Friendly atmosphere and amazing food! Martha has the BEST tamales and gravy that I have ever had! They also have delicious sodas and cookies.

Always good food and great service everytime I ate there. Love the Lunch Chimichanga.

This is one of my absolute favorites! The food is ALWAYS delicious! It's cute inside, of course and the service is why I really keep coming back! The people or family that work here are kind, hardworking and always a pleasure to talk to!!! The only thing I dislike is that they aren't open on Mondays LOL

I should have made this update earlier. 3-4 months back the fam was itching for Mexican and we agreed to come back here. I got the pozole again and...... it was sublime. I'd match this against almost any meal I've had in Mexicantown in Detroit. There was true depth to the broth, so much so I was actually disappointed there was so much pork in the bowl. I would have traded some pork for a couple more heaping spoonfuls of the broth. Which is not to say the pork wasn't great. The first time I tried the pozole the pork was just fine. This time it was awesome. Silky smooth, not dry at all. And the way it had been prepped there was still some fat on it - not much - and that made it even better. The radish this time wasn't preformed blocks but the real thing; fresh, crunchy & peppery. A fine counterpoint. My son got the mole. The chicken cooked in it was fall off the bone good. He liked the mole too. He let me have a bit and...... I've had mole from a well known Mexicantown place that packs in the diners. Only available on weekends and you understand why when you taste it. You can tell it took time to make. You can tell the ingredient list is long. Thing is I didn't really like it. I don't know why; perhaps my palate isn't terribly sophisticated. Here at El Especial? This was not a complicated mole. You got 3 hits: some sweetness, some chocolate and some heat. That's it. And I actually liked this simple recipe much better. Even though I know darn well this didn't require hours and hours of work. I'll say it again. El Especial is what your abuelita cooks. This means things might occasionally be uneven or a bit inconsistent. But its a good notch above your standard Am-Mex for sure. Once again, the refried beans are just better here. I think she uses real lard in them. You might have the best meal here by just picking out an animal protein and pairing it with a double portion of refried beans. Darn it this update makes me want to go back soon. I might just take my son and leave the wife at home. We love this place.

#1in FLINT MI! Hands down. Food, service, location, prices, hours, overall experience - 5 star! No other restaurant compares!

My food was 10/10 . Definitely one of the most reliable taco/mexican restaurants in flint . Definitely better than La azteca

super authentic favorite mexican restaurant in the area staff is very nice and accommodating !

I've been here last before Covid, I would be here more often but it's a little far from home. I had fond memories of their food and all my hopes came true, they are still open and still amazing!! I got 2 wet tamales and some guacamole for my chips, so so good! I left with a happy tummy leftover guacamole that I of course had to get extra chips lol. When I told hubby where I was having lunch he was sad he couldn't have come so I took home a dozen soft tacos for dinner tonight!

So is truly authentic Mexican food and not Americanized, I've never had a bad experience in the five years I've been coming here and staff if always friendly and nice