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Don'key Mexican Food

MY REVIEW: Went back here for the third time and it was as good as it gets! The hot sauce has bite but not too much and they have the thinnest crispest chips anywhere. Between the three of us we consumed the best beef fajitas i've ever encountered face to face ( then they were in my face! ), a cheese enchilada that was topflight, and a very good ground beef taco salad. The waitstaff, this time it was Chad, was as usual friendly and attentive, including Cindy the manager. Well worth the trip to get here, great margaritas, excuse me, donkeyritas!

A genuine old school mom and pop restaurant...without the pop...mom evidently knows what she's doing, and does it so well!

NAME: thcormier
SUBMITTED: 10/2/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/11
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: This was our first visit since 1996. It was loud then and it was loud 15 years later! I think part of the problem is the acoustics but whatever, we adjusted to it. The important thing was that the food was awesome. I had the chili relleno and it was simply incredible. I almost never have food to take home but this time I had enough for lunch the next day. Wife wasn't that hungry and got tortilla soup and loved it. The food was plated very nicely and our waiter was very good. We won't wait 15 years for our next visit. A winner.

NAME: FlyBoy502
SUBMITTED: 9/27/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/11
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Reading Yelp and b4-u-eat.com reviews lead us to this gem of a place, the beef enchiladas may possibly be the best i've ever had and my wife had a spectacular chele relleno, we split some queso and a small don'keyrita, you can actually taste the booze!....all great! The hot sauce, green sauce and the thinnest chips i've enjoyed eating, were all top shelf.

NAME: thc
SUBMITTED: 7/30/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/11
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We had heard a lot about Don'Keys and how authenthic the food tasted. Having grown up near San Antonio, we were sorely disappointed. It ws just okay. Tried the margaritas and they were good but not noteworthy. We ordered dessert and my daughter was impressed by the fried ice cream. While we received excellent service, the food was average. I may go back for Happy Hour on my way home from work one day and give the donkeyritas another try.

NAME: CentralSouthTexasGirl
SUBMITTED: 1/7/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2011
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Well we have been going to the Don Key for about 15 years now....our favorite "go to" place when we are hungry, want good food, good service, no hassles a friendly atmosphere and a kick ass margarita! Staff is always nice and friendly and people there are laid back and happy. Food is good to great depending on what you order. The Pollo alaparilla (sp?) is awesome as well as the chili relleno stuffed with fajita beef....did I say the margaritas are AWESOME????? Give it a try. It looks like a little dive but you will not be disappointed!

NAME: texaschic
SUBMITTED: 7/9/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/24/2010
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: Me and my family love to eat at the donkey. Well all the time we go we order the beef enchiladas, they are great with the green salsa. DAVID the waiter is AWSOME, you need to request him!! And the Donkeyritas will kick your ass!! They are the BEST!!!

NAME: mcontrera
SUBMITTED: 5/16/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: jan/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: I have visited this restaurant for at least a decade. It saddens me to say, the quality of food and service has declined. The wait staff is not as attentive and the food is not as good and the portions are smaller.

My hope is that they will go back to the wonderful days of being a "dive" and not a true restaurant. You had a niche and lost it recently! Please go back the way you were!!!

NAME: Greg the Bowler
SUBMITTED: 1/15/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Really enjoyed our Sunday lunch! This place was recommended to us by a Pasadena friend as a, 'have to!'...Although place was jumpin', we had no wait for seating...The guac was fresh with a hint of cracked black pepper; the queso was creamy and cheesy, not milky; chips were plentiful and red salsa was tasy, with a bit of onion.

The kids' quesadilla's were good size and both raved. I got the beef fajitas. Very good, flavored with roasted onions and fresh bell peppers, heavy on the beef. My single order was as a large as a double over at either L*upe Tortilla's or J*ohnny Tamales. The hubby ordered a poblano with charro beans. He liked it but felt C*huy's was better overall (his fave). Friends enjoyed their orders: taco dinner and chimis.

Atmosphere was less 'dive' to us than, well, 'rustic.' Staff was good, service swift, and bathrooms clean. We were displeased with the salsa verde and rice. Will definitely return, especially for a beer and fajitas without the kid. Convenient on and off BW8. Six of us (four adults, 2 kids) ate appetizers and entrees with soft drinks, all for about $62. Not bad at all...

NAME: AdamsT
SUBMITTED: 11/1/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/01/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: My daughter and I love The Donkey, We eat lunch thier at least once a week. the Donkey Ritas are to die for, the food is great espeacially the beef enchiladas. Now our waiter (DAVID) is awesome, He is thier before you need him, always making sure that we are takin care of. Try it and we recommend asking for David.

NAME: IRVE
SUBMITTED: 6/28/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/2009
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I have been a few times and have always enjoyed myself. It is a little loud at times and a little cramped. The service is just like any other place sometimes it is good, sometimes average, sometimes bad. Take it easy.

The food has always been well above average. I recommend it. I haven't tried the Donkeyrita yet, hmm...I think I will try one tonight!

NAME: Don'key Punch
SUBMITTED: 11/20/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: My husband and I have lived in the Pasadena area for over ten years, and my first Don'key visit was about 11 years ago with a neighbor that adored great food. The first visit is always a little bizarre because you can't believe that you are actually about to eat here. The location seems so non-restaurant row that you are surprised that this little eatery is even here. But once you become accustomed to the atmosphere and location, you will return over and over again because of two things...the amazing food and the great Don'keyritas. The first few times I believe I had enchiladas, and they were always so wonderful. The moles here are amazing. The sauces are so flavorful, original and traditional at the same time. The last time I ordered a chile relleno stuffed not with chicken or cheese but with the skirt steak. When I tasted the delicious blend of the steak the crispy poblano, the mole and the wonderful, salty pecorino cheese, I gasped. I kept saying "this is sooooo good, to both my husband and the waiter." I could not get over how wonderful this meal was. So, do not listen to the naysayers...Don'key has been a favorite for over a decade and is still the best Mexican...both Tex and authentic...in the greater Houston area. They are even better than some of the Sonoran restaurants I have enjoyed in Taos, NM and Santa Fe, NM. Keep up the great work, we love ya! The TF Bullas.

NAME: PS Bulla
SUBMITTED: 3/31/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/2007
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: the Don'key! the best tex-mex food around! try ANYTHING and you are sure to love it! i eat there ALL the time! it has a loud, fun atmosphere! so if that's what you like go on a Friday!

Oh, and can't forget their famous "Donkeyritas"~~ they really do kick your ass! only two (at a very good price) is all i need!

overall i have to say: I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!

NAME: Don'key Love
SUBMITTED: 3/24/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: a few days ago!
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This is the WORST tex-mex restaraunt my family and I have ever experienced. The children's food was overcooked, the boracho beans were very bland, the cheese in the enchiladas was generic and the prices were outrageous. Not even the hole in the wall restaurants in Mexico are as bad as this dump. The waiter was nice though. Never ever never ever again. Two big fat thumbs way down (in the dumps).

NAME: Tex Mex Diva
SUBMITTED: 1/20/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Anytime I'm in the Pasadena area, I try to stop in and eat at the Don Key. The pros - great Chile Relleno, probably the best I've ever eaten. All the food is delicious and the wait staff friendly and attentive. The cons - the place is extremely cramped and loud, I almost have to shout at times to carry on a conversation. Also, I don't care to be sitting 1 or 2 feet from the next table. All in all though, great restaurant, I just wish it wasn't all the way on the other side of town from me or I would frequent it more often. I give it a thumbs up!

NAME: Jimma2000
SUBMITTED: 11/2/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/06
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Well wait staff definetely needs improving. Food is good but never try to ask for a lunch menu to be faxed because it will take 10-15 minutes at least.

NAME: Spencer
SUBMITTED: 8/21/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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