My husband and I have eaten here several times, and we haven't had a bad experience. The food is always hot and delicious, as it was this past Valentine's Day when we wentthere for lunch. The food here is Tex Mex, which is standard in these parts. Having been raised with a healthy dose of it throughout my life, it is my favorite comfort food. They also have an excellent selection of seafood dishes, which makes it a great choice for Fridays, especially during Lent. We were seated promptly and our waitress brought us our drinks and chips almost immediately. She was really friendly. The chips and salsa were tasty - the salsa was fresh and not too hot. The salsa is made in-house, so sometimes it's hotter than others. Today it was on the mild side. They had a special Valentine's Day menu. Since this was lunch, we chose from the regular menu. I had the crispy beef taco plate and my husband had enchiladas. No complaints there! The taco shells were crispy and the ground beef was steamy hot and properly seasoned. The rice and beans were quite good, the rice being above average. Their guacamole has no surprises, like funky ingredients or a bunch of onions in it. I like my guacamole simply seasoned, if at all. Just basic mashed avocado, please, thank you very much. That's exactly what I got. I decided to splurge and have a cocktail, so I ordered a black Russian. It took a little while. The waitress apologized and said the bartender didn't know what that was and had to look it up. Because it was the afternoon and we weren't in a rush, I didn't mind. I was a little surprised he didn't know what a black Russian is, but peeps have to learn sometime. The more experienced bartenders usually get the evening shift, I would imagine. In any event, it was made to perfection. My husband liked his meal. He works in inner city SA, and prefers the hole in the wall places. He does like El Rio, though; he's the one who introduced me to it years ago. In short, if you are looking for standard Tex Mex food in a comfortable environment then this is certainly good choice. It's never been noisy or overcrowded when we've been here for lunch. read more

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The food is great, the service is excellent. I am a big fan. If you think they only have Mexican food, you are mistaken. They have fish, chicken fried steak, and more read more

Actually I have eaten at every Mexican restaurant between the west side of Kerrville to Leon Springs an the food and atmosphere is always amazingly good here. I moved here from Houston in 2009 and really did not expect too much here in Boerne. El Rio exceeded my expectations. The real authentic taste is always appreciated after all these years. Support the ole restaurants here for good food. They have stuck by us through thick and thin. read more

Average tex-mex for the area. Short wait times to be seated and service is relatively quick which is nice. None of the food we got was so good that it would be something we had to come back and have again but it was good enough to fill out bellies for the night and not leave completely disappointed. read more

El Rio Mexican Restaurant - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Boerne, Texas

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We should have known that we were in trouble when there was only one other table seated in the entire restaurant, but it had been a long day and we really wanted some Mexican food. Everyone knows that the true test of a Mexican restaurant is how good or bad the salsa is. Well, the chips were great but the salsa tasted like a can of tomato sauce. For my entree, I ordered a "chargrilled" skirt steak but instead got a tough thick sirloin with no flavor. The rice didn't have much flavor and they didn't serve homemade tortillas. There was a puddle of grease (I'm guessing) in the middle of the plate.... Nothing about the meal was appealing, and I don't think I would ever go back. Not good at all!!! read more

Our favorite family run Tex/Mex restaurant in Boerne. Food is fresh, hot, and always tasty, servers are friendly and accommodating, and the owners are always onsite welcoming their guests and checking on them. Prices are reasonable and well worth the quality received. read more

This is a place my friend (Bill) and I frequent often. The greeting is always by the owners and they are very friendly and positive. The waitstaff is super and if we can get Maria (on the left side as you enter) you will be pleased. Right side dining is also good but a little cooler over there. Just temp ... not staff Great selection and good prices. The food is excellent also and we always prefer the lunch menu "special" dinner as it is all you need to satisfy your Mexican food craving. read more

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The staff is nice and the Burrito I ordered was fine but NOT WORTH 21 DOLLARS. I wont be back. Way way way too expensive

I have been looking for a really good Mexican restaurant since moving here a year and a half ago. Today it happened. Looks like a small joint from the outside...but large and clean on the inside. Service was great. My carne guisada was incredibly tender and flavorful. Chips and salsa were fresh and tasty. My wife loved her beef enchiladas. Price and quantity of food was spot on. Best Mexican food since moving back to Texas. read more

The service is incredible. The minute you walk in the door you are seated by the Manager. The second visit my waiter remembered exactly how I liked my food prepared. Prices are great. Service is excellent. Food is delicious. read more

This place is great had the hard tacos and my guy had the cheese enchilada. And it comes with chips and to drink we both had Pepsi. The service was great. But the only mis understanding was the free refills. We thought the only drinks they had were the drinks In the bottles. Then we asked again and they do give free refills for Pepsi stuff. I would come back. read more

Food is consistently hot and fresh. Very friendly people and they do their best to give quick service.

This restaurant is amazing, the owners and staff are so welcoming and really put a lot of love in what they do!!! Every time I come here the food is amazing and the service is above and beyond!!! I recommend this to everyone I talk to, I know there are other great places to eat in the area but this one hands down is my favorite!!!! read more

Had a hair in my food and something in my cup because it wasn't washed correctly but other than that the food was okay

Haven't been in years. I had the taco salad with beef fajita and it was so good! The fajita was tender with great flavor. Also had one of the best michelada's I've had in years! Really nice staff and the food was so good! read more

We enjoyed dinner there last night. I had tacos and a Chalupa. They were all hot fresh delicious. They had green & red salsas. Both were good. But we received second and third on the Reds salsa, which we apply liberally to our food. It only enhanced the already great flavors. Our server, wish I could remember his name, along with the manager and another, we're excellent they all checked on us during our meals. I had the Keylime pie for dessert and it was delicious!. Good lime flavor. I don't know how this place has been in the past, but I highly recommend you give it a try! read more

I have been coming here for years with my family. The food is always great, and the service is always great and welcoming.

The owners/staff are truly wonderful people. Food is good serviced quickly and cost is modest. Frequent here all the time. Yes I do recommend to friends.Crispy Tacos read more

I've been coming to El Rio for years but it's been awhile since I lasted visited. Wow! Talk about a steep decline in quality. Upon entry I was bothered by the numerous water stained and sagging ceiling tiles. I went to wash my hands prior to sitting and on my way also found it troubling the number of empty yet dirty tables, food on the floor. The restroom was gross; it had a funky smell, tiles missing on walls and vanity area. Once seated the table had crumbs as did the seats. Our waiter did a solid job with orders but the food was not good. I had the bean and cheese nachos, which were disappointing. The beans were definitely microwaved as they were crispy and tough. Prior to leaving I went to the restroom again and an hour later noticed the same tables dirty and same food on the floor. I checked Yelp after my visit and can see I'm not alone in my concern for the filth and disappointing food. I wished I'd checked Yelp prior to this visit. read more

The food is good. We eat here at least once a month or so. Today though, the whole beans were a little on the too-firm side. I like them softer. Otherwise, OK. Had the flauta plate. My friend had the special, which is basically the Mexican plate: enchiladas, taco, rice and beans. Today's server was Brady. He was great. There when you need him and very hospitable and enthusiastic. I suspect he is relatively new, because I don't remember having seen him before. Go there when in Boerne. read more

Owners are always so kind to my family, the food is literally always amazing, I've not had a bad meal from here ever, and the atmosphere is beautiful. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

5 star food and service! Great Resturant ! Family owned and run! Margaritas as top notch! read more

Warm greeting Excellent waitstaff very accommodating Will return soon- Love the enchiladas and great bar

I learned a couple of hard lessons today. Lesson 1: Always cross-reference your Google Map ratings with Yelp before choosing a place to eat. This place gets a high rating in Google (I was in a hurry Yelp- sorry). When I sat down and had my first chip and dishwater (I mean salsa), I realized this was not a 4 star place. That's when I looked at Yelp. Too late! Lesson 2: Don't assume just because you're in Texas you'll get a good Mexican meal. This place was terrible. The margaritas were weak. The steak in the fajita was bland - literally zero flavor! The veggies looked like they were boiled first before getting sautéed. Lesson 3: Don't assume Texans know what they are talking about when it comes to food reviews. Final Answer: read more

First time here. Server forgot to put our order in. 45 mins later we were served. The food contained too much cheese and the bee a were excessively runny. I would not recommend going here. Much better places nearby that your money will be better spent. read more

If you are like me, then you don't like lukewarm food, but that's what you will get at most restaurants. My first visit my food was served piping hot! (Of course I was warned by the waiter ) Amazing! I loved it so much I had to tell the owners about it. I was told that it's because the food is not made until it is ordered, and then served right away. It has been consistently the same each time I have eaten there. The prices are reasonable, the staff are pleasant and friendly. This is a family owned restaurant, so if your looking for the noisy sterile plastic cookie cutter restaurant chain experience than go elsewhere, but if you are looking for a relaxing home-style place where you can enjoy your food with friends and family then this a good choice. I try something new each time I eat there and I have yet to be disappointed. read more

Food was great and the ambiance is relaxed a staple of the Boerne home grown traditions. The service is wonderful the family that runs it are very friendly. read more

The chips and cheese dip were not very good. They do give you a lot of dip though with small order.

Tried to eat at el Rios tonight and we had to leave without eating. We ordered a quesadilla and the meat was raw. A bean and cheese taco and beans were cold. Nachos and the plate was hotter than the nachos (meat and beans were cold). With everything being cold we were afraid of food poisoning. Been there done that, not looking for it again. Especially with a 2 year old. Iced tea tasted like it was made in the coffee machine. Bar drinks were good. Service was okay. read more

I ordered tortilla soup, it was definitely not like any tortilla soup I've had (which usually comes with chicken/avocado/tortilla chips/cheese)...my soup had one 2in piece of chicken in it and lots of cilantro. The staff was nice...even though they randomly asked me if I wanted a job there. But the one star is credited to the fresh flour tortillas that came with the soup..which was what I mainly ate, so I don't plan to revisit. read more

El Rio Mexican Restaurant - Chicken tortilla soup - Mexican Near Me - Boerne, Texas

My wife & I had not eaten here in 8 years since we moved away from Boerne, but happened to be back in town for business, when we remembered how excellent their green salsa was. So, we stopped for a late lunch. The physical space is unremarkable showing some age, but we learned long ago that good Tex-Mex nearly always comes in such places. My personal test for Tex-Mex is the quality of the cheese enchiladas. Here, I was pleasantly surprised...something I did not remember from the past. From my upbringing, cheese enchiladas must be covered in real chili con carne not red "chili gravy" goo. El Rio's have a version of the real thing very hard to find elsewhere in the San Antonio area. Kudos! The rest of the accompanying sides also met expectations, the crispy tacos even had well seasoned piccadillo, something becoming increasingly rare...sadly. The kicker though was that they were out of their green salsa. read more

Thought El Rio would be a hole-in-the-wall Mexican wonder, but no. Norman Mexican food place. Best line from our waitress - "Do you have anything that isn't super greasy?" "Well... This is a Mexican restaurant. What did you expect?" read more

El Rio Mexican Restaurant - Menu cover - Mexican Near Me - Boerne, Texas

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First time my wife and I came here was probably a year ago and we got food poisoning. The food wasn't good and the guacamole tasted like it was several days old. Fast forward to yesterday when family invited us to eat their with them so we decided to give it another try. This morning, not only my wife and I, but our entire family woke up extremely sick. The food again sucked and the guacamole tasted just as bad. They have some hot salsa that should hardly be considered hot and and it's pretty much flavorless. If you enjoy horrible Mexican food and being sick as a dog then come to El Rio. I can guarantee you won't be let down. read more

Service is great as love seeing the owners pitch in when busy and making sure the plates are perfect. Food was 'spot on' as went for Sunday Lunch. Even though there were several larger parities being 'Sunday and kid's home for Thanksgiving' ; the staff did great and would just like to thank my waiter 'Sam' or Samuel on my receipt as his service was great as I saw the number of 'table tops' he had in my area and treated each table very professionally when making sure everyone was pleased. If you do go; Ask for Sam if he is working as his service is great but otherwise just go for the food. read more

The food is always fresh and delicious and the staff of this family owned business is always friendly and attentive. My favorite there is their spinach enchiladas; the best I've ever eaten! read more

I absolutely love this place! I'm a native Texan and love my TexMex! The food is is above par and the family atmosphere their family welcoMrs yours! Much love to them!! read more

Meh! Forgettable food. Boerne needs a good texmex place!!! Beans seemed like they were right out of a can. Rice was stale. Enchiladas are tasteless. Nothing to see here. Move along. read more

Not too bad! I've seen bad reviews about this place but it actually wasn't bad. Our server Jacee was attentive and extremely kind. I had the enchilada plate and it was better than expected. Definitely will return! read more

I have had a lot of Mexican food in my life. Spent the first 50 years of my life living on the border. This was by far the worst I've had ever had!!! The queso looked and tasted like it had come out of a can. Yucky!! The guacamole was sent back as inedible. It was beginning to brown and taste as if it had a lot of preservatives in it. Nothing fresh about it at all. My chicken chalupa was OK but really lacked flavor. The cheese enchiladas was over done with very little cheese on top. The tortilla was as hard as it could be. We asked that the music be turned down as we were the only ones in the place. A woman that appeared to be an owner told us if she turned it down we wouldn't be able to hear it at all. That was fine with us. Would think that a Mexican restaurant might have some tasteful Mexican/mariachi music in the background. But instead it rock music. A few other people came in after us and we could hear negative things being said about the food from them. One woman gagged after taking a bite of the guacamole. I'm giving this restaurant one star because the young man that serviced us was excellent. He did a great job and was kind about taking the guacamole back. Not sure if he took it off the ticket or not. Young man, if you are reading this review, please find another place employment soon. I don't see this place lasting long unless they changed a lot of things. read more

A/c unit broke above my head and water started dripping on my food! This was a few months back. Have not been back since. Plus the food was not good. I used to like this place. Was my favorite place in boerne. I'm not sure I want to go back. I always got the green chicken enchiladas. Always great. Funny how when they replaced my meal it took 5 minutes. Was not good. Taste wise. Totally disappointed. read more