Papaya Mexican Grill

This was probably our 3^rd or 4^th visit in the last couple months. The owners are amazing and kind. Food is delicious. I try something new almost every time we go and have not been disappointed. I am not a hard liquor person so their margaritas are appealing to most, but I prefer their micheladas. So refreshing and great spice mix. Also, the tres Leche cake makes for a delicious dessert though I’ve had to take mine to go because I was too full from great food and good drinks!

Pretty good place. They have free margaritas all week after 4 with a purchase of an entrée. I had the chicken enchiladas it came with 3 enchilades, rice, a little lettuce and beans. My boyfriend had 5 carnitas tacos he really like them. My food was really good as well. I would be coming back!

Had the enchiladas and my wife had the fajitas. Both were excellent. The sauces are good and potent. They haven’t received their liquor license so the give you 2 free beers or margaritas with your meal. The place is clean and the experience was worth the visit.

I found out about Papaya from other Unilocalers today when I was looking for brunch spots in Arlington. While I didn’t get brunch [there wasn’t a brunch menu but a traditional breakfast menu], I didn’t leave disappointed. My meal started with some delicious chips and salsa — I emphasize delicious because I’m pretty picky. Their salsa had the right consistency and spiciness for my taste. The margaritas didn’t disappoint either. I had the mango and the lime flavored kinds. Neither were too sweet or to too weak. Praise the heavens. I chose the combination fajitas for my entrée. Really tasty. I can’t give them the number 1 rank on my taste bud meter [that belongs to Mariano’s] BUT for flavor they are definitely in my top 5. Other reviews mention how speedy the service is here. They weren’t lying. I sat down and had my food piping hot within 5 minutes. Tasty food. Good drinks. Speedy service. I’m definitely coming back and suggest that you make sure you visit. P. S. Free Margarita after 4 with entrée. All the more reason to go!!!

The service was nice and prompt. The margaritas were ok. They only have frozen margaritas. I liked through sangria Margarita more than the watermelon. The food looked amazing, but tasted bland. My friend enjoyed her tacos, so I’ll have to come back and try something different. Hopefully I’ll enjoy another item on the menu better. I had the Pollo with garlic butter sauce. I had veggies which were spicy so i didn’t eat them and rice which didn’t seem very fresh. The two stars is for the nice service.

Great service from Mario! Food and drinks are wonderful. Tortilla soup was the best!!!, Small serving is a meal it self.

Excellent! Had the street tacos, unbelievable! Also everyone is very nice. I have to return later in the week to try the steak burrito.

Strongly recommend this place! Great delicious authentic food! Staff is very welcoming and kind! Our food was fast and presentation was beautiful! My family and I will return!

Beef enchiladas with fajita meat on top was awesome! Husband loved the shrimp cocktail. The two free margaritas was the icing on the cake!

Really impressed by this place! Went last night with a date and we had a great time. The owner was attentive, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the food was phenomenal.
I had the Marlin fish tacos, which went really well with the special Mama’s Sauce they serve with the taco. Rice and beans were good, wueso was perfectly cheesy, but the crown jewel of my visit was the free (yes, free) margarita! I had the cucumber/​jalapeño frozen mix; a helluva drink!
Will be returning soon

Nice find!
My husband and I popped in after work, on a weekday, nice crowd but not overwhelming.
Street tacos were delicious! Guacamole was fresh and tasty, and of course chips/​salsa was plentiful.
Awaiting liquor license, so 2 free margarita with a few flavors to choose from was a plus, I was fine after just one

This restaurant has the most amazing Mexican food!
The place is not overly fancy but does have a cute Mexican atmosphere. The service was fast and the food seemed to be made to order. Everything I tried (picking from everybody’s plate) was spectacular!
I loved it so much I wish I could eat here everyday… sadly I can’t :(But whenever I’m back in town I’m sure stopping here first! Yeiiiiii
Will definitely recommend to friends and family :)

I don’t know how the reviews for this place are so great. First of all the salsa was watery and not good. The queso was bright orange and for sure from a can. If you are a Mexican restaurant and can’t get those two things right, it makes you wonder…
I ordered the fajita tacos (steak and chicken) and they were fine. My husband ordered the sausage tacos and it was just sausage and cheese and tortillas. They tasted like spicy hot dogs to me. The service was good.

Great place to go after work. And believe me it didn’t take long for it to become one of my favorite places to go to. Especially after a long, tiring day at a job that can be overwhelming.
They had great frozen Sangria Margarita which I have never had before, it’s nice cold and refreshing. I have tried the Fajitas a few times, the tortillas are great and have also took a few bites of the chicken they have. Delicious!
Great neighborhood place I love to go to.

Es autentika comida mexicana y gran variedad de platillos tenemos pollo rostizado street takos camarones enchiladas quesadillas ceviche menudo tamales taco salad y el mejor servicio en todo arlington texas y lo mejor de todo 2 margaritas gratis los esperamos pronto y estaMos para servirle gracias

I love me some Papaya! I came to know about this place as a result of Unilocal and my fellow Unilocalers did not disappoint me on this one. Their chicken street tacos are muy delicioso! You can have flour or corn tortillas — I always get the corn and I have them add guacamole to mine since guacamole tastes good on just about anything anyway, right? Anyway, the chicken is delicious and fresh and they add onions and cactus to it – mmm :)
Did I mention they have free margaritas? Well, they do. And they’re good. I like their strawberry margarita the best. There is a two margarita limit, but if you’re like me and don’t drink too often — two of their margaritas is all you need to feel gooood. :)
The service is excellent — anything you need, they will try to accommodate you. The atmosphere is very casual. I recently saw that they are running deals on Groupon and I love Papaya almost as much as I love Groupon, so you know I snagged one :) Definitely going to keep coming back here. I love it, my fiancée loves it and my kids will actually eat here — so mama’s happy. :)
**Note: This is so weird that I have to say this, but I recently learned this for myself — be careful of their red table cloths. The dye from them will come off and stain the underside of your arms if you have your arms resting on the table. I recently went there wearing a long sleeve white top, and when I left, my elbows and the underside of my forearms were stained from the table cloths. It did not come all the way out in the wash either, so I probably will have to throw that shirt away. Anyway — just be mindful is all :)

I love this newest Mexican restaurant in Arlington located in a shopping center easy to miss but don’t. We got invited to eat at Papaya Mexican Grill by our good friend Heather the first time. And we like it so much we went back a few weeks later. And so glad we did. The food was awesome starting with the chips and salsa very good. And they have free Margaritas 2 limit for now not sure how long that will last. The free drink is a great plus but that cannot last forever. The food choices are very good you have a different kind of food not Tex Mex. I had the carne asada with cheese and avocado on it very good with a salad, beans and rice.
The restaurant has great service with a very friendly staff. The place is small with a few tables, but we always have plenty of room. And you can move tables around if you have a large group. The place can get noisy if there is a big crowd in the restaurant. But that can add to the fun. They have TV’s to watch a game on.
And back to the Margaritas they have different types with different fruits and flavors. You have to try them all. But they can be strong on the alcohol so take it easy.

Dined last night with hubby and two friends. We arrived around 7:30p and it was hopping busy. They have a little alcove with a bar and a TV and it was filled with people watching the game and enjoying the complimentary margaritas.
The sign says free margaritas after 4p, limit two per person, with an entrée purchase. I met both of those stipulations so I don’t know if they really stick with them or not.
Hubby and I arrived first, ordered a frozen sangria for me and a regular rocks margarita for him and queso. The glasses are somewhat small and when I picked mine up to move it, the whole top shattered in my hand and glass went all over the table. We notified the staff and they took my drink away, cleaned off the table and left the food. Since we weren’t sure if glass got in the food or not, we asked to move and to have new chips and queso, which they brought.
Chips are triangles, medium thick and not very salty. Their salsa is very very thin and has no chunks of anything… almost like watered down cholua.
Queso was super thin and runny and came with again, nothing chunky in it. It had a sprinkle of some red powder stuff on top but was very bland.
I ordered the four street tacos, with rice and charro beans. The beans were exceptionally good, with a solid pork flavor, according to my friend who ate them. My rice was hot, fluffy and moist, unlike most rice at Mexican places, which I find is usually dry, chewy or crunchy. It was a pale orange color but had no flavor!
I ate the shredded pork taco and it was moist and very flavorful. Each taco is small, maybe four bites for a regular person. Comes with cilantro and raw onions on each and some grilled onions and cactus in the middle. Tasty and delicious.
I didn’t try any of the other tacos because I was full, but I brought them home. I also ordered a salad, which never arrived. My two friends thought their tacos were just ok, nothing to return for.
Hubby ordered his whole entrée to go and ate it today. He ordered the tilapia with some special sauce and two big shrimp on top. Came with rice, grilled veggies and a salad. He said the sauce came on the side and was really tasty. It also came with a little tub of «au jus» but for fish… something neither of us have seen.
I will likely return, to try some of the other items. Our friends ordered the mango frozen margarita and a strawberry frozen one and said they were mediocre at best. I enjoyed my sangria swirl and hubby said the lime one was very very lime-​y!
Total bill for queso, my taco plate and hubby’s seafood entrée was $ 32 before tip. Not bad if you factor in the free drinks, but rather pricey for what you get if you don’t drink the freebies!
Somewhat disappointed as the prior reviews raved about it, but we will give them another try.

Totally a new fan of Papaya Mexican Grill — a huge thanks to the Arlington Unilocal Queen, the stellar Heather S., who set up a fantastic get-​together and introduced a bunch of locals to this restaurant.
The location is awesome and super convenient for me, but I wouldn’t have guessed it’d be here surrounded by Vietnamese restaurants. Adding a little variety is always a good thing and I’m so happy this particular shopping center is filled with authentic cuisine. Papaya Mexican Grill is no exception!
It’s a small no-​frills restaurant with big personality, bold flavors, bright colors, and awesome service. Seriously, everybody was soooooo friendly and made you feel right at home. We started with chips & salsa, guacamole, and taquitos served in martini glasses… how fun is that? I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the salsa and my guacamole was more shredded lettuce than avocado, but the food was fresh and abundant! For my entrée, I went with the kabobs! Two skewers of chicken, steak, and sausage that packed a ton of flavor. It says the kabobs come with shrimp as well, but really it’s just two little shrimpy’s served on top of the kabobs. They were gooooood and I wanted more! My entrée was served with rice and charro bean soup. I think both lacked salt, but I’m kind of a salt-​addict so that could just be me! These meals are LARGE, so be prepared.
I know Adam loved his street tacos, so I’m totally ordering those next time! This is the kind of place that is totally casual, warm, and welcoming — I look forward to many happy returns.

Came here for a UYE event. Met some amazing Unilocalers and had some amazing margaritas and tacos! I’m too full to eat the rest of my tacos so I just scooped up all the Carne Guisada and left the tortilla. The meat was tender and flavorful. If this place is closer to where I am from I’d definitely
frequent this locally owned place.

I’m in absolute heaven. This is my new favorite Mexican spot. Expect abnoxiously frequent check ins from me.
A little background about the place and why I love it so much. The bro-​ners (brother owners) that opened this spot are from Torreon, Mexico– Northern neighbors of Monterrey where my dad was from– bonus star. I heard them chatting in the kitchen, using words and expressions that I heard growing up. At this point I’m hella excited to try the food, praying it tastes like my dads. Second, before venturing out, all three brothers were bartenders at Gloria’s in the Highlands for 8 years. All I thought was «OMG– can you make me a mango margarita!!!» Yes, they can, and they are free after 4 with a plate purchase and they put chamoy in them! They also have kiwi, peach and a slew of other flavors they rotate.
So the spot is in a strip mall full of Vietnamese restaurants and stores, a little out of place, but they have the opportunity to really stand out. Inside is very clean and smells clean– they have a cute under utilized bar (waiting on a liquor license) as they have only been open 3 months.
So, the food, the most important part. I’ll admit I didn’t try the tacos, but I’ll update as soon as I return. I got the special for the day– chicken flautas. Had I realized they were lumberjack sized flautas I would have shared with my companion. They basically roll two large corn tortillas barely overlapping to make one giant flauta– and the give you three. They are overstuffed with juicy white meat chicken that is perfectly seasoned. The plate is $ 7.99 & comes with rice. beans, sliced avacado, lettuce, tomatoes and marinated onions. Very good, like I said, just like dad’s.
*at this point, I have tasted everything on the menu. The camarrones diablas (devil shrimp) are amazing– and the presentation makes you almost not want to eat it– almost. They are spicy so not for the faint of heart. I usually opt for the fajitas Nortenas or one of their rotisserie chickens. The fajitas come with chciken, beef, sausage and shrimp on a bed of bell peppers and onions. I absolutely adore the chicken. They have three flavors of rotisserie chickens– chimichurri, adobo or lemon pepper– that is what they are marinated and basted in– plus you get extra on the side. I bet you can just hear me drooling and panting thinking about it.
Now the charro beans are what made me want to weep with nostalgic joy. If I didn’t know any better I would have sworn my dad was in the kitchen. They do them just like in northern Mexico– with chicharron and chorizo in them. I know this may sound odd– but it will change your world.
Everything on the main menu is under $ 10 and from what I’ve seen it’s all very plentiful. They have a separate menu with the more expensive plates– fish and steak options– still all under $ 14.
Go eat here now.