Stayed in Gainesville for a week. Mexican efficianado, so I'm pretty picky about mexican. Used to authentic or calmex. This place is closer to authentic. I'm not a fan of texmex, so this was a nice change from the other sit down mexican places in the area. Fajitas are cheap and delicious. read more

This is my favorite Mexican food in Gainesville. I love the wait staff and I love the food.

Okay we are driving home on a Sunday so we have limited choices besides fast food. The hot sauce and chips was good. Fish tacos were good. I had the cheese enchiladas they tasted okay, but not what I was use to. It is a corn tortilla with cheese in the middle heated up with your choice of red sauce or cheese sauce. I missed the chili con carne. The staff is really friendly. The only disappointment was when the waiter filled my water glass and he laid the pitcher on the glass. With the Ebola scare that kind of got me. It was good but I asked my kids, if we came by this place again would you want yo come back? They said no. read more

Best Mexican food for miles. It is an authentic Mexican restaurant with the most delicious specials on the planet. Must go!

Save yourself the time and money, this was the worst food and service I've had in I don't even know how long. I ordered fajitas and it was doused in Lawry's/Johnny's seasoning, the salsa tasted like tomato soup and I'm pretty sure the margarita was made with only sweet and sour mix. Maybe this place is good and I just happened to come on a bad day but it was nasty! Whoever gives this place a 4 star review must have dead taste buds. read more

We were staying in town overnight and decided to give El Tapatio a try. I will say upon arrival the place was like a steamy sauna, but after a few people started clearing out it did improve. It quite possibly could have been the margaritas making it seem like it had improved. Either way, an hour into our visit we were having a great time. The food was good, but the margaritas were great. Our server was very nice and attentive. We will definitely be back next time we are in town. read more

Inexpensive lunch place with wonderful lime infused salsa and crunchy light chips. Enchiladas with a creamy cheese sauce as well as red in my beef and cheese ones were smooth, lightly seasoned with green chiles and the rice and beans were just the right toasted kernels and smooth beans. Would go back anytime. read more

Great food and better service. Clean area and plenty of tables with a TV to watch. I had nachos with cooked in jalapeños and the wife had child rellena with beef. She loved it. We live in Gainesville and this is my first visit here will come back. read more

El Tapatio - Mexican Near Me - Gainesville, Texas

Stopped by here for lunch on our way home from Winstar because of the high reviews here on Yelp. I always enjoy a good hole in the wall place. This was not one of them. We started with a cup of their "Cheese Dip (White)" which was luke warm and watery and worst of all really bland. The food just got worse from there. We both ordered the #8 with a cheese enchilada with chili con carne and a pork tamale. The chili con carne seemed like canned enchilada sauce with ground hamburger meat. The worst part was the huge tamale. I've never met a tamale I didn't like but this was bad. I only ate two bites and left the rest. Same for my husband. We defiantly would not recommend. read more

Surprising good Mexican in Gainesville. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff.

Have tried it 7-8 times over a 4 year period, have not been impressed 1 time. Service has always been good and priced cheap but not worth it in my opinion. Go to Sernas or taco bell for that matter. read more

Not bad for Mexican food. I appreciated the broccoli in the fajitas and the Carnitas a la Mexicana was great and flavorful; not to mention they give you a lot of food. Everyone was very friendly and my boyfriend thought the decor was way cool. If we have a hankerin' for Mexican food we're definitely going to come back when we're in town. read more

Best Mexican food in Cooke County. Lunch fajita are a great deal. Salsa is fresh and spicy.

Excellent food! Great service! Friendly staff! I ordered the enchiladas with the green sauce! Very good! Large amount of food! Good prices !

I recently started eating at El Tap. I wanted to try it out for the first time and was extremely impressed with the service and the food quality. I feel as if the food is very authentic and fresh. The restaurant inside has nice painting and tables but also has an "old" feel to it. It could also be a little bigger. Other than that I love the place! Fast service and they also offer takeout. read more

Easily the best Mexican food in Cooke county. The queso is fantastic, a little inconsistent: some days runny somedays thick, but always great regardless. The salsa is very good, cilantro = yum. I have liked every entree I have ever had here, favorite is chicken fajita quesidillas, gigantic! read more

We were visiting in town and went to this restaurant because it had a 4-star review. When we got there we were not greeted with a smile or a word for that matter. The hostess and wait staff were not happy and in no hurry to serve it's customers. The margaritas tasted completely like sweet and sour with no tequila. Total waste of money. The food was not bad but was not great by any stretch of the imagination. I would rather eat a peanut butter jelly sandwich then to give them another nickel. read more

I was not disapointed with this place. The chips were warm, the salsa was fresh and a lil spicy. The shrimp cocktail was kind of a hybrid between ceviche and cocktail, the half order was 5 bucks and seemed like a full order. The shrimp quesadilla was enormous. I had the Pollo Guadalajara and it was pretty tasty and a nice large portion. I also noticed they have a 46 ounce frozen margarita, I will have to be back for that. read more

The food nasty the food had no taste it was cold in there too. The guacamole was really nasty I took 2 bites and nearly gag

Great Mexican ambiance and seating is sectioned off so it feels more intimate. Have been there twice and Victor has been our waiter both times. He's a hoot! Got the Carnitas the first time and split them with the wife and still had some leftovers. Really tender and flavorful. Had the lunch beef chili relleno today and it was great, (cook got my order wrong and it came out just cheese but I ate some anyway and may get it next time :) Victor made it all good real quick with the beef one) came with a crunchy taco that the shell was thin and crispy and the meat flavorful. Favorite Mexican Food place in Gainesville!! read more

The food is always great. However the service is lacking. Servers barely understand English. Asked for a well blended pina colada, received one with lots a big chunks of ice. My patron margarita had more triple sec than anything, extremely sour to the point that it tasted virgin., for $10 It should be great! Ordered a child's meal to go, got regular one. The salsa container was not closed so it leaked all over the food container and into the bag. Asked the server to clean it up please, and all he did was wipe the salsa container off. Asked the cashier to help, he actually did. But, he never spoke a word when we voiced our concerns. Acted like we were bothering him. Never once apologized. We weren't looking for free anything, just acknowledgment to our bad service. The guy at the front acts like he is better than everyone else. An apology would've helped. read more

Freaking awesome!!!!! Loved the shrimp cocktail, I wanted to drink the stuff it was in. The piña coladas margaritas were super yummy. I had the chicken alcapoco (sp) and my bf got the chicken fajitas. Both were delicious! Chips and awesome sauce. Portions r HUGE! We will be back! read more

Food was outstanding. I had cheese enchiladas, rice. Highly recommend. We were there around 4p on a Sunday. Not crowded. Service was fine.

We LOVE this place!!! Their service is good and food is excellent!!! Chicken fajitas are our favorite and are consistently awesome every time we go. read more

Excellent selection of vegetarian and seafood options. The crab and shrimp quesadilla is great, and they have the best ceviche for miles and miles. Margaritas are a bargain! El Tapatio is the only place for Mexican food in the county. However, if you show up around closing time, you'll be disappointed with the salsa. read more

The 300 SuiteA I-35 North location was recommended to us by dear friends in Norman, OK as a great place to stop on our way back to Houston. This restaurant could easily be missed since it is behind an Italian restaurant. It would be a mistake to pass it up. The restaurant (and bathroom) was clean and was charmingly decorated. I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole section of vegetarian options and we were served some of the best Mexican food we have ever had. The salsa was wonderful, the chips were served warm and our food was fabulous. I had a vegetarian quesadilla and an a la cart chile relleno. Because of the price, I was thinking the portions would be smaller but I was mistaken and I'm bringing over half of it home. My husband got fajitas and said they were perfectly cooked. Definitely check this place out. read more

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Overall I love this place but the reason this gets a three star review is I've been there several times and sometimes the service is lacking quality or the food and sometimes the waitresses can be rude they make you wait a lot but sometimes the food is cold. read more

Pretty good Mexican food for being out in the country and that's saying something from someone who lives in San Antonio. The chips and salsa were fresh which is always something I rate Mexican restaurants by. The wait staff was super friendly. I got the steak fajita chimichanga with rice and beans and it was awesome! The fajitas looked great too. read more

Excellent authentic Mexican food! The white queso is delicious and my family loves their salsa so much we pick it up togo and bring it to family functions lol. I pretty much like everything on their menu but the fajitas or enchiladas are probably my favorite. This restaurant is so good they are able to justify having 2 restaurants in Gainesville, TX. The one on Grande avenue is the original location. The prices are reasonable and service is fantastic! read more

We've been coming to this place for years and had nothing but good food and good service. When we have people visit from out of town they always request to go here...so what does that tell you. Plus, their food is soooo good...especially the chicken fajitas with a squirt of lemon juice. They even make homemade flour tortillas! read more

We stopped here because it was handy and had good reviews. I wouldn't give it 5 stars, but for "road food" it was pretty darn good.

Nice location. Good service. Strong drinks. Good food. Great salsa!

This place is a weekly haunt for my parents and I have always had great experience with their dishes. Food - I have tried their fajitas and enchiladas and they have always been consistent with low grease and very tasty. The margaritas are potent and everything is very decently priced. Ambiance - This has happened multiple times for me, and why I knocked down my rating. Most of my visits have seen lots of kids running around and being loud (seriously..running between tables). I love a family atmosphere, but it was hard to hear the table conversation. Weeknights might be the best time to frequent this location. read more

Thankfully not the out of a bag and into the microwave Mexican food so common in the Sanger-Gainesville-Sherman area. Fresh food, deliciously cooked and delivered fast. Tortilla container was impossible to open, bring a hammer and chisel. But that's ultra minor compared to the fast, friendly service and delicious food. read more

Great food, awesome service! Been going here for lunch for months now and it never gets old. I recommend there Caldo De Pollo if you've never tried it. read more

every time I've gone here my order has been accurate, I've had waiters with good attitudes and customer service, my food has been as expected and without lengthy wait times even when busy. they are very fast here and not lacking quality in their quickness. I definitely recommend this restaurant read more

Some good food are there I love goin there to get some good food everyone is nice and they got my food out to me quick and it was good

Let me start this off by saying that I normally absolutely hate Mexican food. With that in mind, I gotta say I absolutely love this place. It is the only Mexican food restaurant I can go to. If I'm going out to sit down and eat, this is usually the place. After trying both locations in Gainesville, I gotta say both offer the same high quality food, service, and rate of serving. Awesome place, I'd recommend to anyone. read more

I'd give this place 20 stars if I could. I am in a band, and with seven people, it can be hard to decide where to eat. We decided to give El Tapatio a try on our way from Austin to OKC. It doesn't look like much from the outside, maybe an old fast food joint. But trust me, inside, it was awesome. Food was SO good(I got the single Fajita Jalisco, and it was more than enough.) And the waitstaff was incredible. One was joking around with one of the band members, and cracking jokes. I love it when waitstaff feels comfortable enough to do that. So we had plenty to eat, plenty of fun, and so glad we found it. Everyone in the band was satisfied with their food, which is tough! Thank you. read more

Food is very tasty and I really enjoyed the fresh tortillas. Wait staff is also very pleasant and accommodating.