Senor Papas & Beer

No margaritas at a Mexican restaurant is like having no beer at a German restaurant. Never to return.

Terrible. I had to argue with the waiter and go get a menu to prove to him my meal came with guacamole. My burrito had hardly any meat in it! Like next to none. This was a bad experience. I want my money back

The food was soo good but the service sucked!!! He gave us our drinks and we waited 20mins till he get our order. We told him wanted some beer that took 25mins we got our beer once our food was gone! The place wasn’t even busy.

We went at 5:30 on a Saturday night for our first time. I was immediately greeted. We had a party of 7, so of course I was told it would be a few minutes. I’d say it was maybe 2 minutes. Awesome!
As soon as we were sat, our waitress brought chips & a bean dip and took our drink orders. The service remained pleasantly attentive and fast-​paced without being intrusive. Several of us special ordered items and everything was correct the first time.
The bean dip and the queso were both wonderful-don’t think Pablano’s, the bean dip is much thicker and spicier. I could have made a meal out of those alone, but I ordered the fajita nachos. The people I was with had tacos and beef fajitas. Everyone enjoyed it, except for my pickiest eater– but she would eat a plain cheese quesadilla every meal if allowed.
As good as the service and the food were, the atmosphere was a little bit bland. All of the TVs are showing the same football game, of course it was UT, lol. The area around the salsa bar was kind of… uninviting, for lack of a better word. The lighting made all of the salsa look brown or dark green, but they were labeled well. I personally don’t eat salsa, but the ones who do made several trips for more.
The pricing was at the high end of average, but the flavor and portions were worth it.
Overall, it was an excellent experience, we do plan to return, and I highly recommend it.

I’ve had the Papas & Beer in Asheville nearly every time I’ve gone through there. They do a phenomenal job of making standard Mexican fare taste amazing. This location was a great spot for a business lunch. I had the Mexico City Tacos and the flavors that made me like the original branches so much were definitely still there.
Pros
Flavor. Honestly, this is what makes them different than any other Mexican joint. Also, they have a great beer selection and are very affordable. The salsa bar has some super creative options as well. I’m a salsa fiend and had to stop myself from eating the whole basket of chips while reviewing sales goals over lunch. The service complaints have been addressed, apparently.
Cons
The atmosphere needs to be adjusted a little bit. The lighting over the salsa bar didn’t make any of the salsas look tasty but they are all super good. Warning, the ones that say they are spicy are actually spicy.
Overall
Go for the flavor, eat lots of salsa, and enjoy!

The food is really good, not withstanding the bland rice. The waitstaff would be better if they were electronic like at Sonic, (the fast food place). When I asked about dessert, the waitress had to get me a menu so I could read them. My God, I’m not qualified to wait tables but even I can remember and recite 5 super basic dessert items.
This was my second trip here and my only thoughts are that there are a ton of other Mexican restaurants in Johnson City.

We’re seated by the bar, worst service ever, they sit you there and it’s like you no longer exist.

I am such a fan of this place! Great salsa bar, fantastic grilled steak and the beans they bring with the chips have a nice kick.

Went with a group. The server messed up my order not once, but twice. I finally decided to order the third thing he brought me even though it still wasn’t what I ordered. (My order wasn’t exotic. It was something off the standard menu.) The food was not good and the service, even beyond the repeated errors, was not good. I’ve had bad experiences at places before and decided I’d try them again at some later point. Not this place. I’ll never go back.

YEAH Pappas and beer… BOO service. Our food was great, always filling. When we walked in the cashier couldn’t be bothered and finally seated us. The woman who brought the chips to the table was rude. The waitress was OK but never brought us the hot sauce we asked for. The cashier disappeared and there was a line of people waiting to pay as someone went to look for her. Even though its new to the area the customer service really needs to be addressed because the food itself will keep customers returning for a while but the customer service won’t. I’m sure after the newness wears down so will the business. We probably will not be going back which is a shame because the ones in Asheville are pretty good.

We were seated quickly and after ordering our food was ready super fast. The service was good, our waitress checked on us several times and refilled our drinks. We had Papa’s fajitas for 2, which is steak, chicken and shrimp. Everything tasted really fresh, we’ll go back when in Johnson City.

Yay, another good Mexican restaurant in JC. Another restaurant we enjoy in Asheville that came over the mountain.
Predictably, Wifey heard someone at the table next to us complaining that the beans are too spicy. I thought that El Torito/​El Charolais had warmed up the area’s collective palate. 10 years ago, there wasn’t even one good Mexican restaurant here. It was depressing. Now, it’s fairly competitive.
The salsa bar is popular, but needs labels. If you read my reviews, you’ll know I have pet peeves. This includes the seating process (it’s not that hard– I should have a choice if possible, don’t want to be in the kids’ section or in the middle of the room, and it seems the more butt-​scratchers there are hanging around the hostess stand with grease pens, the more likely they are to screw it up. Go ahead and throw ‘me a curve sometime and ask for the table NEXT to the table they assigned you; it’s like you’ve disrupted the world order). Well, I guess it went OK here at SP&B, Wifey got here before me. But the front door is a double door. Handles on both. But only one is unlocked. Gah! This pisses me off on a regular basis and there are a few places I avoid because of this awkwardness. Who wants to pull, push, or walk-​into what is a perfectly good door that won’t budge? I’ve also been known to unlock them «for» the business. Edit/​update: heeey, both front doors are unlocked tonight!
Good menu. The server counter-​recommended the shredded beef, so Wifey enjoyed the Fajita Burrito. We both really like the white cheese dip with chorizo and I liked the ChoriPollo. Very similar to the dish «Jaliciense» at El Charolais. Grilled chicken and chorizo smothered with cheese dip. I subbed in a salad for bean & rice. The creamy green dip on the salsa bar is what they use for salad dressing.
The bar LOOKS like a real cantina. A small patio too.
One app, two entrees, a draft domestic beer and a bottle of Corona = $ 35. We’ll be back.