The Original Mexican Cafe — Restaurant in Galveston

Y'all, no...just no. I get it, it's a "staple" on Galveston Island, but that doesn't mean service & food are worth your money (I'm looking at you too Gaido's). Quick note if you don't wanna read my review & want good, authentic Mexican food, go to Gorditas Mexico (712 Seawall Blvd).

I visited this restaurant once three years ago (BC..."before covid" as I've come to call it) & was disappointed so much then at the bland taste & poor customer service I never had the desire to return.

I've visited this restaurant twice in the last two weeks thanks to two friend's birthdays & this was their decision & I was in no position to do anything other than attend. The first of these last two visits, as I walked in alone & informed the young lady scrolling on her cell phone that I was there to meet a group of friends, she looked up, said "yeah just look around" & whirled her finger in a circular motion & went back to her phone. I audibly laughed at the lack of customer service & walked towards my group. As I passed the bartender I asked "y'all pay her for that job?" & his eyes were saucers.

The second of these last two visits, there was a young gentleman working the front desk & he was much more friendly, telling me there were no groups upstairs & where I should look for mine.

As others have stated in previous reviews, the salsa is very runny, ketchup like even, but spicy, think runny Whataburger spicy ketchup. Someone in my group order fried stuffed jalapeños (see pic) & I've had better from frozen off the Schwann's truck, I mean, clearly they were frozen then dropped in a fryer.

These pictures are of the fish tacos which I would recommend. However, it's a Mexican restaurant & the best thing I've had here after three visits are the fish tacos?! I've also had the fajita beef nachos on my most recent visit. Portion was OK, guacamole was sitting on a bed of lettuce (always makes it feel cheap to me when places do that, like you're getting more guacamole than you actually are cuz there's lettuce under it), jalapeños were pickled, & fajita beef was cubed, not strips.

Over all, meals seem like they're cutting costs. Cubing meat, lettuce under guacamole, & employees on phones at the point of entry. The guy refilling glasses & salsa was the most personable & friendly.

You pay your tab at the desk as you leave, not at the table. The same young lady you encounter as you enter is the person checking you out, & she clearly has other things she wants to be doing, working is not her priority.

Don't go here expecting good food or service. If you want nostalgia, sure....maybe...BIG maybe, but not the...

Unfriendly. No greet. No welcome. No warmth at all & THAT is the reason for 4 stars. One thing about MOST Mexican restaurants is that their staff is always friendly. They will greet you and, at times, will strike up some conversation. and make you feel welcome. Great first impression! Not here.

Love old creeky buildings! Parking was not an issue. Definitely not handicap friendly.

Upon entry, you go up the stairs. There was an elderly woman with a cane (with an obvious "bad leg") carrying food & struggling to hold on to her food, the rail, her cane & go down the stairs. The manager stood there & just watched no help at all. My husband stopped, held her hand for support & held the door open for her WHILE the manager asked me, "How many?" (NO "good morning" "welcome" nothing) & took off (after I said "two"), I was still waiting for my husband as he was assisting the elderly lady. We then went looking for him in the direction he shot off to. Extremely turned off. No kinda friendliness. No type of warm greeting, nothing whatsoever.

They sat us in a corner next to windows, which I liked. The restaurant was spacious. There is plenty of room between tables. It was clean and I don't remember much about the decor. Waiter walks up, again, no type of greet, nothing. Anyway, needless to say, the chips and salsa, our drinks, our food, and refills all came promptly. The salsa was watery, but it had a kick. Coffee was.....coffee. It was ok. The menudo was PERFECT. It was probably some of the best menudo I have had. Our visit was comfortable, delicious, and peaceful. No wait btw but by the time we were leaving, I would say 11 or noon, there was a wait. This restaurant has been nominated for three years (as seen in my photos), and I doubt it was for any type of warmth of friendly staff. Would we...

I have to say, I wasn’t going to take the time to review this absolute garbage restaurant. However, when I was reading the reviews of people who also had bad experiences, there were responses from someone at the restaurant. Some were positive stating they would get right on the problem, but too many actual responses from the restaurant were actually rude. Which confirms the bad reviews about bad service. We went to “The Original” for dinner on a local’s recommendation. I love Mexican food and have had it in Southern, CA, Mexico, East Coast, Midwest…and it just needs to be made with the right ingredients & served in a clean environment. This restaurant was neither clean nor were the ingredients of the food anywhere near fresh. My fajita chicken tasted like it was cooked the day before and reheated. Very rubbery. The burrito wasn’t even warm enough to melt the cheddar cheese inside the burrito. The rice and refried beans were absolutely bland and cold. I took 2 bites and left it. My husband got tacos Al pastor and his pork was also very dry and bland. His food was also cold.

Now I have read reviews complaining about these same issues from over a year ago. The owner has had time to RESOLVE these issues. The owners seem to take the stand of “Well we have won awards for 10 years in a row and we have been here for 108 years.” I don’t know who gave the awards, but these kind of awards can be bought. And the oldest restaurant in the country is Union Oyster House in Boston (1673) and the food isn’t always the greatest. So claiming being around a long time means you should strive to be better and listen to your customers. Not be jerks when they are giving you clues as to better your...