Serranos Cocina y Cantina — Restaurant in Austin

Tried Serranos for the first time today. We visited the Southpark Meadows location. Overall our visit was good and the food was very good. We will be back and will definitely bring friends.

We went at an off hour so it was not crowded. It's a big, comfortable space and was not too noisy for conversation when we were there. They should be able to handle a large party or event with no problem.

Our service was aceptable. Our waiter was personable, brought our food out hot and checked on us a reasonable number of times. The wait for menus, drinks, and the check was a bit long but not outrageous.

The salsa and sauces (verde and ranchero) were quite good, a step above most of their competition. Beans and rice were typical, good but not outstanding, but they are seldom the star of the show. The entrees were outstanding. Falling apart mesquite smoked pork and an excellent wood grilled fish. We did not leave a bite of either.

The spice level was what I call "mild bite." It's enough so you feel it but not so hot it makes you sweat and gasp. Tex-Mex done right is always a little on the spicy side and I like that but I have no love for blazing hot food used as a macho test of manhood. I found the level very comfortable, just enough bite to complement the food.

My wife got a watermelon margarita which she found overly strong and sweet. But then, plenty of people feel a strong drink is a bargain. If, like us, you would rather have a milder but tastier drink I recommend asking for it light on the booze but getting a top shelf tequila.

For dessert I ordered the sopapillas and was a bit disappointed. What they brought me were nicely cooked triangular beignets with powdered sugar and only the lighest hint of mild cinnamon. They came with a small dish of "honey" as I asked for that on the side. On the first taste I realized the "honey" was not honey at all as it tasted like corn syrup. I don't know if Serranos knew when they served it what it was or if their supplier ripped them off; counterfeit honey is big business here in the US. The only way to be sure is to get locally sourced raw honey from a source you trust. Here in central Texas our raw honey is dark and rich with flavor and there are a several suppliers who are fanatical about the purity and integrity of their product so it should not be hard to get the real thing.

As for the sopapillas themselves...well to be fair all I've gotten from restaurants in the past few years when ordering sopapillas has been beignets. It's a good pastry with a nice doughy flavor, much like my French relatives use to make. But my introduction to sopapillas came from a bakery/restaurant owned and operated by a Hispanic family with strong Mexican roots. The sopapilla they would serve was a rectangle, cooked crispy on the outside, soft as a cloud inside and flaky/puffy all the way though. Served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and strong cinnamon, drizzled with rich flavored central Texas honey. The light, airy pastry would collapse as you cut or bit into it and the flavor was unlike any other pastry I have had. Serranos sopapilla was certainly not that, but perhaps my expectations are a bit high. It was a perfectly acceptable and well made plate of beignets.

The last thing I will mention about the "sopapillas" is the huge serving. There were 8 on the plate and two would have made a nice sized dessert for one person, so that plate would have been right for a group of 4.

So all in all two dinners, one drink and dessert cost us about $45 before adding in a tip. More than, for example, a trip to Chilli's, but given the quality of the food we feel we got good value...

Let me preface this review first that I’m rating based solely on a single visit I had. This is my go to place in South Park meadows for good food and even better drinks. The service has always been spectacular as well. Every server has gone above and beyond to accommodate party sizes and unique orders I’ve placed. Unfortunately this was not one of those times. I honestly haven’t felt this disregarded as a customer at a restaurant ever. Real fans of this establishment know of the Burrito Appetizer they used to have in the menu. I still remember and ALWAYS order this item. If you haven’t tried it, you would understand why I order this item every time I visit here.when the server doesn’t know what I’m talking about usually I tell them to ask the cook and they know what I’m talking about. Even at the north location by cedar park I’ve ordered the burrito appetizer. Anyway on this particular day I asked my server and as usual they weren’t sure what it was and went to double check in the kitchen. Next thing I know a staff member approach’s my fiancé and I who believe is some sort of management. Adrian was his name. He first starts by saying they used to have the item on the menu before but has since been removed. Then Adrian proceeded to say the place is very busy now and it would mean they would have to go out of there way to make them for us. Great! In my head I’m thinking. I’m paying for them I can wait. So to my surprise when he told me that the manager had told him that he was not going to honor my request. We had said we can wait, we would pay for them; but all to no avail. He was not going to make them for us. Mind you they would serve us chicken flaquitos instead. It’s the same preparation method the only difference is chicken instead of beef! He didn’t offer a substitute nor did he try working with us. It’s not our fault your busy. I had a celebration here just a week before to celebrate my promotion with friends and family a party of 13! My server Ricky brought out my burritos no hassle! Adrian obviously was not having a good night and just bullied us to a point we just left. Nothing worse than an unprofessional staff member that takes it out on there customers. Next time you come here please order the burrito appetizer and please ask to speak with someone competent if Adrian approaches you with...

Went to Serranos last night as part of my date night, my mistake. In the spirit of honesty we went there because the lines at another restaurant we had planned on going to were too long and we didn't want to wait. In retrospect we should have waited... Upon arrival at the restaurant the ambulance in front of the restaurant should have been an indicator. We didn't take it as such. We were able to get right in and be seated. Possibly another indicator on a busy Friday night. We were seated promptly and brought chips and salsa which were actually pretty good. Once the waitress came to the table to take drink orders I was unable to hear her because the music from the stereo speakers was way too loud. Couldn't hear the waitress standing there or even my date across the table. I ordered a draft beer from the bar while looking over the menu. It arrived warm, a third indicator. My date ordered her meal with a bowl of tortilla soup as an appetizer. It arrived after her meal came and was tepid as she put it, translation warm. Her meal order was wrong. Is that one or two more indicators? I was able to eat my dinner which was a mixta parrilla fajitas which included 4 slices of chicken, 4 slices of beef and a jalapeno sausage, and a platter full of onions and a few VERY few peppers I believe a slice and possibly an end piece or 2. But at least the sausage was pretty good. My rice and beans were extremely cold and obviously not made for this dinner service. Dry rice being an indicator here for this one, not even going to discuss the beans. The highlight of my meal was the dessert. I had fried ice cream while my date had sopapillas. The ice cream was very good, unfortunately I don't believe it was made here but rather purchased from an outside source. All in all I believe this meal was a failure from the beginning. I should have listened to the indicators being shown to me from the beginning. But hey if you are up for cold food and warm beer this could be the place for you! Although I know that I will not...