Customers Say 'The Tap Water Had More Spice And Flavor' Than This Tex-Mex Restaurant's Salsa

Some may associate On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina with its sizzling fajitas, extra-large margaritas, and mid-priced (albeit fairly commercialized) approach to Tex-Mex cuisine. Many others likely associate it with its salsa, which became so popular, the restaurant actually licensed it out to be mass-produced and sold in grocery stores. But the truth about On The Border? While the Tex-Mex chain-turned-franchise was frequently praised for its standout, smoky salsa, over the past few years, things seem to have gone downhill. 

In a 2024 Reddit post about an On The Border location in Anchorage, Alaska, one diner bemoaned that "The tap water had more spice and flavor than the salsa." This about a chain that has long had folks begging for copycat salsa recipes? Surely the first sign of a struggle. This would be publicly confirmed in March 2025, when the company filed for bankruptcy and closed around 40 underperforming stores across the country — including the poorly reviewed outpost referenced above.

Following the Chapter 11 filing, On The Border was purchased by Texas-based Pappas restaurant group. Since changing hands — and, apparently, the recipe of the once-loved condiment — even more complaints about the salsa have surfaced. "This new salsa is terrible. Please change it back or have it an option to get the old one," begged a customer on Facebook. "I worked there during the change and trust me, nobody is happy about the salsa and chip change — we were all devastated," a purported former employee commented in response.  

On The Border was founded in 1982 in Dallas, Texas, and for decades it was beloved specifically for its salsa. "I unironically love On The Border salsa. I don't live near it anymore so when I come across it, I have to order a quart of it," a user shared in a 2021 Reddit post on the r/SalsaSnobs subreddit. "[It's] so unique and feels like many flavors all at once. I know it is a restaurant-style salsa but it has no spice on the front end and a huge kick on the back end. Hard to replicate," they added later in the thread.

Others have indicated that its subtle smokiness was what made it so delicious. "I swear I'm not crazy, but the flavor profile almost feels like there's a smoked meat or taco meat in the salsa," another Redditor remarked. Across the internet, On The Border fans — and those who have attempted copycat recipes — suggest that the secret ingredient behind that smoky taste was cumin, a spice commonly found in chili (a Tex-Mex staple).

If you're attempting to replicate the original On The Border salsa at home, you're definitely going to want to have some cumin at the ready. Even if you're not going for a full-on OTB copy, though, it's a spice that's bound to elevate basically any sort of homemade salsa — or even a store-bought one. (Here's an easy, restaurant-style salsa recipe that includes cumin to get you started, and the way things seem to be headed with OTB, it'll likely taste a lot better than what's on its menu.)