El Arroyo
| El Arroyo | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of El Arroyo | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1975 |
| Owners | Ellis Winstanley Paige Winstanley (2012–present) |
Previous owners | Clay McPhail Doug English (1985–2012) Robert Ogden Mary Ogden (1975–1985) |
| Food type | Mexican |
| Location | 1624 West 5th Street, Austin, Travis, Texas, 78703, United States |
| Coordinates | 30°16′30″N 97°45′53″W / 30.274966487752124°N 97.76459909617616°W |
| Website | www |
El Arroyo is a Mexican restaurant located on West 5th Street in Austin, Texas. The restaurant is known for its humorous marquee.
History
[edit]El Arroyo was established in 1975 by Bob and Mary Ogden, the land owners. Clay McPhail and Doug English, who owned the restaurant for 25 years until 2012,[1] when it was sold to Ellis and Paige Winstanley, who met when Paige got a job at Cain & Able's, a bar owned by Ellis. After "a while" the two started dating and formed a business partnership.
On February 22, 1998, an arsonist(s) set fire to El Arroyo, causing $225,000 in damage.[2] A month and a day later, on April 23, 1998, El Arroyo reopened for business, with the arsonist(s) never having been caught.[3]
From 1998[4] to 2016[5], El Arroyo operated a second location in the Northwest Hills neighborhood at 7032 Wood Hollow Drive. That location closed down due to its needing renovations and a landowner dispute.[6]
Menu
[edit]The restaurant serves typical Mexican cuisine including tacos, fajitas, guacamole and tortilla chips in "gargantuan" portions.[7]
Marquee
[edit]
The restaurant is known for its humorous marquee, which attempts to "toe the line" between "uplifting, snarky, and of-the-moment". The messages on the marquee are the result of a group effort among 15 people including the owners and restaurant managers.[7][8] The marquee has inspired its own line of merchandise such as jigsaw puzzles[9], a book[10] and yard signs.[11] The marquee has also been featured on Fox News[12], CBS News[13] and Good Morning America,[14] among other places.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Gubbins, Teresa. "El Arroyo ex-owner returns to Austin to open 5280 Burger and Taphouse (mile-high burger joint) in Far West neighborhood". Austin.Culturemap.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ↑ Banta, Bob (February 23, 1998). "Arsonists torch El Arroyo". Austin American-Statesman. pp. B1 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "El Arroyo reopens after fire". Austin American-Statesman. April 25, 1998. pp. B10 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ "El Arroyo arises". Austin American-Statesman. April 2, 1998. pp. XL ent. 44 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ Chaudhury, Nadia (April 22, 2016). "El Arroyo Shuts Down Far West Austin Location". Eater Austin. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ↑ Raney, Nicole (April 22, 2016). "Legendary Austin Tex-Mex restaurant says adios to longtime location". CultureMap. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- 1 2 Leffler, David (May 2, 2021). "Meet the Couple Behind El Arroyo". AustinMonthly.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ↑ Swiatacki, Chad. "Low-tech marketing: The minds behind El Arroyo's iconic signs". BizJournals.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ↑ Webb, Eric. "Solve the sign: Austin restaurant El Arroyo selling jigsaw puzzles of iconic marquee". Austin360.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ↑ Ford, Lauren Smith (December 15, 2017). "New Book is El Arroyo's Marquee Act". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ↑ KVUE staff (June 22, 2020). "You can buy an El Arroyo (yard) sign of your very own". KVUE.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ↑ Puhak, Janine (October 20, 2020). "Texas restaurant's funny signs lift spirits during coronavirus pandemic". Fox News. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Texas restaurant draws fans with hilarious roadside messages". CBS News. January 30, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ↑ Rocha, Polly Anna (October 20, 2023). "Cheeky Texas taco spot's iconic sign appears on Good Morning America". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
