Although the waiter was charismatic, they did not listen to specified requests involving food allergies. We had to send food back. We had requested a highchair, and it was never brought after asking multiple times. Had to go to the back and grab one ourselves. The manager wandered around aimlessly picking at things and playing with a napkin instead of engaging with any guests or waiters. A majority of the wait staff were standing by the registers and bar talking and laughing instead of checking on any customers. The food was fairly good, a bit pricey, but not enough for us to return. read more

My daughter and I ate here and the weight staff was great. The food was great and we had a fantastic experience. I would recommend this restaurant. I don't hand out five stars easily. read more

Good food and service. Never had a bad meal there. Would recommend to anyone wanting Mexican.

Food was very bland, we had to keep waitress for everything. But the vibes and aesthetics was very chillo

My favorite Mexican restaurant! I always get the chicken ACP with extra queso sauce! Amazing service and management!

Tried the pollo con crema dish. It was delicious , fresh and good portion. The service was very fast. I will comeback to this place again when I'm back in Hickory. read more

El Paso Mexican Restaurant - Pollo con crema - Mexican Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

We love this place. Food is alway good and people are friendly! Tonight we had a amazing server! Alex was very attentive and super! One of the best servers we have had today! I had their chorizo for the first time tonight and it is the best I have had! Definitely recommend!! One our our favorite spots! read more

El Paso Mexican Restaurant - three tacos on a red plate - Mexican Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Great food and nice atmosphere. The bean dip that comes with the chips is just ok but they have a salsa bar. Wish they had bigger bowls at the salsa bar instead of plastic togo sauce cups. Server was friendly and did a great job. read more

There are several El Paso locations in the area, and I've eaten at all of them. My conclusion? I have to say that they serve the best Mexican food in Catawba county! If not some of the best I've ever had! I've tried a lot of their dishes, but one that I will ALWAYS come back for is their ACP. They always add the right amount of cheese, along with onions and pineapple- so it's the perfect combination of sweet and salty, cheesy goodness! Nobody does it quite like they do, so if you're traveling down 321 and want to stop for a quick dinner, I promise you won't regret it! read more

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The food was really good and alot of it, so go hungry. However, the service was a little slower than normal especially with it not being packed. read more

The best by far. So amazing! I got the Burrito Mexico and it was full of everything! So much but so great! Everything is the best! My favorite! read more

El Paso Mexican Restaurant - Burrito Mexico! The best ever! - Mexican Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

This has long been my favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is always fresh and delicious. We've been eating here for over a decade and always have a good experience. Even though we no longer live close, we still get by any time we can. The service is always friendly and fast. The dining room is comfortable and I love the new colorful Latin decor. read more

El Paso Mexican Restaurant - Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Great food nice decor and friendly staff. Large menu and reasonable prices. We have eaten there 3 times since we moved to Hickory in July.

can not talk about 8 or 9 years ago, when everything is like come from Heaven, cheaper, more organic and large portion - go by one, and has to give 4 USD for tips, plus 3 USD for to go order after meal. I think 2 USD tips is more than enough, foods still okay, depend on what you order. read more

thanks Carlos(mgr) and the El Paso staff. the food is always incredible, with wonderful service. during our most recent visit, a group of about 20 volunteers visited El Paso. these volunteers/helicopter pilots have been working 14 hour days for the past 10 days, raising awareness and airdropping food, essentials, medical supplies and clothing to those in Western Carolina affected by Helene. after learning this big group were volunteers, Carlos and El Paso compted the entire bill. First class act and appreciated by all. thank you!!! read more

The service was horrendous. We sat with empty glasses half the time. I placed an order to go 25 minutes before he brought our bill and he forgot to put the order in. The bills were messed up. And language wasn't a problem because I am fluent in Spanish read more

Pretty much some of the best Mexican food I have ever had! We were in the area shopping Black Friday and planned lunch with my daughter and her BF. We all were very impressed and will definitely be back soon. You must try the Torta Cubana, the best Mexican sandwich with ham, pork, carne asada, chorizo, eggs, cheese, jalapeño, tomatoes, onion, cabbage and beans. A huge beautiful sandwich, plenty to share. The salsa bar is very good also and the chips are hot and crispy! Yum yum! read more

El Paso Mexican Restaurant - Torta Cubana. Excellent!! - Mexican Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

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We stopped here on our way to the mountains for a quick bite. I got the enchiladas Suiza and my wife got the cream burritos. Everything was excellent! The main dishes were wonderful and even the rice, normally just tossed on the plate to fill it out was tasty. read more

great food, drinks were really good and service was really good too. Fast service, food came out quick!!

On a quick road trip to buy some furniture in Hickory, we stopped for lunch at this very nice little place. As we are concerned about Covid 19, we opted to sit outside in their courtyard. It's a nicely turned out restaurant. It's decorated in a distinctly south-of-the-border style and the guy who greeted us was pleasant and efficient. We sat down and ordered unsweetened tea. My wife ordered chilli poblano, I ordered a salad with a difference, in that it had cooked peppers and onions, and had the usual salady stuff, and strawberries, mandarin and dried cherries. It was sensational. The chips and dip were good and the bill was low. For a quick Mexican lunch, El Paso was truly good. We will be back. read more

Food wasn't good. Chili relleno tasted weird. Left feeling sick to my stomach. Service was friendly but slow to come to the table, drinks and chips took about 15-20 minutes to receive. We went a few hours after lunch rush but before dinner rush had started - they should have been more on top of service considering there were only four tables seated in the entire restaurant. As far as ambiance goes, the restaurant has always been well decorated and clean. I'm not sure what's happened with the food quality. It was better 5-8 years ago. I will not be returning. read more

Lunch was a fiasco with bean dip spilled on the head of my 1 year old great nephew and the guy that did it laughed and smirked. Baby started crying and no one came to check on us or him . We had to ask for wet napkins to clean him up and we asked for manager and no one came . We had ordered so we waited on food and cleaned baby and still no manager so we will not be back . Food mediocre at best read more

My colleagues and I come here once a week, the food is very consistent and the service is good. The only complaint we have is how long it takes to check out EVERY single time. They basically only let one person walk around with a card reader and it's a VERY slow process. Other than that, the food is great! read more

6 of us went here for dinner on July 4, 2023. 1 dinner came 15 minutes after the others. Food was good but service was terrible, with no apologies. read more

This gem of a place has a menu like a Mexican Diner and then some. Very good, fast, plentiful food. Great service too!

Went out tonight just looking for a few tacos. Checked out El Paso and was very pleasantly surprised. I got the tacos al carbon and they were some of the best tacos I have ever had. The meat was chunks of steak cooked in some sort of seasoning with a delightful mix of Crumbled cheese, lettuce, and cabbage as garnish. I got them on corn tortillas as well. It was super. I also appreciated the well stocked salsa bar. I will definitely come again!! read more

Great place to stop for lunch. What do they have on the menu? Any combination of Mexican dishes. Highly recommend something with some shrimp and spice. Just try it out read more

Great place for dinner. The serving sizes are enough for two people. Great prices. The drinks are Good. Plenty of parking. The service was excellent read more

We wanted to try something new and went with this restaurant. I have to say I'm glad we did. The service was fast, the food was good and delicious. One entree can feed two to three people. The size of the dish is big. read more

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The food is always great, great staff, and are very attentive to their customers. One of the best Mexican restaurants around. It's also in a great location. Especially the fact that there's mostly fast food around. I usually get the enchilada platter or the papas locos and they are always very yummy. If you've never eaten here, I suggest that you try this restaurant read more

Great food, wait staff and atmosphere. I recommend the enchiladas and quesadillas. It's definitely good to try.

Top note: consistently fresh ingredients, hit-and-miss service (usually fall flat on later-end of dining, with follow-up and cheque), mid-90's sanitation rating (over several months). This place offers a salsa bar, with several fresh-made salsas. You can see fresh chopped onion and cilantro and tomato chunks... and as another reviewer stated, it's kinda hard to consume salsa from the tiny cups they provide (but I am assured that the cup is clean, since unlike traditional salsa service, those baby's hit the trash can when the table is cleared.) The Mexican Street Taco platter is one of their best dishes, if you like a traditional taco (soft corn tortillas, chopped onion and cilantro on top, wedges of lime to squeeze on top). The trio of tacos include: carnitas (not fatty, but juicy roast pork), carne asada (beef steak tips, highly seasoned, and a bit chewy), and highly seasoned chicken breast, chopped and grilled (fry-grill, not outdoor grill). This platter includes an iceberg lettuce, tomato and cheese "side salad," and a surprising bowl of pinto beans, that get dressed-up with chopped tomato, cilantro, onion AND chopped jalapeños! (A few times I discovered some small amount of smokey meat, too!). I could, quite honestly, chow the whole bowl of beans, and almost forget the salty tacos Just note: if you order tacos a-la-carte, or in a standard "combo," you will be served the Americanized taco. That other chicken taco is an oven-roasted, pulled chicken breast, that is very bland. They will toss on a little iceberg lettuce and a nice wad of Mexican cheese, and you'll not get a "street taco." However, if you specifically say, when you order, "I want the kind of taco that is the pork, chicken or beef "LIKE The Street Taco." You will be served that other style. They also make one of the best chile poblanos I have ever had! I've traveled to several "little Mexico" areas, here in the U.S. (Seattle, CA, TX, Detroit). You will find rivals in those large markets, but to find that quality in little Hickory, is pleasantly surprising. If you're still reading, I will add that I've tried three of their soups: Chicken Soup, Tortilla Soup and Siete Mares (Seven Seas). They're all muy deliciouso. read more

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This is hands down the best Mexican food in this area. Everything, was cooked to perfection. Excellent flavors, and huge portions! Great service, came for lunch on a Saturday and got our food so fast. Quality food read more

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So I feel like I need to come back and edit my review after a number of visits to eat here. Overall, the service and food have decreased in quality over the last 6 months. I really enjoy the salsa bar that they added some time ago. It really helps keep my dad from flagging down the server every 5 minutes needing more. We all enjoy the bean salsa that comes standard to the table. Any other salsas are at the salsa bar. However, the food is your typical Mexican restaurant (as seen in the pictures). However, I downgraded my rating because there is always an issue with the food. I believe the biggest part is the language barrier most of the time, from english to the native spanish speaking server. Unless you get exactly what is on the menu, it rarely comes out correctly. I'm not talking about hard orders, but simple things like no sour cream. In addition, I used to get margaritas! I love them, and what is more Mexican than that?? (Besides Dos Equis of course) However, the margaritas are always so weak, I can only really taste the sour mix. I know that is the goal, but I can tell when there is very little alcohol, being a consummate alcohol drinker. Seems they only use a shot regardless of the size you order. Given that, I stopped ordering alcohol when I do visit. Overall, I get more disappointed when I visit. We used to come here a lot, but now we have started going other places when I am in town to visit. If you are looking for mexican, and are in the area, feel free to stop by, otherwise, I'd look elsewhere. read more

El Paso Mexican Restaurant - Salsa bar. - Mexican Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

I had a take out order. The first thing person taking the order was very rude and I sounded like he was in a hurry. I asked him was the guacamole made at restaurant his response was yes. It is processes guacamole like they puréed a avocado added nothing else. By far the worst taco salad I have ever had. Half the shell was missing. I will not order from there again. I was unable to eat the food and threw it in the trash read more

Service was horrible. It was slow and inaccurate. They overcharged for the drinks. The food was bland. It was typical southeast Mexican food, lacking in spice. The plates were not garnished with lettuce, tomato, sour cream or guacamole. They did not offer green chili. The red chili sauce resembled red Ragu sauce. The taco shell turned to mush because they laid it in the red sauce. The prices for the food was fair. The only positive for the restaurant is that they did have a halfway decent salsa bar. We won't be returning. The search for an authentic Mexican restaurant in North Carolina continues. read more

I came in here because I was craving Mexican food and this place satisfied me. I had El Gran Burrito and it was great! It was also very large. Service was very fast for me and my waiter fulfilled all my requests quickly. I will be back! read more

2-2.5 Stars. Being from Texas, I tend to search out Mexican restaurants. I find that El Paso is fair to mediocre. I have been many times (to 4 of them, Hickory area and Morganton) and and found all 4 about the same. Don't get me wrong, it's better than Taco Bell but I have stopped going. I have tried many places in the area and have only found 2 in the area that have good food and both off I40 (exit128.)The food truck at BP (North) on Fairgrove Church Rd and a new spot, San Pancho (South) which previously was a Japanese followed by a Thai restaurant (or vice verse.) They pride themselves as a stationary food truck. No frills at either place but very good food. If I am looking for more of a restaurant, I tend to head to Statesville to Mi Pueblo. Pretty good food for this area. Regards, Lee read more

Best salsa I've seen at a Mexican restaurant!. The food is as good if not the best that I have had at a Mexican food place. Service is always fast. Daily special's. Nice bar area and also does large parties (birthday, Etc). You can print a coupon from the el paso website which is good for $4 off if you buy 2 drinks.. Monday's children eat free! read more

I am very angry the service was terrible the food was cold and we had no napkins at the table asked three times for them and never got them.