El Fenix — Restaurant in Irving

Don’t let the pretty decor fool you. I came here with a few friends as we just flew in for a conference and we were starving. We had heard Tex-Mex was super popular in Texas and decided to try this place out; the reviews were all astonishing and we wanted to try some “authentic” TexMex. We came and were told the wait was going to be 10-15 minutes which was fine, it was super busy after all. The server comes to bring us to a table and then we had to awkwardly wait by the table because it turns out no one had cleaned it. We sat down and then a different waiter came by and took our drink order. After 5-7 minutes, Another different waiter came by and gave us menus after saying “oh, no one gave you guys menus?” And proceeds to give only us 2/3 silverware’s while yelling To a DIFFERENT waiter to get us some silverware. Another waiter comes by with the menus and drinks finally after at least 15 minutes of waiting at the table. We order our food and let me just say…the food was horrible. The chips and salsa are store bought. The “authentic” tacos look straight out of taco bell. The lettuce is the pre cut store bag ones and was wilting. All of the cheese used on the dishes were the store bought plastic cheese, You could literally see that shiny fake film on it. And all of the food was extremely bland but somehow super salty? We literally took a few bites and paid and left without taking any boxes because it was that…bad. Let’s just say there’s a reason why when you walk in there’s only white people and kids eating here. Bad service and horrible food, Don’t come here if you’re looking...

This place is NOT consistent and it’s a shame that 2 workers make the biggest difference here ! Unfortunately they are no longer there and that is why I quit going ! I did give them a chance after THE BEST WAITER ( Mr SEBASTIAN ) & ( Mr NOE THE BEST COOK ) left ! But it was not the same as when those 2 were there ....... That’s pretty sad when 2 have a huge impact on the service and food ! The last time I went I ordered a Santa Fe Salad and the menu clearly says “diced tomatoes” but for some reason I kept getting chunks of tomatoes even though the menu says other wise ! I guess the cook doesn’t pay attention to detail or the cook can not follow directions as far as what the menu says ! Then you have the waiters who should notice that and bring it to the cooks attention so that they’re not bringing out an order that is not done per the menu ! When Mr SEBASTIAN was there I NEVER once had an issue , complain or bad order ....... But after he left , it went DOWN HILL straight to the BOTTOM service wise ! As for Mr NOE he always prepared the dish as the menu said and he was also always on point with the quality of the dish when it was sent out to the tables ....... It seems like the only thing that was done correctly was the bowl of rice and charro beans ! Then again, that’s a simple dish that you can’t really make a mistake on and if you do then there’s a serious problem ! Mr SEBASTIAN & Mr NOE I’d like to say “Thank you” for always doing a great job, for being awesome and for being professionals at what you both did ! YOU 2 ARE & WILL ALWAYS BE THE BEST of THE BEST ....... ...

This was our first time eating here and overall I'd rate the experience a 9 out of 10 stars. I loved the server. It was a gentleman. He was very nice. Very tentative. He never let our drinks stay empty and kept our chip bowls full of chips and brought plenty of salsa. The salsa was delicious and the chips were fresh and warm. Very good. We all got different food. I got the brisket. The Anaheim brisket enchiladas I felt like the brisket lacked a little flavor, but that Anaheim chili sauce was delicious and made up for it. The rice was good. I didn't care much for the black beans. I should have asked for refried instead. My son got chicken tacos. He liked those. My son's friend got beef Street tacos. He liked those. My dad got a beef fajita enchilada and that tasted amazing. We got my Lil momma a kids meal chicken strips and pineapple juice. I got sweet tea to drink, the sweet tea was delicious I just know. Like I'd go back just for the sweet tea. We didn't get any dessert cuz we were very full from All the chips and queso and salsa and our Dinner plates. I felt like it was a good price for all the food we got. Our bill was $100. The food tasted fresh and it was absolutely delicious and the service was phenomenal as well. I wish you would have got the name of our server so I could recognize him and...