El Tapatio Mexican Cantina

Our new favorite Mexican restaurant in the greater Eugene area offers excellent food, quick and friendly service, and a lovely atmosphere. The trip is definitely worth it, and we will certainly be returning!

We chose this restaurant because we were looking for a hot meal after 8:30 a.m. on a weekday, and many places were either closed or not serving. We were pleasantly surprised by the attentive service; I was asked five times if I needed a drink refill! The food was exactly what you'd expect from a family-run Mexican diner, and the restaurant was clean and well-kept. However, the standout aspect was definitely the service, which was five stars. I've been to much more upscale restaurants where the waitstaff were far less attentive.

The spinach enchilada was almost entirely spinach with very little else. My mother tried to combine the rice and beans to make it more palatable. According to the menu, it was supposed to include swirling, tomatoes, mushrooms, and more, but we found none of that. The avocado tostada was disappointing as well—it was simply a corn tortilla topped with black beans, which seemed like they had just opened a can. The tortilla was soggy from the bean juice, and there was a small mound of crushed cauliflower and half an avocado on top, with a dab of salsa that was overly acidic. It was supposed to be served with rice, but that was missing too. I think I only managed to eat about 5% of my meal. I left a tip for the staff, as it wasn’t their fault. I appreciate a restaurant that offers vegetarian options, but they should at least serve them as described on the menu.

A good ol believer! very generous portions and incredibly attentive staff. feel happy to have some effort of authentic food in the city. never so busy that they turn you off or let you wait. great margaritas!

We decided to sit in the bar area both, since ur was pretty busy. Our server, was nonexistent. The food was ok, however took a long time. Again it was a server issue, not additional staff) even after eating and being done. The server came back once maybe 45 minutes After we were done. Picked up a dish, never asked if we wanted anything else, never asked we would like something to drink, and never came back. As we were leaving, she jumped up, and said I guess you don 't want a box? Being that we were the only people in a booth, eating, and the only other group that was there 2 very small groups total) her being too busy to get her job done, was definitely not an issue.We are not rude, impatient, or even big drinking people. All 3 of us, have been in customer care at one point or another and do understand that customer service can be very stressful. People can be rude, and demanding, etc. This was not the case. This server just could not be bothered. a glass of water with dinner, would have been fantastic) we were excited to see the changes, of the once Cornet drug store. It looks fantastic, by the way)