Happy Mexican

The beef enchiladas are great but not above El Porton. I usually get enchiladas, rice, and beans when I eat here, but I wasn’t overly hungry today. I’ll eat them again with enchilada sauce.
The service was ok. It took a while to get the check.

It’s a good place for what it is.
If you are looking for the very definition of Tex Mex food, with hit-​or-​miss service, this is it.
If you are looking for mexican’ish murals and decorations, this is it.
If you are looking for mostly reasonable prices with alright food, this might be it.
If you are looking for authentic Mexican food, or flavorful plates, this is not it. You can do much better in Memphis.

I just want to laugh at how ridiculous this place is. When you first walk in there is a sign that says it is a family friendly restaurant, but they have music so loud and bass so high that it shakes the seats. How is that family friendly? You can’t even talk to the waiters without having to scream. So far the salsa is good, no salt at the table, chips are stale. Kind of annoying. Wouldn’t come back. Considering walking out.

Happy Mexican food is always delicious. However when it’s close to closing time there’s a certain crowd that doesn’t make the atmosphere enjoyable. Like seriously people. Let’s not get drunk before going to the cantina. Also here’s the greatest part ! The business also adds a percentage to your ticket if you’re ticket is still open past 10pm. Which is beautiful on your pocket by the way.
While enjoying my loud, obnoxious seating area would I could not hear the person across from me, I ordered a Togo order (couldn’t enjoy the atmosphere no longer than needed). My ordered the happy grande burrito which is always delicious and a beef taco. When I ordered the taco, I expected a typical taco. I was all types of wrong. My taco had a good pound worth of beef on there. And it was delicious. Greasy. But delicious. I will be coming again but hopefully with the lunch crowd.

Ok, so the place has a very interesting decoration style and that is about the highlight of this review. The jumbo margarita is a winner, as its got a good enough kick!
Seriously, this place is a bit of a disappointment aside from the margaritas. The service is ok. The food lacks seasoning and this is across the board. There is just no real flavor to anything we had: salsa, cheese dip, Camarones Happy Mexican, and Beef Fajita Quesadilla. Every dish just lacked the flavor you’d expect.
Personal dislike: they use shredded lettuce as a decoration for everything… Everything! This was shaping up to be a 3 star review, but when we received our check we discovered that the waitress added a 15% gratuity to our party of two bill. I addressed this with the management who offered to pull the charge. I declined, because I just wanted out of here.
Sadly the Happy Mexican is no bueno… Except for the ‘ritas!

Loud restaurant that has a ghetto club vibe.
Food was edible but nothing special at all. I had carne asada tacos. They were served on flour tortillas, which wasn’t what I expected. Meat was grey and not seasoned well. The drinks were bad. I had a top shelf margarita. Since when is Jose Cuervo top shelf? Anyway, I probably sound like a snob but there are so many places that are better than this. The other patrons seemed to be having a good time listening to the loud loud rap music and socializing. Oh and the restaurant had 2 security guards on duty. That should give you an idea about the clientele. I won’t be back.

Save time and money and eat at Taco Bell next door. This establishment was very dirty and the food was not good at all except the white cheese dip. I had a chicken fajita quesadilla and the meat was chewy, and the tortilla was stale. We were there for my Mother’s Day and had 5 adults and 5 kids in our party. It took over 45 minutes to get our food once we put in our order and the waiter only showed up 2 times between when we put in our order and received our food. The restaurant was only about half full so the kitchen wasn’t slammed as you’d expect to wait that long for food at a Mexican restaurant. Save time and money and do not go to this place.

I have visited this place twice in the past few weeks and the food and drinks have always been good. I have never had an issue with service or cleanliness. The prices are a lot cheaper than the the nearby Salsa. I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

I have eaten there a bunch of times. Good place for a quick lunch. Food is OK, and a good value for the money. Service is good.

My experience here was really… Odd. Went there yesterday for a «Cinco de Mayo lunch» for food and margs. I ordered a simple shrimp dish with rice which wasn’t anything special, but it was fine. My boyfriend got a combination dish which was supposed to come with a burrito, but the waiter must’ve forgotten about it because it only came with enchiladas and a taco when served to him. The margaritas were pretty good, I got mine frozen. So the weird part was the staff… I sat at a table outside and I felt like I saw at least 3 employees hanging out in the patio at ALL TIMES and I was there for almost two hours. I even saw the same employees come out for multiple «smoke breaks». Very unprofessional. I would give the food a 3 but the management that this place is under is very poor. 2 stars.

I came here with a couple of my cousins last week while I was visiting. They made it sound as though it was a bar/​lounge-​type place. Once we walked in, I quickly realized it was not. lol Just a loud restaurant is what it is. There’s a sign on the door that stated that there would be a 18% tip fee added to any food/​drinks ordered after 10 P.M.- aww, that’s sweet.
Our server was average. He spoke with a thick accent and was very busy with several tables. I ordered the peach jumbo margarita, which was $ 11.99 and strong, may I add. I also ordered the chicken burrito, which was $ 8.99. Both were huge. I did not finish my meal. The food was okay as was my drink. It was pretty loud and got rambunctious at some points. It was cool, though. I’d come back…

Pretty good Mexican food. I thought the Chili Relleno and tostaguac were both very good.
A little pricey, but not bad.
Fairly clean restaurant.
Good service.

Paid extra for something that was to come with the meal. Yet menu says they will not substitute. Waiter barely knew menu items, just smiled and said ok. Will not take family back, messy and loud. DO NOT go into the restrooms hard telling what you will walk out with!

I know the history of this building. It was Grady’s, then it was Cockeyed Camel (where it took a dip into the pit of nasty, and couldn’t shake the scum off its cigarette leg). I have fond memories of one, but Cockeyed Camel was so heinous, it was tough to give this Happy Mexican in the same location a try.
I’m so glad we did. We come on Sundays, typically, before noon, when it’s not very crowded. We have had two attentive servers, who knew what we needed (refills, extra napkins, to go box). The food is fine! It’s Memphis Mexican food, and the salsa is like a more tomatoey salsa from Playita Mexicana in Bartlett, with the garlic and cilantro. Their cheese dip did not lack for flavor and texture, either.
Prices are fair. The décor is bright and well done, including the giant painting of the Aztec romance novel cover (or so it would look) on the kitchen wall.
Avoid the restrooms, they haven’t changed since Cockeyed Camel, and feel like 9 hookers were just itching down their pantyhose and tweaking their false eyelashes. Everything is just kind of wet and stinky.

Horrible service. Second time I’ve been here. Both times were horrible. The first time they refunded the manditory gratuity. The second time around, I paid my bill and left very unhappy. The servers there just collect their 15% manditory gratuity. I should have known better. The location downtown has good service when I go there, but the east memphis location is… ghetto. while in the restaurant, 7 – 10 drunk women start singing/​screaming some song that they were playing on a cell phone. Neither the bartender nor the manager did anything about it.

Plus– It’s close to my hotel. They do have traditional tacos– if you ask. Miller Lite is cheap– don’t bother looking for bourbon, I drank every last bit.
Minuses– I’m here for the bar– so I’ll hang at the bar. Here is where the Happy Mexican has an identity crisis. Most nights (I’ve been here 6 of the last 7) the bar quickly turns into a rap nightclub. Complete with folks hollering and screaming, and songs with words that should not be played. After all, they are a «family restaurant» according to the sign on the door. «We have the right to refuse service to anyone– remember this is a FAMILY restaurant!» Most times– there’s folks that are feeling the same problems as me– you get sympathetic looks, and an occasional eye roll.
It’s loud and obnoxious, most every night. They play offensive rap with lots of offensive words.
But I guess I’m here for another week– where the heck else will I go for a beer?

Food came out pretty quickly.
My wife ordered shredded chicken chimichanga. Large portion size. Good Flavor.
I can’t remember what mine was called, but it was chicken strips and mexican sausage grilled with onions. I liked the taste of this very much. Definitely would order this again.
Chips were a little too thick for our taste, but I liked the cilantro flavor of the salsa.
One area of improvement I saw was that it took way too long to get the check when we were finished.
Overall good experience and will come again.

The food was pretty bland, especially for Mexican food.
They can usually accommodate for large parties… but I was very confused when they asked for a credit card from someone in our party before we could be seated.

I absolutely love Mexican food! The biggest issue I have with most Mexican restaurants are the chips, but Happy Mexican has some of the best chips and tastiest salsa in town! I did enjoy the food, and the price was fine. Food was served quickly, and our waitress was attentive. I was disappointed, though, that as I sat enjoying my margarita, I noticed that the place needs a deep cleaning … nothing hurts an appetite like a less-​than-​clean eating area. I wonder if that is why the lights are so low…
I am sure that I will be back, but can someone please take care of that dust situation?

They have to hold a credit card if your group is bigger than six… Such a hassle… Definitely a turnoff on coming back to dine.
Two stars only because of the happy hour special and the dos equis on draft. Terrible food and customer service at this location.