Vaqueros Cafe & Cantina

Great location, nice elevated view of the area. Outside fireplace for fun cocktail environment (provided the Texas wind is behaving). Friendly welcome on our first visit. Very good Tex-Mex food. I loved their chicken breast dish and my wife loved her tacos de carnitas too. The flan dessert was better than any I've ever eaten. Usually flan has a kind of smushy consistency, not this one. It was firmer and had the best texture. We ate a late lunch and skipped dinner we were so full! Also large margaritas and beers. Our waiter had a great sense of humor. We will be back again with our family.

This was our first time going to Vaqueros in Steiner Ranch. Our Server Chris was the best. He not only gave great recommendations, but his service was a reflection of how much thought and care goes into this restaurants customer service. Everything was great and it was at a great value price. Can't wait to try there brunch!

Best brunch in Austin! This was our first visit after hearing so many great things about the Sunday brunch, and it did not disappoint! We arrived about 30 minutes before the buffet closed, so I was a little worried the food might be picked over or not as fresh. To my surprise, everything was fully stocked, fresh, and absolutely delicious! The service was also excellent, friendly, and attentive. We’ll definitely be coming back with the whole family. Highly recommend!

Upscale casual dining with inside and outside seating. Windows galore with nice hill country views. Hostess were super friendly. Waiter was top notch, easily a 20% tip server on a table of two. Food was delicious and portions were huge. I have never had take home food from a Mexican meal but I could only eat half of the plate. I did have an appetizer but that’s common for me anyways. Very tasty and an entire second meal tomorrow for about the same cost as a lot of Mexican restaurants. No complaints. Server was attentive all the way up to us leaving which was nice. Typically we have to wait for a check, then wait for them to cash us out, then we will never see them again even if we are still sitting there. Thanks for the great service! Best in this entire area of NW Austin.

We were originally going to another Tex Mex restaurant that turned out to be shut down as of three months ago that was still showing open on Google. I quickly tried to find another restaurant and came across Vaqueros. So glad I did. The food was amazing and service was excellent. Came on the right night because Margaritas were on special for $5.00 and we’re not weak at all. I could only handle one. If you’re in Steiner Ranch area of Austin, check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

I will Start this way: Good was amazing yes thanks god something was good it’s just the food. Service believe me if I can give 0 star for this I will give them 0. Service was so bad ask for drink and she forgot to bring it. I order some alcohol and I got not the type of drink I ask for. I order lunch place and the server say I didn’t told her and she charge me the full price. Ask for water for like 3-4 time and never got them. If the food didn’t was that good I will probably give them 1 star. And also there is a group of women so loud you can’t really enjoy the food. So over all not the best place for service just the food is ok so I better look for different place to eat. And they will over charge you here so watch your bill

Last Sunday night, February 2nd, we took our family of 8 to your restaurant around 7:00 pm. The place was busy and it was obvious the wait staff was under staffed. Our server, Laura, was covering a large area and doing her best to keep up. She did an outstanding job in a very difficult situation. She kept our chips, dip and drinks filled while we waited for our food to arrive. This was no easy task as we had 5 teens all age 16. When I paid the tab and asked her if the cafe was under staffed, she informed me they were and had 2 servers call in sick. She then began to apologize for our inconvenience. I quickly stopped her. We were not inconvenienced and informed her she had done a great job taking care of us and we really appreciated her extra effort!! Great Job, Laura. Thank you!

Always a good dining experience! Well trained and attentive staff, vast menu and food is always tasty as it should be. I enjoy the country fried steak as much as the tamales (order these a la cart to make your own plate!). Wife is pescatarian and really likes the salads and fish options. Kiddo enjoys the chicken tenders with fries and a side of 3 fajitas. A did I mention the staff is always friendly, even when busy? That’s a bonus. Plenty of parking and mobility impaired friendly too!

Brunch? Lunch? Honey, just have your way! I went here for brunch! I ate so good until I didn't get a picture of the actual buffet. Everything was so good. The restaurant is very clean and has good parking. The hostess is nice and welcoming. I love this location because it is so quiet and peaceful outside. The seating is well layed out and not cramped! Every station had some amazing food items. On the carving station, I enjoyed the turkey. Everything I had was very good.. They even have dessert options. If you want a good bang for your buck, I highly recommend.

Brunch was absolutely scrumptious Mother's Day surprise. Bring your appetite because there is not a bad item at this restaurant. Guaranteed to go home feeling like a tick. Beautifully decorated, great seating for large and small groups. Full bar, quick service. I'll be back for date night.

Food is always really really good here! I also LOVE their Sunday brunch! The reason and sad part about it is that I will drive 30 minutes to go eat here and then stand at the front host desk for 5-6 minutes waiting to be acknowledged then when we finally get sat at the table it take another 5-6 minutes before a server even comes to acknowledge us again much less ask for our drinks. It's not the first time this has happened to us. We have walked out a few times over it but keep coming back because we love the food. I don't know if I'll be able to give them another shot... and may I mention the place was dead today. Only one table in the whole place! Like I said, food is very good, never had an issue there at all, place is clean and nice. I wish they could get decent service here.

First time to Vaquero's Cafe & Cantina in Steiner Ranch, celebrating a family birthday during happy hour. Enrique was our man behind the bar, and he did a fantastic job! Thank you Sir! Happy hour is a pretty good deal, $7 house margaritas and 1/2 price appetizers. The margaritas were good. The last one we shared was the Volcanrita, a frozen top-shelf margarita (after HH) add that was the best one of the evening! The food was good too... the complimentary chips came with salsa and creamy jalapeno sauce, both were very good. We added an order of the queso supremo (queso loaded with refried beans guacamole, crema, pico de gallo and cotija cheese, and we added ground beef), and that was good as well. Food, round two, was jalapeno poppers. The poppers were served piping hot (perfect) with chipotle crema. Very tasty! Next up chicken taquitos... stuffed with cheese as well, and served with regular queso, pico and sour cream. We did not care for the regular queso, the queso supremo was better. Overall, the taquitos were a good choice, also served piping hot, and very tasty. We were not as excited about the botana nachos which came out next. First, not really nachos, think tostada, cut into quarters. We added beef. They arrived bit over cooked. The beef was good, and the dish came with the usual suspects, lettuce, pico, guacamole, sliced jalapenos, sour cream. Overall, Vaquero's was good! New place, new building, all nice and shiny. The decor is pretty cool! Service rocked, food was decent. A solid 4-star performance. We'll likely go back and try some non-happy hour fare. We watched a lot of that coming out of the kitchen, it looked very good, and smelled even better! Recommend Vaquero's... Sorry not more pictures, folks coming and going for almost three hours, forgot about the pics! LOL

Food was good. Table service was excellent. A little confusing at front reception area in beginning but not too bad.

Vaquero's-- YOUR next brunch stop! This place is a MUST! The FOOD is delicious with a variety of choices! My personal favorites included the Steiner pancakes with strawberry syrup, (pictured are the tres leches pancakes- also a win) stuffed french toast which has a cheesecake type filling, and the bacon was cooked to perfection! The perfect crisp, without being too chewy, and the eggs were great too! If you're looking for something other than breakfast and want to combine it with some lunch offerings-- the chicken piccata was a WIN! Unfortunately, i indulged a little too soon and enjoyed my time with family eating here that pictures were an after thought but holy moly-- yes yes yes!!

Our new favorite spot. Nice, new, clean building. We have yet had to wait to get seated, always met promptly and seated. Nice view and great outdoor area when the weather is good. The fireplace outside is a nice touch for the view as well. They do have tables for large parties and they also have booths. It's quite large inside with a ton of seating. The bar is really nice too, lots of seating, TVs, and i love the chair styles. Several fun frozen drink options. Service has been spectacular so far. We have had the pleasure of having the same waitress multiple times and she has been fun and friendly. The food: come hungry. Portions are large! You get your monies worth for sure. The brunch is even better of a deal. And you can add on unlimited drinks too. The brunch i think is my favorite. You have sweet, desserts, breakfast staples, Mexican style breakfast, salty, lunch items, etc, the options wrap around the whole room. The chips and salsa are great, a bit spicy but i don't handle heat well lol. The taco plate has been my favorite so far for lunch and dinner. It's all!

Saw ads for this place on TV and had to try it based on the view we THOUGHT it had. While it did have a view, it was limited, and only visible from a small portion of the dining area, and the outdoor patio. We were a little disappointed. However, the facility did appear to be relatively new, and modern. It was very clean. We went for lunch and it was only moderately busy. We had the lunch combination plate, and it was good. Also had a couple of margaritas and they were also good. Service was OK, but they did appear to struggle a little in that area. The Manager was front and center, assisting the best they could. Unfortunately, as usual, the managers can manage, but can't serve all that well. All in all, we were OK with the service we received. However, I would be concerned about the service on a busy night if they were struggling with the lunch crowd.

Nice patio view! Food is good but we thought the HH was until 6:30 and it ends at 6pm. The soup was a bit too salty for me and I live salt. The waitress didn't seem to be clear on what was included in HH, the prices, or when it ended so we missed getting second drink under HH when we went. Plus, they had limited HH drink options and you have to sit at the bar to get discounts on apps. Not sure if I'd go there again for HH but maybe they are better for lunch or dinner.

Here for the holidays to visit family and my sister and her husband brought me to this most wonderful café. The brunch was awesome. You have so many choices and the ham was too die for and the cowboy Migas eggs awesome can never be duplicated. I also had a flight of champagne which now has me tripsy and Eddoe keep it comiI'm feeling because it's me.

I really wanted to like Vaqueros at Steiner Ranch. The building is new, the decor is nice, but the food and service fell short. We arrived during a very popular Sunday brunch and asked to be seated in a back dining area, as the main dining room was very loud. There was definitely a need for more servers, as ours had way more customers than she could efficiently handle and the service was very slow and slipshod. We were given chips along with a bland salsa and a jalapeno ranch dip that I found spicey and yummy. Chips and salsa are so basic but not everyone gets it right; Vaquero's chips and salsa fell flat. We shared an order of guacamole, which was made tableside. It was a nice show (and probably took more time than our harried server wanted to spend), and it, too, was a disappointment. The peppers and onions added were chopped in pieces too large to mix well with the avocados, and the whole dish lacked flavor. As my main entry, I ordered Pescado Tropicana--blackened Flounder served over lime cilantro rice and topped with pineapple pico de gallo. By the time it arrived at our table, the plate was only slightly warm. The fish had an odd, soft texture that was not at all appetizing. My dining companions did enjoy their entrees, so maybe my experience resulted from ordering the wrong dish on such a busy day. If you try it out, I hope you fare better.

We came here on a Friday night around 5pm without reservations and were seated instantly. The place wasn't too crowded when we walked in. That being said, by the time we left around 6:30, this place with 100% full with a wait. The interior is absolutely perfect. Massive windows surround the restaurant with views over looking the hill country. The have a large deck and plenty of seating inside. They also have tons of parking which is always nice. We ordered the soft taco plate and bbq chicken plate. Both were massive portions that we easily brought up for a second meal. They have some of the best flour tortillas (home made) around. One thing that we may have missed but I don't believe they have the frozen yogurt machine like they do at the 360 location which is a bummer but definitely not a requirement. Cocktails are on the higher end of the price range but food is pretty aligned with other Mexican restaurants in this category.

This restaurant is located near Steiner ranch and it is really a good Place to eat the one thing I enjoy is the chicken fried steak. It is to die for seriously so I would highly recommend the chicken fried steak and margaritas are amazing they're very good and they're made very well they're not too sweet and they're not too sour they're absolutely perfect. As you're entering the restaurant there is places to sit at the bar or you can sit in the dining area. Definitely plenty of parking but if there's not plenty of parking there's also a side of the restaurant that you can park as well. It's mainly a family restaurant with plenty of kiddos and has a nice big bar as well. So this is one of my very favorite places to go to the 1 in West like I'm not so crazy about because it has a different setting.

Took my mother in law for Mother's Day this past Sunday and had been wanting to try their brunch menu. They only offered reservations which is always a best bet on busy days. They confirmed 3 times via phone call for 11am. We get there right on time and didn't get sat down until 11:30/40. I was a bit upset because they seemed very unorganized upfront. The place is very nice and the food was really good. They had a very nice spread for a brunch menu. My favorite was the chilaquiles. Will definitely be back and hope they fix the front of house.

Good food, easy access for Steiner Ranch residents. Great servers. Fajitas are a sure win. It's Mexican America cuisine, so no lenguas or cabezas, but their salsa has a good kick if you can handle it. They don't take reservations and are always busy during high dinner times and weekends.

Yay! New Mexican restaurant in Steiner. Lots to like at this place and the potential is huge, but so far the execution is lacking. First off there seems to be no way of knowing when they are open. We've gone for lunch a few times and they are closed. Same for dinner. Did finally find them open one Friday evening. Need to sort out their staffing to have more regular operating hours. Chips and salsa are really good. Nice smoky flavor to the roasted salsa. Queso completo was a little lumpy and I wasn't a fan of the chojita cheese on top. Just didn't mix well with the other flavors in the queso. Puffy Tacos were poorly executed. They sat too long at the pickup window so by the time they hit the table you pretty much had a soggy shell that lost structural integrity. You're pretty much left with a lazy taco salad. Flavor of the beef was okay but having to eat them with a fork was not. The tortilla soup looked great but was bland. It should have a little kick and really excite the senses. No such luck on this trip. Will give them a try again in a few months after they get a bit more settled. Service was good.

Tried to take the family to eat here, and everyone kept walking past us for more than 10 minutes and ignoring us. The restaurant was empty as well. No "we'll be right with you," just awkwardly looking at us. We'll spend our money somewhere else.

Food: 4, service: 5, ambiance: noisy crowd and large-paned windows We came here for lunch on a weekday. Despite being somewhat busy and having to handle 10 people at our table, our waiter got all the orders right and the kitchen prepared the food quickly. The restaurant appears to have larger groups all of the time. The waiter was uncertain about what was gluten-free and did the right thing by consulting with his manager and not just guessing. The prices are reasonable and portions generous. Hope this place stays open!

We went for the Sunday buffet and it was fantastic! There were many things to choose from - Many faves but the tres leches pancakes were fantastic

We eat at Vaqueros frequently because it's our favorite neighborhood spot! We think it's great! Nice views, the food is very good, and the portions are huge!

Excellent service , menu offerings , warm /friendly atmosphere! Frozen drinks are amazing especially if Mandie is your server as she creates fruit filled masterpieces . Ample parking , outdoor seating with fireplaces and beautiful peaceful views .

I've been searching for good Mexican food for awhile throughout Austin and I am so pleased that we found Vaqueros! The atmosphere was light and bright and they also had nice outdoor patio seating. Parking was also very good which is not always easy to find at busy restaurants. We decided to hit the post lunch rush and arrived around 1:30PM on a Friday and it was the perfect time to dine! We were seated in just a few minutes and the chips and salsa were immediately brought out. At first glance, the menu had some great selections and included all the regular usual popular Mexican dishes. I ordered the ground beef flautas and they were outstanding! The portion size was perfect and they were crispy and delicious. I also loved how my dish included Queso which was very good! My friends had the beef burrito which he loved and his portion size was very nice as well! My other friend ordered three enchiladas and he also really enjoyed his meal. Our waiter Giovanni was outstanding! He was very friendly and pointed out some of the popular dishes. He brought us our drinks and food quickly and checked on us multiple times. He had a great personality too! My friends and I all agreed that Vaqueros is the BEST Mexican restaurant in the area! The food was delicious and the portion sizes were very generous! The value and service was outstanding and the atmosphere was very nice! Highly recommend!

I rarely post but beware of their "Happy Hour" margarita. I asked for a frozen margarita and bartender grabbed a schooner glass. 1 margarita $18 dollars!!! I couldn't believe it. Got on yelp and it says $4 happy hour margarita. Asked bartender WTH $18 for 1 margarita. He says yep!

We decided to check this spot out as we've been to the other location. The inside and outside patio are great - they've done a really nice job. Unfortunately the food is terrible, apart from the free chips. The guacamole was a joke - clearly pre-made with subpar ingredients. It had lettuce and Parmesan cheese in it?? All the food came out smothered in cheese. It was horrible. On top of it, all, the food is expensive, particularly for the fast food quality that it is. Our bill came to nearly $300 and included an auto gratuity. There were three adults, and no one had mentioned that an auto grat was being added. I will not return. It's unfortunate that the food and service are not better quality.

This was our first visit to this location (I've been to the one on 360). Great building - very clean - nice atmosphere. We were there at 2:30, not crowded at all. The kitchen lost our order and our waiter came by to tell us that he resubmitted the order (about 30 minutes in) then when the food came out it was beef instead of chicken; which took another 30 minute wait. So we ended up waiting about an hour to get our food. We didn't complain as we were just there to chill and enjoy the day sitting outside, but I was a little surprised that a manager didn't stop by. Sadly, we didn't care too much for the food - in our opinion it lacked flavor and didn't taste that fresh. Neither of our meals was very hot (temperature)... just barely warm enough. I don't think we will visit this restaurant again.

4 times in a row with insanely salty food! Be warned!!! Not sure what more there is to say other than warn you

Their chile relleno is the best I've had! Service was great and very welcoming. A bit of a wait, but absolutely worth it

The food is good, service is good, I loved the building with nice views to the hills. Nice big spot !!!!

Good food and great drinks! Outdoor patio is great for Sundays! I would recommend the margarita flight

I can only give one star as I was never able to actually eat. Needless to say, their service sucks. I walked in a little after 11, nobody in the place as it was just opening. I sat at the bar for lunch, then proceeded to sit there like an idiot for 15 minutes just waiting for someone to come take an order. After feeling like said idiot, I decided I would go to Frog and Bull to spend my money there. Oh well.

We like the Sunday buffet after church. Great choices of food from pure breakfast items to lunch items. However, this Christmas Eve we got a surprise. When we got our check it was $10/person higher than the stated price on their website. It is normally $24.95 per person for all you can eat but this check was $34.95 per person. Found out that they jacked up the price because of the Christmas crowd. Now if they would pass that extra $10 on to the employees as a bonus I would be fine with it but I'm sure the restaurant kept as a bonus to them. Shame on Vaqueros!!! You are on the naughty list. Service was excellent. Nathan did a wonderful job and even apologized for the increased price. He also reminded us the the auto gratuity of 20% was included and there was no need to tip extra. Thank you Nathan for wonderful friendly service. The ambiance was excellent.

Food is great! Large portions-FYI Beautiful location, outdoor dining, full bar, great margaritas. Big inside too. Highly recommend!

First time to try this place. Sat at the bar and the bartender guy was the reason we left and won't return. After he brought our drinks he never brought chips and salsa. Had to go to hostess stand to get some attention. All it takes is one person with bad vibes (especially a bartender) to ruin what could have been a good dinner. I will not return or recommend this place.

I love this place! The food is great and it's a great place to go with family or friends. When you get there they give you chips, salsa, AND jalapeño dip. It's so yummy. That alone fills me up. For an entrée, you MUST split the fajitas for 1 with a friend. It's the perfect amount and very yummy. The service was great too. I'm very happy to have this restaurant in the neighborhood.

Been to Vaquero's in Steiner Ranch a couple of times and both times the service and food were great. The menu is not just taco's or enchilada's. They have a good selection and the drinks are really good too. Highly recommend if you want to just hangout or have some drinks

Honestly I was impressed! I was worried after reading several negative reviews but we live relatively close and decided to give it a shot. We got there around 730pm on a Friday night and was told it was about 30 minutes which was accurate. We were seated outside which was nice except the fan was on high speed and it took them awhile to figure out how to turn it down. It did take a bit for our server to come over but she was really sweet so it wasn't a big deal. We ordered a large margarita (mango with sangria) to share and it was the perfect size. The food was a little slow, but we had the chips and salsa to snack on so it was fine. The food itself was great! I got the flautas and there was definitely sauce missing from them but they were actually very tasty without anything extra. The refried beans were what really impressed me which says a lot to me since most are just plain. These had a very tasty flavor. The portions are huge and you can definitely make almost two meals out of it. My biggest complaint is getting to the entrance. The parking lot is huge and is on the back side of the restaurant. The staircase closest actually leads up to the back of the patio. We found this out the hard way by walking half up and seeing. Technically you can enter through the side door to the hostess stand from those stairs but it's a little weird to be walking through other diners. We ended up walking around the side and there's a set of stairs that lead directly to the entrance. Since we dined on the patio we watched several people make this same mistake. There definitely needs to be some signage pointing to where the actual entrance is to avoid a lot of confusion and making a negative first impression to others.

We had dinner on Friday night very excited to have a new choice for legit Tex Mex in the four points area. Not a replacement for DonMario which stands on its own and is not really Tex med at all. We loved the food. Guac was fresh and plateful. It is labeled as table side but is not. I don't care. Chips thin light fresh and two choices of salsa, including a ranch option that were spicy and very good. The margs were good and large. My wife had veggie enchiladas. Massive dish and she loved it. I ordered fajitas on server recommendation and explanation of the skirt steak which sounded fire. It was I got the one made with jalapeños and would say it was one of the best secured fajita dishes I have had around here. Flour tortillas were homemade puffy and amazing. Service needs some work as others have said. Main issue was sequencing of the food from the kitchen. Waited maybe 40 min between the guac and the mains and it was just kind of long without much from the servers but grace is warranted. They are kids and working hard and very nice. It will sort out there is clearly professional management working there. Some awful male Karen made a huge to-do over the service and embarrassed himself his family and hurt the staff. He was banned by the gentleman who runs the place I think. Bravo. Support this place NW Austin. It's yummy, beautiful setting and great food.

Vaquero's took way too many reservations and people on the wait list on Mother's Day leading to reservations not being honored and people scrambling to find alternative plans. Once we were there and waited for half an hour, we were told our 1:00 reservation may end up being at 2:00 or even later and several parties were in front of us (despite having a reservation?) There were so many people inside that you could barely move. Endless lines for food. This is a problem that is easily prevented by not taking on more than you can handle. There should have been no walk-ins, just reservations. If you make a reservation on a holiday, please understand that this is how they operate. From past visits, food is average, especially the buffet. L

Excellent fajitas and chips and dips Margaritas could be cheaper but great place Will be back again

This is my first time to the Steiner Ranch location and I am already in love! The El Burro gets 6 stars

I LOATH giving a restaurant a bad review. If I don't like a place, I tend to go back a few more times, cause we all can have bad days. The decor/atmosphere was perfect. Loved that. The place was not packed, they had plenty of staff. That being said, the service (waiter), was incredibly slow. Food came out cold, one of our party, got the wrong meal. Hate that I have to recommend not spending your money here.

Tried this place after driving by many times, next time wr will keep driving. We got queso, margaritas, stuffed avocado, enchiladas and fajitas. Best way to describe this food is gringo Tex Mex. No flavor, no spices.... Just bland, and watered down drinks. Maybe it caters to the clientele In Steiner but if you have even a few taste buds or are from anywhere in Texas, or not from Minnesota... don't even bother.

We were so excited for this place to open and we were not disappointed! We sat at the bar and Enrique did a great job taking care of us! The Vaqueros staff members were all very friendly and they really worked hard to make sure everyone at the bar was taken care, which can be challenging on busy Friday night. We had the Trio of Fajitas and my favorite was definitely the steak. So juicy and tender- as were the chicken and shrimp. The fajita butter is amazing and the huge roasted jalapeños were the perfect addition. We will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu items. Thanks Vaqueros!

The food was very tasty. The service was top notch. Melody was a great server and made sure we enjoyed our first visit.

Consistently delicious, all the staff is good and some are great. Great Mexican Martinis and food. I've never had queso flameado that I liked until I tried Vaquero's queso flameado, you won't be disappointed.

Love Vaqueros & this location is great! The food & service is wonderful with a lively and busy atmosphere. And most importantly, great margaritas!

Food was okay. They gave me 5 thick pieces of fajitas for 1. The rice was a little bland and the queso was not the best. I wouldn't recommend. The enchiladas had a ton of beef. The tortillas are homemade. They were small and thick. The service was great and the place has a ton of seating. It was a bit loud, but there was a ton of people so it's understandable. I will be returning to try something different.

Place with a great atmosphere, good drinks and good food, but can be on the pricier side for Tex mex. The service is always good here and it's in a brand new building with lots of TV's.

It was so good! I forgot our server's name but he was very attentive, informative and AWESOME!