Reina De Mexico — Restaurant in Toronto

Sure, the food looks good in the photos, but the flavor was lacking. Sure, there's a ton of hype on social media over this place, but the service was questionable as well. Initially the server was delightful but then her demeanor changed when I asked if the skewers were supposed to be served cold..... Obviously not, but I was hoping she'd say that she could have them warmed up again. However, she didn't clue in. server forgot to bring my drink, or the bar tender forgot to make it. By the time the drink came, we had been told that we could only stay 10-20 more minutes and weren't allowed to order more food at this point. Before we could finish some of our dishes, the server was quick to remove the plates. We felt rushed and not appreciated. Our bill for four people was about $340 with tip ( food and drinks) and definitely not worth it. Cocktails were nice, but nothing amazing. The entertainment they advertise so boldly was only presented for 10 min while we were dining there ... and probably better that it was short and sweet because it was disturbingly loud in this small restaurant! This place is very small to allow guests to sit longer then 2 hours so this was dissaponting at the time as we weren't planning to search for a new restaurant to sit at, but in retrospect, I'm glad we didn't stay longer because the overall experience wasn't worth the $$$. We ended up heading to another restaurant where we spent the rest of the night and spent another $400 which was 10x better in every manner.

The skewers were ready and sitting for maybe 10 min on the line to be brought to us. The chef was dinging the bell to get the servers' attention, and by the time the server finally brought them to the table, we were having cold meat. Not impressed, to say the least. The steak tacos had no flavor ...without the sauces, they tasted bland. I make better guacamole at home and I'm not Mexican. Birria sliders were flavorful, but again, sauces needed for sure. They brought us out a plate of churros for my birthday which was a nice gesture to save themselves after telling us we only had 20 minutes to close the bill and that we were not allowed to order anything else. If this is the kind of service you'd like, then visit this place...perhaps you might have a more preferred experience but we did not. We will not be recommending or revisiting...

After discovering this restaurant on Instagram, I knew I had to visit. So my wife and I made a reservation for a Friday night using OpenTable. Note that you have to pay to confirm the reservation, but you only get charged if you don’t show. I wasn’t worried about that. We knew we were going!

We got there at 7 and were seated just inside. There’s a nice patio and it was a nice night, so they keep the doors wide open. Which is good, because the mariachi band showed up and started playing soon after we arrived. They stand in the doorway facing in. From what we gathered, this is due to a bylaw that says they can’t be on the patio and/or face the street. I could be wrong. But in any case, they were amazing and the music is perfect for the atmosphere.

Our server arrived right away and took our drink order, and we also ordered guac and chips to share. We’ve been to many Mexican restaurants around Toronto, the US and even in Singapore (I know - why eat Mexican in Singapore? But that’s another story), and these were among the best guac and chips we’ve had. The guac was perfect, and the chips are the kind that are a little thicker and crispier without being burnt at all, and not oily. Absolutely delicious. We could make a meal out of just that and be happy. But we didn’t! My wife ordered the Molida Beef tacos, and I ordered the Molcajete Mixto. For dessert we ordered churros (of course!) and an ice cream/peanut brittle creation that our server said was amazing. She was right, but let’s get back to the mains. The tacos were perfectly seasoned and easy to eat - not an easy feat with tacos! The soft corn tortillas are the right size and the right kind of stretchiness to manage your eating, and they’re delicious and complement the spices perfectly. And let’s talk about that Molcajete Mixto! It comes with chicken, beef, and shrimp, in a delicious mix of beans, vegetables and a really nice broth that you can dip your tacos into. The meat was so tender that you could bite into a taco and not ever worry about pulling all the rest of the meat out with one bite. Exactly what you want and so delicious! We will definitely be returning...

Low quality, overpriced Mexican food & drinks. If a restaurant is advertised “exotic”, then I’ll expect much above average… Very very cute and nicely done spot, with a ton of potential. Our waitress was very nice and chatty. We asked her for recommendations and turned out she never got a taste of all the items on the menu, rather she has tried two items. (Not in accordance with experience at an exotic restaurant.) We ordered two of their cocktails which were somewhat tasteless served in boring “IKEA-style” glasses. We started with three “shareable” items, before getting to tacos. Well, the experience was not good and we skipped the tacos! Food came very quickly which made me question if it was prepared to our order. Their Guacamole was tasteless and had a strange bright green color to it. I inquired as what’s added to it and if it was made in-house, since fresh avocado wouldn’t look THAT green especially after coming in contact with air, unless there was food colouring involved. The waitress asked the kitchen and turned out it was made 4.5 hours before our visit, and she said she doesn’t know what is added to it for its superficial green color. (Delicious guacamole can be made with a few fresh ingredients, pretty quickly!) Their seafood ceviche was ok, contained “one kind” of seafood only and lacked flavour. Their chips are deep fried and do taste like oil. The rib-eye was prepared well and was the only item on the menu that was somewhat worth eating.

Staff in general were nice and attentive. When I asked for extra napkins, I got them very quickly. We also got a few check-ups along the way, making sure we’re good.

They’ve done a good job in staffing, but food came very disappointing.

We paid up our bill ($120) for two drinks and three appetizers, and closed our tab to go search for decent food. Lo and behold, the food at Madre de lobo ended up killing our appetites…

I’ve been to many Mexican spots and love the Mexican food, but this was neither “exotic”, nor “high-end” as advertised on IG and...