The Original Mexican Restaurant

We stopped here not realizing that it wasn't the right restaurant. We intended to eat at the next Mexican place down the Riverwalk, Casa Rio. It turned out to be good. The food was good, drinks were good, the atmosphere sitting outside was good. I'm not really disappointed that we got it wrong. Service was pretty slow, but the place was busy. I wouldn't have any problem coming back.

Restaurant needs a complete makeover, food included. $60 worth of trash. Customer service was good. Ground beef was unseasoned, rice was cold & hard. Restroom area was dirty.

With so many options for food on the river this location caught my attention. The visit started with the hostess who was very knowledgeable about the menu and quickly sat us. It was st Patrick weekend so it so it even made it a special evening visit. The manager walked around and also greeted us and ensured we were well taken care of. The food was out quick and hot and tasted as if mom was back there .. Will recommend well worth the visit..

Very underwhelming expierence. A lack of authenticity and as someone who ventures to a lot of different Mexican resturants this food was bland and greasy. Service was fine, but atmoshpere needs to be updated as it is very dull and uninviting.

Affordable Mexican restaurant right on the riverwalk. I'm sure the outdoor seating is excellent. The service was very good too. For the money I was very happy. The flan is excellent and I'd go back just for that! Gluten-free options of course given the menu.

The food is greasy, mostly because of the cheese used, but tasted delicious and had terrific consistency. I especially loved the salsa verde on the chicken enchiladas. The interior is basic and feels more like a VFW hall than a restaurant, but I suppose the idea is to enjoy the outside views of the river. But considering the tourist destination, I was very happy with the prices.

We walked in here since the name had "original" in it. Well it really not cuz the food was mid and more importantly the service was terrible. We were put to the very corner of the restaurant and for about 20 minutes we were left there without chips or water. And then the server finally took our order, mind you, other two tables who came later than us got their chips and stuff before us, but she got us a wrong drink. I told her that, she SIDE EYED ME HARD, and left us for about 10 mintues just to get a topochico. WHAT IS THAT. I can't stop thinking that it was because me and my dad are Asian since the white family that sat next to us and a big group of not asian people got their food really quick and were enjoying it. I don't recommend y'all to ruin your visit to the river walk by getting food from here!

One of my great regrets in life is thinking all the Mexican restaurants on River Walk are more or less the same. That logic led us to eating here because I just had to have lunch sitting along the river one time. I then wished I did not drink that margarita or eat that taco salad, and my partner deeply regrets ordering the beef burrito. The service was great though.

*this review is only based on the michelada , corona and service ! The hostess gabby was great, gave us info on happy hour and let us know we are able to take our drinks to go and can drink them along the river walk which we didn't know we could do. We came inside to Taylor helping us out and getting to us super fast.

$15 Velveeta?!? What would I improve?!? The answer is "Yes". The chips were stale, disgusting, and obviously a Sysco special. Not sure the margarita had any chemicals that correspond to the periodic table. The "queso" was literally a microwaved block of Velveeta that had been sitting out in the open it was cold and had formed a skin by the time it reached our table. The aforementioned stale disgusting chips came with an accompanying "salsa" I am pretty sure was Tostito's with so much cayenne pepper dumped into it my wife couldn't eat it. Calling itself the "Original" is like calling the statue of David the First Biker Gang Boss. You know it is fake and just yet of another "First of..." in the city. Rock solid 0 stars.

The only one star went to the location which was by the river. We came here on a Wednesday around 2pm which was not busy at all. We sat outside by the river. It took awhile for our server to come take our orders. He was not attentive at all. The Coconut frozen margaritas was a joke! We only tasted lime but not coconut at all. We didn't taste the alcohol either. It costed $19 for that?? Never come back!!

Great location being right on the river walk to have lunch with a view. The hostess appeared to be put off. I guess we were interrupting her cell phone time. When she asked how many in our party ( there were 5 of us) she asked rudely inside or outside. We said outside and rudly said I can't sit you on the river before I even spoke, which we didn't ask to sit on. I responded wherever you can sit 5 is fine in which she responded it will have to be on the patio. She tossed our menus and silverware on the table. Just absolutely rude. We watched her engage with all other tables with kindness and and professionalism, however ours ZERO ENGAGEMENT even though we were right next to her station, just as the others were. We waited quite a bit before anyone serviced out table with water, chips and salsa. Our actual waitress was kind and accommodating and our food was good. It takes a lot for me to comment negatively on a restaurant but when the first impression of your business is rude and unprofessional in such a busy location with tourists all I can say is do better!

Omg. Sunday evening here with family from out of town, was terrible. I assume the lack of menu choices is left over from Covid? Food wasn't terrible, but definitely not worth the price. If I had to put it on a continuum, it would be one notch below mediocre. My sister hardly touched her enchiladas, my nephew tried valiantly to soak up the grease on his quesadilla.... Service was business only, not very friendly. Seating was outside, just away from the river, but still felt cramped and the table was too small. We fought for space the whole time. Not good. Not good.

Not very many options late night on the river walk, we did come across this place which had a larger crowd. Very small menu options I got the tacos Al carbon thought it was weird they do theres on corn tortillas (used to flour) but hey went with it. But to no surprise they fell apart instantly as corn doesn't hold up too well with oiled corn tortillas.

This rating is generous. Food was bland, and 'meh' according to my date. Tables stayed dirty for too long and no one seemed to care. Needs more, if it wasn't for the Riverwalk this place would die. Sorry to be so candid but, I will not return. Server was attentive so there's that.

Food and margaritas were average. Its on the river walk so it does have an allure. San Antonio has better offerings.

To be honest randomly giving this place a chance, I'm glad I went. The food was very delicious. The service was good the Ambiance it was a little overdue for a restoration for me. I stated before the bathrooms were do for a major remodel.

Server was nice & pleasant. Restaurant needs a whole makeover including the food. $60.00 worth of trash. Rice was cold & hard. Ground beef was unseasoned. Restroom was filthy.

Nothing authentic about this place. Guac isn't real avocados. Chips aren't good. Salsa was good. Margarita was too sweet. Keep walking

Very mid to low quality food. Chicken fajitas were so dry. They clearly were not made to order. Chips and salsa were good. Beef fajita was okay. Service was friendly. I'd skip this one.

Left hungry and unsatisfied. I had high hopes as it was recommended from a local. I should have looked at the reviews first. Then my friend who lives there, that locals like to send people there because they know it's not good. Which is sad. I ordered chalupas and got tostadas. My michilada was a fish bowl of juice. No spice at all. I ate some of one tostada because I was starving and left. One of the worst dining experiences I've had in a while.

If I could rate less than one star I would. The riverwalk was not crowded on a Monday evening. We were seated outside where pigeons were landing on every table and crapping. We ordered drinks - never refilled even though wait staff said he'd be right back with them. Waited for the food - it was cold. Wait staff was more interested in playing on his phone than taking care of customers. One bit of 2 cold entrees, paid for our drinks and left. Bathrooms and interior of restaurant were filthy.

Really yummy food, great service, and decor! Had a great time with the fam. Food was delicious.

Absolutely Terrible Experience - Never Again This was hands-down one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant. First red flag: they charged us for chips and salsa. Really? That's usually complimentary at any decent place. One person in our group got the completely wrong order, and when we brought it up, the waiter just shrugged and said, "That's what's in the iPad." No apology, no effort to fix it. I ordered chicken and had to get up and find someone just to ask for ketchup and ranch. The ketchup came eventually. The ranch? Never showed up. But at the end of the meal, the waiter finally showed his face and casually asked, "Did you want ranch? Oh... we don't have any." Seriously? My wife's beans tasted like they were straight out of a can of generic refried beans. The rice? Just bland, sad-colored rice--no flavor, nothing authentic about it. Worst part? We never saw the waiter again until we were completely done eating. No drink refills, no check-ins, nothing. Save your money and your appetite. There are plenty of Mexican restaurants that actually care about food and service--this isn't one of them.

My husband and I came to the river walk looking for a place to eat dinner on a friday night at 630pm with no reservation... that was a mistake! Every restaurant we tried to go to had a 1 hour or more wait. We walked around for an hour before deciding to eat at this mexican restaurant. The reviews were ok, but we were starving. We got the tacos, enchiladas, and a frozen marg. The marg was good, but our dishes were decent. Overall it was just "ok."

We took our friends here for lunch while visiting the Riverwalk. I ate at many Mexican restaurants here and this one is no different than other average restaurants I have tried. The service was outstanding. What you don't see much anymore is that they still bring out salsa and chips at no cost. Many Mexican restaurants stopped this special service. We don't eat at the ones that charge you for something that was always complimentary.

If you want some plain, straight Mexican food then this place is good for you. Its not too over gltzy as some of the other places on the riverwalk. Price was decent for the location.

If I could give this place zero stars, I absolutely would. From the moment we walked in, it was clear that this was going to be a frustrating experience. The service was painfully slow--despite the fact that it wasn't peak season or particularly busy. We waited nearly an hour just to get our food, with no explanation - the server did apologize at the end. When the food finally arrived, I wished it hadn't. It was, simply put, terrible. Bland, uninspired, and completely lacking in any authentic flavor. I've had better Mexican food at a Taco Bell drive-thru at midnight. I ordered beef quesadillas and the tortillas were extremely greasy, the meat was nasty, and the salsa tasted like it came from a jar at a discount grocery store. To make matters worse, the overall atmosphere of the restaurant was just as uninviting as the food. The staff seemed indifferent at best, and by the time we left, I was more than happy to never return. If you're looking for real Mexican cuisine, do yourself a favor and go literally anywhere else.

My Man Crush and I spent a weekend in December on the Riverwalk. Needless to say, the restaurants were crowded and/or had long waits. We were able to get seated quickly at The Original Mexican Restaurant & Bar. The server was friendly and we were promptly served chips and salsa which were good. We had alcoholic drinks earlier in the evening so weren't in a drinking mood but the margaritas sounded good. The menu wasn't very extensive. I ordered the cheese enchiladas with a crunchy beef taco and my Man Crush ordered chicken enchiladas. Both were tasty dishes. We ordered a cheesecake to go with strawberry and caramel sauces and it was very yummy.

We were visiting from out of state, so I can't tell you if they had authentic San Antonio flavors but nonetheless, it was very good! The salsa was very spicy, I could feel it burning but it was so good that I couldn't stop eating it! It paired perfectly with the cheese dip. I got the chicken fajitas and the chicken pieces were MASSIVE. They were some of the juiciest pieces of chicken I've ever had. So good and I loved the flavor. However, the rest of the plate was okay. The beans weren't good. I was expecting refried but they were whole and the flavor was weird. The fajitas only came with beans, rice, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and pico. No lettuce. Overall, food tasted good but it was definitely a bit pricey. I wanted to their famous cheesecake but I didn't have room.

Food was $25 for all of what's in the pic.... The beef chalupa wasn't seasoned at all... Very bland, overpriced, and service was shotty. Sat outside and the birds were very aggressive. ... Wouldn't recommend.

Ship this place. So many better options. Very mediocre food. Really you don't have to eat Mexican food on the river walk. Too many better options

Decided to try Original Mexican food by the river walk. The service was not that great because we had to wait a while to even get our food ordered. Menu is small, ordered the chicken chalupas and queso con chile. Chicken chalupas 3/5, didn't expect chalupas to be tostadas other than that it was a good plate. Queso con chile 1/5, doesn't taste like real queso, texture felt like a powder cheese packet. Other than that you can sit inside or sit right next to the river walk to get that experience.

So taking a walk around downtown on the Riverwalk, we build up an appetite and eventually found this place. The outside of the restaurant looked nice but we decided to eat inside instead. Inside the restaurant could have been better cleaned such as some tables need to be wiped up and sweeping up food on the floor. We sat at a table with someone dropping a bunch of chips by and was never swept up. The waiter we had was nice, and there was another waiter that was pretty funny and had good energy. We first received chip and salsa, which was actually pretty good. I liked how each person at the table had their own salsa and it was nice and spicy. However, the food itself wasn't good as expected. I ordered enchiladas verdes and I didnt mind the rice and beans, but the enchiladas weren't really that great. My plate was hot though unlike the chicken fajitas. They were more like room temperature as if just sitting there on the counter. The chicken tenders were ok for the kids, and the fries could have used some salt. None of us really finished the food. I think this place is more for drinking than really eating but didn't try any the drinks to speak on that. Overall, I was expecting more. I will have to really think about if I would come back or not in the future.

Quick service and awesome fajitas! Eat outside along the Riverwalk and enjoy their fresh fajitas, best I've had in a long time! Beautiful scenery!

The beef in the tacos taste like fake meat. My wife sent her food back and ordered chicken tacos. Those tasted expired with horrible spices. We left our plates. Service was not good. It took 15 minutes to get refill to wash down the aftertaste of the fake enchiladas and tacos. The outdoor sitting is nice. Don't sit by the check in, unless you want strangers waiting for a table up against you while eating. We noticed many plates on tables with food left on them. We won't be back.

We were able to catch a nice table outside next to the river and really just wanted drinks but we also ordered the Double Dip (chips with a side of queso and a side of guac) as well. Our waitress was cheerful as ever despite us not ordering food, but I think we ended up ordering three big margaritas so the bill was decent. Food was fine, prices were okay for a touristy spot. The next night, I came by just to get a slice of Kangaroo Court cheesecake with the chocolate sauce to go. The waitress was great as she told me specifically to heat up the sauce in another container, not the plastic one it was in, in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, before pouring it onto the cheesecake. It was great!

El servicio y la comida más nasty que se puedan comer Estuvimos más de media hora para poder ordenar agua y las bebidas. Una vez ordenamos aperitivos y comida, el aperitivo nunca llegó, la comida Tienen 4 babosas sentando la gente pero una vez sentados, no los atienden. NO RECOMENDADO

Absolutely the worst Mexican restaurant service and food I have had since coming to Texas in 50 years. strongly suggest trying another restaurant. there are many good ones. This is not one.

we had two meals at the restaurant. They were both delicious. The service was outstanding. Tyrone was very friendly and outgoing. Being seated right on the Riverwalk was great. It's also fun as a watching place.

Terrible front desk workers. Bad manager (about 5'6", male, short hair) Gave so much much attitude called ahead said they could seat 10. Arrived told us they cannot. Come to find out, the bartender answers the phone and doesn't know the wait times or outside seating space. Then front desk goes and mentions "we're minors we not allowed to know" and laughs in front of us and continues to eat their shaved ice. Horrible customer service no professionalism whatsoever. This was march 16 2025 around 7:25pm. Avoid

The customer service of this restaurant is horrendous. DO NOT GO HERE! After waiting for 20 minutes for water and a server, we received attitude from a server fill-in. After we complained about our wait, she said "don't talk shit about my coworker. We have a lot of problems in the back." I told her it was not our problem that she had issues in the back. We proceeded to ask for a manager. When the manager came out with his little pathetic body guard, they insisted we leave. They did not care to listen to us and said get out very rudely! After asking for the manager's contact information, we were berated to get up. And as I got up, I was shoved by the pathetic little body guard. Is this how you operate a business? Repeat: DO NOT GIVE THIS PLACE YOUR MONEY! And the salsa we had was atrocious too. No wonder this restaurant has such bad and pathetic reviews! It doesn't even deserve one star!

Stopped by with the family last night to celebrate a birthday, last minute spot so we didn't have high expectations but this is an operating establishment. Staff was solid, our waiter was okay & she forgot a good slung of requests. Didn't bother us much as when we got seated we saw the restaurants conditions were outdated and dirty. Food menu for a "Mexican restaurant" was bellow mediocre. Absurdly cheap food, price reflected the food's actual quality as well. Definitely a spot I recommend skipping. Disappointed and dissatisfied.

First and foremost... Steven V was by far one of if not the best server I have had since I moved to San Antonio in July. First thing in the door, "not to rush y'all but there is a huge party over here and I want you to order before they do". To me that is HUGE... putting my groups time and day into consideration. Then he was on top of things, funny, knew his menu, his drinks, and knew how to make our table feel like we belonged. The order was ACCURATE which is huge, FAST and met with sincere service to be sure we were happy. 5 stars is the tip of the iceberg, I will be back as long as he is our server. Hands down, top notch, best we've had on the riverwalk or elsewhere in SA.. SALUD! ...

very greasy food and not good service. tacos were a 2/10, would not recommend stopping here. margaritas were made with artificial sweetener and flavoring. there's a better mexican restaurant further up the river walk that looked much better than this place. felt very dirty and unclean

Margaritas, chips and salsa were excellent! Fun atmosphere and our servers were all very pleasant. The food arrived reasonably quickly as well. Our party felt the main courses were fairly average in quality, though the portions were big. The flavors were ok, but not fantastic. However, it is not a bad option for a quick bite, and has a great view of the river.

The location of this restaurant is great and if you can get a table outside on a nice day you have a great view of the river. However as nice as the location is, if everything else misses the mark, then you have to ask yourself what's the point of going? I will state that I got a frozen prickly pear margarita and it was delicious - I also like that you can order a drink and walk the river walk with it (however you can not order a drink from the stand and bring it to the restaurant). We started with an appetizer - chips, guacamole and queso. The chips lacked seasoning, like they needed to be hit with some salt. The guacamole was okay and the queso was cold (there was a skin on the cheese). We actually asked our server to reheat it and when it came back to the table it was warm at best. We also asked for some salsa, however if spicy isn't your thing, skip it! We ordered the burrito, which was large and could have been shared, and two quesadillas - one chicken the other fajita. They came with beans, rice, guacamole and sour cream. Sadly, the rice and beans were cold, like stick your finger in the middle and there wasn't a hint of warmth, almost like they played it while the quesadilla was cooking. The fajita tasted more like brisket and when we talked to the manager, she reassured us that it's fajita but the way they cut it, it may look like brisket. Either way she was kind enough to remove it from the bill. Can't say I'm running back any time soon but I'd pick up a drink and walk the river at best.

Service was extremely slow and food wasn't that great. Portion sizes were huge and servers were very nice when you could get a hold of them. I got the vegetarian burrito and it was tasty but nothing special and not very flavorful. Still for the price on the river walk it wasn't too bad! Getting to sit outside was nice.

Food was decent...We started off with chips and salsa .....I had the cheese enchilada...rice (a bit bland) beans were ok my friend had fajita fries...that she felt tasted like pork ...my other friend had chicken enchiladas with guacamole, sour cream.....and enjoyed them very much ...Service .....for as busy as they were was OK...a bit pricey but it was on the River walk ...restaurant was open concept but under a roof ...hungry pigeons everywhere looking for crumbs of food under the table by my feet so I was not feeling the atmosphere ...

I don't think the river walk is where I would go if I wanted good food. All the restaurants looked like they were serving the same food. The food was edible at best and at least I didn't get food poising. Would not be back. Inside of the restaurant smelled and was not very clean.

We had beer, tequila, nachos, had a great time on the patio. Staff was nice and courteous. The beer schooners are huge!

Grosss food I don't know why they open no tasty in the food no salt no flavor in the meat never come back to this place paying $85 for nasty food we learn or experience people don't waste ur money here

PLEASE DONT GO HERE. my family was in from out of town and wanted to have mexican food. This place was terrible. The food took over an hour to come out and when it did it was cold! everything was overly greasy and swimming in oil. it was disgusting. The restaurant itself was filthy and looked like it was violating so many food safety and cleanliness rules. This whole place is falling apart and the restrooms are next level gross. Overall awful experience, please avoid it.

When i got my green enchiladas they came soggy very hard for me to grab it with the fork but the service is nice.

Not the best experience. When we got there we went to wash our hands in the bathroom because the tables were dirty. After seeing the bathrooms we all lost our appetite. They smelled and were very dirty. The hall to the bathroom also smelled very bad. The food wasn't much better. It seemed like the combination of flavors was just off. There were a few pros. The first was their tortillas were good. Also the chips were good as well. Maybe we just came on a bad day and it is usually better.

This place is amazing, located in the heart of San Antonio, in River walk, it's a walk away from our hotel. Theirs also live mariachi band with guitars and trumpet, playing live music at your request. The food is also great, but honestly, I not a big fan of Mexican dishes, but it was alright. Mixed Drinks are superb and even take your picture for free. Highly recommend this place... I noticed all guests like to be outside near the River, to experience the atmosphere of everything around. Unfortunately, we were inside and it was quite and eloquent.

Location is great. Food is very very mediocre. Nice service. There's even a mariachi that will ask you if you want a song. We didn't order any drinks, but the drink menu looked extensive. Nice to sit on the patio with the nice weather. The food is nothing special.