Dos Gringos is on University just north of the stockyards so it is conveniently located for this plan, if it exists. Apparently this place has been around for awhile, but I'm too busy watching the olympics to research how long. But I know why its been around. It's a decent mexican place.
I recently dined at the lovely establishment and was welcomed by a Townes Van Zandt wannabe singing beautiful music and showing why some people might make jokes about cowboys. He had a Texas flag shirt, that was five times too big for him. He also had an extra large cowboy hat. Not like the dumb and dumber cowboy hat, but not like you one you'd find at Leddy's. He had a classic look that said, "I sing here every night". Maybe he was more of a Garth Brooks wannabe.
But its easy to see how one could get drunk, buy a giant cowboy hat and Texas shirt here. The margaritas are served in what Texans call "fish bowls" and what people from Iowa would call, "pools". It took Mrs. FortWorthHoleInTheWall two hands and three minutes to drink it all. She said they were good but it was gone too quickly to find out.
The restaurant also had food.
First things first - chips and salsa. The chips were decent, in that light, airy and not greasy sort of way that makes things decent. The salsa had a good spice that hit on the way down but was a bit runny for me. For my meal, I had a beef enchilada and taco and they met the standard required for basic mexican fare - a bit of spice, cheesy, beefy, tender, and really good. Definitely worthy of a repeat trip.
The Mrs. had the beef fajita nachos and she promised me the beef was tender, the chips were covered in cheese and they were not at all decent (see above). They tasted good, but they were greasy.
So all in all, drunk cowboys, DWI inducing margaritas, chips/salsa that were good, good basic mexican food, and fairly affordable prices make this a place worthy of a revisit.
Let me know what you think.
24 comments:
I've only been to the dos gringos on University. I don't like it. Is there a Montgomery on the northside?
You're right. I had the wrong street. I have changed that in the post. Of all the people I know who have been, the reviews are mixed so I'm interested to see what everybody says about this review. I figure the response will be similar.
Thanks for reading.
Let me start by saying I love this blog! I've never posted before because I usually agree with you and there's no need to be a repeater. Great job!!
On to Dos Gringos...
I'm not a big fan myself. They have a decent happy hour and the margaritas are good, but I think the food is extremely average. The salsa is warm, bland and runny...not good in my book. The menu is chopped full of standard tex-mex, nothing original or overly appetizing. There are way too many good tex-mex places to eat in Fort Worth to waste your time on this place. The only reason I can figure this place is still around is because of it's perfect location to cater to the out of town crowd or possibly the happy hour crowd. In my humble opinion...
Jeremy, I agree that the Fort has a great number of other places to eat. And given the choice, I can think of eight or nine places I would pick over Dos Gringos. However, none of them have drunk cowboys singing karaoke.
I will also agree that there is no flair in the food. But sometimes, all you need is a greasy enchilada that tastes exactly like it looks...you know what I mean.
Thanks for reading. I figured this post would get some dissents because I recognize its place in Fort Worth and that its nowhere near the greatest. I just didn't think it was the worst.
They do make a really good top shelf pool of margarita. Drink 2 of those and it's time to look for a designated driver. I like the food, but don't love it, but I do make it a point to stop in a couple times a year.
Mrs. Jose and I went there almost exactly 5 years ago. Guess I'm in with the general mood of the group. Struck me as a pretty standard place, with nothing distinctive about the food. Though we obviously missed the drunken cowboy karaoke bit - maybe that's a new feature to draw people in? I didn't mark it as a place to go back to.
For Mexican in Ft. Worth, our favorite is still Fernandez Cafe on Vickery. Maybe the best enchiladas I've ever had. And ask for the spicy salsa, that they hold back otherwise. I need to write about this place myself, just haven't gotten around to it.
I love Fernandez on Vickery! They have vegetarian dishes, so that helps me. The Kendall Bowl (extra cilantro and a spoonful of sour cream) is my favorite for lunch/dinner and the egg white burrito (it has an official name, but I can't remember it right now) for breakfast.
Their chips are amazing, also!
I've been to Dos Gringos once or twice in my 22 years in FW and it's less than mediocre. :(
Another vote for "meh" on Dos Gringos. I am not a fan.
I am also not a fan of The Original on Camp Bowie, either - tasted very bland and canned - but it gets loads of praise sometimes, so what do I know.
So we all agree that I'll go watch the drunk cowboys sing Diana Ross covers and you'll all stay away from Dos Gringos. Does that mean that I can get away with singing like a drunk cowboy without getting caught?
Only if you were a Texas shirt and a bolero.
I actually like Dos Gringos - their staff has been really nice to our group in the past. The food isn't outstanding, but it's what I think of as "comfort" Mexican food. Reminds me of a family run place in Mesquite that I grew up eating. We used to have monthly meetings there but they let a karaoke group start having practices (?) there on Wednesday nights. THAT was interesting.
My wife and I went to Dos Gringos on University about a month ago, and it was horrible.
The food was merely OK, the service was quite slow, but the most disappointing aspect of the experience was just how unclean the restaurant is. The table was dirty. The carpet throughout the restaurant looked about 30 years old. And the restrooms were absolutely horrid.
A sure sign of the management and cleanliness of a restaurant is the restroom in my opinion.
We won't be going back to Dos Gringos.
I've always thought Dos Gringos was pleasantly average. Food was okay and the prices were fair, but over the last year the service has really gotten bad. I've stopped going because the annoyingly bad service overwhelms the pleasantly average food.
I went there, but it was ages ago. I do remember that I did not care for it. The food was not good to me at all.
I'm from Arizona and we have a dos gringos on Greenfield and Baseline in Mesa. The food is okay the service needs a little work. I usually go there for just food, but one night my friends and I decided to have drinks instead. My wife and I were sitting at the bar and ordered drinks and all was well. Eventually the attendants at the bar began to ignore myself and my friends and found myself waiting up to 25 mins to get a drink. This continued for quite some time until i finally gave up and decided to close my tab and leave. I left a tip of two cents to show my disapproval of this at the end of the night. Before I could leave one of the bartenders asked me if I was displeased with the service, and I explained my elongated wait for service. Instead of showing any simplicity for the low quality of service I was told simply "not to come back" (I had planned not to anyway),". Previously working in the service industry I understand the problems that they have to deal with on the daily basis; however that is no excuse for the way I was treated. Well, being so close to the border here in Arizona I'm sure I'll find a better place to go for mexican food and drinks.
Mr. Rael
Dos Gringos has best mexican food in Texas!
Food was awesome, but careful with the margaritas they were VERY VERY STRONG! One large rocks will put you over the top.
Weekly Best of 2009 Vote Dos Gringos
Readers Choice:
Best Red Salsa
Best Margarita
Best Quesadillas
Hella good everything. The food is always served hot. The hot sauce comes out warm and it's delicious. The chips are great. The queso is to die for even with special orders they've never gotten anything wrong. We have been there for than four times. The atmosphere is great. The service is superb. I'd eat here every night if I had the funds to do so. Reasonably priced and well worth it. Best mexican food in the city and we've tried almost all of them (including well known restaurants such as Joe T's, Tres Joses, Mercado Juarez) blows them out of the race. The margaritas are best ever, anywhere.
BEST HAPPY HOUR IN TOWN! Best Tex-Mex in town. Also have huge Margaritas (careful not more than two or you'll be hurting the next morning) Great Happy Hour croud too.
Fantastic!: Best fajitas in town. Great tortillas. Great chile con queso. Great margaritas. If you are looking for a local joint with a great atmosphere and great food and don't want to pay an arm and a leg, Dos Gringo's is the place for you.
Dos Gringos is an awesome place to go if you want some tex-mex, and are really craving a margarita. I have never seen bigger margaritas in my life. They are delicious and you definitely get your moneys worth. Their food is great, but the margaritas are definitely what i come for.
Hmmm. I'm supposed to attend a meeting there later this week, and had thought about showing up early for lunch. Did read this blog, read two others, read two sites with just ratings. Will have lunch elsewhere before the meeting. Thanks for the heads up. There is *no* excuse for any TexMex, country Mexican, or border comida in Fort Worth to be mediocre, or less than mediocre.
Well...I showed up for my meeting this week. WOW This place is understated! Best Tex-Mex I have had in Fort Worth. We will be back soon.
Wow the ritas at dos gringos are huge!!! I love the service the server mentioned the crazy specials in march FREE BEER couldnt believe it. We will be back in to see you Manny thanks!!!!
I think Dos Gringos is like a FW institution. My husband remembers eating there as a child. I remember eating there in college. I think people forget it's there with all the hustle and bustle of 7th street. I had chips and salsa, beans and beef and chicken fajitas. It was all so good! I love a place with a "hole in the wall" atmosphere. If you are looking for gourmet Mexican cuisine, this is not the place. If you are looking for a fun, affordable, casual place before you hit Lucky Strike Lanes on 7th or the Pour House, give it a try. Capital bar is right next door. The Modern is right across the street. And it has a huge parking lot!
Priscilla, it is an institution and it definitely has a place in the tex-mex realm of Fort Worth eateries. Thanks for reading and commenting!
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