El Catrin Mexican Cusine — Restaurant in San Antonio

The service was friendly, interior ambiance lively, and the salsa that came with the chips phenominal. What was not great was their modification upcharge. I ordered a two enchilada plate that came with chipotle sauce, but noticed they had a three enchilada plate that was $3 more with each enchilada topped with a different sauce-- chipotle, verde and mole. I wasn't hungry enough for three enchiladas and asked the waitress if it would be possible to get half chipotle and half verde on my enchiladas. She said yes but mentioned there would be an extra dollar charge. That seemed kind of odd when it was only a matter of pouring half of one sauce and half of another and not asking for additions or modifications that would take extra time, but it was only a dollar so I confirmed.

When we got the bill, the modification upcharge was $2 which was not worth it. If I had known, I would have just gotten three enchiladas for an extra dollar and taken any leftovers home rather than paying almost the same price for less food and sauces. The food was otherwise tasty except for the flour tortillas, which were not up to par. They were thin and a little dry rather than...

Overall, a little bit disappointing compared to the reviews that prompted us to go there. They kept the place super dark, so difficult even to read the menus. We had one member of our group who needed less spicy salsa. The server said they don't have any less spicy salsa and they only have a green salsa which she said would be even more spicy, but suggested we order queso as an extra add-on, which we did. Then another person brought out that green salsa and it wasn't spicy at all it was just what she needed. So, not sure why the server doesn't know this. That's something I might have reduced the tip for, however, since we were a group of seven they automatically added a 20% service fee (without telling us in advance of course) so no way to reduce any tip. Most of their food was okay though not excellent. Beans were extra salty which I like, but others in our group did not. Guacamole was not as good as what I can make easily myself at home so not sure what's up with that. Overall, a mediocre place, but that thing about the salsa left a bad taste in my mouth. We won't to go...

After being on the road all week, I decided to try Mexican food and chose El Catrin based on its proximity to my hotel and good Yelp reviews. The restaurant was busy when I arrived at 7:20 PM, with limited seating inside. I opted to sit on the patio, where a nice breeze and ceiling fans made for a perfect atmosphere on this warm Texas night.

I started with complimentary corn chips and salsa. The salsa had a bit more heat than I typically like, but it was packed with flavor. For my main dish, I ordered the Parrilla De Fajitas steak, which came out quickly despite the crowd. The dish was piping hot and incredibly flavorful, although the pico de gallo was heavy on jalapenos, adding a bit more spice than I usually prefer. Still, the steak was delicious, and the tortillas were perfectly warm.

I ordered a half portion, and even then, I couldn’t finish it all. With a Coke and tip, my total was $30. Overall, I highly recommend El Catrin for dinner—great food, a pleasant patio experience, and...