Dario’s Restaurant

I am writing because I see undeserved bad reviews.
I have eaten at Dario’s numerous times since leaving Austin, and never had anything bad.
This is typical Tex-​Mex, sorta Mexican-​style; and it is GOOD !
I say, ignore the nay-​sayers and TRY Dario’s !
Rick

Ok first time here and you can see this place has been here forever. lets start with the stale chips and salsa that tastes like ketchup! Ewwww. the menu is all basically the same thing over and over just add rice and beans or guacamole salad. our server seems as if he doesn’t want to be here
But he is efficient and ok service wise.
…our food just came out and have to say some of the grossest enchiladas ive had.darn.still looking for a great authentic mexican spot. one plus is that every one was super nice to my son saying hi and giving hi fives!..

Can’t beat Darios! Classic no frills Texmex! Great service, great food, friendly atmosphere.

I was really hesitant on giving this 3 stars. I won’t stop going to this place but it’s decent enough that I don’t mind it at all. I guess the 3 stars would really sum up that I think it is okay. I was here with my running group and we had a huge table that took up mostly the other room. The salsa was runny but definitely had a kick to it. I didn’t mind the salsa.
Then I ordered the breakfast with eggs, potatoes, beans and bacon. It was decent though it was heavy because I’m not used to eating that heavy of a meal. The service was good.
Again I don’t mind coming to this place but it’s not that I’m eager to come back to.

I was very underwhelmed with the whole experience. I was there for a lunch and they served us chips and salsa as we waited for the food to come out. They were extremely salty… The actual plate consisted on an enchilada, a tamal and some beans and rice. It was nothing to write home about, it was just food that I would probably been able to get at any fast food joint.
The plus: staff is nice and try to please you. The prices cheap cheap cheap.

This place reminds me of San Antonio food and not in the good way. My hispanic bf born and raised in SA loved it but I, who was grown up on Houston Tex-​Mex could go without. Blegh. It reminded me of school lunch flavors. Pass.

Ya know, it’s okay. It’s really not GREAT food. Mediocre. Asada was essentially little chunks of meat not strips. My wife liked the shrimp tacos however. I write this not being swayed at the beer mug with lipstick I noticed after finishing my beer either.

Yum! This place is another Austin TexMex institution :) I love that the owner is present and greets you. The food is really tasty and affordable. I enjoy the salad #1 plate — guacamole salad, queso cup, crispy taco & cheese enchilada for about $ 7. The «gravy» on the enchiladas is delicious! Further, the tortillas are homemade and yummy! I would definitely recommend!!!
Please note — I put 5 stars because of the food, but the décor lacks a lot to be desired…

This is a divey Mexican place with FABULOUS food!
I used to go here for lunch at least weekly. When I quit working downtown, I stopped going so frequently. But when I returned, they remembered me and remembered my order even (I’m so predictable). EXCELLENT FOOD and EXCELLENT SERVICE.
They get super busy at lunch, but they really move people in and out quickly — the wait is never too long and I never got back from lunch late. I wish I lived closer… I haven’t been there in far too long, but I will be back again!

I stopped in to Dario’s one day when I needed a quick bite. It was a good choice for that. The service was fast and friendly. And, it is clearly a neighborhood joint because the waiter commented that he hadn’t seen us there before. True… it was our first visit.
Our server brought chips and salsa to the table. The salsa was the kind that looks as though it had been run through a blender or food processor so that there are no big chunks in it. It had good flavor and I liked the smoothness of the texture.
Lunch was crispy tacos. They were good. The meat was flavorful. The cheese was plenty. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh and crisp.
All in all, a very good lunch experience.

Atmosphere and Cleanliness: This was a great find for us… Very inviting and our first time on the East side for Mexican… I know… what took so long???
Service: Service was OUTSTANDING… From the start to the finish… this was very refreshing for us… Maria C. did a great job…
Food: Chips, Queso and salsa were all very tasty… Chips tasted a little over done… not sure if they are fresh made or not… Wife had the Mexican Dinner, no beans, double rice… She enjoyed it… Myself I had the Darios Deluxe Dinner… The Salad kinda thru me at first, but it was cool… crispy taco, Guac, Queso on a plate… Subbed over Tamale for another enchilada, Everything was REALLY good, beans were very tasty…
Worth the Adventure: Did you not read my review… This has been our best experience in a while… Great LUNCH… thanks Dario’s.

I’m not into sketchy looking places or restaurants with cardboard signs on the door [ok, I don’t actually remember if they had this but they might as well] but I went because that’s where the party was taking place.
I seriously was nervous about the hand-​washing skills taking place at this establishment and well, I still am BUT the food was AMAZING.
I had the tortilla soup and tried a few other dishes… SO FREAKIN GOOD. I will def be back because it was unreal how yummy everything was. I was just so stuffed and happy for the rest of the day! So although a little sketch and not a place I would go if not suggested by the rest of my «party» I was happy when I left!
If you’re on a diet– not a place for you!

Late Saturday brunch (1:00 PM). I had cheesy and hearty migas, she had meaty queso flameado, we both enjoyed the food (see pictures), the traditional Mexican music on the sound system (lots of trumpets and fiddles), and a couple of pecan pralines iced it. Plus, they don’t laugh at you in the restaurant if you walk in through the door to the cantina.

I hadn’t eaten here in over ten years. The cheese enchiladas are still as delicious as I remembered. The salsa is good, and they give you fresh tortillas with your meal.
I only gave Dario’s three stars because the rice was a little dry, and I’m picky about my rice. The taco that came with my combo plate was just ok, and it had no cheese.
I will come back for the yummy enchiladas, and the great service! Our server kept our drinks, chips and salsa full the whole time.

What Dario’s isn’t — interior Mexican food, a taqueria, or trendy.
What Dario’s is – simple, old fashioned Tex-​Mex that’s pure comfort food for native Texans.
The salsa tonight had some kick, the cheese melts well on everything, and the service couldn’t be better.
Here’s hoping that my favorite Tex-​Mex restaurant survives the gentrification of the barrio. As a side note, yes, the white Crown Victorias in the parking lot at lunch are all police cars. The cops know the real Tex-​Mex…

I believe it was Dr. John who sang it like this:
«I was in the right place but it must have been the wrong time…
I’d have said the right thing but I must have used the wrong line…
I’d a took the right road but I must have took a wrong turn…
Would have made the right move but I made it at the wrong time…»
Once I ordered a menu item at Dario’s that came out as a mound of flaky gray meat. That was surely the wrong turn (for my stomach). I sent it back and asked for nachos which was the right move.
When I go, I usually see people I have not seen in years. And there is probably good reason for that so perhaps that’s a right thing. More recently, I went with work friends and decided on the cheese enchilada plate which appeared on the table when everyone had finished eating. That must have been the wrong time.
If you go, select your enchiladas, tacos, queso and chips with caution. And, do let me know if you were in the right place at the wrong time or ate the wrong meal or used the wrong line.

Did Dario die, or something? I’m trying to figure out how the food has gone so far downhill in the last few years.
An ex-​boyfriend took me here once a few years ago, and I recall being very impressed with my cheese enchiladas. When I went the other day, though, I was almost wishing for ipecac syrup.
I ordered Dario’s #2, which had a taco, a cheese enchilada, and a pork tamale. Was given chips, salsa, and a huge glass of iced tea with a too-​small straw. The salsa was sufficiently spicy, but the chips seemed bland and worthless to me. But I ate them anyway.
My taco came out first. It had wonderful, super-​greasy ground beef on it, but I was pissed at the absence of cheese. This is the first taco I’ve ever seen that didn’t include cheese. Did they run out? Is cheese illegal now? Too bad I went to Antonelli’s after Dario’s; otherwise, I would’ve grated some of THAT cheese atop my taco. But I ate the taco anyway.
And then my rice, beans, enchilada, and tamale arrived. I immediately noticed that the tamale and enchilada were burned [see picture]. I guess the good cook had the day off that day. The enchilada was decent for what it was, but the tamale had way too much tortilla and not enough pork. And what pork it did have didn’t taste very good. At least, it didn’t taste like pork. Faux pork, perhaps, or mystery meat. Misery meat, more like. And I couldn’t get past the carcinogenic atrocity of those two items. It ruined what little good taste those items had. The rice was so dry and undercooked I could’ve etched «Catherine wuz here» on the table with it. The beans were lardy, which is good, but they were bland. Some bacon would do them some good. I suspect eating cinder blocks would be more appetizing than what I ate at Dario’s. But I ate these items anyway.
After eating all that badness, the chips and salsa suddenly became quite appetizing.
So my trip to Dario’s was all about «eating it anyway,» which is not a way to get me back to your restaurant. Maybe I’ll give them another chance in another five years. Meantime, there are better Tex-​Mex joints around town, and a few cinder blocks in my back yard.

Have you not been to Dario’s yet? Bookmark it and get there. Solid choices abound. I don’t know what mystical realm they get their cheese from, but good grief it’s excellent. That means get the cheese enchiladas.
Lots of space inside to accomodate larger groups, but not many spaces in the lot.

Hands down the WORST food I have ever put in my mouth. I went there because the reviews here were so great… but it was terrible. I’m not even that picky! We got «migas» and I use the word lightly. Something was really wrong… like the oil they used was rancid or something. They were literally floating in some sort of ranchero soup. There were uncooked corn tortillas just torn up and mixed in there. I couldn’t eat it. I sent it back. They offered me enchiladas. I refused. They did not charge me… so that was good. My bf ate his anyway (even though he also hated it) and got sick later from it.
Maybe I caught them on a bad day… but I am not going back to figure that out. Also, no restaurant should have a day that bad.

Salsa is hot just the way I like it. This is one of my favorite Mexican Food Restaurants. You can seat yourself and service is friendly. I have never been disappointed with Dario’s on 6^th Street.