Adam H.
Yelp
Before I give my mixed review of this place, let me just say that if they were in my home town, I'd likely patronize the place occasionally.
The atmosphere is fun; the service seems to be decent; and the food is fine.
I went to the downtown square location on a mid-afternoon, found a table and was promptly served a paltry basket of chips and two souffle-cups for salsa. It's on the house, so I shouldn't complain. But, c'mon. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the other 5,000 Mexican restaurants that serve more than a handful of chips at a time, along with actual bowls for the salsa. Not a deal breaker, though.
The Service
The server, albeit polite, had very little command of the English language. Furthermore, he had what appeared to be meth teeth. I'm not one to judge. His oral hygiene is his business, but it's far from appetizing when your waiter starts talking and you're drawn to the black teeth in his mouth. Otherwise, he was polite (the two times I saw him). But there was still that language barrier -- which resulted in me inadvertently buying a fish taco platter and two chicken tacos (I ordered steak tacos).
The Food
The fish in the fish tacos seemed to be sauteed in garlic butter, and they were good. They were served alongside some purple cabbage, tomato slices and a small plate of sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. The cilantro was nowhere to be found, and I didn't bother asking for it. Corn tortillas (for soft tacos) should be steamed, but these were fried slightly. Not the way to do it, but, still, with some cabbage and (nicely hot) green salsa, the fish tacos were pretty good.
Ditto on the corn tortillas for the chicken tacos. I had mine with avocado. After a bite and the realization that I was eating chicken, I sent the order back for steak tacos to-go, as the fish tacos and (average tasting) rice filled me up, Someone will be taking leftover tacos for lunch tomorrow.
I think, with a little improved communication, I could really like this place. The red and green salsas were exceptionally good. The food -- all of it -- seemed freshly made. Next time I'm in Tyler, I'm going to try this place again.