the service has been subpar almost every single time but the 3 stars is for the food which is always delicious. the asada fries and sopapillas are a must every time. ps. do not have a big event here. attended a rehearsal dinner that was a DISASTER. food was cold, no one's orders were right, took 2 hours to get our food, barely any drink service. chips and queso and dirty plates left on the table the whole dinner, no bussing was done. 1-star experience. read more

The Local - Asada Fries - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Comfortable location for friendly people and beverages. Tgey have a variety of menu items, coffee, teas, and sandwiches.

The Local is a new "Street Taco" joint in Abilene located in the old Busch Jewelers building downtown. It's more upscale than your typical street taco dive. Atmosphere: One of the main draws to eat here is its location. It's right downtown in a very unique building space that once housed a long term Abilene icon, Busch Jewelers. They have done a marvelous job decorating the interior. It's a large beautiful space that is very open. There is a very comfortable and inviting lounge area and bar that would make me want to visit simply to chill and enjoy the venue. The tables are spread far enough apart that you can have a private conversation without feeling that others can hear everything you have to say. There is another space towards the back that has a glass wall that would allow for a good sized party to eat without disturbing the rest of the patrons. I'm very impressed. 1 Star Service: We had a very good waitress. She was very attentive and constantly refilled our drinks. She delved into the menu as well as some of the features of each item. We didn't want for anything. 2 Stars Food: Most of the tacos were quite good. We tried 6 different varieties. Four were what I would call very good (Pork and Bean, Enchilada, Smoked Brisket, and Texas 3 Step), one was decent, if not a bit bland (Grilled Shrimp), and one was not good at all, in my opinion (St. Croix). These are by no means cheap street tacos. Most are $5 a piece for 6-7" corn tortilla (homemade and very good) tacos. Several are $6, one is $7 (Barramundi) and one is $4 (Huevos Rancheros.) There are no sides complimenting the tacos. All accompaniments are à la carte. So for 2-3 tacos and 1-2 sides you would be averaging roughly $15-$25 per person. The tacos are fairly filling. I highly recommend the chips and salsa as an appetizer because both salsas are delicious. Just don't plan on having much to go around. It's about 1/2 the amount of chips you would receive in 1 basket at Chili's and it's only ~4oz of each salsa. We actually ran out of salsa well before we did chips, which is saying something. Onto the taco reviews. The wife ordered the Grilled Shrimp and the Pork and Beans. The shrimp taco had nice juicy jumbo shrimp but there just wasn't that much flavor to this one. It comes with a mango salsa (very skimpy here on both this and the St. Croix), a cilantro lime sauce, and chives. Very subdued in flavor overall. The Pork and Beans (slow-roasted pork, refried white beans, crumbled bacon, and cilantro) was great. Lots of crunch from the salty bacon and the pork and beans were tasty together. The daughter had the Enchilada Taco (ground beef, enchilada sauce, queso fresco, cotija cheese, pickled red onions, and cilantro) as well as the Smoked Brisket (brisket, bbq sauce, pickled red onions, fried onions, and cotija cheese.) She raved about the Enchilada taco, saying it was her favorite. I tasted the Smoked Brisket Taco and it was fabulous. Finally to my order. I opted for the Texas 3 Step (grilled chicken, bacon, queso fresco, cilantro pesto, and pickled jalapeños) and the St. Croix (grilled Jamaican jerk chicken, mango salsa, watermelon radishes, cilantro oil, and cotija cheese.) The 3 Step was great. Lots of smoky, salty bacon with a tasty grilled chicken. The cilantro pesto was noticeable here and added a nice zing to the flavor which was complimented by the, rather mild, pickled jalapeños. The St. Croix on the other hand was inedible. I had two bites and was done. I love Jamaican jerk. The sweet heat and smoky flavor is a big draw to me. This was just absolutely charred chicken. It was so burnt that nothing else even came across. There was very little mango salsa to start with and if there were actually watermelon radishes in the taco, you would never know it, which is too bad considering they are a rarity here in Texas. Since I had high hopes for the St. Croix, I opted to eat it last. Needless to say, after just two bites and only having one other taco, I was not in the least bit full. Which did give me an opportunity to sneak a bite of all the other tacos (minus the Enchilada because my daughter scarfed that one down, ) and get a first-hand taste of each. 1 Star Overall: A beautiful space and good service with average to above average food, offset by smallish portions and high prices. I feel that it is competing with the likes of Fuzzy's which have tacos at about 1/2-2/3 the price without the more upscale building and it will also be contending with Torchy's when it opens. Torchy's also has amazing tacos for about 1/2-2/3 the price. We will see if the location and "fanciness" of The Local will keep customers coming back. 4 Stars read more

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Great drinks. Great food. Not great for large groups. Call ahead and book! Great stop for lunch!

Food and service were fantastic. Had the street enchilada's with beef...delicious. I would only say don't serve them on the wax paper because they stick to enchiladas when cutting them buts that's trivial. read more

I absolutely LOVE The Local! This is seriously one of my favorite restaurants in town. The food and service are both super great! However, I would like to mention that the wait staff does consist of a younger demographic so you do have to be a little patient and understanding as this may be their first job. I love the flavors in the food and not to mention they have a lovely patio area that provides a beautiful view of downtown. All in all, I would definitely recommend anyone to come and get some good gourmet tacos at The Local! read more

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The ambiance, the food, and the service are all reasons to run over here and have dinner. The staff are particularly attentive- answering questions, chatting with you, and making recommendations. Then they check to see how it all worked out- they care! The food is great, and the giant piece of Mexican chocolate cake is to die for, read more

This is my first time coming to this place and there is no doubt their food is good except for the street corn, it was bland but other than that I love the food and the margarita. The reason why I gave it a 3 star cause I have 3 different tacos and a side of street corn that never been touched and have it for to go. I payed and left and forgot about my to-go-box at the restaurant and it wasn't even 5 minutes till I went back and I got the response "we threw it away already" well I'll be damn! They should have set a time for people who left their food unintentionally I mean 5 minutes is not that long just to be thrown away and the fact that I payed $16 worth of the food in that box is very disappointing. Idk if I'm going back or not but I'll leave it at that. read more

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Wow! The Birria tacos might be the best thing I have ever tasted!!! 10/10 great customer service and cute place read more

The Local - Birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Great place in Abilene. We were just passing through and wanted something local! Hehe Food and drinks were excellent and service was great! Has both indoor and outdoor seating. read more

The Local - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

My family and I dined here on a Tuesday and we all agree to return in the near future! Great indoor ambiance with excellent deals on food and beverages for taco Tuesday! I will admit the corn tortillas were flimsy and the taste of each taco flavor varied. However, I really enjoyed the vegetarian taco options and I found the enchilada taco to be a bit salty. My family enjoyed the carne asada and Cruz tacos. We all loved the queso which came in a very generous portion as an appetizer. Our margaritas were good, strong, and reasonably priced! The pictures below reflect non reusable paper and plastic products most likely related to compliance with COVID guidelines (I hope $6 fusion tacos are not usually presented in cardboard containers). read more

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Must visit in Abilene. Great outdoor patio with lots of space. The sweet potato, cauliflower, and fish tacos were excellent. Actually, we had hard time deciding what to order but thanks to the helpful server. Keep up the great work! read more

Beware of the drink prices! The menu is misleading. El Maistro. Two drinks and a $181.00 bill. Food is good though.

I would leave 0 stars if i could, My fiancé and I loved this place until the location move, bad service, servers don't feel the need to give you good service because they already get 18% gratuity, which isn't even legal when it's a party less than 6 adults! They even try adding gratuity on to go orders & lie saying that gratuity is automatic, b.t.w. it's not, my old friend used to work there and let me know they place it themselves! never going back, it's a scam!!! read more

Blackened Fish Taco, Carne Asada Taco Carnitas Taco,and Chips and Queso was really good staff, which was nice

Great ambience, food and service! I order an extra tortilla because there is so much. Margaritas are really good, too! Downtown really needed this restaurant! read more

My fiancé & I have been to the Local twice in the last few months. We're from out of town but getting married in Abilene coming up! Abby was our server both times and we absolutely adore her. The first visit was a busy Saturday night and she was still so upbeat and kind. She made our night and said we should come back next time we were in town! We happened to be seated in her section tonight as well and once again - she's amazing. We've loved the food both visits as well. OBSESSED with the Wonton Salad. Wish I had taken a picture! read more

Ambiance was great. Servers Very helpful and attentive only hiccup was they served our appetizer to the wrong table but the table asked us if it was ours ! Food was terrible, overly salty, tiny portions, and seemed like it had been sitting out then reheated. Was really put off by the bill...it has an automatic 21% charge. 3% service fee, 18% gratuity charge where you can not remove the charges on the bill and to ADD once they return the bill to sign it has options to add MORE gratuity charge. read more

Wonton tacos were so yummy that we ordered them 3 times in one week. + Huge sauce cups! Love love love.

Some of the best tacos I've had in my life. Highly recommend chicken won ton tacos! Very good.

We were in town for a conference and came across The Local. We were there for dinner in late September and chose to eat outside. The hostess was very nice, friendly and accommodating. It was a great evening. Our waitress, who had to walk a long way to serve us we later realized, was extremely helpful, friendly and prompt. Then we got the food. It was gone before I could get photos. The wonton tacos are straight bangin', carne asada fries, yes get them. The perfectly priced tacos are amazing, try the Texas 3 step, blackened fish and fried fish tacos-AMAZING. And, just when you think you can eat no more, order the cinnamon churros with dipping sauce. Yep, fine doesn't begin to explain it. After dinner, take a walk past the Paramont down to the Storybook Garden. It's a perfect stroll after a great meal. The Local is a great place to eat. read more

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So glad we found this restaurant, very nice decor (modern-industrial) with a Lounge type of vibe. Extra points for keeping COVID protocols, protecting employees and customers. The food was delicious, great flavors and presentation, we had the chicken and pork quesadillas, steak salad, and variety of tacos, everything was super good. Alicia, our server was awesome. we would definitely come back! next time we will for sure try their cocktails and drinks which we had to pass, as we had a long drive before our next stop. read more

Am I going to enjoy overpriced tacos? Let's find out! We'll start with Jess, our waitperson. An absolute superstar! Knew the menu and answered every question. We started with the queso and chips, and added a side of 2 salsas, $10. Well, the queso was delicious, and the salsa was good. Good start. Glenda had 2 blackened fish tacos. May darling wife chowed them down! Said she really enjoyed them. My first was the Texas 3 step, which came with chicken and bacon. It had a cilantro pesto that I really liked. Winner! Second came the St. Croix with grilled Jamaican jerk chicken. I was expecting pretty spicy, which it wasn't. What I did get was an absolutely delicious taco. Definitely my favorite, so far. We both got the street corn as a side. Very disappointed. The ingredients that make it street corn were only in the top 2 or 3 bites, and those 2 or 3 bites were good. Under that, just.....corn. Need to mix it up so the whole side has the yummy stuff. So, 4 tacos, 2 sides, queso, salsa, and 2 teas, with a very good tip was $51. AND, I just looked at my tab to verify the price and guess what! It's not our tab! I paid someone else's bill! Damn Garry, pay attention! Luckily, our tab was actually $2 more than this tab, so...whatever! Yep, it's pricey, but we absolutely enjoyed our meal, and will be back to try other items. Did you see the photo of the churros and chocolate sauce? That's our appetizer next time! Adios! read more

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Got there right before noon, finally left with food togo at 1:25pm. Our server finally told us 45 min after we put in our order that she was new and forgot to put it in, but only after we asked to just get check for what we paid for. Asked us if we still wanted the food since only had 5 min left, said fine just do it togo. After another 20ish min got food and check to see only 10% taken off just those 2 entrees. Owner never came by to talk to use though we saw him going around to many other tables, manager came by pretty much just said sorry she's new we will give some discount still waiting on one entree, then walked off. Now my husband has to go back to work(late mind you) without eating. The one thing we did get to eat (egg rolls) was really good, to bad won't go back read more

Awesome patio for outdoor dining! This was the best meal of our I-20 cross country trip. Who woulda thought a bratwurst taco would work? Well it does! Try the queso it's great. Friendly staff and great service. Fair prices. read more

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After seating, waited 15+ minutes for waitress and finally hadn't to go ask for one. She mumbled something about walkie talkie not working. Ordered the Guacamole Burger and it was inedible. Cold, way overcooked, dry, and tasted of charcoal. Lazy, rude "manager" waited until I paid the bill before she waddled over as I was walking out. Rude service and lousy food = NOT RECOMMENDED read more

Ordered a few things. All were served on paper in metal trays. Problem was the paper stuck to the wetter items and we ended up eating it. Manager was nice and replaced the offending items, but didn't comp anything. Wait staff were all hyper-pierced hipsters; told us if we needed anything to place flag in holder. Had to do that several times. No one ever noticed - it wasn't busy, they were just standing around chatting with each other. So I had to get up no fewer than 5 times to alert them. We needed silverware, had to ask for iced tea 4 times!, paper issue, didn't get sides ordered, etc. I mean, they batted like a perfect .000. Again, everyone was friendly, just incompetent. Food was ok at best. Overall kind of a bummer. I did like the "Local Margarita" which is made without syrup and with dry curaçao, so, not sweet. read more

Service was impeccable, and the atmosphere is really good... but I can't recommend this place. Is it Mexican food? Pizza? Why are there Wontons on the menu? If it's Mexican why do I have to pay for chips and salsa? We ordered fajitas, chimichangas and quesadillas. None of the food was even average. I had really high hopes but was very disappointed. I feel terrible saying something negative but I can't say it any other way. read more

We came here with a wedding party of 11 adults and a baby on a Wednesday night when they may have been running with a small crew. Camille, the manager on duty, was so welcoming and accommodating to our party the entire time! The shrimp and corn salad was delicious!! And multiple people in our party asked for to-go boxes because we didn't want to leave anything behind! The local marg was made fresh and so delicious! read more

Stopped for drinks and cocktails. Fun, modern vibes and good selection of signature cocktails and beer, including some local selections. Tacos were great! read more

The Local - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

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Great food, wonderful service. The variety, style, flavors, and presentation of everything was outstanding.

What a gem Abilene has with this quaint, amazing restaurant. Such a great, warm vibe as you walk in and see a swanky bar as the bartender is mixing cocktails. The food is unbelievable!! You get great portions and extremely reasonable prices. Our server was so kind and made sure we got our food and cocktails quickly as we were passing through town heading to a football game. We will definitely be back when we can enjoy this quaint downtown and shop! read more

Stopped in for a snack and they were kind enough to serve us even though the kitchen was about to close . Delicious spicy egg rolls and a very tasty quesadilla. Also quite impressed with their stemware. I'm a bit of wine snob when it comes to glasses and theirs are excellent. Nice ambiance, comfy seating and the staff was super friendly. read more

Excellent staff - awesome old fashioned. Thanks guys for making my trip more enjoyable. Killer mezcal and tequila selection. read more

The Local - Tequila selection - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

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Putting 1 star because the bar deserves something (and it's the least you can put). The meats, rice, and beans were undercooked. Ground beef(super greasy), carnitas, and shredded chicken were really runny so the tortillas and chips were soggy. Presentation hardly matters when you're in a rush, right? The street enchiladas are just hard quesadillas, kind of bland too. Fajitas for 2 is a very small portion, more like fajitas for 1. Even if you want fajitas for 1 it's still the same price as it is for 2 people. No guacamole appetizer is pretty disappointing but you can pay for a large size and get half of a very small bowl. Big chimichanga was burned on the outside and cold on the inside. Chimichanga egg rolls were just burned/hard and super dry since it's just shredded beef inside. Asked to speak to the head chef and they said he wasn't there and didn't know when he would be back in. All in all if you're going just to drink it's a great place! read more

I've been to the Local at least twice possibly three times. Unfortunately each time has not been the best experience for us personally. The location is great and the ambiance is good as well. However the biggest down fall has been the service. The first time our waiter was not attentive enough and I had ordered a beer that sat at the bar till we were done with our food and it was on my bill even though it never made it to the table. Second time our waitress was either careless or brand new. She was nice however did not handle service well. Some of our food was cold she was very forgetful and was not on top of the needs at our table-refills, making sure all food was received. One of us had a side that hadn't been received and we asked where it was and she said I'll remove it from the bill but she came back later and said I actually can't do that, do you still want the side? We felt that the experience could have been a lot nicer if the service was decent. But it wasn't decent it was poor. I wish that it was a nicer place, it has great potential just not great service. read more

At this point--it's important I write a review for the folks that might pass through town (Abilene). I commend the owners/chef wanting to bring something of this caliber/concept to Abilene. However, the service is going to kill them if they don't step in. This has potential to be an eclectic, fun and a step above Cheddars/Blue Sky for those wanting an above average dinner, but the service will kill them. So please focus on training... My first visit--they almost killed me due to cross contamination. I'm allergic to fish and the waiter rang in my shrimp tacos as fish tacos. Not to mention, it took me calling the waitress to get service from the start. Second visit--I had to ask for chips and salsa repeatedly while waiting for my to-go order. No one was at the bar. I hate to crap on a small establishment but if you want to compete with the small towns alike (Santa Fe, Flagstaff, Austin, etc.) step it up. At this point, the poor service is casting a shadow over what could be great tacos. read more

Very attentive staff. Polite, hostess quickly cleared and cleaned the table for me. McKenzie was a very tennis waitress. The El Maestro margarita was awesome. Asada fries appetizer was great. Got the Carne Asadataco, ODB taco, and Al Pastor taco. All were fantastic. The Abuelita chocolate cake was decadent and dense. read more

Passing through town and found this cute place to eat. The food was amazing and the server was super sweet. If we lived here this would definitely be a spot we came to often. read more

The Local - Asada fries!! Amazing!!! - Mexican Near Me - Abilene, Texas

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Was picking up my son from Hardin Simmons and yelp led us here. Food was good and reasonably priced with big portions. I forgot to take pics of course. I had 3 tacos. A grilled shrimp, chicken and carnitas. All were great. Hubby had damn burrito with chicken he said it was good. Son had 3 crispy tacos. Our food came with street corn n chilantro rice. Overall we really enjoyed it and ambience is wonderful! read more