We tried Vaquero's a few years ago. Sat in the bar area and it was unremarkable. The food, the service, everything. We haven't bothered to go back until recently. It was a Friday night and it was maybe 30% full. Or everyone was out back. There was a large party of folks streaming through back and forth. The menu is basic Tex Mex. They also have a country style section with chicken fried steak and such. I was tempted, but came for enchiladas. I ordered the Plato Vaquero. A beef taco, a tamale, and two beef enchiladas. The tamale was capable and better than many. The crispy taco was long and short. It was easy to handle and allowed a good mix of beef and veggies. A plate of just those would have been fine by me. The enchiladas had the same ground beef in them. The enchiladas were equally long, so only two enchiladas was easily equal to three if not four. The second enchilada made a terrific lunch the next day. The charro beans were tasty. They make their own flour tortillas and it was difficult to pause and put something in them before shoving it in my mouth. The frozen margaritas were not super sweet. My wife judged them positively because when they brought the plates and said they were hot, they were NOT joking. Our food stayed hot on the plate for quite some time. Our server was pleasant and obviously covering a lot of the restaurant. He managed to be attentive and the only part that was a drag was when we were ready to leave, getting and paying the bill took a long time. If this place is owned by Steiner Ranch Steakhouse, how about they splurge on the mobile POS for the wait staff? That was silly. read more

Wonderful food and great service by Nyx. We love the fenced in playground too- Sunday brunch is a high quality buffet read more

Terrible service. Set a reservation for Mother's Day 2 weeks in advance and when we arrived we were sat outside. When we requested to sit inside we were given the option to get back on the waitlist starting from the bottom of the line. While sitting outside we battled flies and the heat. Keep in mind we were never asked if we preferred inside or outside seating when setting the reservation. Never coming back. read more

I regularly return to Vaqueros Cafe & Cantina where I believe one of the best Mexican restaurants in Austin/West Lake Hills. This time I sat at the bar where smelled like old wood with a great western theme atmosphere. The bartender was nice and friendly. I noticed they have all varieties of Corona beers including a non-alcoholic one and multiple frozen margarita flavors. I ordered off the lunch menu getting the Tacos - 2 crispy shredded chicken with charro beans and rice. It was a big meal being a lunch item and the chicken had great flavor. It was a bit hard to hold so at it like two mini taco bowls. It was very delicious. read more

Solid first visit to Vaquero's, and appreciate the staff's flexibility hosting a few families with kids of all ages. We were happy to enjoy a table near the back door (where there's plenty of space for kiddos to play outside on the playscape and in the backyard mulch). House margs, both frozen and on the rocks were great! Probably would not order the queso or guacamole on the next visits. All of the food (fajitas, enchiladas, and carne asada) was great and well portioned! Left with a few boxes of leftovers, so hope to enjoy later in the week too. Plenty of parking, and would stop by next time we're in the area. read more

Vaquero's Cafe and Cantina - Outdoor play area - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This place has really great fajitas. They use a high-quality meat that is very tender crispy on the outside a little pink on the inside with a seasoned butter sauce poured on it. The tortillas are homemade which is a must for a real Mexican restaurant. The chips are thin restaurant style. You are given two sauces, red and green. I prefer the green sauce. It has a way better flavor that I also put on my fajitas. My wife and I got fajitas for 2 it's around $50 for beef only. It comes with lots of onions which I do not eat, but also it comes with red and green bell peppers, which taste great. I got the Borracho beans and my wife got the refried beans. I prefer the refried beans as the Borracho beans had onions that weren't quite cooked and per my previous comment I'm not an onion fan. I do like to mix sour cream and cheese along with the rice in with my beans. We got our own container of three tortillas along with a large Molcajete of pico de gallo, I don't eat that, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. The restaurant is an upscale restaurant, the decor is very nice, the napkins are linen, it is a very nice restaurant. On the way out they have a soft serve ice cream machine, which I love when Mexican restaurants have these. The chocolate is a mint chocolate, and the vanilla has a coconut flavor, absolutely wonderful. I suggest the mix which is in the middle as you get the flavor of both together. read more

Vaquero's Cafe and Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Had an amazing experience at Vaqueros for their $25 all you can eat Tex-Mex Brunch Buffet on Sundays. So many food options. Well worth the price. My wife and I were stuffed. It ended up being the only meal we ate for the day haha. Didn't have room for any other meals. My favorite items were the stuffed French toast, tres leches pancakes, cowboy migas and broccoli casserole. The servers were extremely friends as well. The facilities were nice too. I wish they had some spicier menu options or spicy salsa. But still a great meal regardless. read more

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We were excited to try out Vaqueros because of its affiliation with Steiner Ranch and we left very disappointed. Service was terrible (waiter came to us maybe 3x over 1.5 hours), the food took forever to come out, our table area was dirty when we sat down, and our orders were wrong when they came out. Go get better Mexican food somewhere else, we will not be back. read more

We visit this restaurant every week and consistently enjoy both the food and the service. It is easily one of the best Tex-Mex spots in Austin. The flavors never disappoint, especially the fajitas, which are a must-try. The drinks are equally impressive, with the 1862 margaritas standing out as the best, smooth, perfectly balanced, and made with premium tequila that gives them a rich, refined flavor with just the right blend of citrus and sweetness. They are memorable and set the standard for what a great margarita should be. If you like dessert, the sopaipillas are our favorite. They are light and warm, served with high-quality vanilla ice cream, and make the perfect sweet finish to a great meal. The staff are warm, friendly, and attentive, and Jorge in particular makes every visit feel welcoming with his personable and thoughtful service. For outstanding Tex-Mex in Austin, this place comes highly recommended. read more

Vaquero's Cafe and Cantina - Awesome desert - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Came here with a group of girlfriends on an ATX trip to celebrate a few occasions. Really, really great spread with a pleasing breadth of options from pasta, meat, vegetables, and more meats. This buffet is definitely for the savory breakfast aficionados! I got a couple frozen margaritas along with multiple trips to the buffet line and was very satisfied at the end of the meal. The service was okay, fairly disorganized but it was busy and it only impacted our drinks. I would definitely come back for a 5-star Tex-mex focused buffet any time I return to Austin. read more

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I've become a huge fan of Vaqueros. What first drew me in was the patio and playground, but now I find myself coming back hoping to see my favorite server, Nyx! He brings so much warmth, joy, and light to everyone he meets and goes above and beyond every single visit. He even surprises my Pokémon-obsessed kiddo with Pokémon cards, which absolutely makes his day. Nyx is an absolute gem, and he consistently makes our visits unforgettable. Thank you, Nyx, for creating such fun, special memories for our family! read more

Always a great time. Food & drink were good, but Jorge gave us amazing service!! Will definitely be back.

This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the Austin area. The Chips and salsa are always fresh, and you can tell the quality of the ingredients they use. Portions are generous, service is always top notch. Last time we were in Carmelo took great care of us, and was super accommodating with the kiddos! Don't sleep on the soft serve on your way out either! read more

went on Easter Brunch, never been here before, driven by hundreds of times in the last 30 yrs. first visit? yes. Last visit? YES. Walked in with reservations, busy, buffet line looks decent. Area outback for kids to play and they had Easter Bunny for kids with egg hunt. Pros: -buffet served by employees, kept it moving -ambiance, good, not too loud even with that many customers -decent selection on buffet -decent selection on desserts -prime rib, brisket, ham -polite employees Now we get to the part business owners hate me for and can't pay to have this honest review removed. CONS: -all the buffet food, and I do mean ALL, was starting to dry up and room temp on the plate -took 15 minutes to get my coffee and had to ask twice. it was then delivered warm, not even hot enough to burn if spilled -the food is a mixed bag. some ok, some not. dry Mexican rice, barely any meat on the bbq chicken, scrambled eggs, biscuit and gravy, cheese enchilada, mashed potatoes. -the server for prime rib was told as thin a slice as possible, judging by his reaction it was like I asked for the world and he didn't know how to do it, but he managed. I only mention this because I observed the cuts he served others and how the meat looked hacked up. sorry folks, you can't make this shit up. Then at the end, I go to use the men's room and find the toilet not working, and I even popped the tank cover to check water flow...definitely malfunctioning. I exit the stall to find an employee washing his hands after flushing urinal. He barely takes 10-15 seconds to wash hands AND HE NEVER REMOVED HIS APRON! Seinfeld flashbacks anyone? To add insult to mediocrity, they then have the gall to suggest an 18% or higher tip. Really? for buffet service? Not impressed. read more

My boyfriend and I finally stopped by Vaqueros Café & Cantina and we're so glad we did! The food was absolutely delicious and fresh, everything was full of flavor. The drinks were great and very reasonably priced, which was a nice surprise! Our waiter, Liston (I believe that was his name), was amazing, super friendly and attentive the entire time. We watched the game at the bar and loved the nice, chill vibes. We've heard Sunday Brunch here is really good too, so we'll definitely be coming back to try that next time. Highly recommend! read more

Vaquero's Cafe and Cantina - Chicken flautas, refried beans and rice. Frozen margarita. - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great atmosphere on the patio - easy to see the playground from your tables and the kids had a blast. Food was great and Jorge was a wonderful server - he made sure we had everything we needed! Great experience overall read more

Carmelo was great. Food was excellent. Definitely recommend. Enjoy a margarita and delicious Tex-Mex.

Food was awesome service was even better! And I feel right at home here the people are great and kind and the atmosphere is awesome. Thank you Nyx for the kindness. read more

Vaquero's Cafe and Cantina - We love being here! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Jorge killed it tonight at Vaqueros he was a great server on a very busy Christmas Eve night! Food was great! read more

Jorge is the best! we have him often and he always remembers us and our orders - he's the best!!!

Top notch visit again...although we would opt out sitting in the Bar "Tables" again just because of the food traffic from employees/bar patrons. Seating in the center near the window is where it's at. The Chips, Queso, Salsa and Ranch are always first to start with us. This is the type of place I have to look at my previous reviews to make sure I don't order the same thing twice...because im going to work my way thru this menu....And the wife?...she plays with her trusted Beef Enchiladas double rice...GD on the other had went with the Carne Guisada with red chile sauce which packed a great flavor...she was warned it was spicy..but for her it really wasn't..."Heat" it still new to her at 14 and did fine. Tortillas that came with it were legit. For me this round I started with a cup of Creamy Chicken Tortilla soup (forgot to order last visit)...and my first with a cream base and it was excellent....As for a main the Carnitas Tacos with Chile rubbed pork shoulder was my choice..Super tender and loaded with flavor...Beans...Good....Rice...Good...Also ordered a side (was suppose to be small) of Chorizo Mac and Cheese...Very Tasty..This joint is up there for us and is easily my GD favorite Mexican/Tex Mex spot. read more

Great margaritas and nachos, Carmelo was a wonderful server and the ambiance is wonderful read more

Vaquero's Cafe and Cantina - Great margaritas and nachos, Carmelo was great - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great lunch and thanks to Jorge! Great service and great recommendation with ordering the steaks!

My wife and I visited on a recent Austin trip. Service was fast and courteous. The food was delicious! Highly recommended. We'll be back. read more

Lunch combo is always a great value and the enchiladas are very good. Service is always quick. Carmelo is a great server. Very attentive and quick with refills read more

Vaquero's is a great place to have some TexMex. Jorge and Chao are always pleasant and welcoming.

Vaqueros is our go-to spot for a perfect patio with kids. Jorge is the very best with 10/10 service every time!

A good happy hour for a good Margarita! Food was freash and delicious! Service was friendly! Loved the atmosphere! read more

Vaquero's Cafe and Cantina - l - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Such a good deal - they had great specials and the food was exactly what you'd expect for Tex Mex. The carnitas in the tacos was so flavorful. Our server Alicion was really sweet, accommodating and full of recommendations. read more

We are in all the time. Jorge is great and always takes care of us. Great service all around.

Great service and food! Nyx was our server! We love the ice cream and the chips are the best! So fresh-

Fantastic Mexican restaurant off 360, close to Westlake & Barton Creek. The food and the service is great. Special thanks to Jorge for taking care of our party. The back patio has a playground for kids and sometimes live music. There is a bonus self serve ice cream machine near the entrance. read more

Vaqueros always has the friendliest service and their beef fajita tacos are amazing! The environment is great and it has a nice playground for the kids. Jorge was so kind and attentive! read more

Always great. Wonderful service from Carmelo! Love the tortilla soup! Best margaritas too!

Chips and the jalapeño ranch were great! Chicken fajita Nachos were tasty too! Carmelo was a friendly server and took care of us! Great spot overall read more

Jorge was great, the food and atmosphere superb, favorites being the beef fajitas and creamy jalapeño dip

Carmelo was so tempted and accommodating to our needs. We had the trio fajita with beef, chicken, and shrimp which was amazing! I love how big the shrimp are and how to the chicken and beef are. You can never go wrong with homemade fresh flour tortillas. Totally recommend for not only lunchtime, but dinner time such a great place.!! read more

Had a great time !! Food was delicious. Service was excellent. Our waiter Jorge did an excellent job being super attentive and providing great recommendations. Anyone looking to have a good time and tasty food should definitely visit! read more

Great food & atmosphere ! Carmelo was our sever and he gave awesome service! Thank you for taking care of us for our lunch break!

Thee food was outstanding! Jorge was friendly and provided very good service. will recommend Vaqueros to friends.