El Tiempo Cantina Restaurant

Always a good combination and an excellent way to start lunch: A friendly waiter and a fresh glass of ice tea. The rice is surprisingly different: bowtie pasta with corn, peas and rice. My chile relleno was freshly cooked with the sauce in the side which made for a not-​so-​soggy entrée. Friendly and attentive waiter.

Just ate lunch here and it was very good! Started off with queso… please ask them to mix in some taco meat. Great! We shared the lunch portion Carnitas plate and side beef enchilada. Good was really good! Normally come here for their best in class margaritas. Don’t pay extra for the Cadillac or top shelf. Order the house frozen Marg and add a swirl of sangria. The result is… best Marg in town! You’re welcome!

One of my favorite places for fajitas! Came for lunch and it was crowded per usual. The joint has a nice atmosphere and the waitstaff and hostesses are always friendly. Can be very busy and loud.
Shared the ½ pound beef tenderloin fajitas with three others. It’s meant for two but can definitely feed 3. Comes with rice (not typical rice you would get at a tex mex place — more of a paella), beans, sour cream, pico and cheese. Also a nicely made chimichurri sauce. The beef was perfect. Comes out on a grill with onions, a jalapeño and butter sauce. Perfect and tender!
Friend said the crab enchiladas were good as well. They’re huge so 1 enchilada is plenty.

Had a blast!!! Our server, Luis, is a rockstar! He was dealing with two large parties and a few smaller parties but my drinks remained full and he was more than gracious!!! He needs a raise!!!

This place was lackluster at best.
Service: The waiter was rude as hell. He was pushy, impatient, and did not seem to care about his job at all. Upon asking us for drinks, he kept insisting that we wanted water so that he wouldn’t have to get us additional drinks other than what was on the table. When we did order a beer or two, he released a big sigh and acted like it was a hassle to get us something other than water.
Sour cream… is $ 2.50 extra… hot sauce… at a mexican restaurant is an additional $ 5…
I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit extra for condiments if the food was actually decent and did not require the condiments that I was asking for. $ 2.50 for sour cream to put on a crunchy taco that was bland at best is just ridiculous. I get more satifaction eating a crunchy taco from Taco Bell than I do from this place.
Food:
I ordered the beef fajita crunchy tacos. The portions are good however the food is tasteless and bland. I wouldn’t mind smaller portions if they had actually put effort into preparing their food. The meat in the crunchy tacos tasted well, however that was it. The taco only had meat, lettuce, and tomatoes which was a disappointment. My friend had ordered black beans as a side, and the waiter kept insisting he wanted refried beans and ended up giving him refried beans instead of the black beans he had asked for.
This restaurant has potential. It’s in a great location and has a great atmosphere. However, the poor service and lackluster food leaves more to be desired. Charging $ 2.50 for sour cream is just ridiculous. This restaurant will nickle and dime for everything that you ask for in order for yourself to make the food taste good. Just goes to show, that people are stupid enough to eat anything as long as it is in Vintage Park.

Had a terrible experience here, we were told it was a 35 minute wait only to see multiple open tables set and not being used, after asking a waitress wandering around with the seating chart if me and my family could sit at a table in front of us clearly not in use she had to «check» and we were denied, after asking a manager we were sat at this very same table we were staring at for 10 minutes right by the door which was freezing when opened. When a waitress who spoke zero english brought us our stale chips she for some odd reason decided to squeeze tightly between two tables and spill guacamole all over another guests seat, why she didn’t distribute things at the head of the table is beyond me. The menu is written in an extremely corny (no pun intended) cursive script thats hard to read in the dim lighting. The crab nachos which are apparently award winning literally sucked and consisted of no cheese i have no idea how these are nachos. They are chips with crab meat thrown on top. The waiter brought me a sprite with no syrup in it and had to refer to my menu when i ordered a simple cripsy taco. What a joke

I usually go with the Monte Mar or the Pescado A La Durango, but I changed it up and tried the «old school» style carnitas with the Durango topping for the first time… I think I may have found my new favorite.

If your looking for a strong margarita… This is the place to go! Very good drinks and food is good. Prices can be reasonable. Customer services is good. Clean facility! And great outside view!

Last night I went on a double date and took up the offer of the owner to give El Tiempo another shot before I casted it to the side. Am I happy I did! Last night not only was the food on point, but our service was the best I’ve had in a long time. Amber provided THE best service — super attentive, personable, gave us awesome recommendations; all in all gave us an excellent experience — one in which we will return and ask for Amber again! (I couldn’t help myself… I had to pull the manager to the side to let them know they hired the right person!) I was so impressed with the layout of the restaurant as well… very open ambiance. In a nutshell I’m so happy we tried out this new location — we will definitely be returning!

This place is the WORST. They always mess up on to go orders and they are very inconsistent. I ordered lunch today only to find a SCREW in my salsa after I had already eaten half of it! When I called to speak with the manager he accused me of lying. Ridiculous!

Parrilla salad with shrimp, jicama, candied pecans, mandarin oranges, & avocado slices! Yummy to my tummy, I mean straight delicious! Just do it…
My dining companion ordered the fajitas and what I sampled was legit. Not better than the original Lupe in the EC though but up there.
The green salsa was delicious, hell it might be better than Chuy’s creamy jalapeño. And for me, that says a whole lot cause I’d slapped somebody’s mama over Chuy’s, zero/​zilch/​nada/​none/​not one ounce of hesitation.
The service was great and the employees were very friendly.
My piña colada was ok, no complaints.
I’ve since tried the crab nachos… extremely delish and full of crab!

The margaritas are sublime– I used to get a frozen one with sangria mixed in. Now, I get them on the rocks.
The Diablo Tacos are the bomb. Bacon-​wrapped shrimp and chipotle aioli, queso fresco… sigh. Get these and squeeze ALL the lemon on them. Yummy. Ordering them in any other tortilla but corn would be heresy– don’t do it.
The tres leches is probably the worst I’ve had in Houston, actually, anywhere, and believe me I am a tres leches connoisseur. I’ve had way better at Kroger. Skip dessert here altogether and (if they are still open) waddle across the street to Treat and treat yo’ self to a cupcake (or two… no sharing!)
Now you know how I do it.
(This place gets busy. So, take a seat at the bar. I usually end up turning in my buzzer and eating there instead)

There are many good Tex-​Mex restaurants in this part of Northwest Houston, and El Tiempo is definitely on the expensive side — but they earn their money. They do everything with that little extra that sets them apart, from their chips and salsa to all the staples like tacos, enchiladas.etc. Fajitas are also top notch, and margaritas have a bit of punch to them. If you have friends in town and you’re in this area, this is your go-​to spot.
The one down side is that you can expect long wait times (up to one hour) during peak times. Plan accordingly.

The margaritas will knock you on your butt so don’t drink more than one before you start eating. If you drink two you will be in heaven but may not want any food, just a third margarita.
Four of us arrived at dinner time on Friday and the parking lot gave us a clue as to the number of people who were enjoying the variety of restaurants in this complex (Vintage Park). We only had to wait about 30 minutes for our table but we were lucky to grab four stools at the bar upstairs and so the wait was painless and tasty as we also had some great chips and salsa with our margaritas.
We ate downstairs and the food was very good, not great but very edible. The only thing that we ate that I did not think was quite up to the five stars I have given was the tamal (e), which was a little dry. The enchilada was wonderful.
By the time we left, at about 10 p.m., the restaurant was still packed but no one was waiting for a table.
The service was excellent and everyone had a great time.

Chips and salsa were excellent (bottomless). Margaritas were super strong (a word of warning). We had to wait for a while for a table for the four of us, so spent our time eating the chips and salsa at the bar upstairs. We were seated downstairs at a nice table and our waiter was attentive.
Food was very good, particularly the enchiladas, but by the time that I’d eaten, I was in the «starving mode,» which can sometimes alter perception. Or maybe that was the drink.
I’d definitely come back and try other entrees. The place was very crowded, so come prepared for a possible wait.

I came back during lunch at 11am, before the rush. Another bad experience! This place is not kid friendly. The waitress was accommodating with my two little ones and Nice! We ate indoors, yet there were fleas everywhere. My sister told the manager about it and his face was priceless. He was like… and? LoL! Not that funny when fleas are sitting on your food. I definitely won’t be back!

Summary– Overall great Tex Mex with a huge variety on menu. The restaurant itself, specifically the service at the host stand and some of the furnishings, can leave something to be desired. If everything was as good as the food it would easily be 4 stars.
Food– 4 Stars
Very strong Tex Mex, maybe the best overall I have had so far in Texas. Every single dish has been very good or excellent. My favorites so far are the Nacho’s and Quesadillas. I love both of the Salsa’s that come out with the chips, and I also love the Guacamole and how it comes out with the ingredients on the side and you can mix it together how you want it. Their flour tortilla’s are the best I have ever had.
The only things I haven’t been in love with– Their carnitas was a little tough for me, and the Enchilada’s (verde) were just OK not great.
Service– 2 Stars
The front of the house is a mess and I don’t really understand how this place operates. As an example, we were there Saturday and they had people waiting all over, but there was empty seating galore upstairs and an entire balcony upstairs that wasn’t even open from what I saw. The host/​hostess stand has been confusing each time we have been there, this last time we were buzzed, gave up our seat at the bar, and then they had us stand behind the stand for at least 5 minutes while they scrambled around. Not professional, not well managed.
Once you actually sit down the service from the waitstaff is pretty darn good.
Atmosphere– 3 Stars
I like the restaurant overall (styling and theme), but I think it needs some tidying and cleaning here and there– example– the carpet to the upstairs is a torn up and a mess.
Value– 3 Stars
Very good, pretty pricey though.
Drinks– 3 Stars
Margaritas are decent, although the last one I got was noticeably weaker than previous ones.

Mind you, I am not a huge Mexican cuisine fan. So I only go when it is for my family or friends and special occasions. AND if I want a GOOD Margarita! I usually get the Tacos Diablo, grilled shrimp and the spicy sauce they put on them is amazing. I am always down for this dish here. Oh and the Tres Leches is pretty darn good too! Staff was friendly, quick and the location is great for us!

I always beg my parents to take me here at least once whenever I visit from college. This place is incredible — kick ass margaritas, and I’ve never tried anything off the menu that wasn’t to die for. I mean, for god’s sake, they have CRAB and BACON quesadillas. My stomach’s growling just typing this out.
Other favorites of mine are the El Domi plate — they have these things called cannonballs, which are lightly fried avocados stuffed with either chicken, beef or shrimp. I know, who gave them the right? I usually opt for the shrimp (shameless seafood lover), and it’s incredible, absolutely delicious. The fajita beef taco is also very good; I’ve never had tough or chewy beef, which can be a hazard at other Mexican restaurants I’ve tried.
I’ve tried the fish taco (huge, more like burrito), the carnitas (served a bit like fajitas, with the pork on a sizzling skillet and you build your own tacos), and the chile relleno (the kind with ground beef I believe), as well as probably more I can’t remember. The point is, this place is good, no matter what you order. I’ve yet to have a bad experience.
Long story short, this place is absolutely incredible. Downside: everyone knows it — be prepared for a moderate to lengthy wait if you come during peak dinner times, but know that your stomach will thank you for sticking it out.

This was our first time coming here. To be honest, had it not been for the fact that a friend of mine gave me a gift card, I may never have come here because off the bat when I looked them up their prices are higher than most Mexican restaurants. For reference, it’s a little pricier than Pappasitos.
After my visit I will say that their food is absolutely delicious! I ordered the tacos al carbon. They give you an option to either order it w/​1 taco or 2. I’m usually someone that almost always finishes my plate and I will say I couldn’t finish my 2 tacos! They stuff them like crazy!
The fajitas taste absolutely amazing! Their refried beans were delicious. The tortillas tasted hand-​made. Their green salsa was awesome!!!
I do have to complain that they don’t carry Coke products, only Pepsi.
Overall, I would have given them a 5 had it not been for the price. I will however say their portions are huge, so you can definitely expect to take some food home.