El Rincon — Restaurant in Longview

Service was quick and very friendly. Food was delicious and just hit the spot! PLEASE BE ADVISED THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE ORIGINAL LOCATION IN SOUTHSIDE OF LONGVIEW!!! NOT WHITE OAK!!!! I don't understand how the owners can't smell, taste, and see that the flavors are so far apart from the Longview location and the White Oak location. I went to the White Oak location since I live there of course and I'll tell you now I walked in with my smokin hot lady and ordered up some awesome grub only to get out plates and leave the entire plate sitting on the table with $30.00 to pay for it. It was so far from what we actually ordered and so terrible that we couldn't even force ourselves to eat it especially since it was my smokin hot lady's first time. I couldn't let this location ruin it for the Longview location. I have yet to be able to convince her to try it again still though but I'm not a quitter. I'll get her in there and give them a chance of redemption. We settled for what you see in the picture instead. And she was...

If the place were just a bit bigger it might be perfect ... or it might not be quite as good somehow. That's the only blemish on El Rincon. I've eaten there since 1999 and it is hands-down my favorite Tex-Mex anywhere besides home. The secret seems to be super-fresh ingredients and preparation (and genuine, home-style recipes ... tastes like home cooking from when I grew up in New Mexico and West Texas).

The portions are significant. The chips are fresh (unsalted!) and the salsa has a bite to it. The prices are cray for the quantity and quality of the food. And the service is busy. They do take reservations (it is not a fancy joint at all), so you might consider that before trying them for weekday lunch. I've stood in the doorway for as long as 15 minutes for an open table ... and it was worth the wait. No one I have ever taken there has ever complained or refused to...

My mother, my sister, and I had lunch at this location. We enjoyed the chips and salsa. Salsa was a little spicy for my sister, but I enjoyed the freshness and that there was no aftertaste to it. That was the only good aspect of the lunch. I had the Lunch Fajitas, my mother had the Pollo Asada (grilled chicken), and my sister had the kids taco. The fajitas were tough,flavorless, and weirdly dry. I had to drown them in salsa to be able to chew it. I do not eat beans at restaurants so I got double rice. That rice was so dry that there was no way to make it edible. My mother's chicken was overcooked. The bean were definitely not fresh since they had an abnormal slimy texture to it. She left the rice untouched as I did. My little sister had awful taco. The ground meat was a pure taste of cumin. She left the food on her plate. The service was alright; no...