El Tapatio in Sparta — Restaurant in Sparta

Update I will have to give a kudos to the staff. They really picked it up after the horrible experiences we have. They ditched the rap music and worked really hard to make things right. I'll give them two thumbs up. Good job guys!

El Tapatio used to be hands down the best Mexican place in 3 or 4 counties around here. It's not anymore. The last 3 times I have been to El Tapatio (once in Cookeville on a Sunday, twice in Sparta on Wednesday nights), has resulted in horrible experiences. The waitress in Cookeville apologized she did such a bad job. She kept telling me my beer was coming. All the way till the end of my meal. Then offered me a free one since she never brought it. Thanks but this is the end of my meal and I don’t want to chug it.

Then twice in Sparta, to the sound of blaring Spanish rap music we were seated in a hurry by a guy who rolled his eyes at the size of our party. They rushed us through our meal (with cold food) and they got my wife’s order wrong twice. Both times we were there! What happened El Tap? You used to be so good. Not anymore. There are alternatives to your restaurant now. And we...

We are always seated quickly, even on busy Sundays at noon. The wait staff is very attentive and quite accomodating. The chips and salsa served while waiting for our orders are tasty, and I recommend the queso also. I usually get arroz con pollo with grilled peppers and onions added and it is always delicious. This last time we went, I intended to order tacos carne asada, which others in my party ordered and gobbled up, but I accidentally left off the "tacos" part when ordering. Haha. So I got the dinner carne asada instead. I wasn't disappointed. They graciously brought me tortillas and I cut the steak up to put in them. It was so much food, I had to take it home and had two more meals from it! The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and the portions are generous. I am always happy to eat at...

The absolute only issue I've ever had is the food not being ready when I order ahead. (But that's because the dinner rush is most definitely busy) The food is always amazing.The staff (both kitchen and serving staff) are fast paced, friendly and engaging. They know the menu and each menu item and can talk to you about each dish and it's preparation. They go above and beyond to ensure great customer experiences. It's great for family, friends and coworkers. I get something new every week and I've loved everything I have tried this far. The sopapilla is so rich and is the perfect way to top off your meal even if you don't think you can eat another bite. A group from work goes once a week and it's one of the things we all look forward to for sure. Thank you guys for perfect food and service...