What an incredible experience. My five friends and I came to eat an early dinner on the outside patio. We found a parking spot right in front. Hostess Emma and Server Ashley were both so helpful and happy. Ashley gave us so many recommendations and made the start of our girls trip amazing. We love them so much, give those girls a raise!

OVERALL An absolute Austin gem for Mexican food with casual seating, wonderful service, and an *excellent all-around menu* of snacks, entrees, and desserts. So delighted we took this recommendation and would 10/10 return! AMBIANCE Wooden high tops, dining tables, bar seating and a spiral staircase to outdoor seating with hanging plants and dim-cozy lighting and music vibes. Great for date nights and hang-outs. Parking is limited though. SERVICE We visited on a late evening just before 6pm to snag the happy hour deals. Upon entering, we were asked whether we preferred indoor or outdoor seating. After selecting, we were promptly seated at a high top table near the bar and kitchen area. A few moments later, our waitress came by to offer drinks, place delicious chips and salsa verde and salsa rojo on the table, and ask if we had menu queries before giving us a few moments to look it over. FOOD As we perused the menu, our waitress replenished our salsas which tasted fresh, tangy, and bright. With an assorted menu options of antojitos (snacks), rellenos, tacos, and kitchen entrees, we ultimately put in an order for the happy hour ceviche classico offer, arranchero with corn and flour tortillas, and 4 various tacos given they were street taco sized. 1. ANTOJITOS The ceviche classico arrived quickly soon after, with the citrus marinated corvina (or white sea bass, I think) well balanced with serranos and tomato's and guacamole flavors and the crunchy corn tostados. We found this dish super refreshing, colorfully displayed! It's true that perhaps a flatter bowl may have made scooping and sharing more convenient, we are glad we ordered this light pre-entree snack to start the evening. 2. ENTREES Once we finished, after 10 minutes or so, both our entrees arrived. Both were beautifully plated and fairly portioned for the price point in our opinion. The arranchera was a perfect medium-rare!, flavorful, and served with deliciously grilled vegetable medley and lovely roasted papitas to close the dish. The tacos were also quite delicious: offering a good combo of textures from the soft (roasted meat), chewy (tortilla), crispy (fresh vegetables), and crunchy (pickled carrots) with every bite. We were particularly pleased with the arranchera, duck taco and lamb barbocoa! 3. DESSERTS We couldn't skip out on dessert given the excellent experience so far and the interesting menu options, so we went for the espresso les leche and chocolate cake with an additional scoop of vanilla ice cream for a charge because no one can turn down a warm chocolate fudgey cake with ice cream! Both were absolutely excellent! The chocolate cake was warm and fudgey, gooey interior but nicely crunchy on the edges. The les leche cake with espresso tequila was quite a special mini twist with the mango bits. It was tall, light and fluffy, and the right balance of sweetness (and not too heavy on the espresso). Would definitely order these two again!

REALLY enjoyed El Alma! It's not a place that jumps out at you but I saw great reviews online and decided to give it a try. The servers are nice, and although I was ordering takeout they seated me at the bar since it was a 15ish min wait. I took a little lap of the restaurant and thought it was cool they have an outdoor seating area technically on the roof -- there's a cool slightly spiraled stone staircase right inside the restaurant by the bar that leads up there. Re: the food - I got one of the tortas on the lunch menu, it comes with a little chipotle-like sauce and it was very very good, albeit had a LOT of bread in the bread-to-filling ratio (some people like that though!). Nevertheless it was very flavorful. Also got the tres leches, it was quite good but doesn't beat another Austin restaurant (Nomade) who still has my favorite tres leches dessert to date. Overall this place has a great location right by downtown, clean bathrooms, great food, and a nice ambiance. Would recommend!

These margaritas are no joke. I had no idea. So good but beware haha! I loved the jungle look of the place :) and the queso fondito was delish! Definitely heading back for margs and snacks again soon!!

It's a cute place. Food was delicious! And our server was very attentive and helpful! Great atmosphere and perfect walking distance from our hotel...

Came in for dinner on a Friday night. Did not have a reservation, but was able to grab appetizers and drinks on the patio and our table was ready within 20 minutes. Super friendly service with a smile. We had a variety of tacos, the chicken mole, and friedplantains. All was delicious and fresh. Super fun environment, lively atmosphere. Will be back!

Enjoyed a girls night out at El Alma on Monday night & we were impressed with everything we got! The restaurant is really cute and has and indoor and outdoor space, I would definitely do a reservation, we got the last open table of the night and I'm sure the wait was long. We had queso (great!), tacos & a Jalapeño cucumber mojito. Everything was so good! This would be a great GNO or date night spot! Great drinks & a great variety of stuff on the menu.

Disclaimer: Only went for drinks, and definitely plan on returning for happy hour and dinner. Pro Tip: happy hour EVERY DAY 3-6 PM, order the Avocado Margarita. El Alma is conveniently located in walking distance to much to see for travelers and locals of all kinds. Unfortunately we rolled up after 6 PM, after a nice walk on Lady Bird lake. While we missed happy hour, the Avocado Margaritas were still worth the visit and fueled us enough to walk and explore a next spot downtown. We recommend an evening up on the patio when the sun is on it's way down. As you walk up the stairs, you feel like you're traveling somewhere in Central or South America, as its dressed in greenery and stone. After a few rounds of servers walking past us with all sorts of dishes to different tables, we knew we'd come back.

This was a cute and yummy find in Austin! I must say the place itself is very well placed and setup. You have the choice for inside seating or a top deck outside that is quite lovely. I opted for inside given the hot weather. Okay but what about the food? Well let's start with the salsa and mole- the heart of any Mexican restaurant. Verde Salsa: I preferred the verde salsa because of the nice punch of citrus flavor and roasting of the chiles, that you can taste. I thought it was put together well. Roja salsa: A good kick, but I would opt to request to green salsa's next time. Mole: While mole comes on both the Chile relleno and the enchiladas they are two different types of mole. I think in the future I can go for no mole at El Alma. The mole tasted to put it simply, straight out of a can. Chile Relleno: The chile Relleno itself, however, was fantastic! A great crunch and filled generously. I was a fan of the batter. I have seen it be made so many ways and this was definitely a winner because it was smooth and after eating I didn't feel like it was too oily or anything. Enchiladas: I was not particularly a fan of this plate at all. The rice, being white rice with vegetables, was too simple. It didn't complement the enchiladas and I was expecting more for the salad. I will say it was a lovely presentation. That said, I will be back for the Chile rellenos. I don't recommend this spot, however, if you want traditional Mexican food, especially enchiladas. If you're looking for a spot a bit more fun than yes this is a great spot.