Pappasito’s Cantina

Wow great food! So let’s start with the obvious. The prices are high for your average Mexican style cuisine. However, you have to know stepping into any Pappa’s franchise that you are going to pay too much and really enjoy your meal. Well many of us at least. I’m always disappointed with the menu prices, but the food and service usually make up for it.
This was my first experience with Pappasito’s and it is probably my second favorite restaurant (Second only to Pappadeaux). In fact, I’m beginning to believe I should funnel some investment funds to Pappa’s franchises. Let’s see… people wait for an hour… pay way too much… and come back the next week to do it again! It’s like a drug addiction. Yep, need to invest in Pappa’s!
I came in as a party of one for dinner. When I showed up the hostess said about 30 minutes. What? It’s Tuesday night. They were packed and I was hungry so I waited. Took my phone number and texted me when my table was ready. Pretty much right at 30 minutes which is unusual for a party of one. Could have been faster if I wanted eat at the bar. No thanks. Hate the bar gig.
I ordered the mango tea which was well worth it! Yum! I ordered the chicken fajitas with a side of grilled jalapeños. Then it happened! BAM! Five minutes later my food was hot and ready! Whoa. You have to give them credit for having a great process and prepped meals. Some of the freshest pico I have ever had. The guacamole was great and onions caramelized just right.
Then I realize this small cup of foam? What is this mystery stuff? Found out later it is some type of melted garlic butter mix. Oh this weird stuff is a heavenly foamy broth of who cares… it’s fantastic! Spread it all over the chicken. OMG! Needless to say… I’ll be back!

Came here for a family dinner for 7. We waited about 20 mins for a table on a stardust night which isn’t bad. Once they called us they didn’t where to sit us and took about 5 mins to find us a table. Takes another 15 mins after we are sit to get drink order and food order. Once we got the food we found some weird green string in one of the food and right away the manager came and apologize for it. She offered free desert for everyone and took the food off the bill. Which we didn’t ask for but thank her for her service. Just one thing the loonnnggg wait in between ordering drinks and the food and flagging our waitress down is a downer. Sweet girl but time management will help.

I’m not a fan of just blasting some place, I don’t think that’s cool. That being said, I definitely think my recent experience is worth a share. Last week I meet 2 friends (and 1 of them brought his young son) here for happy hour. For starters, the restaurant had probably 60 tables in the main area and maybe 3 tables full when we walked in, yet they sat us right on top of another table. To make matter worse, they proceeded to seat another group right on top of us, so close that I hit elbows with one of the guys at that table. Weird.
Apparently this is one of those places that you can only get the happy hour drinks and apps if you’re sitting in their cramped little bar. Fair enough, we’ll order off the (ridiculously overpriced) regular menu. The guys I went with don’t drink, so out of respect for them I didn’t drink either, and ordered water instead. Then decided to split the «medium» order of beef/​chicken fajitas with one of my friends. Two grown men, at happy hour and we split the medium, not large order of fajitas because everything was so overpriced.
The fajita plate came and was about 60% meat and 40% grilled veggies, enough that we each made 2 fajitas/​tacos and they were kinda sad. Whatever, it’s about catching up with old friends and enjoying the company… right? When it was all said and done I spent $ 25 (tax and tip) on 2 fajitas/​tacos and ice water. It probably could’ve all been better just by being able to order off the happy hour menu… at happy hour. A great reminder of why I generally avoid chains and go to local places that don’t play games.

I must came in on a bad day because my order was messed up and people who were seated after me got their food before me and I had been waiting for 20 minutes.

I walked in with 3 other friends and saw 4 employees standing at the hostess stand. It was a busy night. Too busy to look at us and say how long the wait would be. I moved to be within a foot of the hostess stand, and said hello. Not one of them looked at me. We turned and left. Now we’re at chili’s where, even when filled to the brim, we were greeted by the host, And told it would be 20 minutes. It was longer, but, hey: They said hello.

First, this place is fairly more expensive than the outside or the inside would suggest. I was thinking prices closer to Chuy’s or something, but every entrée was in the $ 16 — $ 22 range and even things like lunch fajitas were at least $ 13. But, hey they food was good!
What I had: Quail — these were basically quail tacos, two quails served on corn tortillas with a sides of pico de gallo, guac, beans, and rice. The quail was delicious! They put a really yummy honey-​based glaze over it, and I loved it. The only thing is eating the quail is a lot of work. It arrives as basically a bird that’s been spit and flayed: very pretty but full of bones. But not dry or anything! And you can really taste that glaze. I loved the meat. And the sides were yummy too.
I would come back here for the seafood enchiladas that looked good (but were like $ 21). Other than that, I just think I can get as good Tex-​Mex for cheaper elsewhere. I just have no idea why these items are priced so high, especially since nothing about the place, décor, or service suggests a premium price.

I was impressed with the service from beginning to end. Our waitress offered some helpful information since it was our first visit. But we decided to venture off on our own in the menu. Manager also checked in on us and was very polite.
We began our appetizer with the Guacamole and for dinner I had the seafood Enchilada. Everything was delicious. I’ve been to a few places where my seafood was over cooked. This makes it less than edible. Not here. Food was excellently made. We ended our night with cheesecake. OMG! Best cheesecake I’ve had in a loooooooong time. Everyone at my table enjoyed there food. The only drawback was the complimentary salsa a bit watered down but that will not stop us from returning!

After an ex co-​worker, who used to work here raved about how incredibly clean the kitchen was and how good the food is, I just had to check it out. I’m so glad I did because we had an exceptional experience.
The service was top-​notch and very much impressed us. The entire staff works seamlessly together to provide a smooth and professional experience. The manager even came to our table to personally introduce himself and even paid for our guacamole (which was really good by the way). The beef brisket enchiladas were very good as was the seafood enchilada. The margarita was surprisingly good and the icing of the cake was desert (which we normally pass on but decided to try the cheesecake). OMG the cheesecake was to die for!
We had such a great experience and can’t wait to return!

The short version: Not at all worth it. I’ve seen strip joints with more class. Never again.
The long version:
It was a December evening and finally comfortable outside, so we came for the outdoor seating. I can’t imagine why, but there wasn’t any outside service, just a bunch of empty tables. Into the clatter we went.
We got suckered into their Wednesday night fajita deal. If the fajitas are «famous», it’s only because they advertise them as such. We paid an extra $ 5 to go all beef plus a couple bucks more for sour cream and cheese which is bizarrely not included. That brought our «half-​priced» meal in at just over $ 30. That price will get you fajitas anywhere. Our server checked to be sure medium and pink would be ok, but brought an already cooled plate of beyond well done meat. Our waiter dropped ‘em, ran, and knew what the problem was before I even said anything once we saw him again.
An iced tea was apparently a bit too much to handle until half way through my meal. The wife’s $ 11 margarita didn’t stand up to $ 5 competition in town.
Atmosphere here gets negative stars for overcrowded noise and neon lights. We did have a good laugh looking around for people that didn’t stick out on both sides of their chairs and playing «count the chins.» This place is American obesity at its finest, a place for the tasteless consumerism for which our proud country is so famous.
The tortillas were lopsided, more than ¼ inch thick in places, and doughy even with one side sliced off. I literally cut dough of off one side with a knife to try to make them work. If you’ve been to Africa or India, you’ll recognize these as chipati. If you’ve been to anywhere with decent made-​in-​house tortillas, you’ll know better than to think they’re are right in any way. After the first round, I switched to trying makeshift steak nachos. Unfortunately, the chips were mostly small broken pieces and never once refilled, so it didn’t work out.
To be fair, I should have known better. Last time I came, it was for happy hour specials. I sat at a bar table for 10 minutes without a word until I moved to the bar to deal a bartendress that quite obviously hated her job enough that she wasn’t interested in doing it.
Life’s too short and there is too much deliciousness to be found at too many beautiful little places across Austin. Do yourself a favor and keep looking.

Our waiter Brenden is the reason I’m writing this review. Ask for him, if he’s available.
The husband and I have been going here for years. It’s a bit more expensive than most of our dinner choices, but always worth the splurge. Their flour tortillas are made in house, the beef fajitas are always tender, and my husband loves their warmed red salsa.
I can sometimes be bad at remembering to write reviews for places we’ve been going to for years, but on this visit, the waiter was so great that I wanted to use every avenue I could to gush.
Brenden knows the menu well, can describe dishes in a way that makes you feel as though you could taste it. He has good recommendations. He is attentive, refilling your drinks and making sure your food is good, without being obnoxious and clingy. He had a normal number of tables, yet we never lacked for his attention.
Pro tip: If you’re in to sweets, they have some amazing desserts and they have «mini» (they’re still pretty big in my opinion) versions of their desserts. If you go full size, plan on sharing.

I like this place, but $ 27 for fajitas for one… that’s a little crazy. I def feel like I’m paying for their overhead in their prices. Offer a fajita tacos for the ones who don’t want to break the bank, but still try the famous fajitas. Besides the overpriced food, the drinks and service were on point. We had excellent service and drinks… I don’t know if you can handle more than one. Def do not drink and drive after leaving here, not even having one. It’s that strong. A few are almost too strong to enjoy, but everyone at my table loved them for that reason. The food I tried from everyone else was good. I ordered soup with chicken and avocado and that came out to around $ 16 with tax. It seemed to be the only thing affordable.
They didn’t have any problem taking back our cake until we were ready for it. I’d give a 5 star for service. 4 star for food and 2 star for price. I think that averages around a 3. Nonetheless, nice place for groups.

Use to love this place, but lately they have been dropping the ball.
The tortillas is what has me coming back time and time again. They are freshly made and so delicious when they come to the table warm! The queso is good as well. The best thing of all time is the dessert, must must must get the Cajetas, life changing. It’s so delicious, it comes with sopapillas as well and who can say no to that with ice cream on the side! Goodness it’s really that good though. The regular menu food is a hit or miss though. I have had multiple inconsistent orders of fajitas, sometimes the chicken is cooked, sometimes it’s pink. The other dishes are giant so that’s hard to deal with unless you are sharing so that can be a good alternative option.
It can get crowded here as well, so make sure to plan ahead if you are really hungry or have a larger party. The parking lot is a nightmare and there never seems to be enough parking ever. There are some creepers that stroll around the parking lot at times soliciting you, so be careful and extra careful of your surrounding there if you are a single female alone.

Looking for an easy meal to take back to the hotel nearby I came across some Tex-​mex spots and this menu looked about the best, putting my feelings about chains aside as I sometimes do, bending my own rules a bit, I called up as quick as I could before the kitchen closed.
They were super nice on the phone and even friendlier when I arrived.
While the food took quite some time to get even after driving over and still having to wait, everyone was all over it asking if they could help, but they were also closing down shop, a couple other pick up orders at the end of the night as well, so I’m sure everyone was anxious to get home, yet they were friendly as ever.
I really thought the décor was great, something didn’t smell great but when the food came out that all changed.
It’s not exactly home cooked greatness but it was all pretty good none the less.
The order was correct, the food was hot, and the portions were on point for the money for the most part. It’s not a cheap NY bodega, but it’s not that style place, so it is what it is.
Sent home with a giant bag of chips n salsa as well. I was fully satisfied for a quick grab at the end of the night.

Oh boy, where do I start? Let me just say the fajitas beef were to die for!!! Oh and the tortillas made fresh were delicious also. Came here with friends while visiting them from California. Really wish we had this place out here. They have a melted butter you can dip or pour on your food that is so good and flavorful. Adds so much more to the already delicious food. The bacon wrapped jalapeño shrimp was also very good.
Our server was fabulous and always there for refills and to clear table right away.
Oh and I almost forgot we also got nachos, once again, very good!
We’ll have to go again if ever out that way.

Stopped in for lunch today and ordered the fillet Mignon fajitas with stuffed shrimp. The highlights were: The waiter was courteous and prompt with his service. The Mignon and sides tasted good. The seating was prompt. The pre-​meal dipping sauces were tasty.
The lowlights were: The noise level is high. Upon consideration of other times I had been there, this seems to be the norm. The pre-​meal chips were reduced to small pieces in the basket. The fajitas did not come with sour cream and shredded cheese. Those cost extra. Seriously??? We are spending $ 31 per plate for lunch and you want to chisel us on some dairy products that every other restaurant provides at no extra cost?

I haven’t been here in a long time and decided to read reviews before going again. Despite all the negative reviews about the service, I decided to go anyways because I really wanted their beef fajitas.
I didn’t expect much upon entering the restaurant as far as service goes, but I had a completely different experience than what I read. Was seated promptly on a fri night around 7:30. It was quite loud in there. Our waitress came shortly and asked if we’ve been there and proceeded to tell us about the specials and recommended a few items. She was quite friendly. We placed our orders right away based one of her recommendations because we were hungry.
Our drinks came along with the chips and salsas. A few min later the manager came by to say hi and welcomed us because the waitress told him it was my bf’s first time there. He offered a free queso on the house as a welcoming gift. It was a pleasant surprise.
We ordered the hatch chile fajita combo to share ($ 33). It came with 4 bacon wrapped shrimp, beef, and chicken. Also comes with individual sides for each of us. Choice of rice and beans. Between the two of us, we didn’t finish it and I eat a lot and I was super hungry.
I’ve always been a fan of the been fajita, it was good and the shrimp was good also. Chicken was dry. Love the fresh tortillas.
5 stars for service, 4 for food.
Overall, rated 4 stars for the noise level and the warm salsa. But it’s my preference I like cold salsa.

I’ve been to this place several times and it seems to get worse each time. First time I may have rated it a three, but after tonight’s experience I just can’t.
My husband and I arrived right around 6pm and were seated right away. The waitress, Briana, arrived a few minutes later, didn’t bother introducing herself, and asked if we wanted waters — no suggestions were offered and she acted like she was in a hurry. I get it, it’s dinner time, but if you don’t like being busy when you’re a waitress, you probably have the wrong job.
After we got our waters, I started to ask for a straw, before Briana cut me off and told me that she had to ask someone to get them from the back. Meanwhile, I could see plenty of straws at the bar in two different locations.
My husband then orders a drink and I asked if the fajitas were still half off on Wednesday nights. She says yes, the large portion. She leaves.
Five or so minutes later she comes back — no straw and no drink for my husband — to take our order. I told her we want the chicken fajitas and she asks which one — umm, the ones I asked about being on special. I also asked for mine to include black beans.
Ten minutes later our food arrives — of course my beans were wrong. And as of that point I still didn’t have a straw and my husband didn’t have his margarita either. She comes over after about five minutes and I ask about the straw and drink. She doesn’t say anything and leaves. Nearly another 10 minutes go by before I can get a simple straw and my husband a margarita.
I really hate having to ask for things multiple times, but what was even more annoying was home much of a hurry Briana seemed to be in every time she was at our table. It’s like she couldn’t get away fast enough.
But what also gets me are the prices here. We split the HALF OFF chicken fajitas and on margarita and our bill was $ 32.00. That’s a high price to pay for poor service and average Mexican food. I will say the tortillas are amazing.

Sat at the bar to watch a game and ordered a «large» margarita without really thinking. Man, that glass is probably bigger than a kid’s head! Well made too.
The shrimp brochette tacos were well made. Rice and beans are standard and high quality. Chips and salsa were fresh and just the right spicy level. The portions are big. Sharing will be a good idea.

Hands down they have the best tres leches cake in town. The drink was potent. Happy hour goers this is your spot. The grilled shrimp tacos were excellent. The grilled shrimp salad was excellent. The beef and cheese enchiladas were excellent. chips were warm and crisp but the salsa was too watery and not flavorful for me. We dined in at 4pm on a tuesday. place nearly empty and the service was crazy unacceptably slow. dont know what that was all about. the manager made it right with us.

My family loves Papasitos, but we used to love it more when the service was better. Our waitress tonight was very flighty. During the middle of the meal we ran out of tortillas and asked another server to get us some, and they only brought a set of four (although there was six of us). Along with this, the chicken was barely cut up and hard to put on the tortilla to make the fajita. The flavors are still wonderful — but the onions could have been grilled better. Also, I kept getting water dropped on me and by the end of the meal I realized it was the ceiling… Leaking… Beyond this the piña colada I got sucked– well actually it didn’t suck because it was so poorly blended huge chunks of ice kept getting stuck in my straw (and no pineapple slice!!)
Would we go again? Yes, but still very disappointed. Maybe try a different location.

Was soll ich sagen, fahre seit gut 10 Jahren nach Austin zur ARC (Austin Record Convention) und habe Pappasito’s Cantina noch nie wahrgenommen.
War am 26.10.2013 dort und habe fantastisch gegessen. «Crab Claws» und «Filet Mignon Fajitas with Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp».
Auch die Margaritas sind prima, wenn man nicht die einfachste Variante wählt.
Mein Tipp: Sich ruhig trauen auf der Terrasse zu essen, da ist es nicht ganz so laut und man sitzt nicht bei gefühlten 10 Grad im AC Klima.
Steht das nächste Mal definitiv auf der Agenda.