We had the chicken burrito and the beef burrito. Both were delicious. Also, we had the beans and rice, which the rice had a slightly different seasoning from every other Mexican restaurant; it was good. The red sauce is extremely hot, although, full disclosure, we are light-weights when it comes to hot sauce, food, etc. Next time we will make sure to get mild sauce. The staff was pleasant and friendly. The restaurant has a lovely, upbeat vibe. read more

We came here for a birthday. My in laws have come here before and like it better than the more famous restaurant down the street. This is right next to another popular spot on Summer that sells ice cream and popsicles. Everyone's orders were generous and you will definitely have leftovers for dinner. Also they have their lunch specials running Monday through Saturday which I like because a lot of places only do lunch specials during the weekdays. Kids orders:1) chicken tenders and fries (there was an abundance of fries): this plate is large enough for an older kid 2) cheeseburger and fries (shredded white cheese so my son was disappointed it wasn't the orange square American cheese) My order: the combination plate-all carne asada: one taco, one green enchilada and one Gordita -meat, lettuce, beans, tomatoes and sour cream (except it tasted like ranch or table cream which is more watery and has less flavor than Mexican sour cream or American sour cream) My favorite was the enchilada, the tortilla was soft with the green sauce but it wasn't all so soggy that it was unpalatable. The taco meat was not little crispy bits or pieces of fat. It was real pieces of steak. However some of the not so great pieces of meat were in the Gordita. I ate the Gordita last so I was already stuffed. I couldn't finish it. The other members of our party got the happy chicken, chicken Milanese and a mushroom dish where the mushrooms are only found growing on corn. Containers of tortillas came with some of the dishes but each plate had the protein, rice, beans, avocado, salad and or potatoes. It was a lot of food. Of course chips and salsa was the complimentary appetizer. There are 3 salsas ranked mild to hot: red tomato salsa, creamy green guacamole green salsa (lacked salt/flavor) and a smoky red salsa. Miscommunication is why I took off a star. I asked for 2 kids waters and he brought them horchata which is more expensive than water and one of my kids doesn't like it. I will definitely be back though for their authenticity (I.e. not selling out) and portion generosity). read more

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Food was pretty good! The pastor taco was 2/10 for me. The male server there was super nice, and helpful. Michaladas we're good also! read more

El Palmar - Tacos pastor, tripa, asada and pollo! - Mexican Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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We found this place on accident and it has been our go-to spot for the last 3 years. The food is at a great price and it's authentic Mexican cuisine! read more

Good menudo and tortillas. The place looks like it's seen better days, but the inside is clean and inviting. I arrived midmorning on a Saturday and was promptly seated with a basket of chips and salsa. They only had two kinds, but both were good. I ordered a half liter of Coke and a water to drink. For breakfast I ordered the menudo. It was well prepared and tasted great. This place is solid. read more

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I had a great night. I was in MEMPHIS for Tai Chi tRaining and wanted to return to this old haunt I had the seafood soup. In a word. Wonderful. Full of veggies and seafood. Some might find it hot but I loved it. The was a guy with a guitar just playing and singing Spanish songs. I'll be back. read more

Great hidden gem. If your looking for authentic Mexican food, this is the place. Must try the homemade corn tortillas!

I gotta give credit to the rest of the yelpers, for doing reviews on El Palmar - because if not for them I wouldn't have come across this place. Food was Dee-lish, off the chain, the bomb! I like authentic mexican over text-mex, simply because tex-mex is about some type of ketchup based salsa slathered, covered in cheddar cheese, upscale taco bell cuisine. Basic restaurant, Univision is playing and people are chit-chatting. Menu is very expansive - burritos appeared huge, however I ordered the Cecina Encebollado - which was a shrimp stew, with tomato, potato, celerey, with cilantro, diced jalapeno peppers, onions, limes to garnish. I ordered two steak taco's as well. My wife had the steak fajaita dinner, white queso dip and she was very pleased. My mother ordered two beef tacos, with mexican rice with sliced avacado. They brought three different dips to the table and all three had some heat to them, but they were good For the complete meal, 2 sweet teas and 3 bud light bottles, we spent right at $45. The cool thing about the place, they had pictures of entree's - so if something looks good to you, try it, thats what I did with the Cecina Encebollado and I loved it. My grandmother is from the caribbean and she would make a dish called boiled fish and it put me of the frame of mind. Fresh, hearty, but not super heavy on your stomach. All in all, I was very pleased. read more

This is about as authentic as it gets. Situated in an old strip center on Summer Avenue near Graham, this isn't a place you'd typically discover by accident. But if you're into the real deal Mexican dives, this is one you'll want to visit. What do I love here? Almost everything! Not kidding. The menu is really big and it always takes me forever to decide exactly what I want. But of course, you always start with the chips and salsa. And right away you notice theirs is a bit different. Most places give you one type, but here you get three. There's a chile sauce, a tomatilo and some other kind of chipotle flavored sauce. I have no idea what the official names of these are, but they are all good. And they are a bit thinner than your chunkier type salsas, so they give you spoons to sort of pour over your chip before you take a bite. Different, but delicious. And I really enjoy their tacos, carne asada style, with corn tortillas and veggies. The portions are extremely generous and the prices are el cheapo. read more

Love this place. Authentic mexican food and great prices. Friendly waiters and i never have to wait too long on my food. Chips and salsa are fantastic, my favorites are the breaded chicken torta and the pollo flautas. Both come with beans and rice read more

Have you ever been sitting somewhere and you think, wait, I have been here or someplace similar? That will not happen to you if you have never been to El Palmar. First of all, you cannot go to a place one time and think you understand the menu or begin to have an opinion about how things taste. It takes many visits and trying different dishes on the menu. That being said. The first time I ate there I had the Chicken nachos piled high with chicken, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and salsa. I also got a side of pork tacos. I thought that the meal was delicious. Another night I had a poblano pepper entrée, peppers stuffed with cheese and served with beans and rice. I thought that the dish was rated just above average. I have had take out tacos and burritos and have again come across thinking just above average. I give it as many stars as I did because it is authentic and I have not tried more items on the menu, it is also around the corner from my house. The night I had the poblano dish they had a full on mariachi band that roamed around the restaurant. Should you go, most definitely. read more

I always review and rate restaurants comparatively with other places in town. I give Palmar 4 stars because of taste, portion size & price. It is authentic Mexican cuisine, and features some things that can't be found elsewhere like huitlacoche. The salsas are great. The verde is one I crave. It is gritty, airy and thick, with a wonderful spiciness. The tomato salsa is fresh. The chips are normal. The tacos are my go-to. I always ask for light oil at any place because I am wary of most commercial cooking oils, but the price, portion sizes and taste of the meats and of the hot salsa, and chips and salsas draw me back weekly. I love the lengua & the tripa (cooked soft), and also frequently get the asada. 3 tacos with chips and salsa is filling and very inexpensive. This is no organic, healthy, locally-sourced restaurant, but it's tasty, filling, cheap enough to be my usual. Nice staff, too. They do take cards. read more

We just had lunch at El Palmar and we really enjoyed it. We have eaten at one Mexican restaurant or another at least once each week for the last twenty-five years or so, and this is one of the best. It was extremely clean without that bleachy or Pinsol smell. It is air conditioned and was very pleasant even though it was 94 degrees outside. There was a TV but at first it was not on. When they did turn it on, it was not loud at all and very unobtrusive. Our waitress from El Salvador was excellent. She was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. She was quick to respond to every request we made and made us feel very comfortable. I had beef enchiladas wish salsa verde and my husband had beef flautas. Both were very good. The rice and beans were pretty average but the entrees were marvelous. First, however we had two kinds of salsa and guacamole as appetizers. There was one chile-based salsa that was very full-flavored and had a nice consistency. The other salsa, however, was made with tomatoes, onions and lots of cilantro. It was awesome! I'd go back for that alone. The guacamole was the some of the best I've ever had north of the border and I've eaten it every where from California to Texas. It was freshly made with chunky vegetables and perfectly ripened avocados. What a treat! The chips were so-so, but everything we put on them made up for that. We ate off of the luncheon menu, but the portions were more than ample and I brought some home. This was our first visit to El Palmar but definitely will not be our last. read more

So we decided to branch out from our standard mexican restaurant lunch spots so we hit this place on something of a whim. The service was really good and the price was certainly right (several dollar cheaper than most of our regular spots). I would totally go back but I can't say it was the very best mexican I have ever had. The salsa was good, the chips were freshly made, but the cheese dip was just okay...in fact the consistency of the cheese dip was different and interesting but not enough flavor. We shared an order of fajitas, that were a bit dry as they were overcooked, and a chimichanga which was huge but again not enough flavor. Upside is we went and got some of the ice cream 3 doors down and that was delicioso! read more

El Palmar - Mexican Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I came here on a whim because I knew I wanted la Michoacana for dessert. We were greeted promptly and were brought chips and 3 kinds of salsa immediately. The menu was interesting. It seems like the first couple of pages covered in pictures were the more authentic entrees and the last page had more of your typical Mexican cuisine (tacos, burritos, etc). We decided to be adventurous and order off the picture menu. We got the especial Tabasco and happy-something (don't remember the full name). The portions were huge and brought out with an enormous stack of warm tortillas. We probably made it through 1/3 of our dishes before calling it quits. The rest of the food lasted us 2 more meals which is crazy. The taste was great! Both dishes had their own unique flavor and I loved trying something different from the usual standard fare. It also helps that ice cream is only a couple doors down! Next time you're looking for dinner and dessert, come check this place out! read more

I agree with the earlier post, thanking others for previous reviews bringing attention to this taqueria. I have driven past this place too many times on the way to a more well known and very good taqueria further down summer. I am a southern California boy who is very picky about "authentic Mexican food". Eating alone tonight I decided to try this place on a whim. I ordered to go and drove 5 minutes home. As always when testing a new taqueria I ordered an asada burrito, asada taco and a pastor taco. The pastor was very good and the asada was average which means it was still pretty tasty. The tacos were only a buck sixty and the enormous burrito was five. My only complaint was the tacos had a single corn tortilla instead of the normal double, which would have helped being that these things were stuffed. There was no way I would keep all the meat in the taco which made for some tasty clean up. The burrito was huge and almost had too much meat (sounds weird to say that). It fell apart on me and I had to grab a plate and fork. Good thing I was at home. All meat, minimal toppings. Good mexican beer selection as well as the mexi sodas. The place was very clean, and you could see part of the kitchen which also looked pretty clean. Also while I was there they were taking new menu pictures so I got to see a lot of the menu items on display. I was also the only gringo in the building which is a great sign if you are looking for good Mexican. All in all this place was close to but not the best taqueria on summer, But I will return for that Mexican craving I get when I miss LBC read more

The Mexican restaurants on Summer Avenue can be categorized into one of two categories, sticky floors or slick floors. El Palmer has slick floors. read more

They even have tacos de cabeza. Seriously. Americans go loco over their guacamole, which is always good, and their fish dishes are to write home about. Hey -- Latinos eat here regularly. What better recommendation can there be? read more

Guacamole was tasty and fresh but the chicken fajitas was tasteless and some of the worst I've ever had. See good reviews from some of my friends but this was a disappointing visit to say the least. read more

The food is very good. The service, however, is not. I think it will be a take out kind of place for us in the future.

The worst food I've ever had. Beans were soup. Chimichanga tasted like garbage. It was lunch and they charged me for dinner. I've never been so disgusted with an establishment. Do not let the interior fool you. This place deserves to go out of buisness, and i want my money back. read more

As much as I love the food here, I just went to the one-stall ladies restroom and there was PUKE everywhere...no one had cleaned it up and no telling how long it was there. I walked out of the bathroom and a server asked me if it was bad- UM, YES PUKE ALL OVER THE BATHROOM IS BAD. if he knew about it why was it not cleaned up??? Disgusted read more

It's hard to find agua de horchata made from scratch and this place has it. That alone makes me come here often. That being said, I also enjoy their tortas de jamon. Other stuff in their menu are ok, I don't switch it up much. Sticking to the basics, like fajitas and tacos. The staff is nice and they keep the place clean. read more

I went to this place on my search for the best guacamole in Memphis. The dining room is simple but the guacamole is the best I've had so far! We had some slight language issues - due to me not being able to remember how to say we'd like the guacamole out first but the food was good and the restaurant had an great customer mix for dinner. If you go by during lunch the parking lot can look busy. Overall, great food, good service, and good guacamole! read more

We went back for breakfast...mistake! Huge plates full of food...nothing particularly tasty.

If nothing else I eat here at least once a week for lunch. I always have the lunch Happy Chicken. Its so good. I call it comfort food I found in Mexican. read more

This was my first time here and the food was decent but nothing to get excited about. Service was about the same. Burrito was huge and I got the beef taco rather than the shredded chicken I ordered.probably won't return. read more

I've been meaning to come here for years, and I'm kicking myself for waiting. Wonderfully authentic in every way -- food, decor, even the Mariachi band. Perhaps the best (and most reasonably priced) guacamole in Memphis. The pastor and goat tacos were better than those I've had in Monterrey, MEX, with great homemade (I'm assuming) corn tortillas. My son had the enchiladas and were the best he's ever had. Even the authenticity of the rice and beans made them special. As others have alluded to, the prices are more than reasonable, and given the generous portions, make this place more affordable than any fast food place. Oh, and the staff was extremely pleasant and helpful. Move over Guad... read more

was in the area getting ice cream and stumbled across this gem to satisfy late evening craving. to my surprise they serve breakfast chilaquiles all day! thank you. what a tasty treat. read more

I ate here with my husband, kids, and a 2 of my friends. My friends had eaten here before so I came with high expectations. First lets talk about the service, or lack there of. Drinks were never refilled for starters. We ordered our food and it was brought out in shifts. It took probably 5-7 mins maybe longer for everyone's food to come out. My husband ordered the beef flauta plate but it came out as chicken. He had to actually get up and walk 2 tables away because the 3 waitresses that were standing at the cash register were completely ignoring us. Actually, anytime we needed something, we had to get up and walk to the waitresses that were literally 15 ft away. I ordered chicken enchiladas. The overall theme of my food was bland and tasteless. I was begging for some salt or anything to give my food flavor. The red sauce that covered it was tasteless. It didn't even taste like tomatoes or chilies. I wanted it to taste like something, anything. I could only stomach 1 of the 2 enchiladas because I felt like if I was paying for it I should force some of it down. The rice was also bland and so were the refried beans. I was pretty disappointed. We just moved to Memphis from San Antonio TX and are familiar with great Mexican and Tex-Mex food. Also my husband is Mexican so we other make Mexican food at home. He was not satisfied either. My oldest son got a taco salad and didn't like it and my toddler got corn dogs. Neither of them ate their food. The total bill was 35 bucks and most of the food got thrown away. When I told the waitress I didn't like the food the waitress just looked at me. The only things I enjoyed were the chips and salsa, my drink (horchata) and my kids drink which was listed on the menu as strawberry milkshake but it tasted like strawberry aqua frecas. Overall I was not impressed with the food or the service. I probably won't be going back again. read more

Very nice staff, great food value. I have only been for lunch and I will remain one of their customers for a long time. Worth every penny.

I've been going there for about 4 years, there have been a few orders where it was "just" good, but there have been several times when it was really off the hook. I did note that there seemed for a while to be a true chef there and one of my contacts who is truly a chef has given the place a great rating too, at least to me. There was a change in the actual menu's appearance. It used to have about 25 dishes you cold look at but honestly it was all in Spanish and some photos and numbers seemed to be not connected properly. Twice I ordered a wonderful shrimp platter that was amazing and a dish with long strips of what I think might be skirt beef used in fajitas traditionally it was awesome. The new menu come in English if you ask for it, and the meals are still great. I had a big platter that my date ordered for me since I was late getting off work and it was awesome with great strips of beef. But it is not as good as the El Porton or whatever it is, that is found in Collierville. Still, it is good food and very handy if you live nearby. read more