As much as I love coming to El Tapatio, this particular visit was more of a light bites kind of night for me. I am usually here for tacos, but I ordered the tortilla soup, while my friend ordered the Shrimp Mazatlán, those shrimp enchiladas are the best I have ever had! The restaurant is always busy, and this Saturday night was no exception. The only booth available was in the bar area, which was perfectly fine with us. Our server worked at a good pace and never made us feel rushed. They were also already getting everything set up for Sunday morning brunch. Until recently, it had been over a year since I had eaten here. I still love the colorful decor, and the service is just as awesome as I remember, although there are a lot of new faces now. Our food came out very quickly, but unfortunately, the tortilla soup was honestly horrible, lol. This was the first time I've ordered something here that I genuinely didn't like. The chicken was juicy, flavorful, and clearly grilled, but the rest of the soup just didn't taste good to me. I wonder if it was because they added pico de gallo? Besides the chicken and pico, it contained tortilla strips and some type of cheese throughout. I let our server know, and he seemed to agree that adding pico might be the reason the tortilla soup isn't a customer favorite. I appreciated that he listened and was honest about it. I already know the Shrimp Mazatlán is delicious because it's one of my favorites. However, now that I'm finally coming back after being away for more than a year, I've made it my goal to branch out and try more items on the menu. The tortilla soup may have been a miss for me, but one disappointing dish definitely isn't enough to keep me from returning. El Tapatio has taken Auburn by storm and is easily one of the #1 restaurants up here.... from trying their tacos and their enchiladas... their margaritas and great service from the host stand all the way up to Ivan, who I see managing every time I go... I absolutely urge you to come here and meet me here tomorrow for brunch to see what is so about! read more

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I enjoyed a meal here yesterday for the first time after a day up at a watering hole! The restaurant is decorated beautifully with bright inviting colors that really boost the authentic vibe that my mouth and belly were about to partake in. My man friend had stressed how good it was but I was still very pleasantly surprised and GRATEFUL to have experienced such a delicious meal and experience myself because it was incredibly mouth wateringly delicious! It's a family owned business, the service was just as amazing as the food was. Very welcoming just truly an amazing restaurant that you must try especially if you like Mexican food! I ordered a chicken taquito ranchero plate I can't recall the exact name and my partner ordered the seafood fajitas... the portions were ginormous... incredibly satiating! I ate as much as my belly could squeeze in before I had to tap which is not a problem because I'm experiencing the yum again today with my leftovers that taste just as flavorful as yesterday!!! The seasonings and spice were just perfect. The prices were great as well... for both of our meals with sodas the total with tax was under $60 and worth every penny!!!! I will definitely be a returning fan read more

We really liked this place and the staff here is always helpful happy to help and very kind. We have all liked the food and have tried quite a bit by now. Husband loves the burritos his favorite is the macho burrito! We have tried quite a few items and loved the chili Relleno plate, I tried the vegetarian enchiladas they were good but the cilantro rice wasn't cooked all the way which was the only time I was disappointed. We were happy with the specials. They do a Sunday brunch we haven't done yet, but it's on the list... the fajitas are fire and the margaritas are delicious! They have music and sports on TV in bar area. read more

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My party of 3 enjoyed the fajitas for 2 and vegetarian quesadilla. The service is excellent too! We came in the middle of the day after a hike and we're warmly welcomed. The fajitas tacos had a side of rice, sour cream, and black beans. We chose fresh corn tortillas yet enjoyed the hefty amount of food with just the rice. There was so much food, we had leftovers for another meal the next day. I enjoyed a horchata in restaurant too. This was fun after a half day hike at hidden falls. read more

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It is a very large establishment. The salad I got was supposed to be done table side, however it was not. The salsa was okay not my favorite. Service was great however and the place was clean. I just didn't care for the flavor/taste. Just my personal opinion. My husband enjoyed his however. read more

El Tapatio - Tapatio Salad - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

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Absolutely love this place, the salsa and bean dip that comes as a complimentary starter are bursting with flavor! The staff are always friendly and helpful. The inside is nice and always packed full of hungry patrons. I'm a huge fan of their Shrimp Tacos. Every time we are coming back from Reno this is our go to stop for dinner! read more

El Tapatio - Bean Dip, Salsa & Chips. All of which are fresh and free! - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

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Drop in for early lunch a couple months ago. Told myself I had to bring my lady back for dinner. So glad I did. Wow what an incredible dining experience. I order the same thing at every Mexican restaurant. Yours hands down was some of the best we've ever had.. Sergio our server was awesome as well. Good job. We will be back read more

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So good and so much food! My server/bartender was great as she busily took care of the entire bar. Only bummer is the sweet corn was cold, but tasted great! read more

El Tapatio - 2 item combo...chimichanga and carnitas enchilada. - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

Horrible experience. Arrived a Monday night - not busy. Was sat down and chips and salsa arrived and that was it. We sat there for 20 minutes and not a cup of water, not a "be right with you", nothing. I could hear other people saying to the chips and salsa person we haven't received our drinks. Also saw another table where a woman got up who was there before us who went looking for help. Place must be rich to provide this type of service. Good luck - won't be back. read more

Absolutely terrible steak fajitas. This place has really fallen over the past few years. We are done! The meat is marinated too long and when you taste it, it is mushy and the taste is over marinated tasting. Strong taste of worcestershire sauce or? and burnt over sautéed onions. Yuk. The service used to be great. Now they are rushed and do not fill drinks up. I'm going to try to leave a photo of the Fajitas and notice the missing bell peppers they no longer provide and the burnt over done onions. Disgusting. We are never going back. read more

Great Father's Day brunch today at El Tapatio in Auburn. Food was fantastic and service was wonderful. Ricardo was our server and this guy was born to be in customer service. Very friendly and great at his job. read more

I think this place is a gem, nearest authentic to perfection, Ricardo was attended and food was excellent, you get your food fresh made from scratch not luke warm or cold at all, taste so good, mix your salsa for chips with that bottle tapatio picante. We came on brunch time they have display brunch in the middle room but we have the normal ala carte lunch and that is perfect. read more

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Fast seating. Quick drinks, chips, salsa and bean dip! Wide variety menu. Used to order Macho Combo. Gives enough for a meal and lunch next day! But the Seafood Chili Rolleno has captured me! Still a lot of food! Delicious in a white sauce and great taste!. Restaurant is loud. And I'm not a drinker, so I don't know the quality of their bar. But the food is fast and great tasting! read more

El Tapatio - Two seafood Chili Rollenos in White sauce, refried beans, rice, chips, salsa. & bean dip - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

I always order my to go food from the bar and only because Joseph is the best bartender I've ever had, between his personality and his over the top customer service. He has an immense following and has the best memory of each person and their regular drink, it's amazing! read more

We love this place. We live over 2 hours away but every time we drove through Auburn we stop. Our FAV! Food is great, service is great, and they have fun live music often to set the mood read more

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Very yummy chili Colorado burrito Tacos weren't as exciting. $6 margaritas @ Happy Hr. Friendly attentive service. Large portions. Nice salsa bar which seems rare these days. Large dining room & bar with festive Mexican decor. We were told there is another El Tapatio in Citrus Heights. read more

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After having wonderful food and margaritas in the past, today was a disaster. I ordered a tostada and was charged the same as my husband that ordered a tostada, an enchilada with beans and rice. The margaritas have changed and are horrible and I didn't drink mine. All I got was "sorry". We will never go there again. read more

Super disappointed. This WAS our favorite place for fajitas. Today we went and ordered our usual but noticed major differences! First, the fajitas for 2 increased in price by $9.00, $38.99! NINE DOLLAR INCREASE!! What! Add shrimp went from $3.99 to $4.99. Now, I understand the price of everything lately has gone up, HOWEVER, El Tapatio price increased and with less food. They no longer even give you lettuce on your side plate and the teeny tiny lil scoop of guacamole no longer comes with. We get increasing your prices, but the least you can do is cook the same quality food.... Which today was not the case. Good luck at those prices, we'll be getting out Mexi fix somewhere else moving forward read more

Always great food in this authentic restaurant. Can get quite busy in weekends or holidays so be patient with seating. Certain nights local bands are performing. read more

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Very sad to say the service here has gone down hill. I initially gave this place a 5 star. However my husband and I revisited about a month ago and service had definitely dropped. The food was still on par with what I remembered but the waiter was slow to get us started with drinks and whenever he checked on us (rarely) was extremely rushed. But we thought maybe we hit them at a rush time and we would give them another try. This time went and i thought it was a good sign because they were not overly crowded... but alas, my husband and I walked out because we sat there for 20 minutes without even getting waters. We actually started yelping other restaurants nearby while sitting in their restaurant because we sat there so long with zero service (while listening to other tables encountering the same thing). As I walked out I told the hostess that we were leaving because no one ever came and she didn't say a word. Last chance and failed read more

We've been to a few of these and they're always great. Solid food and good service, we enjoy when we find a new one and need to eat. Been to this one a couple times, always good. read more

Came in with a group of 13 people and the service was amazing! They were able to accommodate a large party with no issues and we got our food nice and fast. Their free bean and salsa dip was delicious and flavorful. I even asked for some more Togo since I ate a basket by myself. The chicken and steak fajitas was moist, big, and amazing. Their portion sizes can feed easily 2-3 people and they reheat well too! I love how they have different deals as well and even an AYCE option. Highly recommend if I'm in the area again. read more

El Tapatio - Chicken and Steak Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

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Completely missed the mark with this salad. No tortilla bowl, guacamole, salsa or sour cream. read more

El Tapatio - Fajita Salad - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

Great stop in Auburn! Had late lunch today..April 16th..see receipt. When you walk in you see a very vibrant and colorful restaurant! Large dining and bar area. We shared the steak (carne asada) fajitas that came with rice and beans along with sour cream and guacamole. They came out sizzling ( see video) and although the sides were great the meat was a bit tough. The manager, Ivan, saw we were not eating it and without us asking he brought back a steak that was tender and well seasoned (as it should be). Great flavor! It was Taco Tuesday ( we happened to come on Taco Tuesday) and so my boyfriend got a carne asada taco for 2.50. It has a salsa bar dedicated to Taco Tuesdays with different salsas..marinated cucumbers (spicy) and cactus salad. Great way to bring in the customers! They have a full bar and happy hour with drink and appetizer specials. Huge menu! When we left they were packed but they are well staffed! Fun atmosphere and a great place to bring friends. IVAN was super helpful and professional. ALEC was friendly and attentive. Great food...Great service....very popular! Definitely be back! read more

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My wife and I have eaten here numerous times and it's one of our favorite spots in Auburn! The service was always quick, despite there being tons of people cause we stop on Friday evenings usually. Sometimes they have live music which is nice, and a guy who walks around that does balloon animals for kids. We like to get the Big boy platters with the shrimp, with a side of tortillas and we share that between us. We've had the garlic and the spicy and they were both delicious! Definitely fills us up and they give plenty of chips salsa and bean dip as appetizers. Hard to wanna try other stuff on the menu now because it was so good. read more

10/10! Would come back even though we saw a huge rat alive inside. Steak fajitas are amazzzzzzing!

The chicken in the Mole was so tough I couldn't cut it let alone try to chew it. The cilantro rice was nice.

AWSOME!! What more can I say great food great service and friendly Always great when I go and always clean read more

First time to this El Tapatio, and it was great. We usually visit the one in Citrus Heights. Same style building and interior. And definitely the same awesome service and good food. It's standard 'Mexican' faire so you know what to expect. Our host and server was Rudy. He was friendly and attentive throughout the meal. The place is loud and bustling, and the servers and 'other' help are in constant motion. Nothing to complain about for our visit here. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

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No pictures but got the steak fajitas and they are so good. The salsa is really good too.

You might be surprised that the Auburn area, both the old town and the commercial strip along the Grass Valley highway, have some quaint indie restaurants and some of the chains that offer up nice sized platters. That means really should you consider going further than the In N Out at the freeway exit to CA 49. I used to remember these further out areas for the La Bou with the additional outdoor seating that sat in the large shopping center featuring a Bel Air supermarket. I sure wish the La Bou was still around for some tea, a pastry, and sunshine on a beautiful day in the foothills. The name El Tapatio grabbed me. First, it's a Mexican mini chain in the Portland, Oregon area that serves up good food. Then, "tapatio" reminds me of "tecolote." Someone I knew would sing the praises of this hole in the wall "El Tecolote" in a once more rural town in SoCal and, by the time I got around to going there, it was no longer in existence. A "tecolote" is an owl while someone at the restaurant told me that a "tapatio" is a folkloric dance in Mexico. Another definition I found is 'a person hailing from Guadalajara.' Good luck finding a Mexican restaurant that skimps on food. That this is rare is a good thing! I had a two-item combination platter - a burrito and an enchilada, both filled with chicken - that came with a cilantro rice and pinto beans. They also put a dollop of Mexican corn cake on top. The corn cake was so tasty that I wish there was more of it. They blended up some regular and diet Pepsi for me and refilled it. I also put away two baskets of chips, and the nice thing is that they present them with a red salsa and a frijoles dip. This worked well because I had skipped lunch owing to a big breakfast. Again, these big Mexican restaurants know the game and the competition, leading them to price their food in the same ball park, so that worked out. The service was very effective. I was thinking 4 stars, but, for how bountiful the food was, El Tapatio realistically fetches 5 stars. Not only that, the employees were very friendly and quick on their feet. The restaurant was fairly full at dinner time, with others sitting in the large bar and others coming in to pick up food. Then, even though it leans very gaudy, they really went all out to deck out the interior, with button back chairs befitting a Cutlass Supreme of yesteryear and ornate bathroom sinks that had me return to the bathroom just to take a photo of them. It makes for a good chuckle. In closing, because this place will fill you up (in a good way), you may want to pace your visits. I would. However, Auburn's El Tapatio earns its 5 stars on all dimensions. read more

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Very good, and pretty fast. Prices can be a little steep. But the food is good and the produce seems fresh. The sink and the counters in the bathroom hurt my brain with the inconsistent bright color scheme but very clean My friends raved about the spicy mango margaritas read more

I was here this last weekend for the very first time and was not disappointed! I ordered the 3 queso birria plate. It was very delicious.! I will definitely stop by again when I'm back in town . read more

El Tapatio - Queso Birria Pkate - Mexican Near Me - Auburn, California

I stopped in here on a Thursday afternoon for a beverage and chips and salsa. Very much like the Citrus Heights location. Food is excellent and the people are friendly. read more

Delicious food! Prompt and professional service. Good music, we will be back, thank you! read more

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Quality food, fairly nice atmosphere. The staff are attentive and the food is very good while being reasonably priced. Will definitely be eating here on a frequent basis. read more

Started with table chips salsa and warm bean dip - ordered enchiladas- build your own plate and had a beer. prices are very reasonable food is VERY GOOD. I could have filled up on just the chips and salsa/ multiple people -not just our lady -checked on us- worked as a genuine team rather than 'let me get your server' FRIENDLY STAFF. I ordered a beer- it took a while to get to the table- even with that delay I still give it 5 stars. Timing wise if the beer had arrived sooner it probably would have made it so I ordered a second beer do bar needs to be faster but WAY HAPPY- WILL BE RETURNING! Ultimately I couldn't finish my plate because I was full!! so I have very yummy leftovers!! read more

Awesome food/happy hour, amazing staff and service and really cool looking place takes me back to one of my favorite restaurants that closed in the Napa Valley! read more

We so enjoy El Tapatio! Consistent GREAT food bar none! And some of the best service! Prices are fair and we have never gone away hungry.

We always come into this restaurant and they are friendly. The food is good and the chips/bean dip and salsa are great. The last time we were there we discovered that they changed to way they make regular margaritas. Now they taste like orange. The waiter said that there was a change and that he was getting several complaints.. Stop trying to save a buck and give the patrons the good margaritas back before deciding to go elsewhere. read more