El Tapatio

Third times NOT a charm. I’ve tried, I just cant go anymore. It’s kind of grimy, especially in the front room. The staff always seems too busy although it never looks all that busy. I just haven’t had anything decent here. The hunt goes on…

I had another great dining experience @ El Tapatio drinks were good & food & service were excellent. Very friendly & attentive staff, I’ve been here several times in past year & always great food & service. If you are a fan of Mexican cuisine, this is a must try.

If for some reason you find yourself walking down route 1, and there is a life threatening storm, you might want to venture in. After that, stay for the free chips, order yourself a water, and wait til the storm passes. Don’t spend your hard earned dollars, unless you’re feeling bad for the sad looking waitstaff, and want to support Rowleys local economy.
The only thing freshly made is the exhales from the absurd laughing man who had too many margaritas.

First visit, I love mexican and I’m sorry to say I will not go back? Chicken was not fully reheated, no flavor, not impressed!

What terrific Mexican eatery. Every bit as good as others down rt1. The service is the best! Being off the beating highway it is slower in volume. While maybe not so hot for their business, it is terrific for the dining my girl and I enjoy, whimsical, and last minute. We are never let down with service and food quality. Well worth stopping in!

First time eating here and my friend order the skirt steak taco for me and it was so incredible! Very delicious and the waitress was great too!

Excellent! Huge portions… excelente everything homemade. The Guacamole was fantastic fresh and perfect with homemade mint dressing/​like a light pesto/​on our huge shared ensalada pollo salad. I got the carne asada asked to skip rice and tapas, de nada– no problem, and even substituted refried for black beans. The slaw was light and tasty my husband’s fajitas looked fantastic and the portions are incredible. Price is very reasonable/​The attentive wait staff who continuously fill cups check in ect. were polite and respectful. So happy we found this. (we work hard and are very good eaters)

Food is great. Service is awesome! Prices are right!
We truly have enjoyed everything we have had! The quesadillas are great! Parking and seating is plentiful.

First good local Mexican place I have been to in a long time. Good price, friendly service, great food.

Great fresh Mexican food! Good service snd reasonably priced. Highly recommend this restaurant

Great service great food. Need to expand wine list to include a Sauvignon blanco and not allow dogs on the patio. Not very appealing.
Marco and Fernando are amazing.

We stopped here after a day of bike riding in Newburyport. While it wasn’t bad, to wasn’t real good either. Just typical average Mexican fare. Why can’t someone open a Mexican restaurant around here with the real deal?

We were very impressed with our first visit here. The food was authentic and delicious and our waiter was very attentive. When he didn’t quite understand our request, he brought the manager over to interpret, which was very helpful! Great margaritas as well!

It’s really a shame that the food is excellent because there was a piece of plastic wrap cooked into the chicken in my enchilada. The manager accepted responsibility and was gracious enough to offer either a full refund or a free meal next time around. Not sure there will be a next time… Such a bummer since we were on the hunt for a new favorite Mexican place since Cielito Lindo closed.

I enjoyed El Tapatio. We are Vegetarian and there were plenty of choices. Nice environment. Service OK. Decent food.

We went to El Tapatio for evening drinks. Overall, I really liked this place because it had some really great qualities.
To start we were greeted by some less than gracious hostesses. There were two of them, both of them seemed young and seemed like the did not care or were frustrated with some goings on at the restaurant. But other than that first interaction with the staff, they were great.
The server we had was one of the nicest guys, he was attentive and had a great personality.
We ordered just drinks. The server brought us chips and salsa which was nice because, I always feel you need something to eat when you are drinking tequila. I ordered the ultimate margarita, which is made the way I like margaritas, with just lime juice, triple sec and tequila. The drink was strong, but I thought it was well made and not overly sweet (which I feel most rita’s are at restaurants.). My fiancé ordered the pomegranate marg. She was turned off by how strong her’s was, she would have liked to order another but couldn’t because of how she felt after the first. The pomegranate flavoring seemed off as well.
Overall, the atmosphere is great, the servers are wonderful and they are producing some good margaritas, so this is a place to try out.

Like the combination of salsa and chips along with a wide variety of dishes that are served with generous portions at reasonable prices topped off with best margarita’s.

I’ve only had great service here. The carne asada is excellent. I say «well done Rowley». I shall return here frequently!

We decided to have Sunday family dinner at El Tapatio, given it offers better parking than downtown Newburyport. And it turned out to be a great choice.
SERVICE: It was incredible! The waitstaff was welcoming. We had a main waiter and also several others who kept bringing salsa to the table as soon as it was done. And they were great at checking up with us to see if we needed anything.
FOOD: We loved all of it, starting with the complimentary salsa and chips. We couldnt stop devouring the in-​house made salsa, which was juicy and not just chunky like a lot of other salsas. We also had a serving of the guacamole, which was extremely fresh — though it could be a tiny bit saltier, but that’s not hard to do with salt at the table. We skipped appetizers and went right to the mains. The plates came hot, which I loved! There were 6 of us, and all the meals came out simultaneously; and its important that restaurants serve food warm altogether.
I ordered Fish Tacos, which were tasty. It had a special house white cream sauce with it. Compared to the Carne Asada and other beef options, this may be a less tasty choice, but at least it tasted healthy! Next time I will probably order a beef/​pork/​chicken choice.
All dishes came with rice and refried beans. El Tapatio hot sauce and another Mexican spicey bottle was offered.
DRINKS: We opted for a pitcher of iced strawberry Margheritas (instead of blended). It was delicious. A little light on the alcohol side, but surprisingly wasnt super sweet. They also had Dos Equis on draught. Glasses of Sangria and Pinot Grigio were also ordered and didnt disappoint.
VALUE FOR THE MONEY: On average entrees were about $ 12-​$ 15 each. There were a few that were closer to the $ 20 range, but not most. For the size and quality of the food, I was a fan.
OVERALL: It was more 4.5 stars, but I am marking it 5 rather than 4 because we had a very enjoyable meal here. The food is authentic Mexican. All of us left happy. We would return for mexican food!

Not very enthusiastic about this food.
It’s decent, but overpriced. Service was mediocre at best.
Portions are small compared to other Mexican/​Latin American restaurants. Drinks were decent.
Just not a great experience, and a really underwhelming meal.
I probably will not return here.