La Cabana Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Asheville

We went in on Friday, November 29, 2024, and my husband and I were not disappointed at all. The service was great, and the food was some of the best Mexican cuisine we have ever had. Sadly, it is over an hour and a half drive if we want to return. Alberto, the owner, was very welcoming, along with his servers and bartender. That day, they had a Mariachi band, which was really cool, and the music was great for the ambiance of the place. Alberto told us about his other restaurant, and I would love to go check it out one day as well. We observed him closely as he was speaking to all the patrons like family and was very good at answering any questions. There's a salsa bar that is included in case anyone wants to try their house-made salsas. They start you off with fresh chips and the dip they have. It is honestly the best we have had so far, and my husband loves Mexican cuisine a lot. It's a mix of refried beans 🫘 with cheese 🧀 sauce and red sauce. I ordered the Camarones Zarandeados— Peel-and-eat shrimp🍤, marinated in house seasoning, and garnished with fresh cilantro. Served with rice🍚 and corn🌽. Along with a strawberry🍓 daiquiri. It was truly a dish I would want to return to eat. The seasoned shrimp🍤 were juicy, and I loved peeling them myself and getting messy with the juices. II usually dislike most rice🍚 made in restaurants, but this was definitely delicious, and I'd happily eat it again.

My husband had a creamy burrito🌯 with steak 🥩, peppers🫑 onions 🧅, and olla beans 🫘 topped with cheese 🧀 sauce and served with rice 🍚, lettuce🥬, and tomatoes🍅 on the side. His drink was a Corona margarita🍹. It was a huge portion, and he was full after eating 3/4 of the burrito. ☺️ It is interesting he said it was his favorite to date as well. We both tried the birria tacos🌮 , and OMG, they were so yummy!! The sauce made for them was perfect, and the meat was actually seasoned well. I've had other ones, and well, let's just say they weren't my favorite. We also tried the "paleta" shot. It tasted just like tamarind. That was definitthe order of ely great and refreshing even as a shot. We ended with the Sopapilla for dessert. It was truly a lovely evening with my husband after an almost 2-hour drive to Asheville, and I am eager to go back for the great food and ambiance. If you want great-quality food with a definitely great price tag, go visit La Cabana...

We have been trying a few new places lately and I saw that La Cabana had opened up in the old Copper River location. Wanted to try takeout first as we wanted to get home early to end the weekend. My wife ordered the Seafood Chimichangas and I ordered a burrito. Knowing that they haven't been open long, I wasn't too worried about the hand written sharpie signs for the salsa bar but the hostess not being able to communicate in English was a bit of a distraction. Not a huge issue but being able to speak the predominant language where the restaurant is located is pretty important for customer service. The food arrived quickly and we only live a few miles away so it didn't have time to get cold. Overall, it was mostly disappointing as the Chimi was super soggy and didn't really seem like it had been fried or deep fried as described. My burrito was also pretty soggy and the wrap had dissolved into the takeout box. From a portion size standpoint, everything was a on the smaller side but not bad. The side of rice had zero flavor or heat. I tried four different salsas but none of them had much if any kick at all including the two labeled as "hot". Maybe we will give them another shot and try to dine in but to be honest not sure it would be top of our list...

have never been disappointed enough in a restaurant to actually leave a negative review until now. spare yourself by not going.

food is deeply 'americanized'. everything is either too bland or too salty, service is good in theory but servers don't seem to speak or understand english at a sufficient enough level to be out on the floor with customers, and there is ZERO wifi service.

not coming back. quite literally not even worth a try, unless your idea of 'flavor' is boiled chicken and salt. speaking 100% genuinely, TRUST THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS.

( i'm guessing some people will choose to go here over other mexican restaurants in the area because it looks newer/more 'upclass'. absolute mistake. go to the taco trucks, rundown places, small businesses in general. not even as a "support upcoming entrepreneurs" thing. just because the most authentic food will be in authentic, actually human-looking places....