Martinez Tortilla Factory

Wow is all I can say. If you haven't been here it's a must try. Everything is made from scratch The staff is the most friendliest I have ever seen and they also sell fresh tortillas corn and flour and homemade chips. Giving their competitors A lot of competition it's nice when you can sit down and when you asked for chips and hot sauce they don't say that's extra I will not eat at a restaurant that charges for chips and hot sauce.

Rating system:
5 stars - Must try. You're really missing out if you don't. I'm either a regular here, repeat patron, or would be if it wasn't cost or distance prohibitive
4 stars - Highly recommended, but may have minor things that keep me from being a regular or from giving a higher rating
3 stars - Good most of the time but not great. Will only eat here if I have a particular craving, or am unable to eat at my 4 or 5 star choices
2 stars - Do not really like it but will only eat here if I have to (eating group overruled my veto)
1 star - Avoid. Save your money, time, and stomach

4.5 stars, as I am a repeat patron, but there are things that keep me from giving a higher rating.

There are a LOT of Mexican restaurants in Tyler. Whether you like Tex-Mex or Mex-Mex, there are plenty to choose from. Martinez Tortilla Factory is Mex-Mex and as you can imagine, the clientele is predominantly Mexican. Just a side note/observation, quite a few of the Mexicans that dine here are bilingual and the staff (at least the owner and the waitress that usually gets me whenever I visit) are bilingual as well...this has nothing to do with the food but it is just an interesting observation because though you will hear a lot of Spanish, you'll surprisingly hear a lot of English as well, and not just from kids.

All that aside, this is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants to eat at in Tyler. Like another reviewer said, as per usual with Mexican restaurants, you just seat yourself and pay at the counter when finished. One thing that I appreciate is that you get a bunch of condiments with your order. They bring you a small bowl of chopped jalapenos, chopped onions, salsa for chips, salsa/hot sauce for food, lemons, and oregano (sometimes). You get started off with chips, which are homemade chips made from leftover tortillas. Once you've had them, you'll have very little reason to go back to regular store-bought chips. The service is also great. I don't typically comment on service because food is more important to me than service...but everytime I have eaten there, you will get asked no less than 3 times, "is everything ok?" or "is everything good?" Sometimes it is the waitress that makes the rounds and sometimes it is the owner.

Menudo - Served only on Saturdays and Sundays, their version of this classic beef tripe soup is the best I've had. The tripe (cow stomach) is super tender and the flavor is just outstanding. This is also the most commonly ordered item on the weekends if you look at the tables around you. This is a must try here.

Anything with chiles - I don't know what it is, but anything they make that has chiles in it is just so flavorful. From their homemade hot sauce to menudo to enchiladas, you can't go wrong with anything chile-based. Their chiles are not that spicy. What makes them good is the freshness of the sauces and their depth of flavor. Their enchilada sauce in particular is the best enchilada sauce I've had. I typically don't even like enchiladas, but their beef enchiladas had shredded beef cooked with chiles and their sauce is a freshly made chile sauce that convinced me that their enchiladas are a cut above the rest. I will say this though; I've only had Tex-Mex enchiladas before, so this was the first time I've had Mex-Mex enchiladas. So who knows how theirs compares to other Mex-Mex places, but theirs is certainly on point.

Tacos/tortas - Theirs are pretty good but I still prefer Tacos Mexico. Their tacos are a little bit different in that they top their tacos with cabbage and cilantro instead of onions and cilantro. So different flavor. I do prefer the onion/cilantro more because they allow the meat flavors to come through. The problem with cabbage is that it dulls the flavor of the meat. The meat is still solid though and I surprisingly like the flavor of the chicken. It's not that it is seasoned better, but rather it has a really strong chicken flavor, which I like. I've only had chicken there once though, so I'll have to try it again sometime to see if I can better describe it. The tortas have a nice soft bread and come with cabbage, cheese, mayo, pickled jalapeno, and avocado. I wish they had more meat choices though, as the tortas only come with ham, chicken, or steak.

Bottom line - They have great chips and you should come on a Saturday or Sunday to get their menudo.

This place is overtaking El Lugar as my favorite family run, hole in the wall, REAL Mexican food joint. It's an actual sit down restaurant with chips and hot sauce. The hot sauce is so good and it will definitely get your nose running. The chips are homemade. Be sure and ask for some green sauce too. My absolute favorite thing to get is the chicken tacos on corn tortillas with avocado. No frills, nothing fancy, just a good taco. My husband and I can eat here for $15, tip included.

I come here for the best menudo in town. Martinez is family owned, and I'm always greeted with a smile. The building is new and clean, but off the beaten path. Sometimes the waitress only speaks Spanish, so be ready for a true cultural experience.

I love this restaurant! I use to eat here all the time when I worked on that part of town and now travel there just for the food. They have, what I think is goat cheese on their chicken tacos and the meat is always juicy, never dry. Their salsa is spicy for my east Texas taste buds, but so delicious all the same. They also have a green sauce that my husband loves... He's from west Texas and can stand more heat than I. Their chips are made from left over fresh made tortillas so they're nice and thick and crunchy, not the thin flakey chips tex-mex places have which is a nice change. The service is always spectacular and so nice. Be ready to enjoy some tella novellas or at least the Hispanic channel which is always playing and shows the authenticity of the place; it's just nice to see. As far as how it works, you go in and pick a seat normally then your waitress comes to get your drink order. They have specials every week posted by the register. Once you're done, you go to the counter and pay at the register. They don't give you your ticket, they have it all at the register and you tell the teller, generally the owner, what you had at the table and he splits up the ticket. But, I must recommend you head over to that side of town and try it out! The prices are wonderful and the food spectacular!

Always a treat! Great family owned restaurant with the best REAL Mexican food around!

Great authentic Mexican food w/ friendly wait staff and owners. Food is addictive and healthy w/ just the right amount of spicy....