El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant
2624 Gerstner Memorial Dr, Lake Charles, LA, 70601
El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Lake Charles for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Lake Charles for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Lake Charles for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
2624 Gerstner Memorial Dr
Lake Charles, LA, 70601 - Phone (337) 475-9022
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Mexican Cuisine
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
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Melody H.
Love this place. It's our favorite Mexican place here. Staff is always friendly and attentive, service is quick, and we love the food!
(5)Mark H.
I can't fathom why this place gets rave reviews. The food seems to be varying recipes using the same uninspired, bland ground beef with onions as the main ingredient wrapped in completely bland tortillas or taco shells. The only thing with passable flavors were the enchilada sauce and the Spanish rice. While the tortilla chips were fresh and decent, the salsa tasted like canned tomato sauce with a few jalapeños and whatever diced onions didn't make into the bland ground beef main ingredient. Presentation is an afterthought. The cleanliness of the overall place was sub par (on second thought, it's entirely on par with most non-chain restaurants here in Lake Charles). My soft drink tasted like it was filtered through a dirty dish rag, one sip and I was done. The good news (and only reason for two stars)? The service was fast - but not particularly warm/friendly. Closing thoughts: the proprietors seem very Old School and probably could not care less about online reviews.
(2)Maria Tomasa C.
AVOID this place!!!! How on earth does this place call itself a "Mexican restaurant" is beyond my comprehension, what is even more baffling is all the morons that say that this is a great place. Are you fools kidding yourselves? This is not even close to Tex-Mex food. I ordered three dishes, El Tapatio burrito ( I thought it must be good since they put their name on it) unseasoned ground beef served with generic rice and beans,I ordered a tamal, also which also came stuffed and covered in that disgusting ground beef. I ordered something else called guacatosta or something with the name "guaca" but it was supposed to be a tostada with a lot of guacamole. The same dish served with the same unseasoned ground beef describe above and topped with guacamole that I am certain came from guacamole mix. Furthermore... This is the whole reason why I think this place shouldn't even advertise it serves Mexican food. The salsa I received with my order tasted like it came straight from a can. I would bet my life that everything they serve is from a can. If your salsa is not even made in a blender and you use real ingredients.. Just close your place. You're too cheap to run a good business but probably your patrons that have given you a 4 star rating are too stupid to know Mexican food even if it f***d them in the a***.
(1)John L.
Best Mexican food in town if you ask me. The staff is super friendly and always eager to make you happy. Lots of chips and salsa. They keep the drinks flowing and have a great selection of food. Very high quality without charging you an arm and leg. Great place to hit up for lunch for under $10 bucks for great food. Must stop by and enjoy if your in the area. Stop going to chills and other chains. Yelp it up baby and swing by for the real deal.
(5)BreeLeigh C.
We got the fajita brava which is shrimp chicken and beef mixed the double serving... It was enormous! Big enough to feed us both and still have half of it to take home! It was very very good! Our server was kind and didnt flinch when we were needy asking for guacamole extra pico more sauce extra chips! He was great the place is NOT pretty but its very very yummy!! I loved it and it was pretty cheap! Will definitely be going back!!
(5)Jenean D.
Best Mexican restaurant in lake Charles. The staff at nice. The food is great. My all time favorite is the chicken fajita quesadilla. A must try. The only con I have to say is the bathroom could use a little fix up. But other than that it is great and the price is not bad either.
(5)Leslie T.
Best Tex Mex food in Lake Charles. Lots of great afordable options. Great service and atmosphere!
(5)Judy P.
My husband and I have had lunch here twice and both times we have been pleased: the food is fresh and well prepared and the service was friendly (our waiter Arturo was great). We have had the fajitas and the chicken fajita salad and drinks and our bill was under $25 both times. I'm sure we will return the next time we're in town.
(5)Kris A.
We ordered an assortment of items to get the full experience:) Ranked from best to worst: tamales enchiladas queso dip(on the thin side) kids cheeseburger and fries sopapillas with ice cream(they were out of flan:( steak fajitas(meat was skimpy, go for the carne asade) bean burrito chile relleno I was pleased to see the light fixtures, decorations on the walls and near the ceiling were all super clean. Very friendly staff. Really cute decor. All of the tables, booths and chairs were hand painted. Overall great place. Bathrooms could use some renovations but thats the only negative.
(4)Billy H.
For the lake charles area they are good but compared to any place in El paso they don't even rate on the scale .
(3)Alan Y.
Great fajitas and chhese dip. Very authentic. You will leave very satisfied, full, and smelling like grilled onions...
(4)Amy B.
Excellent Mexican food. Best white queso in the LC area (this ain't no cheezwhiz). Delicious enchiladas & salsa. A great place for a quick lunch. Very affordable.
(4)Marce R.
This not a mexican place ... Has the look of it. But is no where near the place i expect it ... I order some fajitas expexting to fill me face with all the flavor of it .. Instead i found my self with a huge plate of jalepenos and his was the fajita that was left over after i took everything else ...
(1)Greg H.
Resides in a converted Pizza Hut building between a liquor store and tire shop. Excellent fajitas & tea. Restrooms date back to pizza days and are not easily accessed by anyone in a wheelchair due to entry doors being offset to the side.
(4)Jeff L.
Authentic and muy rico Mexican food and the service is very friendly and you can work on your Espanol with the wait staff. Update: I went here last weekend and had the beef fajitas. Good except that they were too salty. Back off the salt some for the good of all mankind. Menos sal por favor!
(3)Roxanne M.
El Tapatio has wonderful Mexican food. I would recommend it over any other Mexican food in Lake Charles. Their Chile Rellenos are especially good. Everything we've tried there has been authentic. We've even picked up take-out from there. They include the chips and salsa that you would have dining there in the take-out! They are so authentic that many of the employees speak only a little English. (Be sure to ask for one of the young people if you are calling in an order.) Now El Tapatio has a restaurant in Westlake, run by some of the relatives of the the owners of the original. The menu is essentially the same and the food is just as good.
(5)Edna L.
This is the best mexican food in Lake Charles. We had chicken fajitas and carne asada tacos, both were delicious!
(4)Colton K.
This is one of my main-stays right here. Before El Tapatio I had a dull view on Mexican cuisine due to the likes of Casa Manana, which in itself is not bad, but El Tapatio wins out. I find myself here as often as I can for any reason I can due first to the decor upon walking in and then to the seemingly family run business. You get a big whiff of tortilla chips cooking in the kitchen when you enter and seem to always be greeted by smiling faces that feel authentic. I've probably had semi-lack luster services only one time and that was when I was stuck in an out of way spot with one friend and there was about two or three parties in there hogging up all the wait staff. That or they just wanted to give us a lot of time to check out the menu, which is fine by me. When it comes to the food, I've always had to order a tamale or three on the side of any dish I get. They're seasoned perfectly and taste homemade, at least to me and my little experience with homemade tamales. The tacos are always delicious and drip with flavor when picked up, though I wouldn't recommend letting them sit too long on the plate or you won't be able to pick them up (which is a good thing). And don't get me started on the chile releno. That plate sized, cheese stuffed pepper always is a staple in my meal over there. They have a $9.99 special that seems to have everything on the menu included, so I just recommend diving head first into that one. For the price you get two plates of food, so just keep that in mind you light eaters. Everyone else, go for it! The prices on the menu never go past a $10.00 budget and most of all of them range at $6.99 or so, great for those of us in the poor college kid arena. Really just great for anyone, who doesn't like cheap delicious food? Because shame on you if you don't. So at the end of the day, I say, "GO!GO! GO! GO A THOUSAND TIMES!"
(5)Jeanne M.
We were coming from New Orleans to Houston and really wanted Mexican food. I read good reviews on El Tapatio so we tried it. We had a liunch special of a taco, one enchilada, rice or beans and a side of guacamole . It was all good. Definitely recommend it.
(4)Paul B.
This is by far the best mexican food in the Lake Charles area. The prices are reasonable and the food is great. A second location will be opening soon in Westlake, La. El Tapatio Dos
(5)Tara K.
Service and food are okay but I come here for the queso. I could live off of their queso dip yummmmmy..
(3)Juan L.
Being of mexican ancestry, people in LC often ask me where to get some good Mexican food. My answer is always El Tapatio. They have some really authentic dishes included the fajitas and stuff peppers. I like their carne asada (grill steak) the best.
(5)William P.
Probably the best Mexican in lake Charles. Never been to Mexico but would have to think this is the closest you could get to authentic with out going there or eating dinner at someone's house who grew up there. Quick and affordable
(5)Sam H.
Very authentic, hole in the wall. Good food, not much english spoke here. Its an old Pizza Hut turned into a mexican food restaurant.....
(4)Michael A.
This is by far the best Mexican food in Lake Charles the prices are very reasonable. The only drawback is you smell like oil when you leave the ventilation in the kitchen is not up to par. Great service great family run restaurant.
(4)Roger E.
HOOOOOOORAY. They finally got the Margaritas. Food authentic and service great. To me the best in the area. Great family run restaurant. Have fun with your spanish.
(5)Abigail S.
My husband and I just moved to the area from Kansas City. We thought what better day to find a new Mexican Restaurant to enjoy than on Cinco De Mayo. We ventured for a date night out from DeRidder which is about 45 minutes away from Lake Charles. When we arrived, the air appeared to be not working while it was almost 90 degrees out, strike one. The waitress that greeted us was very unprofessional and continuously apologized for things that did not need apologizing while complaining about her coworkers, strike two. My meal arrived much sooner than my husbands and when his finally arrived he was disgusted. First of all, the order wasn't correct, secondly, even if the order was correct it would have not made it any more appetizing. Our over apologetic waitress did not apologize for this but instead argued with us and said the cooks insisted they prepared the meal correctly, strike three. When asked how our meal was as we were paying, my husband admitted he was not satisfied and the lady who asked did not even speak enough English to understand our dissatisfaction. When translated to her she seemed clueless and completely disregarded our complaint. Mind you we also went early around 5 pm to beat the weekend and holiday rush. We will never return to this restaurant. I only chose this particular restaurant because of other reviews, which is why I am sharing our horrible experience. I would not recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy, bad service, disgusting food, and I've experienced a more authentic and genuine Mexican atmosphere in my own kitchen.
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