On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina

Had amazing service tonight from Jennifer. Then we had Amazing food and drinks that were so incredible there isn't words and we needed this because we spent the whole day moving to a new home in the rain. We spent over $100 over indulging ourselves and even got dessert to-go. But we forgot to tell the waitress we had rewards. So we called back. And the manager was so nice, went out of her way to look up my receipt and add my rewards to my account. We have only been to On the Border twice. Both Barnes locations. And it is so wonderful both times we were blown away. Thank you for a great date night after a rough day. Plate presentation on point. Service on point. Cleanliness on point. Speed of service, accuracy, flavor, bang for buck, all on point. You can't beat On the Border. Chain or not 🤷‍♀️

On the Border is my new favorite Mexican restaurant! My son and I arrived at 8:30 PM. The environment was immediately inviting upon entrance, and the delicious aromas that filled the air made us feel welcome. ​It has been a few years since I found a Mexican restaurant that met my expectations for a great dining experience, but I was in heaven here! We were immediately seated and presented with two clean, easy-to-read menus. The pictures on the menu were accurate and actually matched the food we later ordered. ​Our waitress made us feel right at home. Chips and salsa were placed on the table even before we ordered beverages! The salsa had the perfect bite to pair with a perfectly thin, salted corn tortilla chip. We ordered our drinks, which arrived in an expeditious manner. Our waitress gave us a few more minutes to enjoy our chips and salsa before deciding to order, with no pressure to rush. She assured us that if we had any questions regarding the menu, we should please ask. ​Shortly after 9:00 PM (Side note: they close at 10:00 PM on Friday nights), we placed our order: the El Gran Papi and the Birria Quesa Tacos, along with an order of guacamole dip. While we continued munching on chips and salsa, the waitress checked in to see if we'd like more, letting us know our meal would arrive shortly. ​The food arrived in a timely fashion, served fresh and hot. The presentation was spot-on and very appetizing. The waitress asked about refilling our soda, and at that time, I asked for sopapillas to go. My eyes were bigger than my stomach! I was provided with leak-proof containers for my leftovers and was even asked if we would like chips, salsa, or soda to go as well. Yes, please! ​The food was delicious, and it was even better this morning. You know the food was perfect when the leftovers taste even better the second day! ​I have found my new go-to Mexican restaurant, as the menu offers a variety of great plates. Yes, we are definitely signing up for the rewards app! ​I was extremely pleased that, even though we were so close to closing time, there was absolutely no rush on our meal or our service. Bravo! I am a fan, and the service I received was above and beyond my expectations. (Of course, I would not suggest abusing such hospitality by showing up after 9:30 PM on weekend hours!)

This place rocks! We came at a time when it wasn't busy and still got stellar service by our waiter, and had happy vibes through out our experience. Been searching for a new mexican food restaurant and this one certainly hits the mark. Only complaint was that I would have liked more refried beans. This place isn't all chintzy with chips n salsa, or to go containers, etc. The ranchilidas and fajita dinner were both muy excellente! Again the service we got from our gentlemen waiter was outstanding! Can't wait to return again and try some other entrees. Must order the empanadas!

We had lunch here yesterday and a wonderful server named Stacy. She was very kind and had the best personality. Our food arrived in good time and was delicious! Stacy kept our tea and water glasses filled, removed our dishes promptly and we didn't have to ask for anything.. she was on top of it throughout our visit. She was also providing the same service to other tables around us with a smile and upbeat positive attitude which you don't see in today's food service. She has amazing customer service skills.. thank you Stacy!!

Always great service from Jerry, Emma and other servers/bartenders. The food is on point. Have had one mistake from the kitchen, but i was allowed to keep the entrée and they made me a new one. Love the chips and salsa. They have punch cards for lunch items to earn a free lunch and rewards program to earn 1/2 off queso and $5 off after spending $75.

ANOTHER REVIEW!! went tonight since all of our boys were home today! MAX T. our server, was just aahh-maazing!! He was SO friendly, helpful and didn't mind getting all of our extras. Chips were always there, drinks refilled and he did it all with a smile! The food was hot and so delicious!! Even had enough to bring home for lunch!! The manager lady (name began with an S) blonde lady, was so nice too! She listened to our praises!! Can't wait to go back!! Earlier review> Just amazing!! Haven't had OTB for a while. We did take out, since it was late. And STILL as wonderful as we remembered!! Burritos, queso, guac & chips!! Taste is great, love the queso!! Fresh chips!! Side of beans could have been a little more, they're cheap. (Give us a full bowl next time please). Would love some coupons too, so we can go again!

My niece and I had the most pleasant experience thanks to our server Chiane! She was the sweetest and continually checked on us.The food and drinks were delicious. Will be back.

If you genuinely enjoy the food here, you don't go to many restaurants. That's not meant to be a knock on whoever is reading this because I used to be that way as well when I was a kid. When I started going to restaurants that make stuff from scratch, the difference between them and a corporate place like this that has a bunch of prepackaged and preservative-laced food is egregiously evident. There are so many authentic Mexican restaurants in Colorado that make so much better food than this. The only time I would ever go here again is if I were with a large group of people, because those tend to be less about the quality of food and more about the conversations you are having.

We have been coming here for 27 years! The food is delicious! The staff and servers are always friendly! Our whole family loves OTB!!

I just want to give a special shout out to Jonathan who greeted us so kindly and made our evenings when entering the restaurant. Our waitress, Noelini was super awesome as well! The food was excellent and were accommodating to substitutions. We plan to come back soon! Thank you guys so much !

We were looking for a house of lady favors and found this place instead. Sam hooked it up with great service and great food. Once we finished eating, Sam recommended what is possibly the best house of lady favors I have ever been to! Wish more places had someone like Sam the GOAT!

This was my first stop right after me serving 14 years in the pen. 10/10 recommend for there quesadillas. Shoutout to Sam the waitress who read some passages with me out of my Quran. She also makes the best Shirley temples on the block. Stay up OTB!

Eat there often. Pleased with service and food. More Tex/Mex than some others but that is what I prefer.

The food was not as good as it has been at the northern location in the Springs. It took a long time to get it. To top it off, it was lukewarm warm at best. Kind of disappointing. The restaurant was clean with normal noise levels to allow for natural conversation. The waitress was fairly thorough and friendly. I would try it again.

Ordered the beef and chicken fajitas. The beef was tough did not like it. The beans and rice were very dry. The only thing good was the hot sauce and the chips but it's hard to mess that up service was OK but not all that great it is on the border. Maybe we will be back. Maybe we want this one star

Their new Fajitas are awesome! Good margs Great service Vibes were legit!! Went here with my family and everyone was super friendly. Will definitely be back for more. Good happy too!

Man the food does not look ANYTHING like the pics in menu. Steak was over cooked and thin and small. I've never seen such small portions of beans and rice. Heck all the dishes were small. Haven't been to this chain in years and my gosh has it changed. The service was good tho. Kinda bummed. Hope they turn around. Guacamole was surprisingly pretty dang good however!

The food here really depends on what you get...... The Chipotle Honey Tacos are NOT WORTH IT!!! They have No flavor and you'll not enjoy them. Others that I have had the 4 combo and that was delicious , 4 stars. The service here is iffy too, the servers are sitting you down, prob going to go bankrupt. The ambiance is ( up to code ). The things you would expect from a Mexican restaurant.

Emma and Jess are simply excellent wait staff that make everyone feel at home. We can eat pretty good MX food at quite a few places but you can't find staff like Jess and Emma to care for you!! Highly recommended!! Please, Give them both a nice raise-they both deserve it!!

We came to On the Border last night again for dinner, as we really like the food. Our awesome waiter was ADRIAN, he gets 5 stars for being super friendly and attentive and also very very professional. He suggested dishes and was very knowledgable about the cocktails as well and convinced me to try the Marguerita Sangria, which I never had before. It was delicious. We had the Gan Papi Platter and the Chicken Queso with sautéed vegetables. Soo good. We will definitely return and please make sure to keep employees like Adrian, he is is true asset to the restaurant. 5 stars

Went to this Colorado Springs, CO location to have margaritas. The Mango one, basically out of the machine, was just fine. There was no mixing involved. Friend ordered the Marky Mark with tajin on the rim and it was served with salt on the rim instead. (She opted to scrap the salt of the glass instead of waiting another 20-25 mins to have it corrected). Plus the friend viewed the pour of tequila and said it was short. I ordered the Marky Mark margarita with no triple sec and a shot of Grand Marnier and she mixed it in. Drinks took forever. It wasn't crowded....the server was simply easily distracted by everything. "SQUIRREL!" Lol. Our server wrote everything dow correctly. The bartender just goofed. The Marky Mark margaritas were not enjoyed. Let me just say though, the girls were super nice. Still.

Just responding to manager I will give it another try maybe try something different on the menu. Thank you for responding and being professional about it. I will try against maybe a different dish .

I decided to stop at this Tex-Mex chain in Colorado Springs at 9pm last night (11/30/23). I've had this place countless times in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where I greatly enjoyed their food. Even though I prefer authentic Mexican food, I think this place does Americanized Mexican food quite well. I got the complimentary chips and salsa for no charge. I found the salsa to be quite good. I also ordered guacamole at an extra cost, since I like it with chips and as a spread on my entrees. I chose the Pick 4 option for my entree, being a fish taco, 2 beef empanadas, a chicken tinga enchilada, and a chicken tortilla soup. My entree also had rice, refried beans, small queso dip, and a small red chile cream sauce. I thought the fish taco was excellent. It was high quality fried fish that came with cheese, pico de gallo, and cabbage. The beef empanadas were tasty meat pies with ground beef. They reminded me of the Jamaican ones. The chicken tinga enchilada was covered with a creamy white sauce, and the chicken itself was quite tasty. The chicken tortilla soup came in a generous portion. It had a savory spiced tomato broth. I also enjoyed the tortilla strips, raw onions, cilantro, black beans, and sliced avocado in it. The Mexican rice and refried beans were also quite good. I found the queso and red chile cream sauce to be quite tasty as well. I like combining the rice and beans with the two sauces along with the chips and salsa to make a tasty casserole. I ended up taking a lot of my entree home since I got so much food. I got seated very fast, and my food was delivered at a brisk speed. I found my waitress to be quite courteous. The dining interior was just beautiful. I'd recommend people to try this On the Border location in COS.

Great tasting appetizers. Service in the bar area was very slow? Took them 15 minutes to greet us at our table? The waiter had a group of friends come to eat and visit him. He spent more time visiting and sitting with the friends on work time than tending to the customers? We had to clear our own table, go find some one else and ask for plates, napkins, more chips and salsa? What appeared to be the manager on duty, only greeted customers who were NOT in the bar area??? This was the north Academy location OTB.

Food was pretty good, Adrian the waiter I had was really great! 5 stars. He was friendly, and made sure I had plenty of water, and chips and salsa, and my beer came quickly, I have been there twice now in the last couple weeks and had Adrian as my waiter. He is a great server!

Friday night outing with the wife. Cory gave good service on a very busy night. Fajitas were top notch, free chips and salsa. Great Coke products. Full bar. Clean restrooms. One of our favorites.

We love the bar staff-Jessica & Emma!!! Best service-best attitudes-friendliest people we could ever hope for. What a team!!! You won't regret coming here. Give them a try

Excellent service tonight from Abbie! She was amazing! She made sure my fajitas were done Correctly and even sent them back when they weren't! She anticipated all of our needs and made sure we wanted for nothing. The food was excellent and atmosphere is always fun! We travelled to this one from Monument and were not disappointed as we have been closer to home!

First, the entrance is just a short walk. The front is the bar area of the restaurant, the back is dining. It's not complicated and there's beautiful trees and a few benches if you want to sit. The food is absolutely delicious! I've had a burrito with beans & rice and a grilled chicken salad with lime dressing. Both very tasty! Everything is very fresh & authentic. The strawberry lemonade is made with real strawberries. My favorite dessert is the strawberry cheesecake chimichamgas! The service is great, so far everyone has been prompt & kind.

We hadn't been to On the Border in a long time. We pulled up on a Saturday night to an almost empty restaurant and now we know why. The service was bad and the food was not good. We left wishing we had just gone to In N Out . 2 of the 3 orders were wrong, my barria tacos were soggy and the rice had no flavor at all. We won't be back. Don't waste your time or money

Food was great and service was too. Had the taco dinner with black beans and rice. Everything was served quickly and well prepared.

Went there on 5/15/21. I believe this was the day or it was the day before that Colorado went MaskLess and 100% capacity. This location was still at 50% capacity, tables were separated and all workers were wearing mask. Everybody was very friendly. Our server was very attentive with our food and refills. You always know what you're going to get when you go here. Cheers!

Been going here for 10 years with some friends. Love all the folks who work here but Jessica stands out. She remembers all of our orders and somehow remembers from week to week what our preferences are. She is meticulous in ensuring our order is correct and always ensures we are happy with our order. She is one of the Main reasons we keep coming back here. If you want quality service and someone who cares-Jessica is your answer

In case you didn't know, if you go to On the Border on Monday nights, it is all you can eat enchilada night. I ate 12 of them. The cheese were my favorite, but honestly the beef was good and so was the pork. I have always liked going to On the Border for their chips and salsa and that remained a solid choice. In fact when I first walked in I wondered why I ever quit going to it, but then it took nearly 45 minutes for us to get our food and I remembered why we don't frequent the place. Our server was super nice, but he was the only server in the entire restaurant and I am assuming they were really short staffed in the kitchen too. In the end I got all the food I wanted, but it just took much longer than you would expect.

I arrived early for a birthday and the server Jerry brought out the chips for me to munch on while I waited for others to arrive. I could eat the chips and salsa here for an entire meal-warm, light and crispy. Friends arrived averting a meal made solely of chips. Another home run at On the Border? the skinny margarita. Ditch the cloyingly sweet standard margarita. Wednesday they serve deeply discounted fajitas but only made with chicken. Our server Jerry was great.

They keep your chips and salsa filled, food comes out fast, and the establishment is clean. We went on a busy Friday night and there was no wait for seating. The server was really friendly and made sure to check on us often. My husband had the California burrito and subbed the beans and rice for grilled vegetables. I had the steak fajita salad, which comes out on a sizzling plate. Both were decent, but not the best we've had. My daughter had the kids chicken soft taco which she didn't too much care for, but really enjoyed the Mexican rice. The house frozen margarita was delicious but overpriced for the size.

A Father's Day Sunday treat. Our server was amazing. The food and drink were good too. Our server took every opportunity to make us happy with special requests and suggestions. The best 'free for checking in' queso we've had in a long time. We left satisfied and happy.

I enjoy coming here, having some flautas and the hospitality of the server Ruben I believe is his name Amazing guy

Pros - Location - Selection - Atmosphere Cons - Portions Just like any dining restaurant, this place was decent and had a very relaxing ambience about it. It's nestled between a shopping center and a few other restaurants so everything is literally next door. The selection at On the Border is still amazing, it has a variety of different Mexican foods and many of them taste very authentic. In comparison to other Mexican restaurants, this one in particular ranks amongst the highest on my list. The one down side to this restaurant was the portions that they served most of the food with. I had fajitas with my time here and everybody knows that the tortilla to meat ratio has to be complemented side by side. However, I ran out of tortilla but more so you're more active than a lot of people. Overall great place to eat!

Yikes... found the one place that managed to screw up Steak Fajitas. To start, plate looked extremely underwhelming, MAYBE 2oz of steak with 4-5 pepper slices and a half dozen onions.... YAWN. For those concerned with under cooked meat rest assured, this thing was D-U-N done, the only thing they left off the plate was the polish for the shoe leather I was served. If you like CrossFit you might like this plate, hell of a jaw workout. One star because the margs were decent and who can hate on tequila?

Made an order 25 minutes before I got there, paid, and still had to wait another 25 minutes before they got the order made and now I'm late for work. I would appreciate some kind of reimbursement for my time and making me late. I even had time to write this whole review in the waiting room and still haven't even gotten my food so it may even be 35 minutes that I don't get my food. Wtf are you doing on Sunday morning???? This is why minimum wage needs to go down cuz people don't even do their job as is.after waiting that long this is the crap I got. All onions and no brisket and hardly any steak.

The food was pretty good and our server was awesome. However, like many places this restaurant is understaffed and there were many delays. We ended up spending nearly 3 hours for two meals without appetizers. This wasn't the problem though, what was an issue was the menu was considerably smaller -- again like most restaurants these days -- and the prices were substantially higher. I would definitely return for the service, but the food doesn't warrant the high price tag, especially when there are local places that are equally as good and come at a lower premium.

Wanted to sit at the bar for just drinks with 3 chairs open and they told me I could not sit there and it will be at least 40 min. It's at the bar...just wanted to order a margarita. Since when is the bar a seating arrangement!!! Needless to say I left and went to another local Mexican restaurant with no problem sitting at their bar. This really upset me. I go to On the Border at least 4 times a month because of their queso for a year deal. Definitely will rethink this and just go to the local Mexican restaurant with excellent service. Worst decision to have assigned seating at the bar and Im not even talking about their tables in the bar area !!!

Amazing service and staff!!! The food is soooo good but even better if you know how to order it with this "dine-in ban" we have right now. Being stuck in the house with this Covid-19 crisis and still being able to order take away is a sanity replenisher for me! I realize things like juicy tacos and burritos aren't going to deliver well so I ordered the ingredients separately and put them together at home, it was fantastic! I am sure that made extra work for the staff but they were so accommodating and kind. I knew they were slammed and my order still came perfectly and in a timely fashion.

Salsa is a little spicy, but the Bordarita margarita is delish! Limit to two per person so very strong which is exactly what I needed. Just wish they had lunch menu and/or happy hour on Saturdays.

Brian w is the best bartender in Colorado..unreal good food. We eat there twice week.

Wish I could give this place 3.5 stars. A solid Tex-Mex restaurant with a decent happy hour and margaritas. Dont expect to be blown away, but do give it a shot. We haven't had a bad experience would return.

We've been to several in the chain over the years and we're disappointed at the food at so many going bland, skimped portions, questionably clean facilities, and rude staff. This is not the case during the week during the day at this one! Clean, large portions, friendly bar, friendly crew, and well-made and flavorful food. They clean their drinks containers and makers as well--no nasty, rancid tea or cleaner residue in their drinks at all unlike too many eateries anymore.

During covid they have been able to stay staffed and deliver good food promptly. The bowls are delicious!

The food is decent but super chintzy portions! We spent just under $70.00 and left hungry. (2 people) That was with no dessert an no "extras".... There are new menus to reflect the higher prices for less food. Just be aware. A great place to come if you are on a strict diet. We won't be back.

Why do restaurants no longer think service is important? People waiting, open tables, and the staff and management are too busy talking to seat people.

We came just because a friend gave us a gift card, not expecting much, our server was HAILEY she was awesome, food was great, guacamole was pricey but well worth it. Hailey told the manager it was our first time and she came personally to greet us, soup was way too salty, and the manager came and gave us something else right away. One of my best experiences when eating out

Underwhelming experience. Slow service. Wet table. Food was not great. Had the fajitas and there was way more char/burnt ends than their should have been. Every time I try to go here it seems the place is meh.

Food had no flavor. The queso was yellow cheese (tasted like American Cheese) with what looked like peppers in it. Worst queso I have ever had. I ordered fish tacos. They were very small & had a very strong fish taste. They had no taste. Husband ordered a fajita And he did not like it and said it had a weird taste. We will never return to this restaurant.

Just finished eating here for the first time. I was uncertain at first, but the staff and food changed my mind. The staff was friendly and attentive. The food was excellent. I ordered the Carne Asada and the meat and sauteed veggies were great. My wife and 2 of my children ordered the enchiladas which were good but my baby tastebud children thought it was too spicy. We ordered a side of Queso and guacamole was tasty as well. I suggest you give this place a try and ask for Angella or Lauren.

Ordered through door dash and it's the 3rd time our order is missing something. Manager told me it's because of door dash but hello the restaurant didn't even put the fajitas in the bag. I blame them both for not following through.

Been a customer here for years, this visit was a little different though. the restaurant was empty and not many customers, it took a very long time to get the food out. we had to ask several times if the food is coming out or not. finally came out and one order was missed up so we had to wait longer to get it redone.