El Fenix

El Fenix now forbids all handguns, even licensed and concealed. No exceptions.

We love the fresh food and the service. Mauricio is our favorite waiter. We have been coming here for many years. My husband, since he was 7. He is now 55. My favorite dish, soft cheese taco dinner.

I went with work friends for Cinqo de Mayo. There was barely anyone in the place, yet it took an hour to get our food. Then we had to scarf it down. We don’t get that long for lunch!!!
They should have refilled the chips. The waitress seemed put out and never brought a to go container. I know she wasn’t busy.
The El Fenix in Dallas brings your food out almost immediately even when the place is packed.
I don’t know what happened to this one, but it should be shut down.

This place is pretty dang good! Now it’s not the best Tex-​Mex by no means but still good! Service was great, chips and salsa were good (could have been a bit spicier) and the food was delicious! I had lunch fajitas and it was a much larger portion than I was expecting! I’ll be returning here sooner rather than later to dig into other items on the menu :)

Went here Sunday for lunch and it’s just as good as it always is! The ambience was great, our host was really sweet and attentive along with our waiter! Their menu has grown, and their chips and salsa are crisp and fresh (and not broken!)
This is definitely a great place to catch a bite for lunch with the family or friends. The interior is very lovely and hacienda style, so it is very open and there is much room to sit. I definitely recommend – great service, food, and atmosphere!

While I’ll openly admit to never liking El Fenix, this location has got me thinking a little differently. Or maybe it was just how good their frozen margaritas were. Cheap and a decent size. The food wasn’t bad but I just can’t get used to their chips. Still not for me. But I’ll be back for the margaritas.

By far the best tex-​mex on earth. Guacamole is fresh every time. Chips are the best ever. Hot sauce is awesome. You have to go. I drive from Merkel TX just to eat there.

Very poor experience. New to Fort Worth so decided to try El Fenix. Ordered take out including Fajitas for 2. The folks at El Fenix said «10 minutes». Took over an hour, food was cold, and the Fajitas for 2 included a grand total of 3 tortillas and NO rice and beans. This is the kind of stuff you would expect from Taco Bell. Won’t be back, won’t bring clients.

Busy. Fun. Good food, love the chips. Service was friendly and fast. Love the atmosphere.

’ Best Tortilla Chips Ever «
We visited the El Fenix Mexican Restaurant last week in Fort Worth Texas and had a great experience ! The staff was so friendly and Nice. Johnny one of the employees even sang a song at the table for us. He had a great voice. The food we had, from the pork tacos, to the Chili Rellenos, to the Cheese Enchiladas, to the Chicken Fajitas, was all very good and tasty. The Dessert Sopapillas were Huge, and some of the best we have ever tasted. But the best item for us, believe it or not, was the Tortilla Chips with Salsa. Coming from San Diego where we have thousands of Mexican restaurants, my wife and I have tasted a lot of Tortilla Chips, But these at El Fenix were the most unique tasting and delicious chips, we have ever had. The process to make these chips is a Martniez family secret and tradition since 1918. The chips are baked in a special process first, then fried which gives them a delicious flavor as each chip melts in your mouth. They are not hard, and not soft, but are a crispy melt in your mouth very unique Chip. We had four extra bowls of chips, they were so good ! Very enjoyable restaurant and we would definitely visit them again !

Last Sunday afternoon (Dec. 28) was our first visit to this location and we loved it. The food was excellent and the chips/​salsa among the best I’ve tasted since moving to TX from AZ. Wish I knew the name of our outstanding waiter. He was the best… efficient, friendly, right there if we needed something. Management, if you read this, he was a young Hispanic man with curly black hair and a winning smile. I know this isn’t very definitive for a Mexican restaurant, but it’s the best I can do! We ate about 2:30pm, if that helps identify him.

Ate at the location at the Winstar casino in OK. We both took one bite and said no more. Microwaved, meat tasted bad. we told the waiter and he comped it unblinkingly. Didn’t even inform the manager, if there is one. Worst ever.

The Martinez plate… enchilada, rice, beans, chalupa,
was good. Went here with a Xmas gift card from a client. The other paces nearby choice s 1,2 and 3 were closed and /​or packed. Overall it was ok. Not much cantina atmosphere. Just a quick meal. Will return on next years gift card.

Sad excuse for Tex Mex food. I was never impressed by the El Fenix in downtown Dallas, but that location is definitely better than this one. Chips and salsa were bland. Boyfriend ordered a chicken dish. Chicken was tough and overcooked. My taco was soggy, water ran out when I tilted it to the side. We won’t be returning.

I’m honestly shocked to see so many less than happy reviews for El Fenix.
This is my favorite Tex-​Mex restaurant. They have the best chips and salsa (for my tastes anyway), I’ve enjoyed most of their entrees, their fajitas are always delicious.
I’ve been going to El Fenix on Camp Bowie for 2 decades and in that time I’ve only had one bad encounter. We went during the busiest time of night (8 on a friday) and yeah, they were a bit slow. They were also packed to the rafters, so I can’t complain too much about that. The waiter got to us within a reasonable time frame given how busy they were at the time.
Most of my El Fenix stories end with a satisfactory conclusion though. We go about once a month and it’s always a good meal for a good price.
If you do go, try the tamales. Try the margarita. And try some of their queso with your chips and salsa. We’ll be back, time and time again.

Tried this El Fenix as an alternative to our usual suspects in the area and I was disappointed. I used to eat at the EF in downtown Dallas and always had good meals, but that was 6 years ago and not Fort Worth.
Our visit to the Camp Bowie location was lackluster at best. From the food to the service, it wasn’t up to par. Compared to all of the Tex-​Mex type places I have eaten at around this area I would have to rank this location towards the bottom. And that is sad, because I went in with happy memories and thoughts of good food.
Judging from some of the other reviews, my experience isn’t that unusual. There’s just too many other options for me to consider going back for another try.

Service took a bit once we sat down. Tacos tasted good and fresh but beans and rice weren’t good at all, not even Taco Bell level decent, def not fresh. Chips and salsa were good.

I’m filled with tears of soggy tex-​mex.
I was sooo wanting some delicious grub that reminded me of Abuela’s cooking but these guys failed to deliver.
Our service was tortoise-​slow and ghost like in appearance. We weren’t a huge party, just a simple table of two.
Chips, hot sauce, and queso were great! Crispy chips, just the right amount of heat chile, and smooth cheesy queso.
We were pumped for dinner but once we got our food we were let down.
My chalupas were drowning in a sea of overly wet lettuce and my everything thing else what a room temperature mess.
Maybe it was a bad day in the kitchen, hopefully somebody else has better luck

Good food — once you get it — service is super slow.
I had to try the tortilla soup since it was featured on Cooking Channel, and I really liked the soup. If you order the entrée portion of the soup, aka chicken tortilla soup, they add rice and chicken to the soup — very yummy.
But holy cow! The service: slow, slow, slow! Our server took forever to do anything. We had to ask for more chips and salsa. This was a work day lunch and we spent a whole hour trying to get thru lunch. Then when she brought the checks, she had put my item on someone else’s check. We then had to go to the register to get it squared away. The manager was walking the floor and helping at the register — why doesn’t he do something about the slow service?!
I have to note too that the restaurant itself is quite nice — in a traditional Mexican restaurant kind of way. Cute décor.
I’d use caution when considering to eat here — you better have plenty of time!

Awesomely reliable Tex-​Mex. The food itself is more 3 – 3.5 stars, but everything else combined make it a solid 4. Truthfully, this is my Mexican Go-​To on a work night. Good greasy plate, big ass strong margarita, and really prompt, friendly service. I mean, when it’s been nine hours since your last meal, you just want to get in, get out, and get on with your life. No drama please; I mean damn, I just got off work.
Extensive combination menu. You can tell there’s been a real attempt to satisfy every taste, down to the choice of the chewy or crunchy pralines for sale at the cash register (can’t go wrong with either; never been a purchase I regretted). Frank loves their picante sauce. They sell it in the gift shop and in area grocery stores, so Frank keeps it stocked in our fridge. Portions are so huge we skip the appetizers and dessert so I’ve never ordered either. Just the occasional cash register praline.
What’s good? All of it. A cut above your standard fare, and executed reliably with precision. One time though Frank couldn’t finish his meal. So this I share to you: know that their ranchero sauce (it’s a Tex-​Mex thing) isn’t that red sauce. It’s more like a thinned out soup.

No sizzling plate for fajitas? Huh? Oddly, another customer received sizzling plate. Large sticker on wife’s bell pepper as part of her fajita salad. Waiter said «just peel it off. We sent it back. Beans are canned. No baby slings. Not coming back