El Maguey Mexican Restaurants

The dinner chicken fajitas are the best. They have the best seasoning, and the portion size is perfect.

El Maguey… a chain Mexican restaurant that can be found all over St. Louis, and even in Columbia too. I really do like El Mags… They are always consistent, fast, and pretty fresh. I wanted to review this location because I went last night and really was satisfied with my visit. We sat outside, and if you haven’t been here before, totally opt-​in for sitting outside if you have the option to. You are on this decently spacious patio and see to overlook Lake Saint Louis. It’s a pretty nice spot. The service was really good too. They always start with bringing you out fresh, hot tortilla chips and salsa (which makes mexican restaurants amazing in my book). They get drinks out fast too.
I ordered the half-​order of fajita nachos. They were seriously fantastic. They had warm chips, topped with that amazing queso, beef, chicken, and shrimp… And bell peppers and onions. So good. I gobbled them all up. The half order is perfect sized too. Unless you are splitting them with someone else. One of my old co-​workers ordered Shrimp La Playa, and was super happy with her meal. And the other one ordered some burrito, and she really liked it too. I know El Maguey is just a chain, but they do things pretty good. They even had a new redesigned menu with new items on it. I was impressed.
P. S., don’t pass up a margarita.

This is MY El maguey for 100 reasons, mostly because the owner and the servers are amazing, the menu is bigger and better, and the experience of the bar and the patio is far more fun than any other Mexican restaurant! Being from LA, this is the closest thing to authentic Mexican cuisine you’ll find that is local! Thanks for the service & the great food!

It was cool to see the sign for this as we were leaving the St. Louis metro area and we had been disappointed not being able to get into Sweetie Pie’s…wow! There’s a big difference isn’t there? So, we thought Mexican… but St. Louis ain’t all that for Mexican. But, we saw the sign and we pulled in. We were greeted immediately and seated. The service seemed rushed and brusque. Like they were busy getting shift-​change done. I noticed they rushed several other customers too. Or, they would disappear for a while and reappear just in time. Anyway… service…below average. The food? Meh… I’ve had better. Almost like Chi-​chis. Made for suburban people. Bland but edible. Filling. Not offensive but definitely nothing to write home about. The tamal was mealy and could have used more meat and not been so dry. The enchilada was okay. The chile relleno was poor. A limp ancho with not much stuffed inside of it. The outside was rubbery (egg coating) and it seemed like maybe this one had been sitting for a while and was not fresh. The rice and beans were ok. No need for us to visit here again unless we’re desperate.

This location is my go to for el maguey. The food and service are pretty good. My wife and I mainly come for the atmosphere. The outside patio is nice, and has a great view of the lake. I just wish they had better drink specials during the week!

The only reason I give them 1 star and not zero is because they have outside seating in the summer. Other than that, the food is poor, most of e waitstaff is rude. Me and several of my friends were eating there and a number of the wait staff were staring at us and talking about us. They rarely checked on us. My wife and I ate there a few other times and the service is always terrible. Don’t eat here!!!

Always a favorite in our home! Great food, great price!

This one is just a little different than the others. Better atmosphere. Good food cheap. Waiters also helpful with your Spanish if you care to try. Fun!