El Fenix Famous Mexican Restaurant, Arlington, Texas, Mexican Restaurant Details

Food:

I loved it so much very authentic Mexican food my boyfriend took me there and it was very delicious

Food:

I went with my wife for a lunch special. I will say that my first impression was that prices weren't bad if the food was good. Now understand when I say that I liked the food this isn't really an endorsement considering what I eat at home. In fact I've denied UN inspectors into my kitchen because if they could see the things I do with spam... Never the less the quality of food was something that I wouldn't expect of an apprentice chef if he were training for weeks in my kitchen. You know as if he were studying hard and had a lot of heart. He would study all night listening to 'eye of the tiger' and run up and down stairs reciting how many times to flip the spam sandwich only to finally take the taste and have his kitchen idol me look down at him and berate him like every Gordon Ramsey meme there is. Imagine that quality of food that would garner that response my kitchen and then lower it a few times.

The food came out hot and quick. These are normally two good qualities. The problem was that the plate was extremely hot. Given the time that it took (less than 5 minutes from ordering), I can only assume it was microwaved. The toastada was merely a fired tortilla with crushed avocado spread on it. Maybe that's exactly what they mean when they say guacamole tostada. There was no guac it was avocado only. Normally there's lettuce or at the least pico and maybe a sprinkle of cheese... Sadly the tostada simply arrived on my plate sad and naked, abused even like an orphan left at the convent for the nuns to find. Oh they took her in mind you, they had an oath to keep. But secretly they resented her parents and hoped that they could find her a good home before she became too scared and too jaded only to wake up on morning and find a twisted heart and shell of a teenager. An orphan far too old to hold out hope for a happy reception with a potential parent. Sad tostada orphan.

Next to the pitiful excuse of a tostada was a meat taco that I don't think would have passed taco bell's rigorous quality control measures. I could just imagine the guys making a run for the boarder as the manager threw the taco back at them yelling "You call this a taco! Make it again." and then he throws it on the floor. Actually, if someone collected that taco off of the floor and took it across the street to El Fenix you might come close.... nah that would never happen.

Finally the piece of resistance that held my stomach in check. The one insultingly redeeming fact about the meal. The cheese enchilada. Now when I say that this is the only redeeming thing about the meal understand that this should never be served in a restaurant. It's basically one of those canned enchiladas that's been microwaved. oh not before they spooned a helpful serving of Hormel chili over it. That's right Hormel chili. Nothing says fine Mexican dining like Hormel. Available in the canned section of your local grocery store.

Don't lie about it, be proud. Put it on the menu. Enchaladas, now with 100% Hormel goodness. I would know those blends of herbs and spices anywhere. HMMMMMM Yummy!

That having been said I don't care for canned enchaladas. Part of the reason is if you microwave them... which is really the only option aside from eating them cold... the enchilada becomes hot on the outside, even steaming, but cold on the inside. Like fiery las vegas show girl. She's gone off to make her fortune all bright and shiny only be stuffed in a box and forced to do 6 shows a night just to make rent. oh she knows there something more out there but it kills her inside, slowly, a little piece at a time until there's nothing left but a cold wasteland where the only beat is that of the snow as it beats the inside of her chest. A fierce and hot exterior threatening to explode with the passions of the tropics but holding only the vast tundra of the north in her chest. That's my enchilada, the Hormel ice princess.

So that was my meal. An ice princess tag teaming it with an orphan and rejected cook from Hell's Kitchen. Oh and the soda tasted funny.

Food:

I ordered some tacos they were brought out to me in less than 10 minutes. Food was like a microwave dinner. The beans looked like something that came out of someone's rear end. Service was "ok". If you plan on going out to eat just skip this place.

Food:

I am confused with these ratings, people seem to be complaining and still giving them more than one star, I'll make it simple, DON'T GO HERE.

I'll start with the positives, the margaritas are amazing, the chips are good but nothing special.

Now the negatives, the salsa is just pace picante sauce, served in tiny bowls, the fire roasted queso tasted like the worst, watered down imitation cheese sauce I've ever had.

The fajitas were tiny and about as generic tasting as could be. I've had better tasting meat out of a frozen bag from the grocery store and the portions were tiny but I didn't even get to finish my meal.

The service is just awful, our waiter brought us four tortillas to go with fajitas for two people. I asked before the meal for tortillas with my queso, never got them. I then asked after he came to check on us after our meal was served again for more tortillas and the waiter said yes. He must have forgot because I waited for about 25 minutes while he was going around the restaurant refilling the sugar packets, talking with other waiters, and avoiding our table, never even coming close enough to grab.

I had to eventually grab the manager and ask for our ticket because by then our horrible fajitas were cold.

Please don't go here, terrible food, terrible service, terrible everything. I would much rather have gone to Taco Cabana for cheaper than this place or any real mexican place around.

Seriously the worst!

Food:

Amazing customer service from Emir! A co-worker's mother passed away from battling cancer for 10 years and we collectively brought in dinner to the family from El Fenix based on my co-workers request. I'd found out that the mother and father went to this El Fenix every Thursday while she was alive. She weighed 78 lbs and was very selective about what she ate but every Thursday, they came to this restaurant. There was no way we could meet the $150 minimum delivery for a few family members so when I told Emir about this story and asked him if he could be lenient in this situation, he was very accommodating. He also delivered a cheeseburger to the little granddaughter who didn't like Mexican food. In addition, he wrote a sweet note to the husband, gave him coupons and delivered all this himself. In this day, you don't see this kind of excellent customer service so I will always have great thoughts about this restaurant. And I personally LOVE their food. Thank you Emir and the staff at El Fenix on Cooper Street in Arlington, TX.