El Corazon

Overall, we had a great experience. Food had unique flavors which can be hard to find with Tex-Mex. Staff was friendly, our server Isidro was attentive and food was great. However, we did have a bit of trouble with dirty dishes. One set of our silverware came out with food still on it, and my husband's drink refill came with lipstick all over the cup. The manager, Nick, was understanding and apologetic. He even surprised us by discounting our ticket which we would have never asked for or expected. There is plenty of space and the tables aren't stacked on top of each other giving plenty of room to move around which was refreshing. Overall we were impressed and will likely be back in the future. edited to add: they do paper table cloth with a jar of crayons. Provides a little fun, and even a way to occupy kids while waiting for food.

Great food! I didn't give 5 stars because of the not completely wonderful service. When we got there, the hostesses were no where to be found and we stood there for a couple minutes. There was a lot of confusion going on, waiters running around, it really looked disorganized. I didn't like the vibe at all and it dampened my excitement on trying out somewhere new for us. The tables all have fresh paper down that can be drawn on, which I love. Unforunately, the table we were taken to had already been drawn on. Although the rest of the table's paper looked very clean and untouched, my section had a picture drawn on it.... perhaps someone had sat down and then moved tables. Our waiter was VERY fast-paced. I wouldn't say he was a bad waiter, but he didn't ever stick around to make sure we didn't need anything. I had to yell as he walked away (ran away) "can I please have some lemons??" At which he briefly turned around to acknowledge that he heard me as he kept walking. Our 6 year old had tried to ask the waiter something 3 times, but everytime, but he was in too much of a hurry to ever hear her. Finally, I stopped him and asked that he listen to her, and he begrudgingly turned and looked at another table that he was more concerned with, as if rolling his eyes and then asked what she wanted. It hurt my feelings that someone would dismiss the question of a child. The table he was more concerned with looked to be either regulars, or another waitress that was off that day. Several waiters gathered and talked around that table. I did not like that we were being treated as a nuisance. This may be nitpicky, but when the table next to us was being bussed, the busser left the dirty dishes on the seat right next to me for our entire meal. I had to move them out of my way to get up from the table. Besides that, the food was superb. I loved the beef fajitas and the jalapeño stuffed chicken that my husband got was also perfect. We would definitely come back, but thought the waiters could use some training in how to treat the customers.

Disappointing experience later night. I have visited this restaurant approximately 30 times since it opened. The food has been good since it first opened. My understanding is this is a relocation of a business that was in the Oak Cliff area. I don't know that to be a fact. Anyway, the food has been slipping a little bit here lately. I ordered fajitas last night and the vegetables were raw, the skillet was cold to the touch but the chicken was warm. The night actually started with the waitress taking my wife's order then my son's order and then walking away from the table without taking my order. I actually had to follow her back to the computer area to ask her if she was going to take my order. Even when the order arrived, not only was it not properly cooked but it wasn't even correctly provided. More and more the workers in this place are seen standing around on their cell phones. Some at least try to hide the fact that they're on their phone by using earbuds and sticking their phone in their pocket. I asked the manager to come help me with the order issue and he did in a very prompt manner remake my entire fajita order and it did come correctly made and sizzling hot like it is supposed to. On a side note I asked the manager why was it allowed to have the employees on their cell phones during work. It seems to me that is a big distraction from doing a better job than what they are doing. He said he has talked to the owner several times and told him his ideas of dealing with the issues, but the owner refuses to do anything about it. I don't know if that's true or not but that is what I was told. I do love going to a place that has normally good food but approaching a time where I don't know if I can continue to go with the service standards continuing to drop and employees that seem to not really care where they get your order right or they have no sense of irgency to get it out to you. They seem more concerned about being on their phones or huddling in the back visiting, joking, laughing, and cutting up in general. I've attached to photos that I took of at least two people on their phones with in my view sitting at my table. If the owner does actually read this, I ask of you to please get the service and food back on track so that I can continue to come there. Why am I giving such a review? If you have no idea where you are in the middle of nowhere and someone tells you to be in Austin in three days, how do you know how to get there? Let's say there's no GPS available. Again how are you going to get there if you have no idea where you are in the middle of nowhere. In other words if I don't give this honest feedback to let someone know where they are. how can I expect an owner to do anything about it? I don't wish anything bad on this restaurant. I actually hope this helps them be more successful.

I had high hopes for this experience as we had enjoyed a couple of dining experiences at the original location in Oak Cliff. And while it wasn't awful and everyone got plenty to eat, they broke one of my cardinal rules re: TexMex. The food was served warm, but not hot. In TexMex restaurants, it is almost a source of shared humor when food is delivered with the prerequisite "be careful when the plate she is hot." Not here though, plates were warm, but a long way from hot. Flavors were on point, harkening back to the original Cuellar recipes that CRO seems to have abandoned after they purchased the venerable ElChico chain. But the tepid service temps compromised what could have been a great experience overall. Service was attentive and orders arrived accurately prepared and the atmosphere is appropriately cantina inspired so it will be worth another try, but hopefully the food temps will be more in keeping with the usual lava inspired levels that other TexMex outlets observe.