The Jumbo mango margarita is heaven.it was like drinking a yummy mango juice. The chimichanga was so good! It was filled with steak with the most amazing seasoning! The Taco salad isn't round. It's like a jumbo taco shell. The peppers and all were cooked perfectly. The chips are fresh. The cheese smooth and creamy. I asked for a little of their jalapeño sauce to add to it. There's a great view of the water there. read more

El Tapatio Mexican II - Steak chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Gadsden, Alabama

See all

Best tacos in town! Easily the best tasting tacos, with the highest quality ingredients, not to mention the most generous portion size! You can't go wrong here with the regular, fajitas, or street tacos. They actually grill the tortillas, so they are wonderful, warm, and don't break on you! You can customize your taco toppings here with no problems and the upcharges for add-on's are reasonable and make you feel like an appreciated customer. Most places in Gadsden have started upcharging any modification at a rate that makes me feel bullied, but not this place! They act like they really want you to enjoy your food, which is how it should be! I had never been in this restaurant until about 2 months ago when I tried to eat at C&J's next door (I love their food, but their service leaves a lot to be desired) and they would not seat me at 4:00 pm (I get that they must not have had staff, and it is a weird time to eat, but I was hungry so going to a restaurant expecting food didn't seem unreasonable) and they said they could not seat me for 30-45 minutes. I asked my companions if they wanted to try "the place next door" as we were all starving, and they said sure. We walked in and were blown away by how beautiful this restaurant is! From the outside it looks scary and not so nice (which is why I had never been here) but the interior is stunning! Huge picture windows line the entire back of the building, showcasing tons of natural light and beautiful views of the river. The interior has a bright and warm feel that is so comfortable and enjoyable. The staff were happy to see us and instantly sat us a a large comfortable booth with a beautiful view and had chips and salsa in front of us in 1 minute flat. Our food didn't take 10 minutes to arrive after that, and everyone loved their meal. The chips and salsa here are great; the salsa is the best in town, the chips could be a little thinner, but it's not like I'm going somewhere else for better chips. The rice, beans, side salad, guac, are all exactly what you expect. Every entree I've tried here has been great, but I keep going back to all the incredible taco choices! The only thing I avoid here is the cheese dip, which seems a little runny and lacking in cheese flavor, which is not a problem (for me) as they load my tacos up with fresh delicious grated-to-order cheese. I can't believe I've been missing out on this place for all the years I've lived here! I'm not making that mistake anymore - I think I've been here twice a week since discovering it - it is just that good! read more

El Tapatio Mexican II - Fajita Steak Tacos with lettuce and cheese! - Mexican Near Me - Gadsden, Alabama

Best Service we have had in any restaurant in a long time. The waiter that took our order which clean cut and funny and after the food came out, he checked with us to make sure it was OK and it was delicious read more

Honestly, I used to have another favorite Mexican restaurant in Gadsden - it rhymes with Nilla Siesta and I still think their food is pretty good. But, I hadn't yet had the Texas Dip at El Tap (as we regulars call it). Oh. My. Y'all. Walk, don't run and order the Texas dip. It's fabulous. Everything else has been heavenly - some favorites are Texas Mixto, shrimp fajitas and tamales. read more

Immaculate. Amazing restaurant, I have been coming here for near 10 years. Cheese is beautiful and amazing tasting. Will keep coming and supplying. read more

We stopped in while driving through this town. It's a great little restaurant! The staff is super friendly as you walk in. The waiter was absolutely fantastic. The food was fresh and hot and delicious! And the lady that checked us out was so very friendly!! If I lived here I'd eat here very often! Prices are reasonable too. read more

We called in the order as we were traveling and staying in a hotel. Our order was ready in the exact amount of time she said it would on the phone... 15 minutes. We shared the fajitas for two and the small cheese dip. The portions were large and the food fresh and flavorful. Will go again if we get the opportunity. read more

We were traveling through Gadsden and everyone was beginning to get hungry. We wanted someplace where we could get out and stretch our legs, have a good meal and enjoy some family time before resuming our trip. Based on the Yelp ratings for restaurants on our route, El Tapatio was the best choice for our family. When we were shown to our table, we were pleased to see that the patio area overlooks the river so we were able to watch boaters and skiers on the water while we waited. The chips and salsa were good: light chips and salsa so good my kids didn't ask for cheese dip! My family ordered Steak Fajitas for 2, Steak Flaming Cheese, Beef Burritos, and Tostadas. The portion sizes were larger than expected. My son had ordered a build your own lunch and added an extra burrito, but he couldn't finish the first one. My wife and my son really enjoyed the fajitas. The Flaming Cheese dish was good but it obviously was ready before the other dishes as the cheese sauce had solidified before the food came to the table. I would request that it be prepared last if we were there again. The flavor was good, it just was not hot. It will be a while before we are back in the area, but we would definitely visit El Tapatio again. read more

The family that runs this business is very friendly!! The food is great too. Would recommend this place to anyone!

Kinda disappointing, actually. It wasn't bad.... just lacking. It was maybe a half step down from the run of the mill Mexican joint. It was also hot. read more

We are visiting from Arizona and were missing good Mexican Food. We ordered food to go because of COVID 19. I choose this restaurant because it had 4 stars. I don't know what it would be like to eat inside the restaurant. But the food to go was bland with no favor. I am sorry but I personally would never order food from there again. Salas tasted like stewed tomatoes from a can. Rice had to favor. We ordered 3 shredded beef tacos and got 3 shredded no favor chicken ones instead. In all fairness the man who took my ordered may not have understood me because I was wearing a mask. My husband ordered a bean burrito and it looked more like a enchilada than a burrito it was quite flat for a burrito. read more

Girlfriend and I went here for lunch one day... the place was practically empty, so we were seated right away. We got a nice booth by the windows in the back, overlooking the water. That's a pretty nice touch for a Mexican restaurant. I'll start with the restaurant itself. It's decorated like every other cheap Mexican restaurant you've ever been in. Hard surface floor, generic tables and those cheap banquet chairs. While the tables and chairs were clean, the windows were dirty. Some little kids dirty paw prints were all over the window near where I was sitting. That kind of grossed me out a little. Everything else was clean though... floors, tables, silverware. All that important stuff... Another thing that bothered me was that it was the middle of the day and the air conditioner wasn't running. It was very hot inside. A couple times I almost asked if the air conditioner was broken or something... Our server was friendly enough. I don't think he spoke a lot of English, but enough to take our order and get our drinks. I ordered the flaming cheese, which is a big, greasy glob of meat and cheese on a plate. While it doesn't look (or sound) very appetizing, it's actually quite good. Between that and the chips and salsa we got, I was pretty full about 3/4 of the way through my dish. The server kept our drinks topped off and made sure everything was "bueno". This would have been a four-star review if not for the dirty windows and the air conditioning issue. It's decent Mexican food at a cheap price... if you're looking for a good filling meal, I'd say check it out. read more

horrible service, waiTed 30 min for our drinks, food came out pretty quick, but paid $11 for the loco rice which came out as a SMALL side dish of rice with cheese topped with steak. not kid friendly either if u have a large party. after they brought the food, we never seen our server again for refills or anything. never brought out our checks after we sat and waited. we will never eat here again read more

I ordered dinner for me and my wife and her parents. My total was 85 dollars , when we got our order we had ordered an extra bag of chips and ask for extra red sauce. When we received our order there was just 1 bag plus the bag I ordered and 1 red sauce. We ordered 3 extra cheese dips at 3.45 a piece and got 1 ... I called and again knowing how much I had ordered and how much money we spent , the person who said she was the Manager on Duty was less than nice. If we was to go in there with our whole family they would know who we are. I know we won't stay away forever but as much as businesses need customers even if I was a little short handed , I wouldn't be nothing but extra nice to all and any of my customers . It will be a while before I vote yes to this Restaurant. read more

This is hands down my favorite restaurant in Gadsden. The price is extremely reasonable, $6-12 per adult, and the food is great. I order either the flaming cheese, chimichanga, or fajita's every time I go. It's just what I like. Others with me do the special lunch #3 (doesn't have to be lunch to order it), a taco salad, or fajitas. These folks get busy, but the owner will come around and greet you during dinner. My only negative is their coupons, which I rarely ever use coupons anywhere for anything anyways. The folks who print their coupons do so in a way that leaves a lot to the imagination. So if you have any questions or bright ideas, ask ahead to save yourself the time at the register. read more

We eat here aeast once a week. The food is consistently good and we love the people there.

This is my all-time favorite Mexican restaurant! They have the best chips, salsa, cheese dip, chimichangas, fajitas, everything. The Special Lunch #3 is phenomenal. read more

HORRIBLE SERVICE! The waiter we had did not even take our order until we had to ask another waiter to get us drinks. very rude waitress.

Awesome food for an awesome price. My wife and I have been haunting this place for almost 10 yrs now and the food, price, and service have been consistently great. read more

Not very clean, service was terrible. Was first and last trip! The entire restaurant was dirty so that did it for me!

I come through here on business and I stop here regularly for dinner. As far as Mexican restaurants go, I do like this one. Clean. Friendly. Inexpensive. The food does seem above par for restaurants in this category. read more

Nope. Nice river view, but food lacks. Used to be good here, but have gone downhill in recent years. Friendly staff, but not too authentic on the Mexican fare. read more

I'm not from this area, and only moved back here a year and 1/2 ago, but aside from my own restaurant, this is one of the few restaurants here in Gadsden that I will go to on a consistent basis. We have been going here for years. The staff is so friendly, and, of course, they all know us. The food is always hot, plentiful, and delicious. We typically order the same things, but we are NEVER disappointed in the food, the margarita's, nor the service. We have "our table" that is typically available for us, and we are always treated with such respect, kindness, and it is service like that which is what makes me return to any sort of business. In this economy, and the amount of choices you can make on places to eat or shop, nothing beats great quality food and amazing customer service and cleanliness. Score big for this great little restaurant! :) read more

i'm used to tex mex in texas! so good. el tapato in my opinion the best gadsden has to offer, service food ect....grat fajitas.

We were in the mood for some authentic Mexican food and by some reviews we thought the food was going to be great. In fact the food was horrible! My dad ordered hevous ranchiros and usually they are served with a tomato sauce on top... well they just poured mole on top, my mom had ordered mole... So it seemed like they were just lazy and dumped it on there. I ordered tacos al pastor, they were too salty and did not have onions nor cilantro, which is how they should be served. Additionally, the waiter was rude. read more

There is the correct way to handle a situation when a customer finds a sharp piece of metal in their food.....yet this restaurant chose the wrong way. While visiting my mom, I took her to dinner for our cheap Mexican fix. After a few bites, she pulled a solid thick metal wire about 1 inch long and very sharp on each end out of her mouth. As a restaurant owner myself, this item could not be associated with food preparation or even a restaurant in general. My mind began questioning their food preparation process - which caused me to lose my appetite after only a few bites. I took the strange object to the manager who naturally apologized. He came to the table to ask what my mom would like instead. She said to make her a small salad as it seemed like a safe option. I sent my mostly uneaten meal away. She ate a few bites of the salad and we decided to leave. The check comes - it is for the entire meal including the quesadilla with the metal fragments AND the small salad replacement. Seriously? If anyone found a foreign object in their food in my restaurant, I would have bought their meal and added desserts or drinks to help smooth over the situation. The more serious concern.......an unidentifiable piece of sharp metal coming from the food prep area means there are serious problems in the kitchen. read more

Best Mexican restaurant in Gadsden. Décor could use a touch up, but the staff is friendly and if you take someone on their birthday to El Tapatio get ready to have some fun. read more

A new restaurant moved next door tho this one and they painted their building a pink color and it look bad but if you do go Steak Fajitas are a must!! read more