The actual order tasted amazing. I have no complaints there. Service was friendly and professional and I was greeted at the door upon entry and when I left. Ambience was good as well, with Hispanic cultural murals painted on the walls. My only complaint is their salsa they serve with their chips. Not a fan. It tastes like Pato sauce straight from the can. If you guys actually made a homemade chip sauce, this place would be 10/10. I'm only taking one star for that that, everything else was great. read more

Solidly average food at a good price and good service. I had never heard of this place despite that they've been around for over 50 years. Upon walking in they were very friendly and were able to put together a table of five for us by moving one of the tables from the other side of the restaurant. They made the salsa at the table, and by that I mean they put down the bowl and poured in salsa from what I recall is looking like an IHOP syrup container. We had queso with pickled jalapenos on the side. Not much to report on that beyond that it was a mediocre white cheese sauce. I had the tacos al carbon and got to take a bite of the McAllen enchiladas. The meat in my taco was solid, that part was probably the best part of the whole meal. Rice, guac, tortillas, all fine but nothing special. I was not a fan of the McAllen enchilada. Someone else at the table had carne asada which looked pretty solid, I think I would try that if I came back. Someone else had the polio con amigos. It looked decent. The best part about this place is the service. Super friendly, keeping your drinks and chips refilled, even the manager/owner? came to check on us. I think if you order the right thing, this could be four-star experience, especially given the good service and reasonable prices. read more

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Food was great very fresh , service was very good they make you feel at home like family lots of regulars the prices are good

Definitely a neighborhood staple no doubt, service is good, the food is old school Tex Mex, think El Patio, Felix, Molina's, Larry's Mexican. It's surely an acquired taste. Most of its patrons grew up eating here so they love it. Me not so much. read more

Food is pretty authentic and they bring it to you straight out of the kitchen. excellent service and the quality of food was fantastic. This restaurant is very clean so I will definitely be returning. Bye for now :) read more

Great food , salsa /chips , service and prices very reasonable. They also have a daily lunch menu which is priced right with generous portions. The enchiladas are fantastic and the dining experience never disappoints. You definitely will not leave hungry :) read more

Wasn't expecting much as this place is incredibly unassuming. I thought the food would be basic and slightly under-seasoned but boy was I wrong! Food came out piping hot and very tasty. Had enchiladas and chicken quesadillas with rice and beans. Sopapillas were so fresh and delicious, after my first order I had to order more! Margaritas weren't the strongest but considering the price and the crowd it was adequate. Looking forward to my next visit ! read more

Only 3 stars in my opinion. The menu is somewhat limited, and I have never had a chile relleno made with bell peppers. Traditionally the dish is made with pablano peppers. The real downside was a rude server. No reason for him to be looking at me sideways for ordering a margarita rocks with salt. With the number of Mexican restaurants in the area I can get my fix elsewhere. read more

This is our family favorite Tex mex restaurant!! We love their cheese enchiladas and ground beef tacos!!

We love the food! Amazing service always a great experience. Never get the order wrong!

Three stars because the staff is so dang friendly and attentive. Everything else was cringe worthy. Mind you, I am all for hole in the wall as long as food is amazing. There has to be a balance. This place does not have either. The carpets (yes they have carpet) look like they were installed in the 70's and are going for a world record of lasting through 2070. There is a layer of an unknown substance on every thing. I dare not touch nor ask. Oh the food. Everything is from a can or something frozen. It was bad. Taco Bell has fresher food. I am not sure who eats here, we were alone when we went in. I don't wish ill will to them. I hope they can read this and maybe update and clean a few things and maybe try making some of their food fresh. Best of luck. read more

Typical Houston Tex-Mex. Food and service were good. Definitely check it out if you want some authentic Tex-Mex and are in the area.

Walked in. Got a booth. Got chips with salsa immediately. Great chips because they are perfectly made. Need salt for those who like salty. Salsa is red and warm. Ordered the Pollo de carbon or something like that. It comes with rice, beans, guac, side of queso, and Pico de Gallo. Chicken was well cooked but not much spices on it. Needs salt. Love their queso.... Always my favorite. I'll be back next year. read more

El Gallo - Pollo de carbon - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

Ordered a taco dinner with chicken. Asked for spicier sauce, they did not have any. Waiter asked me if I wanted a Chile toreador. This basically a jalapeño grilled with some salt on it. Waiter came back said the kitchen was closed, mind you it was 9:00 pm and a table of 7 had not been served yet. Get my meal and the rice was cold, place sucks,l. They think because they have been in business a long time, they are good. I do not recommend this place. read more

El Gallo - Rice cold and in chunks. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

Consistently good food, fresh and hot. Great friendly waitstaff. Have eaten at the one on Gessner over 20 years. Nice atmosphere.

This place has been around awhile and I'm surprised it has less than 100 reviews. I've had good times here but I think everything is average. It's a bit of a strange place. For example, they have no hot sauce. By that I mean not even Tabasco sauce. You get the chip salsa or nothing! (Mind blown emoticon) for real. They serve tacos in mini taco salad bowls. Drink menu, what's that? Tequila options, what do you think this place is? It's just a weird place. It's not bad, it's just an average place that's a bit quirky. I'll probably stop by in another 10 years. This relationship seems to work best. read more

We had 2 orders of tamale lunch meals. It was all very tasty, well prepared and presented in a large portion hot plate, spent $20. The staff was super courteous and efficient. It was lunch time during a weekday and they were very busy, nevertheless the service was perfect. It's definitely a place I'd go back to if I'm around that side of town. read more

I'm an old native Houstonian and have eaten at 75% of the Mexican restaurants in town but consistently return to El Gallo. It is straight forward Tex-Mex. Nothing fancy, nothing unexpected, nothing missing, just straight forward and the best in Houston. If you're from here, love Tex-Mex and have eaten at El Gallo you know exactly what I mean. Give it a try and join the fan club! read more

Great fresh Tex mex since '71. El Gallo and El Patio are the two best in Houston. Great friendly staff and servers

Always been a place to go to in spring branch, there are no questions of this might be good or not.. it always is. Been going here the past 15 yrs. Being from spring Branch, places like this are nostalgic. Brings back nothing but great family memories. I could go here every week and not get bored or tired of the food. Great service and atmosphere all around. It's a place of comfort for sure, read more

We went for a late dinner, just moved into the neighborhood last week. It was amazing. We ate our food so fast I only snapped one pic. Not a great pic, but the food was AWESOME. We can't wait to go back. The flautas, beans, beef fajita, everything was SO GOOD. read more

El Gallo - Cheese enchiladas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

I have a friend that lives near Memorial City Mall and she has been hearing about El Gallo for a while now so we decided to take the trip and test it out. We arrived right after work, probably 5:15, as we were dining with a little one. The place was only filled with a few other diners, so we were seated immediately and served some tasty chips and salsa. We decided to order a side of queso, as requested by the little one. It was some of the best queso I had ever had. It was so flavorful and creamy, I swear, I wish I knew how to pick the right cheese at the store. For my initial El Gallo meal I decided I had to order my standard Tex-Mex plate of a combo that includes a cheese enchilada and beef taco. It also came with a chicken flauta, which I could normally care less about. That chicken flauta was so amazing. As soon as I picked it up and looked at it, I knew it would be good. The breading/pastry/not sure what to call it was so perfectly fried, crispy on the outside, a little chewy on the inside, and the chicken was shredded and obviously from a well roasted chicken. An "oh my gawd" was spoken as I ate it. I am not kidding, it was pretty dramatic. I cannot wait to come back. I love a good Mom and Pop Tex-Mex spot!!! read more

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Nothing spectacular about this place. The salsa could use a little more flavor. My partner orders two tacos and I order a burrito. We both got the exact same thing. The meat could use a little more flavor. It's also a little too pricy for what they have to offer. Customer service was great. read more

Excellent Food, Beer and Margaritas! This place has a full bar also. It's great for classic Tex-Mex. Order the cilantro sauce / dressing. It's an off-menu item but really good. Same as Escalante's but much less expensive. Chili cheese gravy Tacos Al Carbon are powerful good. read more

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Found this place "by accident" when one of the boys was playing ball across the street. Nor it's the family favorite for locally owned family operated TexMex. Honestly, we like everything any of us have tried, all the traditional "plates". I am in love with their soup - if I don't get it for lunch I order some to go. Good service. Kid friendly. Excellent pricing. read more

Several years ago I ate here before my Yelp days. While I drive by often I haven't stopped to eat since then. My vague memory reminds me of nothing bad so I revisited last week for dinner. This restaurant has been around for a long time which has to demonstrate some popularity. When I arrived I was able to find parking in the front and walked in and was seated in one of the dining rooms available. I ordered the chicken fajitas. The chips and salsa arrived with my drink. The chips were good and lite in texture and the red salsa was good too (3). The meal arrived about 10 minutes later. Everything was ok and I enjoyed the meal. Serving size was adequate. The chicken came with onions and charra beans in a cup. I thought the overall meal was a 3.5 but decided to round down for Yelp purposes. My service was ok too. I would not mind returning and try something else. Everything was A-OK!!! read more

I like this place Especially the beef enchiladas The rice is amazing and service is great read more

Not a place I would normally gravitate towards but power was out in most of Memorial City, and this place had power. Easy put, good, local hole in the wall with great food and great service. Would've given 5 stars but the bathroom was a bit gross. Would definitely eat here again if in the area. read more

Stopped in for a quick diner and was able to experience first hand how this place has been open for so long! Food was excellent, piping hot and super tasty. Cheese dip was perfect consistency and the margarita did not disappoint, in fact the best I've had in a long time. If you are considering this place, think no more do yourself a favor and hop in for an authentic Mexican dinner. read more

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El Gallo is the epitome of a classic Mexican food restaurant. It's not a big chain restaurant with silly slogans, lots of noise or any of that rot. It's a simple, quiet, well-kept and modestly appointed place with excellent food and excellent service. The only drawback I've ever found is the small parking lot. There are a (very) few spaces in back, as well, but on a Friday or Saturday night, you may have to wait for someone else to leave so you can have their space. Most people who have discovered El Gallo can tell you exactly what year they began eating there -- many of them having eaten there for decades. The menu has something for everybody, and the kitchen staff is always willing to hold the onions or add extra cheese to suit the pickiest of eaters. read more

The large marg hit hard! Queso was okay but I will try their house dip next time. My boyfriend got the tex mex enchiladas and I had the California burrito. Both were delicious! Burrito was huge! Would definitely go back to try more! read more

I've been coming here for 40 years, the food is still good but the service has gotten terrible. Since Mr Torres died the service has slowly declined. Too bad. read more

BEST TEX MEX EVER!! Everything there is amazing and great family atmosphere I love it here!

I order the same thing everytime. Get the cheese enchiladas. Add the raw onions. You can thank me later!

Great food at an amazing price the margaritas are $6 and they are phenomenal, I got the tacos al carbon and they had so much flavor to them! I see why this place has been here so long! It's still as great as it was in high school! read more

El Gallo - Got the beef tacos al carbon, and omg so delicious! The margaritas on the rocks are phenomenal as well! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

Cheese Enchiladas are the best I have ever had since my Grandmother's. I can guarantee that you will fall in love with them. I have been searching for a close equal to my Grandmother's enchiladas and damn if they are very close so close I have eaten there several times. I promise you will not be disappointed. read more

Haven't been here in years, the food was as delicious as I remembered. I ate the beef burrito smothered in texmex gravy and queso!Tex Mex Lunch Special read more

El Gallo - a plate of food - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas

What a bizarre little place. The people are incredibly friendly, so I gave an extra star. There's not much of a drink menu, just beers and house margs. The salsa is so thin and soupy. No fresh onion or cilantro. There's no brightness...which translates over to the rest of the food. The queso is strange and super thin as well. I had a combo with a cheese enchilada and tamale. Both super mushy and honestly not much flavor at all despite being drowned in sauce and cheese. Boyfriend had the same sentiments on carne asada. Just very strange... read more

Used to eat here years ago when I worked just a few blocks away and always liked this place. Now many years later my daughter went to work at a company about 10 minutes away. Started coming here with her for lunch once a week and the food is just as good as before. I Like this restaurant so much that I brought my wife over even though we live 30 minutes away for dinner one night a few weeks ago. She also likes it enough that now we go for dinner in spite of all the Tex/Mex restaurants between our house and this location. I've had almost everything on the menu and they're all good, but some of my favorites are the chicken enchiladas with verde sauce, carne Asada, and their taco bean soup. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want realistic Tex-Mex read more

El gallo is a magnificent blend of tex-mex cuisine. If you're looking for stricly traditional mexican food then you're in the wrong place. Take it for what it is and you won't be disapointed. The staff are very forthcoming and attentive not to meantion sociable and cordial. I enjoyed my meal and although I was at first turned off to the idea of eating here, I quickly changed my tune when I noticed the generous helpings El Gallo offers. This place has been here since before I started middle school and theres a reason why its still here. Everyone in the spring branch area should visit at least once. read more

El Gallo - Chicken enchiladas with rice and refried beans. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Houston, Texas