The Original El Taco

I was originally excited for an El Taco burrito (we used to live walking distance to the one in Virginia highlands) when I saw it was an option here at the airport. But my gah, the only good thing was the salsa. The burrito was awful. Dry, dry chicken. Tasteless cheese, tasteless eggs. I couldn’t even eat my $10 burrito.

For an airport, this is pretty good food. It's also a rare place that has a good vegan meal! Salsa was some of the best I've had at any Mexican restaurant.

I travel through the ATL international wing several times a year and always love to get some Mexican but have been extremely disappointed the last three times. I’ve been hesitant to complain as I understand we can all have bad days but this is now 3 bad days in a row over the coarse of the last 6 months. The staff is always in the back and appears inconvenienced when a customer appears at their counter. To add to to this, walking slower than molasses from the rear to the front doesn’t help matters and each time, I’ve ordered a chicken quesadilla only to be told there won’t be any available for another 20 minutes as the chicken is still on the grill. How long does it take to grill some chicken and why isn’t any ready when there has not been a line of customers in front of me. As I’ve said, this is 3 times in a row with the same experience over 6 months.

This review is about the The Original El Taco at Concourse C in ATL Airport. This one is right across from gate C15. Price was right. But food quality was meh. I ordered Pollo Asado (Grilled chicken) taco. It was $5.04 after tax. The taco was a soggy mess. The cashier was taking my order while browsing her phone.

I really like the food here but owners have to do SOMETHING about the staff. They are consistently rude, but tonight was another level. The staff were trying to close 30 minutes early so they kept turning customers away and were openly talking to each other about how they shouldn’t sell any more so that they can eat whatever doesn’t get sold. Owners should be aware.

Disappointing experience. The guy at the counter was extremely rude when I asked how long food preparation would take. Despite a backlog of orders and no visible kitchen staff, he responded sarcastically with “How much time do you have?” When I said 20 minutes, he seemed dismissive. He refused my request for an extra plate, saying “The tacos come in paper.” He also wouldn’t accommodate my order for individual tacos of different varieties. Cold tortillas for the tacos. The food was mediocre at best and significantly overpriced for the quality and service received. Skip this place - not worth trying.

Had a terrible experience at the Concourse F location in ATL airport. Staff was uninterested in offering customers a timely and pleasant experience. A huge line formed and customers waited in confusion. On top of the rudely slow service, the staff mixed up order numbers…my food was cold after sitting in plain sight unnoticed by anyone…the vegan tacos didn’t make any of it worthwhile.

Stopped on my way to the gate and ordered a cheese quesadilla. The staff was friendly and my food was made fast! It was also really good, not oily, like other places at ATL. I'll be coming back again!

First time eating The Original El Taco at ATL Airport. Because I didn't feel like walk over to my usual taco restaurant. This one is right across from gate C15. My layover is about 5 hours due to Storm Beryl in SE Texas. Price is just right. But food quality was meh. I ordered Pollo Asado (Grilled chicken) taco. It costs $5.04 after tax. The taco was a soggy mess. One is definitely not enough. I don't want to go back for another bad experience. I'd go further for Baja Fresh. Oh, the cashier was really multitasking by taking my order while browsing her phone. She gets 5-star for that skill. But yeah. Not coming back.

This restaurant has both pros and cons. The Pros: The food was really good and the employees tried to make things right by fixing their mistakes. This is also the only restaurant in the Atlanta airport that has gluten and dairy free options. The Cons: The service is slow and we waited over an hour to place our order; then we waited over 30 minutes to receive our food. If you have a flight leaving shortly after and you are looking for a quick meal, this is not your place. Our order was made wrong three times. The first time they gave tacos with cheese. The second time they gave me one taco with the right order and one that was wrong. The wrong taco had a glutinous taco shell. The third time they gave me a gluten free taco with cheese. The fourth time, they got it right. If you have food allergies, I recommend you only order if you have lots of time to wait before your flight. I might recommend the higher end and more expensive restaurant, since the service might be faster and they might get your order right the first time. The only thing is it is 3 times the price. Would I Return? Only if I have a lot of time before my flight. Otherwise you won't receive your order.

The staff was nice and held a brief, pleasant conversation. They had a vegan option. I got two tacos and a simply lemonade. The tacos were good, slightly spicy, and filling.

What can they improve???!!!! EVERYTHING! I wish I had gone anywhere else. I'm at the Atlanta airport this tasted like nothing

Another complaint about the service. I can't comment on the food, because I wasn't able to order any. Walked up to the counter at 11:50, approaching prime lunchtime in a crowded concourse. Maybe should've been concerned there was no line. Anyway, the guy behind the counter was fine, answered my questions and I gave him my order. Then he said, oh, my cashier is on break, I'm not a cashier and I just got locked out (of the register), I can't take any orders until he comes back. So I asked when that would be. He told me, Well he just left before you got here, so, about 30 minutes. Are you kidding me? They are closed for half an hour at noon? I guess when one guy takes a break, everyone needs to be on break. Not the cook's fault they are understaffed, but not good business. Yikes.

2 stars. We ordered 4 fried chicken tacos with no mayo. But all of them came with mayo. We walked back down the concourse to get them remade just for the young lady at the register to say that it was queso. I told her that we tasted them and it was not cheese. Then, she says they HAD to be made with Mayo to "hold them together". Listen, I got my money back so I'm not nearly as livid. But, please get her off that front register! She's extremely rude and unknowledgeable. Thank you to the manager who was able to refund my money on the fly... literally! My flight was boarding!

Awful, disgusting food. Terrible service. Outrageous price. This horrible pit is on Concourse F in ATL, the Atlanta Airport. It is perhaps the worst food I ever had. Inedible. Right in the garbage. I wasted more than $20 for two tacos. The one person working there was unpleasant and obviously incompetent. Avoid this place. Nothing can help it. Original El Taco in Cocourse F at the Atlanta airport should be closed down.

This is located by the C gates at the Southwest Airlines at Atlanta airport. The service is definitely not there, you can wait for a good 5 minutes and more with no one by the register. I ordered a fried chicken taco and it was made fresh and it was super tasty. It's a very convenient place for a quick bite before you get on the plane. It's an airport location with no seating areas around, so make sure to take extra few napkins with you.

I came in a few days ago and had a breakfast taco. The taco itself was okay. Being an Austinite, tacos are kinda my thang! The 3 stars given here is more for the attitude I received when I ordered the taco. Immediately upon approaching the counter when attempting to order, the cashier said "Nothing is ready" and rolled her eyes. While I was more than willing to wait for the food, the attitude given was not welcomed. Taco rating 4 Attitude rating 0

I use to enjoy eating here when I came to ATL airport. But the worker seem so unmotivated, un professional she even started yelling at the manager. It's almost sad to see this spot go downhill. The previous times I've come were early in the day around 8 and the cashier told me they were close. At 8P! This place is ran horribly. Keep moving find somewhere else to eat at the airport.

I can't believe the people you have working here. We walk up to the register at 9:20pm and order tacos. Their response is "we have ground beef". So we said great, we'll take 2 of those and 2 grilled chicken tacos. Again they say, "we have ground beef, we finna close at 10" (40 minutes away). So finally they communicate entirely that they don't have anything other than ground beef. They were so incredibly rude and the only tacos they had ( ground beef) was disgusting. They didn't put half of the ingredients on. Don't go to this place.

The only good thing about this place is the service. The limited menu is not anywhere close to being adequate so as you head towards your gate just pass on by.

There was almost no line at the register. It took the kitchen 27 minutes to put out a chicken quesadilla

Rude and the food came cold. They also forgot to add any beef or chicken. I know it's airport food but they might be the worst thing ive ever had

Okay, I gotta say that I don't get out East that much, but when I do, I really strive to sample some good old fashioned Southern Cooking. So, not much to choose from when at the Atlanta airport for just under and hour. Off the plane and looking around, there was not much by the C-gates and the airport was very busy. All the establishments had lines except for this one right across from the gate, The Original El Taco. No line, whatsoever. Usually not a good clue to getting some good grinds, but I had to ask. Lynnette was working the counter and she was anxious to greet me. I asked her flat out why there was no line, if the food was any good, and what she recommended. She was wonderfully pleasant and ready to help me out. The Buttermilk Fried Chicken taco was her highly recommended choice so I went with that. And, in the South, Buttermilk Fried Chicken is just what I could go for and it should be great. Honestly, It was very tasty and came at a great price. It filled my needs, desire for Southern cooking and filled the empty, awaiting hole in my tummy. Crunchy, tasteful chicken with a great, slightly spicy sauce (more available in packets at the counter) and a tasty tortilla. Yes, I will be back and, hopefully, Lynnette will be there to help me out again. Great service and great food.

Horrible service. Music blasting in the back. The counter staff was not interested in taking orders and couldn't care less if you got your food.

worst $30 spent. the best thing I ordered were the sprites. this place needs to be closed down. Does not belong in F gate.

I'm giving it 1 star because I cant go any lower. How dare this place charge $4.99 for something THEY call a TACO. This shit isnt a taco. That my friends is a warmed up flour tortilla with some meat and red onion in the middle. This is an insult to tacos EVERYWHERE. If you want tacos, DO NOT even come near this place. It's over priced, under seasoned, and a disgrace to tacos everywhere.

Well, this place was open at 9:00 p.m. while waiting on flight ... so, I stepped up and ordered. I ended up going with the "Taco Combo" which included my choice of two tacos and beans/rice or chips/salsa. I went with a beef taco and a shrimp taco accompanied with the beans and rice. About five minutes later, my order was ready! The beef taco was bland and didn't have a flavor, however, I hadn't eaten since breakfast so anything that filled my stomach would do. The shrimp taco was a bit tastier so I was happy to have that. The item that topped them all was the beans and rice. Actually, I think my eyes were hungrier than my stomach as just an order of beans and rice would have done the trick. However, I paid about $17.00 for the combo plus a water, so I ate it all. Basically, for airport food, especially being open a little later in a quiet terminal, it wasn't that bad. There were other options open but they had run out of certain foods. So, although I only gave this three stars, it was a pretty good choice given the circumstances.

When I have a long day of traveling, the only things I have to look forward to are meals and snacks. The options didn't seem that great according to yelp if I wanted a quick meal. Then I saw the fried chicken burrito on the menu and I thought since I was in Atlanta, the fried chicken would be better than where I'm from. Also, I could just pick the fried chicken out of the burrito and eat it if the burrito didn't taste good. Surprisingly, the fried chicken burrito was good. It was super filling. I don't know if I would go out of my way for it, but it was good for airport food.

Worst tacos I ever ate. Absolute trash. I spent a hundred bucks on buying food for my team as we were headed to work with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. The chicken tacos were literally spoiled. I threw them away for fear of food poisoning. The service was horrific. The workers there were unbelievably rude. The salsa tasted like tomato paste. Even the drinks were warm.

Good but like all airport eateries, over priced. Just happy to see something vegan. Beans, rice, wrapped in a corn soft tortilla. It was small and expensive but I am desperate and they know it. Staff was very friendly and acknowledgeable. Food was fresh and quickly made. Located upstairs in the international terminal. Beautiful mall here with several other eateries like Pei Wei and Starbucks. There is also a sit down fancy Italian restaurant.

The only veggie option around... but pretty sad tacos with no flavor and falling apart. Wouldn't recommend unless you are desperate + $5 a taco and they don't fill you up at all. 5 little pieces of corn, then black peas and canned green chilies on corn tortillas that they don't soften up. Yikes.

I'm not sure why there are so many low reviews for this place... I lived in VaHi for a year and never got a chance to try The Original El Taco. Now that I've moved away from Atl, I was excited to see local restaurants being represented in the airport and was looking forward to finally getting to try El Taco. I got the fried chicken taco as well as the baja mahi mahi. The service was quick and the price was a little steep (right under $5 per taco) but airport food typically is a little over priced. I really enjoyed my tacos, especially the pepper mixture that came on the baja mahi mahi. I definitely wish I had frequented The Original El Taco when I lived in VaHi.

The fresh Vegan Mercado tacos and chilled guacamole was delicious. One of the best airport meals I've had in my life. So thankful for this delicious vegan option that came in eco friendly, 100% COMPOSTABLE packaging! I'll certainly be coming back again next flight through ATL Terminal C

This place is gross. I had two tacos, chicken with pineapple and jicama, and a spicy ground beef one, along with rice and beans. The rice was undercooked and had no flavor. The chicken was blah and the spicy beef might have been OK, but I couldn't eat it. The tacos were half-warm, half-cold, and I was scared I was going to be sick. I had a few bites of each taco and the rice and beans and then had to toss $12 worth of food. Staff is unfriendly and the website is not updated. Skip this place.

I fly southwest a lot so I usually stop here. The employees are always friendly and professional and the place is clean they are pretty fast getting the food out as well. I like the chilli con queso but this time it taste different it wasn't as spicy as the last time I had it and this time it was more cheesy. Also the chips were super salty today it really took away from the dish, when I got home I had to use just regular potato chips. I also got a shrimp taco and adobo chicken. The shrimp wasn't bad one piece was really over cooked and rubbery, I like the mango in it but it was VERY soggy. I like the adobo chicken one it's flavorful but less soggy. I feel it is a bit pricey but I feel like all airport places are. Overall it's not the best but not the worst place I have eaten. In the airport

I had the taco salad with grilled chicken. It was a huge, loaded, (literally) heavy, fresh salad. Is it expensive? It's the most expensive item on the menu, I think, but it's big enough for 2 people to share. Considering this is in an airport, it's really not expensive. I'm adding a star just for the juicy and flavorful chicken! It was not dry at all, which is always a risk with fast food chicken. The avocado was perfectly ripe. The pickled onions were a very nice touch. The corn was grilled and salsa and lettuce were fresh. The tortilla chips were kind of stale though and I had to use the knife to cut it all up small enough to fit in my mouth--the chicken and lettuce wasn't cut real well, but that was not a problem and is totally something I can live with. Overall, I was very happy with my choice. I'd get this salad again any day! Can't wait to try their tacos because this place knows how to cook chicken!

Taco was good but service was not good. According to the menu they charged $3.40 more than they should have, then said they didn't make a mistake. People were running late for their flights, and there was no line at the register.

Was in the airport at the worst time to try to get food: noon. All the places I wanted to go to were PACKED. This one had a reasonably short line so I tried it out. That short line should have been an early warning. The cashier was super nice. Very friendly and engaged but the food came out super slow. Don't know what kind of talent was behind the food counter but they didn't seem to be moving that fast. I ordered the Churrasco Big Burrito and took it to a reasonably quiet gate before going to my gate to wait for a flight. It was a big burrito and I guess you get your money's worth for an airport eatery. The only problem was that it was extremely difficult to eat. There's no box or utensils. It's just wrapped in aluminum foil and they take NO effort to wrap it effectively. So as you open the aluminum foil most of it flows out and into your hand as you try not to dump most of it onto the floor. The tortilla was limp, most, and slimy. The mess inside consisted of under cooked rice (it was disconcerting to have random hard bits in there) with beans that had been heated long enough to be paste. The chicken was shredded and of unknown quality. Here an there you would get a big bite of something that wasn't well mixed into the burrito. I wouldn't go here again and don't recommend that you do either.

Quick and easy meal, just what's needed whilst passing through this busy airport. Not the best meal I've ever had, nut my freshly made quesadilla was hot, and tasty, served with rice and beans and some salsa for $11.49. A bottle of Corona added another $7.69. Total bill including tax $20.72, not too bad for an airport meal including alcohol. The seating area is a central food court shared with other outlets in the same area. As & when I might pass through ATL again, I'd have no hesitation in grabbing a quick meal at El Taco.

We ordered before reading the reviews or else we might have eaten somewhere else. Yes, the prices are ridiculous, but are even higher at other places here at the airport. The food was delicious! I ordered a buttermilk chicken fried taco with roasted corn and lime mayo. My husband had nachos with steak. The chips weren't the freshest, but they were topped with beans, jalapeño peppers, guacamole, sour cream, grated white cheese, pico, etc. I don't think we were supposed to get queso blanco with our order, but it was SO good! Just the right amount of spice. Sodas and bottled water were each almost $3. Yikes. The tables at this food court are clean.

I was a first-time customer here, and most likely will be the last. I come through this airport often and at first, I was very excited to see a food item clearly labeled as VEGAN and at a reasonable price too. At least I thought it was... my portion size was very, very small. I was definitely disappointed in that. If you are wanting to order the soft shell tacos as a meal, you will easily need 2-3 of them. This factors into the pricing and makes the price a little unreasonable for quick airport food in my opinion. Even though I think my meal was overpriced, it was made fresh and definitely hit the spot!

My biggest complaint is the price. The employee there was nice and well trained. She was fast and efficient I wish I had gotten her name so that I could give her props. Airport food is hard. As someone who works in the food industry it's just not easy. I came here because its was the only place in the terminal without a line. Not only that but I eat a pretty strict diet and the one thing that I could eat was guacamole. I ordered the guac and 2 minutes later my name was called with the food. $8 for a small thing for guac was a little high for me but I understand. I will say, it tasted extremely fresh and was very good. Lots of garlic which I enjoyed I'm just not so sure that those on the plane around me did.

Food was super salty and there was 3 people working and I waited 10 minutes for order. It was 2:00 pm so well past the lunch rush. My Diet Coke was good. Lol

Tacos are that great and are pretty messy. You will need to eat your taco instantly unless you want it to fall apart on you. The flavor really isn't great and like most airport food....its more expensive than its worth.

Two stars because the salsa is good, even though you get one ounce of it, and the steak taco was surprisingly pretty good (but was $6.50). Super disappointed as the Virginia highland location of this restaurant is one of my favorite ATL taco spots. Why do we put up with awful expensive airport food? When will we rise against cold $6.50 tacos and a twenty minute wait for counter service? Until the revolution, if you come here, expect to wait 15-20 minutes on two tacos. Expect them to be actively cold. The tortillas will be straight out of the bag. The chicken will not be seasoned. And this will never change, because airport food is allowed, for whatever reason, to be this way.

This place was fine. A lot of reviews note that it is expensive but yes, it's airport food. In this terminal (where Southwest flights fly) there isn't a whole lot - fast food, two nicer sit down places, and coffee shops. So I decided to give this a try. I ordered the two taco and rice & beans special. It was $12. Not terrrrrible but it's n airport. The food was fine. The tacos were fresh, well made, and came hot. The tortillas were super weak and ripping apart. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything to write home about. The tacos are bigger than j expected and the rice and beans portion is about the size of a fist. If you like Mexican and are looking for a full meal in the airport I'd go with this.

For all the negative reviews, I have to say the tacos were very flavorful. Not pretty - but that's OK. You do need to eat them shortly after getting them because the toppings/ fillings are juicy and no one wants a soggy tortilla. Slaw toppings were nice and crunchy, too (yay for jicama)! Staff was friendly. Price was unsurprising for the airport, but of course pricier than what you'd get on the street. Overall good experience!

I was starving when I got through customs and El Taco delivered. I got a shrimp taco and it was totally delish. I wish they had put the sauce on the side because it was caliente, but oh so good! I'd totally eat here again.

I gave this place 1 star vs. 0 because it had no line, and now I know why. Soggy taco combo with zero love. Flavor combos in the tacos are off. The beans and rice are abysmal - maybe the worst I've ever had from a taco joint. Bought a Jarritos only to be told I couldn't take a glass bottle into the terminal. Who wants to drink their lime Jarritos from a plastic cup? There's no where to sit but they don't serve the combo in a takeout plate, so you can't eat tacos, beans & rice together when you end up sitting at a gate chair. And because the tacos are not served on a plate / container and they are super soggy and gross, they'll try and destroy your clothes too. Man, I really needed a taco fix while waiting for a flight and this place failed on all levels. Please - come to Austin or Houston airport and take some lessons from the Salt Lick or Pappasitos.

Not a lot of options here in this specific area of the airport but I think if I had time, I would visit a different concourse to get food as the tacos here made me a bit sad. This is pretty much like fast food with a very high price and even lower quality than Taco Bell. The carne asada taco and shrimp tacos were very over priced and soggy with little to no flavor. It was like eating wet cardboard with some chewy bits. I don't think the ingredients are very fresh and the tacos are wrapped quite poorly even though they don't have many people ordering. If you've never had a taco before you might enjoy this but I'd rather eat a cold prepackaged sandwich from an airport vendor. The chips and salsa were decent although the salsa a bit spicy and the chips were crispy which were a nice addition to snack on the plane. However, I don't think I would come back solely for that but definitely giving an extra star for the chips!

Thanks for messing up my order in every possible way and charging me for my non-existant added chicken, avocado and adding sour cream when I said no sour cream. Vomit. Not to mention it tastes disgusting.... and also they forgot my order and I almost missed my flight. I was actually in process of getting a refund, and they never got back to me after few correspondences.

So let me start by saying that my expectations for airport food are exquisitely low. I know going in that i will receive mediocre at best food at gouging prices. This is just one of the sad realities we are all faced with when trapped in the airport terminal. Occasionally, I am surprised and my expectations are exceeded. Unfortunately with el taco, they have succeeded in providing the most dissatisfying experience i have had with airport food. An almost impressive feat, really. The tacos, I opted for a steak and a chicken, were a confusing mix of hot and cold. The chicken taco had a scarce amount of meat on it (which may have actually added to the taste, when compared to the more "meat" filled steak taco). The guacamole on the chicken taco was barely present, and what was there had zero flavor. Do you remember the sad meals that they used to serve back in school caferterias? Wilted, gravy-based foods of questionable identity? Those were culinary masterpieces compared to these two "tacos" that i just spent $12 on. Looking at the reviews for the actual free standing el taco in atlanta, it appears to be a quality institution. They need to seriously evaluate what is happening at this airport terminal as it likely has and will continue to tarnish its reputation. TLDR; the tacos are terrible and expensive. Do not waste your money and then have to bitch about it on yelp to make yourself feel better.

I gave this 4 stars for the chips and salsa. I know, do you really want to get chips and salsa to go at an airport? No not really. But I'm here to tell you that yes really it's a good choice. The salsa was fresh and flavorful (not spicy), the chips were well salted and a good thickness to load up with the pico de gallo salsa, and for me the right amount of salsa to chips ratio. They made the delay much more enjoyable even out of a plastic bag. They gave ample napkins and the lid had a tight seal that I trusted juggling with my luggage within reason. Unfortunately, I wish I had just ate the chips and salsa because the tacos and service left much to be desired. I got the plate which is two tacos and they took forever. There were 5 of us waiting on the fried chicken tacos for over 5 minutes after we ordered. Not good for an airport at all when you need to get to your gate. I left my tacos wrapped to eat on the plane. The tortillas are what really bummed me out because the steam just made them floppy. You could tell the restaurant kept them warm in batches and put hot fillings in them later. I think they should cook them a bit on their own. They didn't fall apart or had much sauce on them which means they didn't make a mess but kinda wish I didn't eat them. They were fine and to be honest, I waited over 30 minutes to eat them on the plane, but the foil kept them warm but it made them floppy.

If I could I would probably give this place a giant 0. This abomination somebody decided was decent enough to be called a taco was a slap in the face. Not only was this the worse salsa I have ever had, it was also the smallest little tortilla, the hardest beef I have ever had to chew, and it was more than $5. (Mind you, the most expensive and delicious tacos you'll ever have in Houston tend to be $2) I felt like it had been some kind of awful joke when I bit into the taco and recalled the sign that claimed The Original El Taco was voted "Best Mexican in Atlanta." I highly doubt that the Mexicans in that city ever tasted such a deceiving piece of food. I highly doubt that anybody in their right mind spew such lies about this place. I would gladly take that sign down if I had the chance. That place is an insult to people who know savory from crap. This restaurant really doesn't deserve the name it has. I'm appalled someone deemed this decent. Two thumbs down.

If you think of food as merely energy and calories, to keep you going. Get the Veggie Burrito...lol...Very Blah. It may have been more fun with beef or chicken...I paid $1 for extra pico...Uhhh I'm thinking they either use an ity bity scooper, or forgot my Pico...SMH...1st World Problems, right? LOL

Paid over $4.69 (before tax) for a piece of crap! I don't mind paying more, but come on! They don't even try to make this edible. How insulting that they gouge you with the prices and not bother making the effort to provide a decent product. My BF had the $9.99 burrito. Same lack of tastes and low quality! The "soft" shell is hard and cold. The few pieces of chicken tastes like rubber. Barely any relish. No taste. This business would have folded if they weren't inside the airport.

Honestly the first time I ordered nachos here with my teen son I thought they were just ok. But through the years as he kept ordering them and I kept taking a bite I have grown to crave these nachos. The beans are delicious, the pico is delicious, the spicy beef has a nice little bite to it. The guacamole is ok, not special but adds a nice cooling touch (I ask no sour cream). I love how they put the big cup of queso that comes with it on the side. They have a steady stream of customers and many things on the menu you can try if nachos are not your thing