El Chapos in Maitland

Easily one of the best Mexican experiences Ive had in Australia. The food is unbeatable.

A sub par experience at best.One waitress was yelling and slamming food in front of us, the other was pushing us out the door just after our meals arrived. And to top it off the food was dry and bland. We were also sold in on the vegan cheese (by one friendly, happy water for one of our guests but was told when the food arrived they didn’t have it - after all that!The highlight of the night was the cocktails.

Waited over an hour and mains came before entre of dip. Had to collect own drinks as waitress said she had a bad knee. Could not put lime in beers as fruit put away 8.30pm, one person waited 1hr20 mins for nachos. Told we had to be out by 9pm. Just unbelievable

Have always loved El Chapo! The food is very tasty. Love the atmosphere and laughter

We had a wonderful meal upstairs for a birthday dinner. The staff were super friendly, making the birthday girl and our 8 year feel very special, and the food was great!

This place is great! I was recently there for my surprise 30th and could not have had a better time. The ambient atmosphere of up stairs is just an experience you dont want to miss.Food & cocktails were excellent and did not take long at all considering how busy they were.Now the thing that made this 5 star review is no doubt the service, the new mangers plus the staff have the most welcoming attitudes and you can tell making the customers happy is their main priority. Special shout out to James and Georgie for making the experience even more memorable.100% worth the visit, I know Ill be going back again.

What a spot! We stumbled upon this little place by accident and am very thankful we did. It without a doubt was the best tacos, nachos, burrito and sangria I have found anywhere in Australia. The chef knows what they’re doing and the restaurant atmosphere is beautiful. A hidden gem.

Been waiting to try this place, you were catering for 90 people (90!upstairs, but your family still made it a 5 star experience. Beef burrito chimichanga style was one of the best ever. Spicy Marg also top notch.

I really want to give some honest feed back because if your unaware the issues can’t be fixed. Service was good however the food was just ok. All the meats on all our meals was cold/Luke warm and personally I found my tacos average and needed more flavour. Especially the slow cooked meats they were dry cold and flavourless. The guacamole needed seasoning, Jalapeño poppers were over cooked but I still enjoyed them. Mexican food should be a party in your mouth but we found everything kinda tasted the same. The best taco was the bean taco with the sweet potato. Also it’s super cold with the front door open. I’m still going to give you guys 5 stars because it’s hard for small businesses at the moment but I do hope you guys do take on this feedback because If you nailed the food El Chapos really could be the place to be

Dinner averageDessert I cancelled, as I caught the kitchen staff spraying the canned squirty cream into there mouths and floor staff. 🤮Bought the issue up and told kitchen has 2 cans, one for customers and the other for staff….. doubt that !!Bought issue up on the night with staff, nothing, bought issue up with owners and no responseAfter 5 days of hearing nothing I posted this review, then received nasty messages on my messenger account. Which I have proof and happy to post screen shotsDisgusting !!**And response to your response**I have nothing to lie about, I own a pub 45 minutes away and do not even sell Mexican, so no competition at all. If you choose to treat customers with responses like this you will get no where in business.Your staff were unprofessional and no where was there a supervisor.Spoke to the waitress twice then i messaged you. Never once were we offered to speak to the manager, and saw no manger on the night. To me that’s more then enough. Hope you find better staff that will treat your restaurant like your own, when you and your husband are off for the night

Loved every minute of our date night here!Chimichangas are serious mouth-pleasure!If you like tequila, do yourself a favour and get the tasting board! YUM!

Ordered a takeaway meal for the family, arrived home to find one meal was missing (these things happen). Called the restaurant and the staff were very apologetic and said they would have the meal ready in 10 mins. I also ordered 2 extra tacos and when I arrived to pick it up they refused to take payment for the extra food. Very professional service and the food was amazing . Thanks again and we will definitely be back.

Outstanding food, so fresh and light, not bogged down with melted cheese like most Mexican restaurants seem to do.The meals are generous without being over the top.Fresh best describes the food.Happy and friendly staff make this a great place for a casual meal.A real gem in Maitland.

Thanks to James and the team at El Chapos for a tasty Mexican lunch. We’ll be back!

Absolutely beautiful food! I was so surprised as I dont usually like Mexican due to the spice but I loved it!My partner and his brothers done the challenge but instead of wings were given a bunch of tortilla tacos (so much more breadthat was a stitch up! They said they had no wings available and extra meat would of been more fair as wings do not contain bread! And this my only reason for 4 stars. I will definitely return.

We recently had dinner at El Chapos to celebrate my mums birthday and everything was fantastic! The food was absolutely delicious and the staff were lovely, especially Georgie (sorry if thats spelled wrong!who made us some fantastic cocktails/mocktails. We will definitely be back, and recommend El Chapos to everyone! 😁

Harnessed my inner Deadpool with Chimichanga unreal fried burrito who would have guessed. Only reason not 5 stars is the time taken was a touch slower that hoped.

Myself and my now husband recently just got married. After several cancelled dates (thanks to covidand a venue that pulled out, we then stumbled across El Chapos! The dining area upstairs is an intimate and unique space with so much potential and character. James and Kristy were more then accommodating when it came to requests and questions and I would highly recommend this venue when looking for a space for your next event. Not to mention the food and cocktails 🤤

The food was absolutely delicious, full of flavour. Great atmosphere and warm friendly service. Hard to find a place that makes children feel welcomed.

Most dysfunctional restaurant experience I can remember having.1. For a booked table of 7, waited 30-40 mins before leaving the table to go to the bar to order drinks, despite several staff members on the floor ( no one coming and offering/serving despite constant attempts at eye contact).2. Food came out for 2 people after 45 mins, rest of the orders forgotten/lost.3. 2 more people’s food came out 30+ minutes later after raising. Staff did not know what we ordered, what we’d had, despite initially taking the orders on paper.4. Finally, the last people’s food came out 30-40 mins later, plus some duplicate orders. Were a bit patronising as in ‘your food is coming’, when the first people’s were finished.5. Did not own it and say ‘we effed up ‘ and rectify, instead was more like ‘hey you can keep the extra chicken burrito we accidentally gave you’.6. Food was half cold (had been to wrong tables first). Chips not really cooked.7. Younger people at the bar not picking up signals earlier that we were ready to order and getting a bit frustrated - though one was very apologetic at the end.8. After raising some of these issues, promised us some free churros as it was my grandmas birthday. They never came.In other words a complete fail.Edit: I forgot that we had to ask for the glasses, after water and sangria came out.Please make the required improvements to the business, as this was not acceptable professional service.Edit 2: cannot believe owner’s response. Still not owning issues & experience and victim blaming. We are were a family of 7 there for an 80th birthday. We were not rude. Inside - my grandma said something like ‘I’m sorry! This is not ok.’ and when the owner said ‘your food is coming’ I said ‘they have already finished their meals!’ (in other words trying to convey the above).At the end outside we politely stepped the owner through the issues. The ‘offer’ of a discount was ‘oh we would have offered you a discount’ - we had already paid and left. There is one response to a situation like this - ‘we are extremely sorry this happened - let us work with you to fix this’. We are regular and reasonable people. This is the first one star restaurant review I have ever left, and I would not do that lightly considering it is in the public domain.Please instead consider what you can do to change.For e.g., I recommend framing it with the staff there as a training opportunity instead of suggesting that we were bad people.

Hands down the tastiest fish tacos Ive had in ages. Great atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff. Great value for money.

Food was ok, came out timely but upstairs you cant see a thing as its too dark. We had to use torches on our phones to check the menu and have enough light to eat. I understand dimmed light but i could hear every table having the same issues with the almost black space. Would probably only ever get take away but wouldnt dine in unless some lights were put in.

Last night we ate at El Chapos, for the first time. We are so glad we went. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. We will be back.

Conveniently located on Maitlands high street, El Chapos has easy access both with street parking and a rear entrance on the public car park along the river. With a casual downstairs area, and a slightly more formal upstairs featuring high ceilings, old features and soft lighting, theres room for every taste, including dine-in or take-away. The food is the most authentic mexican Ive had in australia (speaking as a half-mexican american), whilst still giving a nod to the australian palate. The chicken wings and (anything withthe pulled pork were table pleasers, and the range of tequilas and margaritas will satisfy any drinkers in the crowd. With a friendly, hard-working staff and options for reserving the space for events, its a hidden Maitland gem you owe it to yourself to discover as a new regular favourite.

I do like this placeThey do good food and the vibe is good as well up stairs is nice but makes the place look a empty down stair sometimes as people are always up topLove the chips here as well

Waited over 45 mins for mains. Waitress didn’t know basic questions asked about menu. Not a single staff member had a mask on. Food tasted good though

Good food. Good service. GREAT margaritas! Do yourself a favour and book a table upstairs if they don’t have a function on.

Although the food took a while to come, it was certainly worth the wait. Delicious nachos and tacos full of flavour and beautifully presented. Staff were lovely and attentive, and the restaurant clean and decked out in a fun vibe. Only regret is that we may not be back in Maitland to enjoy again.

Food had plenty of flavour. Though pretty spicy. You dont get a choice of heat. Its one for all..the chicken taco was loaded with pickled cabbage. Which was too sweet, too much and not drained!. He said they are re doing the menu tho. So maybe better next time. Servers were great and cute decor.

How absolutely disappointing.... I would love to do a review on the food, but we never got any 😔Had a booking for my husbands 40th with the family, got there and seated straight away. Very excited as we had checked the menu.... didnt see another staff member until we asked at the bar if we could order 45 mins after sitting..... waited..... waited.... many bags of takeaway food heading out the door.... but not one meal in the restaurant. At the 80min mark, we asked how much longer and were told it was still another 15mins away 🥺 A lovely couple at the next table had to send there cold tacos back, they had got there shortly after us. As it was now nearly quarter to 8pm we decided to cut our losses and run. Was told they had a backlog of take away orders. Didnt matter we had a booking well in advance or that they knew it was for a birthday.... I know businesses can have bad nights, but we wont be going back 😔

Great Quality Food Delivered. We have ordered delivery many times and found the food to be consistently great quality and great tasting. Delivery is always on time as quoted and the food always arrives in great condition and cannot be faulted, nothing is soggy everything that should be crispy is crispy and it all tastes amazing!

Fresh, tasty Mexican food, great staff who are hard-working and welcoming. Theres a pretty good selection of Mexican beers too. My party enjoyed a great night. Thanks very much.

Best Mexican restaurant in Maitland. Love their tacos and chips with guac. Always great service. Some nights when theyre busy they can be a little slow, but the food is worth the wait!

Delicious food, with a good range of gluten free options. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful

Woweeeeeee. Great food. We love our Mexican that’s for sure so know when it’s good or bad, and it’s good! The food seems very fresh, high quality ingredients and no excessive oil which feels quite healthy which is something we value. Would highly recommend, can’t wait to come see you in person!

James was very vibrant and upbeat, loved the energy during the phone order and pickup.The food was amazing as well.First time customer and will happily return.Edit: After commenting on being a Linkin Park doppelganger. The legend wrote this on my bag hahaha.

Terrible. Ordered a couple beef burritos via uber eats.The beef was incredibly dry and crumbly, almost like jerky. So so over-seasoned, incredibly salty, neither of us could finish it.Not sure if we got unlucky or if this is standard. Only speaking from my personal experience. Only tried once.

Easily the best Mexican in the area. Chicken wings were exceptional. Me and my wife also had a pork burrito and a beef burrito, both were great. Refreshing having a burrito that isnt 80% rice. Recommend to all.

This place is a must try for visitors and locals alike. Staff are super friendly. Experiance for your taste buds as well as you eyes. Food was fresh and full of flavour, and something to see anywhere you look.Well priced, open for lunch and dinner.Practiced covid safe guidelines the whole time.Function centre upstairs looks great. A lot of mood lighting.

Pretty annoyed. We made a call to confirm that they were still open (after we heard they were closing downand that we were coming in now to order. There was no mention that the oven was broken, meaning that most of the menu was unavailable.I understand these sort of things are out of your control, but at least let customers know so that were not going out of our way to order when staff know full well we cant order most of the menu at that time.

Service was friendly but painfully slow.This is the second time we have had one meal come out 30 minutes before all the other meals and the first meal was cold by the time the others arrived.Ordered hot desserts and they were cold by the time we received them.Serving sizes are also small and not good value for what you get.Has the potential to be really great but doesn’t deliver.

The food was amazing-fresh, full of flavour and plentiful. The space is open and comfortable. Well definitely be back.

Well priced and great tasting food... However, the food service time leaves much to be desired. We had a 1 hour wait when our table had ordered before any surge of other patrons. Also ordered a jug of water during the wait and it never arrived. Last thing, the meals are quite small (albeit tasty), so you may want to order more than your normal amounts.

Great food, drinks and service. Not only does it have some outdoor and downstairs seating, but also a larger upstairs area thats almost hidden away.

Food quite tasty and reasonably priced. Although it could have done with more filling and less burrito.Waitress lovely and well presented. Kitchen staff could use better training in food presentation, as I had to ask for a sauce , since the meal was dry and difficult to eat.

Friendly staff, great atmosphere. We got the banquet for two and each course was delicious. If you like spice, just ask the staff and they’ll give you a bottle each of chipotle and jalapeño salsa. We were super full at the end! Highly recommend the chicken and beef tacos - the most amazingly tender and flavoursome slow cooked meat I’ve had in Mexican food in a long time!

Dropped in to satisfy my Mexican craving. First time patron, not a huge dining area but friendly staff and a cosy setting. Had an entree, nachos and some tacos. Wow all were fantastic, nachos were the highlight. Also delved into the sangria and a cocktail - both were amazing! Will be back again to try some of the tequila.

I am not a fan of Mexican themed foods so naturally I was hesitant to try the food here. I ordered the beef brisket nachos and wow. The brisket seemed a little overcooked and dry but the seasoning was amazing, and the additional things on top like the guacamole and beans were amazing as well.The service was a little slow so maybe roster more people on. A downside to this restaurant was there was very limited seating. I noticed they had a function room upstairs... Why not use this as regular seating when it is not in use? It would provide more space and the business would not be risked due to lack of seating. Otherwise my experience at El Chapos was very pleasant.

Went for an early lunch. I like the feel of the atmosphere, it would have a good vibe if it was busy and perhaps at dinner. It does well to stick to a relatively authentic menu. The drinks menu...tequila is impressive. Prices are competitive if you dine in there. Some menu items need work for more flavour and freshness. The frying oil used could be lighter.

Amazing atmosphere, wonderful service, delicious large affordable meals and open late which is perfect. Highly recommend the corn. Will be happy to drive an hour to dine here again.