Tequila & Tacos — Restaurant in Airdrie

GREAT PATIO, GREAT FOOD, SHAME ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE. This was our first visit to the nearest restaurant to where we now live, unfortunately it did not live up to the hype (except in regards to the the food and Margherita). On arrival the patio was nearly full and we chose to eat inside. Once at the table it took nearly 10 minutes before a drink or food menu was presented to us. It did however give us sometime to straighten the wobbly, worn and very tired table. The decor was a little cliché with a couple of piñata hanging from the ceiling and some sombreros thrown randomly on the walls. I was a little shocked when I asked for water to be presented with a couple of plastic bottled waters on the table. No glass, no ice? And $2.10 to the bill. That’s not a bad price for bottled water but cold tap water would have been better - and like many other restaurants- free. My partner had a margarita 2oz which was a little pricey at $14.25 and I had a Mexican beer again a little pricey at $7.50, oh and don’t expect to be offered a glass to drink the beer from either. In many other restaurants chips and salsa or pico is an automatic addition to the table, if you are ordering entrees. Sadly not here it’s a $10 appie. The chips are served in what looks like a dollar store plastic basket and the dips and pico in disposable plastic specimen cups. For the price, I was shocked, couldn’t they have been served in small porcelain dishes, painted in bright Mexican Inca colours? Whilst waiting for the food it gave me time to look around. The decor, furniture and general appearance is looking very tired and staid. There were a number of light bulbs not working and one which blinked on and off randomly, slowly giving up the will to shine anymore. The windows are quite dirty, which is a shame because it spoiled a perfect view down the canal. What a location this restaurant has, but sadly let’s it down. The food arrived promptly. I was prepared to be disappointed, after all nothing thus far had satiated my appetite. I was immediately surprised to find the beef chimichanga was amazing. The beef so flavourful and complemented by the cheese, which was soft and gooey. It was perfectly cooked. So too was the rice with sweet corn which was served with it, delicious. I wanted to give only a 3 star review based on my restaurant experience, but the food did make up for it. It doesn’t quite deserve the 4 stars but I could give 3.5. The patio seems to be the better place to be. I will come back, but perhaps not until next year when the patio season returns. Let’s hope by then they’ve bought some glassware and nice tableware to serve the food in. The food and patio location deserve 5 stars, the inside decor, service and tableware let that down. This could be a premium restaurant where the prices charged would be deserved. Right now it needs an update, then I’m sure it would really deserve a full 5...

This place is amazing! We attended after getting a recommendation from a friend that was from out of town.

When we went, we went out for a lunch on a Saturday. We were seated immediately. Our waitress was very personable and when I asked for her recommendations, she suggested the shrimp chimichanga. My husband had the Bistec Mexicana ( I'm not sure if I remember the name correctly). Both dishes were amazing. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth tender with perfect seasonings and spices. The shrimp chimichanga was absolutely bursting with cheese and shrimp. Delicately seasoned. We also ordered the guacamole. I did ask if they could make some without cilantro. She said they can when not busy. She checked, but because of the volume of customers, they were not able to do that. But the cilantro was not overwhelming when we tasted it. I also had a virgin mango margarita. This drink was awesome!

This meal was so good, we had to go back 3 days later for supper. I again ordered the shrimp chimichanga and virgin mango margarita. This time, my husband ordered the steak chimichanga. The portions are extremely generous. The side dishes of guacamole and rice are also generous. The homemade chips are crisp and very tasty. This visit, our waiter was a young man. I believe he was still of high school age. He was very engaging, asking great questions and checked on us appropriately. He asked us more about what we liked about our meals and drinks. I found him a very positively confident young man and was impressed as that he took the time to talk with us when they were quite full.

This restaurant has a generous patio and is next to body of water between communities of houses. When we have family come to visit, this will be my place to take them. The selection of the menu is outstanding. But, I was so impressed by the shrimp chimichanga, I haven't tried anything else :-) I guess this means I need to keep going!

This restaurant also has an extremely nice women's washroom. The combination of the excellent waitstaff, the location, the cleanliness, and a superb food..... What more could...

I love good Tex Mex food. The food here is fresh, and healthy, but it’s usually bland, the servings aren’t large, and it’s pricey, for what you get. The recipes change, so I’m never sure what the food will be like, from order to order.

When I eat Mexican food in the US, and in Mexico, it includes an order of nachos and salsa, but not at this restaurant. I usually order some nachos and guacamole or pico de gallo. The nachos are nice, but the guacamole is expensive. Both the guacamole and pico de gallo would be better, if it had some lime, and a bit of a kick.

I usually order take out. Most of the recipes would benefit from the addition of condiments. The fajitas are nice, but would be better if they browned and caramelized the onions, meat and peppers, to give it a nice flavor. The steak needs the fat trimmed off. The fajitas include guacamole, a side of rice, and 3 very small shells, that often fall apart. The shells need to be bigger, or a few more added. I order extra shells, and some pico de gallo - but it makes the meal pricey.

The tacos are bland and dry. They are not always the same recipe. Usually they are a little bit of fish or meat, with melted cheese, and some sauces on the side. Other times, the fish tacos have had some pico, and a little bit of cabbage. The fish tacos would benefit from some crema sauce, and all the tacos need condiments, instead of just melted cheese on top of a little bit of meat. I’d like the tacos to be larger, and include some pico de gallo and lettuce.

I’ve tried a number of dishes, that include taco shells. They have all been pretty much the same as the tacos - just meat with melted cheese on a taco shell, with some sauces on the side, so I’ve been disappointed. The dishes haven’t include pico de gallo, or condiments. Last time I tried the Enchiladas Rojas. They had small shells with chicken and melted cheese - just like the chicken tacos, except the shells were cooked, so they were dry and hard, making them hard to eat. The meal included some rice and beans, and a large container of red sauce, that tasted like homemade...