy it. And now to the main course...I'm not even going to describe each item. The food LOOKS good...but it's bland. It feels all premade....for example, the enchiladas I had. The sauce was already stuck to the tortilla, it didn't feel like it was just freshly poured on. The empanadas were not piping hot...you'd imagine they'd be hot to the touch since they're deep fried. The most surprising thing was the fajita, delicious flavor, but warm. You got places like a Chili's and they bring you the sizzling plate...the fajita was just cooked and it was only warm to the touch? Where was the sizzle? I feel like everything is premade early and then just kept warm until ordered....not a winning combination. ...oh, and the waitress brought us a michelada that we hadn't ordered...since the place was drop dead I'm sure it was hard to know what table had ordered it right? Leaving this place I have to admit was one of the biggest disappointments...go for the chips and salsa...or buy them at HEB and save yourself the bill. read more

Barry's Bistro Mcallen - Combination meal 2 empanadas, crispy taco, sour cream & chili enchiladas - Tex-Mex Near Me - McAllen, Texas

See all

We've been there past 2 weeks for happy hour Tues. Luv the tacos on Tues. Margaritas are excellent! First week we had 6 & about 8 or 10 other times. Service is usually very good. read more

Placed an order via the Yelp app for pickup. It is now 35 minutes past the time I ordered it and it is still not ready. I would understand if the restaurant was busy, but there are only 5 people at the restaurant, and they are drinking at the bar and not eating. I am updating this review. Soon after I wrote this the food came out. I think they did not see my order online, so when I asked about the order they quickly made it. The food was delicious. Thank you. read more

Our favorite bar in McAllen is no more. We arrived today for our usual 3:00 Wednesday date and we're informed it was closed. So sorry!

Pretty great service at this little joint inside the Embassy Suites Hotel. Big fan of the Fajita combination menu item! Shrimp and Steak Fajitas were delicious. read more

I got the chicken fried burrito/eggroll dish forgot the name. Tasted pretty bland, but was fried well. Price was on the higher side for the food. Would only go here if out of convience because you are staying at Embassy Suites otherwise there are a myriad of better Mexican food options in the general area. read more

Evenings, especially if I get back late, I do enjoy the generous and flavorful fajitas In mornings, you can't go wrong with the wide variety on the well stocked buffet or the customized omelette or pancakes by Fabian. Always very clean and inviting read more

One and done. First time here. Food was very substandard. Chimichanga was gummy not deep fried crispy. Shrimp were size of my little finger breaded to the size of my thumb. Very slow kitchen. At least 15 minute delay between first person and last person served in our group. No visit from the manager to apologize. And way too expensive for the inferior quality of the food. Never again. read more

Great food with awesome service. Totally delicious tasting food. The nachos were totally tasty.

The breakfast here is incredible. Mr. Gomez is the usual chef cooking up whatever your stomach craves. He, alone, makes the breakfast fun. There is also live music outside here on Friday nights. read more

See all

The service was some of the slowest I have ever experienced. The food was very low quality. My sons chicken was undercooked and pink. Never going back. read more

According to our server this restaurant opened about a month ago. Friday night we were headed to another Mexican Restaurant but hubby saw the sign for On the Border so we immediately turned around and headed there. We have been waiting years for a national Texmex chain to arrive in the valley. It was about 6:45PM and hardly a soul was in the large open air patio and just a few inside. I asked if they were serving outside and was told yes. We waited a very long time before I got up and asked if we could place an order. A young man took our drink order and someone else brought them promptly and we gave him our meal order. The margaritas were not frozen as we requested. The food came promptly and was delicious but only 4 tortillas for all the meat on the the fajitas for two plate is skimpy as was the the amount of beans and rice. A live band started with music about 7:15PM and all conversations between hubby and me had to quit because the music was too loud. No one but us were wearing a mask. So based on service I'd give this new restaurant only 1 star. Based on atmosphere and food quality 3 stars. I added a star for future hopes of it becoming like Other On the Borders I've visited. I desperately want some TEXMEX in the valley and I hope they make it. We will go back maybe on a weeknight. And I think I'd alert the restaurant inside that we were on the patio and wanted to eat there read more

See all

I stayed at the Embassy Suites on business and woke up to a pleasant surprise at breakfast in the form of an excellent omelette at the in house restaurant (On The Boarder). Great stuff, very friendly service! read more

Had lunch there yesterday and everything was fantastic! The new updated menu was great and all the family enjoyed their meals. The service was quick and it was a pleasure being there. read more

I had the breakfast each day here at OTB and Fabian Gonez was really great. He made my omelet each day, and got to know my order. He also makes the best salsa. read more

That are the breakfast buffet for the Embassy Suites in McAllen, TX. I have eaten here each morning during my stay and the breakfast is incredible! Good choices of meats, eggs, potatoes.... The bacon is perfectly crispy and delicious. The real kicker is the Salsa Verde that the chef, Fabian Gomez, whips up. It is incredible on the eggs and potatoes! Good juice selection also and their coffee is strong! I highly recommend and you will never forget Fabian once you met him. Total experience! read more

Waited in the drive through for over 40 mins. Received incorrect order and on top of that it was cold. Not worth the $$ for the kind of food and service received. read more

Do you like mediocrity in both food and service? Then On the Border is the place for you. This place is amazing in its ability somehow be completely dead while taking 10 minutes to get a to-go cup. Not only that, but I have to walk around a dead restaurant in order to get a refill, while watching our one plate of food sit in an empty warmer for God knows how long before the waiter bring it out. I guess we're gluttons for punishment read more

We loved the chef Fabian Gomez! The food was great and he is so lovely! Definitely don't want to miss out on a great breakfast lunch or dinner! read more

Barry's Bistro Mcallen - Great fried eggs! - Tex-Mex Near Me - McAllen, Texas

Soon as I walked in we were greeted and seated. It took 10 min for a drink order, another 10 min to receive drinks. I ordered Mexican street corn and The choriqueso as appetizers, also ordered our main course as well. We specifically asked for the appetizers to come out before our meal. All our food came out at the same time, The choriqueso was cold served with no tortillas or chips, the enchiladas were cold the beans were cold rice was dry and hard. Everyone's food was cold and below average.I do not recommend!!!! read more

Great place to rake the family or go by yrself. It's one of the few places in the Valley than I been that you can see them making yr food. Plus the food is great. It is cooked as it should especially the rice. I say go and check it out you will love it! read more

See all

The review is actually more for the breakfast buffet provided by the hotel since I haven't had the regular menu. The grill option was the best part of the buffet as you can order eggs or omelet to order. Fabian Gomez the grill cook was always friendly and did an amazing job; especially nice that he remembers what people like to order! Good food and good service! read more

horrible service. waited for over an hour on only one drink and no refills. order never came out and we had to leave because they probably forgot about us. Server forgot to give us straws with our drinks. never came back to check if we needed refills. I made the manager aware of the issues and he apologized and gave excuse that they are short handed. people are nice but the service is horrible. almost like they didn't want to serve us. read more

Service was not good. Server was terrible at suggesting options. He just stick to the most expensive items on the menu. The food was pretty bad as well. Ordered some chipotle shrimp and nachos to munch and have a few beers. The shrimp were soggy and not well cooked. The nachos were smothered in runny beans then covered in a bit of cheese. Over all they were pretty bad. Will not return. read more

Armando was our server. He was polite, ready to help if needed. and very cordial. On the Border on McAllen was delightful. I had the best tacos and chicken tortilla soup that I've had in a while. my husband's chicken fish was also delicious. read more

Great breakfast as well as great staff. Fabian Gomez is a delight behind the grill serving a smile with food.

Tried On The Boarder again. The service was excellent. The enchiladas had about a teaspoon of meat in them. Very disappointed with the portion!!!! The rest of the meal was good. read more