Oh buddy, buckle up, because I’m about to sing the praises of El Metate in Signal Mountain, Tennessee like it’s the grand finale at a fireworks show.
If you’ve ever said, “I could really go for some tacos that make me question everything I thought I knew about joy,” then El Metate is where you need to be. I walked in expecting a regular ol’ Mexican meal. I walked out feeling like I’d been hugged by a mariachi band and kissed on the forehead by a warm flour tortilla.
Let’s talk chips and salsa first. They come out faster than your cousin Gary at a NASCAR race, and they do not play around. The chips are fresh, crispy, and clearly made by someone who respects the sacred geometry of the tortilla. The salsa? Spicy enough to make you feel alive, but not so spicy you need a medic. It’s the kind of salsa that makes you nod after the first bite and say, “Oh yeah. We’re gonna be friends.”
Now, the food. Sweet mercy. I got the fajitas, and when they brought them out, the whole restaurant turned to stare like a soap opera twist had just happened. Sizzling, steaming, making sounds like a Fourth of July sparkler—if fajitas had a theme song, mine were playing it. And the portions? Let’s just say I had leftovers and zero regrets.
My wife got the enchiladas and made sounds I usually only hear when she’s watching Hallmark movies and someone finds love in a small-town Christmas tree farm. The rice was fluffy, the beans were comforting, and everything on the plate had the audacity to be delicious.
Service? Impeccable. Friendly without being fake. Our waiter remembered our drink order and gave me extra guac without judging me. That’s the kind of hospitality that deserves a parade.
El Metate is the kind of place where you can bring your kids, your grandparents, your in-laws, your mailman, and they’ll all leave smiling and full. Heck, bring someone you don’t like—they’ll probably forgive you after a plate of chimichangas.
So if you’re on Signal Mountain and not eating at El Metate, what are you even doing with your life? Put down whatever sad sandwich you were planning on and get yourself to taco heaven. Just be warned: you’ll think about those fajitas in the shower for the next three days.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lucas
The food was slightly worse than most Mexican places but rateing is almost solely because their was 3 customers and 3 servers it took me 30 mins to get a drink and an hour to order. Why? This shouldn't happen in that scenario
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
none listener
I was here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Jamie Harness
The waitstaff do not check on the table often enough. Specifically asked if peppers and tomatoes come on fajitas and was told yes. When it got to the table there was NO vegetables. They had to take the whole plate back to add vegetables instead of just bringing vegetables back. They don’t typically bring enough salsa for the table. The food does taste okay. Would be a better experience if they polished their service a bit.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Rodger Castleberry
Polblano prpper was very bad
Kat Sunshine
Went here after a long hike in the woods and just wow! We were seated quickly, and the food came out fast, even on a busy Friday night. The portions were amazing, and so was the quality of food. Omgod, yum!!!! I live in FL, and this is the best Mexican food place I've ever been to. Really wish we had one by us. The only negative thing I have to say is they charged me .99 for take out. It's weird but not worth a 4 star rating because everything was phenomenal. My server was Jesus, and he was great also.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mike S
Food was great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley Overstreet
They got two of our parties orders wrong. I actually had dried food on my plate with my food. The waitress was friendly and kept our drinks refilled.
We've had good food at this restaurant, but not as good lately. Carryout orders are usually always missing something. Today, the Chimichanga we ordered was not in our bag, and was substituted with a dish we didn't recognize (open faced shell with fixings and a slice of tomato on top?). The cheesy rice was just rice with no cheese. The other items were good. The cashier checked the order twice in front of me before saying it was okay, then gave me the wrong change when I paid her. I hope they can correct their service going forward.
chuck giannunzio
Great food
Stephanie Pope
Best chunky guacamole I’ve ever had!
J dorian
I have been there 3 times and everytime they get my order wrong. They put pieces of chicken in my vegetarian dish, all 3 times. This is not acceptable. The salsa is awfull, the food is never hot. Will not go there again.
shane dorian
I don’t know how a restaurant can get my order wrong every single time I come in, my order is very simple, I order the nachos vegetarian with extra queso sauce and rice, every single time I come in, and they ALWAYS mess it up, be it there’s grilled chicken or steak on them, no cheese, or no rice or a combination of all 3 unwanted or missing ingredients. I keep coming back because the restaurant is close to my house and I hope that maybe one time they won’t mess my meal up in some form, they have yet to prove me otherwise. The only thing that is positive is that the wait staff is fairly friendly. The last time I came in was 01/24/25 (Friday night)
Food was great, good dining atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Oh buddy, buckle up, because I’m about to sing the praises of El Metate in Signal Mountain, Tennessee like it’s the grand finale at a fireworks show.
If you’ve ever said, “I could really go for some tacos that make me question everything I thought I knew about joy,” then El Metate is where you need to be. I walked in expecting a regular ol’ Mexican meal. I walked out feeling like I’d been hugged by a mariachi band and kissed on the forehead by a warm flour tortilla.
Let’s talk chips and salsa first. They come out faster than your cousin Gary at a NASCAR race, and they do not play around. The chips are fresh, crispy, and clearly made by someone who respects the sacred geometry of the tortilla. The salsa? Spicy enough to make you feel alive, but not so spicy you need a medic. It’s the kind of salsa that makes you nod after the first bite and say, “Oh yeah. We’re gonna be friends.”
Now, the food. Sweet mercy. I got the fajitas, and when they brought them out, the whole restaurant turned to stare like a soap opera twist had just happened. Sizzling, steaming, making sounds like a Fourth of July sparkler—if fajitas had a theme song, mine were playing it. And the portions? Let’s just say I had leftovers and zero regrets.
My wife got the enchiladas and made sounds I usually only hear when she’s watching Hallmark movies and someone finds love in a small-town Christmas tree farm. The rice was fluffy, the beans were comforting, and everything on the plate had the audacity to be delicious.
Service? Impeccable. Friendly without being fake. Our waiter remembered our drink order and gave me extra guac without judging me. That’s the kind of hospitality that deserves a parade.
El Metate is the kind of place where you can bring your kids, your grandparents, your in-laws, your mailman, and they’ll all leave smiling and full. Heck, bring someone you don’t like—they’ll probably forgive you after a plate of chimichangas.
So if you’re on Signal Mountain and not eating at El Metate, what are you even doing with your life? Put down whatever sad sandwich you were planning on and get yourself to taco heaven. Just be warned: you’ll think about those fajitas in the shower for the next three days.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was slightly worse than most Mexican places but rateing is almost solely because their was 3 customers and 3 servers it took me 30 mins to get a drink and an hour to order. Why? This shouldn't happen in that scenario
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 2
I was here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The waitstaff do not check on the table often enough. Specifically asked if peppers and tomatoes come on fajitas and was told yes. When it got to the table there was NO vegetables. They had to take the whole plate back to add vegetables instead of just bringing vegetables back. They don’t typically bring enough salsa for the table. The food does taste okay. Would be a better experience if they polished their service a bit.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Polblano prpper was very bad
Went here after a long hike in the woods and just wow! We were seated quickly, and the food came out fast, even on a busy Friday night. The portions were amazing, and so was the quality of food. Omgod, yum!!!! I live in FL, and this is the best Mexican food place I've ever been to. Really wish we had one by us. The only negative thing I have to say is they charged me .99 for take out. It's weird but not worth a 4 star rating because everything was phenomenal. My server was Jesus, and he was great also.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
They got two of our parties orders wrong. I actually had dried food on my plate with my food. The waitress was friendly and kept our drinks refilled.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Try the molcajete. It's great to share for 2.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
We've had good food at this restaurant, but not as good lately. Carryout orders are usually always missing something. Today, the Chimichanga we ordered was not in our bag, and was substituted with a dish we didn't recognize (open faced shell with fixings and a slice of tomato on top?). The cheesy rice was just rice with no cheese. The other items were good. The cashier checked the order twice in front of me before saying it was okay, then gave me the wrong change when I paid her. I hope they can correct their service going forward.
Great food
Best chunky guacamole I’ve ever had!
I have been there 3 times and everytime they get my order wrong. They put pieces of chicken in my vegetarian dish, all 3 times. This is not acceptable. The salsa is awfull, the food is never hot. Will not go there again.
I don’t know how a restaurant can get my order wrong every single time I come in, my order is very simple, I order the nachos vegetarian with extra queso sauce and rice, every single time I come in, and they ALWAYS mess it up, be it there’s grilled chicken or steak on them, no cheese, or no rice or a combination of all 3 unwanted or missing ingredients. I keep coming back because the restaurant is close to my house and I hope that maybe one time they won’t mess my meal up in some form, they have yet to prove me otherwise. The only thing that is positive is that the wait staff is fairly friendly. The last time I came in was 01/24/25 (Friday night)
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