Olmecas Mexican Restaurant

Stopped by tonight for the «every Sat night with co-​workers» dinner and found the place locked up, sent one of us on a recon mission to read the note on the door… sounds like they’re permanently closed (not a health code violation or anything like that). Never very busy when we were there, I figured this was coming…
So, the food was good… a little different than regular Tex-​Mex which is probably what most people were looking for. Enchiladas Caliente was awesome, not your usual beef enchiladas with «brown sauce». Chile Rellano was good as I recall. But I do have to agree with Arwen, the refried beans were almost always cold…

The food is not good, our waitress was very indifferent to us. One would think that this deserves 1 star, but then I remember Olivia, and how she charges us $ 130 for a speckle of bland food, and I say, «eh, maybe olmeca’s isn’t that bad after all.»

we eat here about twice a year. it’s pretty good, nothing to write home about, but pretty good. the staff has always been friendly, the food is decent, and restaurant itself is kept up well. don’t go here if you think you’ll be getting a cheap deal on some mexican food. you can expect to pay prices that are in line with all the more well known and hip mexican joints in town. depending on what you get, the food will be comparable or better and the place will be much less packed, so that’s why we like it sometimes.

It’s okay. The tortillas are amazing but that doesn’t make up for the actual food. I’ve had breakfast here a few times. I always come away wondering why I didn’t go somewhere else.
The service is good. The prices are decent. However, the food is just so-​so. The last time I went, my beans were cold. Yuck.
It’s very good for a group in that the waitstaff doesn’t get flustered. I think the bean thing may have been a fluke, but the food just doesn’t stand out when compared with other Mexican places.

You know what’s wrong with white people? They don’t understand anything about Mexican food. As in– they are blind to the subtle wonders of Mexican cuisine.
I bring this up because nobody is talking about the most obviously awesome thing about Olmecas: HO-​MADE TORTILLAS!!! All of their tacos are lovingly wrapped in tortillas that they made themselves, in house. Luscious, thick, delicious hand made tortillas. I buy them by the dozen, to go. Oh my god happiness.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about happy hour. Olmecas probably has the longest happy hour in town. We’re talkin’ from 4pm to 8pm. Cheap beer & Ritas, plus half price appetizers.
DON’T get the queso fundido unless you long for a colon plug composed of roughly 2 pounds of WIC cheese. With a garnish of chorizo for good measure.
DO try the nachos, all of them. Also good, enchiladas, and pretty much any of the tacos, anytime. Mighty fine salsa, cheap prices, decent service.
Kristina K is the only white person on here who understands the ho-​made tortilla– it whispers sweet nothings to you before it makes love to your mouth.
But don’t just take my word for it. Go to Olmecas and put them in your face hole, for crying out loud!

This was a total «Hey, let’s try THIS place.» Needless to say it worked out great. We were in search for breakfast tacos, and breakfast tacos we got. Their prices are super cheap. $ 1.29 tacos and my huevos rancheros were like 4.99. Great, authentic flavor. The housemade salsa was a win as well. Both red and green were very good. The waitress was very welcoming and attentive. This is another one of those Austin mexican joints that bring you the MASSIVE cup of water for your meal. They have cocktails as well, blood mary is $ 5.75. Also, you get to pick where you sit, so if you are totally hungover and light sensitive on sundays (like me) this has nice darker corner sections that are quite cozy.

I have a confession to make. The tacos are sexy. Yes, they are incredibly sexy. They say things like «eat me» and «you know you love my hard, crispy shell and overflowing chicken and cheese… mmmm… yeah… put your mouth all over me». Naughty, naughty tacos.
Other than their sexy chicken tacos, this place is pretty run of the mill. Complete with «La Cucaracha» playing on the stereo and all. Really? What’s up with that song about cockroaches anyway? Not so sexy.
When the sounds of the taco’s voices call to me in the middle of the night, I’ll be back. But probably not before then.

Best place on East Oltorf for sure. Finding a place at 10am on a Sunday morning that doesn’t have a wait isn’t always easy to find.
After a late night walking into a nice quiet, clean place was much welcomed. We were greeted immediately and seated in just the right spot.
The décor looked promising and the menu was awesome. Many of some of my favorite breakfast dishes all on the same menu! Awesome! I ordered the chilaquiles as it is one of my favorite breakfasts… if it’s done right. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite make the cut on some of the better ones I’ve had. They were generous with the cheese and green sauce which was a nice change compared to a few other places. However, it wasn’t quite right. They do have a mean salsa to go with the chips there though. Spicy enough to make your eyes water, but great flavor.
If I ever find myself hunting for a less crowded place, I’ll try it again. Def going for the migas next time.

For cheap Tex-​Mex, this place does it right. For some reason, the beans and rice always stand out to me. The queso is way cheap (compared to Trudy’s, who charges $ 6 for the same size). I usually order the sour cream enchiladas or the chile rellano. The service is always attentive. I’ve never had any complaints form anyone else I’ve gone with here.
The décor is a little off because it used to be an Asian café that served bubble drinks, shaved ice, and some other dishes.

Great Al pastor. Even better if you get it with the pineapples. The wait staff is attentive and can give great suggestions. It is also well portioned and priced even better.
The décor is fun and the lighting is really cool. There is a full service bar and an amazing desert menu. Some of the dishes look like they could be a little experimental so if your looking for something new then here you go.
Enjoy!

Kind of wandered on to this place. It is a pretty clean establishment. And to be honest I was all prepared to write a good review. The food was fresh and hot. The service was a little bit slow. The two lady’s at the counter kept watching the one waitress struggle her way through all four tables. But the good tasting food was making up for that. The chilaquilles were a little bit oversauced. But still tasty. We went up to the counter to pay and thats where things took me by surprise. Should have had a clue with salsa was not automatically brought out to the table. Had to ask for it. Apparently salsa costs a buck a bowl. And coffee does NOT come with refills. All well and good if we had been made aware somehow to begin with. I kept seeing that .99 cent figure flash and was a bit confused so I asked what it was all about… On the next…

I live near Olmecas so I have been there a few times. The food is typical Tex-​Mex which is fine. I have eaten there three times plus a getting breakfast tacos. I don’t have any major complaints. They give big portions and the staff were nice and fast enough. I guess some people have had problems, not me. It’s like all the cheap Tex-​Mex places in town. They are hit and miss at times.

The service was bad for a 4:30 on a Thursday.
The margaritas tasted more like melted sno-​cones.
The beers were cold.
The salsa was spicy.
The sampler plate left something lacking and was greasy.
The margaritas kicked in at the right time.
I’d be willing to try it again because one of my companions said she was there all the time. But maybe that’s because she lives close.
The other food looked half-​decent, but our time was short. Maybe I’ll update soon. Maybe.

Okay, there is a conspiracy going on. I SWEAR I wrote a review for Olmecas about a week ago, and now it has disappeared. I gave the place a generous three stars for the bland, fast-​food-​style burrito that was a chunk of grease. Sure … generous amounts of low-​quality beef and processed cheese. The cook must be a huge fan of Taco Bell. I returned in desperation for a fast breakfast taco. (The place is close to where I live.) And not only did I wait forever, I was served the worst taco I’ve ever had, a tablespoon of dry chorizo mixed with my egg … yes a TABLESPOON. It tasted like it had been cooked a few days before and refrigerated. And I think they must really be cutting corners … yes a TABLESPOON. C’mon dudes! AND … a true pet peeve of mine, the damn TV was on, a clear sign that the employees’ needs are being met first and not the customers’. I’m sure this place at one time had good intentions as a mom ‘n pop local Mexican restaurant, but it’s clear everyone involved – customers included – have become complacent with crappy food. If you eat at Taco Bell everyday, I’m sure it starts to taste good after awhile. Olmecas has the right formula for success: cheap ingredients, cheap prices, and lots of grease.

I ordered the Milanesa Olmecas. its basically a mexican veal parmisan. thin-​cut, breaded & fried steak, topped with monterrey jack and a red sauce. it was very tasty, the fresh guacamole that comes on the plate made it even better. this has got to be one of the best items on the menu. get it.
my colleagues had the al pastor plate and the beef/​chicken fajitas respectively.
the pastor wasnt bad, but nothing to slap your momma about.
the fajitas were dry and devoid of any happiness.
there are better mexi-​spots to be found
(
is your friend)

I had really been craving some decent Tex-​Mex from a couple of reviews I had found on Unilocal.However, my evening sightseeing had gotten a little out of hand, and after getting lost I found it past 10 on a Monday night and almost everything was closed. I even considered trying Freebirds but they were closed too. I definitely did not want fast food as my cardinal rule on vacation is unless it is a definite last resort (almost got there too!) I don’t eat anything I could get back home.
I finally found Olmeca’s at almost 11 PM. They are open until 11:30 which is, sadly, the best thing about the place. At 11 there were three parties eating in house so I would say it was moderately busy. They seemed authentic, but this place was a disappointment. I ordered standard fare, a bean and cheese burrito and a Chicken Fajita taco to go so I could eat at my hotel. The waitress told me it would be about five minutes. After about three minutes I was invited to sit and wait at a table. I was not offered chips and salsa. I watched one of the other waitresses flirting with a customer at least 20 years her senior. I ended up waiting 15 minutes for my food.
The burrito was overly greasy and I started not to feel so well before the taco. The taco was a beef fajita taco! I had asked for chicken! They were lucky that a) I don’t mind beef, I was just trying to be a little healthier and b) I was not about to drive back over there at 11:30 to complain. The taco was pretty good, but a little bit small.
Overall, this was a disappointment. Maybe it was because I was craving real Tex-​Mex style and this wasn’t it, but California Mexican food is SO much better than this…

Went to Olmecas for lunch. The salsa was hotter than standard fare, but good. Split the Pechuga Olmeca without mushrooms with my boyfriend and it was more than enough food. It came smothered in queso (it got all in the rice and made it delicious) and there was pico de gallo, lettuce, and guacamole all on the side.
The waitress was attentive. She used a little spanish and a little english, but we didn’t have any communication problems.
The décor is definitely silly for a mexican restaurant. Besides the giant mushroom table, there’s a projector screen, projector and speakers and some other things that hint towards this previously being a theater of some sort.
All in all, I’d go back and try it again. It’s convenient for lunch, not too crowded, but I probably won’t be having the Pechuga Olmeca again (maybe it’s better with the mushrooms). I pretty much agree with Artis T., a 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Olmecas is a lunch favorite for myself and several coworkers. The free salsa is probably one of the best I’ve had in Austin so far.
The waitresses are all quite friendly and help explain some of the Spanish vocabulary that I don’t understand on the menu.
A couple of times when we had a very large group the order got screwed up, but they were always sure to give it to us free if something happened. Good service.

Olmecas may be the only Mexican restaurant in Texas with a giant red plaster Mushroom for a table. Yes its true, there is a very large fake fungus in the front window of this newer strip mall eatery. Needless to say the previous business must have had some interesting interior decorators. But I digress… Olmecas is all about food not décor.
The complimentary salsa is one of my favorites in town, with a taste that is at once fresh and smoky (perhaps due to a bit of Chipotle peppers? just a guess) The migas are excellent and their standard-​fare Mexican plates are well done, with nice attention to details. But the true standouts here are the Tacos al Pastor (divine) and the Pechuga Olmeca, a dish that sets Olmecas a wrung above the rest. And definintely get a tasty aguas frescas to wash it all down. I am always so happy when I leave this place that I wonder if they are putting some of ‘those mushrooms’ in their enchiladas. yum.