The Border Cafe — Restaurant in Brookside

Great Food Good Prices We have been visiting this place for at least a decade! It is my son's favorite place to eat (besides O'hana's Character Breakfast in Disney) Like most Mexican restaurants you are given a basket of tortilla chips and a small cup of Salsa (we typically ask for a second cup of salsa) Both are good, sometimes, depending on the peppers, the salsa is a little hot, but that's just once in a while. The chips are on the thicker side, not the thin ones that get broken as soon as it gets dipped. Appetizers are yummy! Sometimes I get them instead of a meal. If you order the queso it comes with more corn chips. We order a side or two of flour tortillas for this...and this is the one thing that this restaurant doesn't do right...they are small, thing and well blah...but once covered in the thick creamy cheese dip...who cares! Pestelitos with chimichurri sauce..great (some day I'm gonna learn to make the sauce!) Camptown shrimp is fantastic....a dish I have never had anywhere else...it is shrimp in a spicy brown sauce over a toasted bread. Oh I miss that one! I haven't had it in years as I have developed a shrimp sensitivity. Tejas chicken is their hot wings...but it's way way better...chicken tenderloins on a stick! I will order this app with a side of their vegetables ( which are the best vegetables anywhere .. I don't even know how they are made...maybe slightly steamed and lightly grilled and then seasoned perfectly?) And pair that with cornbread...that's almost like cake! Sometimes, instead of the vegetables I get the grilled avocado with mango salsa. It isn't on the menu as a side offering but it comes with the blackened swordfish tacos (which are good). I haven't had an item on the menu that I don't like. But most commonly I will get the Route 66 chopped Salad, my husband gets the Jim Bowie steak, My daughter gets Crawfish etouffee, my son gets the Tejas chicken. They do not offer dessert, there is plenty of food to eat, you won't want it anyway and if you do...order the cornbread...it's almost like a dessert. They give you giant cups for your soda and tea or water....you will float away. If you are looking for intimate conversation or to discuss business don't go at peak times. It does get very noisy in there. Between chatter and music it is very hard to hold a conversation. They also don't seat you until your whole party arrives... Service is typically really quick...food comes before you know it...so don't dilly dally on the chips and...

I normally would give the "Border Cafe" 5 stars, in fact, in my book, it would have 10 stars. But today, It proved to be really just a one star! I ordered my famous "Gulf Coast Seafood Enchiladas," they are just amazing, but they have 'plablamo cheese' on them which is too spicy for me, I prefer no spicy heat to my dish. Normally, when I go, in which is quite often, the chef gets it right, and I get a plate with the cheese and nothing spicy added. Well today, maybe there was a different chef, 👩‍🍳 they just couldn't get it right!! It was spicy and I really didn't enjoy it so I sent it back. The "MANAGER" had a bit of an attitude and asked me did I want anything else, with a discerned body language, I said no! I came for one thing and that's what I wanted, so she took it off my menu and kept my drink and I love Guacamole, she kept that on my receipt as well, so I paid for those 2 entries. Sad to say, I missed out on that delicious dish that I normally have. To the Chefs: everything does not have to be spicy, everything does not have to be salty, everything does not have to be bland, of course, but when your customer's ask for no spice, give it to them! Today was a bust for me, but normally as I said, if I could give them 10 stars I would... But not today, especially for the "MANAGER"that handle things!!! I would be remiss if I left out the waitress, "BEA R" who was amazing, she had a friendly attitude, and was concerned that I didn't get the food I wanted, she was just stellar!!! That's what we need, people in the world that are concerned, and friendly. Thank you "BEA R" for your pleasant service today, it was very much...

Lively and humming, Borders Cafe was a great choice to finally introduce the 6-month boyfriend to Momma, Auntie and Bestie for an inspection. Getting that first margarita in before they arrived was a godsend and testimony to the quick service. Once settled in, everyone with drink in hand, we then quenched awkward silences with wonderful salsa and warm chips. Fresh guacamole was a welcome interruption to the "What are your intentions?" portion of the inquisition. Lastly, the main courses arrived fairly quickly and joyfully sliced the financial portion (how many times have I told Auntie asking about salaries was NOT appropriate?!) of the night- my enchiladas delicious despite a few salty tears of despair from my side. Overall... a success! For the restaurant, anyway. The boyfriend, however...

The only downside was the over-attentiveness of the waitress. While being rushed through the meal was actually fairly ideal, it was an annoyance for all involved we were repeatedly asked if she could remove things from the table like baskets that still had chips in them and fairly full salsa bowls. She dropped our check while guests were still eating and our margaritas mostly full. Having managed restaurants most of my career, I looked at the host stand and there were no waiting guests. It felt strange. We actually wanted to order another round of drinks but after the 4th time of her coming to hunt down payment, we decided to just pay and leave. On a Tuesday with a 5:30 reservation, it didn't make sense to feel so rushed but hey...! Everyone said they would...