EL Paisano — Restaurant in Dallas

I visited this restaurant with high hopes after seeing it featured on TikTok. The beautiful decor and charming pink drinks initially gave a great first impression, but the overall experience was deeply disappointing.

Our evening started off fine, as the hostess was friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately, things went downhill once we were seated. My order of two gorditas with rice and beans came out completely wrong—three tacos with an unidentified type of meat. When I asked for it to be corrected, it took 20 minutes for the right dish to arrive, leaving me to eat alone since my friend had already finished their meal by the time it came.

When I finally got my food, the gorditas were bland and unseasoned, making the wait feel even more frustrating. The horchata I ordered lacked any authentic flavor, tasting artificial and watered down with barely a hint of cinnamon or richness.

Adding to the disappointment, there were around 10 servers standing in the dining area, staring at guests rather than working. It was a bad look to see them standing around when there was clearly business to handle. While they eventually started being productive after a few minutes, the initial impression was unprofessional and off-putting.

The issues didn’t stop there. When the bill arrived, I was charged for both the incorrect tacos and the gorditas. This had to be sent back and corrected, adding even more inconvenience. To top it all off, the to-go box I requested was dirty, which was absolutely unacceptable. Although they brought a replacement, the damage was done.

The drinks, while visually appealing, were outrageously expensive. Charging $19.95 for a cocktail and $12.95 for a shot is excessive, especially considering the underwhelming quality of the food and service. If I wanted a high-end experience, I would’ve gone somewhere like Drake’s Hollywood.

While the restaurant’s aesthetic is undeniably gorgeous, the lackluster food, overpriced drinks, and poor service completely ruined the experience. Looks can be deceiving, and I wouldn’t recommend this...

The one thing El Paisano really has going for it is the ambiance – it’s aesthetically pleasing and feels like a nice place to enjoy a meal. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.

We waited over an hour to get a table, which we expected on a busy weekend. However, the way they seat guests is confusing and unfair. It’s not first come, first served – instead, they prioritize based on party size. So, if a table happens to match your group size, you can jump the line, which felt really frustrating after waiting so long.

The host was very kind and welcoming – that deserves credit. But once we were finally seated, things only went downhill. We were given chips and salsa, which we assumed were complimentary, as is typical in most Mexican restaurants. Later we were surprised to find we were charged for them.

The drinks were another letdown. The horchata lacked any real flavor and tasted watered down. At $5 a glass, you’d expect more than just a bland, milky drink.

As for the food, we waited just over an hour to receive it, and when it came, it was a huge disappointment. I ordered the chicken gorditas – they were flavorless, and the chicken didn’t even look or taste like real chicken. We also got a molcajete, which sounded promising but was equally underwhelming. The shrimp tasted off, and none of the meats had any seasoning or flavor.

To make matters worse, our server forgot our tortillas and never came back to check on us until the very end. By then, it was too late to ask for anything else. I paid $76 for two plates and two fresh waters – and I didn’t even want to take my leftovers home.

Overall, the food quality and service didn’t come close to matching the price. I wasn’t expecting perfection, but for that kind of money, you’d expect at least decent flavor. Sadly, this was a one-time visit for us – we won’t...

I came here with my boyfriend on a Wednesday, I have good and bad things about this place. The bad is that I set at the bar service was slow, I had to ask for a drink menu, drinks were late and off by off I mean the drinks didn’t test good no type of measurement on the ingredients so I know if I order the drink a second time it won’t taste the same. Every time I order a drink she had to go to the back to get an ingredient which means she wasn’t ready for her shift which also made the drink take long to make. Food was okay I wished she could have explained to me the plate of tacos because I was charge 5$ for every taco. I asked her if it come with 5 tacos the meal she said yes (going based on the picture of tacos)but when I look at the ticket It said otherwise. Also I order dessert, I asked for the choco flan which turn out they didn’t have it at the moment so she brought me regular flan if she would had inform me they didn’t have any I would had ordered churros but she didn’t so she brought me want she wanted instead of what I wanted. My boyfriend liked his food he order igado and to drink lemonade which he said it was more water than anything and he also got a couple of beers which they were all hot. Also I order dessert I was trying to order choco flan turn out they didn’t have so she brought me a regular flan, if she had inform me that the choco flan was out of stock at the moment I would had ordered some churros but she didn’t tell me so she just brought me what she wanted and not what I wanted. Now let me get to the good part, when I came in everything look so clean and organized and welcome us as soon as we walked in and also great amount of chips and salsa the sauce was great. The only reason I’m given this place a second try is to try the...