Cantina Laredo - Overall Experience 4.3

With various locations throughout the US, this upscale Mexican restaurant chain is considered one of the better Mexican restaurants in Little Rock. There are other Mexican restaurants where the food may excel, but don't necessarily score higher on our ratings scale.

I've attended several Cantina Laredo catered events and was very impressed with their food. My cousin adores attending their Thursday evening "gals night out" and has met several of her liaisons over a margarita or two.

I decided the best way to review this restaurant would be to take the whole family during Thanksgiving week.  There are five of us so this review is a bonus review in that there are five different opinions all rolled into one dining experience.

Date-Worthy (4.5)

Beautiful inside and out - the dining area is lovely, and while the bar area is small, it still looks impressive. The only area they got dinged was the noise-level. We were able to have conversation without yelling, but it was slightly higher than one would expect so make sure you get a small table in a corner if you want to discuss physics with your date or they are hard of hearing.

Service (4.5)

They all were quite attentive and approached us at just the right times. The table, chairs, plates, glasses, utensils were very clean and we received our food in just the right amount of time. We did have a problem with a margarita which I'll elaborate on in the Quantity/Taste section. We reported it, and a manager-looking individual was at our table tout suite to find out the issue and work to resolve the problem. They lost a half-a-point on overall communication. Even though, items appeared and food was delivered, it was unclear whether or not they acknowledged our requests. We'd say something, the person would immediately leave (without a nod or anything of acknowledgement) and then something would "appear."

Food Quantity/Taste (3.5)

The quantity was excellent and deserved a 5 overall. However, taste and quality were a mixed bag. Let's discuss the worst of it before we get into the other points. 

The Margarita. It is in a sentence of its own because it was the most glaring problem of the entire meal. It was awful. I don't mean slightly off, or unusual (although it was that). It was plain awful. Three of us tasted it and all of us would rather have never exposed our tastebuds to it. My sister asked for a "plain ol' margarita." We have no idea what we got. It certainly looked like a margarita. I reported this to our service person, and they got another one. They called it their "house" margarita. Again, three of us tasted it. It was marginally better, but still awful. My sister said she was unaware there was a margarita in this world that she didn't like, but this one was it. We didn't report the second margarita because we didn't see any reason to bother. When a restaurant that prides its brand on their margaritas but can't get a plain ol' margarita right the second time, we figured a third wouldn't get any better. 

The only other negative point was the steak fajitas. My sister's and father's were tender. My father's were a bit dry. My brother's were mostly gristle. We didn't report any of these issues. 

The queso was just so-so. Nothing negative, just uninspiring. Although it presented well. I've had much better elsewhere.

The good points - my chicken enchiladas were excellent. The cheese was yummy, and the sauce was devine. Their rice was very tasty. Both my father and sister complimented the guacamole, and everyone (but my sister) loved the out-of-this world salsa. I can't say I've ever had salsa that was even remotely better. 

The best part of the meal had to be what my brother-in-law ordered: the Camaron Poblano Asada. I'm not sure if you've read my first review. In that I mention the Carnelian Room in San Francisco.  My sister and brother-in-law used to live in San Francisco and both are major foodies. They took me to several wonderful dining experiences in San Francisco throughout my life. The Carnelian Room being one of them. Basically, if he says it's exceptional, then it's exceptional. So much so, he made note of the ingredients to try and replicate the flavor combinations. Good news for him too, they are opening a Cantina Laredo in Roseville, California. May not be around the corner from them, but they do like to venture out on road trips once-in-awhile.

Menu (4)

The selection was inspiring, the menu was clean and the selections were appropriate for the restaurant brand. The only thing they get dinged for was its appearance. The graphics reminded me more of a Chinese menu than a Mexican one. On closer inspection, I think they were going for an Aztec-y look or I'm just uneducated in this area (which I certainly could be!). I'm not sure why it fails in this area, but it's an impression. May not be yours. 

Location (5)

Thank you SOOO much for parking. This restaurant lives in the MidTowne Shopping Center which has plenty of parking, is centrally located and is easy to get to. 

Overall, I would like to see them do better. If they plan to offer queso, this is Little Rock where queso reigns supreme. Gristle in steak fajitas is unacceptable, and a plain ol' margarita should rock the planet at a Mexican restaurant. I do intend to go again, but probably for lunch next time.