For a Mexican restaurant on Court Street, I have little complaints. My dinner, the spinach and chicken quesadilla, was great. The chips and salsa were even better, and my margarita was one of the best I have had in a while. The service is a bit slow, but since I was there catching up with an old friend I hardly noticed. And lastly, the prices are easy on the wallet. Compared to Mexican restaurants I am used to, this place will not break the bank. If you are in the area and need a filling meal, I would highly recommend stopping in. The outside looks unassuming, but do not let that fool you. Just a heads up: there are two toilets in the women's restroom, which is weird but both were clean. read more

El Tenampa - Chicken and Spinach Quesadilla Dinner - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Ohio

Really disappointed. Came with 7 others to celebrate birthdays. Wait wasn't long, but that's where the pros end. 10 minutes until server came over, another 15 to get drinks. Another 20 to get (premade) appetizers (guac and queso). Another 10 and we placed orders. 90 minutes later we have asked multiple times for waters, drinks, chips. Food comes out cold. But we couldn't eat because it took another 10 minutes to get silverware. Manager was uninterested when I spoke with her. Birthdays were ignored. Yes, it was a Saturday evening and yes, they were busy. But $200 for cold food, poor service and almost 3 hours just doesn't add up for me. read more

So new, the sign isn't up! Don't pass up this new Athens restaurant! Cute interior with a beautiful bar, great place to grab a cocktail while waiting for a table. Tasty food, good sized portions, and lunch specials make it a great place to dine with your Bobcat. Fantastic service, quick serve time, and free chips and salsa while you wait. read more

See all

As I come back from a night out, I would hope the thing on my mind would be how good of a time that I had. Instead it's from a small venture into this restaurant. At first it seemed pretty inconspicuous, just a super Americanized Mexican place. I wasn't expecting the best, but it was right downtown so the food had to be semi-decent. This was a mistake. The server was pretty nice, but he seemed understaffed and it took him around 30 min to finally ask us for our order, of which I ended up getting the Deluxe Burritos. Another mistake. The food game out relatively quickly, slight problem. It was wet. My burritos (smaller than Taco Bell btw) were covered in sauce and grease that made them almost impossible to pick up without feeling disgusted. I understand that Mexican food is supposed to be messy, but this thing was about to slip out of my hands. It felt like a cold dead fish. Not to mention the old tasting lettuce on top (also soaked). In the end I used a fork and knife (TO EAT A BURRITO) and finished up the most subpar meal I've had in months. Server was great though! read more

Great Mexican Food, friendly staff, good music and ambiance. Me and table split the flavorful queso and guacamole. Every time I go to El Tenapa I order the same thing: Enchiladas Verdes. Best enchiladas I've had in awhile And I never get sick of it! Service can occasionally be slow, as it is a busy campus restaurant, however the staff is always attentive and kind. Prices are not to bad, perfect place to go out to dinner with friends, on a date, or an afternoon lunch. read more

Quick service, the food is really really good! The cheese sauce on the fajita burrito is amazing!!

excellent Mex food, primo everything salsa, soup, chile rellenos, enchiladas, burritos read more

I took my fiancé here for his birthday dinner in February, and it was probably one of the worst customer service experiences we've had in Athens. It was the first time we had ever visited and we expected a bit more from it - being so new and all. The food was pretty basic, pretty much like other quick service Mexican food places we had visited before in the area (i.e. Casa Nueva, Gran Ranchero). The drinks were good but the food was just okay. Nothing to write home about I had the huevos rancheros and my fiancé had a burrito. He liked his food, but the part that makes me not want to go back was our waiter. He was very stand-offish and quite rude when my fiancé asked if he could have both beef and chicken in his burrito. He barely spoke to us at all and didn't seem like he liked us much. It was just the two of us so it's not like we were causing a ruckus nor were we rude, but it just wasn't a good experience. Probably won't be returning for another meal. read more

El Tenampa - my fiancé - pictured with chips and salsa and a margarita - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Ohio

This place served the most delicious Mexican food I have ever eaten including food in MEXICO! Starting with the fresh salsa, and ending with the main courses (surf and turf, Quesabirria tacos and the grade burrit). The food was incredible. The atmosphere was lovely, the service was good. The price was good! Go if you are in town! read more

Wow yum! Great restaurant. Gran ranchero on state street. Free chips and salsa! $2 monday margaritas! What's better than this place?! read more

I love El Tenampa! Great service nice people! Great food! Amazing art and such a good place to go! One of the best mexican food places to go to ever!! read more

9/11/2021 We came here for lunch on Saturday during Parent's Weekend. I must applaud the owners for the courage of opening a restaurant during the COVID crisis. The restaurant is newly opened. I'll give the food a "C" for an adult's expectation and a "B" for the expectations of a college kid. This is not the same quality as Casa Nueva. The service deserves a "C" I think part of the issue is the restaurant is new and the front of the house needs to learn to operate smoothly. The other part of the problem was the perfect storm of lack of experience with the crowds of Parent's Weekend. I do like to murals on the wall. I look forward to returning in the spring of 2022 to see how management chooses to raise their game. read more

El Tenampa - a plate of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Athens, Ohio

See all

We are here for lunch on a Sunday. Very few people in the restaurant so not busy at all. Food was just ok. The service was pretty nonexistent. We had to ask for everything we needed from silverware to refills and chips. read more

I've never had a horrible experience here it's more just that I typically don't enjoy my food a lot when I come here. Staff is always nice and it's like a typically Mexican restaurant inside but it's not my favorite place to get Mexican food. read more

Stopped by for a quick lunch and the food was solid. Took a few seconds (45ish) for someone to meet me at the hostess stand. The restaurant was really slow, but I suppose that's to be expected at a restaurant in college town during the summer. I've been here twice now and the restaurant is quite dark. I do believe that turning on the lights a bit could help brighten the space. I had lunch special #1, the speedy Gonzales... rice, enchilada and a taco. For $6.99 with house chips and salsa, it was a solid meal. Not very large portions but I didn't expect it would be. read more

Best Mexican food I've had in such a long time. Almost passed on this place but as we were walking down the street I randomly stopped someone and asked where we should eat. He recommended this place. So glad he did. Good prices. Good service. Good food. Good margaritas. read more

If I could give this dump 0 stars I would. Please avoid this location. My sister went to this location on October 10, 2021 and she found a brown hair in her quesadilla and brought it to the managers attention. She works as a server in the restaurant industry, so she gets that mistakes happen and that she was not expecting her meal to be compensated. The manager accused her of placing her hair in the food, even though her hair is blonde and she was not looking to get anything out of the situation, just wanted the hair removed. read more

This is bad for me to say but I come here almost every Wednesday with my friends for margs and dinner. Every time I go the food is fantastic, fast, and cheap for the amount of food that you get! I wish there were more to try! read more

This place.... so awesome. They're quesadillas taste so great. Their server Audrey is by far the BEST server I've ever had at any establishment. Anyone who's in Athens... make a stop at EL TAMPON read more

knew two people who have worked here in the past year and they do not change the house marg container (they make a big batch then use it until it's empty). If you sit at the bar you can see a bunch of floaters and it's visibly slightly brown. They do not make it to order, and it tastes like apple cider vinegar. I like the atmosphere and employees but the lack of care for health when you pay $10 for the "biggest" marg is concerning read more

Here for a college visit and looked for some place to eat. Just picked this because it was open. So glad we came. The food was great and the atmosphere was cool. read more

If you like Mexican food this is your spot in Athens. Enjoyed the chips/salsa, margaritas, and burritos! The service was also very good!

The food was incredible! Service a tad slow but very friendly and the chips with excellent salsa kept our attention while we waited for the food. Will likely make this an annual stop on our way down south or back. Worth getting a little ways off the freeway. read more

Super friendly service. The food was beyond amazing. Mexican food is my favorite and they had some of the best around. If you're in Athens, check this place out. The margaritas were perfect too read more