Good food, service is usually very good and quick, prices are reasonable, nicely decorated inside with some outdoor seating as well, never have been disappointed here read more

Been here several times now. No matter what I get it's fantastic. It's been the only place I was able to try real Mole for the1st time. I love those taco salads they make as I love a good taco salad. Their Birria tacos were the bomb. Everyone I've been with loves their food too. The wait staff are great so you never lack for anything. If anyone complains about the food or service there, should go to Taco Bell. read more

amazing birra tacos , i come here very often. what awesome place with great customer service. :)

This was an awesome find! We are new to the area and had not eaten there because every time we had gone, it was too late and they were closed. Oh well. But seriously, the way they create these dishes are so mind blowing it's amazing! Simple, but incredible food. Yeah sure the presentation is not a five star restaurant. But at the same time, they are making some of the freshest Mexican food you can eat. I had steak fajitas and my wise had a super burrito. We were so happy with the place, we actually remembered to take with us our Togo meal! lol those often get left behind. So, anyone hungry for some lunchtime Mexican food that is AMAZING, you have to go here. It's fun to ask a server, "there are so many good things in the menu, what do you recommend today?" - i was not led astray. It was the server's recommendation to add the queso cheese to my fajita's and wow, amazing..... I will be back! Maybe often. read more

Delicious food nice place and very good service and nice and clean place good Delicious salsa a must come and try it

Another road-trip between Knoxville and Atlanta, another craving for authentic Mexican food. Good reviews guided us here and it certainly didn't disappoint. A couple pints of ice-cold Modelo Especial and warm crispy chips with salsa as we perused the menu. Tacos Birria and chicken tamales hit the spot. Served up quickly and piping hot. Delicious and filling -- more than enough for the two of us. Excellent and attentive service from our waiter, the rest of the staff lacked in the smiles/friendly department but we were there for good food, not good feels. If you're in the area and craving Mexican, give El Jinete a shot. We enjoyed our meal and think you will too. Until next time... read more

El Jinete - Chicken tamales - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

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Excellent food and quick, friendly service. Today, I had the Pollo Chipotle. Spicy, but oh, so tasty! And, large portions! I always ask for avocado on the side, and somehow their avocados are consistently perfectly ripe! I can't achieve that at home! read more

El Jinete - Pollo Chipotle with sliced avocado and an El Caminorita SO good! - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

I'm shocked at the poor quality of the food here. We stopped here as part of our long drive back to MD, and located this supposed highly rated Mexican restaurant via the web. We were disappointed with mostly the blandness and lack of seasoning with our meal and for pretty much every dish, that we couldn't finish most of it. To be fair the service was solid, but the food really needed even basic salt. I try to give a restaurant a chance, but El Jinete just did not deliver with the food. read more

Food is great, fast service best Mexican restaurant in town. I have not had to wait for a table anything that I have been there.

Huge menu and everything was great. My shrimp chimichanga was on the small side but came with generous sides of salad, rice, and beans. The California burrito was huge and was served in a lake of tasty queso. The shrimp fajita platter included at least 20 shrimp! Excellent chips and salsa as well. Sadly they were sold out of flan. Maybe next time! read more

Amazing authentic Mexicano and huge proportions! The drinks are NOT watered down like other places and they've got outdoor seating too and are on door dash.. my favorite odds the Hawaiian fajita's.. read more

We'll, 3rd times a charm. Horrible service, and bad attitudes from the wait staff. Sat us in the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, even though the place was nearly empty. Just a bad vibe all the way around. We will not be going back, there are other mexican restaurants with great food, as well as service. NO BUENO, NO MAS. read more

Went there with out of town family for dinner. Service was lacking. Food - not impressed after having high hopes and this place coming with a recommendation. Bar was missing an ingredient for a drink. 2 people received wrong orders- kids food came out 20 min after everyone else. Took food home and Avocado skin in dish. Cmon! Probably won't ever go back. read more

El Jinete - Avocado skin - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

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Jose and Roger offer up terrific service. Food is fresh and well prepared. The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal.

The service was good. The food was meh. Not much flavor in my opinion. They should use more seasonings.

This is one of the best Mexican restaurants we have been to. They offer Mexican dishes such as chicken and pork mole that we do not see often. Their mole sauce was thick and rice with sesame seeds sprinkled in it. The chicken in the chicken enchiladas mole was tasty and nicely prepared. Everything else was equally good. The service is good with food coming out quickly and the server refilling drinks. The restaurant has good ambience. read more

Worst customer service possible. My daughter and I went there and she ordered the shrimp salad, ate the shrimp off the top and the plate was still full of salad, she was kinda full and was getting up to go pee the waitress asked if she was finished, she said yes but box the rest. The waitress trashed it all and refused to take it off the bill or give us another of what she threw away. Bad service and even worse customer service. read more

Amazing big portion food! Wasn't able to put my tacos down! Can't wait to go back and try more items on their menu.

Fast service and medium quality Mexican food, the staff was very friendly l, food was reasonably priced and the atmosphere was nice. 10/10 would recommend. read more

Big menu, but food is not very authentic. Salsa is like tomato sauce, very mild and no substance. Tamales were pretty good.

Please try the polo con queso. It's chicken, cheese, rice, and a little bit of tomato's! Warning, you might get diarrhea!

Food was good as usual. Like everything the price was to high for 1 dinner but everything has gone up

The food was bland and with as many options as there are, I will not return. They may have had an off day but my two trips have deterred me from this establishment. read more

Nice waitstaff and good food. The avocado and jalapeño dip was disappointing- not spicy at all. You could taste a bit of jalapeño but too little. read more

The food was excellent as was the service. The chicken fajitas were well seasoned and came out piping hot. Chips were fresh and crispy. Salsa well flavored. My husband liked his margarita too. read more

Best service and Mexican food in Athens. They are always busy but they work so hard, it seems they get people in and out

Service was good, nice decor and it's clean, but the food is below average.

Most of the staff are very friendly and recognize you which goes a long way with me. They are attentive and the food is always on point. We also recently used them for a catering for the first time and there was more than enough for our guests and then some. And a great price! read more

My husband had some type of taco plate that was just so so. I had chili which was fine. What was really good was the key lime pie. We ordered one slice and shared...it is plenty big and really good. read more

El Jinete - Key lime pie - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

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We enjoy this place often! My daughter loves it! They are always clean and the food is excellent, I don't think we've ever left without to go boxes the entrees are large sizes. Great family or date night read more

Food is good. I am not a local but have been in the area a few times and have been there 3 or 4 times over the years. When passing through I make it a point to stop in. read more

I was in the area and I want really craving some Mexican food and a co-worker recommended El Jinette. I stopped by on a weekday around 12 noon for lunch and the place wasn't very crowded at the time. They brought the complementary chips and salsa to the table relatively quickly, and they were pretty good. The salsa was a bit too mild for my taste, but it had good heat when I'd mixed in some hot sauce. I ordered the cheese enchiladas, which came with a side of Spanish rice and refried beans. The rice and beans were good, but the enchiladas were lacking something, and could have used a little bit more flavor or heat. I added some hot sauce, but I should have asked for some jalapenos. However, I had to wait a bit for the waitress to come and refill my drink, and I was too hungry to wait for the jalapenos to come too. Overall, my experience here was pretty good. I'd probably still return if I were in the area again and in the mood for Mexican. read more

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The best Mexican food this side of California. Our lunch was perfect & the staff was on point. Will be back

Beware! We eat here quite a bit. I always order the Taco Salad (circled) under the Vegetarian section. I didn't have guacamole on it this time (not the first this has happened, but they always fix it). They were busy so I asked for it. No big deal. The waitress returned and said quac doesn't come with it and that I'd have to pay extra. I said the menu says it come with it. She said the lunch portion (which is the same exact portion as dinner because this is the only thing I get) doesn't come with it. I said I didn't order the lunch portion (there wasn't even a lunch portion option). She said that's what the manager said. I said ok. I thought I get it for a cheaper price. No, I was charged 10.99 which is fine, but I wanted what I ordered. We asked to speak with the manager he REFUSED to speak with us. We got up to leave the waitress brings us a full bowl of quac and said here. I said I don't need it now we're leaving. I wanted it with my food. She said oh well. We went to pay the manager REFUSED to speak with us again. I said I'll be leaving feedback. He walked by and IGNORED me. So did the other servers and our waitress. They wouldn't give me out itemized receipt back either because they knew I would post it with this menu item (they watched me take the picture). Just watch your bill. read more

El Jinete - a menu for a taco salad - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

Strawberry marg so amazing!!!! Chicken fajita delicious salsa is alright I have had better overall a great place read more

El Jinete - Chicken and shrimp fajita - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

Food is typically good, but the past couple of times there it's been horrible. Staff completely sucked and food was horrible

Don't write this place off as just another Mexican restaurant in Athens. The menu is huge and the food is fantastic! All your favorites are on the menu, plus a great selection of seafood, steak, pork, and chicken dishes. It's a large space that would be perfect for large parties or a lunch meeting. Plus they have a nice patio, which that is excellent for a summer evening margarita! read more

El Jinete - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

THE best Mexican in town and one of our favorite Mexican places ever. The staff are on the ball and friendly and the food is outstanding. Huge menu and great drinks as well. read more

We had a wonderful experience at this restaurant a couple days ago. The food was delicious, and fresh. Our waiter, Jose, was very friendly and helpful. We came here to eat on a road trip from being south all winter and had a delightful experience and would return and would recommend El Jinete on a road trip in the future. read more

Went here for dinner last Friday and it was amazing! The food here is the bomb! Chips and salsa at the table were so good. We devoured it between 3 people. The Mexican style tacos were some of the best I've ever had. The hot sauce that comes on the side is just the right amount of heat to give the tacos a kick without blowing you away. Guacamole was soooo good, fresh and creamy, and they give you a lot. My husband got a steak quesadilla with just steak and cheese and that thing was piled high with steak. He loved it. My son got one of the combo plates with a taco and burrito and loved it. If you like an adult beverage with your dinner, I highly, highly recommend the Mango'Rona. That is a mango margarita with a floating baby bottle of Corona in it. The glass is rimmed with Tajin, which is a chili lime seasoning. Sooooooo good! It will make you smile like liquid sunshine. Prices are great and portions are very generous. We are fairly new to town and this was our first time here. We had been going to MexiWing for Mexican food up until this visit. All I can say is bye bye MexiWing! We enjoyed El Jinette so much we invited friends and will be going back again this Friday. read more