A gorgeous historic restaurant with fabulous food and great service. The star of the evening was the lemon box pie and the tortilla soup. read more

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Chips were not fresh. Food warm and not hot. Margarita great. Service was quick and friendly.

Clean fresh atmosphere, meet with smiles and seated quickly. Sunday brunch after church, several families and friends enjoying some great food. I enjoyed chips and salsa sweet tea and a wonderful chile relleno. Katrina enjoyed flautas. Great food, great price. Always a pleasure to stop by El Fenix. Stay safe. read more

I have been an El Felix fan most of my adult life. This occasion was just ok. Tamale was not very tasty and enchiladas were just ok. It was our first time at the Plano location read more

While visiting the Richardson/Plano area we wanted to try some true Tex Max and saw El Fenix. We arrived for dinner and had about a 5-10 minute wait to be seated. The place was pretty packed so I was getting a good vibe. Once seated our server was super friendly and funny. He was joking with us and good with suggestions. We ordered food and sat around to chat and enjoy our cocktails. The food arrived and everything looked delicious. I order chicken fajitas and was expecting them to be steaming when they came out, but they were not and honestly had no flavor. They were the most bland tasting chicken fajitas I have ever had in my life. And I eat quite a lot of them. Then halfway through eating, a few people at our table noticed the tortillas had mold on them. The manager was walking by right then and we showed her the mold on the tortillas and she just said ' Oh I'll get you more" and took them to the back. No apology or trying to offer a discount or something taken care of. Our server came by then to check on us and we mentioned the moldy tortillas. He said the same thing and dashed off to the kitchen. He returned with non moldy tortillas and we continued our meal. When we received the tab there was a 10% military discount which was nice but they should have said sorry and explained the discount. Either way the only thing that tasted good was the chips and salsa. I really liked the salsa. Also I think a place that goes through that many tortillas obviously doesn't make them fresh if they have mold on them. They tasted like Mission tortillas. That makes me sad for Tex Max. read more

We absolutely love El Fenix!! This evening we decided to go back, the only difference was I had requested a good server... the Restaurant was a little busy, but were seated right away. No one came by for several minutes; so when the server finally came by, we said can we go ahead and order.. he took our order- drinks, queso, and dinner. After we placed our order, we sat there waiting. Meanwhile, they set another table of about six people right beside us. They brought us our drinks and eventually the queso ... but no chips. We flagged down someone walking by to request a beer and some chips. Goodness their queso is really good. Then, 20-25 min later, we watched that 6 top receive their food even though they sat down long after we ordered our food. We told the server we just wanted our check that we no longer wanted to wait for the meal. He mumbled something, pointed at the kitchen; then said OK and walked away. We also asked for a manager who quickly came over; we told her what had taken place and that we just asked for our check to pay for what we already had and we wanted to leave, we were tired of sitting there waiting for our food; just not worth waiting any longer. So we left! We will definitely be back. It's really a great restaurant with flavorful and authentic & fresh food! It would have been nice for Manager to check on customers; this could've been avoided. The only picture from this evening is the "queso no chips and no beer" picture. read more

El Fenix - Queso, no chips no beer! - Mexican Near Me - Plano, Texas

I have lived in this area for over 30 years and I don't think I have ever been to this restaurant. Well, that is until Sunday for lunch. We decided to give it a try on our way home and we were not disappointed. My darling Boyfriend ordered the beef Chile relleno and I ordered the brisket taco platter. So a couple of small things, the chips were incredibly salty and there were huge lumps of salt on some of the chips. Also, the brisket did not have as much flavor as I would have expected to get from brisket tacos. Overall, the food was good and we enjoyed our meal. I will say we were so hungry. We forgot to take pictures this time! read more

A classic for TexMex dining that's been in Dallas for decades. Always a little busy and loud with waiters ("meseros") hustling between table and kitchen or bar. Nothing fancy but honest to goodness TexMex food and drinks. Try it for a taste of the original. read more

Came here for lunch meeting. The food tasted good. The atmosphere was very authentic Texas-Mexican. The service could have been better. We wished the server would have written down our order so he would not have made mistakes. He did fix our order. Anyway, we would come back again. read more

El Fenix - Combination lunch plate - Mexican Near Me - Plano, Texas

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We go to El Fenix every Wednesday night for enchilada special. It is delicious. We have a server that we ask for name Beto. He is awesome. Since we go every week, he has learned what we always ask for. He brings us our drinks and chips and our tortillas with butter that we asked for without even asking. We love this. He also knows our order because it's always the same, and that we like a to go box. This makes everything very efficient and fast. We can literally get in and out in 30 minutes. The restaurant itself is decorated ' Mexican style' as I would call it. Its very authentic and feel you're definitely having authentic Mexican food. read more

El Fenix - Cheese enchiladas with chili sauce. Rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Plano, Texas

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We hit the Tuesday Enchilada Special. Ordered the Chicken with Sour Cream. Excellent Food. Two enchilada portion. Quite filling. Big Shoutout on Quality. The sauce tasted like Sour Cream ! It doesn't always at lower quality establishments. Enchiladas were stuffed FULL of Chicken, no skimping. My wife says this is the only Mexican restaurant serving rice she really likes. My tastes run more to the frijoles. If you haven't been in recently, give us them a try. read more

This is always a random craving for me. I love coming in to eat chips and salsa with queso and I always get my tortilla soup... minus the tortilla strips. It's comfort food at its finest and I always leave feeling like I could pop! Service is always so good and the servers are very polite. Never have to wait long if there is a wait. Typically around lunch time is when I go so it can get pretty busy. Came here for dinner tonight and not many people were there. The guacamole portion size on the queso combo was very very generous. My husband doesn't care for the food here but is sweet enough to go with my when I have the El Fenix itch! Be sure to sign up for their rewards program. You get a free guacamole and queso combo each year! read more

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I have been here several time and the service has always been slow. Also, last time we were there was about 4 weeks ago and their chips were not the ones that we have always gotten and we were told that their machine for chips was broken and should be fixed within 2 weeks and the normal chips would be back. So today we went back here for lunch. This was the worst ever. Our waiter did not understand us and was not listening to us. Had to repeat our orders 3 times. The Chips were not good so evidently the good chips are never coming back. To top it all off we sat for over an hour waiting on food and still was not served our food. I had to get back to work so we left without eating. Will NEVER be back to El Fenix again!!! read more

My wife and I have visited this El Fenix location 10 or so times and, for the most part, each time the service and food has been consistently good. Last evening, we took our daughter and grandchildren with us and again, the food was consistently good. The service, however, was great! Our server, Cerilio (I think was his name), was "on it!" like Donkey Kong!! Cerilio waited several other tables besides ours and he did exceptionally well, even despite our table being somewhat needy throughout the mealtime. And, were it not for some relatively minor food shortcomings I would have rated this visit five stars. Where our meal fell a bit short, was where it usually and "consistently" does, i. e., presentation and quantity. Were it not for these two factors this rating would have been five stars and this El Fenix location would be clobbering it. Most may say I am nitpicking but here are the issues I usually have with our dining experience at this El Fenix: - Crispy Beef Taco plated alongside some other meal element (in the case of my El Jefe, it was the rice) and what occurs is the bottom side of the taco becomes soggy, making it difficult to eat. But, as evidenced by the single taco ordered by our granddaughter, were the taco to be placed as upright as possible, against a small amount of lettuce, the taco would haves much better chance of remaining crispy on BOTH sides! - Enchiladas not containing enough ingredients. To me, it seems the enchiladas should have at least 50% more filling. This is especially the case with the ones filled with cheese and onions! - Large Guacamole Appetizer not containing enough avocado. There should be an OBVIOUS difference in the amount of product between the "Bowl" and "Cup" sizes and the Bowl and "Side" sizes, and simply there is a minute difference, but not enough to warrant the relative price differences. - Meals containing Fajita Beef not containing enough meat. My wife almost always orders a meal where the Star of the plate should be the fajita meat. At least that's our belief, since the names of the meals usually begin with the word "Fajita." But, almost always it is our opinions that there could and should be more meat! That's pretty much it as far as how, for me, the rating would easily go from four to five stars. As for other aspects of dining at this El Fenix, the bathrooms are normally clean and well stocked, with the only issue noted being the toilet in the men's restroom, which is sometimes clogged and is not firmly seated to the floor flange. It is likely in need of a new wax seal, is wobbly, and likely will begin stinking soon. The dining room is normally clean and the staff are 99% of the time friendly and eager to make the dining experience a good one. The frozen drinks are always well-made and the iced water and other soft drinks are fresh, tasty and completely lacking of any off-putting, moldy, slime in the ice machine smells. If you're looking for some pretty darn good Tex-Mex food, you really need look no further than El Fenix, for great Taste, good Service, good Quality, and great Value! Check out the current and legible Menu Pics I've posted up! Eat well. Be well. Cheers! read more

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Ok it's been years since I've been to this location. As I mentioned then,I had put El Fenix on a shelf due to new ownership tampering with a proven century-long icon. Basically, it went to h---l in a handbasket! I met someone here for lunch, their choice, but I was happy to go along and see how the place is doing. The other location Ive visited is "Recovering" so this one closer to where I live, would be a great addition to my tex mex rotation. Wednesdays they've always had a special of your choice of cheese or beef enchiladas rice and beans cheap. That's what we got and it was good. The salsa was fresh and plentiful.Chips hot and crunchy. Id definitly go back but they arent quite up to where they were 10 or 20 years ago. read more

The original El Fenix owned by the famous Martinez family is a shell of itself. When they sold out in 2008 change was immediate. The unique tortilla chips made on Harry Hines Blvd were discontinued. The hot sauce is a poor rendition. I've been a loyal customer since 1961 and must confess that I have become an infrequent diner. That being said today's enchilada dinner and tamales were very good. Another positive is the retention of the restaurant and it's contents adds to the feeling of home.( Nostalgia) Photos on the walls show the Martinez Brothers and famous Dallas Cowboys Roger Staubach- Bob Lilly! Being the oldest chain of Mexican restaurants in the US ( founded 1918 in Dallas) says much about the foundation of its food, culture, history,and beloved customers. Compared to other chains it still stands tall. If you like Tex - Mex eat here. read more

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The chicken fajita nachos were mid! Very demure! It gives for margaritas and a shot of tequila! Especially before a night out with friends at Dark Hour Haunted House near by! Check it out for - fun night! read more

El Fenix - Margaritas!! - Mexican Near Me - Plano, Texas

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It was good. Not great. Thought it was neat to see brisket burrito on the menu but it was not anything special but not bad. Salsa was not hot but was good. Carne asada quesadilla was really good! The waiter handed us a basket of treats after we were done eating and then we paid our bill and then the treats were on the bill for $9! That was a joke.. He acted like he was giving us something after dinner and then it showed up on our bill! Just for being sneaky I would NOT recommend it! Not to mention my burrito looks like an enchilada. I thought things were bigger in Texas? I could have gone to Taco Bell for this size burrito lol read more

El Fenix - Brisket Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Plano, Texas

we came to El Felix for dinner as part of a family reunion. We had 35 verified people and made reservations for that many. We verified that morning with the restaurant. As it turned out we had 57 show up. The restaurant never even blinked an eye they moved quickly to rearrange tables and chairs to accommodate us. The wait staff quickly took drink orders and had chips and salsa ready for us. Our food came out quickly. The staff went over and above with good fast service and good food. Thank you El Felix! We will be back! read more

I've been to two locations and have never felt such an unwelcome atmosphere. This place is for older locals who are intolerant and let you know it and it's a shame because the staff and the food is great. But who wants to eat in a place where the atmosphere is so thick! read more

Thank you excellent food and service. Special thanks to our server, Marilyn, who did a great job.

Have been eating there and other locations for many years,in Dallas and now in Plano. Love their service and the best Mexican food,anywhere.Enjoy taking my grandkids there and they too love the food and service.Thank you for the memories. read more

Went for a late lunch, around 2:30 PM. The place was still quite busy considering the time. We were seated immediately and the Chips and Salsa came within reasonable time. The chips were unique, thin, and crisp. The salsa was very flavorful. I got Chicken Street Tacos served with Rice and beans and my wife got Pollo a la Parilla which was Grilled Chicken served on a bed of Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms, served with Rice and Pico De Gallo. Pico De Gallo was spicy, not mild. The quantity of Rice and Beans served with the Tacos (3 tacos) was manageable. The service is excellent and the restaurant though old is well-decorated. read more

I was out running errands yesterday and had the hankering for some good Mexican food and just as I thought that I saw a sign for El Fenix. It is located right off of 75 in Plano. I had never been to this location so decided to give it a try. I was seated right away, was brought a menu, chips and iced tea very quickly. Server was attentive and brought everything I needed. I decided to order from the lunch menu, I went with sour cream sauce, rice and beans. I should have specified to bring the soup out first, both were sent out together. The cheese, rice, tortillas were served and a bowl and the broth came in a container that was poured over top. The soup had a good flavor but it was a bit cold. The enchilada rice and beans were good as well. The interior of the restaurant is pretty standard. They have a mural painted on the back wall, with traditional Mexican decor on the walls. There is a small bar tucked into the back and several rooms for dining. Overall, good experience. read more

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My husband and I eat at El Fenix regularly and are always happy with it. The food and the service are always very good! Jose served us today and he was excellent! read more

Craving El Felix chips and hot sauce as it has been years since having them. Only giving 4 stars as the chips were not fresh !! Might have been rainy weather that effected the stale chip but definitely not the yummy crispy chip I remember. Salsa was good. Service was very efficient. read more

El Fenix - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Plano, Texas

Decided it's time for some Mexican food; not just any, but one of my faves, El Fenix! Yes, it's a chain but I have always enjoyed it at every location visited. We've dined at many locations of EF across the Metroplex, but ended up at this spot which we'd never tried as we were in the area on an errand. Placed to-go order which was ready in about 20 minutes. I had to sneak a few bites of chips on the way home, just couldn't wait! 1 order of Brisket Nachos, which were loaded with the flavorful tender shredded meat, a fairly large dollop of guacamole, sour cream and Queso drizzled on top and refried beans on the bottom. A quite generous, filling serving! Would have enjoyed a little more Queso, but overall, the dish was quite tasty. Also enjoyed their Fiesta Taco Salad, which is one of their most popular, according to a server when dining in some time ago; enormous serving of Picadillo meat, refried beans, tomatoes, sour cream;! Easily serves 2 people, along with everything else. Okay, really over ordered but had to have a crispy beef taco, just love these with the special Italian taste-like dressing! Ummmm, good! Of course, as many Dallasites agree....best chips/salsa in town! The wafer thin chips are crispy, salty and light; the salsa is made daily with bits of onions, cilantro, & jalapenos, just chunky enough and has the right amount of heat! I requested lots of this specialty be directly from the kitchen, NOT the prepackaged chips/jarred salsa you can purchase at the register; there's a definite taste difference. Boy, did they include a large sack of these amazing munchables! Established in 1918, this chain has evolved over the years with a focus on consistent & reliable delivery of a quality product. I'm one of their biggest fans as evidenced by my several reviews on this business! read more

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The El Fenix at Plano is our favorite Mexican restaurant in the metroplex. It has the best food, service and atmosphere. Beto is our favorite server and has been for over 15 years. He was at the El Fexix at Belltline and then moved to Plano when it closed. Mayra the manager is friendly efficient and very personable. We love her and all the staff at the Plano location. We have been eating at El Fenix and we have been friends with many of the family members for 66 years. We recommend this El Fenix to anyone who likes good food and service. Five Star Rating read more

The I've been coming to this restaurant for years, and the food is always excellent. I usually get the fajita chimichangas, and they are so good! The service is great, and I definitely recommend this place. read more

Memories. Haven't been to an El Fenix since I retired and moved to South Louisiana. Tex-Mex at its best. Great service. read more

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I came back for lunch because my lunch buddy was dying for TexMex and I needed to stay in this part of town. He arrived first and confirmed he had a table and there was no wait. When i arrived there were actually very few diners in the house. I checked my watch and it was 12:15 pm, so it should have been busy. I guess the warmer weather had people looking elsewhere. We were served in a reasonable amount of time. The server was polite and took good care of us. The food came out hot and was quite delicious. I had a "pick three" with salad, chicken soft taco and sour cream chicken enchilada, rice and beans. All were tasty, hot, and nicely presented. He had a tamale trio and said his was good. Overall I am much more satisfied than the previous visit. read more

I love their food. It reminds me of the Tex-Mex I enjoyed in the fifties. The lemon pie is great. Highly recommended.

I ordered Door dash at the last hour so even if there were a couple flaws like forgetting utensil I'll give it to them because their food is my new favorite. Overall 9.5 out of 10 stars. 10+ Hamburger. I love most Mexican restaurant burgers. They taste way better then even burger staple places. This one was by far my favorite. Very hot and took the drive well. Fresh veggies, lovely bun, and melt in your mouth beef goodness. First burger in years that I could taste everything in the bite and I'm sick. Lol 10 out of 10+ with instant reorder soon. Soup 9.8 out of 10 Loved the taste of the broth with the nice shredded chicken and cheese. They did forget my avocado and could use some onions. Queso with piccodillo is a strong 9.9 it's so good and my new favorite queso. I would have given it a 10 but it was gritty not creamy. Kids Tamale with veggies 4.4 the veggies were amazing zucchini and squash but the tamale was so tiny and the sauce both tasted like it came out of a can. Don't bother on this one. Overpriced Two chalupas 2.3 don't bother with these or the tacos here. They put that nasty, unwashed shredded chemical lettuce on it, the shell is soggy and they barely put any toppings plus the beans were cold and lumpy. Overpriced Find something else don't waste your money. Pineapple juice 1.3 The juice was good but normally I would never drink anything from an exposed cup driven by a stranger but wrapped in siran wrap. Please just send a can or box drink for your safety and mine. I had to drink this one to help my throat. They forgot utensils and could bag it better and safer. My new favorite Mexican takeout place and maybe overall Mexican place right now. read more

Despite having eaten in other El Fenix locations I was unable to eat at the Plano restaurant. I am gluten free and their other spots have provided me with a gluten free menu. Unfortunately this location didn't have that and insisted the only items gluten free are now chips and salsa. We were out with a large group and I only ate chips. read more

My fajitas plate was soo good!!! The meat were cut in large pieces as oppose many places nowadays that give you small strips. The flavor was very delicious. And the beans and rice was very tasty. I got a very large heaping. It was a very busy Friday night but many were been seated pretty quickly , maybe 10-15 wait time. read more

Yes IT IS SAD BUT they are still using the dirty rag from the dirty bucket or the napkins you used and wiped your snot with to WIPE TABLES. They wioe the SEATS & go to the next table. Nothing has changed. IT WOULD BE SO EASY TO SHOW US THAY EL FENIX CARES ABOUT US and NOT SPREADING GERMS & use a clean rag & SANITIZING SPRAY! read more

best Tex Mex around great service as always loved the new margarita the server said it was delicious and it hit the mark

The chips and salsa at El Fenix is authentic and delicious. Srisanga delivered impeccable service! Our drink glasses never ran dry.

Wonderful Menu. Very delicious meal. The waiters are very friendly And it was so amazing. It's one of my favorite restaurants since my childhood read more

Taste like Taco Bell & overpriced.... I ordered the 2 chalupa plate & it was 2 hard shell tacos with like 2 pounds of lettuce on it