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La Palapa

3.2 (209 reviews)
ModerateTex-Mex, Mexican
Closed • 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

La Palapa Photos

Business Info

LA PALAPA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Happy hour specials
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - La Palapa

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Reviews With Photos

Jenn C.

Quick and easy place for Mexican food. The make a great cheese enchilada and a crispy beef taco. Nothing fancy just good food. I come for lunch since it's close to my office. Good margaritas too!!! It's easy on the wallet with affordable options.

Lauren M.

An Austin Tex-mex staple. If you haven't been here, you are missing out. Lots of good Tex mex options and alcoholic drinks to choose from. Service is quick and friendly. The place may look a little rough around the edges but the food is delicious authentic Tex mex.

Sopapillas
Maria M.

Nice atmosphere, good customer service, and the food was outstanding. The prices are very reasonable for the amount of food served it was worth it. We like how the bar is separated from the main dining area. We will definitely come back.

Fish tacos
Mo L.

Stumbled upon this cute place after a day playing tennis at the high school next door. Food was tasty! We ordered fish tacos and enchiladas. Food was very reasonably priced and drinks were fantastic! Service was very fast although it was closer to closing so there weren't many others there. Overall would recommend if you are looking for a good casual Mexican sit down experience.

Margarita couldn't wait did the tacos to arrive. Cheers!
Inez V.

As soon as you walk in the door you're greeted by the friendly host and a big sign with all the daily specials. You can't go wrong with a margarita and some delicious tacos. I ordered the street tacos and was instantly hooked! This is my favorite place with a chill, and enjoyable ambiance where you can eat, talk and drink up! Best thing is there is a bar in the back area where you can enjoy a louder room and listen to some great music. Great bank for your buck, great value at a great cost!

Bacon cheeseburger
George N.

The bacon cheeseburger from here is something to write home about. So much flavor!! The cheese was beyond imagination. I will be back and order again.

Botana Sampler
Amy G.

La Palapa is the place for the best cheese quesadilla in town, or maybe Texas or the entire universe (which is basically the same thing because this is obviously the only state that matters when it comes to tex-mex food.) Sure, a cheese quesadilla is a plain thing to get from a restaurant, but when it's done right, it's absolute cheesy delight. I can never quite replicate it at home. The combo of cheeses they use is very mellow and not greasy, and the texture of the tortilla is crispy and almost flaky, without being burnt. Most other things from La Palapa are satisfactory as well, but it's hard for me to come here and not go straight for the quesadilla.

Menu 8/2024
John M.

Overall not a bad visit....Place has been here forever, and we have passed by for years....yet a friend who had just moved up the street said we need to try it....for as old as it is, very clean and the up keep is great.....Salsa, Chips and Queso hit first....Salsa if very tomato forward, and I swear it tasted like Pace out of a jar...but had some heat to it. Queso was good but not a fan of the raw veggies, but was better with a scoop of salsa. Wife went with the Beef enchiladas with Chipotle, double rice...Sauce had a decent bite, beef was stand alone good...Rice was rice...I went with the Tri color Enchilada....All three were good...sour cream sauce being my favorite...Beans were good...The service definitely needs work...Huge party (20+) of city workers showed and we were forgotten....didn't even get a second water refill. We will continue to pass this place by, as there are several in the area we prefer. Onto the next adventure.

Great salsa!
Mary L.

After driving past this place for years, we finally checked it out for lunch the other day. We found good, solid Texmex lunch specials, and a sprawling menu that lures us back for further exploration. The Happy Hour looks tempting as well, with drink and appetizer specials. I ordered the lunch Chicken Flautas, which were excellent. The two were bigger than I expected and tasted fresh from the fryer, and the rice and Charro beans that came alongside were very good. A few TexMex places have started upcharging for Charro beans instead of Refried, but La Palapa does not. My guy ordered the Chile Relleno. He's from Chicago and refuses to pronounce "relleno" properly, but our server did not hit him over the head with the chips basket, and was kind and friendly throughout. He has a weird idea that the fried chile shouldn't be flattened before cooking, but said it tasted fine. I liked the interesting architecture of the building and the friendly vibe. We'll be back.

a colorful christmas tree in a restaurant
Katherine A.

Goto appt for a last minute dinner. Lots of choices. There's always a daily special so that's really nice. They have things on there like enchiladas, pollo, caldo all sorts of yummy stuff so it's always a good idea to go for the special

Taco Salad shredded chicken  perfect
Blas M.

Food was hot and prompt. The waitress was very polite and made sure everything was perfect! A++

Carne Asada

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6 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

I love this place, I ordered tacos and Tae ordered and Chilada's and they are amazing

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14 years ago

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5 years ago

Update, 3/2021: This place stays great! It is now our go-to restaurant for TexMex. Highly Recommended!

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Debbie M.

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6 years ago

I ordered beef tacos with rice and refried beans of the lunch menu. Got to work with my food. They forgot the beans!!

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El Alma - Chips salsa and queso

El Alma

4.1(1.4k reviews)
5.7 mi•Bouldin Creek, 78704 (South Austin)
•$$

Duck enchiladas with mole sauce were awesome! Chips and salsa were homemade and delicious. Tacos…read moregreat and yummy margaritas. We had a wonderful server too. Ambiance very laid back but cute.

That rush hour traffic in Austin is lethal. If it starts raining too, oh buddy, what a nightmare…read more Eventually you'll make it to your destination and if it's half as good as El Alma, it'll be a sigh of relief. I've driven by El Alma many times being in the Austin area, but I never went until last Thursday, and after surviving a brief monsoon, I was glad to get a few drinks and eat some good TexMex with my large party just before a wedding. The best way to describe El Alma is that it is TexMex that is Austinified. Everything feels a little more unique and special than your classic TexMex options. I started off with a Mezcal Margarita that put a little hair on my chest and got me going. My group ordered two of their Nachitos, which were these nice nachos. For my main entrée, I got 3 Al Pastor tacos on corn with a side of their rice and beans. Their pastor was served with pineapples, onions, and cilantro with limes on the side. They were great and I immediately crushed them all. I thought their rice and beans were pretty good as well and a step above the typical TexMex rice and beans. The server was pretty attentive throughout our whole visit, and I honestly have no complaints about what they had to offer. Pricing on the meal and drinks was pretty standard for Austin, and I didn't think anything really took me out of the experience. On top of that, for being in Barton Springs, there is quite a bit of parking. I would love to come back at some point in the future and hang out on their rooftop bar because that seems like a lot of fun. Shoutout to El Alma for being a TexMex oasis saving me from the MoPac traffic. RIYL: TexMex, but better than your average

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El Alma - Busy on a Tuesday

Busy on a Tuesday

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Queso blanco

El Alma - Mezcal Margarita

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Licha's Cantina - Tacos

Licha's Cantina

4.1(844 reviews)
4.5 mi•East Austin
•$$

Another fun place in Austin! Great Mexican food, great and…read morefast service and the mood here was so cozy and inviting- we really enjoyed our food here. So we were thinking of tacos or Mexican food and my daughter suggested this spot as she had come here with some friends and really enjoyed their sopecitos. I had never had a sopecito! What is that! So we had to try... We were lucky to arrive at the right time (9 pm!) where we got their last table!! Make reservations or something because this is another one of those places that fills up! So- we were taken care of immediately: chips and some very hot salsas were set on the table while we chose. They menu is in QR code format, but we asked and got paper menus as well. Well I got the chicken sopecitos , my daughter got the pork ones and my partner got the meat tacos. Everything was delicious, the food arrived promptly, the portion size was perfect and bountiful and everything was super enjoyable. I really enjoyed trying some New Mexican favorites. Next time I will try some other delicacies since I always get tacos tacos burritos or quesadillas: time for some new items on the menu! Enjoy!

Could have been much better. Many of their dishes are very…read moresweet, instead of savory. Salsa was the best thing. Music was so loud in the back room areas that you could not even have a conversation with others at your table. When I asked to have the music turned down, I was ignored. Dishes were on the pricer side. We won't be back.

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Licha's Cantina - Inside view

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Fonda San Miguel - Tacos Al pastor, Cadillac margarita and numero uno margarita

Fonda San Miguel

4.1(1.4k reviews)
3.0 mi•Rosedale, Allandale
•$$$

We had the best server! Could only get a5:45 reservation so we wanted to ease in to dinner, and our…read moreserver made it happen. We had a drink, delicious prickly pear margarita! He brought warm chips and salsa...he gave great recommendations and we ordered a second drink... We told him when we wanted the food and it arrived soon after, and could not have been more delicious! Duck special with green mole, and chicken enchiladas suizas. So delicious all around! Love the decor. Beautiful light fixtures, warm Mexican vibe throughout...

Fonda San Miguel never disappoints! We visited on Cinco de Mayo with another couple, and as…read moreexpected, the place was packed--but we were pleasantly surprised to find a table fairly quickly on a first-come, first-served basis. We started with their famous house Margaritas with Tajín, and they were absolutely delicious--and definitely strong in the best way. My boyfriend and I shared the Ceviche Las Brisas, which was incredibly fresh with generous, perfectly cut pieces of fresh white fish from the Gulf of Mexico. For our main dish, we split the vegetable Enchiladas de Mole Poblano, served with rice and black refried beans. I wish the enchiladas had more vegetables. Everything on the plate was outstanding, and I truly think they have the best mole in town--rich, complex, and unforgettable. We were also celebrating a friend's birthday, and the staff made it extra special by surprising her with a complimentary Tres Leches cake, which was just as amazing as everything else we had. Great food, lively atmosphere, and wonderful service--Fonda San Miguel continues to be one of our favorite spots. We can't wait to go back!

Photos
Fonda San Miguel - Bar

Bar

Fonda San Miguel - Cochinita Pibil

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La Palapa - tex-mex - Updated May 2026

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