On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina

After suffering from the likes of other terrible restaurants in the Reading area, On The Border is like a breath of fresh air. This is one place where the server was competent and actually anticipated when I needed a drink refill. The food actually isn’t bad either. The chips were crisp, not soggy. The salsa had a spicy zing to it. The queso, beans and beef had good flavor, although those were perhaps a bit on the salty side.

OTB has the best Happy Hour around in my opinion. The servers always make my margs without sour mix (with agave instead) and they are ALWAYS better and cheaper than anywhere else I have ever tried in the Berks County Area. I love their queso and flautas!

This place used to be good enough for us to drive 40 minutes from home but now they just slap some stuff on the plate. The chicken tacos were my favorite but they are now watery and they seem in a rush to get you out. I also used to love the brisket tacos but now they’re dry and over cooked. They used to have a really great sauce on them. I have no idea what happened. I’m just really disappointed with them bc they were good before and really went down hill the past 3 times we have been there so we gave up on them.

I’m not going to review the food this time. I will say it was good and I was full when I left.

My review is on the wait staff, Excellent job for a Saturday night! We never had to ask for a refill of a drink. Our food was timely. We even had a server mistakenly leave water at our table, and he was nice enough to answer a few questions about the menu. We were not at his table, he could have blown us off like most servers would have done.
James was our waiter. Great job, Thank you for an enjoyable experience on a very busy Saturday night!

No take out boxes tonight! A rare occasion that I ate my entire meal– and enjoyed it!
Now…I won’t pretend that it is most authentic tasting Mexican food, however I enjoy «Taco Tuesday’s» and the vast vegetarian options, which provide a healthier option to restaurant food.
I ordered the spinach and mushroom enchiladas with black beans on the side… and they were excellent. Should note that I dislike spicy food– but loved this… so if you are looking for caliente Mexican food you may need to order that specially.
The restaurant itself is ok… not overly exciting. However, this may be the one restaurant on the eastern seaboard where I’m not freezing. Two points!
I feel comfortable taking my kids here.
This is a very family friendly place.
Over all– a good… experience nothing that stood out as exceptional (other than I enjoyed most of my meal– a rare occasion), however nothing was bad either. A small request– I love that they have Dr. Pepper on tap!!! Wish they had the diet dr pepper… it would make the place more of a draw as no one carries this beverage.
We will definitely be back!

Horrible service. They don’t honor their commitments to their deals there Monday night deal for endless enchiladas is actually 30 min per plate. They serve salads with hair in it. I’d love to have the corporate of on the border do some secret visits here. most of the servers just hide in the kitchen. I wish I could give them a zero.

Food was horrible. CORN in everything, cilantro in everything (which tastes like dish soap) And for a person who can’t have corn, not happy. Reordered everything without corn in it to wait 15 minutes (after the rest of my family was done eating) to be told it’s all premixed and they can’t remake it without corn in it. Then they charged me for the taco that I ate. Horrible horrible horrible!!! Not happy at all.

This restaurant sucks. There, I said it. I know it sounds harsh but it’s true. In today’s world, there’s SO many dining options; there’s absolutely no reason for you to come here.
It’s a chain restaurant so you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. This location is usually pretty clean — as they should be! Usually restaurants are understaffed. Not OTB in Wyomissing! There always seem to be staff just standing around, talking to one another.
There’s a lot of young people that work at this location. I feel really old saying this (I’m ready to retire; I’m 24) but there’s a lot of young people working there. That really shouldn’t be an issue but they seem to have zero work ethic. They disappear for long periods of time because they’re too busy texting or chatting with one another.
I used to come here for late night; half price apps & pretty decent drink specials. However, I stopped coming because of the piss poor attitude of one of the bartenders & the inconsistency. It seemed like I would go, only to write to corporate + complain. They have the ability to turn things around but I won’t be going here any time soon.

Fell in love with their empanadas, my boyfriend and I sometimes go here for dinner or lunch. The portions are great, their rice needs some work and the beans aren’t that great. The prices are reasonable. The service is decent. One waitress had no idea what she was talking about and gave me the wrong change. On top of that she kept flirting with my boyfriend and rolling her eyes at me. I tried to speak to the management and they never called me back. Very terrible management. Won’t be back.

Every time I’ve been here great service great food!!! Been to many other Mexican places and by far this is the best!!! I recommend this place to everyone!!!

The Good — The food is excellent, and the portions are great. When we last ate there, everything was hot and fresh.
The Bad — The service can be slow at times, and they often get orders incorrect. This is not the place to go if you’re in a hurry. We sat for a while before a waitress came over and the place was almost empty. My husband’s order came out wrong and had to be sent back. This is not the first time we experienced this.
BUT — The good outweighs the bad. We like the food, so we keep going back. It’s a fun dining experience which, in our opinion, outweighs any mistakes that were made.

Had great food the ultimate fajitas except the waitress brought the tortillas to the table and call them wraps

My girlfriend and I have been to this restaurant for both lunch and dinner. Both experiences were positive. I had the fish tacos, which were delicious. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp taco salad. The salad was quite ample and was enough to make a second meal. Service was prompt and our server was attentive. The only downside was my girlfriend’s piña colada. Tasty, but rather watery. She said she would not order one there again. On the up side, we were there for $ 2.00 margarita night and while we didn’t order any, it’s was a nice option.

A trip to On The Border feels just like being in the desert! You’re tired. You’re thirsty. You’re alone. You’re eating scraps of food just to stay alive.
Each dish is like a desert wasteland. There’s no sign of vegetation. The meat is overcooked to the point that it’s nearly jerky.
I think James Franco had more to drink in 127 Hours than I had in my 45-​minute dinner excursion. Authenticity is great, don’t get me wrong. But when a restaurant is trying to simulate the experience of someone dying of thirst in a canyon, well, I’m not sure what demographic they’re targeting exactly.
Often I try to mentally escape from the everyday grind. I envision myself sipping on margaritas under the shade of palm fronds. That’s definitely not the feeling you get at On The Border. It’s a bit more stressful, a bit more frantic. It’s definitely like being stranded in the desert sun. When are you getting your next drink? When are you getting your next meal? When will you see the warm, welcoming smile of another human being? Perhaps never. Perhaps you’ll die here, alone. On The Border — where you start to question your very existence in the universe and begin to acknowledge your shortcomings in this crazy world.
Switching gears — this place has REALLY YUMMY quesadillas! They help make the pain go away.

Fajitas and tacos were good. Service was good but watch the chips… Some were very greasy.

Damn the hatch chile carnitas are absolutely delicious I can’t speak for anything else on the menu as every time I come here I get this I have literally been here 2 – 3 times a week just for those damn things the pork is so succulent and savory you can’t go wrong for 10.49 for three plus Mexican rice and your choice of beans! Will be back

Great place to hang with friends on a Tuesday. Watch sports on the screens few tacos and margaritas make it a great night

Not usually a big fan of chains but this one is pretty darn good.
Taco Tuesday special has become a weekly ritual with my son.
They also have great margaritas and reasonably priced happy hour specials.

For a chain, it’s just OK Mexican food. I’ve been to other On the Border’s before and food has been OK, but I generally don’t crave this place. This was our first visit to this location and we were looking to get in and out pretty quick as we had a show to catch at the Soverign Arena. We arrive on a Friday evening a little after 5pm, and were quickly seated. I think we got there at a good time, because about 30 minutes later, there seemed to be a wait.
Both of my kids had the chicken fingers and fries and my wife and I each ordered an appetizer – the chicken nachos and the flautas. I was expecting a mound of nachos, but instead we got about a dozen thick corn chips laid out in a single layer on a plate with each chip covered in some chicken, cheese, and beans. What was nice is that they were easy to pick up and each nacho had stuff on it, but I was expecting more food for the price. The flautas were fine, but I like guacamole, and I had to order some on the side for an extra charge to go with my flautas.
Service was generally OK, but I could have used a refill on my water. When I explained to our waiter that we had a time constraint, he seemed to do his part to ensure we weren’t slowed down by him.

Service can be hit or miss, food is great and good prices. Lots of options if you like Mexican foods.