Enable JavaScript to run this app.
Skip to Main Content
OpenTable logo
  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Austin
  4. Austin
  5. Downtown

El Alma Cafe y Cantina

4.8
4.8
784 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican
Patio seating is first come first serve. Reservations are for indoor dining room only.

El Alma Cafe y Cantina is vibrant, homespun take on the authentic flavors of Mexico. Chef Alma Alcocer prepares food as she would cook for you in her home.


"It"s fun, flavorful Mexican food that is very approachable. It's a casual, authentic representation of the food I grew up eating." - Chef Alma

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 46 times today

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Cuisines

    Mexican

  • Hours of operation

    Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:00am -3:00pm; Brunch: Saturday - Sunday: 10:00am - 3:00pm; Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 3:00pm - 10:00pm; Friday - Saturday: 3:00pm - 11:00pm; Happy Hour: Every Day: 3:00pm - 6:00pm;

  • Phone number

    (512) 609-8923

  • Payment options

    AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

  • Dress code

    Casual Dress

  • Owned/operated by

    Women

  • Executive chef

    Alma Alcocer

  • Catering

    For caterings email us at info@elalmacafe.com.

  • Neighborhood

    Downtown

  • Cross street

    Dawson

  • Parking details

    Private Lot

  • Additional

    Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access

Popular dishes

What 784 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Sort by

Filters

  1. Nick

    New York Area

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    overall4food5service4ambience4
    Great food, with some unusual and inventive dishes. But it's very noisy, so don't plan to have an intimate conversation,
  2. samk

    Caribbean

    28 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    28 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    We were slightly disappointed that the Lamb was out for lunch. The chicken tortilla soup was good. The fried plantains are the best. The duck Taco was great. The Redfish wasn’t so fresh and the Corn Bread could have been better. Overall good. We will be back.
  3. JenniferF

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We always have a wonderful time at El Alma. It's one of our favorite places to go!
  4. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 13, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    Great service, food and ambience! Lots of vegetarian and vegan options
  5. VictoriaC

    Austin

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great clean healthy food
  6. VinaKava

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    From the moment we walked in the service was outstanding. The craft cocktails were amazing, and the food was beautifully presented and so tasty good. Hands down, the mole I’ve had at a restaurant ever.
  7. OpenTable Diner

    Dallas

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 28, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Delicious and accommodating
  8. KimS

    Austin

    164 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    164 reviews

    Dined on February 18, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food and service. The Tres Leches was the perfect dessert!
  9. KaseyB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 17, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Our favorite was the duck relleno! Absolutely delicious.
  10. Saladd

    Austin

    29 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    29 reviews

    Dined on February 12, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Love this place!! Sweet potato chile rellano and a mangorita are the best.
  11. SarahH

    Dallas

    31 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    31 reviews

    Dined on February 11, 2023

    overall4food5service4ambience5
    Fun drinks and food!
  12. MindyD

    New York Area

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on February 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Great food in a casual setting. Lamb chops and redfish were amazing. Will definitely be back.
  13. BarbaraG

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on February 5, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience3
    I went to El Alma for brunch for the first time yesterday. My friend and I really enjoyed it. It is authentic Mexican flavors, is comfortable, casual and very friendly. I will definitely go back and would like to try it for dinner.
  14. AnneH

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 3, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Every staff person there was friendly and professional.
  15. AdrienneP

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 31, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The food is exceptional! And the staff was incredibly friendly and professional!
  16. OpenTable Diner

    Austin

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great service, food and hospitality!!
  17. KristinS

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Food was fantastic. Drinks also delicious. Very accommodating for large group. Waitress was very nice and knowledgeable with awesome recommendations!
  18. OpenTable Diner

    Atlantic City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    I visited yesterday for my birthday and booked two weeks prior. We were sited swiftly when we arrived, the young waiter was super friendly and helpful as it was out first time. My kids had the tomato soup which was delicious, and I had the shrimp and rice wish was to die for. The drinks were on point and the place was very clean. Cant beat the free dessert for my birthday. The flan was delicious. I had a great Birthday and booked already for two weeks out.
  19. AlexM

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food, amazing service, great for big parties!
  20. jdesche

    Denver

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on January 15, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience3
    A nice experience on the rooftop because we had a party of seven so got the table in the north corner like we were on a balcony, very good food, we met Alma and she was lovely, and our server CJ was the nicest, most calm, helpful & patient server I can remember. Get Chile salt on your margs & get dessert!
  21. LiliaS

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 12, 2023

    overall5food5service3ambience5
    Food and atmosphere were amazing!! My only complaint would be that our server didn’t check on us much, but it wasn’t hard to flag them down
  22. MelindaB

    Exclusive

    20 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on January 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Such attention to our group by our kind and wonderful Servers! Great drinks and incredible brunch selections. Can't wait to come back....
  23. mikec

    Austin

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 7, 2023

    overall2food1service4ambience3
    mediocre at best. crema de elote (corn soup) barely had a corn taste. Street corn we ordered on the side was only fair. the duck relleno I ordered was very mediocre - tasted like shredded duck was just thrown in a steamed poblano chile. AND the food was higher priced than other similar restaurants. will not return.
  24. OpenTable Diner

    Austin

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 6, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience4
    Great place!
  25. Notaveganyogini

    Austin

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 3, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    I love this place! Old Austin at its best! Great service great food!
  26. gabrielc

    Austin

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 3, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great tasting food, outstanding service a very patient server for our table since we were dining with my grandparents. Only thing i would say is it is a little expensive but the quality of the ingredients makes sense
  27. OpenTable Diner

    Exclusive

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 13, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We went for a bachelorette dinner and everything was great! The workers were very accommodating for a large group. The drinks and the food were great!
  28. JanaK

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 22, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Wonderful selection of drinks, traditional Tex Mex plates priced well
  29. LaurenB

    Austin

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on October 13, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    All our food was delicious, as were the drinks. Service was great, too! We will be back!!!
  30. CindyJ

    Austin

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 10, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Everyone's food was awesome as always! Thank you El Alma for never disappointing us.
  31. DeepikaS

    Austin

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 10, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Lovely lunch time birthday celebration. Food is always delicious, arrives promptly and the wait staff so courteous and pleasant. Excellent margaritas of course.
  32. madi

    Austin

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 8, 2022

    overall5food4service5ambience5
    Drinks are always great and service is always great too.
  33. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 7, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    Good food - duck rellenos tasty but relleno skin tough (for me) most places you could use a fork to cut but on our night anyway- a knife to get through skin would have liked server who could speak more to the food and drink since we had out of state guests. Still overall nice.
  34. OpenTable Diner

    Austin

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 28, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food and service.
  35. OpenTable Diner

    Austin

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 25, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Love coming to El Alma’s! The food is always amazing and the service is quick! Everyone I take for the first time always love the food and experience as well!
  36. CarolF

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 24, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience5
    Fabulous food and excellent service. Will definitely go back. But we sat inside and it was very loud. Had trouble hearing one another.
  37. SloaneB

    Chicago

    17 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on September 19, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Absolutely fabulous!! And great margaritas as well !
  38. StaceyB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 17, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great atmosphere. Friendly and attentive staff. Food was AMAZING
  39. PRSS

    Austin

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 14, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    It had been a long time since I’ve eaten here. Food was delicious. Our wait person, Miles, was wonderful - attentive, friendly and helpful. Will definitely come back soon.
  40. HannahS

    Austin

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 13, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    El Alma is one of our top favorite spots for Mexican food in Austin. They serve true Mexican food, not TexMex. SOOO GOOD

FAQs

El Alma Cafe y Cantina is rated 4.8 stars by 784 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 46 times today
Google Map for El Alma Cafe y Cantina

1025 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street

    Dawson

  • Neighborhood

    Downtown

  • Hours of operation

    Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:00am -3:00pm; Brunch: Saturday - Sunday: 10:00am - 3:00pm; Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 3:00pm - 10:00pm; Friday - Saturday: 3:00pm - 11:00pm; Happy Hour: Every Day: 3:00pm - 6:00pm;

  • Cuisines

    Mexican

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Dress code

    Casual Dress

  • Parking details

    Private Lot

  • Payment options

    AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

  • Owned/operated by

    Women

  • Executive chef

    Alma Alcocer

  • Additional

    Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2023 OpenTable, Inc. 1 Montgomery St Ste 700, San Francisco CA 94104 - All rights reserved.
OpenTable is part of Booking Holdings, the world leader in online travel and related services.
Booking LogoPriceline LogoKAYAK LogoAgoda LogoRentalcars LogoOpenTable Logo