Cantina Laredo

So-​so. Other locations are way better, not sure why. It’s pricier Tex-​Mex but not nearly the caliber of the newly opened completion a block away, so it will be interesting to see if it survives.

I must’ve driven by Cantina Laredo several times without ever peeking in. It was only until I found myself at Times Ten Cellars that I got to experience how fantastic their food is. How so? Well, Times Ten (great place I might add) allows you to order from neighborhood restaurants in addition to their own food menu. I was craving Mexican food… fish tacos in particular and decided to order takeout.
The food was ready in minutes. This was one of the options that didn’t deliver, but that wasn’t a big issue since it was right the block. It wasn’t anything special, as it resembled a typical casual dining restaurant and was fairly empty during that Saturday afternoon. I found that to be surprising given the location. In any case, the waitstaff was great: helpful and funny! They had the food ready packed with extra napkins and utensils. When I returned to Times Ten and unpacked my meal, an aroma of spicy, savory goodness filled the air. I ordered one grilled and one fried fish taco. Both were equally delicious. Topped with sweet slaw and tangy sauce, it was filling and was even better paired with warm seasoned rice on the side.
Great option for Mexican in the area. If you’re focusing more on food than the scene, you won’t be disappointed.

I went in thinking… Hmm. this must be the new Don Pablo’s (blast from the past I know) which is a compliment because I spent many a Friday nights at DP. With that in mind let’s get to my actual experience at CL.
Super family friendly — I went with the hubster and 2 couples, one of the couples had a 3 year old and 5 month old. They were very accomodating to the 3 y/​o palette of a corn dog and fries :) We had the queso — decent but like others, the guac was a homerun. Freshly made, they came by and asked if there wasn’t thing we didn’t like… and it was yum. A little on the smaller side but it was a larger group. The drinks were delish. I had the blood orange sangria… very rum-​y.
On to the meal… true to Tex-​Mex the portions were a-​plenty! My friend and I split the spinach/​mushroom enchiladas. The sour cream sauce on top was a good compliment. I appreciated our waiters patience in handling our crowd and once finding out he had 2 vegetarians, letting us know what was and wasn’t veg-​friendly (ie rice cooked in chicken stock, beans with lard). What I really loved was that he went ahead and removed the beans and subbed roasted veggies in its place without us asking him to. A+ for him!
No room for dessert but plenty of laughs and a definite «yes, we’ll need to come here again…» I enjoyed it so much I ended up at their Inwood Village location just 3 days later for happy hour and early dinner!

A Friend, of a Friend, recommended this place. I went to Unilocal to find the reviews avg at best and told my friend. He assured me it was very good & I am glad I trusted my friend.
Anyone who says this food is not good must be either upset with the pricing or has some Axe to grind. Case in point. I went for lunch and the waiter who might not speak perfect English was a very nice and thoughtful man. The Steak Nachos did have one piece of fajita meat on each nacho & it was perfectly delightful.
Whatever you do, don’t listen to anyone on here claiming the food is bad. Yes it does cost more than OTB, but you get what you pay for & it should be regarded as fine dining. If you are looking for fine Mexican dining, this is the place.

Have been coming to this location about 3 times per month for the last 3 years. Always friendly and familiar faces. The salsa is greatness and carne asada melts in your mouth.

This franchise has really gone down hill since it opened, though the prices remain consistently high.
We stopped in for dinner last night. I ordered the chicken & mango salad. What arrived at my table was boxed mesclun mix, chunks of boiled chicken, and canned mangos. Really, canned mangos? They couldn’t go across the street to Whole Foods and get a fresh mango? If there was any goat cheese on the salad, it was at the microscopic level. The result was limp, overly sweet, and definitely not worth $ 12.
Cantina Laredo has some nice salsas and the refried beans are good. But the menu is overpriced for the poor quality they deliver.
Years ago, I really liked Cantina Laredo. Today, don’t bother.

I agree with most reviewers. Maybe those that are giving this place a good reviews don’t know or haven’t ever had good Tex-​Mex food.
Disappointing in all aspects when it comes food. Won’t be returning to this establishment.

This is a very pretty restaurant and that’s only because it claims to be «upscale». We waited 20 mins for our refills on drinks and chips. This place is not $$, more like $$$$! I had the beef enchiladas and you should get it if you like hot dog chili on your enchiladas. The beef was liked pulled pork, not beef and the beans were filled half way in the cup. Don’t waste your time or money…

I grew up with the El Chico on Friday nights. Most always we’d have chili con queso and beef fajitas. It’s a rather large chain, but this was disguised by its being one of the original locations with a good group of longtime staff and faithful regulars. But Lakewood was passing from one age to another, and El Chico joined the revitalization bandwagon and turned it into a Cantina Laredo. This means you pay more for classier décor and a slightly more interesting menu. For us, little has changed except that we sometimes order the tableside guacamole and try not to think about the «cucaracha» that the mariachi band plays by request over and over again. It still reflects Lakewood’s family-​friendly atmosphere. We don’t go with near the frequency, but they’re some of the best fajitas around.

Seriously, I never knew you could screw up tacos. Bland dry meat with a cold corn tortilla that tasted soggy. My husband and I had to eat street tacos for a week afterwards just to forget how truly awful this meal was. If you want bland, inauthentic, overpriced fake «gourmet» «mexican» food… there are still other places better than this. We usually stay away from chain restaurants, and this was a regrettable moment of weakness. I still cringe when I drive by it.

I really don’t see how this restaurant is getting 4 and 5 star reviews. Maybe people just don’t know what good mexican food taste like. First of all they are waaaayyyyy to expensive. $ 5.79 for a kids meal… come on!
My husband and I ordered the fajita nachos and decided to split them since everything was so freaking expensive (6.79 for a cup of tortilla soup or 9.79 for a bowl — ridiculous). The nachos came out and they each had one piece of meat each. Probably didn’t even equate to a whole chicken breast. A tiny scoop of guac and no pico de gallo? 2 margaritas = $ 16 and just okay…
I only ate a few chips if that tells you anything about the chips and salsa. Overall just a pretty poor meal and def. not worth the money. Now I remember why we never eat here!

I like mexican food, but I wasn’t a big fan of this place. Not to say, it wasn’t good, It just didn’t set well with me. Now, to the good things, they did offer a variety of salsa’s which I thought was neat, heat hot and regular, the chips were tasty, they meal was actually not bad, like I said, it just didn’t set well with me. So your asking yourself why did you go, well friends, it was for a friends bday and she loves this place. If I had a better digestive system, I would say this place rocks, but for me I don’t think I’ll be back. Bummer on my part.

I’m still a fan but I had to drop from 5 to 4 stars with the most recent visit. The food was still great to me, love their new mahi mahi tacos and still love their salsa. BUT, on this last visit the waiter for lunch spoke so little english he couldn’t really get the orders or needs for the table right. It was irritating really… when trying to enjoy food.
I thought the price of the mahi mahi tacos was a bit on the high side… especially since I know what portions you get for their other items. Sigh… don’t make me update and drop to 3 or less stars!

Nice to find a place that leans harder to the Mexican part of tex-​mex.
The guacamole is milder than most. The enchiladas I had (veracruz, mole, spinach) were all very very good, and tasted lighter on the cheese and grease than any others I’ve had in Dallas. There was a roasted salsa that was quite spicy, and another that was a little milder and fresher, both very good. The tortillas are just average.

Yea the food and service here is great. I guess it must be the latin culture that’s usually on the ball. I’ve tried several of their top shelf margaritas and the ladies behind the bar always hook it up. I have had their ribeye which was great. Yes mexicans can cook a ribeye. Don’t knock it.

My Dad once commented, while I was having a glass of water at his house, that «my son can smell water and I can’t even smell a beer fart.»
My Dad lost his sense of smell and taste due to snortin Vicks nasal spray for 25 years. In fact, one night, back in high school, I snuck his Cadillac Eldorado out and me and my friends hot boxed in it for three hours. The next morning he couldn’t smell a thing.
One day we decided to meet for lunch. Since Cantina Laredo was right down the street from me, we met there. I ordered something simple (to eat) and had the tortilla soup and an enchilada.
The atmosphere was faux quaint and the enchilada was decent, but that soup, oh that soup, was awful. It tasted old and burnt. The soup was crap, tortillafied shit. I can’t remember what he got, but he absolutely loved it. Remember, this is the guy that can’t taste shit from shinola, and has the atmospheric taste of a budding hillbilly.
I would never go here again, but for my old man.

This place is very adequate. I enjoyed the Guacamole, other than that, kinda bland. Service was atrocious.

I don’t like this place.
I think the food is boring, dull, microwaved and overpriced for what it is. It’s like upscale taco cabana, but worse.
The guacamole is okay.
Someone took me out to eat here and I just kept thinking about what a waste of money it was. Come to think of it the salsa did taste like taco cabana.

I used to come to this location when it was El Chico. A few years ago they upgraded to Cantina Laredo. Same quality, higher prices. This is not necessarily meant derogatorily, as I’ve always found El Chico to have good quality.
I’ve eaten at this Cantina Laredo several times. We’ve always had good food and good service. However, this usually isn’t our first choice for Mexican. It’s somewhat overpriced for what it is.
Most recently, we stopped in on New Year’s Day (Desperado’s was closed). I was sick and craving some tortilla soup. Hot damn! This is the best tortilla soup I’ve had. The server brought out a bowl with a slice of avocado and large pieces of chicken breast. He then put the tortilla strips in the bowl, and poured the rich, tasty broth from a small pitcher. The chicken was juicy and tender, and the broth was amazing. I am thinking they must have put a stick of butter in it, but hoping they did not. Also, I asked for a cup of tortilla soup, and thought they accidentally rang up a bowl instead. Nope! I verified on the bill it was definitely a cup; just a very generous portion for the cup. I definitely recommend the tortilla soup if you are feeling under the weather. I sure felt better afterward (or was it the margarita?).
Oh, speaking of the margaritas, I was surprised to see «Lady Margarita» on the bill. WTF? «Lady» margarita? What, do they put less tequila in it if you’re a chica? Nope! Silly me. Thursday is ladies night and chicas get half price margaritas. Sweet!

Went on Thursday night for «lady’s night». We had five $ 4 margaritas (oops!) and nachos. Total bill $ 36. Muuuuuch mo betta!