It has been YEARS since we had El Chico and when we saw this location as we traveled through Texarkana we were excited and a little hesitant to have it for lunch. Excited because we really liked it when there was one still open near us (DFW area), and hesitant because we weren't sure if it was going to be as good as we remember. No need to worry, though - it was great! We ordered skinny margaritas and added the extra Ancho Reyes Chili shot to give it a spike of spice (which was a good decision!). The chips and salsa was so delicious - we had nearly finished off 2 full bowls of chips. Our meals were delicious and we decided to go ahead and grab the $6 to-go meals for lunch/dinner the next day. The food was best fresh from the kitchen; but the take home meals were definitely worth $6! It took a little bit of time to get initially seated, but this was probably because of the time of day were there (2pm). After being sat, service was perfect - attentive, but not intruding. Our server (the bartender) answered our questions and packed our to go order quickly, she even hooked us up with chips & salsa to go. Because of our terrific experience at Texarkana's El Chico, we looked for locations "near" us and found 3 within an hour travel time of our house. We can't wait to these, too. Oh - we really hope they are as good. read more

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Ate here Sunday afternoon. They were busy. The El Chico's closed in Little Rock years ago. Poor management and let their locations go down not kept up. Me server was excellent, new at the job but great personality. I have always loved their salsa and it was still good. The best thing about my lunch was the chips and salsa. However the Juarez combo plate was dry and not good at all. read more

Lousy food. Way too expensive. None of my Mexican friends would ever eat there. Only item with flavor was the store bought salsa. Happy to not have become sick is the only positive attribute, besides the cheerful service staff. Nice interior. Enchiladas were a complete unknown as to what was in them. But the corn tortillas were hard and stale. We left totally disappointed. read more

Excellent food and service from Taylor. Salsa, jalapeno relish, and juarez dinners. So good!

Remembered there was an El'Chicos on the Arkansas side. Decided to try it out. Same Burrito Con Queso that I loved 40 years ago! Husband had the Tex-Mex Burrito which was the same but had the chili inside. It was scrumptious as well. Salsa was great too. Waitress was good as well. The hostess--not happy in her job. read more

Food was horrible, it was a party of 10 and server was nice and got everything out for us with not too much of a wait, every plate we got was for sure not as flavorful and wasn't Tex mex at all, lacked alot of good flavor and we are sick after that meal read more

Dont waste your time coming here. The food is bland and feels like it came straight out of a cafeteria. Service and ambiance are great, though. read more

We stop by every week and Jaylee, the bartender, never disappoints. Friendly, professional, and always makes a custom cocktail that hits the mark. Restaurant/bar has a warm vibe thanks to staff like her!! Will be coming back. read more

Had a great dining experience at El Chico. The frozen sangria swirl margaritas were fantastic!! The white queso was on point as were the chips the salsa!! Not sure what other reviewers were talking about saying the salsa was watery.. our serving was nice and thick with a kick. Our food was great and our server friendly and efficient!! read more

Decent place for Tex-Mex. We placed an order to go and it was ready quick. The quesadillas and soft beef tacos were tasty. The chips were a little stale, but overall it was a good meal. read more

Okay first off staff was polite and the bathrooms were clean. Hence the two stars I was wanting to stay close to the highway so my husband and I were on so we could stop have a good meal then get back on the road. I spied El Chico off of Google Maps as it was right off the highway so perfect location. The restaurant has a really nice interior and looked very clean. We were greet warmly and said very quickly. We could tell it was "busy" so to speak because our waiter was not only handling our table but also all the take out orders so he did really try to be attentive. I was in the mood for a Sangria Margarita of some sort and my husband just got Sweet Tea. The Margarita that I ordered was the Berry Sangria 'Rita now the bar was out of the berries they put in the drink and I was cool with that. When it was brought to me the flavor was not to my liking the waiter took it away and I just drank water. We were given chips and salsa but I couldn't eat the salsa it had no flavor tasted like doctored up ketchup. We ordered their special for 2 it seemed like pretty good deal we didn't want to take a lot of time surfing the menu. For our appetizer we ordered the chicken nachos. The chicken had no flavor, there wasn't a lot of chicken, the chips were soggy and just lacked. For entrees I ordered the cheese enchilada and an old fashion taco. My husband ordered one traditional taco and one old fashioned taco both meals came with rice & beans. I was disappointed my beans had no flavor, my enchilada was terrible and the best thing about my taco was the shell. My husband too did not like his beans but finished his tacos however he said the traditional taco was very greasy but the old fashion taco was good. Our dessert was the churros pretty much the only food I almost completely finished. The locals seemed to like it and it maybe the way they are accustomed to eating Mexican food. But if you truly like Authentic Mex/Tex-Mex keep going. read more

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As a driver I am devastated. in places where drivers can somehow park and eat usually the food is terrible and not cheap at all. Unfortunately this time it was the same, better or the same tacos are served at Taco Bell. In addition, terrible service and dirty. Thank you I will definitely not stop here again. read more

Nice quick stop while traveling. Never have to wait for a table and food comes quick and is fresh.

If I could give it a zero I would the place is nasty. They kept giving us the wrong food and the food made everyone sick. It had a weird feeling in there and it smelled. The food tasted old and the drinks like something was added to it. save yourself and don't go read more

Let see we're do I start mmmmm water down salsa, chip I will post a picture, margarita great but small for what you pay for. I was it my time coming here lesson learned. read more

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The restaurant is old and needs work. It could be cleaner. Taco Tuesday what a great idea if the food was good. Refried beans had an odd taste, the rice was cold. Service was average. I watched an employee cut limes without washing their hands. No one Thanked us, two people visiting, didn't speak to us. The tacos were average. read more

Been eating at El Chico since 1965. While not as good as 30 yrs ago still pretty good. While traveling thru Texarkana we stopped at El Chico. First thing we noticed was nearly every table needed to be cleaned and the restaurant had an unclean odor. The food was not very good. El Chico is the oldest Mexican Restaurants still around and in my my opinion when properly manage still the best . read more

Please don't. Unless you are coming here for the margaritas, just don't. When even the chips lack seasoning and the salsa requires a straw you're in for a bad night. The queso and Ranchero sauce clearly came from a can. Some poor, unsuspecting avacado gave its life in vain to be turned into this poor excuse for guacamole. It deserved better. We all deserved better. read more

El Chico - Logo - Mexican Near Me - Texarkana, Arkansas

Family was seated in the back corner of the restaurant while there were open tables through out; took 15 minutes for one of the servers to ask what we wanted to drink because nobody wanted to wait on our table. 3 waiters sitting next to us all not wanting to help us was told our server was about to leave but within the hour we waited with no service three waiters kept looking towards us and not wanting to even acknowledge me and my family was there. Horrible service ever received food and over charged. A lot more to say but it is not worth it. Please do not expect good service here read more

El Chico - a car parked in front of a restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Texarkana, Arkansas

The best queso in town. This is where my wife likes to go for Mexican food simply because of the queso. This is a great place to watch sports as there are a bunch of tvs around the bar area which you can see from most seats in the restaurant. The place is clean and not too loud even though it is sports barish. The staff is friendly and quick to serve. They are always on your drinks and do offer dessert even after you've logged out in enchiladas. The food is good but not the beet in town. The prices are fair for the portions and you won't leave hungry. The sweet tea is very good also. Parking is easy but if you are coming off highway 30 at the Jefferson exit be ready to dive in the right lane and stop FAST. Better to get off at the Summerhill exit and cruise down the side road that way you won't crash while trying to get a Mexi fix. read more

I ordered the Juarez plate. The taco was equivalent to a Taco Bell crunchy taco. I had to send my plate back because the cheese enchilada was still hard from the refrigerator. The waitress was as nice as she can be.....that's about all I can say good.... read more

I get good service every time I go. Good enchiladas and friendly staff. Chips and salsa is good too.

Filthy. Filthy. Ate ate the bar. Very nice wait service but the place needs a good scrubbing...

The food is good. The service always friendly; good variety on the menu. Good queso for dipping!

Looks like a cool spot if u wanna grab a drink, and hang out with some peeps. As far as being a place to eat, it's not worth the money,or the disappointment. Taco Bell, with a dine in experience. Server was sweet and did a great job. read more

Well, bummer. I was actually a fan of Los Agaves across I-30, but it appears that they've closed permanently. I've eaten at El Chico locations before and I'm not fond of chains, but it was close by, so here I sit, not too broken-hearted. Decor-wise, the place could be a Denny's, with music to match. Blech. So much for atmosphere. And I'm a fan of chips hitting the table right off the bat. My drink order was taken and then brought back with aforementioned missing chips. Not a great start. That, and I felt rushed to order. I like to nibble, enjoy my margarita, let the road stress wash away and peruse the menu. My server bounced back twice in four minutes. Seriously? Does anybody order that quickly? Fare is Tex-Mex and sort of precious at that. No carnitas in sight. My server, on the third rebound, informed me that it was Taco Monday; two tacos for $4.99 and three for $5.99, choice of ground beef or shredded chicken and served with rice and refried beans. Sold. I went with three beef tacos. Chips were okay, kind of thin, but the salsa rocked. Great flavor and heat. The margarita, once I size-upgraded, was pretty decent as well. And thank God for that, cuzzzzz... The tacos were hopelessly dry and lackluster. (And, ironically, took forever. On Taco night? The restaurant wasn't busy). The rice was overcooked; the beans tasted canned and had a dried crust upon them. No sauces on the table. Thank Happy Christ that I ordered a bit of cilantro to add some finesse to this train wreck. This is the problem with most chains. They churn out quantity and skimp on quality, but the zombie masses don't know or care, so the menu remains. I'm here to cry "foul!" And will take the time, next trip through Texarkana, to seek out another place. And I've had good food at El Chico elsewhere - but this location? Belly up for drinks and then go elsewhere for the food. read more

El Chico - Colossal Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Texarkana, Arkansas

Hostess is horrible. Goes and hides forever before he ever even takes your name. Then tells you it will be 25 minutes after we've waited for 20 minutes just to get your name on a list. They can't keep staff there. read more

The only reason why I gave this place a 2 star was because of the customer service . The food wasn't good , I usually don't listen to people . But I was warned not to go there and I should of listened . read more

El Chico - Mexican Near Me - Texarkana, Arkansas

The customer service here is really bad. Good quality was well below average. From watered down salsa to ingredients missing from a chili con queso. Main dishes were bland and not seasoned as what would be expected. Select another restaurant is what I recommend read more

Sat down and waited over 20 min to have my drink order taken. I went ahead and ordered food at the same time. I received my food way before my drinks. Ordered a second round of drinks and waited over 30 min. Finally we were ready for the check and it never came. We eventually had to find someone to help us. Also the food and drinks were not that great. Overall bad experience. read more

Bottom Line Up Front: The best Mexican food in Texarkana (either side of the border) Although a little pricey, the food is great. This IS NOT Tex-Mex. They offer a full range of favorites and a full bar. I strongly recommend their classic beef tacos! I also love their white queso and every variety of enchilada. Avoid the Chile Rellano Burrito - not good. Beans (spiced pintos not refried) are the best! read more

We absolutely love dollar beer night at El Chico's!! Courtney at the bar works her butt off to make sure we are taken care of! The beer is cold and alway st a moments notice! Nachos are half priced on Monday nights too!! It's our way of starting off the week right! read more

Sat here and waited for over an hour complained to four waitresses still did not receive any of the food that we ordered and what they brought out was wrong and was shit I do not recommend this restaurant at all read more

Tried to go back to give them a second chance, every place deserves another try if it was bad the first time! Went in the front door and no one there. Waited 5 minuets for someone, my wife had to ask to be seated. Waitress seated us and never came back!!!! Waited 10 minuets and never got waited on. Got up and walked out! Will never go back. Go to Zapatas and get great food and service! read more

Presentation is great. Food tastes good. Waiter was very friendly. Interior is cute. Just passing thru town otherwise I'd come back.

I always come here & the service is always great, food is hot, and nearly always right. Whenever our orders arent right (rarely) they fix them quickly! read more

We order take out from here , It was awful. I except if I pay 9.00 for bean nachos they would be better than what I received. My husband ordered chicken fajitas. We did not get any tortillas. The chicken had grizzle and was not good at all. I'm not a complainer, but this left a bad taste in our mouth. read more

I love El Chico sour cream enchiladas but no El Chico's close to where I live so was really looking forward to dinner at this El Chico. (On our way home after a long trip). Waitress couldn't understand our order - enchilada dinner and Taco Excelente - how hard is that? Manager, who said she was new, came to our table so we could explain - treated me like i was stupid! Finally a waitress who knew something helped them - Tawanda was her name, I think - told them we could order one each taco instead of 3 of the same. This was after 20 minutes of messing with them. Our meal was totally ruined. I am so disappointed. Not sure it deserves 2 stars. Oh, glass had something red on the rim which I could feel with my lip. Waitress tried to tell me it was that red lipstick that doesn't come off. read more

Great atmosphere, super family friendly. 4/5 tables had young children. The food was alright... Salsa was spicy but not so much that you can't eat it. (18mo old demolished it). Portions were smaller than expected, hubby was disappointed his meal (top shelf quesadilla) did not come with rice and beans. I got the burrito con queso. It was eh. However, our waiter was very friendly and refilled drinks quickly. He also provided plenty of napkins for our 18 mo old. She got Mexican pizza off the kids menu, it was a good size portion for her. I would go again, simply because of the family friendliness. read more

El Chico - Burrito con queso - Mexican Near Me - Texarkana, Arkansas

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Went there to eat dinner with my wife and she ordered a margarita and the waiter asked for her ID to scan her in to order her drink and when he asked me what I wanted to drink and he had an attitude and when he did not have the beer I requested I asked him what other beverages that he had and he could not answer. When he brought out our drinks and chips he was scratching his beard and that was enough to not be ant to dine there read more