I give this place 5 stars for 5 reasons: 1. This is ironically amazing Mexican food - the salsa you can tell was home made and not some can glop 2. Everything... including the sea bass was flavorful - super well balanced... Margaritas had great flavor 3. Hearty portion sizings (but not too ridiculous) 4. A view of the Gondola to die for 5. Tiffany - our midwestern server was simply delightful, super helpful, and gave great recommendations. read more

This was our first visit to Vail for lunch. After doing some extensive research for a scenic inexpensive lunch spot in Vail, we decided on El Sabor located in the Lions Square Lodge next to the base of the Eagle Bahn gondola in Lionshead Village. The view out the window looks out at the mountain and Gore Creek. There were 2 entrances to the restaurant. One entrance was going through the Lions Square Lodge which had scaffolding all around the building. The other entrance was to dodge skiiers coming down the hill over the bridge and to walk on the snow to the outside entrance. The menu prices have actually gone down and were reasonable for Vail. The website menu needs to be updated to reflect the new lower prices. The $3.25 A La Carte menu needs to be posted on the outside of the restaurant, so skiiers can get a quick bite to eat. They have A La Carte Street Tacos, Gringo Tacos, Tostadas, Tamales, Rellenos, and Enchiladas. The dinner entrees range from $15-22. We ordered Guacamole and Chips ($7). The guacamole had some brown streaks, like it had been stirred. It was tasteless even though there were pieces of red onion and tomato. The avocado was probably mixed with mayonaise or something to stretch it and make it watery. The chips were thick and crisp. We didn't finish the chips or the guacamole. My husband ordered 2 A La Carte Tamales for $3.25 each. He had a Pork Tamale with Verde Sauce and a Chicken Tamale with Roja Sauce. He liked the chicken one better. They also offer a plate of 2 tamales with rice and beans for $11. I ordered the Tacos Al Sabor Plate which came with rice and beans for $10. I could have ordered the 3 tacos for $3.25 each, but for .25 more I got rice and beans. There were 3 white corn tortillas with chopped white onion, cilantro, avocado, cabbage, carnitas, and fresh lime wedges. There were no tomatoes or pico de gallo on it. The tacos were average sized tacos, not like the typical 2-bite street tacos in Denver. The refried beans tasted burned. The rice was okay. We would definitely come back for the views and for the A La Carte menu. read more

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Our server completely forgot about my date's drink order. The guacamole tasted exactly like it came out of a package. The steak in my fajita dish was over-cooked... But, other than that it was A-OK. Alright, I wasn't impressed by the food or the service but the location is great and the outdoor seating by the gondola is more appealing to me than the high-traffic restaurant patios in the resort core. Also, the prices were very reasonable, so that's a plus! Note: El Sabor does not have their own bathrooms... you'll have to make a trip downstairs. read more

El Sabor - Steak fajitas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Food was excellent. Margaritas were small but very tasty. Service was spotty. Several tables that came after ours got their food first, and it took 10 minutes to split our ticket which should have been split in the first place. Best mexican food in the villages though. read more

El Sabor - Jalapeño Cilantro Margarita. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Vail, Colorado

If you want to have a good time in vail don't have go here. Customer service is the worse especially from upper management. It was all going great until the bartender gave us a lower level tequila than the one we were asking for but since we weren't looking thought it was ok or maybe it was because our waiter didn't tell her what tequila we were drinking either way we noticed and said something and there was no other option than paying the price of the higher bottle although they gave us a lower class tequila. One tequila wasn't even drank and they didn't even want to taste it to see what we were saying. But the worse of the worse was how they resulted the issue. We were basically lying and had to pay for something else which was more expensive then what we actually got. Management couldn't even say sorry or figure out a solution for both sides. So don't waste your time here might have a bad experience. Had to give them a star because yelp makes you give at least one but honestly all they deserve is thumbs downs. I'm reply to the message down there the manager that was non existence. Best of luck with your business and managers. Happy holidays. read more

We had a reservation - upon arrival they were still setting the table but we sat quickly and they were good about taking our drink orders. We definitely needed the drinks! Our waitress took our orders, delivered drinks then disappeared. A decent amount of time went by (25/30 minutes after order was placed) when they brought out chips and salsa saying the kitchen was backed up. Then after another 15 minutes they brought out two entrees (of the 7), one we didn't order, and when we asked if they forgot our apps she said well at this point it's all going to come at once. Then the waitress realized she forgot to put in two of the seven entrees and came back to the table twice to reconfirm the orders placed over 40 minutes before. The food itself was pretty bad. My chicken enchiladas had bones in them. The quesadilla/fajitas/tacos were all over cooked with tortillas definitely from a bag. Highlight: shishito peppers, also we heard good things about the corn but they ran out Would highly recommend looking elsewhere for your dinner reservation. read more

So I hate giving a 1 star review when the host, bar tenders, and our servers provided exceptional, top notch service. I want people to visit this restaurant for the staff. However, the manager, Colby L, provided one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had in my life. As an MBA graduate, a past service industry personnel, and someone with a depth of knowledge on customer service in general, the manager Colby broke literally every mold of what "good management" should uphold. Our group was there to celebrate the end of an awesome week at vail. Colby asked us to not order from the bar, and to use a table and order from a server, which we were all extremely comfortable with. The service was phenomenal, I believe our server's name was Amanda, and she was on top of our drinks the entire time we were at el sabor. We were about to close out our tabs when Colby approached the table, and bluntly made the statement of "we have a reservation at this table, so your group needs to leave". So I asked in response, "can I finish my beer first" to which Colby responded "or I can make you leave now" in an extremely demeaning and derogatory tone. It was very clear that Colby has never had real experience in customer service, and that he has no idea of how to treat a group that has been purchasing drinks and enjoying the restaurant for quite a while. This rubbed me the wrong way, so I finished my beer, closed out my tab (tipped the server over 40% because she was phenomenal and her managers terrible approach to the customers does not reflect her capabilities), and then I decided to approach Colby to provide a bit of feedback. I approached Colby with an extremely kind tone, and let him know that our group had a wonderful time at his restaurant, and that he had an extremely well trained service staff, but that every member in our group was caught off guard by the rude and abrupt nature that Colby attempted to have us leave. I told Colby that we appreciated the service, but that if he was to be a manager in the service industry, that he should treat his customers with respect (were also at vail, an extremely exclusive, expensive, and wildly "typically" customer centric resort). I asked Colby why he rudely asked us to leave, and he claimed that my question asking if I could finish my beer before his reservation was rude, and because of that I deserved a rude response. Again, this restaurant was phenomenal, tip the staff they're amazing, however, the manager obviously has 0 understanding of how customers at a high end resort deserve to be treated. I hope that this restaurant still obtains new business with customers like our group that tips our service staff well. However, I hope that the real management (not the middle manager colby) is able to realize that Colby is providing experiences to customers that are not in line with the true Vail "experience of a lifetime" mission statement. read more

If this place isn't a tourist trap, I don't know what is. Food is average at best, ordered a margarita... short glass came half full. Asked our server is it was a mistake? Server sent over the Manager who said, "don't worry you got a full shot to tequila". Definitely going to pass on this place next time. read more

Best spot. Best Arnold palmers in the valley, only if Sean your server makes them that is! Truly remarkable. Will be back for more Arnold palmers! read more

The service was poor. The food was even more disappointing. I found a hair in my dinner and the waitress requested to take the chips and salsa off the price. It was a disappointing dinner. I wouldn't feed my dog this food. read more

By far best Mexican food I've had since I moved from Texas. The food was exceptional and the drinks were amazing! Definitely hit the spot! If I could give it 10 stars I would! read more

This was a great find at the last minute. Our server was great, as was the food. And I really loved one of their margaritas- it had a great combination of ginger and orange read more

Truly full of assholes for staff. It's vail, so I braced for douchebaggery, but the servers here are fucking atrocious. I know we had a larger group of folks, but we were going to eat and drink for a few hours. Some of us just flew into town, so standing to stretch our legs a few times got our party kicked out. The male bartender clearly learned his manners from Gordon Gecko. The female wait staff were worse, if that's possible. So much for customer service. I'll not return. There's plenty of other places. read more

It was near our hotel & I love Mexican Cuisine but the water, salsa, and rice all tasted like chlorine. Very disappointing.

My family got the Impossible Tacos without cheese and aioli to make them vegan. We subbed the refried beans (lard) for corn salad. They told me the rice was also vegan, but they may have forgotten it or the corn subbed both rice and beans. Either way it was filling and did the trick. I think I'd opt for the avocado tacos next time cause I'm not huge on impossible "meat". I'm shocked at how few vegan options there are in the area. Happy to have found this! read more

The food and general manager Matt was wonderful. Highly recommend the corn Appetizer and the mahi tacos and brussel sprouts were amazing!

This was hands down the worst restaurant in all of Vail village if not the whole town. The people who work here were nice enough and service was ok, but everything we ordered tasted terrible. It tasted like it had been cooked days before and reheated to luke warm in a microwave. We had a random sampling of enchiladas, a burrito and quesadillas and all were so bad we had to leave most of the food. Whoever owns the place was trying to compete on price and decided to sacrifice everything else. You want to avoid this restaurant. read more

We had great service and enjoyed our meal. I would definitely visit here again. And wow a great price for Vail especially since I think it was good quality food. read more

Some of the best Mexican food I've ever had. The enchiladas were REALLY good and the chips and salsa were freshly made and delicious. I highly recommend coming here! Service was fast and the server was super nice and personable. It was a really great experience! read more

Really nice friendly staff. Good food. The queso fries are worth it. The grilled corn appetizer is a must try - hard to describe but it's delicious. The burgers are fresh and tasty - and huge - a surprise to get a great burger in a Mexican restaurant. The tacos Sabor has a nice cabbage mix in them and the enchiladas with verde sauce were great. Ski in ski out at Lionshead. Or walk in through the hotel. We didn't get the nachos but the table next to us had them and they look really impressive. read more

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Awesome great staff and awesome Happy Hours can't wait for Christmas Vacation for Happy Hour

Food good. Ordered glass of wine. Barely 4-5 oz pour. Ridiculous. This is the best you get when you don't have reservations in Vail.

Delicious food at a reasonable price. We had tacos and Chiles rellenos. Salsa, Guacamole and chips all delish. Good margaritas. Highly recommended. read more

We ate here for dinner and except for the very loud happy hour noise, we had attentive friendly staff and the fahitas were delicious. We did have a reservation, and after calling them, were able to drive into the lodge parking lot where the restaurant is located. It was raining and snowing, so it was very helpful. Otherwise, it would only be a 5 minute walk from Lionshead Circle. The one wall is all windows so the view is great. read more

Good Mexican food at a very cheap price by Vail standards. The burritos are large and tasty. My wife got a surprising dish, chicken enchiladas with a side of roasted brussel sprouts, which she loved. It is a little hard to see off to the side of the Lionshead gondola but worth the effort to find. read more

General manager could not have been more disrespectful to me. Told me and my party that they were out of tequila at 7:45 pm on the night before the Fourth of July and while I was walking to the restroom I watched him take a double shot with his staff. I spoke to him politely addressing my concerns/frustration and he proceeded to tell me "you don't ever need come back then". I have been coming to Vail for over 15 years now and will never come back to El Sabor while Colby is the manager. read more

PSA.............the margaritas are fantastic as is the chips and salsa...DO NOT COME IF YOU LIKE FOOD. It is terrible. But again, the drinks are great. Stop there!!! read more

The manager Colby couldn't be any worse. He wouldn't accommodate us, turned people in our group away by trying to tell us they were out of alcohol and margarita mix at 6:45pm on 4th of July weekend. 15 minutes later we came back from the bathroom and saw him taking shots with his his staff. Then when he was spoken to by one of the members in our party his response was to not look at her while he was sitting at the bar and told her "ok you can never come back". I have never had such bad MANAGEMENT in my whole life and I've worked in the industry for years. Will never give them my money again and highly suggest you do the same. read more

Not looking to pay $30 an entree while visiting Vail? El Sabor was a great change of pace for us! You get a lot of food for a great price and the drinks are cheap too! My mom and I ate there on a Saturday night (in June) and our bill was around $45 after tax and tip. We even each had a drink! The special that night was 15% off entrees and 1/2 of glasses of house wine. $15 (before 15% off): Carnitas with three flour taco shells, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, rice, and beans of your choice. $10: Pick two: chicken enchilada with red sauce and carnitas taco with cheese; also came with rice and beans $7 each: tequila sunrise, glass of sangria The one downside was there was no free chips and salsa like many Mexican restaurants provide, but hey, you're in Vail. Great food, low price! Definitely worth checking out, if for nothing else, the cheap drinks! read more

Great spot with interesting menu and warm friendly service by Joel

Go see Joel if you stop in. Great food and drinks and we chatted it up about the best spots to go around town. Definitely made a tourist feel welcome. The view is great, the people are friendly, and the prices are reasonable. Very happy with the visit and will definitely be back everytime I return that way. read more

Good Happy house ($6 margarita, $3 beer) and they have good enchiladas. In the mornings, they have $6 burrito that you can grab and hit the slopes. read more

After replacing the previous joint, Mezzaluna, I of course had to try this place out. It has a perfect location right at the bottom of the gondola with sweet, sweet views of the mountain. Even though I have only been here a few times I would definitely recommend this place to others. I'll have to admit the constant advertising for this place was a put-off (garfinkles handed flyers out for this place every, single, time!) so I avoided it initially. But after getting to try some of the food and witnessing the atmosphere, I am a fan. My first visit was around Dec-14 and we popped in for a pint and rest. Got some chips which came with 3 different salsas to try. Pretty awesome they offered this kind of variety and I really liked 2/3 salsas. If I recall, the 3rd was a little spicy but I'm a wuss. Service was great, responsive, and catered to the needs of the patrons. We let time pass and beer settle while enjoying the views before moving on to more riding. The next time I made it here was for a work Holiday Party. They cornered off the West section of the restaurant (opposite the bar) and provided us with great service. Servers were around consistently taking food and drink orders from a sometimes demanding crowd. Food was good, not the best, but I really enjoyed it. From a gathering stand point, the atmosphere was not conducive to a "Party" function. It essentially felt like we had a big group at a restaurant (which it was of course) and not a party. We had our tables and food but it lacked any privacy for a group. The last thing that certainly wasn't the restaurants fault was the construction at Lions Square Lodge. A bunch of construction idiots were still cutting stone down for an incomplete walkway on the outside of the building...DURING CHRISTMAS! Talk about laughable. All in all I will certainly be back to this place for more dining and drinks. read more

When we walked in we were greeted by super friendly staff members. All the staff were super fast and attentive and the food and drinks were even better! I will be back many more times after this experience! read more

Great place to get your mexican fix, great Margs and food and the locaton is great as well.This place seems to very big with the locals. Service was fast and freindly. The size of the toca salad I have was to big to finish, can't complain. The Margs where a nice size but I would say that the drinks you get int a bar are never big enough. Very clean as well as the restrooms. The only thing that is kinda tuff is waking from the parking structure, no parking on site but walking along the Vail is not all that bad anytime of year. read more

Fantastic nachos and $3 drink specials. The snapper was good too, although my husband thought it was a liitle tough. The service was just ok. read more

El Sabor - $3 marg - Tex-Mex Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Inexpensive Mexican food that is literal right across from the Gondola. Love their Happy Hour Magaritas! read more

El Sabor - California Style Burger with Beans & Rice - Tex-Mex Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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Decided to have lunch and a few drinks. Weather was perfect so we decided to sit outside on the patio. Not too crowded, but enough happy people to show that the food is good. The service was slow and unorganized. Our server kept forgetting things, drinks weren't refilled unless it was the alcoholic ones. Our food came out warm instead of hot. Not the greatest food or service, but will go back and give it a second chance. read more

This IS my favorite Mexican food! It is hand made with very fresh ingredients! Got stopped on I 70 and decided to stop in for dinner! Had the Mahi mahi grilled fish tacos and my hubby had the chicken burrito with a red sauce. Wow the sauce was different but so good! Happy hour Pacifico s on tap and Negro modelo! Also house margaritas! But the food makes this place! read more

El Sabor - Mahi Mahi grilled taco! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Do your self a favor and hit this place up. Right on the river and the nachos are the best I have had EVER. The Barbacoa is excellent and the salsa is mild enough for kids. Outside dinning is outstanding. Definitely coming back in the morning for breakfast. read more