El Big Bad

Wanted to try out brunch and I was impressed with how fast the food arrived. However, I don’t recommend the food I had was the chilaquiles and they over did it in the green salsa way too much for my taste. I had to let the server know I wasn’t satisfied and I ask to order something else so I tried the breakfast torta. It was very average the ciabatta bread wasn’t fresh at all. I also tried the ceviche it had quite an interesting flavor but not to die for. I’m not sure if I’ll try this place again I didn’t get to try any of their infused tequilas. Which I might want to if I’ll come back next time.

Drinks are weak and overpriced. Food is just like any other Mexican restaurant.

The food is good, as is the house margarita. But $ 5 each for a 6″ corn tortilla street taco is steep.
Don’t even think about asking for salt and pepper, apparently the chef gets offended.

The worst customer service — didn’t even eat there, had to walk out. I can’t believe the place is even in business — not to be superficial, but ugly/​fat and impolite staff with no clue about customer service. Went over the Moonshiners — wonderful, welcoming staff, great food. No looking back.

Terrible. We made a reservation brought 9 people and when we got there they said they weren’t taking reservation. But you did! Will never go back

A friend invited a group of us to celebrate Cinco de Mayo here. Didn’t enjoy it at all. They served food in to-​go containers for dine-​in patrons «because it was busy» last night. I thought that was tacky.
Then we tried the salsa verde (green) — bland. The roasted tomato was a little better but was missing flavor. It just packed more heat. Chips and salsa was disappointing.
Tried their famous hot wings — not impressed. And I love wings! The best thing they brought to the table was a bottle of hot sauce to drown those wings!
Lastly, I will address the $ 10 watered down margaritas that they served in small plastic cups. I tried to be positive. I tried the house and the blueberry jalepeno. First, it wasn’t a $ 10 portion. Second, they were watered down. Third, they didn’t taste good.
So, we went to Cyclone Anaya where they had good food served on real dishes and thankfully fantastic margaritas — big ones — strong ones.
The second star is because the facility is awesome!

Went here after a long day for the final four. I live in Houston and am very familiar with good (and great) Tex Mex. You will not find it here. Chips and queso were good, we had queso con carne which was delicious. Then the beef fajitas came. Very dry, no flavor, the worst fajitas I have had in Houston. I hear the drinks are good, and can vouch that the service was attentive with the water, refilling my glass which gained a star there. Ambiance is good with the mural and lighting; be ready to take some steps to use the restroom.
Just don’t order the fajitas here.

I’ve heard a lot about this place, it’s always on these «lists» about downtown best margaritas so I came to check it out after dinner on a Saturday night. I was very excited to try it out.
Service was ok, bar setup downstairs is a little weird. We ended up sitting at the counter across from the tortilla fryer, not so cool.
I had the cucumber-​mint one and my husband the wifi (coconut– pineapple). They were ok. I’ve had stronger more delicious and cheaper margaritas in other places. It might fit someone else’s palate, but not ours. Not planning on returning, but you might love it.

Had a going away party for myself and about 15 friends & coworkers were in attendance. We were placed on the third floor with no music, dim lighting and I believe our server was drunk. One of the additional servers that dropped off food was outrageously disrespectful to one of my guests which lead to the manager being summoned. He offered a round of drinks for free for my guests and gave a sarcastic apology. The Unicorn was probably their best drink. Everything else was mediocre. The food was subpar and drinks and food took forever to arrive at the table! I’ll NEVER visit this establishment again.

You know this place is probably more about having drinks than the food, which if that’s the case then you will be in good shape. But if you are looking for good food then this isn’t the place for that. I will say they have an elote which I give it 5 stars!

We came in at 11 and they were ready for a party of 7. The service was good and they anticipated split checks which made it a lot more convenient for us than dividing the bill among each other.
I had smothered fries and they were great. There was so much flavor to them. It was like eating a really well made burrito in fries form. All my friends seemed to enjoy their respective dishes. They looked like they had a solid drink menu too.
Overall there was nothing I could complain about. Would definitely recommend if you like Mexican.

Love this place. Friendly service. Best margaritas. Ceviche. And those tequila shots! So yummy. I’ve tried pineapple, churro, jalapeño, and pineapple again. I’ve had the nachos and they were ok. Oh yeah, same for the quesadilla. So go for the drinks… not necessarily the food. Sign up for their frequent customer app and get $ 15 off.

El Big Bad should be changed to El Mediocre. This place has gone downhill since the switch. I used to love coming here when it was Chachos.
Service: The service was lacking. Waiters had to be summoned to help. Beware, if you sit at a table, you may get ignored for a while. However, the bartender was amazing!!! Service at the bar area is top notch.
Food: I came here on Fat Tuesday & they were having a crawfish boil. I hadn’t had crawfish yet this season & was really excited to dive in. Why? Well, because I LOVE crawfish. Anyhow, I was extremely disappointed in the lack of flavor. They were very juicy, but not soaked in seasoning like they’re supposed to be. I had about 4 pounds from two different batches & none of them tasted good.
Margaritas: Now, the drinks on the other hand, were amaze-​balls. I mean, if I only came for the drinks, I would have given 5-​stars. There are several different infused margaritas. I started with the house & ended with the cucumber and I must say the Cucumber was DELICIOUS!
If I make my way back here, it will be for drinks only. The 3-​star Unilocal average reviews are spot on.

One and Done.
Came to El Big Bad because it was within walking distance of the Magnolia Hotel. A group of about 19 of us walked here from the hotel after a day of meetings. I read some of the reviews prior to going and probably would not have come here in the first place but the boss’s boss said that was where we were going so that is where I went. We came here on a Monday night so they were definitely not overly busy. We had reservations to we were seated on the first floor. I did not venture up to the other levels so I have no opinion about what went on above me.
The food is considered «Mexican» but I would not really consider it Tex-​Mex. I also would not consider it authentic. Honestly, I’m not sure what I consider it other than Not That Good.
We had an assortment of appetizers and entrees. I tasted the Jalisco Wangs. The flavor was ok and they were a tad too spicy. As a native Texan, I like my spicy food. In this situation, I think the spice took away from the overall taste. I also tasted the bacon-​wrapped jalapeños. They were probably the best thing I are all night. Of course, you know, it had bacon! I could probably choke down variegated cardboard if it were wrapped in bacon. To be fair, on the menu, they are called Diablitos de Caballo and I thought they were pretty good. The guacamole was also very good.
I had the 3 taco choice from an assortment of tacos. I chose the Carne Asada, Fish, and Shrimp tacos. I’m trying to cut back on carbs so I did not eat the tortillas. I only ate the innards of the taco. The flavor was average at best with the carne asada probably being my favorite. It also had a sauce on it that probably gave it a better taste overall. I’ll post a picture of the food menu so you can view your choices before ultimately deciding to come here… or not.
Several co-​workers had one of their wide ranging margaritas but the common opinion was that they seemed on the weak side. I did notice on the menu that some of the margaritas were rather pricey with The Texan topping the list at $ 21. Seriously? I’ll post a picture of the margarita menu for your viewing pleasure.
The next morning when a couple of co-​workers and I were talking about our experience the night before, we all agreed that we were not overly impressed with El Big Bad and would not be rushing back. The general consensus was we had all had better.
I think Unilocaler’s are giving the place honest reviews. Their 3-​star average with 300+ reviews is pretty spot on. Go at your own risk and don’t say I didn’t warn you.
If you found this review to be useful, funny, or cool, please let me know below. Thanks for reading.

I usually don’t have the best of service when I come here. Either the wait staff are passive aggressively rude or it takes forever for simple service. However, if you want good margarita options then come here! They are all on the rocks but you have options for days. My favorite that not to many people know about is the champrita. Just like a beerita but with champagne. Be careful bc this drink will run you ¹⁷⁄₁₉ $ but it’s worth it at least once. I usually just come here to drink and get some chips and the pick your own salsa. Come here and be malo (it’s written on the wall)

I’m so upset that a few Houston locals at Chuy’s recommended this place. Where to start???
I’m here on business and already enjoyed my life at Chuy’s. There, the waitress and two patrons spoke highly of El Big Bad. Like a true Saint, I ignored the reviews and went with the local reference. Maybe they just hated me or people from Philly in general and decided to send me to the most overrated restaurant. IDK.
Get here — friendly folks at the bar. Go upstairs to sit outside. 15 mins later… (Ticking clock) the waiter makes it seem like he’s going out of his way to serve me even though it’s not his table. I had to briefly bring out my ‘Philly spirit’ to get him to understand that this is not philanthropy and that I’m paying for this dinner.
The food servers walk around like lil’ Boo beep lost in the woods while holding someone food on a platter. It appears they take the best guess with who’s food they have. He recommends this watery, tasteless chile con queso. Thank goodness my drink — Painkiller — and tortilla soup hit the spot. Sent back the chile con queso and asked for the guacamole he recommended. Instead, I ended up with mushed avocados — because guacamole has some flavoring. And he bring me ANOTHER bowl of chips. I’m by myself and haven’t even touch the first bowl… WHAT?
It’s so bad. I left early without even getting my entrée. I’ll eat my Chuy’s leftovers.

Came here with a groupon for Sunday brunch. We ordered the seasonal salad, which had really great tequila nuts and goat cheese, as well as the BB Burrito. Somehow, the burrito came with added carnitas even though I didn’t request it, but I’m not complaining! It was wonderful, and I really liked how there was scrambled egg mixed in there too. Really gave a brunch feel to the burrito. Service was spotty, as our server was the bartender and she was very busy with drink orders. Fortunately, one of her colleagues stepped up to help her out. A tad on the expensive side without the deal, but definitely a steal with the deal. Will be back next time I visit the theatre district!

Bought a groupon deal for El Big Bad because I really liked their sister restaurant El Gran Malo, but was a little worried when I later saw some bad Unilocal reviews.
However, we had a great time — our waiter Andrew was attentive and very helpful in recommending food and beverages.
We had trouble finding parking on a Thursday night, so just be aware that you may have to park a few blocks from the restaurant, but I expect that when I go downtown.
Food Ratings:
Chorizo Quesadilla (⁴⁄₅) — We wanted them to be a little cheesier and a little less chorizo but they were basically what we expected and hoped for when we ordered chorizo — delicious and greasy
Plantains (⁴⁄₅) — The cheese and plantain combo was different and I’m not sure I will be putting cheese on my plantains any time soon, but I really like plantains, so I would order this again.
Grilled Shrooms Taco (⁴⁄₅) — The mushrooms were really seasoned and our waiter said it was his favorite of the tacos.
Shrimp Enpoblanos (⁵⁄₅) — This was my favorite of the night and also recommended by our waiter. TONS of cheese that followed your fork, just like a commercial, good amount of shrimp, and the elote (seasoned charred corn) was really good. As my husband described it, «I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the corn from the description, but I love it.»

Welcome to the World’s Largest Infused Tequila bar! look up and follow the mural over to the elevator to see the flavors of the season
As for food, there are options for everyone (the mushroom tacos for the discerning vegetarian palate), although my favorite menu item is the beef fajitas (also available in chicken) and for $ 5 more you can add a habanero barbecued quail.
It is a pleasure to work here and I look forward to serving you!

Meh… Came here on a Saturday night after 10pm to meet a group of friends for dinner/​drinks. Yes, I could have been hangry but that still doesn’t justify my experience here. It was busy when my friend initially snagged a table at 10pm so we were seated on the 2^nd floor outdoor balcony. Nothing really to see at that time of night, our view was basically a crane and the parking lot across the street. 1 star for ambiance outside.
Next, we ordered drinks. I am a spice fanatic so I ordered one of their spicy chili infused tequila cocktails and it definitely lived up to my spicy, hot expectations. The tequila was very tasty, the drink was spicy without being too sweet, and was strong. 4 stars for the drinks!
Food:
— Barbacoa & pork carnitas tacos: Both with dry, bland meat. I was extremely unimpressed and literally ate 2 bites of each taco. I am one who NEVER wastes food, but I honestly didn’t want to take home my leftovers because I knew I wouldn’t eat it. Sadly I’ve had tacos from a food truck for half the price that were tastier.
— Queso: This reminded me of microwaved velveeta cheese: No bueno
Service:
— It definitely was a busy night and took our waiter about 20 minutes to take our orders
— Food came out in a timely manner
— Once it was time to get the check and pay, that process was another 20 minutes to get our tab and process all of our payments
Overall, I would definitely come back and try out the other infused tequilas but the food here is definitely not worth it. Sadly, I went to Frank’s Pizza next door after I left here cause I was still hungry…

Had the Margarita’s and chips and queso. Great service. All three get 5 stars. Perfect place to hang out with friends on a Sunday night. Didn’t have dinner so I’m not sure about the food. But this place is known for its margaritas, and that they do excellent. Definitely coming back. Can’t forget to mention, perfect place to watch the game.