El Paraiso Mexican Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Oldsmar

In the area and noticed that El Paraíso had opened in a prior Mexican restaurant. We decided to give it a try for lunch after church with family. Laid out nice and can’t miss the lighted pair of (angel?) wings. The five of us were seated right away. We ordered drinks and Queso Blanco and checked the menu.

My wife ordered the Torta Mexicana; eldest daughter the Paraíso Burger; youngest daughter the Lunch Taco special; grandson the Steak Fajitas; granddaughter the Lunch Burrito special with fries; finally I ordered the Taco Salad with ground beef.

We enjoyed the hot Tortilla Chips with Queso Blanco and 4 salsa - 1 regular and 3 smaller ones with different hot salsa - nice! Our food came fairly quickly. Tacos were great, Burrito was great and Fajitas were great. Torta was ok, Burger ok (who gets a burger in Mexican restaurant?? Taco Salad was disappointing, refried beans 3x the beef, a bit much.

Service great, ambiance great, food good. Went back here with family after church because daughters wanted Mexican. About 12:30 and not very busy so the five of us were seated right away in the left rear. A bit lonely because during the 100+ minutes no one else were seated in the area.

First we ordered the Queso Fundida dip and chips to share. That arrived in 30 minutes. Then we ordered the Tex Mex tacos, Kid’s Quesadilla with Fries, Flautas, Birria Taco and Tostado.

Meals came about 40 minutes later. Food was very tasty but the Tex Mex Tacos must have sat for awhile since all three tacos were soggy and fell apart.

Not sure why the service was so slow. Place was not crowded. Maybe they were short of cooks and servers. Or maybe we were forgotten because we were out of sight. We asked for a take out box and check. After a 10 minute wait I flagged down a server and got the box, but had to leave to make an appointment at 2:30 so left my my credit card with my wife and left to take my daughter to appointment.

Food 4, atmosphere...

Last Sunday was my mother's birthday, she loves Mexican food but is so hard to find a restaurant that offers fresh authentic not send you running to the bathroom places. I have a friend that just moved here from Mexico and told me this was the only place he has tried so far in the area that taste like home. I definitely had to try it. What better time than moms birthday. Every single person loved their meal. The portions were great for the price and most had to take food home. (Very happy about that) But what's a place with good food without good services? If the food was good the services was even better. In other places if you talk to anyone they tell you "I'm not your server". At Paraíso it doesn't matter who's your server everyone helps you at any time. The only thing I would had changed was the 3 leches dessert, it wasn't very good. The place is simply decorated and beautiful. I'm posting some pictures about our amazing evening. You have to try...

Second time here and the food again was amazing. My wife got the chicken fajitas and they were good. I got the Mexican tacos with chicken and wow they were so delicious! The flavor was amazing. Some of the best tacos I’ve had in the Tampa Bay Area! Their homemade hot sauce is outstanding as are their other sauces. The pricing is a bit high but the quality is good. I asked for extra cilantro and they gave me a standard small cup but charged $2 for this. My wife also got one of their house special margaritas and she is very picky about her drinks and she loved it. She had the pineapple and lime margarita with no agave and it came in a huge glass. She thoroughly enjoyed the beverage. I highly recommend this little place however it is a bit more pricy than I would expect. Worth it though. Service was a bit slow and scarce at times but we were there mid day around 3-4 pm on a Saturday so...