El Paso

The restaurant advertised a burrito with rice and beans for $ 10.99 (no meat described). When I ordered, I was told I would have to pay $ 4 extra if I wanted shrimp and that I could only get chicken or beef for the burrito. The menu only said burrito, nothing about paying extra for shrimp. It was very misleading and not right. I felt mislead and left without eatting there.

The only item I really love from here are the fajitas. They are cooked to perfection each and every time. This time I had the steak and shrimp fajitas, which were phenomenal as always and I also had the beef nachos. Something has changed about the nachos, because they weren’t as delicious as I remembered. They use way less cheese now and the meat was really spicy and salty. The cheese also seemed different from when they first opened. Hubby tried the enchiladas on a previous visit and really disliked them. He wished he would’ve gotten the fajitas, which in my opinion, is their star of the show.
There was a really hard piece of stem? (almost cork like) in my guacamole. I showed the waitress and she apologized. I let it slide but it really made me side eye their kitchen cleanliness.
I used to really love the free chips, salsa, and bean dip until they started watering down the bean dip. It used to be thick, creamy, and really good. Now it’s just a runny, soupy mess. I figure this is a cost cutting move since it’s basically a free appetizer. In my eyes it ruined your reputation a little. I’d rather pay more and have it the way it was than a watered down version.
I’ve noticed that they’ve cut back on the portion sizes for the fajitas too. They used to give way more meat. Now it’s more veggies, and less meat. Still fulfilling and I always have leftovers.

If I could give zero stars I would! Horrible services. Went with another couple for dinner and the waitress forgot our order and kept coming back to the table to ask us what we ordered. Food finally comes and my burrito was ice cold and my boyfriends chili relleno was cold too. Also the couple we were with never got there food and when we asked for the manager to tell him he brought out what we thought was there’s — which was wrong. Finally got it right and it was cold. Nothing was comped. No one apologized. Never will go back there.

I phoned in our order via phone and I was told it would be ready in 20 minutes. My boyfriend picked up the food within 15 minutes and brought it home as usual. I start to eat my food and notice a BUG in my lettuce. I am beyond disgusted… Now, I didn’t complain or say anything on a different occasion when I found a piece of plastic in my food. BUT THIS? I decide I was going to bring the food back myself and speak to a manager. I walk in and approach the bar and ask to speak to a manager. The guy says he can help me and I open my container to show him the OBVIOUS. First he pretends not to see the bug! He then proceeds to say, «Oh, this order was picked up more than 25 minutes ago.» First of all, it takes 20 minutes to prepare the food, and I only live 5 minutes away. Secondly, it was not picked up 25 minutes ago, but 10 minutes ago. Third WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH A BUG BEING IN MY FOOD SIR??? THEN HE SAYS, «Oh well that’s an outside bug, we don’t have any bugs like that here.» I asked him if he was implying that I put the bug there myself. He quickly grabs the container and says they will make it again. He never waits for my response as he starts to head to the back. He also never offers a refund or discount on my meal. I promptly decline the food replacement idea and ask for a refund. He leaves to go speak to his boss… Yes, he had to actually go speak to someone to determine whether or not I deserved a refund for a BUG IN MY FOOD. He has not apologized at any time during this very civil conversation mind you. The start of good customer service when a customer is unhappy is to first apologize. So, he comes back and proceeds to take $ 11 out of the register and hand it to me. I look at him and say, «That’s it?» And he says, «Yeah, I offered to get you more food but you didn’t want it.» He has still not apologized during this very civil interaction. I then asked if he could comp a margarita for my inconvenience and ruined dinner, and he leaves again to ask his manager. He comes back and the answer is no. I began to express my disapproval on his lack of customer service by first not apologizing, then trying to blame the customer for their bug issue, and not agreeing to comp a small margarita or offer complimentary items when the replacement food item was declined for obvious reasons. He really could CARE LESS, and the manager NEVER came out to address me or apologize. I am a frequent customer, and I order from them 1 – 3 times a month since opening. I am thoroughly disappointed with their handling of this situation. Their lack of concern with this issue makes me seriously question the cleanliness and quality of their food and cooking areas. PLEASE BE ADVISED!!!

Ok, came back again I’m craving tacos real tacos not that garbage TB offers… So I sit at the bar and the bartender tells me the small Margaritas are $ 2.99 until 7pm its 6:55…now my plan was to just get a few tacos and head home and watch Empire and the Warriors vs Clippers (love Chris Paul) so 1 small Strawberry Margaritas and a order of beef tacos. Very pleased…

This is our new FAVORITE spot. The food is authentic Mexican (not just Tex-​Mex) and the Margaritas were SO good! You WON’T be disappointed!

We came here for happy hour on wednesday, and stayed for the live mariachi music. food was delicious, portions generous. order the fajitas for two! it includes shrimp, chicken, smoked sauage and beef in smoky flavorful juices along with tortillas for both and a plate of sides for both people. We stuffed ourselves then had lunch for two for the next day!

I’ve been back about 6 times since this review and each time I’ve gotten either the fajitas or steak taco salad (what can I say, when I find something I like I stick with it!) and each time it’s been great! The food comes out very fast as well. Lime frozen margaritas are great and strong. Yes, it’s a chain restaurant but it has surprisingly exceeded my expectations. I’m glad we have this place nearby!

Ate lunch here today with some family and it was pretty good. I loved the little bean dip that they bring out with the salsa. Nice touch since you do not usually get bean dip for free anymore. I ordered the grilled chicken chimichanga which was okay. Nothing special about it. The sides of rice and beans were pretty good though. My aunt ordered the taco salad and loved it. My mawmaw ordered the chile relleno (spelling?) and ate everything, which is a feat for her since she doesn’t eat much. We ordered the flan for dessert. It was so. Dang. Good. Bathrooms were really clean. Everyone was really nice and they were very accommodating for my baby. Overall, we had a good lunch experience!

Shrimp or ribs… These guys do two things really well! The rib racks are always huge and delicious and any dish and every dish we’ve had here with cooked or grilled shrimp is amazing.

El Paso (literally) redeemed the old Bennigans which had been languishing since before the storm.
The décor is nice if you don’t look too closely: the exterior paint-​job is second rate, and for some weird reason they did not build the courtyard wall high enough to block out the sight and sound of the parking lots that almost surround the place. So what could be a really nice illusion of dinner in a hacienda becomes instead dinner in a place trying to look like a hacienda. Grade: B–
The margaritas are good enough. But they’re mostly booze-​supplier recipe-​book stock stuff. (You can get some of the exact same margaritas down the block at Buffalo Wild Wings. Probably cheaper here, but who knows.) Grade: C, B+ when they’re on special.
As for the food, El Paso’s management needs to pay attention to detail: produce is not fresh; food is not drained, so that my enchilada rancheras where swimming in a mixture of water and grease. Meat quality is not of the highest. Prices are too high for the quality you get. Grade: D.
A rather good Mariachi band works the inside of the restaurant. Not sure where El Paso nabbed these guys, but they deserve to play a better gig. I’m not a Mariachi fan, but I could have listened to them attentively for some time. Grade: A.
Service was mostly attentive, with some forgivable but not forgettable lapses. C+ on the service.
I probably won’t be back, and certainly not for the food; but when the margaritas are cheap and the band is playing, maybe. Just maybe.

I have been waiting for this place to opening since they took Bennigans place. My sister’s family and I went after about a couple of weeks open. I have been to actual Mexican food restaurants in the past so any restaurant that claims to be Mexican has been compared to a higher standard.
First of all, the service was good and they were very attentive. I was pleased with chips and salsa and bean dip. My niece, who is not a big eater, ate all of the bean dip. It was very good. Second, I ordered the tortilla soup. It was tasty but it could have been hotter. My sister said the same thing so it wasn’t just mine. I ordered the tamales, they were okay but I honestly have had better.
I am willing to try it again because they just opened. Considering it’s Mexican tex-​mex, not bad. Try it for yourself and see what you think.

Overall, pretty standard Tex-​Mex fair with fast and attentive service.
They start you off with house salsa AND a black bean dip, which I’ve never seen done elsewhere. Both were good and they kept fresh hot chips coming.
There are a TON of menu items to choose from, again all pretty standard Tex-​Mex options. The food was fairly mediocre, but still certainly appetizing enough.
The house margarita was very tasty.
This may not be the best Mexican restaurant in NOLA, but its still certainly worth checking out, especially if you live in the area. The food and drinks are good, but best of all, the service was remarkably attentive and fast. I will certainly be back.

I went there for the first time today and it was awful. We arrived at 6:20 PM on a Friday night. It was not busy at all, just like normal. We ordered and recieved our food by 7:40 PM. An hours wait. It did start to get busy at 7:00 PM. The waiter then brought us ANOTHER pitcher of margaritas of which we joking said, «we will take another IF it’s free since it’s taking the food so long.»
In the long run, all the food was wrong. We asked for chicken enchiladas and burritos and they brought us beef. When we told them they said they can not make chicken. (I about lost my mind there) Then the manager said they only had 2 chefs in the kitchen. On a Friday night that is just ridiculous and he did not even offer to fix anything and told us we had to pay for the extra pitcher. Which by the way was untouched and we never drank.
Just down right horrible management which makes for horrible servers.
On the upside, maybe on a slow day when they don’t have to do much work may be better, because the food was good. They just need to work on their customer service.

We were looking for a place to eat after a ball game and were heading to another location, when the brightly lit, festive looking building caught our eyes. New place, crowded and we are hungry so why not.
We were seated right away. Our server greeted us shortly there after. I will say service was good, friendly and attentive.
Out comes the traditional chips and salsa with a little treat of black bean dip. Checked out the menu and it was typical Tex-​mex with some of the same catchy names for their combos.
We ordered the queso and munched on that until the entrees came out.
Service was good, food was good and restaurant was nice. Hence, the 3 stars. It is a nice place with good food at a reasonable price to take out the family.
They will go through some growing pains as it just recently opened so give it time and a chance. People complain about not enough locations on Westbank. Well, if you don’t support them they won’t come.

I sure had my droughts about eating at a new restaurant but was willing to give it a try? The food was served hot, and timely.
But tasted bland with little or no real flavor.
This was definitely not made fresh in house. My server was friendly, and knowledgeable. But I was NOT sold on this place. If your looking for good Mexican food that is made right, and made fresh in house with fast friendly service then go to Los Panchos in Terry town.

I have always said that the Algiers area needs more sit-​down restaurants, and I was super sad when our Bennigan’s location closed after Hurricane Gustav swept through town. So, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that the building that was left behind for over five years was being turned into a Mexican joint.
The place has only been open about two weeks, so the wait staff is still learning the menu, but our waitress was super helpful and was more than willing to answer our questions regarding the menu items.
The good news is that the frozen margaritas are fantastic. Super strong! At the moment they do not have any sort of drink specials or happy hour. Hopefully that will come later. I would also be interested in going back to try their other margarita flavors, particularly the guava and passion fruit (though at any Mexican place I always default back to the traditional lime.)
Now to the main event: the food. What’s awesome is that not only do you get the usual chips and salsa but they also give you bean dip, which was tasty. The salsa can stand to be spicier and chunkier, but that’s just a personal preference. For my entrée I ordered the fish tacos with tortilla soup. The soup consisted of broth, tortilla strips and avocado pieces. No chicken or other sort of meat. So, yeah, I’ve have better soup elsewhere. The tacos were packed with fish and topped with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes but could have used a lot more seasoning.
Overall, I found the food to be bland, but the margaritas were great. If you’re looking for great, innovative Mexican cuisine, eh, go elsewhere. If you are looking for a nice place to relax, grab a drink and nosh on some chips and salsa close to home in the Algiers area, then this is a decent place to go.

I tried it for the first time after reading all the negative reviews about excessive salt, poor service, and unfriendly/​unapologetic management, etc.
I’m happy to report that my experience was very contrary to all of that. The Fajitas were appropriately seasoned, and very good all around. I am sure many of the issues in previous reviews are mostly the result of a very green staff that is still learning the ropes.
I can’t quite put this place on the level of Velvet Cactus just yet (but I would if they were to add low-​sugar frozen Margaritas!). I would put it on par with El Mesquite.
Based on my first experience there, I will definitely be back and I could see it becoming one of my go-​to casual dining options.

All things considered, I would give this place a 2.5 stars (edited to 2 for high blood pressure after eating it).
THE DECOR:
It’s nice but badly done. We saw how much they rushed with blue tape still mixed up with the paints. The tables all have El Paso cards put into them but really badly. They used resin and didn’t know what they were doing so you could feel them.
Who cares about that, right? It’s about food.
So none of that will factor into this review.
THE SERVICE:
Waitress was kinda stressed. She forgot stuff and after pouring our tea, she freaked out because she thought it was the wrong kind.
She was also confused (with good reason) when our food arrived less than 5 minutes after we ordered. It was obviously pre-​made, had pre-​packaged sauces and was microwaved.
I’m a really fast cook and there is no way you could have made our food from scratch. It has to be pre-​made. And over salted.
CHIPS AND SALSA:
The salsa is cilantro free, so I’d usually like that. But it was fairly tasteless. But again, not a bad thing. They also serve you bean dip. THIS is one of the reasons I gave it an extra half point. It’s a black bean dip and tasty. But the chips were not full chips. We had maybe 3 whole chips. The rest were bits, too small to dip.
The girly ordered her usual tester food for Tex-​Mex; three beef tacos, crunchy corn tortilla. And one cheese enchilada I ordered the Grilled chicken Chimichanga.
The tacos were salty as heck. Much saltier than needed. If you know how to spice food, salt is the pearl that makes it work. If you do not know how to spice, salt is your crutch. THIS was a crutch. No sour cream or guac. Nothing. They needed it because of the salt content. The cheese enchilada was comparable to a low rent frozen dinner one. No real flavor but salt.
My Chimichanga was tiny. Like. mini burrito sized but it was more flour tortilla than anything else. The chicken was tasty but overly salty. Again, no sour cream, no guac, nothing. I had maybe 3 bites of actual chicken infused food. The rest was flour tortilla. It’s like I bought one of those late night microwave burritos. It was all tortilla and little meat. But one bite was so salty, the Girly said my ears turned red.
I ate half a meal (a la cart: no beans or rice) but the sodium content was so bad I couldn’t get anything extra.
The prices are about 1.5 bucks higher than the other places we have here but the quality is not even close to what it should be.
I am going with 2 stars because it IS a chain and to be honest, it was more like tv dinner food than restaurant food. By the time I got home, I had to drink lots of water to counteract all the salt (I believe the first reviewer mentioned overly-​salty food as well).

Went back today (yes, I am a piggie. oink. oink!) to see if EVERYTHANG there was oversalted. I caroused the menu and was in the mood for chicken but didn’t see any combos that suited my needs because they were mostly beef. I asked the waitress if I could substitute beef for chicken and she told me no substitutions. Huh. Weird. Anyways she recommended the chimichanga.
Bean Dip– got it warm today which made a big difference. Didn’t taste as salty and had an aftertaste of pork (pork? am I right?!).
Chimichanga Combo– I saw that a reviewer mentioned that his portion was small which is unfortunate because I wasn’t able to eat all of mine. I guess the portion size would be relative to how much you can shovel down LOL. The chicken was grilled, had faint grill marks and flavor. Nothing extremely bomb-​tastic but still enjoyable. I liked how crunchy the shell was on the outside. Came with Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, and Guacamole Salad (Guac, Lettuce, Tomato). Best of all it wasn’t salty, HUZZAH! (Like seriously who dumped all of that salt in yesterdays food? I certainly hope they figure out what works, nobody wants an unpredictable meal.)
While the food here (besides the guacamole and bean dip) isn’t bragging material the service is where this establishment excels. I have had two phenomenal servers in a row HOWEVER I’m not knocking anybody elses experience. It IS opening week and service is almost always spotty during such times. The food is average Tex-​Mex I’d rate it around 3 stars but the service bumps it all up to 4. Both of my waiters were attentive and courteous. The server from yesterday was the perfect of example of how I expect to be treated every time I go to a sit down restaurant. Random server guy from yesterday, YOU DA BEST!
Hope to be back for MAR-​GA-​RITAAAAAS! ~salsa dances~