Christina's Cocina Cafe — Restaurant in Butte

TLDR So the cuisine here is mexican-ish. But I'd go back.

The staff is friendly and attentive no complaints whatsoever in that department. And honestly I don't have many complaints in general. I just want to leave a warning for visitors/travelers that come through these parts. If you're looking for "authentic" Mexican food this is not your stop. The food served here is very typical of other establishments throughout the north and the midwest: it's very whitewashed, it isn't that they're not serving Latin style dishes in as much as it's not going to be as bold as what you find in the west and southwest. Having said that what I ordered was the carne asada. The grilled portion of my meal was cooked right and I enjoyed their take on it (grilled sirloin tips). The meal does not come with tortillas but rather a quesadilla which I'm assuming is steamed either in the cook or during the hold. The rice and beans are pretty good honestly I think they may have been the best part of my meal. The only thing I can say about the house salsa is that it has fire-roasted tomatoes which saves it from the typical northern salsas of my past by adding some flavor. Will I go back? Yes if I'm in the area. That's why I'm writing this it's in Montana not Cuidad de Juarez MX. I'd definitely try something different next time maybe the fajitas they certainly looked good. The beer was tall and cold, the food was just ok overall but certainly not lacking in portion and I walked away satisfied. No tummy issues...

As someone, who has eaten at many authentic Mexican restaurants, this place was pretty sad. However, let’s give it a synopsis:

Atmosphere The general feel was pretty generic. A fountain, in the middle of the restaurant was somewhat interesting, however.... the decor was a little haphazard. The seating was uncomfortable and cheap, and the service was somewhat sparse.

Dining In a good Mexican restaurant, the plates need to be hot, in order to keep the food hot. The plates were somewhat warm, but you could still touch them. The food was lukewarm, and everything was saturated with the flavor of refried beans (we ordered the enchiladas). The appetizers was chips and salsa, which is typical for a Mexican restaurant, however, the chips tasted stale and was cold. The only thing going for it, was the salsa which was pretty good.

Pricing The food, for the four of us, came up to $90; which, for a good authentic Mexican meal, I would pay for four people, however, for the overall quality of the food plus service..... was overpriced.

Conclusion: I would not come back to this restaurant. It was an experience learned at the pain of my wallet: 4/10 Try another restaurant for a...

It's hard to rate this place, as the meal I had was actually good, but the style of everything was just so not authentic I kind of had a laugh about it. The service was the kind I would get at a country steakhouse, and the chips were not fresh made or anything of the sort. Guacamole and salsa were passable. I do have to say the fajitas were very good though, in the way my Irish family would make them.

It was just kind of weird to have a whole staff of very Anglo-Saxon people cooking and serving at a "Mexican" restaurant. The recipes were good in a completely American- and Midwestern-ized way. I also thought the price a bit high for what it was, considering authentic Mexican food is known for large portion sizes.

This is not a bad place for Butte, MT, and if I wanted fajitas in the area I would go back. As someone who lived in Phoenix and has experienced some delicious cookouts, I just can't feel right giving it more than 3 stars, although I didn't have a bad time. It is good, just...