Best Mexican food in Tyler. And super easy to get on and out on a quick lunch break.

Disappointing. The place was busy with a long wait, which is expected on a Friday evening. Parking was nearly impossible to find and there were lots of people waiting to be seated. A good sign of a popular place to eat. We made reservations yelp and I am not sure if that really mattered. We still had to wait the "estimated time" after we arrived. At least the hostesses were very friendly. We were taken to our table, which was one of a bunch of open tables that made us wonder why we had to wait so long. Then we were struck by the smell. It smelled like a combination of dirty socks and wet carpet. Like being in that kids pizza "restaurant" with the sticky ball pit. Next was the noise. The seating area was so loud it was difficult to have a conversation or hear the waiter. Lots of people were having fun and were not quiet about it. If you like that kind of atmosphere, you would be happy. The food was bland, totally opposite of what I expected based on how crowded the place was. And we felt ever so welcomed when our waiter asked us if we wanted "to go" containers about halfway through our meal. Nice, subtle, "we want you to leave soon" vibe. Perhaps he meant to ask if everything was okay and got off script. Well, we waited about 40 minutes to be seated, how about you give us at least 15 minutes after the food arrives before you signal us to leave? The food was pretty cheap and almost worth the modest cost. I am still not sure why the place is so busy, based on our experience. Lots of great options in Tyler. read more

I hate this place with everything in me. The food gave me food poisoning and the managers are AWFUL people and do not care one bit about their employees or guests. Just flipping tables fast and getting new people in. read more

Longest wait at a restaurant! When we arrived with our party of 6, we expected a wait. Hostess said around 45 minutes. When I put our name on the list, I specified that we wanted patio, even if wait was longer. That's when she said estimate of 45. So we waited an hour and we got the text that the table was ready. She started taking us to an inside table. I asked about our patio request and she said oops, I forgot to put that part in. So we waited ANOTHER hour and were the last ones seated. They were cleaning up the patio when we sat down. There were a zillion open tables, and only one or two others with people even there. At least our waitress was really nice. Still took the kitchen forever on our food though. I was really embarrassed because we had brought out of town visitors with us. Won't make that mistake again! We'll go to Villa Montez or Creekside. read more

This place is my new favorite! We've been twice since opening and it hasn't disappointed either time! Service has been exceptional and food is delish! We also love the environment! Win, win, win! read more

I live in Longview but have come to Tyler a few times just for Javi's. I absolutely love their queso dip and chips! They have amazing enchiladas and the prices are so reasonable. You will not be disappointed with Javi's! read more

One word - outstanding! I love the ambiance and atmosphere. The food is so very reasonably priced as well. I had the crispy chicken enchiladas with queso, and it was out of this world good! If you haven't had the opportunity yet to try Javi's, go give it a try! You will go back again and again craving more. read more

Great restaurant. Nice outside seating area allows for social distancing. Great food and service!!!

We love Javi's (and their sister restaurant FD's). Food is always good, margaritas w/ sangria is my favorite. Queso is the best I've had in a long time. BEST OF ALL THEY DON'T REQUIRE MASKS! You still have our business! read more

A small group of 4 went to Javi's last Saturday night. The service was terrible. We ordered drinks, waited a very long time. So I went to bar and the bartender said he just too busy to get me a beer. So back to table. Food came still no drinks. Finally drinks came. Ordered a second round and no drinks. The second round of drinks came after we finished our meal. We ran out chips several times. We had to ask different person each time to get water or chips for our table. The best service we got was when we told the waiter we were ready for our check and he got it to us in about 30 seconds. read more

We love Javi's. Whether it's a date night, or food with friends and family, Javi's has the best food and a great atmosphere.

We had a slight wait but it moved so quick! Our waiter was prompt and brought us water and chips. Our drinks and food were so delicious, & you definitely need to try the apple pie for dessert! read more

Went on a Sunday afternoon. There was no wait. Waitstaff was quick. Food came out quickly. Tried chicken fajitas, cheese enchiladas, chicken tacos, and queso for an appetizer. All the food was delicious! There were lots of other items on the menu that we look forward to trying in the future. The food was very reasonably priced. Overall great experience! Can't wait to come back again! read more

Never in my life have I seen a manager act as disrespectfully as what I witnessed tonight. Javi's accepted our parties reservation, but it was too large to put in their system, is what we were told. We arrive (7pm) 30min prior to the reservation time and are told it will be an hour before We can be seated. It's currently 8:53 and we have yet to be seated. The manager on duty said "I can't help that we got busy"........ actually I believe that's what our reservation was for..... Be honest and upfront is all I ever ask for. Tell me you can't handle a reservation of that size... tell me you can't seat us together and seat us in separate groups... don't put us to the side and tell us that we can't be seated until the restaurant is cleared out due to the kitchen being backed up.... That's ridiculous. read more

Great food and awesome service! Drinks are delicious especially the margaritas. I've been here twice in the past week and wish I could go everyday. My wife and I are from San Antonio and have got to say this is a great tex mex restaurant! My only issue is I wish they had a happy hour, but other than that it's 5 stars! read more

Best Mexican food in Tyler, and service is top notch! The ingredients were fresh. it was the first time I left a Mexican food restaurant and didn't need a nap. We choose the guacamole as an appetizer and the fresh lime juices was seasoned right with the avocados. My wife had the Javi's tacos and I had the Chili Releno which was roasted not deep fried which I really liked because I could actually taste the pepper! Great job! We will definitely be back! read more

My husband and I recently moved from Dallas to Tyler and have found it difficult to find good food and service at restaurants in Tyler but Javi's is a winner for Tex-Mex! They get everything right: great margs, great food, attentive service, etc. This is definitely a go-to for us! read more

We are Tex-Mex fans so we are always nervous about new places, however this place was awesome!!! Service was on point and the serving sizes of the food was well worth the price!! We had the queso and guacamole for an appetizer, very flavorful! The carne asada fajitas were excellent! We Will be back! read more

Went last night with my husband, had tomatillo enchiladas, mini brisket tacos, carne asada, and Peruvian shrimp tacos. We loved everything we tried. For drinks We ordered roasted jalapeño margarita, the usual, a patron taxi- and are already planning to go back to try some tequila flights. There was some initial confusion because we were seated upstairs- and told you can't order certain drinks or tequila flights upstairs. It was our first time, and would've been nice if the hostess had given us a little more knowledge about the different areas in the restaurant. We wil definitely be back, and I think Javi's is worth the hype. We arrived at 4:30 on a Friday and were seated immediately. Go early or expect a wait. read more

This was our first visit. We came around 2:30. The bottom was crowded so they asked if we would mind sitting upstairs. We were they only people up there. I was worried we would be forgotten. We weren't. The service was excellent. I was impressed with their menu. Plenty of variety, but not too large. Prices were very affordable. We got their guac. It is a very large portion. It was very good. Simply seasoned without too much stuff in it which is the way I like like it. I got the salmon with potatoes and corn. It was all very good. My husband got the chicken fajitas and they were excellent. The flour tortillas are homemade but the corn tortillas were from a package. We will be going back. read more

NO BUENO! I wanted to like this place so much. Maybe I am spoiled from living in Dallas and Austin. I travel to Tyler about once a month for business. I saw a restaurant that I finally thought I would enjoy winding down in after a long day of hard work. Everything about this place is overrated. The exterior is nothing but a mirage. If you are a foodie, do not be deceived. The first thing I noticed when I entered was a mildew smell, it smelled like feet. Next, I ordered the chicken dish, and it was nothing more than two chicken breasts, rice that also smelled very weird, basic corn and spinach, and nothing more. I could've gotten better at any other Mexican restaurant in the city. I had to send it back because they did not realize that on the menu it says it comes with guacamole and a special dressing over the chicken breast, and it seemed like no one knew what I was referring to, until I pointed out on the menu that I was missing several items on the plate. All in all, I was hesitant about coming because I felt this may happen. I should've known better. This place is nothing special, you can do better at Cantino Laredo, trust me. Honest to God I could've done better at Taco Casa. The waiter was absolutely awesome, on a positive note. That's about all I can say that I liked about this place. I'm so disappointed. read more

I took my girlfriend to Javi's for her birthday and called ahead and talked to the manager JB for a reservation on the patio. When I arrived my hostess Adeline seated us in the bar area while they prepared our table. After a few minutes we were seated in one the covered booths next to the water and Adeline even picked some flowers and placed them on the table for us along with some small rocks that she arranged in a heart. You cannot find this kind of service anywhere nowadays and the whole staff there including Cameron the young man who delivered our food were all so friendly and accommodating. This is what a positive owner and management team looks like in person. The food as always was spot on perfect and over the top taste wise. Javi's s my go to place to go for a nice relaxed fine dining experience. After having been there a couple of times the staff remembers me and personalizes my experience. Who doesn't enjoy going somewhere where you are made to feel special by being recognized by the ones who work there? Once again the food there is always perfect and my personal favorites for starters are the mini- brisket tacos and for the entree the ribeye enchiladas. If you are one of the last people in Tyler to who haven't yet eaten there you owe it to yourself to get there as fast as you can. You won't be disappointed. read more

Very disappointed chips are burnt and they don't have shimp. Won't be going back any time soon

Beautiful interior and delicious drinks. I can't wait until summer time to sit on the patio. Our service was phenomenal for this place only being open on day two. Our queso and salsas were spot on. Stop in - you won't be disappointed. read more

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This restaurant is beautiful and food is very good. The taco shells were made with fried flour tortillas, new to me. The side was a cole slaw with a spin--very flavorful but not in a hot kinda way. Great place for all occasions. Fast and friendly service. read more

My wife and I regularly enjoy javi's. We have an awesome experience. We have drinks appetizers and dinners. Today chips were burnt. The Carne asada way under cooked. The soft tacos dry. I sincerely hope this is not a sign of things to come. I feel bad spending almost 200 dollars on such a poor meal. read more

Excellent food and service. We ordered chicken fajitas and mesquite grilled open face tacos...yummy! read more

Javi's - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

This place was so cool. Very inviting atmosphere with large tables and large windows with beautiful views outside. Their chips and salsa is amazing. We ordered brisket tacos and carne asada. Both were amazing. And the apple pie... served sizzling hot with cold vanilla ice cream- a perfect ending to an awesome meal. read more

Great food and great prices! Their drinks and fajitas are top notch! Plenty of seating and the staff is very friendly!

Absolutely amazing! Super clean and nice looking with a great view. Amazing customer service!

Being huge fans of FD's, and finding out that this was the same owner, we finally tried Javi's. We have eaten here two times now. The first time was an excellent experience. The second one, not so much. Thus I am writing this review. On both occasions, I ordered the Carne Asada because the first time I found it to be the best one I had ever had. Our second visit was on a Monday afternoon which I realize is probably the worst time to eat out. That said, however, all restaurants are supposed to be consistent no matter the day or time, Yes? No complaints on the first visit. Second: my partner's food was served cold, and he had to return it. I ate while he waited for this. My Carne Asada was no the same meal I had experienced before. It was not piping hot when served. The strange side dish, which I had liked the last time tasted old. It was made up of corn and asparagus, and tasted exotic first time around. This time I could not eat it. The atmosphere is strange in that we sat on the inside looking out at the deck. We had a very difficult time getting the wait person's attention . Perhaps they were short staffed? I know this is a problem these days. We will probably try it one more time because we are such fans of this owner's other establishment. Nothing is more disappointing than to look forward to a great meal, only to have it be mediocre and not resemble anything like your last experience. Not to mention spending the money on it. read more

Stopped in a few days ago. Luckily we got there a little early in the evening. Glad we got there when we did! This place filled up fast. And I know why. Service was excellent, the cocktails were were unique, simple, and terrific. Food was delicious, attractive, and reasonably priced. Not cheap, but not overpriced. We are looking forward to our next visit. read more

We had a family night out and were excited to try this restaurant. The service is very inadequate. We didn't meet our waitress until right before our food arrived. The manager took our drink order and food order, someone else brought us chips and made it clear they were not our waitress. We ordered 4 cheese enchiladas, sunset enchiladas, Roberto's and fajitas. Our food was semi cold upon arrival. The Roberto's is below average, just hamburger meat in a tortilla. The fajitas however were excellent t and cooked to perfection. Would I recommend this to someone, no. Will I personally be back, no. This place is easily forgettable. I'll take my craving for Mexican food elsewhere. read more

The building was previously occupied by an unsuccessful restaraunt. I'm assuming new owners took over. The design, spaciousness and color scheme has a good vibe. Indoor and outdoor dining. The food is a tasty and creative version of Mexican cuisine. Service is good. Overall, great value for price. read more

I had looked this restaurant up online and saw that it had a huge menu with a few vegetarian options so I was pretty excited about my first visit. The menu the very pleasant young waiter gave me was not what I had seen online so I questioned him about it. Turns out this is not part of the same restaurant chain. I was initially disappointed but not so after eating my delicious lunch! The food is great with seasonings that I couldn't quite pinpoint but loved! Presentation is very attractive and the ambiance within the restaurant is warm and inviting. Margaritas were made with a generous hand and very good. Definitely a restaurant we will return to. read more

Thank you Scott! The food is amazing and our waiter was spot on! Thank you for reaching out after the first time! Some / IF not the best food tasted in Tyler TX. read more

Recently had my 20th birthday dinner here At Javi's and I loved it and enjoyed myself. I had to wait but that's anywhere you go on a Saturday night! Great service and great food! My waitress was amazing 10/10 would recommend! read more

I was expecting more of the same ole Mexican food Menu. Pleasantly surprised , with a good selection and fair prices. I had a trout and shrimp combination that was excellent. Service was prompt and informed. Margarita's very good . I definitely will return. read more

One of our list of favs. Classy, friendly, spacious and good food too! Can't beat that with all the options there are in Tyler, Texas!!!

Tried Javi's for the first and last time. Great atmosphere, but the service was terrible. I ordered the PeruvIan shrimp tacos, and she orderEd the carne asada tacos. The shrimp looked like fish bait, and the taste was bland. She and I traded a taco, and she said the same about the shrimp taco. The steak taco's meat was tough. The guacamole was good, but the salsa was not our favorite either. Again, my first and last visit. read more