Over in the area for a country drive, did a quick Yelp check for a good Tex-Mex place for lunch. More than one review mentioned "locals like it", and we were sold. Plenty of parking, right off the main road, and more room inside than it appears. Waitress was on the job, excellent friendly service, was right there to take drink orders, and checked up on us throughout the meal. They were actually standing there waiting for us to sit with the chips and salsa. Definitely had the look of a local favorite, we were there after the lunch rush, I'm sure it's packed on weekend nights. All the food came out really fast, but was all fresh, tasty, and hit the spot. The menu had tons of variety, will take multiple visits to work through. That Texas staple, sweet tea, was especially good, had a lot of flavour served in large glasses. Would almost be worth stopping in during the summer just for some of the tea! Really nice space for a meal, and very friendly service! read more

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We were in Gatesville for softball and wandered in this little joint. It's legit! Four kinds of salsa The verde and Diablo are fantastic but wait, if you mix them they are close to perfection! Such nice sweet waitstaff. They indulged my Spanish and so move to my daughter! Over two days, We tried hamburger, queso, chips and salsas, migas were heavenly, beef fajita plate, chicken tacos Refried beans were excellent They serve cold beer too Ambiance was acceptable Simple decor with nothing crazy Tables Booths A drive through Very busy place so the locals are e enjoying the place I highly recommend you stop in this joint, eat some food and ask for the verde and Diablo sauce!! read more

EL TAPATIO Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Gatesville, Texas

Very family oriented. Clean resturaunt, great service. The food is authentic texican. Going to get a cowboy taco with my dad there was special. Tgey treated my dad like family until he passed. I love this place. Also, you can still get a$5 rita! read more

Walked in to good service, the hostess acknowledged me and told me to sit anywhere. My waitress brought out chips and water immediately and my order was brought out, hot and fresh within 10 minutes of ordering it. I ordered a Birria quesadilla, one of my favorite meals when I visit Mexican resturants. It was nice and hot, tender and flavorful the only thing is they did not give me any consommé. The restaurant had the typical authentic Mexican vibe and was very clean. No TV's but they were playing music. read more

EL TAPATIO Restaurant - Birria quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Gatesville, Texas

The food tasted like they didn't even attempt to season it & the service was poor. The waitress didn't come back our table & had a bad attitude about having to do her job. My sisters food didn't come out until we complained. We said just forget it. 20 minute later she puts a plate on the table and said "it was already on the ticket." They were all too busy sitting around & talking to do their jobs. read more

I've been coming here for years and every time I order is messed up I try to speak up on it cause I pay for it but they always give me pushback that are not apologizing or replacing it ...the owner's wife she's the worst then they have these pretty boys that work the drive-through who are rude and all they worry about how their curls look with their tight pants ordered the Mexican chicken quesadilla tonight with chicken and beef. Yeah I was really hungry. Had a long day so I didn't really notice there wasn't chicken on it was mostly beef when I called it in. He was questioning me and I just was like I'm didn't notice till I ate the second one. The Mexican quesadilla is huge so you know there's like four more left. Then I asked for a fresh guac they gave me that guac mix and I told him well. I don't like the guac mix and he says how you know you don't like it. If you didn't eat it I said cause I saw it on my plate then he wants me to drive all the way back up there which I live 30 minutes out of town to go bring this back instead of just apologizing don't waste your money here. Their tortillas are from Walmart or H-E-B. The customer service is very rude. I told him I didn't want the chips. He took him back and said he'll sell them to somebody else so that's a hygiene problem for me go somewhere else not in Gatesville for Mexican Food. I don't know why I keep coming here. I guess because of convenience. Their queso Loco is pretty good a little salty but I guess that's why I went there, but I'm will be going to the other Mexican restaurant in Gatesville for now on the one by Taco Bell, go over to that one their tortillas are homemade. there's salsa also is disgusting. It's just ketchup and salt if you drive through Gatesville don't stop here I believe in Gatesville for years and I've been having problems with them. I just decided to post a review finally cause they always give me pushback and never want to replace my food. Will never be going back here. I'm gonna tell all my coworkers and my family do not eat here. read more

With the limited options for food while traveling through this town, I had low expectations and didn't expect to find some good authentic Mexican food like this! Walk in and seat yourself, get started with some chips & salsa. Their chips look like they're gonna be thick and hard, but it's the opposite! Their chips were light and almost flakey. We loved them. Their queso was thick, cheesy & creamy. Great, flavorful charro beans. Overall, it was all good and definitely would be considered comfort food. Service was wonderful and it was very clean inside. read more

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Great food but expensive but good but don't be mean but I only like the cheese burger and chicken tenders and but my parents and my grandparents love a lot of the food there plus they even give chips and salsa for when getting food and drinks but even for ranch and mayo lovers they have ranch and mayo and they even have fried ice cream for dessert there read more

It's ok. Never consistent. One day the salsa is perfect. Next day it taste like tomatoes in a salt bucket. Same way with all of their plates. Processed chicken from I don't know where. I just know there's a lot of restaurants that use the same red looking chicken.. The food is way overpriced for being just OK. 80% of the people here in Gatesville drives to Waco or Temple to eat. read more

Excellent service. Clean restaurant. Friendly staff. Amazing food. Fair prices. Highly recommend.

Friendly, fresh and clean! Food is flavorful, staff is friendly, restaurant is clean. Bathrooms are older but clean.

We visited Gatesville to view the eclipse. El Tapatio was recommended by one of the local city workers, and it became our go to restaurant in town. We've never had Texas Charro beans anywhere near that good, and after being home one day we are lamenting that we will have return there to see their like again. Don't get us wrong, they are more than a bean soup shop. Everything we ordered was way better than we expected, down to the ability to perfectly baste the eggs over my Huevos Rancheros. Great food, service, and very reasonable prices. read more

Authentic TX/Mex. Reasonably priced. Great selection. Miya's are my fav for breakfast. Coach likes steak and eggs.

i'm confused on how we live right next to mexico but we can't get real authentic mexican food anywhere tex mex is disgusting

Good food! Decent price! Friendly staff! All the components needed for a great hole in the wall! For this small town, there are only a handful of decent places to go eat. And by handful, I mean less than 5 lol. El Tapatio is definitely one of them. I always go for the same things every time I come here: mixed fajita for one entree, and the queso grill for appetizer. They're so good that I don't want to cheat on them and go with something else. Writing this review gets my mouth all watering right now thinking of that cheesy, greasy, delicious queso grill. I would come here at least every other day for lunch or dinner if I didn't get eater's remorse after indulging all that yummy but not very healthy food. read more

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We live about 2.5 hours away but come down to Gatesville every other week or so. We make a point to go to El Tapatio every time we're here! SO good! Huge portions of quality food. You won't leave disappointed, I promise!! read more

EL TAPATIO Restaurant - Front sign - Mexican Near Me - Gatesville, Texas

With the great food and great staff, you can't beat El Tap. My go to place in Gatesville!

Hey hey, I don't know if there are any other Mexican restaurants in Gatesville, but this is the one my family goes to. The food is great as are the owners and the employees. I have had the chicken soft tacos and beef enchiladas here in the last few months which were satisfying. I'd love to have breakfast here but I'm usually not in the area early in the day. The chips and salsa are really good as well as the Spanish rice and refried beans which I assume comes with each meal. The only thing I could really call out is the Queso. It needs to have some onion, jalapeños and maybe some cilantro in it as it is more like cheese sauce. Good food here! read more

We were passing through town and stopped for lunch. Our server,Luis, was very friendly and attentive. Our food came quick and very generous portions. And it was delicious! I got two shredded chicken tacos and my husband got the #15 plate. Glad we stopped! We'll be back! read more

Please make sure you check your ticket before paying. I was charged for someone else's meal and the waiter would not refund my money. Not a good experience. read more

Ordered 6 beef tacos with 8oz queso. Nothing special except price was TOO HIGH!!! $39 ?? Needless to say can't afford your tacos ElTapatio will switch to La Hacienda read more

BOOM!!! This place has some Bomb Ass Tacos!! Every time I'm in Gatesville, I make it a point to stop in for breakfast and lunch at this place! Love the chips & salsa! And Everything on the menu. Great Prices for breakfast, lunch & dinner! Service: Always Friendly, Helpful, & Awesome!! read more

EL TAPATIO Restaurant - Breakfast Tacos from El Tapatio in Gatesville!! - Mexican Near Me - Gatesville, Texas

Best cheese enchiladas, tres leches, and flan in Gatesville! This is my go to for Mexican in Gatesville! Their side of rice and beans were soo good. The enchilada sauce was flavorful. Theres something about a cheese, tortilla, and enchilada sauce combo that's just amazing! read more

This was a good place to stop and refresh from a long drive. The portions were pretty good for the price, which was average. We were greeted almost immediately and seated right away. We ordered drinks and the waitress bustled off and brought them back real fast. The chips (this is how I judge all Mexican restaurants) were fresh and plentiful. Our food came quick and hot. My only disappointments...the salsa was HOT (you only got one choice) and the chicken didn't have a lot of flavor but the fajita plate did. Overall a good experience. read more

EL TAPATIO Restaurant - Decent portions for the price. - Mexican Near Me - Gatesville, Texas

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Food was ok. Prices on here are wrong. By 4 dollars. Verde sauce was to sour and soda was flat. Don't recommend this el tap

It's about a mile from our farm and a favorite breakfast spot. Quick friendly service, good food and nice atmosphere They offer American style breakfast if yOu want it. I usually have a breakfast burrito or Migas. They have another location in town but it's small and parking can be a challenge there. I've eaten the non breakfast foods. They are good as well. The locals refer to it as El Tap. read more

This restaurant use to be fantastic. Have been regular for years and recommended people. We sadly will not be customers here anymore. Prices increased by $5-6 on almost everything we ordered with no warning or explanation. Service was awful tonight. 15 minutes to get drinks and they were not busy. Meals came out one at a time. Our bill was over $30 higher for 6 people than normal. Be ware!!! Huge price increase for the worst service ever. Go to a steakhouse if you want to pay these pricey food prices. read more

A very nice clean restaurant in the heart of Gatesville Texas food was very good service was prompt just passing thru on vacation I will go again. read more

Great authentic Mexican food, chips and salsa start the meal off on a high note! I will certainly be timing my visits to ensure I make it back for supper time. If you are passing through definently stop by for good authentic food! read more

Great food and salas and cheese and good service everyone was nice for a family owned Business and great experience and good food

Food is OK. Services is good sitting areas is a little crammed. Better to pay with cash surcharge on card.

It was okay for a Mexican restaurant but nothing great. The waitress was nice, prices were okay. Margaritas kind of weak. We got our food pretty promptly and it was good but not great. I was very surprised that my dinner only came with two very small flour tortilla considering the amount of food on the plate. read more

Almost drove by it. Glad we stopped some of the best Mexican food I've had and I cook Mexican food. We had the enchiladas. The guacamole and queso is a must if you stop!! Service was fast!! read more

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Truly the best food, service and Dr. Pepper in town! #21 Bistec Ranchero is phenomenal!

I had the al pastor torta. Delicious. My wife had the ground beef taco salsas and loved it. The only thing lacking was the chicken strips. A bit bland. Staff was nice and service was prompt. read more

This place is a popular place to go in town - especially because it's great location next to the hospital. I tried this place out during a ride along with the Coryell EMS service and it was great! I got a cactus taco and a shrimp taco both on flour tortillas. The shrimp was a little chewy but it was pretty decent. The cactus taco was good, lots of great citrus flavor. I enjoyed the flour tortillas as well. For two tacos that were decently priced... it was a filling meal! I definitely recommend this place for a quick bite or for a group gathering. It's a very laid back atmosphere here and you can tell the community really supports this place. Check it out! read more

EL TAPATIO Restaurant - Cactus and shrimp tacos!! - Mexican Near Me - Gatesville, Texas

It'd been ten years and 1,500 miles since I came to this place, but it's every good as I remembered. I used to frequent the one by the hospital, but I tempered nostalgia for adventure. In that spirit I broke from my usual order of fajitas and got the carne asada. Both were good decisions. The portions were mighty and the dish was flavorful. My first encounter with cactus that topped the beef was a good one.  Sure the beef was a little tough and the chips were almost certainly generic tostitos, but whatever - the prices, good vibes, clean bathrooms and candy selection by the register make El Tapatios Gatesville's best restaurant. read more

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Excellent Burrito! They have provided consistent food throughout and everyone has seemed to gravitated toward the burrito. An excellent choice after a long day in the field. read more

The absolute best Mexican food! My husband had the Chile relleno and I had the combo fajitas. Yum! Highly recommend!

I am down on business, from MI very pleased we found it. Very good, at any price. The price is very fare, most under $9.00 and a good size. We asked for a smaller size, they did this for us. It was just the right size. Overall very good food and service. read more

EL TAPATIO Restaurant - a man sitting at a table - Mexican Near Me - Gatesville, Texas