Del Sol Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Fort Smith

What this restaurant has going for it is a nice large patio/deck wrapping around the building on the north and east side. The deck overlooks the not so exciting muddy waters of Massard Creek which feeds into the Arkansas River. It does create an unusual outdoor river front ambiance. A location that any restaurant would love to have. It is cool. A great place to spend a warm Friday night with friends, several platters of nachos and drink beer until you are asked to leave by the proprietor. Something I would never admit to having experienced. Very easy access on the north side of Highway 22.

The restaurant inside is spacious and clean. Excellent attentive service. They serve a version of delicious authentic Mexican food, mildly seasoned. The salsas are good. The salsa picante is essential for an enjoyable dining experience. My wife and I both had the #1 lunch special, chili relleno and a taco which is reasonably priced at $8.99. Lunch specials are available until 3pm. The chili relleno was a medium sized poblano, batter dipped, fried, and stuffed with cheese then covered in queso. The taco was large and stuffed with unseasoned lean ground beef. Here is where the salsa is essential. This was the right sized lunch for a road trip.

Good average Mexican restaurant.

If you are looking for other Mexican restaurants in the area, check out my reviews in my collection "Jalapeno Highway" on Yelp. I've...

I'm not sure why this gem isn't crazy busy more often. Arguably the best outdoor dining experience in town. Beautiful wrap around screened in deck with half a dozen or so tables. I've gone back twice again since discovering this place a few weeks ago. I've now tried half a dozen things on the menu and as long as it has that cheese sauce on it, it will be amazing. The special fries are phenomenal. Huge portion... Choice of three meats, all the tiny stuff on top. The grilled shrimp on the fries was perfectly cooked too. The special fries are also fantastic with your choice of one meat and the cheese sauce without the extra toppings. The Sabrosa is grilled chicken over rice with the cheese sauce and it's outstanding. I appreciated the smaller price and slightly smaller portion. The tamales were perfectly cooked and topped with chorizo. Even the chips and salsa exceeded my expectations. I've tried a handful of cocktails and I felt like they were poured well and pieced well too. In general the portions are huge, prices are perfect, service is friendly (DaNiel was awesome) and attentive, the view was amazing and the food was delicious. I'll keep coming back. It really makes my to 5 list in Fort Smith for sure. Perfect spot to impress a first date...

Edit**

Prior to meeting the owner, whom is actually family of a friend, I was given the opportunity to reflect on the establishment and voice my "review" in person. This changed my opinion on the restaurant as I take the man for his word.

The food presentation and taste was never an issue to me. It fits all my criteria for 5 stars(I've never had Chef Ramsey make me something) so Ive nothing to drop for the taste) being a penny pincher I reflect heavily on price of items/food. Stated before, I complained about the price being a bit higher than similar places. The price difference between this establishment and others is bound by the quality of ingredients. My previous review noted the price as being +2-$3 depending on the comparative restaurant. As I understand they don't skimp out where other "like" restaurants do. This in itself leaves me the feeling the owner takes pride in running the restaurant as it should be ran. Not to plate up low quality for a quick bite and buck.

Bonus** They often have 2.50 draft beers. They are always courteous in giving out free items. At least in the last 3 out of 6 times we've visited, there was some sort of free bonus (cheese dip,...