El Gallo — Restaurant in Houston

This was actually my second time eating their food but my first time dining in. I ordered some enchiladas to go a week before dining in and enjoyed them and decided tonight to dine in with my spouse. We walked in and were not greeted. The two white hostesses that were talking did not acknowledge us. It was a Spanish waiter standing by the kitchen (look like he just gave an order from a previous table to the kitchen) he saw us looking lost and told us he would seat us. We get to our table and wait about 5 minutes for our drinks and then another 15 minutes for our waiter to come and see what we wanted to order. I was noticing the restaurant was full of white people. Not one person of color was dining in. I’m not sure if this is how it normally is, but it was very uncomfortable especially since we didn’t feel welcomed from the start. I also noticed that other customers that came in after us were seated automatically by the white hostesses and their drinks and waiter came within seconds. I gave two stars because the food was decent and came out in a timely manner. But our waiter only came to our table three times. Once to take our order, second to bring our food, and third to bring our ticket. Not once did he check to see if we needed anything like refills for example. We actually had to ask a busboy for a refill and our ticket. I will not be going back. I am not sure if this had anything to do with the color of our skin but when looking around it sure did feel that way. El Gallo has Spanish cooks and busboys/waiters but the hostesses & cashier and what looked to be like the manager are all white. I have never felt so out of place and uncomfortable as I...

El Gallo Mexican Restuarant is a total hole-in-the-wall. It does not have a fancy sign nor does it have the various advertisements that are typically associated with the big chain Mexican restaurants such as Pappasito's or Taco Cabana. However, what El Gallo does have, is good food and top notch service.

When someone first arrives at El Gallo Mexican Restaurant, the first thing they notice is the traditional, neighborhood vibe. Across the street from the local high school, El Gallo is a first choice place to eat for families, friends, and anyone looking for good food. Many members of my family have been proud patrons of El Gallo for at least thirty years, having lived in Spring Branch their entire lives. Because of this, they've come to really know those that work for El Gallo on a personal level. When I get ready to leave the restaurant, I wave to the kitchen and nearly the entire staff waves back.

Even if you don't like the food, the staff alone should give this place five stars. Of course, I can't see how anyone could dislike the food. Through my years of eating at El Gallo, I've gone from being an extremely picky little girl who only eats the cheese enchilada to being the semi-adventurous young woman that tries new things to eat such as their tortilla soup, cheese puff, or sizzling fajitas.

El Gallo is a sure fire way to receive both really good Tex-Mex food, as well as quality customer service. So if you like fantastic Mexican food, try and make the time to drop into El Gallo. It's something that you will...

It is sad to report that El Gallo has significantly changed. The restaurant of the past has passed on to the next generation. Even before I asked about George, the clues were apparent. A Saturday night and parking lot was half emptied. Menu were new and included a 30 percent increase (although this was expected). The Tacos al carbon were not the monster size of the past. The two rolled flour tacos were served on same plate, but even with a larger and more then ample serving of rice, you could see the face of plate between the tacos, pico de gallo, and guacamole servings. In other words, it was not a crowded plate. The frozen margarita glass size is so much smaller, but i could live with it when compared to other restaurants. The killer clue was the disappearance of the renowned queso.....The new queso is very thin, runny and nearly tasteless. Totally devastating since it was not uncommon for us to take George's queso to our 4 adult children, who constantly asked us to be sure and bring some queso for them. For decades we asked George to share the recipe but understandable he would always smile and decline the request. He would say, tell them to come home and visit him at the restaurant. Best wishes to the family and thank you for the 46 years of serving the local neighborhood. Everything changes and the new patrons will never know what the...