El Fenix Cafe — Restaurant in Abilene

Current review as of Reopening in November of 2023

Our first attempt at going to El Fenix sadly was met with frustration. The restaurant had an extremely long wait and 15 minutes into the waiting the hostess on duty let everyone know they have completely ran out of Carne Guisada, All soda, chips, Taco meat and several other items. Most of the 20 or so people waiting all left. We did as well and retried a week later.

In our initial second experience, we were able to get a table and get in before they started running out of the food. Our impression was Atmosphere and Service was fantastic. Our waitress was attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly. The atmosphere and redesign really shined with new paint, decorations, and layout of the restraunt.

The Queso was great. However, the guacamole felt like it was missing something(kinda bland). It was better before the reopening. We thought we would get chips and salsa at the table like before the reopening but we did not see it on the menu, no chips or salsa was brought. We also did not see any other tables with chips and salsa either. I am assuming they may have been out of it tonight.

The Carne Guisada at El Fenix, I thought used to be the best. Not just in Abilene but every Mexican restaurant I've tried in Texas. However, that was before the reopening. After the reopening it was very bland and lacking the flavor I remember. I also feel the portion size feels reduced compared to what it was.

The cheese enchiladas we ordered sadly were also flavorless.. the red sauce had some flavor but the cheese used was still not melted on the inside of the enchiladas. The cheese just lacked that cheese flavor. Maybe due to it not being melted- we pressed onto the next item.

Spanish Rice was very clumped up, mushy and flavorless. Felt like it came from a boil-in-bag type of rice box and was overcooked(can be seen in the photographs below) Sadly the refried beans were not much better. Very watery(see pictures). Both were also A LOT better before reopening.

Honestly, between the price and quality of the food. We did not feel it was worth it. However, do keep in mind this is within

You know how the Genie tells Aladdin that one of the rules is he can't wish anyone back from the dead? "It's not a pretty picture, & I don't like doing it!" He was right. It is far better to mourn the dead - this is what we should all have been okay with doing when El Fenix closed. It was a great loss of a beloved, hometown original. It's just sad to watch the reanimated corpse of the current incarnation stumble around trying to pretend to be its old self.

I want to be clear here, this is a third strike situation, not a knee-jerk reaction. After choosing not to wait nearly an hour at another restaurant that was packed, we decided to give El Fenix just one last try because we wanted it to be great. Unfortunately, we sat and waited... and waited. The manager on duty stood less than 10 ft from us having a conversation that included his complete confusion about why they weren't busier. He could see that there was no server waiting on any of the tables. He finished chatting & walked away without checking on any of the tables. When our server finally made it back around, I asked if she was the only one working - she was. We offered to pay for our iced tea & left. There is no big mystery why this former local gem is no longer busy on a Saturday night. It's being managed terribly. RIP El Fenix, you didn't deserve this.

Original review for the previous incarnation: Love this spot! Perfectly hot salsa & breakfast anytime. Also, they serve an enchilada with their fajitas, so...

I was disappointed when the owner closed it because she wanted to retire and had no one else to run it.

I was excited when I learned the business had been purchased and the new owner was learning the original recipes.

Unfortunately, it appears the new owner decided to change things instead of keeping with the original recipes. Or decided to cut costs and change food vendors, while adding a big price hike to the now simplified menu.

Lunch was almost $70 (with tip) for three people. My plate was terrible. I think it's the first time in my life that enchiladas have been inedible. The second person's tacos plate was disgusting (like wet dog food in a taco shell). The third person's plate had sauce out of a can. Nothing authentic about that.

I am once again disappointed and don't anticipate returning due to management choosing cheap ingredients and a sloppy fast food approach to what should be authentic Mexican food.

If I want fast food that's Mexican, I'll go to Alfredo's. At least then I know the...