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    El 123 Tex-Mex

    4.4 (25 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order El 123 Tex-Mex Takeout or Delivery

    El 123 Tex-Mex Photos

    Business Info

    EL 123 TEX-MEX ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - El 123 Tex-Mex

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    Taco bar
    Susan C.

    The food is delicious! Oh that taco bar has nearly everything you could want! Bar has al pastor tacos, seasoned beef, chicken, steak, rice, refried beans, etc. Everything we tried was delicious. Their pico is absolutely delicious!! We had excellent, friendly service. Ask for Jordan!!! He's energetic and fun. The restaurant is cute with typical Mexican decor. Go! You won't regret it!

    Drinks and desserts

    Stopped in between lunch and dinner so it wasn't very busy, but the food was great and very fresh! I got the Vegetarian A. and it was very filling. The space was very clean and there is also outdoor seating. If I had more time, I would've stayed and tried out the taco bar. When I'm back in Bristol, I'll be coming back for more! This is a link to the online menu. It it doesn't work, I'm adding pictures of the menu as well. https://cdn.flowcode.com/prodassets/to-go-menu-el123-final_Tw4tObg.pdf?ts=1633129392714154554

    Chicken Tortilla Soup
    Michelle H.

    Run, fly, jet, teleport, but do NOT wait to check out this place and make it your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in the Tri-Cities!!! For real! Always a treat to drive up here!! Sooo much to choose from and have yet to order the same thing twice. This place has great energy, is clean, has a super friendly staff, no wait for service and oh yeah, did I mention I the food is !! Let's go back to the staff for a minute.... I inquired about the Chicken Tortilla Soup as we were paying our check (as I have yet to find legit CTS in the Tri-Cities) and Jorge, one of the partners invited me to try a small sample of the soup. I was looking forward to a small sample - maybe ¼ cup, but lo and behold he brings me a regular size serving (a BOWL) and was speechless!! I mean, who does that these days?! I could only get down a couple bites of the soup because I was stuffed from my meal. ‍And I felt absolutely horrible in not being able to eat it all (and I wasn't about to ask for a to-go bowl), but I was just genuinely filled with joy with this unexpected gesture of kindness. Cannot wait to get back up there. Next time I will definitely wear elastic waisted pants and be sure to order the Chicken Tortilla Soup first!

    Menu

    The best of the best here ! The food is always consistently hot, fresh, phenomenal, and served as ordered. The service is unmatched. They treat you like family. If you have social anxiety and don't thrive well in large loud uncomfortable restaurants then this place is for you, its relaxing and safe like being at a loved ones home. They're kind and great with kids. The taco bar is truly where it's at, there's lots of options and combinations. The mango salsa is to die for. The prices are very affordable. I love this place, it's a true hidden gem.

    This is my chili minus all the extra red sauce

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    Photo of Sam C.
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    24 days ago

    Love the atmosphere, love Jordan, had a great time. Get the taco bar. I need atleast 85 words to submit this.

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    4 years ago

    Amazing takeout experience. Friendly, fast, fresh food at a reasonable price ! I look forward to going back for dine-in !

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    Ask the Community - El 123 Tex-Mex

    Review Highlights - El 123 Tex-Mex

    They have taco shells and taco salad shells, a good variety of meats which include shrimp.

    $8.75 Taco Salad

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    Chili's

    Chili's

    3.0(57 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    I've been a fan of Chili's for a while. They've still got it, but there are some confusing…read moredecisions. We tried the mozzarella sticks for the first time and man. You've gotta try those. So flavorful and filling. Marinara complemented it well. I used to favor their steak, but this time I went for their bacon burger. It was phenomenal. Didn't expect Chili's to be an A-grade burger joint but man, it was so flavorful. Super messy, but good. Fries were well seasoned and cooked well. One of us would have gotten steak had corn still been on the menu. But they very recently removed it? How can you be Tex-Mex and not sell corn? Baffling decision. Service was fine. Quick. Answered our questions. Did not wait long for food. Ambiance has hardly changed in 15 years. They played some good, well-known, dated music. Great for a family restaurant. TVs up playing sports for those who care. Bathrooms could be better. Need to be modernized. Urinal flushes so slowly, water takes forever to go down. Soap and faucet was not automatic, but towel dispenser was (and perfectly responsive). In a Tex-Mex place, it can be expected that the bathrooms are frequented more, so I think further steps should be taken to keep it cleaner. The food itself, aside from the criminally-absent corn, is an easy 9/10. Bathrooms were a 4. Service an 8. Atmosphere a 9. A worthwhile visit. I plan to return. I hope the corn does too.

    It was really good me and my husband love the food and the service on Valentine's Dayread more

    Photos
    Chili's
    Chili's
    Chili's

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    Barberitos

    Barberitos

    4.1(47 reviews)
    4.0 mi
    $

    My wife discovered his place and I decided to see what this place ahead while I was ordering. This…read moreplace does a custom of nearly everything. I ordered a specialty of a burrito and it came out really good actually. It even came with a side of salsa chips and you get to pick your own dip that you would like to choose with it. Staff here was very nice and actually went above and beyond for our order. Restrooms were in fair condition too. Great quality food, there wasn't a lot of people inside as well. There was ample amount of parking featured here too though if anything there's parking on the lot behind the building. Overall, I was pretty impressed with my visit here

    Two years ago, this place was a reliable go-to. Now, it's a descent into disappointment. Dark…read morebrown guacamole & black cilantro, uncovered queso with a suspicious yellow crust, and aggressively fermenting salsa paint a grim picture. Combine that with uncovered sweet tea attracting flies and a general lack of cleanliness, and you've got a recipe for disaster (not the delicious kind). This experience isn't a one-off. It's been a steady drop for about a year. Fermenting salsa, a clear sign of unsafe food handling, is the final straw. Fresh, refrigerated salsa takes about a week to ferment as in the video. I witnessed the same thing six months ago and vowed to never be back, but I fell into the trap today yet again. Who's running this place? Are they simply unaware, or willfully ignoring the issues? Were they ever trained on food safety? Is this place ever inspected? Either way, it's a gamble with your health. After five years of loyalty, I'm out. This location has had its chance. It's now off my list, and frankly, it should be off yours too. Let's call it what it is: a place where "Botulism Burrito" or simply "Botulritos" are more fitting names.

    Photos
    Barberitos
    Barberitos - Cheese grit gaspacho'eqe soup-- called cheese dip   not a fan.

    Cheese grit gaspacho'eqe soup-- called cheese dip not a fan.

    Barberitos - Spicy tacos, chips, dip, and tea

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    Spicy tacos, chips, dip, and tea

    Fusion at Ridgefields

    Fusion at Ridgefields

    4.4(55 reviews)
    26.9 mi

    I pulled up to Fusion at Ridgefields by myself like a grown adult (very rare), mainly because my…read moregirlfriend Olivia was bartending and I figured I should at least pretend to be a supportive boyfriend. First off, this place is way nicer than I deserve to be in. Low lights, super clean, and everybody looks like they have their life together. Meanwhile I'm just there for moral support and food. Olivia was behind the bar absolutely carrying the establishment, making drinks like a professional and not judging me for sitting there alone. She was super attentive, super attractive, the drinks were perfect, and you can tell the staff actually cares about what they're doing. Shout out the host Meisha she is tough also! I ordered food expecting "good for Kingsport," and got "actually really, really good." Everything came out fast, looked fancy, and tasted even better than it looked. No complaints at all. The vibe is perfect whether you're on a date, with friends, or just sitting there solo like me pretending you're important. Super relaxed but still upscale. 10/10 would recommend. Go sit at the bar and tip Olivia so I can have a nice birthday present.

    The Veal Saltimbocca was horrible. I would describe it as getting a piece of veal covering it with…read morefrozen spinach then microwave it for 5 minutes. The wife's lasagna was OK. She described it as being as good as frozen lasagna from the store. The bartender was great.

    Photos
    Fusion at Ridgefields - Inside of restaurant

    Inside of restaurant

    Fusion at Ridgefields - Beef tenderloin bruschetta

    Beef tenderloin bruschetta

    Fusion at Ridgefields - Front entrance

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    Front entrance

    Moe's Southwest Grill

    Moe's Southwest Grill

    2.5(17 reviews)
    7.6 mi
    $

    Let me first start by saying I was a Moe's fan many years ago then I moved away and didn't have a…read morelocation near me. Now I'm in a new state with a Moe's so I was looking forward to eating at a once favorite place. Not this time. The attached picture is their version of a chicken bowl. And this was after asking for a little more rice!! I was afraid to ask for more chicken because I didn't want to have an extra meat charge added to the already expensive total. When did they raise their prices so high? For one veggie burrito, one chicken bowl, a small container of queso, and one small drink, I paid over $23.00. The burrito was black bean, rice and cheese only. You can see that the food temperature wasn't hot enough to melt the cheese. I was going to ask for lettuce until I saw that the lettuce had way too many brown pieces in it. There was no ice in the drink machine. I got ice from the tea machine. When I asked how to scan the app QR code, the female employee at the register told me I needed to scan my receipt to earn points. She accepted my money and then said she had to go to the bathroom so she called another employee to the register. I'm assuming it was an emergency. No receipt was given and the employee had already completed the transaction. So no rewards or points for this visit. Really doesn't matter that much because I'm not thinking I will be trying it again in the near future. I mentioned twice in front of their employees that this wasn't enough food in the bowl. Not a single one offered to add anything to it. When did they stop saying welcome to Moe's? That doesn't affect my review I just thought it is sad how the customer service had declined. The restaurant was clean but that's the only positive thing I can say about this experience.

    My food was prepared wrong. Not just one thing but all of it. Talked to owner he said he would call…read moreback. Nick manager called and was so rude. This was almost a 50 dollar order. Tacos were smashed, wrong meat and I paid for guacamole and queso and did not get it. I used door dash. Bags were ot sealed either. I never call about orders. Nick said call door dash and hung up on me. That's what I get for trying to get a resolution. Should have went to Chipotle.

    Photos
    Moe's Southwest Grill
    Moe's Southwest Grill
    Moe's Southwest Grill

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    Blackwood - Brisket with bourbon beans and potato salad.

    Blackwood

    3.9(13 reviews)
    62.0 mi

    Great local spot for BBQ just off the interstate! Pulled off…read moreI-81 at the Wythville exit in a trip to northern Virginia and decided to try this local bbq restaurant. The brisket had a good mixture of lean and fatty meat, and a perfect smoke that really didn't need any sauce, but the bourbon sauce added a savory heat that was excellent. The real surprise was the bourbon beans! This blend of black and pinto beans with peppers, onions and bacon is sitting in a brilliant sauce with an amazing sweet heat and is thin enough to imbue the flavor without being a thick brown-sugar soup... a definite must have! The staff were very friendly as well. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was price and setting. Based on the interior which appears to still be under some construction, I'm assuming they have only recently moved into the space... which is fine, however, for table service I would expect something more that styrofoam to-go containers and plastic utensils. And, although the quality of the food is quite good and portions are nice, $21 for one bbq meat and two sides is a bit on the high side. So, if you are moving through the area and are looking for good bbq, (and don't mind paying a bit more and being served in styrofoam) it's definitely worth stopping by.

    Blackwood is the bomb. What was his name? Sebastian?…read more He's out front with the offset. Respectable pulled pork. Great Mac. Great potato salad. I was full but still wanted more.

    Photos
    Blackwood - Brisket tacos

    Brisket tacos

    Blackwood - Brisket with bourbon beans and potato salad.

    Brisket with bourbon beans and potato salad.

    Blackwood - Chicken plate

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    Chicken plate

    El 123 Tex-Mex - tex-mex - Updated May 2026

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