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(512) 444-2205
2910 S Congress Ave
(Oltorf Street)
Austin,
TX
78704
30.2329
-97.7583
Neighborhoods: St. Edwards, Greater South River City
Years in business
Established in 1957
Hours:
Tue-Thu 8am-10pm
Fri-Sat 8am-11pm
Sun 8am-9pm
Price:
$
Last updated 1.24.11
Category:
Restaurants, Banquet Rooms, Party Planners, Catering, Ethnic Goods
Payment Methods:
American Express, Travelers Check, Visa, Discover
Bar & Pub Special Features:
Restaurant Special Features:
Local Favorite, Family-Friendly Dining, Quiet, Private Rooms, Lunch Spot, Breakfast, Outdoor Dining, Historic Setting, People Watching, Group Dining, Happy Hour, Cheap Eats, Dine At The Bar
Cuisine:
What People Are Saying About El Gallo Restaurant
Featured Review
Contributor
Contributor
Take a ride back in time when entering this border style restaurant that has been bringing authentic Mexican food to Austin for over 50 years. Low level Tejano music helps contain the atmosphere. The walls show off historically significant murals with warm, dark, colors and red Saltillo tiles truly bring the old world sense of decor into the 21st century. By being directly across the street from St. Edwards, this location has been a favorite of students and parents alike but patrons come from all over town, including the eastside. Plates are large and most options are combination plates…
Editor's Tips
- The Extras:
- A banquet room can accommodate up to 90 people and catering is available for parties of 25 or more. Deposit and reservations are requested three weeks in advance for this service.
- Save Money:
- Over 10 lunch specials are offered weekdays between 11am and 2pm and are all priced under $8. The Weight Watchers special is a chicken dish served with a side of rice and steamed vegetables.
- Fun Fact:
- Goat has been served in Mexico for centuries. Try their cabrito al horno, which is baked young goat specially seasoned El Gallo style with Spanish sauce. If you have never tried Cabrito, this is the place to start.
01/19/12
great experience
by jakugle at Citysearch
15 of us showed up last night, Wed, with no reservation, and we were cared for like old friends. Table was made ready quickly including super clean cloth napkins and silverware...a sign as to what is behind the kitchen door....clean.
Our server Rodney had all our names down in 2 minutes and was terrific......like he was actually happy to be there. The Chili Rellenos were unique and yummy...no breading, no deep fry, but a thoughtful combo of ingredients. They were beef and Rodney said the chicken version was also outstanding...I will get those next time. It is no wonder how this place has been there since 1957.
Also we found David Massey plays solo acoustic guitar on Wed nights, so that was a nice suprise. Mariachi is cool but I really enjoyed the guitar for background dinner music.
09/27/11
Worst Tex-Mex Food Ever
by Texann at Citysearch
My husband took us out to eat at this place. First of all the service was terrible. It took forever for them to come to our table. When they finally took our order, we had to wait 45 minutes to get our plates. They screwed up one of the plates. The food was cold. We never went back.
10/03/10
HORRIBLE SERVICE
by Callis at Citysearch
The food and the service was horrible. We went there for my brother's birthday dinner. The manager was rude the entire night. Our poor server had to wait on our party as well everyone they sat in the room we were in. The manager knew a big party was going to be there, but didn't staff our area very well. When the night was over we had questions regarding our bill and the manager was very put off by it. We got charge a 10% fee for linens we didn't ask for. When I complained about the lack of customer service the manager acted like she didn't care. Come to find out she was the owner's daughter. I guess she feels entitled and doesn't care how she treats her customers.
08/17/10
stuck in the bland 1950's
by foodontherun at Citysearch
I'm amazed with the good reviews for this place. It has to be one of the worst Tex-Mex places in town. And it is not even cheap. In the 1950's , when Congress was the main road to San Antonio this must have been something. Nothing here is good. it starts with the chips which taste like they've been sitting out forever. the salsa has nothing going for it. It is the same for everything.
Tex mex cuisine has made great strides in the last 5 decades. Nothing about the food can elicit a good compliment.All our dishes were flavorless. I could pull a frozen Mexican dinner from the freezer and have the same.
maybe no stars would be a better rating.
07/29/10
Good Old Tex-Mex
by Avg Joe at Citysearch
This is one of my favorite places for good old fashioned Tex-Mex and they make my favorite salsa. The food is hot and good. If you like good old fashioned TexMex, it's hard to beat this place.
- Pros: Salsa
- Cons: Not particularly healthy food
