El Real Mexican Restaurant (CLOSED)   3702 FM 1960 Rd W #T Houston TX MY REVIEW: I have never felt compelled to write a food review until now. Being new to the Northwest Houston area my wife and I have been looking for good mexican food and have tried several of the smaller establishments lately. We love P*appasito's but were looking for a casual lunch spot. Well, one stood out far above all of the others... El Real on 1960. You really owe it to yourself to give the lunch buffet a try. I am by no means a big fan of buffets, but this is one of the best I've been to. All of the food is fresh and is kept constantly stocked, but not over stocked to where it goes cold. Fresh chicken, shrimp (large devained) and beef fajitas with sauteed onions. All of the traditional mexican dishes enchiladas, tamales, etc. along with some specialties, beef or chicken stuffed peppers, etc. Lately they added fresh fish and a mexican omelet stuffed with beans and taco meat. If you are trying to keep low on the carbs then this place is definately for you (if you can resist the tortillas, chips and desserts). They also have all of the expected sides, pico, guacamole (quite good), jalapenos, etc. And a nice dessert selection with sopapillas, churros, and tres leches cake. One other note, you can request melted garlic butter on the side which is very flavorful and they also have roasted fresh jalapenos on the bar which is a big plus if you like it spicy (and fairly rare from my experience). The service has always been very friendly and attentive and we have now been on about 10 occasions. Ambiance is casual but bright and clean. If I had to come up with a negative it would have to be the salsa. I'm a big fan of spicy and flavorful salsas and this one just doesn't do much for me. In closing I'd just like to say great job El Real! Now if someone could just point me in the direction of a good Chinese buffet, the ones I've tried here are absolutely horrible! NAME: jkcblaze SUBMITTED: 12/23/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2007 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Good location. Chip salsa maybe a 4 of 10. Had a taco salad, it was ok. From what I saw, the place looked organized and clean. Service was ok. General ok. NAME: yamadude SUBMITTED: 2/19/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: The carne Asada is awesome and the portions are extremely generous. We regularly order take out and the order is always prompt. NAME: NorthgateFan SUBMITTED: 10/14/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Love this food. The waiters are attentive and the food is delicious. I have favorites-- the Casa Salad is a bunch of lettuce with 4 pieces of chicken quesadillas on it. Ask for it with honey mustard instead of the cilantro dressing that comes with it. I also love the chicken fajita burrito, but it is kind of plain. Just chicken, cheese, tortilla. But its Good. Order it off the a la carte menu. Then the vallarta plate (unsure of spelling) is delicious. Too much food for one so plan on a box or sharing it! Have a queso appetizer and mix in the tomatoes on the side. SO YUMMY! NAME: TexasGal SUBMITTED: 7/31/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: July/2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: This was our first time visiting this restaurant. The food was delicious and different to other Mexican Restaurants. My husband said the food tasted as food from the South of Mexico. I had the Vallarta plate, which was really good. For dessert I had the Mississippi Mud Pie and it was heavens! I will return again and will take my family when they visit me from out of town. NAME: Margarita SUBMITTED: 6/19/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: June 17, 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Been going here since it opened. The food has been fine; not great, just fine. Tonight we waited 40 minutes to be served. We waited ten minutes to get a drink. The shrimp on skewer was $19.95 for six shrimp. Outrageous. Won't go back until we talk to the manager. NAME: NoNewts SUBMITTED: 3/21/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: march/2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: We have been going to El Real since it opened about 6 years ago. The "Appetizer Mixta" has a bit of everything and is a meal in itself. The cammarones bravos are shrimp stuffed with jalapenos and cheese wrapped in bacon and grilled! Wow. The Quail legs (Piernitas, also wrapped in bacon and grilled) are incredible as well as the marinated whole quail. Signature dish, I think, is the Enchiladas Verde - moist, tender chicken smothered with a tomatillo sauce that is tart and savory just the way it should be. The fajitas are so tender you don't need a fork - much less a knife, lots of great grilled vegs with it as well. There is a series of Chicken specialties that will have you needing a doggie bag but you won't want to leave a bit on your plate, they are that good. Typical enchiladas are just what they are supposed to be - tender tortillas stuffed with meat or cheese, covered with cheese, enchilada sauce and fill up a plate. Typical Spanish rice as an side but try the "verde" rice as an option. A refreshing change from the ordinary and well executed. Try one of the Chili Rellenos either part of a combo or do yourself a favor and order one a la carte, they are huge - I mean HUGE - filled with either taco meat or cheese. One is a meal in itself. I could write about the entire menu but..... We have recommended El Real to a lot of people and not one has had a bad experience - in fact most are regulars now, too. NAME: Vick SUBMITTED: 2/23/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2005 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Great service, great people, great food, great El REal Marguerita's, we are regulars NAME: Denis Maxson SUBMITTED: 1/22/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: Dec, 2004 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Delicious and different entrees, fresh and colorful presentations, always a wonderful experience. The chips and salsa are great, too! I especially like the fajita enchiladas and the enchiladas verdes. Also the flautas are one of my favorites. It is always a nice relaxed atmosphere whether it is packed to the gills or if you are the only ones there (which is rare). I don't think anyone really knows my name there but we have been regulars for months and months. I love it! NAME: mamashari48@aol.com SUBMITTED: 7/23/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: July, 2004 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: We visit this wonderful place as a casualty, everything was crowded for valentines day then we decide to enter,we became clients,Now we visit this place every weekend!!! At nite its kind of romantic NAME: Danny SUBMITTED: 3/30/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: feb 14 FREQUENCY: Visited once ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY