El Tiempo Cantina

Best Tex-Mex in Houston (which is saying a LOT). Fantastic brunch, great salsa, green rice is tasty, service is good, margaritas are strong. more

I absolutely love this place, it never disappoints. The chicken fajitas with their butter sauce are to die for, and the service is always wonderful. more

I come here for bunch all the time! The cannonball is one of my favorites, and the margaritas are delicious!! One is never enough! The service is great and they work well with big groups! more

I have never had a bad meal here, the margaritas are the bomb! more

6-09-10...This was our first dining experience with this restaurant. With the service we received, and the food portions and taste, it will not be the last! The servers were impeccable! Very attentive and very professional.\r \r The restaurant seemed a little snooty when we first walked in, but as soon as we were seated, we felt like royalty. It appears to be a little pricey, but once the food comes, you will find it is worth every cent you spend in there. I had ordered the pechuga domenico, which was chicken breast covered in a spinach cilantro sauce and mozzerella cheese, with a side of green rice- which was flavored with cilantro I think. It was delicious! It came to me on a sizzling platter and stayed hot for a good while before I could even eat it. My boyfriend ordered a fajita and jalepeno sausage plate. I tasted it and fell in love with it. I wonder if it would be even better paired with a wine? \r \r Our server was Areceli ""Celi"" and she was AMAZING! She was knowledgable about the food, and the drinks and had the best attitude I have ever seen in a busy atmosphere. May I suggest that you ask for her when you decide to dine there? She is terrific! Pros: tasteful and social atmosphere, delicious food, great staff Cons: $$$ but extremely worth it. more

This location is still thriving. There is always a wait and a hustle for a bar seat. The margs and the decent customer service keep guests calm and social. It's easy to befriend strangers, so you can take their bar seats when they leave.\r \r The cantina area has a low ceiling and is dark which we believe makes the place more personable.\r \r At this location, I see many celebrations going on, and they have mariachi music. I have really never noticed if they play restaurant music here though.\r \r One of my friends loves the crab meat nachos, although they are known for their fajitas. If you are on a date here, you will smell like a big fajita with carmelized onions at the end of the night...even if you didn't order any food. When you go home, your dog will act like you are cheating on him/her.\r \r Another friend of mine thinks that the food tastes ordinary and manufactured. She does not like the queso or enchiladas.\r Pros: Customer Service Cons: Seating; No drink specials more

I love this restaurant and really love their fajitas. They serve classic Tex Mex and have excellent salsa (both green and red). But I think it's best to try it for lunch (lunch menu every day until 3 pm I think) or on the weekend for breakfast. The food is fantastic, but the prices go up a LOT for dinner, and you can't get the wonderful lunch specials that treat you to variety. I especially love the Las Vegas lunch special - a huge crunchy tace, an enchilada, and fajitas for $9.99. Yum. The pancakes are also surprisingly good. And I've generally found the servers to be attentive and kind. I would highly recommend giving El Tiempo a try -- I really think you'll be happy you did. Pros: Fajitas; friendly service; fun weekend breakfasts Cons: A little overpriced at dinner more

I recently tried this over-crowded, over-priced restaurant. You can find food of equal or better quality just about anywhere. There is nothing special about the fajitas, beans, or margaritas. They are average at best. The service is also average. The rice is better than most but rice is rice ... not a reason to choose a place to eat. The prices are much higher than they should be. Don't waste your time or money. Pros: Good rice Cons: Mediocre fajitas, high prices more

The Filet Carne Asada is pricey but worth every penny because its very tender and delicious! Their fajita specials are excellent because they provide a mix of different meats and they're served in a cool metal skillet. I LOVE their salsa and guacamole too. The frozen margaritas I'll admit aren't their best offering which is too bad because they're food is just killer. I wish they could get a better recipe. The Washington location is the better one in my opinion. The Richmond location is waaaay too dark for my taste. Pros: Excellent Quality Cuts of Meat and Great Salsas! Cons: Usually Always Croweded more

First of all, very few people that work in the restaurant can have an Englsh language conversation. So that may be a good sign! \r \r The food quality, the margarita's and the service were great. Go a little early so you can park for free and miss the long wait for a table. The Washington Ave. area is very popular with the young professionals, so the food / drink prices are higher than needed and the place is currently trendy.\r \r The decor feel Tex Mex authentic and the attention by the servers was outstanding. I recommed you try this restaurant without children. But definitely try it. It's a good alternative to Pappsitos. Skip Ninfias - its over rated. Pros: Delicious food and Margaritas Cons: Limited Self Parking and Crowded more

Surprisingly, in a town that loves the dry rice and crusted over beans of Tex Mex, comes El Tiempo. The food here is totally fresh, the chicken fajita meat was so juicy (be careful not to touch the hot iron platter it comes on), I liked the choices of rice, avocado was perfect, tortillas outstanding. In my opinion, some of the most authentic food in town. \r more

Service: A \r Food: A \r Value: C \r \r El Tiempo has the best beef fajitas ever. Hands down. The biggest drawback, however, is that they are extremely overpriced!! Maybe they are expensive because the quality of beef is better, but I'm not sure. If I find out, then I will change the value to B. Service is good. Crowd can be kind of snotty. Ask for Jose, his recent service made me change the service from a B to an A. If you like margaritas, make sure to come here! They also have the best margaritas; 1 or 2 of these will have your head spinning. They are pricey but taste good, contain alot of liquor, and come in all different flavors...\r \r check out houstoncuisine.blogspot for more restaurant reviews! Pros: Beef Fajitas, Margaritas, Ambience Cons: Pricey more

I was here last night and had a good time. I wasnt fond that they allow smoking but your gonna leave with the scent of fajita smoke on your clothes anyways. The food was above average and the price for the amount of food we got was outstanding! The waiter could have been more attentive but his slack was picked up by another waitress. The atmosphere is cozy and i know i will be returning soon. Not a place you want to eat at if you dont like crowded places. The margaritas are so-so. Valet is mandatory but its based on tips only. Pros: Valet, Decor, Nice Atmosphere Cons: Non-attentive Service, So-So margaritas more

Enjoyed everything about my dinning experience! My family loves to the place! Our friends Love the place. Great place to treat a loved one! Pros: the Food Cons: the chairs more

El Tiempo is an El waste of moneyO! I ordered a Medium Caso and 6 tortillas for take-out today, thinking I would have myself an inexpensive little snack, but they charged me $8.00!!!! Eight freaking dollars for a little container of cheeply-processed cheese and 6 tiny tortillas. Then, adding insult to injury, they FAILED to give me salsa!! What is Mexican food without Slasa? Needless to say, I was livid. As I sat at my desk, steaming mad, I dipped a chip into my drop of caso----thinking to myself, it really couldn't get much worse---but it did. The chips, ladies and gentlemen, were stale. STALE I TELL YOU!! Anyone want to take a wild guess who's stopping at El Tiempo after worko to complain?? Pros: nice atmosphere Cons: expensive and not that great more

Absolutely delicious mexican food. Sometimes, the prices are a bit high, but they are always well worth it. Staff is attentive and friendly. Something this location gets very, very busy around the bar.... go early. Pros: Beef Tenderloin Fajitas, Valet Parking, Delicious smothered chicken dishes Cons: Price more

NEVER in the last 30 years, in any restaurant any where in the world, have I been treated so horrifically.\r Three friends and I decided to celebrate a birthday here on November 4th. We met at 630pm and were seated immediately, after we had to make our way through the horrible cigarette smoke that blasts you in the face as soon as you walk in the door. We ordered our drinks and appetizers right away. As soon as they arrived, the pushy waiter wanted our entree order, we hadn't even had time to read the complete menu. HE BADGERED my friend in to getting the chicken and spinach in her quesadillias, he didn't even allow her to make up her own mind. I ordered 2 fish tacos, and was told by the waiter that, NO, you should only order 1, that's too much food for you. Excuse me? He actually didn't want me to take the time to eat 2 tacos, because, even before the entrees arrived, he wanted to know if we planned to be there after 750pm. If we were, we needed to move outside, as they had a party of 30 arriving and we were in the way. We were rushed through our BLAND excuse for Mexican food and highly overpriced and overrated drinks. THE WORST Michelada I have ever had. We were told that we either had to move outside or leave. Our unfinished food was being packed up even before the drinks had been finished. Can you even imagine being treated like that? Just to let you know I have contacted both Dominique and Joey Jack Laurenzo, but neither have had the decency or courtesy to reply, much less apologize. I'm sure their Grandmother Nina would be so proud. \r \r Do yourself a favor and steer clear of this joke of a restaurant, and find someplace that appreciates your business. Pros: The best thing about this place is that I NEVER have to go there again. Cons: Mandatory valet, bland food, watery drinks, smokey, rude waiters, uncaring Managment and overpriced everything more

The food here is among the best Mexican food I've had. Don't be an idiot and sit at the bar expecting to order food; seriously, don't be an idiot - we all laugh at you. \r The food is good, generous portions, and the top shelf margaritas are potent and a great way to start a night out on the town. I've had many wonderful happy hours as well as sit down meals here. No matter what your purpose, the bar or the tables are a great time! Pros: food, service, atmosphere Cons: whiny customers more

I always enjoy the great food and the house margaritas are some of the best this city has ever seen. Add to this a staff who goes out of their way to be accommodating and you can't go wrong. Pros: margaritas, food, service more

I have frequented the Washington location numerous times. The staff has always been wonderful and the food has always been delicious. I highly recommend the fajitas and almost anything on the breakfast menu. If you haven't been there for breakfast yet, you must go!! Pros: Food, Drinks, Service Cons: Parking more