This little place is tucked in the corner, a hidden gem. The chips are thin, and the salsa is more of a sauce-but it's very good. Just a slight hint of heat. The burritos had a good flavor, and so did the tacos. Some tacos I've tried at Mexican Restaurants have "0" Flavor, this one had a hint of taco seasoning. The little bowls were quite a surprise- but not a disappointment, very thin -They must be fresh-they would break in shipping if not. Next time I will ask, because we will be back! For what we ordered-not over or under priced. Staff were very attentive and friendly. read more

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The restaurant is clean and inviting. The staff really works as a team. Everyone works together to make for an enjoyable dining experience. Their lunch menu has a little bit of everything. I believe I ordered the A. The queso is muy sabrosa, the taco meat is seasoned perfectly and the chile gravy is perfected. I can't say enough about this longtime go to restaurant. read more

El Gallo - Queso puff and taco - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Chips - fresh and thin. Tacos are served like small individual taco salads. House frozen margaritas are very good.

This is our family's go to restaurant for fajitas! There was a time when I didn't appreciate Mexican food because I thought they were expensive, and they can easily be made at home. Thus, for the longest time we didn't eat at Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurants because I was making dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas at home. I thought I was doing a fabulous job until we went to El Gallo one date night and ordered the chicken/steak fajitas and was BLOWN AWAY! I was like, wow, this is totally BETTER than what I make at home. There is just something about fresh fajitas that are coming to your table sizzling hot with warm tortillas and all the fixings. It hits differently and just tastes SO DELICIOUS! I am usually a very saucy person and prefer chicken over steak. However, let me tell you that I do NOT need to add any type of sauce/salsa/queso to the meal when making my taco. The meat, beans, veggies, rice, and everything just comes together so nicely that it's already flavorful on its own. Also, their steak is pretty good! I still prefer chicken, but man, they can grill a good fajita steak. When we order the chicken/steak fajitas for two, it comes with a lot of food that is enough to feed our family of 4 (includes two little boys) with no leftovers. It comes with 6 tortillas, and they do charge you for extra. For under $40, I think the meal is worth it because it feeds my entire family, and it comes with so many toppings/sides. After making all the fixings and sides at home, I appreciate this meal so much more! I don't really care for the free chips and salsa too much because I've had better at other restaurants, but that's probably a good thing or else I would eat too much and regret it later. lol The waiter Thomas is the BEST! (: He is extremely friendly and amazing. He has great customer service and treats you like family. The restaurant is tucked away and seems sketchy because of the location, but it's definitely worth a try! read more

El Gallo - Charro beans, rice, and cheese - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I get take out from El Gallo regularly and everything is always top notch! The managers, hosts and waiters are always courteous and the food fresh and well prepared. read more

I stumbled upon this hidden gem one spring afternoon and wow what a surprise! The place is super neat the staff are ridiculously friendly and you get greeted like a VIP the moment you walk in. I went for lunch and had their flautas with rice and a margarita. The flautas were perfectly crispy and fresh the rice was actually tasty and the queso was absolutely dreamy. And the margarita, do not be fooled, it sneaks up on you faster than you realize. Lunch was a win and I am already planning my return to try the rest of the menu. read more

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Stopped in for dinner last week, and loved it! Queso was traditional and tasty! The chips were thin and crisp! I loved the chalupas and beans! Excellent iced tea and Splenda! Frozen margarita had a great flavor. Wait staff was lively. The inside reminds me of an old school texmex in a tiny town. Comfortable. At 5:30 on a Friday night, it was filling up with regulars! read more

I love El Gallo! this reminds me of the one in spring branch and the favorite item I love to order are the enchiladas can never go wrong with those! the service is good everyone is friendly especially when you come in and order it's very family like and the vibe in the restaurant is cozy, comfortable and I enjoy bringing the family here to eat. read more

I have been going to this place since the early 80's. The food is amazing and the prices are amazing!! My kids take their kids there! Generations of satisfaction!! Good People, great service. Try it and you will appreciate the service and dedication to bringing food and family together!! A hidden gem... it is! read more

It's all good, never disappointed, great food, friendly people, fair prices. My favorite Mexican restaurant

The food was delicious. Even as to go. The place itself was relaxed and the employees were friendly and attentive

The food is always great here and the service is too !!! We have been to both locations and it has been consistent. Love their queso and grilled chicken. They don't have sweet tea though.... Maybe they will look into that. You will have a nice dinner and treated well. So go and enjoy some great Mexican food. The ambiance is a family friendly establishment. read more

The portions are huge and I could only eat about half of my burrito but it was So delicious. The service is a little slow but they were pretty busy when we went so I don't think it's that big of a deal. Very cute spot with good margs! read more

El Gallo - a burrito covered in cheese sauce - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

I finally made it to this long time mini chain tex-mex spot after driving by both of their locations for many years. I figure if they can stay in business since 1971, they must do something right. This location smells musty on the inside and you'll notice it as soon as you step inside. Their first test on food is the chips and salsa. These were pretty good and the sauce is runny and fairly spicy for a restaurant. Its more an orange-ish red in color than red, like many other restaurants. I tried the beef fajitas of course. Their fajitas are about $18 for one and you save only $1 dollar by ordering for 2. Their lunch menu doesn't have either beef or chicken fajitas. The closest they have is fajitas al carbon. The fajitas are somewhat lacking in presentation. No sizzling platter with steam coming to the table. They just give you a plate with a metal section that fits on the plate that holds the fajitas. Their cheese is fancy shredded, which not many Mexican restaurants do and they place it on the plate with rice and beans. Other than presentation, their fajitas were tasty, plentiful and I would come back to order them for sure. Overall, I would give them a 3.5, but with the processed cheese in the quesadillas, and the musty interior odor, I have to drop it to a 3. I also added a cheese quesadilla and this was somewhat sad for real cheese enthusiasts. The cheese inside is probably processed or a mix of real and processed. The cheese didn't really melt during the entire meal, which other than taste was a tell-tale sign. read more

I have been coming back to Cypress for over 40 years to eat here. I love their cheese. I come back for it, crave it. I don't know what it is, but their cheese is just different. I have never found better cheese and beef enchiladas, beans and rice. Never. They are the best, always consistent, good texture and flavor. The same guys have a worked there for years. The same pics on the walls--I like that. The sameness is what makes El Gallo special. I am almost 55 now. I was in 8th grade when we moved to Cypress and started coming to El Gallo regularly. I have since travelled All over Texas eating Mexican food. There are fancier places, sure. But when you ask me where I really want to eat more than anywhere else, El Gallo is my first choice. read more

I. LOVE. EL GALLO. I have been coming to this exact location since I was 15 y/o and I'm in my early 30's now. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is soooo good. I usually get the Taco Al Carbon with queso on top and it's to die for, the chicken soup, to die for, the soft chicken tacos, to die for, the margaritas, to die for, the queso, sooooooooooooooo good! Hahah! I sincerely love this place! Everyone is so kind, friendly, and ready to feed you! Lol! Looks can be deceiving for sure but if you're in the C-Y-P, you HAVE to check it out! 12/10 read more

El Gallo - Soft Chicken Tacos (2) - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

Visited my go-to Mexican spot tonight. The Tex-Mex Especial is one of my favorite menu items. The food and service did not disappoint. read more

El Gallo - a plate of mexican food - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

Was not impressed at all. When we arrived our waiter was quick to rush us while ordering. I mean he was actually grabbing the menu while we were still looking at the menu. We got an app of their signature dip with spicy meat. It was luke warm and when asked to reheat it, the dip came out with the entree's. Well I didn't need it anymore. The enchiladas we're good and so was the fajita meat. The only problem I have with this place is the service. Our waiter was a downer. The whole experience was ruined due to his lack of service to the customers. When we asked for the check he simply walked away from us while we were still asking questions to him. When we asked for a to-go box he quickly disappeared. What's wrong with this picture? I was very disappointed. read more

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A longtime Cypress favorite! it's good to see familiar faces at El Gallo- manager Hector, waiters and regular customers! Feels like home! Enchiladas and fajitas are my favorites! Taco meat tasty! Has a "room" for small groups to be separated. Separate checks no problem! never disappoints! read more

First time here in about 20 years. The quest, chips, and salsa are as perfect as I remembered! read more

El Gallo - Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

One of my favorite Houston gems! Always come here and it never fails. But fan of Al carbon tacos, definitely get an order of grilled onions and peppers on the side "Chile's toreados". Big portions, welcoming staff and cozy place read more

Service is top notch. I like the enchiladas the best. Quesadillas were ok but not as good as the enchiladas. Prices are very affordable

We love this restaurant. My family has been dining here for over 30 years. The food is delicious! The service is quick and friendly at this cozy, neighborhood spot! read more

Very good local Mexican restaurant and and they give you big portions. Also the best margarita I've had in a long time.

If you are looking for Houston's best fajitas, where you can taste the grill in the sizzle of the steak and the servings are large enough you always take some home, then this is your place! El Gallo is our Monday night hole-in-the-wall. We're at the point that we don't even order anymore, Thomas' only question for us is 'Steak or Chicken?' The margaritas are strong and flavorful, the queso is thick and hot, and the service is *always* spot on. Don't let the empty tables in the first part of the week scare you- this place is HOPPING on Friday and Saturday nights. read more

I love the customer service here, prices are great and the margaritas are tasty. Wish they were open on Sunday's but nonetheless we love El Gallo's read more

I have been going to El Gallo all of my life. I have loved it always. Management made a recipe change years ago to save money. After a few people said it wasn't as good, they promptly changed back to the original. I have always appreciated that. The place is big enough to fit a lot of people but still feels cozy. read more

Wonderful food. Been coming here since the mid 1950s. Service fell off for a while in the early 1960s but since about 1965, no one can compete with El Gallo. read more

Really loved this place! Recommended by a friend. Ate the cheese enchilada which has a nice flavor; also loved the chalupa and flauta. Frozen margarita was tasty too. All that for just at $21 read more

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Very disappointing. Carpet old & gross. Queso with ground beef was watery like soup. Servers unimpressive and lazy. Horrible, actually. Never again. They haven't even claimed this Yelp page. Not sure why the owners haven't claimed their Yelp page, so they can respond to customers comments. read more

This restaurant is the sister restaurant of the same name on Gessner that I have eaten at. There, I had the chicken fajitas about a year ago and it was good. Recently I had dinner here one weekday night and ordered a dinner they had on special that night, pechuga poblano. The chips and salsa came out and was followed by the entree about 10-15 minutes later. The chicken breast covered by the poblanos and sauce was good. I enjoyed it and would order it again. Table service was also good. El Gallo has been in Houstin for a long time and offers good food at reasonable prices. I think of it as a 3.5 level of restaurant. read more

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Food was okay and only had one server during lunch crowd. Very bland for Mexican food.

The food is good but don't go for the margaritas. Excellent charro beans and fajitas/pico. The frozen margaritas were terrible...way too sweet like they had too much triple sec and not competitively priced. read more

El Gallo has been my go to Mexican Restaurant for almost 40 years. I have watched many others come and go over the years. El Gallo has always maintained the same high quality ingredients and terrific service. Keep up the Great Work! The family owns 2 El Gallo locations as well as Guadalajara and Escalantes. read more

My fav Tex mex restaurant. Been going here over 3 decades and the waiters know my favorites. Always friendly, fast, good service. And the food is tasty!! We miss Ernesto so much and always think of him when we dine here. When we have guests visit, we always take them to El Gallo. read more

Had a taco al carbon with beef, nothing spectacular. We were waited on right away and the bill was dropped off not long after the plates were put on the table. Quick and easy lunch but prices were a little high for what we got and for the quality. I probably won't go back. read more

Could've sworn we checked the reviews months ago, and this place had great ratings. But today I'm seeing, after we already ate there, that the reviews have taken a downward turn. Pretty much matches what we saw today. Walked in, excited to try this place. The man at the desk wasn't on the phone or busy. But he waved us away and said to sit anywhere. It was clear our walking in annoyed him. So, we sat. But we should've left right then. We ordered taco salads. They were small bowls of lettuce with very little in the way of toppings. Very disappointing. And very bland. We shared a taco plate. The shells were so thin that when you picked them up they fell apart before you could take a bite. So, about that taco plate: during our meal, a woman who wasn't our waitress came rushing up and put her hand on only that plate of food we were still finishing and tried to take it. She didn't try to take the other plates we were done with, and had piled up near the end of the table for them. She wanted only the one plate we weren't done with. It was shocking and all we could do after telling her to leave it was to laugh. There was a momentary push and pull game over the plate and then she sighed heavily as she got the requested take home container. We still don't understand what she was doing. She had to reach over all of the plates that we were done with to try for this one full plate. And she was moving faster than anyone else in the entire place. She hadn't come near us before that for anything. Our experience was strange to say the least. The workers, all except for our waiter, were lazy and rude. Almost positive it was as simple as this: We were not the correct kind of people to be eating there. If that's not it, they sure did make it seem that way. Wouldn't fight to eat there again anyway. It wasn't good. read more

Linda Mendoza in the last week At my first visit i had a very nice delicious meal but my second visit was not that well i had order flautas and i could only eat one so the other one i took home as my left over the first flauta was very delicious but the next day i decide to eat my leftovers and i heated up my meal in the microwave and as i was eating my flauta i felt something hard i stopped chewing and what was in my chicken was half of a toothpick and i said wtf then i cut up my flauta and found another one and at that point i stopped eating i couldnt eat anymore afraid that i would find more what if i would of swallow that omg my thoughts were scarying me . Please be careful when you eat flautas there. read more

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We were not expecting our meal to be as expensive as it was. El Gallo does NOT have a website with its most recent menu on it. Everything we ordered was $3-5 more than it was last year. So all of the photographs of their menu that are online are incorrect. The food quality did not go up, though. They forgot the lettuce, pico and shredded cheese that comes with the fajitas. The puff that comes with the El Patron plate was soggy. The flauta was not crispy either. It was very disappointing for what we paid. read more

El Gallo - More pics of the deflated soggy puff. I dont know where all this juice is coming from. - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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From the moment I walked in I knew this place was going to be basic. But my wife said it had good reviews so we went. No one brought us to our table and the place smelled like old carpet. The chips and salsa were not good and the server extremely rude. I had cheese enchiladas which I do not recommend. Perhaps other items on the menu might be good but the ambiance and service are subpar. read more