Garcias Mexican Grill and Cantina — Restaurant in Chillicothe

García's has just opened recently. As such they are slowly growing and increasing their staff. This was our first time going to García's. They set us up with a server who had just started today. We overheard a conversation another customer was having with the front desk person and they expressed problems with their service. She explained that it was his first day. He had only started that afternoon. Our server also expressed that. We tried our best to encourage him and upon our first look at García's menu. We do not blame him for finding himself overwhelmed.

The menu is enormous. After going over the menu multiple times we finally decided on the street Tacos campechano (new to me), a special cancun, and their cheese sticks and fries for our daughter. He did miss our appetizer, but I ain't mad.

They had more habanero hot sauces on the table than I have seen before. The usual Verde and Roja plus an extra spicy that was tan/brown in color (long and slow burn with a strong smokey flavor) and of course some tapatio. Their chips are a mix of corn and fried flour tortilla. The flour tortillas are a fantastic deviation from the norm. The house salsa is pretty standard, but is improved with some hot sauce. They brought us some Pico de mango and Pico de Gallo with black beans. Their pico de mango is one of the best mango salsas I have ever tasted. It was my wife's preference from her first bite. Our food came after some time. The star of the meal was a toss up between the street Tacos and mango salsa, but together? Perfect. Notable mentions go out to the house-made cheese sticks freshly made, the queso on all of the special cancun, and the enchiladas. The mole was really well-done. The street Tacos were a blend of chorizo, pig belly, and beef tips. It came with caramelized onions, fresh cilantro, limes, a special house-made salsa with a medium spice, and corn tortillas. My wife really enjoyed the refried beans, but I thought they were a little bland. Though, I may have fried my taste buds with that hot sauce.

Our server, despite being new, only had that one slip up. He did come back to verify our order a couple of times, but he always tried his best. He was nervous and obviously shaken up from his last table.

Overall? Really good experience. Only notes would be to keep to the dishes you don't find on a-typical texmex menus. The quesadilla didn't need extra cheese on top. The taquito and the chimichanga were both different from normal, but not the best combination. The chimichanga was fried just a little too much and despite the excellent seasonings it would not have been a bad idea to add more to them. They were really just meat and tortilla. Maybe I'm being sacrilegious and asking for something that those dishes are not, but I must say that I loved what I had. Definitely going to try some other menu items...

Authentic, Delicious & Fast! Family flavor and fun!

Loosen your belts, not your wallets for outstanding dining. Our small group, under 5 people, went for an after-work bite and adult beverages at this very popular, local, family-run restaurant.

Surprisingly, we were seated quickly, and drink orders were placed. Ice water came out with homemade salsa and chips. The chips were a mixed of on-site, freshly fried chips and standard yellow corn salsa chips. The fried chips had nice bubbles on them and melted in your mouth. Salsa was freshly made with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. We could have drank it, however, we paced ourselves to save room for dinner.

Along with terrifically priced house margaritas (under $4 on a Thursday evening) and ice-cold bottle beers (Under $5), this was a great way to start and set the tone for the evening.

A few minutes after our drinks, chips and salsa arrived, our pleasant server took our main dish orders. In under 8 minutes, our food was out. Fast and fresh. If the food was under a heat lamp, we had no idea. Felt like the food came from the pan, stove or oven, right to our plates, and then to our table.

Whatever system Garcia’s has, it is working!

One of the three orders was the El Cinco platter, which is grilled steak with chorizo, bacon, ham, bell pepper, onions, and a cheese sauce that was served with rice and beans. The steak was seasoned and cooked perfectly for a thinner cut. The right ratio of chorizo (with a nice spicy kick), bacon and ham mixed in. The ham and bacon had some fat to them, which indicates it was fresh and not pre-cooked. Because the ham and bacon were sliced thin, the fat was a “Wow-Factor” as it just melted in your mouth with some peppers and onions to go with it. The cheese sauce was served in just the right amount, a secondary flavor after the meats and vegetables – the way it should be. Rice and refried beans were also on-point.

Other orders included Shrimp Fajitas and a Tamale Platter – both very good – it was the El Cicno platter that won the evening.

Should work bring us back to or through Chillicothe, Garcia’s will be a "Must Visit" to try other traditional Mexican dishes from appetizers and main courses to share plates...

Gracias Mexican Grill & Cantina is legit Mexican food. I mean they have Elotes (Grilled Mexican street corn.) It is difficult to find genuine options in the U.S. that aren't copy/paste Mex-American clones but this is definitely one. For example, even when they bring chips and salsa there are house made corn and flour tortillas fried in the basket and even a mango chutney in addition to the salsa. See what I mean?

They have a lovely dining room with literal works of art as the tables. A well stocked full service bar and of course an outstanding margarita menu as well as foreign drafts. Stuff you won't find anywhere else.

The prices are good, they have lunch specials and even a drive through if you need to grab lunch or takeout quickly.

Please support their November 2024 ballot initiative to expand the selections on Sunday beyond beer allowing wine, mixed beverages and spirituous liquor too. Vote "Yes" when you go to the polls this...