The service is always prompt, staff friendly, and food is always top notch. I have never been disappointed in this El Tap's food. My whole family swears by this place. I have been eating at this location for many years and will continue as long as I live here.

I tried the tacos carnitas tonight with corn tortillas. They were delicious even when I put the guacamole on them. The meat was cooked to perfection and had just enough salt. Thank you El Tapatio for such a wonderful meal.

Excellent service and great food. I keep coming back for more and more. Very authentic food. Best prices and quality around.

The food was excellent. The inside decor was nice. I wish they would make the place more curbside presentable. If they would spend a little bit of money on the facade their traffic would increase 10 fold.

Yes . All 5 stars... the service was outstanding 👏 👌 food was on point..feeling like a lil Mexico 🇲🇽 😋 T BONE Steak AND CHEESE ENCHILADA WITH GRILL ONION.. RICE WAS SUPER BOMB.. 👌

We got fajitas and they were great. Flan was soooooo good. Fast service. Great prices. Just driving through but we will definitely be back next time.

Great food and service. Storefront looks rough and needs better lighting at night.

The staff was amazing with great customer service. The food was authentic mexican as coming from a Hispanic Heritage. Highly recommend.

Food and service was amazing! I got the chicken and chorizo fajitas... delicious. Everything came out quick and was delicious. I'm staying at the hotel next door so I will likely be back while I'm here. Delicious and convenient!

This is my absolute favorite Mexican restaurant no matter where I have traveled. Why? The food is delicious. The people that serve create an atmosphere that is inviting and fun. Alex, one of the servers, has served my best friend and me a long time. It feels like "Our Place" just like I am certain many people feel this way. There are two locations in Gainesville and some in other cities but the one on Interstate 35 is my favorite. Great people! Thank you, El Tap!

Very good food ♥️

These guys are always on point! Good food and friendly service. Sometimes speedy sometimes less speedy but always worth it.

Fabulous Food, Habinaro Hot Sauce Cancun Special Must Try

From outside, it doesn't look like much, but the moment you walk on, it's bright and colorful. They bring delicious warm chips and salsa the moment you sit down, which is great because folks are hungry when arriving at a restaurant, duh! Then they give u refills if you're still waiting for your food. The waitress Valeria was very nice and attentive. Great casual dining spot. 😋

The food here is EXCEPTIONALLY great! We ordered different dishes and each dish was perfectly seasoned and well prepared. In a world that lacks great customer service, you will definitely find it here. The decor and atmosphere is beautiful and made our visit here more wonderful!

I came here with a large group on a Saturday night. The first thing that impressed me about this place was that they give everyone their own salsa bowl. Awesome I was double dipping all night like a boss. Service was pretty fast even for a large group. My wife and I got the fajitas and they were quite good. Not the best I've ever had, but above average for sure. Others in the group got nachos and they looked fantastic. Piled high with toppings and the morsels I managed to steal tasted tasted as good as they looked. Highly recommended if your in the area.

We haven't been here in awhile and wanted to try it again. It was great!!! I had chicken marsala and my hubby had lasagna. He said it was good.. Comes with fresh baked rolls. It took awhile to get food but found out it was cooked to order!!! So it was worth it!!

The ground beef is nicely spiced. It looks a little daunting to-go but it tastes good. And that’s all that matters.

Delicious food! I wish I would've tried their tres leches cake it looked good... They have several choices and I am sure it's all good but it was very challenging making a decision since all of the menu items sounded delicious. The white queso was absolutely amazing, it might seem watery at first but wait about 5 minutes for it to cool off and then it gets even better! You're welcome 👍

Loved the decor. Host and waiter were friendly. The food was fantastic! Tasted like authentic Mexican food. A local store cashier recommended this place. Will definitely be going back again.

I eat here a lot and I'm usually with a large group and they get it right every time the food is fast hot and good it's not just mediocre it's actually good I guess that's the reason I come here so much because I feel it's a great value and great service and great quality food

Very good food and we were just passing by. They serve a lot of food. Everything excellent.

Great food. Great prices. Ate there for the first time and was very impressed by the amount of food you get. Steak was juicy. Chicken was wonderful. The salsa is not too spicy. Going back soon....

Best chicken tortilla soup (caldo de pollo) of all time. The queso is also the best in town.

Wonderful service and delicious food, as always. Can't recommend the verde sauce on the enchiladas enough - perfect blend of avocado and jalapeños, with the tomatillo base!

Manuel is THE BEST server EVER!!! He is prompt, professional , and gorgeous!!!! 😋 This restaurant is on I-35. Thank you Manuel!!!

I was so surprised at how good El Tapatio was. The food was authentic Mexican and full of flavor. We will be returning.

Love this little restaurant! Great food and service!

Always good every time we come to town!!!

From West Tx area, great food and atmosphere. The waiter was great and felt like back home.

Very good food and decent prices. I would definitely recommend

I love this restaurant. The staff is really friendly and helpful. They bring you free chips and salsa. Great lunch options.

Pamma jatt

Absolutely wonderful food and experience. The rice and beans are the best anywhere. Highly recommend the Tacos. Second time here and will come back on our next Gainesville trip.

Cristi Ballentine

The food was really good, the service was amazing, the people were super nice, and the place is decorated so cool. Lots of color and decor, it was just an overall awesome experience! Very decently priced, as well.

Daniel Velazquez

I had the 01 which is like a fajitas trio with chorizo. Service was pleasant and quick.Main food had real good flavor along with the rice! The rest of the sides like beans and guac were ok. The tortillas though were wow and I got flour! I expected the same thick almost flat bread texture but no these were soft and you can tell homemade! The salsa that comes with the chips and the green one I asked for lacked any depth or spice but I guess I’m also looking for that thick and spicy flavor I’m accustomed to which isn’t from these parts. All to say I really enjoyed this place and im sad I can’t take the rest home as I’m just passing through. Not your run of the mill Mexican place.

Cindy Marzett

Great service , fast delivery of food, and the atmosphere was perfect for lunch. We went for lunch and were in and out.

Bhagvat bhakta

One of the best places to eat. Quick service and amazing food

Mike Quinn

This place is my fav Gainsville Stop. Clean restaurant, friendly service and ofcourse amazing food!

Quantum Multiversal Consciousness “Xavier”

The food was delicious! The service was excellent!✨️

Jeff G

The atmosphere was great. I love the privacy in the booth. I got a vegetarian fajita plate. It was both feeling and well prepared. The price was good. The whole experience was pleasant.

Phillip Snow

Incredible food. Large menu selection. I ate the el tap fajitas, very good!

+1

YETI “Pete Nuñez” SQUAD

Very flavorful and delicious. My entire family loved it! Food and service was outstanding!

+29

Cynthia Westbrook

I enjoy the food and the staff at El Tapatio. The salsa and chips before a meal are delicious. I especially enjoy a very simple dish of three shrimp tacos a la carte. I add cilantro and onions and drizzle lime on them. Exceptionally good.

big @bro

Muy Bueno my first visit. Wow truly a genuine Mexican food restaurant. Love the whole experience.Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Food was good. Chicken seemed dry and overcooked. Server could have been more attentive to drinks. Overall, was a nice time with friends and drinks!

This is decent mexican food. Not over the top. But I am really impressed with the service. We had a group of 30 walk in about 6:30 on Saturday. Suzie was a great waitress. We were served promptly with limited hickups.

Compared to its Grand Ave counterpart, this branch’s service is a great deal better, however the flavor of the food has gone downhill somewhat in terms of “blandness”. Makes for a hard decision where to dine when in the mood for Mexican. Overall good spot!

Food and margaritas are delicious. Our server did make it seem inconvenient that we were ordering dessert as well. Other than that, everything was terrific.

Food was great and fajitas came out sizzling! I only did 4.5 stars because the salsa was too mild. Thankfully they had some habanero sauce in a bottle on the table so that did the job👍

3.5 stars. Tasty chips and salsa. Ordered chicken burrito but ended up with beef. Was hungry so I went ahead and ate it. Reasonable prices. Decent food.

Good food, service is always speedy here. The salsa changed recently, not sure what changed 🤔 😕 but it was better before.

We ordered the fajitas tabasco served with rice and beans with your choice of tortillas with a side of guac, sourcream and pico which were pretty good. The booths give plenty of privacy; chips and salsa is complementary although the salsa flavor was lacking in my opinion. This is a tiny place so keep that in mind alot of booths though!

I come on my way to Thackerville. The food is delicious and there is always plenty to eat. My friend and I like the fajitas. Service is okay. They stay pretty busy with no time for ideal chit chat. The atmosphere is colorful.. I give it 4 stars because they could use so new material on their cushions. Hey I am sure that will happen soon enough.

The customer service was amazing and the restaurant is very clean. The food is good. I prefer yellow queso instead of only white, which this location has. So if your a fan of white queso then you will like it best. Even with my preference the food is very good. You should definitely eat here, if for no other reason than good food with great customer service.

El Tapatio has two locations in Gainesville. This one is near I35 frontage road. The food was great, the service was good for the large party we had. The dining area just seemed poorly lit. Could have been an individual perspective thing, but I felt like I needed the flashlight on my phone to read the menu. Everything else was good. Floors clean, not loud, good staff, easy to understand menu, good service.

Very nice restaurant with an authentic flair for good Mexican food! Great quick stop for a meal!

Ever want to take a nap after a great lunch? My go-to is their single enchilada lunch special $4.99 - cheese with their white queso on top. Highly recommend their soup too - delish! Atmosphere is good. Waitstaff are friendly & they can accommodate groups well. Margaritas? Muy bueno! Never disappointed when I go, which is often.

Good little Mexican place. Food was good. The guacamole was really tasty.

Nice place. The big margaritas are BIG beware!

Betty G.

The food was good but too much grease. The service was slow but they were busy.

Troy Folse

Ordered steak fajitas with a medium top shelf skinny margaritas (which is huge). The food lacked flavored but they had home made corn tortillas. And while the margaritas was big I'm guessing the large qaunity of liquid drowned out the taste of tequila. The place itself was nice. The booth was comfortable and the staff were friendly.

Anthony

The food here is amazing, Service is good, Atmosphere is good. The place is always clean. It is a small place, pretty crowded for lunch and dinner. But I prefer this location to the Grand Ave. location that is bigger. I suggest you try the quesadilla, it is my go to and I love it. So much food for the price. Highly recommended.

Andres Rosales

The staff was friendly and professional, the food came out really quick and it was good. The place was clean and it had a real Mexican look and feel to it. I recommend El Tapatio.

+3

Both the food and mixed drinks quality is inconsistent. I had grilled fish tacos tonight and my Mom ordered Chicken Enchiladas Verdes. The fish wasn't crumbled bits not one chunk of fish. It looked like leftover fish crumbs and was so salty that I couldn't eat it. Their pico didn't have jalapenos, which they charged $1.03 to add. Our Patron margaritas tasted like margarita mixer. They didn't bring the Patron in a shot glass like they have before so we ordered that, even with that additional shot the mixer still overpowered the drink. The chicken enchilas were okay the sauce had no depth very bland. I had their chicken tortilla soup one night and it was very good again needed pico with jalapenos which was an extra $1.03. Lol

It was mehhh.... Not my favorite. I ordered a combo plate, to my surprise it did not come with beans and rice which I thought all plates did. My tamale, burrito and enchiladas were covered in white cheese sause. I asked for sour cream enchilada. Not sure why cheese sauce was on everything. Not good. My husband had the steak, he liked his.

Service was so so not greeting you or being polite. The salsa tastes like cilantro can't taste anything else. They hooked me up with chips and salsa though but I think that's just because I gave the dude 4 bucks for carry out.

This was not my first visit to this restaurant. I returned because of the wonderful experience I had had the first time. However this time? My waiter treated me as if he was simply annoyed with me being there. He failed to check on us. Whenever I could get his attention he would forget our orders. Then seemingly made fun of my daughter because she didn't like how the hamburger tasted. The food was fabulous. The wait staff I can't say publicly. I spent $100. For lunch. To be treated as if I was simply in the way.

Its not a bad place to eat. The food can be hit or miss....sometimes its the best fare you've seen, and sometimes it looks like it was made by a five year-old. The atmosphere is a little campy, but if you look past that - you might find it to be a good place to eat. Dinner service has typically been great, with the lunch service a little more touch and go....

Salsa was mild and delicious and fresh. Mama always said if the rice and beans ain’t good then it’s probably not that good. Below Fair on rice and beans. Very busy place and very cute. Food was bland and they forgot the salad portion of my entree. The waiter came back at the end of the meal and refilled our tea and thanked us and brought the check. He never knew that we had to ask for setups, salsa, tortillas and that I never got my missing food. I give. It a 😞

Decent food bad service poor portion sizes for the money

The experience from El tapatio,was good, service was great! Just the order we had locked like left overs from here and there...we ordered fajita plate I saw other orders were coming out smoking not our order...I did question my self that⁉️ next time I will pay more attention to Details...

David Timmins

I'm a little confused about what happened. I went with a group. The server was nice and attentive, but only a few of us got what we ordered. The food we got was ok, just not what we ordered. The price was fine.

Good service and fast, but only because just about all the food is microwaved before it's served. The server we had was very kind and generous, but the "authentic Mexican food" part is very misleading, as this is more of a texmex restaurant. The beans and Chile we're very bland, with cheese that was very runny and weird tasting. The guacamole also had an acidic taste to it. The horchata was artificial and could have been a lot better. Would not recommend for "real" Mexican food. If you can wait 30 more minutes to get home and cook a real Mexican meal, wait.

Ordered tacos with out veggies. Got tacos with veggies, had to wait for them to make them again. Tortillas taste like Walmart tortillas, cant be an Authentic Mexican restaurant and have those. The Salsas were terrible, no taco sauce. Shame all these things are wrong because their Asada is pretty good.

The waiter either didn’t like us, or his job! He was being flat out rude! They didn’t seem to be that busy either. Our margaritas tasted to be just the mix for the bargain price of 8.25. Then we ordered our food and the appetizer was good, but the main entree we ordered was a big waste of money! There won’t be a next time for us, but if you want to try then stick to the bean and cheese nachos! That was the best part of our experience here!

I guess I just got unlucky with my server. She was incredibly short with me, acted like I was wasting her time. I thought maybe she was having a bad day and gave her the benefit if the doubt. Then when it was time for a 2nd margarita she was too busy laughing it up at a friend's table to come help me. After 5 min I decided I just needed the check but she was still having too much fun. Ultimately I just had to go to the front and tell them what I had. I don't know what I did to this lady but rest assured I won't risk doing it again.

Chimichanga use to be the best spring now they just stuff it full of overcooked and tough meat . The outer layer is soggy

I used to visit this place quite a bit back about four or five years ago. Back then I thought it was really good.... but now I'm wondering if that's not because I was doing a hell of a lot of drinking back then. Nonetheless, I decided to stop off on my way home from work because it was a quick on and off the interstate and I was craving some Mexican food. Boy oh boy was I disappointed. To begin with, the chips could have been better. I think they were bordering on being stale. The salsa was actually good and the service was ok. I ordered a number 15 which is a burrito, a tamale and an enchilada topped with your choice of cheese sauce or red sauce. I opted for the red sauce. The waiter brought my food really quick (probably too quick) and warned me that the plate was hot as they usually do. While it was pretty darn warm, I wouldn't say it was hot. I could have easily handled it without a pot holder. Unfortunately the food was about the same temperature. I dug into the enchilada immediately and it was barely warm as was the burrito. The tamale was a bit warmer than both, possibly because it was in the middle. As for flavor, thank God for the red sauce cuz it was about the only thing that had any. The tamale had a little bit of flavor but the burrito and the enchilada were nothing more than ground beef wrapped in a corn or flour tortilla. I found no onions, no cilantro, nothing! I'm not even sure the beef was seasoned. Just ground beef and either a corn or flour tortilla and that was it. I think Taco Bell would've tasted better. Huge disappointment...... 👎

The food is definitely not what was said. I ordered a tostada and they piled the lettuce and cream on it, it was soggy. The tamale looked a week old. My husband tried it and said they tasted bad. Never again. The rice and beans were ok.

The waiter was very good, and quick, we didn't have to ask for refil on salsa. But the food was ok. Definitely had a lot better. Especially for the price. And the bathroom was trashed

Deb Twy

Lots of good restaurants in Gainesville, while the atmosphere here was fun, the food was just so so. The chips we're good though.

+2

Was on my way home from casino obviously. Decided to try the place out . Atmosphere amazing ... but lord the food was a 0 never have I had camarones a la diabla with COOKED SHRIMP straight out of a BAG ! and just some sauce poured over it ! What a disappointment didn’t even touch my food ! let me explain if U you don’t know what camarones a la Diabla are! It’s raw shrimp cooked in a sauce texture so different! If you know you know but they served some very very low quality shrimp. Overall just upset they should be ashamed to sell a dish like that. Get it together . Vent over!

This place is very deceiving. They claim to be “authentic” as it says in the front but they are far from it. They are more Tex-mex/store bought. The waiter was very professional and nice but the food was bad. If you expect authentic don’t eat here.

It's pretty bad when there is only one size queso and it cost nearly as much as the entree. 3.79 for a bowl of melted cheese is too high. Offer a smaller version. Waitress never offered to refill my drink glass. Very unsatisfactory visit

Food is good. Service is terrible, every waitress I’ve gotten has been rude and inattentive. They try to steal your money on alcohol. I got one margarita that had alcohol In it and one that did not. I asked them about it and they rudely told me they were the same. They served us straight mixer and did not fix it. Make sure you’re not paying extra for just juice if you eat here!!

Called one location at 8:30ish pm and they said they were closed. Their website says open till 9:30 pm. Called second location and he took the order nicely. Was there at 9:06, doors were locked. There were people mopping and walking around and pretended not to see me standing in the cold. I called twice while driving back and they picked up in second attempt. I had to make u turn and go back. Update your website so it won't fool customers.

I don't know if it was due to New Years but everything was mediocre. We ordered margaritas but instead got just sweet and sour juice. I have never been somewhere where the fajitas don't sizzle on the skillet. It took awhile for then to bring out or guacamole/sour cream/pico and rice and beans. Please save your money and go somewhere decent and good and worth your money.

Nothing mexican about this place besides atmosphere..food very basic Nothing compared to real about this place ..if my father wasn't diabetic I'd go somewhere else ..we wanted tacos and couldn't get them at 330pm ...they need to hit a satx restaurant and find out what real enchiladas and real food taste like ..best thing hear was the chips and salsa that's it 😔

Courtney Bailey

Reposted because the owners think it's okay to delete my review. First one got 1000 views and I suppose they didn't like that. We came to have a nice family lunch and that is NOT what happened. My fiancé bit into to his quesadilla and pulled out a lovely napkin. The wait staff was very kind during this situation. The manager however was not. He proceeded to try and blame my fiancé and say he stuck the napkin in the food. Everyone at the table witnessed him bite into the food and pull it out with his teeth. Very disappointed and disgusted with this service. Absolutely will not be returning.

Brandi W

I usually give places three chances. This was strike 3. The worst service I've ever had. Mediocre food at best, and laughable portions of guac and sour cream. Literally less than a teaspoon of each. "Giant" burrito was anything but. According to the menu the burrito should have been filled with meat, rice, and beans. Mine was mostly beans, no rice, and very little meat Very flat and on a soggy tortilla. We saw our waitress twice. Once when we ordered and once when the food was brought out. No follow ups, no refills, no service whatsoever. A guy (not the waitress) brought the ticket out and handed it directly to my husband and walked off. Didn't say a word. Highly, highly disappointed in the food and service, - with service being the worst. Will not be back. (Picture with sweet n low packet for scale) - Gainesville, TX I-35 location