Ortega’s Mexican Restaurant - Morrilton: A Culinary Journey Through Authentic Mexican Flavor

Best we have ever had, the prices are reasonable . One of the best strawberry margarita's I've ever had. Now we know why the parking lot is always busy

Just WOW the staff are so freaking friendly and the food is wonderful as well. I do a lot of traveling and it's hard to find a restaurant as good as this one. If I could give more stats I would. Prices are fair the atmosphere is friendly and colorful. Hot wonderful food, pleasant atmosphere, and wonderful people. 10/10

The food is always amazing and the atmosphere is just right - not too dark, not too bright, and the music plays at just the right volume. I just ate a burrito that I'm gonna be talking about for days. Servers and staff were on the ball when an unexpected crowd arrived and our server still treated us like we we her only table. (Nice hustle, Ortega's staff!) Y'know what? Stop thinking about and just go.

I arrived at 1:15 pm on a Sunday. The parking lot was nearly full but people were exiting, most in church clothes. That was my question I picked the right place to eat. We are in Morrilton, so they do serve drinks. Interestingly the dining room is divided into dark and light seating areas. The bar is on the dark side. I chose the light. Later observation you have to request a seat in the dark. As busy as they were I received prompt attention, there were still seats available and the waitress saw me using my camera to read the menu and graciously offered help or more time. The menu was extensive. I had been craving some good tamales so I decided to order a la carte. 3 tamales. Rice and beans. Backing up, they brought the chips and salsa at the same time as the menus, then my drink order, water, came with a lemon slice and a modest amount of ice so you actually got to drink some cold water. The salsa was slightly spicier than usual far and served in a pitcher with a bowl. It was not hotter, just tastier. So I ordered salsa on the tamales rather than the queso. Again service was fast considering the crowd. People kept coming in but at a slightly slower rate and dressed much more casually. Then I noticed the televisions on every wall. Lots of tennis, other sports and two programs I couldn't identify. The tamales were pulled a pulled beef and devious. The beans were refried with a little melted cheese on top, no particular flavor. The rice however was closer to the fried rice I had in Spain. Very tasty, again, not hot, just flavorful. I had to get a to-go box but I knew that was okay. 2/3 of the people leaving were carrying them. Overall a very nice meal at a reasonable price. The atmosphere was happy, many families but the children were well behaved and enjoying their meals too. My biggest problem is how far they are from my home. I won't be able to return often and work my way through the menu as suspect some of their patrons do.

Edit: The portions are improving. Chicken nachos in photo was a reasonable amount. Tastes great. The food is good. If I could change one thing, it would be the size of the take-out. This isn't just since COVID so don't think that. They have always had smaller portions on takeout than dine in.

The place is nice, the staff is very attentive and courteous the servings are well proportioned, had a good meal with the family . Our waiter went out of his way to keep our party well serviced. Didn't catch his name but he done a good job. Will remember it for next time. The food is TexMex so don't expect real Mexican dishes. Still good though.

I had the bean burrito with enchilada and rice. The rice was cooked perfectly, the enchilada was okay. The bean burrito had no substance it was more of a bean puree. But it tasted good. The wife had California special: bed of French fries, topped with grilled chicken, bacon bites, cheese dip, and shredded cheese, and she loved it. The bathrooms were clean and the staff was friendly.

Best Mexican food I have had in the US. Their red salsa is amazing, perfect consistency, and the chips are thin and crunchy. I had a meat and a chicken enchilada, both tasted great. Perfectly seasoned ground meat, tasted so good by itself. The pulled chicken was equally perfectly seasoned. I want to try more of their food.