El Arroyo

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El Arroyo
Ell Arroyo, Austin, Texas logo.png
El Arroyo
Interactive map of El Arroyo
Restaurant information
Established1975 (1975)
Owner(s)Ellis Winstanley
Paige Winstanley (2012–present)
Previous owner(s)Clay McPhail
Doug English (1985–2012)
Robert Ogden
Mary Ogden (1975–1985)
Food type Mexican
Location1624 West 5th Street, Austin, Travis, Texas, 78703, United States
Coordinates 30°16′30″N97°45′53″W / 30.274966487752124°N 97.76459909617616°W / 30.274966487752124; -97.76459909617616
Website www.elarroyo.com

El Arroyo is a Mexican restaurant located on West 5th Street in Austin, Texas. The restaurant is known for its humorous marquee.

Contents

History

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]

The restaurant serves typical Mexican cuisine including tacos, fajitas, guacamole and tortilla chips in "gargantuan" portions. [7]

Marquee

Marquee of the restaurant containing a humorous phrase El Arroyo Austin.jpg
Marquee of the restaurant containing a humorous phrase

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

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Banta, Bob (February 23, 1998). "Arsonists torch El Arroyo". Austin American-Statesman. pp. B1 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "El Arroyo reopens after fire". Austin American-Statesman. April 25, 1998. pp. B10 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "El Arroyo arises". Austin American-Statesman . April 2, 1998. pp. XL ent. 44 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. 1 2 Leffler, David (May 2, 2021). "Meet the Couple Behind El Arroyo". AustinMonthly.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ Swiatacki, Chad. "Low-tech marketing: The minds behind El Arroyo's iconic signs". BizJournals.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ Webb, Eric. "Solve the sign: Austin restaurant El Arroyo selling jigsaw puzzles of iconic marquee". Austin360.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ KVUE staff (June 22, 2020). "You can buy an El Arroyo (yard) sign of your very own". KVUE.com. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  12. ↑ Puhak, Janine (October 20, 2020). "Texas restaurant's funny signs lift spirits during coronavirus pandemic". Fox News . Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Texas restaurant draws fans with hilarious roadside messages". CBS News . January 30, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  14. ↑ 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.
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