La Cantina Mexicana — Restaurant in Clifton

Had a great time on a Thursday night at this place.

My date ordered beef empanadas as an appetizer. They come as a pair (2 per order). We shared them, and they were surprisingly good! The ground beef inside was moist, juicy, and well-seasoned, and the outside was crunchy--probably fried. So yummy, we placed an extra order on our way out so we could have some for the next day.

For the main course, I ordered chicken fajitas and my date ordered fajitas supreme, which came with chicken, beef, and shrimp if I'm not mistaken. Both orders came with a plate of yellow rice, baked pinto beans, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, and soft flour tortillas. The chicken itself was well-seasoned, sizzling hot, and cooked with sautéed onions and green peppers. I was very pleased with the taste and portion size, especially for the price.

Throughout all this, I was sipping from a frozen margarita, which was $8.50. I elected not to choose a flavor, which would've upped the price by a dollar. The margarita was very tasty. Not too sweet, not too sour, and at first sip, not watered down. (By the end I couldn't taste the alcohol, but that's probably due to my getting used to the taste rather than it being watered down.) Best of all, this thing was larger than the size of my fist. Lasted me the entire date.

The restaurant had a great atmosphere. There's a bar area out front, and table seating in the back. The place wasn't too loud, and the walls are essentially murals. The ceiling is glittery, and string lights hang everywhere. Bathroom was clean and pretty (also painted!). Servers were attentive and friendly. Food didn't take too long to come out, sizes were medium-large, and prices were reasonable!

Overall I really enjoyed the food, atmosphere, and service here, and would definitely come...

I ordered the bistec a la mexicana which was supposed to come with rice, beans, and two sides, but I never got the rice nor beans nor was it the bistec a la mexicana but rather a fajita which I did not want and the beef was on the tough side. The waitress insisted it was the bistec but I have eaten enough bistecs and fajitas to know the difference. It did not come with any rice nor beans and came with a tortilla wrap. When taking my order she was already on to the next person, but I stopped her and said my order is supposed to come with two sides of my choosing. (The receipt said my meal had rice and beans.)

The friend ordered a burrito wrap, but his "burrito" only had chicken inside and was small and the sauce and cheese were on top on the outside.

We also ordered the nachos with the steak and chicken which was supposed to be $17 according to the menu but not only did they overcharge at $20 but it was also a very small appetizer with barely any chicken nor steak. I didnt even get to taste the steak.

They automatically added 18% gratuity for a party of 4 people during lunch which they did not warn about.

They also automatically add a 3% service charge. There is a small sign at the front door hidden behind the door metal frame which is easy to miss, but it is there.

The drink menu didnt have prices, but I asked what a regular margarita would cost - $13+.

Service is just neutral, not terrible but also not welcoming nor accurate, maybe because our waitress didnt speak English. Either way, our orders were incorrect and even if there were a language issue, the meals were called by their names on the menu and were...

Wow, I should have known this place was going to be awful from the really terrible black-light mural that looks like it belonged in the fun house of a carnival. There were no prices on the drink menu, so I almost died when the check came and I saw they had charged us $25 EACH for our margaritas! Mine didn't come with salt, even though I'd ordered it with salt. These were just normal margaritas, the same as you'd get at any Mexican place for half that price! The food was between mediocre and bad. My burrito al pastor didn't have chunks of pork and pineapple as you'd expect, but a paste that had the consistency of dog food. Some time around the end of our meal, the waitress plopped a basket of chips and salsa on our table. Shouldn't that arrive at the BEGINNING of the meal, right after you sit down? Anyway, the salsa had a weird taste that reminded me of the sauce that comes with a shrimp cocktail. Could it really have been horseradish? ... in salsa? Anyway, it was too weird to eat. The only decent thing was the chips, which seemed home made. The tiny scoop of guacamole that came with the burritos was slimy and not fresh. I really wish I'd never stepped into this nasty place. And it was SUCH A RIPOFF. SERIOUSLY. How much would YOU expect to pay for two margaritas and two burritos? My bill was $82, can you...