El Gallo — Restaurant in Texas

The best "Tex-Mex" food in Houston! Opened by George Torres in 1971 and still Family Owned and Operated, (Part of the Guadalajara Restaurant chain), El Gallo has been serving the same incredibly delicious Tex-Mex food for 48 years!

Although the patriarch, "George" has stepped down from the day to day operations, you can still spot him in the dining room on occasion having lunch wirh friends.

I grew up with El Gallo, (went to school with Fabian, one of the brothers), who now runs the business, El Gallo is a family tradition, my kids have been coming here since they were toddlers and I have since it opened!

With a great staff, (Ernesto Gomez - Mgr. runs the Jones Rd. location), you can't beat the service, consistent and perfectly executed dishes of true Tex-Mex.

I highly recommend The Enchiladas Al Carbon with Beef Fajita meat, beef gravy and topped with a generous portion of American cheese! There is no beating their Chili con Queso and the "Nachos George" are the best!

If you love authentic Tex-Mex food, there's no other place in the city that compares to the historic eatery, you owe it to yourself to give them a try!

I live in Austin now, but NEVER go back to Houston without a lunch/dinner date...

Stopped in on 10-21-2023 with family for lunch. Was seated immediately with a party of 8. Drink order was taken promptly and the gentleman was very friendly. Kids were disappointed that there was no Orchata or Jamaica. Beer selection is also pretty limited and with my wife being a big craft beer fan was unfortunate.

Lots of options on the menu, we had the beef fajitas for 2 and they were very good. The beef was tender and flavorful. Beans were also good and we enjoyed the pico de gallo as well. Kids had chicken quesadilla and they enjoyed it. Refills came as needed without delays. Chips and salsa were also brought out whenever required without having to request it. After we paid the check they did stop checking on us which is understandable and I don't fault them for it but we did stay another 15-20 minutes just catching up on family stories and it would have been nice to continue to get refills on beverages. Not a major inconvenience just something that would have been nice to have.

Overall a pretty good experience and we'll definitely give them another try in the future. If you're in the area they're definitely worth a visit. You can also hit Connie's Custard on the way out for a...

Good, cheap house margaritas. Food and service is good but nothing spectacular. Certainly a good option after a long day and you want to be waited on. Large group tables do sometimes hold up service on your own small table. As long as you aren't demanding crazy fast or attentive service, I would recommend. I really want to give this place 5 stars, because their chips and salsa, and all other texmex fairs I have ordered, pass my Texan requirements but there have been 20-30+ minute wait times to get food (and twice, drinks) due to big groups that should have been managed better as not to hinder other patrons' experience (or simply told us before seating about their workload/delay possibility). All in all, I continue to return, so long as I am not in a hurry. Definitely...