I've been coming here for 45 years. Pretty much as long as it's been open. I've seen many transformations and owners. The food is delicious. The services has always been above and beyond. Their servers are trained to be attentive and treat you as if you're family! I truly enjoy each visit. When we haven't been in awhile, they actually notice. No. We do not go every week or anything, but maybe once per month. One of my favorite things is that my favorite meal is no longer on the menu but I am still able to order it. One of the managers once told me that if someone orders an item they don't havr listed but havr the ingredients, they will make it! I highly recommend visiting. I realize this is a chain but it is locally owned and that's important to me. read more

Decided to give them another shot. Went for lunch on Tuesday. The service was good, and the food was, too. I had the chicken mushroom enchiladas and will order it again. read more

The food and service was okay. Nothing to write home about. Got the combo fajitas. Was happy it comes with cheese, some places that is extra. Seemed dead when we came in, but started getting more lively by the time we left. In the past El Chico was a main stay for dinner, but after a few years of ups and down, it is second string at best. That isn't changing after our latest dinner there. read more

Wonderful ambiance and food. Sevie was our waitress and was very kind and on top of things. Kayla stopped by to make sure everything was great. Nothing but kindness. Will return!! read more

One of the best TexMex places in Abilene. It might be a "chain" but the food is consistent and flavorful. Service is outstanding and you don't have to wait long to receive your food piping hot from the kitchen. Prices are also reasonable. read more

Came in around noon and hardly anyone here, should have been a sign. My food comes out barely warm. Queso filled tortilla with more queso on top and another with Wolf Brand looking chili on top that was too disgusting to even try. Beans were dry. Asked for my check. You would think the waitress would ask if everything was alright when only 5 bites were taken of a meal, but no. Also asked her why she didn't bring me queso like everyone else got, and she told me I had to ask for it because too many people were wasting it. How about you ask me if I would like some queso? This place is honestly just nasty. Cannot believe it is still in business. read more

Well, first the food is still good. Unfortunately this El Chico has finally hit bottom as far as service is concerned. Wow! We've been coming here for years and it has been on a slow decline for a while. Tonight, there were four tables occupied while we were there with two waiters and a manager. The waiters do not write anything down and either got orders wrong or had to go back at least once to every table and have them repeat their order. Tables asked repeatedly for drinks and refills, including us, and they never came. Unbelievably poor service. It was almost to a point I was beginning to think we were on a prank show...but we weren't! Sad sad sad. read more

trash can't wait for chuy's to open.. The service her sucks I ordered chicken tacos got one piece of chicken each of my tacos..

Great food and service. We eat here often as we love this style of Mexican food. Went in with a party of four today and the experience could not have been better. Love their friendly staff. read more

My family and I have been coming here since 1987 when we moved to the Abilene area. This was our go to Mexican Restaurant. I had tried other places but they couldn't beat my El Chico's. Then a couple of years ago they seemed to have made a change that I just couldn't swallow. It was the food. Originally, their chicken items had a wonderful shredded chicken with a tomato base but has now been replaced with a cubed chicken that I don't like the taste of. Therefore, all chicken items are off the menu for me. The last time I had a cheese & onion enchilada, it had cheddar and cheese dip cheese in it so I quit eating the cheese enchiladas which are my go to (just read my other Mexican Restaurant reviews). The only thing that I seem to order now is the Chimichanga without the chipotle drizzle . Yet, I don't really like fried foods. The last time that I went, I stared at the menu, baffled to what to order. I just don't really do beef when I eat Mexican food so I my options were very limited. The dessert, Mexican Apple Pie has, until recently, has been so delicious. I will say that about the last 6-7 times that I've had the pie, the pie is never fully cooked. It's always doughy. I used to inform the manager every time I had an issue and the manager assisted us every time. It just became so often, nearly every visit, that something wasn't right that instead of sounding like a cranky woman, I started going elsewhere. read more

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This is el Chico's idea of a chicken nacho. So, where are the jalapeño's? Not really a nacho now is it? Service was great but I'm worried about management's menu decisions. read more

El Chico - Chicken 'Nacho' - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Well i must say i am extremely disappointed. This is tue first time coming back to el chico since i was 25yrs old . I will turn 51 next week anyway. The waitress was nice and friendly. But the food was trash. My chimichanga tasted funny like old grease and when i cut into the chimichanga the grease was running all on the plate. The refried beana were a tad warm but about the best thing i ate. Dont know exactly what happened to the rice had no flavor and was jus on the plate. My husband. He ordered the lunch steak fajitias and had about four small pieces of steak . he told me he was still hungry. And had to drink 2 margaritas to tolerate the lasck of taste. Man jus hoping it was a bad day the waitress did give me a free card to come back hmmmmm not sure if that will happen read more

El Chico - Chicken Fajita chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Not bad, gets the job done. Friendly staff. Seated quickly on a Sunday afternoon. Shared the large appetizer platter which was enough for 3 or 4 people. The free queso was a nice touch and even better when you mix the salsa into it. Signage in the mall could be improved. Couldn't find it at 1st. (It's next to the closed Sears) read more

El Chico - Free queso. - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Great food. Good prices, service, and atmosphere. A nice and enjoyable place to eat

The food here and service was amazing! We recently started coming here after our walk around the mall. The Tacos are great, the guacamole made at the table is amazing and the margaritas are worth the drive across town! Josie our waitress made some suggestions and we tried the amazing apple pie with cinnamon ice cream. I read more

We used to go to El Chico all the time, years ago. It went downhill and we quit going. We were in the mall (yes, one of my favorite things in the world) NOT, and decided we were hungry. El Chico has free queso so let's try them again. Mistake. Our waiter was great, when we saw him. Service was slow. Queso was so thin and runny it was almost a waste of time. Glenda got Enchaladas that were ok. I got Monterrey chicken and veggies. Chicken with Swiss cheese and mushrooms on top. Lukewarm and bland. Veggies were mushy and tasted like they had been sitting for a while. Not a good experience and we will not go back. Sorry Caeser. read more

El Chico - Monterrey chicken and veggies. I'm so not impressed! - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Awesome Customer Service from the time we walked in til the time we walked out. My Husband and I were both very shocked at how nice the entire stuff was! The food was really good as well! We have officially found "our spot" here in Abilene! Thank you El Chico Cafe for the wonderful experience and amazing food!! read more

The host was able to sit us in the patio as we requested, and our server arrived right away. After that though friendly she seamed to disappear a lot. The chips weren't bad, but some had a bit of the stale flavor. The salsa was good. The free cheese sauce was not great. It looked watered down. But it was spicy and didn't taste watery. (So I'm not sure what they used to thin it out....) The top shelf guacamole $8 was next. Very good and fresh (of course). Mom andDad ordered the Botanas Grande $15 to share. I got the 3 shrimp tacos plate $11, and Hubs got the Tex Mex burrito $10. The tacos and burrito arrived before the appetizer. That didn't make it for about 5 minutes. But that wasn't an issue because we were all eating from each other's plate. All the food was very good and we ate everything. #noleftovers & Aside from our server going awol., We really didn't need anything. I think my favorite bite was the shrimp tacos. read more

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Mothers day with my wife. We've never been here. Her chicken enchilada plate had no chicken, owner remade the plate and gave us a discount, but I was finished she didn't want to eat alone. My refried beans on my mama's plate were extremely salty. The queso dip was good, but thin and not much in the salsa or queso bowls. First time last time. read more

Me and my buddy were tossing around restaurant ideas for lunch and El Chico's was spoken......not having el Chico's in many years we jumped up to go. The service was excellent I don't remember having better service anywhere. The chips salsa and caso were lit and the food is fantastic. The manager walked around to everyone to make sure the food was to everyone expectations....and it was. If it's ur first time get the guacamole, ur welcome. read more

If you have more than 4 people do not go here. Took over 2 hours to get our food and a extra 30 minutes to get the checks right so we could Pay and leave. Management was no help at all. Wish it was better read more

We were quickly sat and served with some awesome chips, queso, & salsa that are free. My taco salad was awesome and the server was great. He was quick, courteous, & checked on us often. I'm never disappointed when I stop here when I'm in Abilene. read more

My BFF & I went in to spend some time together over lunch. She had a taco plate & I had the Top Shelf Beef Fajita enchiladas. This is my most favorite dish at El Chico's. Comes out steaming hot on the typical fajita plate, sizzling like fajitas do. You get two cheese enchiladas smothered in the sauce of your choice, over a bed of sautéed onions and bell peppers, topped with fajita beef. You can not go wrong with this dish. It's absolutely delicious. Our server was Juanita, she's been with El Chico's a long time and she's always a gem. Juanita is a busy, attentive server with a fantastic attitude. If every business had a few Juanita's we wouldn't have a customer service problem in the world. The manager was very sweet & attentive as well. He was working hard alongside his staff, clearing plates, refilling drinks, & making sure his customers were satisfied. He checked on our table more than once during our meal. The chips were fresh, queso is always free and the salsa has the perfect amount of heat. I love this place and I'm so glad to see it going strong after Covid. Keep up the good work guys. read more

the services was horrible sat for 30 mins while waiter chit chatted with three other tables no check ups or anything then manager was even worse she was sarcastic and terrible at understanding that i'm not sitting there for 30 minutes for nothing they didn't refill chips or anything forgot about us 4 times read more

Ordered the chicken mushroom enchiladas. The manager overheard me talking with my partner and he came by our table recommending this dish as it's a best seller. we were first in line when they opened for lunch. The dish came out cold. Room temperature not even warm. There were two mushroom pieces among the two enchiladas. Not good at all. My partner ordered the caballero plate and could only eat one third of it because it was so bad. Haven't been to el Chico in many years and now I remember why. I could have spent the $45 dollars on groceries and cooked it myself. Would have been much better. Three-four or five thumbs down. read more

El Chico used to be a Sunday afternoon staple for having good Mexican cuisine. It's been years, but the food, in my opinion has greatly improved. They've updated a bit since I've been last. The service was perfect and the meal was great. read more

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I'm not from here so It's hard finding a good spot. I had the fajitas the first time and enchiladas the second. Both times were great. The fajitas were tender and the margaritas hit the spot. The service was really good too. I had just gotten off work and I can tell they made extra effort to get the food out. read more

Have not been in years, me an the ol lady we're looking for a change of pace. There were max 10 other guests in the establishment so nothing to over whelming. To start we order 2 margs frozen no salt. 10 min later our drinks are brought to us, we are sitting about 10 feet from the bar. One marg comes out on the rocks, no big deal, we will roll with it. We place a very simple food order and the server seems to understand. 15 minutes later server says food almost ready be out shortly. After that she apologizes for putting order in wrong and it will be out shortly. Finally the food comes out. And there is a long curly black hair on my enchilada. I am so hungry at this point and don't want to wait another 30 minutes for a plate of food so I peel the hair off and eat the food like the animal I am. Anyway. Terrible service, disappointed overall. Food tasted good, minus hair thoughts in back of Mind read more

Going to give it a 3 today. Usually this restaurant is spot on with everything, but today there seems to be a terrible gnat problem. They're getting into the food and drinks and we're constantly having to swat them. read more

Great food, great prices. My favorite place to eat when we visit the Mall of Abilene. I've been going here for close to a decade and I've never really had any complaints at all. Great place to eat if you love Tex-Mex, especially if you happen to be in the mall area. read more

This place was Great!!! I'm in town for a couple weeks and was walking through the mall for lunch and saw this place. Loved the vibe. They had Salsa music playing. I was seated at my table immediately. Didn't wait very long to get my order taken. The waitress has asked if I tried the specials. When I said I've never eaten here. She immediately brought me back a special queso dip with the regular chips and salsa they serve. I thought that was a good gesture and The Queso Dip was REALLY good. I didn't know what order so I told the waitress to pick. Which was the Burrito Bowl. And a good choice it was. The Food was great The customer service was beyond Expectations. One pet peeve having to ask to have my drink refilled. Which I didn't ask ONCE!! I highly recommend this place if you like Mexican food. read more

This is a great place to eat if you are in the mood for Mexican food. For staters, the chips are thin, light and crispy. The salsa is not real chunky. An added bonus that I am sure will please many is the complimentary queso dip with every meal. It's great. I judge Mexican food restaurants based on two things: (1) Quesodillas and (2) salsa. Both at El Chico are wonderful. One last perk is that if you eat there on Sunday, you can bring in your church bulletin for an extra 20% of your entire meal. read more

The only decision I made worse than trying this place out, was coming back for a second try. Food is hideous. Service is pathetic. I will not ever eat here or any other location for the rest of my life. This place makes taco bell seem like a fine dining experience. read more

Well sadly, this was pretty much the worst Mexican food we've had in years. The Tortilla soup was more of a paste... No broth. The salsa was really sweet and not hot. I couldn't eat it. The beans and rice... No Bueno! The tortillas were gummy. Won't eat here again. read more

Walked by this place and saw a nice bowl of guacamole and decided to give them another try. Salsa wasn't good at all. Ordered the fresh guacamole and felt a little awkward as the waiter fixed it by the table. Out of the entire meal, the guacamole was most likely the freshest thing made. Everything tasted as if it came out of a can. I had the 5 enchilada plate; thick tortillas weren't cooked, shredded cheese in the cheese enchilada was not melted, chicken was cold and avocado enchilada was not what I was expecting. Couldn't finish my plate, I started to feel queasy and sure enough . And the margarita tasted as if the person who made it was already tipsy. No thanks El Chico, never again. read more

I have been here twice now, and both times were pretty awful. The last time I went, it took a solid five minutes before anybody even came out to seat us. While the man who sat us was very nice, our waiter was not. He was very short with us, and made it seem like we were a major inconvience to him. The food was alright, it didn't blow me out of the water or anything. Abilene has a lot of of great choices for Mexican food, and the only thing that would bring me back to El Chico is for a drink of their sangria (which was pretty good). read more

I do not eat Mexican food ever, but my wife likes this place and I can find something to eat. My Mom liked to eat here There is probably better places than this but there are a lot worse also. It is in the Mall so it is comfortable if you are shopping in the Mall read more

Since Caeser bought the restaurant it's improved by leaps and bounds. We visited yesterday and Hayden took care of us. Her recommendations were fantastic and her service was top notch. There was a small hitch with the dessert but Hayden and the manager fix the problem immediately. This restaurant has the best customer service hands down read more

After my last review I was offered a couple of free passes by the GM in an effort to get me to come back and give them another try. This time was a Saturday and it was pretty busy. I didn't show my free passes until pay time because I didn't want to sway the service. We were seated instantly by the GM himself. Shortly after that our waitress came and took our drink orders then was back quickly to take our food order. We never had to wait and the food was delivered in a reasonable time even though they were busy. The food, as always, was amazing. I have nothing but good things to say about this visit. We will most definitely be back. read more

El Chico - Three tacos: Filet & Mushroom, Brisket and Shrimp. DELICIOUS! - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

El Chico Mexican is located inside The Mall of Abilene. When I go there is on a Sunday, most times afternoon before of after catching a movie. I've been there several times but today I think was the best meal I've had there. Burrito dinner, $9 ish. Seated quickly waitress checked on us several times really friendly gal. The GM came by when he spotted up made some small talk. The most fun thing is sitting in the patio watching the mall walkers and shoppers. read more

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