Papa Gallo's Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Celina

A Tex-Mex Gem in Celina – Papa Gallo’s Is a Must-Try!

If you’re anywhere near Celina, Texas and you’re craving bold, authentic Tex-Mex flavors with a side of small-town charm, look no further than Papa Gallo’s Mexican Grill. This place doesn’t just serve food – it serves experiences.

Let’s start with the blue margaritas. These aren’t your average margaritas. They’re electric-blue, ice-cold, and dangerously smooth. Equal parts refreshing and potent, they strike the perfect balance between tart and sweet – the kind of drink you dream about on a hot Texas afternoon. One sip and you’re on vacation.

Now, onto the stacked enchiladas – a dish that deserves its own spotlight. Layers upon layers of tender tortillas, smothered in savory sauce and melted cheese, each bite better than the last. Whether you go with beef, chicken, or cheese, they’re loaded with flavor and soul. Pure comfort food elevated to greatness.

The queso? Out of this world. Silky, rich, and just the right amount of spice. Add some fresh jalapeños or chorizo if you like to kick it up a notch – either way, you’ll be scraping the bowl clean with their warm chips.

And don’t sleep on the fajitas. Served sizzling (literally – get your camera ready), the aroma alone will turn heads. Juicy strips of steak or chicken paired with grilled onions and peppers, plus fresh tortillas and all the fixings. It’s a build-your-own masterpiece that never disappoints.

The service is warm and welcoming, the atmosphere is relaxed but festive, and there’s a clear pride in everything they bring to the table.

Bottom line: Papa Gallo’s isn’t just a place to eat – it’s a place to celebrate. Great food, great drinks, and great vibes. Come for the enchiladas, stay for the blue margaritas, and leave already planning...

We love Papa Gallo's! [see next to last paragraph why I rated 4 Stars] Arguably one of our favorite (close) places to go for a Mexican fix! Getting there is easy but do be aware that they are on the corner of the square in Celina where there's lots happening so parking may be a bit of a trick.

Once seated, you are delivered the usual chips and salsa (both are excellent) along with a little cup of complimentary bean soup which is outstanding! The food is always fresh and well seasoned and served at the proper temperature. I have fallen into the trap of LOVING their Carne Guisado which is out of this world (pictured). Cold beer and frozen margaritas are offered as well as a full bar, soft drinks, etc.

The ONLY complaint we have (and why I have marked down to 4 Stars) is that they are very inflexible when it comes to certain special orders. For example, my wife is a pescaterian, every now and then they will 'bend the rules' and add fish (which they readily have) to a salad for her for a modest upcharge. Seems easy enough but there's this huge hesitation on accommodating her dietary requests. More often than not, they want to charge us 2x meal price for them to add fish, in lieu of chicken/beef, to a salad... for example the Patio salad is $9.99 then add $1.00 for brisket or pork or fajita chicken/beef.... they wanted to charge us $9.99 on top of the $9.99 salad price for fish... I would be totally fine with the $1.00 add or even $2.00 but double for fish? C'mon... I think you can do better than that.....

That said, we have stopped going there as a family which is very unfortunate. We love going to Celina, my wife and daughters love the shops (especially the Willow House Boutique and the new candy store) and wandering...

We are from Florida visiting my sons best friend. We know good Mexican, and I thought Texas did too. We had many options to eat and the boys chose here. The boys ordered a chicken burrito and a beef. I ordered carnita street tacos. The food came out abnormally fast which is a bad sign sometimes. Their burritos had a "queso" smother on top which looked like nacho canned cheese. My sons chicken burrito had this lack of season shredded chicken. It looked gross. My tacos had a weird smell coming from them, plus the rice tasted old and the beans didn't have a normal flavor to them. We sent the chicken burrito back. Well two seconds later she comes back with the beef burrito we exchanged instead. No difference. I spent over $60 at one of the WORST Mexican restaurants I've ever eaten at. I would not recommend eating here in the downtown Celina area. It was horrible. The service was okay, the server would go back to the front podium and when I called her over by simply raising my hand she mumbled something to the other servers. I honestly wish we would have went anywhere else. There was other places I would have happily spent my money on and at least didn't get this cheap, canned dog food. It seems like I am not the only one on here that had experienced the same lack of quality food they have here. Oh and the server admitted that their chicken is not good at all. That says something! If the restaurant GM reads this, I would check with the owners about revising the menu, the food inventory and where you order it from, the chef, the processing, and find a way to give people something WORTH the $15-20 dollar dishes here. It's robbery at this point for what you are getting. Taco Bell has better food...