Sitting on the patio having a margarita is great. The margaritas are good, and they are big. Haven't always ate dinner here, but what I did have was good. Not exceptional, but good mexican food. But the margaritas alone, on the patio when the weather is warm....can't be beat. Great evening place in Arvada. read more

Service truly lacks from an appreciation for your business stand point. No hello, welcome, thank you, have a nice day, acknowledgement or engagement with my children who were very well behaved. Food was fast which was a plus. read more

Ew I don't like this place at all. Both times I've been there they don't know how to cook medium rare steaks and once when I told the waitress to have them recook it she tried to argue with me and say thats how I ordered it. Lol no this steak came out extremely rare I was afraid I'd get sick. Plus if a customer asks to throw something back on the grill I don't even understand the point of arguing and trying to make someone feel stupid. read more

I really want to like El Tapatio! I really do. The food is great. The service is god awful. The food is authentic, affordable, and pretty freakin' tasty. But when you go there four times, and every time they bring you out flour tortillas instead of corn (what I ordered) it gets somewhat frustrating. The server's all seem a bit out of it, and no one really seems to know what is going on. For instance, I recently placed an order for salsa and chips to go... (they have great salsa btw) El Tapatio told me it would be ready for pick-up in 5 minutes. Thirty minutes later, and I'm still waiting at El Tapatio for those divine chips and salsa. Spare me the time Taps! I'm heading across the street to Chipotle next time! read more

My friend and I came here for lunch a while back as our normal spot was closed for some remodeling. I have had people tell me that this is a really great place and the food is amazing. I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. I don't even know where to start. The green chile had no flavor or heat at all, the beans were flavorless even after adding salt. The chips were ok, but the salsa was totally watered down and completely flavorless. I have never left a Mexican restaurant hungry but I did this time. The only reason I am giving 2 stars is because of our waiter. I am not sure if the no flavor is typical of this place, but I am pretty sure I won't give it a second chance to find out. read more

Been there many times before and left very happy. Stopped in on 5/16/15. The bartender made our "top shelf" margaritas with bottom shelf tequila not the hornitos reposado that we ordered and than used gran gallo instead of the Gran Marnier that we requested . Being in the industry we questioned her about this and she tried to explain how it was "basically the same thing". We took one sip out of our margaritas and left. As a restaurant they should know that hiring a cutie blonde who doesn't know how to make a top shelf drink is not going to impress your customers. Huge fail! read more

The service was probably the best I have ever experienced. well poured drinks and yummy food!! Wish I could give it more stars!

I was craving Mexican & was driving by when I saw El Tapatio. I judge a Resturant by its chips & salsa. The salsa is close to how I make it. It has nice flavor. They have a very nice menu with a variety of different dishes. I was so pleased with the service & food that I downloaded the app to tell you about it. I will definitely be back!! read more

Get the carnitas plate....it is the best I have ever had and I'm from San Diego! The enchiladas were ok but the margaritas are HUGE!

Don't waste your time on this salty mess that they call Mexican food. The only saving grace were the chips, salsa and margaritas...in that order. If you do like salt licks then by all mean go for it but if not then spend your time and money elsewhere. read more

This was the worst Mexican food I have ever had. The meat served as part of the carne asada plate and the steak burrito was like no beef I have ever seen. Some of the meat was very light in color, some dark, most was stringy, and I am not positive it was actually beef. This was our first visit and will be our last. read more

We have been going here for a while and just recently stopped to check out some other places. Last night we stopped in to get dinner, hadn't been there in a while and things had defiantly changed. There weren't very many people in....on a Friday night, the food tasted funny, not as good as I remember and the water tastes somewhat like acrylic paint smells. Our service was good up until the last half of our meal. We were asked about at least 10 times in the last 45 minutes if everything was "OK". We kept responding "Yes" because nothing was changing in the past 3 minutes they would stop by. That was a little annoying. In conclusion, food's alright, water is gross, empty restaurant, service was a little much. read more

Came back here the other night and they still have consistently good food. This time around, I ordered the steak Mexicano. It was really tender and cooked perfectly! I am impressed every time that I come. read more

Sat in the bar for an afternoon lunch date, had the ceviche with both shrimp and fish...YUM! Delicious and not fishy-smelling at all like some ceviches can be. The drinks were amazing (mango margarita and a michelada for my friend). The margaritas come in sizes ranging a the way up to 64 oz.! Wait staff was friendly and attentive. Great experience, will be back! read more

My son ordered the chicken tacos and the chicken was dry and tough. Toward the end of the meal he bit into one of the tacos and hurt his tooth. Found a piece of twine in the chicken. Worst part, the Manager would not even acknowledge what my husband was showing him. Couldn't believe it. A good manager would take responsibility and at least apologize and hopefully prevent it from happening again. read more

Amazing food, great staff every time we come in for lunch! Love coming here and bringing clients. Keep up the good work!

El Tapatio is a long time favorite restaurant. We started eating here right after they opened and even though we've moved away from the area since, we still come back. They are always friendly, fast, and fresh. We have never had a disappointing experience. read more

We remembered the restaurant being good but not today. I ordered the fish tacos and my husband ordered the shrimp adovado. Both of ours were terrible. The service was super slow too. Our draft beers were good as was the queso. read more

A good Mexican restaurant. My wife and I had Steak Fajita's, and a Quesadilla. The food was alright, not great. I'd return, but the service was slow and UN-attentive, hence the 3 star review. Not the top spot in Arvada for sure. read more

My husband and I have gone 3 times and we are never going back again. The first time had promise; the second time was horrible; the third time was due to the fact that no other mexican restaurants seemed to be open on a Sunday evening. We waited FOREVER for anyone to wait on us. When we finally received service, the waiter did not speak English. He repeated our order in Spanish and then returned to our table 3 more times in order to clarify what we wanted. The food was awful and he brought out our appetizer WITH our meal. The potatoes were not cooked and the vegetarian burrito tasted like they had opened a few cans of vegetables and threw it together with old, uncooked white rice. The order was also wrong and we were charged extra for things that the menu said were free with the burrito. Don't waste your money. It is not cooked from scratch and Taco Bell has more flavor. read more

We used to frequent El Tapatio until we ordered takeout from them. Long story short: I had to speak to three different people to order my takeout over the phone; I speak both English and Spanish so I'm not sure what the problem was. I think one girl was actually faking an accent. Then, they screwed up the order, OVER CHARGED ME TWICE on my debit card. When I spoke to the "manager", he told me it was my fault because they don't quote prices over the phone. He really said that. I was stunned! So..you just make up the prices as you go? If you want takeout instead of dine in then they get to charge whatever they want? He laughed at me when I said I was going to complain to the BBB and hung up. I have never experienced anything like that in my life; it was bizarre. We will never ever return and honestly, I hope at least a few people take these reviews in to consideration and boycott the place. There are quite a few people with similar experiences of being ripped off by El Tapatio in Arvada...read on if you don't believe me! They are running a scam over there! read more

Just good, trusted food and service. My wife and I frequent this location on the regular, and either we just get lucky or this staff and kitchen are just that good. read more

I dig this place. The servers are nice, the food is decent, the atmosphere is comfy (kind of feels like an Applebee's). A tad too pricey for what you get, but not by much. The medium margarita is massive, but the taste is nothing to write home about. The ceviche is freaking delicious, although really spicy. But I'm sure that next time I can ask them to lay off the jalapenos a bit. read more

The margaritas were decent, I'll admit. The food was not. I read some of the reviews but decided to give it a shot and I was so in the mood for Mexican. First we started off with chips and salsa. The salsa was nice and thick and the chips were thick but good. Then we read in menu they charge for refills on chips and salsa?! Ha ha ha!!! Wow! We proceed to get Mexican combinations with a chile relleno, enchilada, taco, and some guacamole tostada. Ordered a tamale on the side just to try. The meal said it came with rice and beans there was no beans and the rice was maybe a few spoonfuls. As you can see the plates were slopped on with excess sauces. It was bland and lacked any presentation. Everything just seemed barely thrown together and they even charge you for refills on non alcoholic drinks! I showed the waiter my yelp 10% discount and it al oat felt he didn't want to give it to me. We asked for our check to be split in 2 and he said he couldn't. After the look I must have had in my face he came back with 2 checks. Worse experience and really lousy food! You get better authentic Mexican at Taco Bell! read more

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Love the food, best Mexican I've ever had! Everything that I have ever ordered has been great. This is the best location of the four and whenever I am in town I make sure to stop in for my Mexican food fix! read more

Compliments to the staff at this restaurant- they are very friendly and we received great service. Unfortunately, I feel sick just thinking about the food at this place. It reminded me of Chi-Chi's from 1977- when gringos were first introduced to the concept of chain Mexican food. I ordered a fajita combo quesadilla and the meat was bland, unseasoned and the beef tasted old and stale. The margaritas were bland and watered-down. There are too many other great choices to over-pay for poor quality food. Just say'n. :( read more

I can't get past the mystery "meat-paste-Alpo" ground beef tacos. Disgusting. No idea what it I'd but it is not ground beef. I couldn't eat it and it ruined the rest of the meal. Had a couple bites of a tamale...bland, no flavor at all. The flauta was bland also, and very small. Won't be back. Seriously, that meat-paste was too much! read more

I really liked this place. We had the pork fajitas, they were GREAT. Tons of food, perfectly cooked veggies (many over cook them), great flavoring and a good price. I asked for extra tortillas, they brought a bunch and didn't charge us for them. The beer price was pretty average, but they did have a large selection. The chips and salsa was good, no the best I have had. It is our new place to get Mexican food. Try it, you will like it. read more

The food here is somewhat inconsistent, but we always receive good service and end up leaving satisfied. Sometimes the food seems much spicier than others and on one occasion, the meat was very underseasoned. However, typically the food is good and flavorful and the drinks are delicious! Their margaritas are huge, yummy, and reasonably priced for the amount of alcohol you receive. Also, the staff has always been friendly and very accomodating, so overall, this place is great when you are craving some good Mexican-American cuisine accompanied by a giant margarita. read more

Not only does this place have great food but the service was also fantastic. I ended up going twice in a row and would most definitely recommend this place to friends! I also plan on going back several more times! read more

The house margarita was weak and on the sweet side. Chile relleno and cheese enchilada were undercooked (although they replaced them). You could tell the chips were old and I wasn't impressed with the salsa. I have yet to find good Mexican food in Arvada, or Colorado for that matter. No manager visited our table, which seems like should have happened. read more

Great mexican restaurant. The food is delicious, service is friendly and fast, and the jalapeño margaritas are on point! The place is consistent and I highly recommend coming here. read more

This restaurant opened recently in a former Bennigan's. The menu is what you'd expect from a Mexi place. Service is great. You can't go wrong with their seafood dishes. For a healthier Mexi option, get the Camarones Mojo de Ajo. It comes w/white rice and fresh avacodo slices and tortillas. Delicious, very flavorful. We've never had bad service here. Hubby loves the pork chops. Their mole sauce is one of the best we've had in the Denver area. read more

Great Mexican food at a good price. Super cheap beer list.

We had great service here, and food was really good. Nice atmosphere, and it was quiet enough to still talk.

You need to check on what you are ordering. Everything is covered in green chili evan items that don't say so.

I gave it a try. Messed up my order. Replacement wasn't good but I was un a hurry so i ate it. We've all ben there. Generally dirty. Steer clear unless desperate read more

I thought this place was going to be "Mexican-American" but once I sat down, took in the atmosphere and got my food it all sunk in...this place is like authentic Mexican food and it's really good. Their camarones diablas are my favorite. Very, very spicy... Just how I like it!! If I go anywhere else for this dish, I'm never satisfied. Glad I decided to check this place out. Excellent and authentic with a lot of variety on the menu read more

Came in for a work lunch while in town--owner was very friendly and helpful--recommended a delicious dish of large bacon & cheese-wrapped camarones (shrimp). Beans and rice were solid, as was the Chile Relleno--done a bit differently here--every other place I've been to has Chile Rellenos which are dipped in a light egg-batter then deep-fried, whereas here they wrapped the stuffed chile in a miniature flour tortilla, then breaded, then deep-fried. Interesting. Large portions, fast service, and decent pricing. Would recommend. read more

Excellent! Chili rellenos were awesome. The "small" margaritas were big. Can't be happier