El Tiempo Cantina

At first I didn't want to visit this place because it does have a rating that it's kind of expensive. I will tell you now why they pay close attention to their customers in a way that one feels pampered. Before I could even have an empty cup, they were already refilling if I had a bottle on the side of my table as soon as I would put it down they were already there to pick it up. It seemed like you would have two waiters in each table remarkable! Food is outstanding. I've never had green rice before but it was delicious. Some of the sauces are mixed with oils some are creamy with sight of toasted bread and they changed it up in a very good way. I'm always used to chips and salsa in every Mexican restaurant.

Food is great I ordered fillet mignon fajitas and Brisket Enchiladas both excellent choices. Jose Agurre was our waiter. He is very nice and knows how to take care of the customer. Great music and ambiance.

Firstly, I am a born & raised Houstonian and have been coming to El Tiempo since before it became the ritzy, high class Tex-Mex it is now. Tonight (a Monday night) I decided to dine here with my son. It happened to be National Fajita Day and they were offering 1lb fajitas for $48.99 and since it's a Monday they also offer $5 house margaritas all day. So we arrive and are seated and of course I order us the fajitas and myself a house margarita. Then during the meal I order another house margarita. Now before I forget, when our waiter took our initial drink order I confirmed with him that they had the margarita special. So fast-forward to when we finished our meal and I ask for the check. On the check is the $48.99 fajita special, one $5 house margarita, but then one $10.99 house margarita. So when our waiter comes back I ask him why I was charged full-price for it and he kind of hesitates, stutters, and then gives me a made up excuse about how maybe after 7pm it isn't the special anymore (but he thinks the special is all day). So he says he is "going to check with his manager" to confirm. So about 3-4 minutes later he returns with my check and he corrected it to both margaritas at $5/each. Now I wasn't born yesterday and I can clearly pick up when someone is lying / trying to be deceive me and this was obviously the case. This waiter had been serving margaritas to numerous tables around us the entire evening and it was clear it wasn't his first day on the job either. He obviously knew about the special because they do it EVERY Monday. I guess he just figured I wouldn't notice or care enough to bring it up. So I will end it by saying, come on El Tiempo, you are literally making record profits on your food & beverages and have increased your costs every year for the last 5+ years. But to intentionally deceive your customers is uncalled for. You can do better.

I came in today for breakfast and had amazing service. we had a big group but our server Carina was very attentive and the manager Angelique was very nice and made sure we had everything we needed and offered us lots of great recommendations we ended up with the steak and eggs with some pancakes (yumm!) we will definitely be back again!! such a hidden gem!

Need some improvement on the taste. Price is considered high for lunch portion. Friendly customer service. A quick serve.

Amazing fajitas & must try bacon wrapped shrimp! Good restaurant that is nearly always full, recommend utilize their valet parking service Manuel provides the best service!

I am beyond disappointed with the service I received today. I go to El Tiemp every Monday for the tacos & $5 margaritas, as normal today I go in addition to being Cinco De Mayo to get the $5 margaritas and was charged full regular price. I asked the bartender and the young lady at the door why was I charged full price on a Monday for the margaritas on $5 Mondays also considering it is Cinco De Mayo, Both the Bartender and the Manager told me they do no offer the $5 margaritas on cinco de mayo and that did not make sense to me. But as normal I paid & tipped. I go on their website to now see a flyer promoting $5 margaritas on Monday for Cinco De Mayo. I don’t care to pull the race card but do you honestly feel this was okay?

The food tasted great, the portions are hearty but so are the prices. Plenty of seating inside with a nice old Mexico theme decor. Few parking spots available, so most people will use their valet service.

You've probably been to an El Tiempo before and know what to expect when you walk through those doors. Basically sounds of mexican music and sizzles from the fajita plates with the smells of butter and salsa accompanied by staff moving back and forth with trays of fajitas and chips & salsa. While El Tiempo is a chain, it's better than most tex mex chain spots and this spot is a big reason why. They bring fresh tortilla chips with different kinds of salsa to start off. I prefer pairing them with a margarita with the mango as my favorite. They have multiple flavors or you can go with the traditional. Very addicting with the flavor, I was on my second before I finished my first. As for food, the con queso is a favorite here and one of the better ones you'll have. Very heavy on the cheese and good servings of chorizo/sausage mixed in. For entrees, the Las Vegas Beef combo and the Chicken Suizas A LA Ninfa are solid ones; the rice and beans served with it though are heavy and will make you feel sludgy. But thats' why we order Tex Mex right? You will need a to-go bag when you're ready to leave cause of how much they serve you. Also parking sucks so you're better doing valet although that gets backed up too. Best bet is to uber/lyft or walk here.

The margaritas are 5/5, the service is quick and friendly. And it's a great overall vibe. However, the steak fajitas are just okay. What makes this a regrettable experience is the forced valet parking with "optional" tip. It is beyond annoying, it's borderline harassment the way they demand a tip. Either charge for the service or don't, but don't ever pretend a tip is obligatory. This guy had the audacity to stand in front of my door after handing me the keys so he could hound me for a tip. I could have dropped him there, trying to force me to pay a tip and stop me from closing the door after I already spent 50 in your restaurant for one person. Get out of here, I like this place, but will never return to this location, and may not go to any of their locations again.

Came for Thursday dinner and it was packed! The space is large though so the wait was only about 10 minutes. Not sure if there is more parking elsewhere but we just did the valet. The chips and salsa was good! I usually don't eat a lot of salsa, but I kept going back for more. We got queso and meat and the chips here were a bit fluffier. Queso was really flavorful as well, the chips weren't enough to finish the queso which we just used to put into our fajitas. Steak and chicken combo fajita for 3-4was what we got. At first I thought it was not a lot of food, but after making my first taco and eating it is way more filling! Both chicken and steak were tasty, not dry and good flavor. I think this is my go to place for fajitas in the area now! 8.3/10

My mom & I came here for one thing and one thing only and that was the crab nachos. Years ago Cyclone Anayas was our spot for crab nachos, so when I came in town she recommended we try this place. The service was good and attentive and everything was fairly clean. The crab nachos were good, but not great, certainly not better than Cyclone. They do give a good amount of Jumbo lump crab to match the price tag but overall lacking a bit of flavor. Chips and salsa were good and if you like heat try the habanero hot sauce it's delicious. It wasn't mentioned that it was an up charge when offered to us, we didn't know until we got the check. I'd come back to try more of the menu and maybe catch happy hour for margaritas.

I wish I could give El Tiempo a higher star rating because of customer service, but their food and prices make no sense. First things first, if you've never been to El Tiempo, they are a popular tex-mex franchise from Houston. This location in particular is highly popular and parking can be very tricky so keep that in mind when visiting. Also, if you are planning to come on a weekend, I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time because it can get super packed. Not let's talk food. If you love tex-mex, then you will absolutely love their food. Since I am not a huge fan of tex-mex, my husband and I usually order their fajitas and share them. Their fajitas always taste amazing and are cooked to perfection. However, I think they lack consistency on the amount of protein you get with them. We've had instances where the fajitas are mostly onions and a few pieces of beef, and others where their serving size is very generous. Their prices have increased a lot in the last couple of years so get ready for that bill. Frankly I don't understand how they can get away with charging $21 for a quesadilla (that's just one example of many). The only reason why I am not giving them a 1 is because customer service is always outstanding. The staff has always been amazing and we've never had any issues. Frankly that is the main reason why we keep coming back.

El Tiempo is a Houston Tex Mex staple. Great grilled meats, cold Mexican beer, and refreshing margaritas. After a few beers, decided on the surf and turn with a side of mollejas. The mollejas were cooked perfectly - tender on the inside and a light crisp on the outside. The surf and turf was a great choice. The shrimp was very fresh and fajitas were on point as usual. Make sure to be patient during peak hours, but even then the wait isn't bad. El Tiempo might be on the pricier side, but the quality and service are worth it IMO.

Always good service and food. The tortillas are freshly made. We had the cheese rolled in tortillas and the steak fajitas. They have a lunch menu. They have indoor and outdoor seating and a bar.

We only got the chicken fajitas to share. But wow. How have I never been here. They came out sizzling ofcourse. The chicken pieces were big and juicy. Their lemon garlic butter added a whole nother depth of flavor. Medium fajita dish was good enough for two. Can't wait to return

Amazing!! I have been searching for delicious authentic Mexican food for a good number of years since being here in TX and after 18 years I finally found it!! I had the last Vegas combo with steak fajitas and I subbed the cheese enchilada for a chicken enchilada suizas. The steak was juicy, tender and full of flavor. The chicken in the enchilada was delicious as well. The combo comes with a taco which was huge. The chips and salsa are fresh and just as delicious as everything else. The waiters are attentive and friendly and seem to genuinely love what they do. The restaurant is clean, but always busy (which is a good thing). Highly recommend this restaurant if you love Mexican food! So good I went twice within a week.

The service could be better, let's just start with that. I'd been wanting to try El Tiempo for sometime and decided to dine in for a late lunch between 5-6 pm, and got seated after a party of three and it was just me. I ordered the small fajita platter for one and a frozen margarita. Food was AMAZING, some of the best fajita I've ever had. It was quite busy when I dined it but once they sat me at the bar, I was in and out pretty fast. The margarita was a little on the stronger side. Thankfully, I had a well portioned meal to balance it out. I'd come back JUST for the food, the service is very mid.

It's been a while since I have been here but this is still my favorite Mexican restaurant in Houston. The customer service is alway top tier. The food comes out quick.

One of our favorite restaurants in the Houston area. The margaritas are some of the best in the area and the queso is also excellent. Fajitas are solid and the servers were friendly. Definitely would recommend others to try El Tiempo.

Food is great I ordered fillet mignon fajitas and Brisket Enchiladas both excellent choices. Jose Agurre was our waiter. He is very nice and knows how to take care of the customer. Great music and ambiance.

Couldn't leave Texas without eating some Tex-Mex. Was here for a wedding and the bride and groom had this place on their list of recommendations, so I figured it was solid. Walking in there's definitely a Tex-Mex vibe, wooden tables, bright colors, and everyone's table has complimentary chips. That's when you know you're in the right place. Everything is truly bigger in Texas. We were here during lunch time, so I decided on their Tex-Mex Las Vegas special which had a little bit of everything -- a crispy beef taco, a cheese enchilada, chicken fajitas, plus rice and beans. It was enormous and I barely got through it, but god was it delicious. The only thing I really wasn't jiving with was the beef taco, but to be fair if I'd asked for some hot sauce it would've been better. Margaritas here were weak in my opinion, but was happy with everything else overall. Service was fast and friendly, and our waiter kept the free chips flowing, which were warm and crispy and came with two complimentary salsas, an avocado based one and a hot (like literally temperature hot) salsa.

This place was super fun. The atmosphere was festive. We went with one of my husband's vendors, there were about twelve of us in all. The service was very efficient. We got quest and guacamole as appetizers, both were great. I got the crab enchiladas and they were delicious, very rich, I took most of it home. Everyone else shared two of the large parradillas. My husband said everything was excellent. They got the large ones, and there was tons of food left over. The easiest comparison in my opinion is Pappasito's. Definitely a great experience all around.

Food 4.0/5.0 Service 3.5/5.0 Value 3.5/5.0 Decor 3.0/5.0 Overall 4.0/5.0 Pretty good tex mex. Needless to say, the portions are very healthy. Although I honestly expected the food to be better given the rave reviews. To be clear, it was very good -- just had expected a bit more.

Some of best chicken and beef fajitas I have ever had. We were in a large group of 30+. When I saw two waiters. I thought I better drink my water slowly. Ha. But they did a great job servicing a large group.

Definitely in my top 2 places to get fajitas in Houston. It's always a fan favorite when people are visiting. Their fajita meat is so flavorful, the melted butter is just the perfect touch & their margaritas are scary good! The queso is always perfect & service is always FAST. Gotta pace the meal ordering if you want to take your time. The wait time always flys by on a Friday/Saturday night. Vibes inside are always great & lively. Their Wednesday fajita special is 10/10 & I will always recommend this spot!!

I read an article recently about how Mexican food is said to give you endorphins and endorphins make you happy and happy people don't kill their husbands - Elle woods. Well well well results are definitely in and if you do happen to have a frown this place will turn it around. I love this place the service is amazing and Soooo fastttt I can be in and out happy and filled to them brim with chips and queso within an hr. The waiter always knows what's up and his first question is always frozen or on the rocks. I can promise that anything on the menu slaps!!! &&&& it does make me happy.

Food: we ordered out the jumbo lump crab enchiladas and it was good for the most part. The sides were good and the enchilada was good. It could have done with a little more seasoning. Service: service was great, we ordered and the food came out pretty quickly.

A little pricey but really good. Got beef and chicken fajitas, margaritas, and queso. All great. Servers went above and beyond as well even though it was a busy night. Valet only is a bummer but what can you do? Packed area of town.

I spent $50 for 1 chicken taco that had cold (like refrigerator cold) chicken in it, weird balls of hard gooey rice the size of gumballs in my rice and a side of guacamole that was just gross looking. What is that weird white stuff they put under/around the guac? It looks like the stuff that leaks out of a wet diaper. To top it off the chips were stale. The queso was delicious though.

This is a Houston staple! Widely popular for their margaritas no doubt. They also have outstanding beef fajitas and Carne asada. Always loud, always lively and fun. You'll feel the energy as soon as you walk in. The staff is very attentive, you'll have your margarita in no time.

Price. Your prices are absolutely ridiculous. Your food is not worth the money that you charged. No wonder your other locations are closing.

El Tiempo Our family went to El Tiempo on Cinco De Mayo. Wow! The place was packed for the lunch crowd. However, we were seated very quickly amongst the crowded and loud restaurant. There was a very large party right next to us, so we almost had to shout to carry on our own conversation. The servers were quite busy giving fairly prompt service given the circumstances. The food, however, made up for the annoying noise. All dishes were excellent and very large portions. Definitely worth a trip back here on a less-popular day.

Amazing fresh food hand made tortillas best Chicken Fajitas ever. Friendly staff great Margaritas. A must in Houston area

Came to El Tiempo Cantina with high expectations! While the food was beautifully presented, the flavors fell a bit flat for me. I was hoping for more seasoning and a spicier kick. The service was great!

I have lived down the street from this el tiempo location for years and have been a faithful supporter and customer. Today I tried to go there and the line for the valet was in the street. Admittedly, I pulled into the 15 minute parking and asked if I could pay to park there. The valet said no, and that's fair. Then I pulled into the valet line and wanted to park my own car while paying the full amount of the vip parking. The valet stood behind my car and wouldn't allow me to park even though I have done this no less than 10 times at this exact location. He then told me that only people who have reservations can park there. The weird part part is they have never taken reservations at this location. I used to be a valet in college so I fully understand the situation and the job. This was completely unacceptable and I will personally never go back to this location ever again. The navigation location is never like this and there is usually parking. I'm an el tiempo die hard, but this location has lost me as a customer.

Love this place it's so delicious! the margs are dangerously good and the ambiance is a cool vibe . when it's not a weekend it's not super busy but this is a must try if you have never been!

Came by for lunch on a weekday. It's supposedly a premiere Texmex spot but first thing you notice is the forced valet in a very big and very easy to park parking lot. Off to a great start here... Chips and salsa are decent, the green sauce is definitely the much better option. The quest was very watery and seemed like they skimped out on quality cheese. Opted for the carne asada for the main. Despite being priced at a decently premium price, the steak was overly salted and the onions beneath were some level of burnt. Overall the execution of the dishes were below expectations, the flavor was average to below average, and there are much better priced and better quality authentic and more texmex style restaurants within a 5 mile radius. Also, forced valet when there is very easy and accessible parking is always a thumbs down, especially in Houston.

El Tiempo has some of the Best Beef Fajitas in the World (for a chain). I've been throughout the West Coast, East Coast, & Mexico, but have yet to find better beef fajitas from a chain (Surprisingly, Mexico's food, doesn't hold a candle next to Tex-Mex food). The fajitas come on a hot plate w/ coals below (fajitas are best hot), w/ a side Mantequilla (garlic butter). The other sides are mediocre, but I don't go for the sides. The Washington location, has good energy in the evenings, b/c it's a pre-stop b/f people go out. Have a frozen Margarita (not more than 2), kick back & enjoy the scenery. I should mention their service, it's great & their people have worked there for years. This speaks volume's about the way the ownership treats their employees.

Great food great customer service it's awesome. RIcardo and Elias and Hilario they are awesome great customer service from them.Thank you for being great

Service was perfect. Food was ... meh. Where they really lost me was the B.S. valet parking team. You MUST use valet to park onsite. Says on the damn sign that tips are appreciated. No set price. I have a handicap placard, but no spaces available. Only other option was to park waaaay down the street in the neighborhood. So they force you to use valet and then the attendant has the audacity to hound me after for a tip even though all he did was walk 20 ft to get my car. I didn't want to use valet. I didn't ask to use valet. And b/c of this I will never return. It's called gratuity for a reason and I was not grateful. Bye!!

Got upcharged for top shelf tequila margaritas even after explicitly stating that wasn't what we wanted.

The food was good. Uncle was glad that I picked the place. He clean his plate Would go again and again lol

I went to El Tiempo for dinner, this isn't my first time to visit but it was my first time to review. It was really quiet on a Monday evening. I was seated super quickly and the staff was very attentive and kind. I ordered the house margarita and the Chile relleno a la Ninfa. The margarita was overly sweet and tasted like a cheap mix. I probably would skip that next time. I love chile rellenos but I've never had it a la Ninfa with raisins, walnuts, cheese, and meat. The filling was wonderful but I was very disappointed because the fried exterior was dripping with grease and it was very unpalatable. I'd also skip that next time.

My daughter met here for lunch one day and had the filet mignon fajitas. I'm not a big beef person. However, that meat could be cut with a knife. It was so tender. I have never had such good fajitas before. This is one of my favorite places for my daughter and I to get together. The margaritas and guacamole are excellent here. I consistently get those each time I eat there.

The best chips and salsa! The brisket was ok, not my favorite but not bad by any means. The service was impeccable, and the margaritas.... I'll be going back for more of those for sure! The restaurant was packed(always a good sign) but the laughing and talking didn't seem to be too loud, we could still hear each other at my table with no difficulty. Food came out quickly and as ordered. Highly recommend

Tasty and delicious! For Friday dinner this place was fully occupied! We had a large party, so a deposit was required. Once seated, the experience was amazing. The service was very professional and catering. From the queso to the gorillas and fajitas, the presentation was pleasant and most importantly, it was delicious! We would definitely be back! Enjoy!

Service was good hot sauce was awful way to much garlic I thought I was going to puke Food is ok but way to expensive for what you get will not be back

Chips are nasty ! Flour Tacos are delicious & it's expensive eat there we spent $45 for us both !

I ordered a spicy margarita and they brought me a side of jalapeños for the margarita I was already drinking. I didn't make a big deal out of it but I thought that was pretty poor effort for a well known Mexican restaurant. Deep down I think they were playing a practical joke on me, but I played along. The margaritas are also extra weak. I literally had 3 before I started to feel a buzz. The food is regular Tex Mex. My party ordered a platter w beef, chkn, shrimp, bacon wrapped shrimp, sausage, and lobster, the works. When they arrived w it, the lobster tail rolled off the top and landed on the tray they carried it over on. They picked it up and proceeded to serve it. That is so unsanitary. The beef fajita was yummy but that's ab the only compliment they're getting from me.

Wanted to get some great tex-mex food and el tiempo did not disappoint we ordered the ceviche and was so delicious and fresh highly recommend, the main course was pechuga monte mar was to die for every fresh and so filling and the pechuga Domenic was tasty and every was yummy from the green rice charro beans will come back to order more

Food and Service r excellent. Parking sucks. More Valet spaces than free parking. Decided to go eat somewhere else. Hope that they make a lot of money on Valet Parking.

Went here for a company dinner and my oh my, I think this will be my favorite Mexican restaurant. This is based on the experience at my company dinner. Chips and dips were perfectly seasoned and house made. My company prepaid for beef and chicken fajitas. It came out with quắc, veggies and homemade tortillas. 5/5 The home made tortillas were perfect and delicious. Meats were juicy and not dry. Perfectly seared and cooked. I should mention that they sent out queso and baked tortilla chips and that was just 100000/10. Would definitely love to come back and try their other menu items. I see that they have this restaurant closer to where I live, so I'll have to see if this chain is consistent! No pictures because I devour everything that came out and forgot lol.

food was ready on time. good portion and value. also came w chips & salsa and cookies! friendly staff. greeted right when walked in. was a little thrown off bc the gps put in the building next door and those doors were locked but was across the street. also they're great w answering the phone!

In town visiting from Chicago, and the first place, I wanted to go to with El Tiempo to get my quarter pound of pork fajitas. The food at El Tiempo is so fresh and so delicious and the customer service is always amazing!

This is our go-to for celebrations or when that fajita or margarita craving happens to hit. The line can get a bit long on weekend evenings but it usually moves pretty fast, plus you can always grab a margarita at the bar while you wait. Service is always prompt and friendly. Highly recommend the queso. It compliment td the house salsa really well. Obviously fajitas are fantastic. I also like the steak nachos and steak taco al carbon. I never leave here not feeling sick (in a good way). Lots of reviews will complain about the price, but in this case you get what you pay for, so we keep coming back.

Imagine a scenario where half of the orders are wrong, the drinks come out 35 minutes after ordering and the kids meals come 15 minutes after the adults and are so wrong it's almost like the waiter just guessed what he didn't write down. Nearby tables ALL sharing the same experience. That is what it was like the night of 12/23/24. If you were there, you know. Major retooling needed with the staff. This is my first Yelp review in maybe a decade or- ever? But after feeling like we were in an episode of Punk'd there was no way I could let this slide.