Not impressed with this place. Salsa Tiniest margarita ever but it was tasty Mexican food a la carte ‍ Much better food up the street with free taco chips & awesome salsa. Much more authentic also. Food was mediocre at best. Place was rather filthy, especially the bathrooms. Place has gone down hill since the last time we visited. Adios amigos we are not returning. read more

Nice decor, very friendly service and great Mexican food. Best around. The only down side is a charge of $3 per basket of chips. Their chips are good but with so many places offering free chips, El Topo should just rise their prices by 25 cents and offer free chips and salsa. Try the Rosarita Margarita made with grapefruit juice ... yummy! read more

El Topo Cantina - Friendly greeter :-) - Mexican Near Me - Bigfork, Montana

Hard to consider it a real Mexican food place when they charge for chips and salsa. Server was unfamiliar with the menu, couldn't explain how simple items were prepared. Stale chips, too much sugar in salsa. Food seemed very greasy, overly fried. read more

We love El Topo! The staff is always friendly and the food is always good. I'm originally from NM, so there's not many places I'll eat Mexican food in Montana. You can usually find the owner Ken behind the bar, and the manager Kendall is amazing. She obviously takes pride in the food and service, and it shows. She's a great server. And the guacamole is baby approved! read more

El Topo Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Bigfork, Montana

Well I went back to El Topo hoping it would be better, but alas it was not. I ordered an item that was $15. That was my first mistake, very few Mexican restaurants can make a meal that is worth 15 dollars. This was no exception. This partcular dish was recommended by the waiter who eventually told me I probably needed to eat at home. I will never eat at El Topo again and I am a resident of the area. I told the wait staff of my dissapointment but he did not seem to be concerned. I was not going to pay the full bill but my conscience got the better of me and I went back and paid the full amount. I would not recommend this place to any one looking for a good Mexican meal or an economical meal. read more

Extremely rude and unprofessional. We are locals and we're treated so poorly as soon as we walked in the door, we WILL NOT be back. There is another Mexican food restaurant just up the street that has much better food and services. If you want good Mexican food and you're in town, PLEASE bypass El Topo and go down the street. read more

Really, this is about as good as it gets in Montana if you want Mexican food. Don't let the exterior fool you - drive by and you may think what we thought: can't see anyone in there, must not be open (or good). Wrong! Great fish tacos, corn tortilla for those avoiding gluten, grilled mahi-mahi, mango salsa...yum. Chips and salsa are at nominal cost, which is different for those of us used to the West Coast bottomless chips and salsa, but you really don't need to eat a metric ton of chips, do you? Love that there is a pinto or black bean option. El Topo has a bar license, and has ACTUAL margaritas. Woot! No wine-a-rita here. Super friendly service, good food and lots of it. One taco plus rice and beans was plenty of food. I'm going back. read more

4th generation resident of the Flathead Valley, and a senior citizen. Have been here quite a few times over the years, even in the summer have taken out of town guests here and have always been quite satisfied with the food. Last night, January 5 , Tuesday, I met an old friend who I had not seen for 6 months because of covid and we were long overdue for a visit and she suggested El Topo, she arrived from a busy day as a home health nurse at 5 and I arrived at 5:15. We ordered our entrees and she already had ordered chips & salsa for each of us; they were on the table. Our waitress was pleasant. Food was generous. My plate was hotter than the food but oh well. It was such a treat to be out dining; actually only my second time since March when covid hit. We did take our time and decided to decline ordering dessert. At 6:30 the owner came and crouched by our table and indicated that we had been there for 2 hours 45 minutes. I started to correct him and he was very condescending and said that though people were not waiting for our table at that time, it could be possible. I was too stunned to even reply but my friend said "Are you really asking us to leave?" He said actually he was. We left and I noticed as I got into my car that the car parked by mine had arrived right when I did and that car was still there. We were offended to say the least! , won't be back and I can see by the reviews that it's the owner's attitude that's getting the bad reviews more than the food. Too bad. Old timers would remember that location being a wonderful cozy diner called the Pine Cone Kitchen with all kinds of wonderful food and owners who wouldn't dream of such rudeness. In Bigfork tourists are scarce in the winter so the locals are the "bread and butter" of eating establishments. Progress......really? read more

Best Margaritas around! If you like sweet Margaritas, which is how most house Margaritas are made, El Topo has great ones. However, if you don't like a sweet Margarita aka a GOOD Margarita, you will know how to order it and you will get it here! We have been coming to El Topo for years and love the atmosphere, Ken and the food. Chips and salsa aren't what they used to be, sadly. The tacos, all meats, are wonderful as is the Pork Verde and you can request spicy level for your Verde. If we lived closer we would be bar regulars for sure. I see some low reviews, if you think "taqueria" you will have a better experience. read more

Great atmosphere and great food! Get the cheesy crisp (or something like that... kinda like a Mexican pizza) and the fish taco (beer battered, amazing!) All in all if you're in big fork, stop by this place :-) Only flaw that I found was the beans weren't great. Oh and the flan was fantastic.. read more

El Topo doesn't have much info online so I've posted pics of their menu. Small menu but good food. Friendly service and not very busy. read more

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Yummy margaritas! Amazing fresh made chips! Fabulous Mahi-Mahi tacos! Sit at the bar and get razzed by the bartenders!;) Can't recommend this place highly enough! Go there whenever you can and you might see Maury Povich and Connie Chung--we did! read more

El Topo is perfect for a little night out, pretty good Mexican food (depending on what you order) and a drink! Their carne Asada poo poo plater is awesome with with cilantro cream sauce and mango salsa. I crave it a couple times a month!!! I don't prefer their beans and rice over other places. Three stars for food but four stars for their great customer service thoughI do recommend trying this place out for sure keeping in mind it's more Tex mex and it's Montana. read more

We stopped in after a basketball game at the high school. The place was busy for a Monday night. We enjoyed the chips and salsa. I had a margarita 101 and it was good...a little pricey but tasty. I had the pork burrito and it was good I added rice. My daughter had a carne Asada burrito. She wished she got hers with sauce on top like mine but she enjoyed it. All in all for a stop in without knowing anything about the business we were pleasantly surprised to find a decent Mexican food place...we will return. read more

The food was very cold, ordered a pork burrito with beans and got all bean. They said they would make a New one but but just micro waved it. They served us a mahi taco cold and claimed that is how we served them. Poor service and poor food read more

We stopped in here for dinner on a Sunday night after discovering most of Big Fork was closed on Sundays. Yelp reviews had adequately warned us about lineups and we arrived just in time to beat the rush. Service was friendly but uninspired - and we found ourselves looking for our servers attention more than once. The pace is more suited for a long leisurely meal than a quick drop in dinner. Shared the shrimp - mahi mahi fajita plate which was delicious. The homemade tomato salsa was excellent, guacamole was so-so. Overall a decent place, but nothing to write home about and certainly not the best Mexican in the area. read more

"Mexican " food a la carte? Even chips and salsa have a fee attached. Want a side such as rice or beans, pay for it. I Ordered a Mahi taco which was a tepid, undercooked slab (and very fishy-tasting), covered with shredded cabbage and miscellanea. Mango salsa was good. Tortilla was nearly inedible. My side of rice was generous, moderately flavorful, and cold. My hubby ordered an enchilada and a flauta. He too was not impressed. The Margarita was tasty. Service was JUST OK. They were very nice, but understaffed, especially when a 20-top showed up (who just shows up with 20 people?) and dominated the server. Many area restaurants cut staff in the slower fall season, so we understand the low staffing numbers, but wasn't there someone they could call? So when we finished our mediocre meal, somehow managed to get our ticket, we waited and waited for server to reappear . Server had disappeared, so we got up to look for someone in order to make a play on time, but there was no one who could take our money. Even the bartender was missing and hostess was apparently not allowed to handle money. We waited several minutes for someone to turn up. Overall not a good value. Won't be back. We had been here before, by the way, and when we left we both said, oh yeah, that's why we don't eat here. read more

I have been in the Flathead for 12 years and had never been, so we tried it out. I was not impressed. Overcooked fajitas and lackluster service ensured I will not waste my time, or my hard earned money again. read more

The queso was skimpy and expensive...our portion barely coated the bottom of the bowl (they charged $6.50 for this). We were also charged for a drink refill without prior notice. The beans and rice on the side of already expensive burritos were also additional charges. We are experienced Mexican food connoisseurs. Who ever heard of a Mexican restaurant not including beans and rice?!?! Or chips and salsa?!?! We wish we had gotten hamburgers at Dairy Queen instead. Finally, it was a major kitchen decision to top my dry, flour, burrito with queso. Eventually, they brought an entire queso to the table (without chips) and charged another $6.50. I just wanted some queso on top of my burrito! A $1-$2 additional charge is fine, but almost $7 for a simple topping is ridiculous. We would never go back to this place. read more

Best carne asada burritos around! We used to live close by but now that we live 5 hours away, these are the burritos we come back for.

We thoroughly enjoyed the salsa and home made tortilla chips! Our meals were delightfully flavored, as well. Service was a mite slow, but that was because the entire restaurant was being serves by one lady. read more

I love going to El Topo when i want a taste of San Diego. From the moment you walk in you feel like you might not be in the Flathead Valley. While it is not authentic Mexican it is fantastic southern California Mexican. I recommend sitting at the bar where either the owner or the bartender Isreal will serve you. The serving staff is typically young and under trained. Their kitchen rocks and I see the same cooks there everytime. Try the 101 margarita. read more

This place used to be awesome. Last time we went, something was terribly wrong. The chips, which used to be thin, perfectly crispy harbingers of fresh salsa? Not anymore. Bland, old, stale. That made me panic. I started looking around at other people's food. It wasn't the same. Service was terrible. We cut our losses and ran. $7 for one beer, and terrible chips and salsa. read more

Ok so after a day on the river we roll in to this place. Wow what a gem, we were a party of 9 so I knew what we were in for. This place impressed me, started with killer margaritas, chips, great salsa and crayons for the kids. We ordered and about 10 minutes the kids had their food. Our food was about 5-6 minutes later. I had the beef special which I would order again, my wife had a fish taco that was out of this world and an appetizer which was outstanding. I will be back and recommend this place to everyone. Great Mexican food in Montana. read more

Bland food, way over priced for the quality, less than comfortable atmosphere. They had good verde sauce, so I'll give them that.

It took awhile to finally get someone to actually acknowledge us to be seated, this is a pretty small restaurant and wasn't that busy. You pay extra for mediocre chips with a very small bowl of salsa. When our food was served it was lukewarm. Our server tried to explain the lack of service that night was because they were so busy the night before. I'm still shaking my head on that one. This was a second chance after a similar experience a few years ago, there won't be a third chance. read more

El Topo is one of my favorite places in Bigfork. Their margaritas are thoughtful and original. Today I had a grapefruit marg with fresh squeezed grapefruit and tried Marian's Tostada. All in all a pretty healthy Mexican option. If you are lucky enough to go on an evening when Lindi is making drinks - let her choose for you. Try the jalapeño margarita. SPICY. Who cares about free chips and salsa ? Not me. read more

A local favorite. Fresh, creative rendition of "mexican" rather than lame soupy beans and over slather of cheap cheese. The Chops chop salad rocks, the pu-pu platter is a favorite and the skinny Margarita is a summer weekend afternoon dream. read more

El Topo has a solid reputation as a locals' favorite for its bar, its staff, its value-for-the-money food and its welcoming attitude to anyone else passing through. As a local I appreciate seeing or making a friend whenever I stop in. I enjoy the relaxed setting and its feeling of community. My favorite dishes are the fish tacos (I order on a corn tortilla and they come either fried or grilled), black beans, Caesar salad (yes, invented in Mexico), jalapeno crisp--and the Chili Verde ordered very spicy is terrific. Shrimp Venganza (again, ordered very spicy for me) is full of veggies and is nicely sauced. There is an appetizer steak which is very good (at least I think it's on the appetizer list---see the special menu--and it's big enough to be an entrée). The steak is marinated, full of flavor and super tender (wish I could offer more insight to other dishes, but I'm one of those who sticks to a narrow rotation of favorites once I latch onto what I like). The top shelf margaritas are excellent, as is the tequila selection (try a shot of Corzo Anejo). Beers on tap include local and Dos XX. While you're ordering your drink check out the variety of knickknacks around the bar area--pretty cool stuff. The wine list, including the house wines, is A-OK by me. I'm picky with my drinkies and El Topo aims to please with a nonstandard ingredient (I like jalapenos in my libations) or a cocktail prepared just the way you like it. There are several good-to-great food and drink destinations in Bigfork. El Topo is different because singing songs or being a little silly after a cocktail (or two) is taken in stride by the patrons and staff alike. If you are feeling really silly, the vast array of windup toys may provide you hours of entertainment while the drinks flow. I'm kinda silly so El Topo works for me. read more

El Topo, right on the highway, is a great place for Mexican in Bigfork, as well as Montana as a whole. One of the best!! Fish taco's are pretty darn authentic, an overwhelming selection of tequila if that's your bebida, and clean!! The chips are the best. It's an owner run business which makes it even better. They have a great decor w/ a mask collection from all over Mexico. Really friendly staff too. read more

Where to start, goodness. A girlfriend and I sat down at the bar on around 7 pm, and waited. And waited. And waited. There was a minimum of 3 people behind the bar at that time, despite the fact that the restaurant wasn't terribly busy. As someone that works in the industry I have incredibly patience when eating out, but after 20 minutes without even so much as eye contact I was starting to get a little annoyed. Eventually a bartender noticed us and handed us menus. We were looking to drink some cocktails, and had our IDs ready, as being babyfaced gets you prepared to hand it over. The bartender then proceeded to stare at and bend and question our IDs for about as long as we waited to get noticed by her. My friend was visiting from out of state and the bartender was giving her a particularly hard time, to the point of saying, "the birthday on this one is weird." What? What does that even mean. We should have left then and there because the food was worse than the service. Tasteless, white, clearly canned/bagged. Save yourself the trouble and go to the grocery store for some Pace and tortilla chips because that's what you'll get at el Topo without the awful service read more

Good food, great margs! Service was friendly and the food came out quick. If I lived in Bigfork, I would return. Does not taste like Taco Bell for the record. read more

Service was okay, we had a really sweet girl as our server. However, we were charged for salsa and chips, and as a vegan there is sour cream in their guacamole, which was very disappointing. Then when we ordered the "chile verde" with tofu, which was less than pleasant. Tofu was spongey. Read an earlier review about how this place was an overpriced Taco Bell... I wouldn't agree at all, Taco Bell is way better. read more

Great Mexican food in Bigfork, MT.? You bet!! El topo is a very surprising place. It looks very unassuming from the outside. Once inside it is warm and friendly with a large very inviting bar. The Margaritas are very good, we had a house Margarita and it tasted great. The food was also very good ,with lots of deep flavor. We were asked if we wanted mild, medium or hot spice, we asked for hot and that is what we got. Not too hot to eat but with a deep cooked all day type of heat. My wife and I both agreed that this was the best Mexican food we have had yet in Montana. The desert we had was the Mexican chocolate ice cream in a pastry covered with spices and more chocolate. It was also very goood. The service was great with a smiley joking waitress that was attentive. The reason I didn't give five stars may seem trivial but they don't use homemade tortillas. I have spent alot of time in Mexico and one of the most simple and enjoyable things you can eat is a fresh handmade tortilla. Once you have eaten one, (more like a dozen) you will never appreciate store bought or machine made tortillas again. Dinner, drinks and desert was under $40. Hard to beat!!! read more

I hate writing bad reviews but I am hoping that by writing this someone will see and bring back my old El Topo from 2007ish . As former BF residents we frequented this place almost weekly! The food is great, margaritas are wonderful, ambiance is awesome but the service has been so painful that we have only visited twice in the past 2 years. I'd like to clarify that the servers themselves were very friendly (& apologetic) but spread WAY too thin!! We shouldn't have to walk to the bar to get our drinks & pay our bill because the owner/manager has TWO people on the floor on Valentine's Day??? I hope to visit again when I hear that the service has improved. read more

Place cracks me up, shrimp taco is awesome! They burn their cheap lights but won't give you a straw unless you ask...so Califake...paper straw lasts one drink, so wasteful. read more

This place is UH-MAY-ZING!!!! You wouldn't think that a Mexican place offers a good steak. But the Rib-eye is by far one of the best steaks in the state! My bf & I order it every time. Make sure to order extra yogurt cilantro sauce! Delish. Love this place!!!! read more

This is the best Mexican restaurant I've had in a long time, especially in Montana. Great food and terrific service. Great fish taco and the burritos are great to share they're so big get extra sauce tho just because its that good. Thanks for the good work kitchen. read more

Expensive food was bland. No chips or salsa. Poor service, waitress too busy visiting with cook. Ordered Carne asada taco dinner, lots of rice and beans, but hardly any filling in the tacos. "Steak" was tough, clearly a cheap cut of meat for a $17 plate of food. Margarita was missing the tequila. Won't be back. read more

Our dinner at Ell Topo was a disaster! I ordered a salad with dressing on the side. The waitress said that the owner would not allow dressing on the side. She was very sweet. I asked for a fish taco, plain, nothing on it, and explained that I had some serious food allergies. The taco came swimming in some kind of ketchup-like sauce and topped with raw onions. When I asked if it could be made over, the waitress practically started crying. She said that "they" were very angry in the kitchen about the first taco being sent back. What on earth is going on here? This poor young girl must really need the job. As we left, my husband gave her $10. She then gave me a big hug, as if I was her abuelita or her tia. So sweet. Better to try Taco Mexico over by the laundromat. Really nice people - spanish speaking no less, and a very nice, very authentic menu. read more