This place has the best food for the best price you are likely to ever find. I highly recommend if you like authentic Mexican food, regardless of your budget, try this place. Service is great and everything is fresh. read more

Wow! The outside of the restart is very unassuming, but the inside is inviting and transports you to what I assume a Mexican restaurant in Mexico would be! The staff is friendly and attentive. The prices were very affordable and the amount of food you get is great! My fajita dish was delicious! It was a huge serving and the accouterments were plentiful! Ask for a side of jalepenos. I swiped my Dad's from his carne asada (which he said was amazing). We also had white queso, not too thick and not too thin. My margarita frozen swirl was very tasty! All in all, a hit! Sorry it has taken us four months to find this spot! The only thing I didn't love was that the chips were thicker than what I normally like, but still tasty with the salsa and queso! read more

El Tapatio - Fajitas! - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Today we made a bad choice in choosing this to be our dinner for a birthday. As a group we collectively wanted to order an appetizer, but in the middle of enjoying ourselves a long strand of hair was in the middle of the whole bowl. At the same time as tried to take care of our bill the host decided to argue on why we didn't want to eat out food. If you eat your food with hair that's fine, I just don't and I don't need your attitude to go with it. read more

Excellent experience. First time at El Tapatio, will be back soon. Authentic Mexican decor and comfy booths. Even as busy as they were, it wasn't at all noisy. The dividers between the booths helped a lot. The food was surprisingly delicious. We enjoyed the Chicken Tapatio and Beef Fajitas. The lunch portion was the perfect size. read more

Friendly staff Hot food Continued attention Taste good Clean and cute decor Bilingual Fast service read more

there are two of these restaurants. The original is my favorite by the interstate. The ambience is unmatched for any restaurant, Mexican style in this area, and the food is unquestionably, authentic along with the service highly recommended highly . 5stars. Because they're still in business and they're in all that road construction and it has not destroyed their business. on since I have been coming to this area to go to the casinos there in that area for three years, but that business is still there . That means they have a really good following as well. They expand their business to compensate so their business minded. I am in favor of this restaurant in our areas read more

A hidden gem right off the highway. We were looking for a place with easy access to the highway as we were traveling home and this place hit the spot. Not many places to choose from in Gainesville, but we were happy we found it. Make sure you use your GPS and keep your eyes open or you could miss it. It's really tucked away in a small bulding. Chips were nice and crispy and while the salsa was good, my preference would be to be a little chunkier. Creamy white queso hit the spot, but would have like it a little thicker consistency. (Again nitpicking here) The lunch specials are the right price and right portions. Chile relleno was coated in cheese, just like I like it. And the beef fajita burrito was very flavorful. If you are passing through and want Mexican food, make this your stop. read more

My friend and I visited El Tapatio on Thursday. Waitstaff was attentive and friendly, restaurant was clean, chips and salsa were delicious, and the combined (chicken and beef) fajitas for two were plentiful! We even had leftovers! Will definitely visit again! read more

Food was good but service tonight was not. Maybe they were short handed, but we had to ask for chips and salsa as we were being asked to order mains. The fajitas were delivered first - no tortillas, guacamole or pico, no beans or rice. At least we had forks. The sides did eventually arrive. We were never checked on for refills of tea until the check was delivered. There are other Tex-mex restaurants, including other El Tapatio's in town. Will probably be going there next time. read more

El Tapatio - Lunch portion combo fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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The food is not great, but it's ok for the price. Prices are cheap with many menu items under $10. Its a mix of TexMex & Mexican food. The tamales are definitely the TexMex version, and a bad one at that. I would not recommend the tamales. Service is just ok. Although I'm not a fan, I'm still going to rate them 5 stars because they are one of very few businesses in Gainesville to require staff to wear masks during the Covid pandemic. Not only do they have them, but they wear them correctly! Customers are a different story, but maybe 50% of customers complied with the sign requiring masks. Tables are spaced or have high backs between back-to-back seating. read more

Does not allow service dogs. Has allowed my service dog in the past and the staff was very friendly. That is why I came back to this establishment. I guess I will not come back. Staff was rude this time as well. read more

El Tapatio - Service dogs are NOT allowed. Looks like my lawyer will be involved. - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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I've visited both, the one by I-35 and the one on Grand. The one on I-35 is inconsistent. Sometimes the food is great, sometimes it's mediocre. Their chips are sometimes fresh and delicious and sometimes they taste stale. I've recently started to go to the one on Grand and it has been consistently good. Chips are fresh, salsa is good, food is hot and tasty. read more

Great place to go and unwind. The food was great and the drinks are even better. Servers remember you and your order if you come in a few times. It was very nice. This a great place to take family or go alone. Quick service. read more

Great food! I read the reviews so was cautious. Greatly surprised by the decor, the service, the food. We both had the lunch specials; Hubby had the chimichanga plate, and I had the fajitas. Excellent choice on both dishes. read more

The salsa was delicious and so was the food. The frozen mango margarita was one of the best I've had. The carne asada was seasoned to perfection. I definitely recommend this place. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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Visited this afternoon and enjoyed the food. Salsa was very good. I'm a salsa snob and I rate all Mexican restaurants based on their salsa. It was 5 all the way! Great atmosphere. Relatively quiet and we enjoyed that tremendously! Easy on/off the interstate as we were traveling back home to Oklahoma. The only negative was the staff was very unfriendly. It wasn't just the waitress either. The guy that seated us even. We arrived at 2pm so it wasn't the lunch rush. Will try again next time we are in the area just to see if it was a fluke. The salsa is worth dealing with unfriendly workers. read more

I went to this eatery today and my first negative impression came from the Host/Manager/Part Owner, he spoke two words too me, how many. He then walked too a booth and frisbeed the menu on the table and then walked away. The food was awful not worth the money at all. I guess others like it, they must never have a had good Mex food before. My waiter was good and was tipped accordingly. I'm obviously one and done. read more

Have ate here in the past and had positive experience but not today! Margarita was terrible, when we told the waiter he just took it away without asking what was wrong with it or asking if we wanted a different drink. Friend ordered grilled shrimp with shredded cheese, they served her cold shrimp topped with cheese. Asked the waiter about the shrimp and cheese not being warm or melted so he grabbed the plate, walked off without a word or even listening to the problem then proceeded to bring back a clearly microwaved crispy cheese shrimp plate. Food was subpar today but the service was the worst part. Super disappointing. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Conclusion: deserves a 4.8 as it is really good food for the money (great value). Quality of the food was fairly high, drinks were moderately priced and quite good too. Looks like a dive from outside but the inside is nicely decorated and has a true Mexico feel to it. Pros: great prices. Large selection on the menu. Tried the pollo loco, queso fundido and burrito all were very good. Pollo loco sauce was among the best of any Mexican restaurant. The queso fundido was almost like a chorizo fajita dish (including peppers onions and mushrooms) with a lot of cheese on top - I loved it this way. Corn tortillas were excellent. The giant burrito was good (it's a burrito). The margarita was quite tasty. Salsa was really good and the extra spicy one has a nice fruity taste to it. The decor inside is fun and has a feel as if I was traveling back in Mexico. Cons: chips were a little chewier than I like. Chicken was very slightly overdone but not even close to ruined. Menu has so many choices that it was hard to pick just one meal to order. read more

My wife and I were told about this place from a local hotel employee. I know Gainesville can be a bit limited when it comes to restaurant options but for Mexican food, I would say it's an okay option. Full bar, tasty appetizers and the service was ok. Our waiter wasn't very personable but the location and price were on point. read more

Great margarita .. happy hour prices on Saturday all day.. bland queso . But fresh chips and easy salsa to eat.. great tamales and all around good service ... food was either really good or just average so we will try some different items next time ... read more

The greatest and best food in Gainesville. The chips and salsa and delicious. Loved everything I've eaten here. read more

El Tapatio - Regular strawberry margarita - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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The menu says "Dos Equis XX dark". So that's what I ordered. I was given an amber beer. Not what I wanted so it was sent back. Unsweetened tea works for me. I ordered a Spinach Quesadilla, no bell peppers. When the meal arrived the first bite had bell peppers. Yuk. There were bell peppers mixed in the entire quesadilla. It went back. I skipped dinner tonight. read more

El Tapatio - Nothing. No meal. I told you I didn't want bell peppers. - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

This place actually exceeded my expectations . The atmosphere is lively, the staff is friendly and attentive, and the salsa is so good! If I could, that's all I would've eaten. My boyfriend and I had the Tropical fajita for two (shrimp, chicken, and beef with pineapple). Pros: The portions were huge! I think I could make two more meals out of our leftovers. I really enjoyed the shrimp and pineapple. Cons: the fajita beef was overly cooked for my taste. Also, the flour tortillas were hard to pull apart. Although I wasn't too satisfied about the fajita, their other food choices seem like there would be some potential. I mean, if they have really good salsa, they should have good entrees as well right? I would come back to give it another chance. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

If you haven't been to El Tapatio you're missing very good food. You got a try this one.

Good Mexican food and great staff. The carnitas are my fav, polo loco is probably the best I've had anywhere.

El Tapatio is a wonderful wonderful place to eat we eat there every Friday it is that good and we are 2hours away from it that is how good is it read more

El Tapatio has two locations in Gainsville, and we have mostly eaten at the Grand Ave location in town and finally decided to give the I-35 location a try. The food is exactly the same at both locations, and the service is always good. This is average Tex-Mex fare, and we've always enjoyed it. We've tried enchiladas, fajitas, burritos--all good. The margaritas are good as well. The difference between these locations is that the dining room at the I-35 location is more open, while Grand Ave is smaller and cozier. Both have nice booths. Most of the locals seem to go to the Grand location, but we enjoyed them both the same. read more

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We enjoyed a good meal. Excellent service.. and the largest Marg we have ever had at happy hour price of 8.99... happy hour till 9:30 ... woohoo. read more

El Tapatio - This is a 2 hour Marg.... - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

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First time here ...and the food serverd nice and Hot and service was awesome. We will definitely return.

So good , so fresh, so cheap! What more could you ask for? But sincerely if you haven't had the chance to go try this place make the time to try it. read more

El Tap is the best Tex Mex in Gainesville. Villa Grande has a much prettier atmosphere, and places like Taqueria Taco Loco and Mendez Bakery have more authentic menus, but El Tap has the best service, the best prices, and undeniably delicious food. They also have the best chips and salsa while you wait! I've had not-so-great experiences at the location on Grande Avenue so I would pick this one off I-35, but it really doesn't matter. read more

Been going there couple times a month. I Get the same thing every time nacho fajita but instead of pica and guacamole I get sliced avocado never been charged extra. This time they charged me 3.50 for the avocado! I was questioning him about it and he hurried up an swiped my card .I told him I wanted to speck to a manager an he just blew me off said there was no manager ok. I told him he just lost 4 customers he said he didnt care definitely taking g my business elsewhere. food is great always but waiter only come to the table like once. read more

We ate here on May 11, 2018. Food was fine, service was OK. We left a $3.50 tip on a $26 bill and found later that the tip was changed to $35.00. Called over 2 days to speak to a manager about it (we don't live there) and are told manager is not there. Left msg but he never calls back. My next call will be to the police for theft or credit card fraud if I don't hear from him today. read more

Some of my favorite salsas. If you like hot ask for the habanero salsa. Extensive menu includes several seafood options that are very well done. Daily lunch specials make this a great lunch stop but don't miss out on the margaritas in the evening. Very efficient and attentive wait staff is the norm. I can't recall getting poor service on my many visits to either location. read more

The best Mexican food money can buy!!! I've ate here so many times always excited to go back. I've explored the menu a lot and everything is delicious!! read more

For $20 you can get a plate of nachos and a pitcher of margaritas ( I suggest mango)! You can't beat that! They are both amazing and equal a great night out! read more

Ordered food and didnt receive it all.went back in and waited thirty minutes to get the rest. Girl up fromt was super rude. Got home and food wasnt right . Called and the Rude girl answered the phone said it wasnt her problem. Over El Tap. Food isnt good enough to deal with rude behavior read more

The array of salsas was incredible. However, the meal was not. Chicken was bland, beef was bland, etc. Service was good. I must be missing something as the place was packed during our visit. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing? read more

Good Mexican food for Gainesville. Everything is usually fast & hot. Sometimes the service can be a hit or miss, but overall not too shabby. Can be busy around lunch but will still have time to eat. Parking is a bit of a challenge - but I like how they have some on both sides of the restaurant. Their queso & salsa are always really tasty. I recommend their chicken enchiladas. read more