Boxcar Cantina — Restaurant in Greenwich

From a 7th grader: A touch of home, a lot of heart; Boxcar Cantina

When you walk into Boxcar Cantina and the aroma of freshly pressed tortillas meets you at the door, you know you are in for a treat.

Boxcar’s menu of appetizers and entrees gives you a vast amount of options to choose from. The food is always fresh coming from local farms or even the garden right outside. For an appetizer, I would definitely recommend the Indian posole soup. The soup consists of organic chicken and posole corn, topped with sliced avocado and shredded jack cheese. The broth is rich, salty, and satisfyingly earthy. Another appetizer I would recommend is the guacamole, salsa, and chips. I have to say that Boxcar’s guacamole is the best I have ever had, the guacamole is fresh and simple.

The dishes vary from soups to salads to tacos and quesadillas, but by far my favorite dish is the shrimp fajita, which consists of wild caught shrimp, grilled bell peppers, caramelized onions, pinto and black beans. The dish comes with 6 tortillas and a side of guacamole and salsa. I love this dish for it’s sweet and salty elements and flavors that pleasantly surprise me every time I go there.

This family operated restaurant was opened in 1994. Their goal was to make authentic mexican food going beyond standard tex mex cuisine (a fusion of American and Mexican cuisine), and I would say they most definitely succeeded.

The singled floored restaurant is split into two rooms, the bar and the more family oriented space. The bar is a little cramped but quieter as children are not allowed in that area. The walls are a welcoming burnt cinnamon color that well matches the wall decorations such as the cow skull lamps that enhance the southwestern motif.

Dinners on Friday and Saturday can get crowded and noisy and there's often a wait.

Boxcar Cantina. Memeribe. Fun. Check it out I guarantee you won't be...

UPDATED REVIEW** I went back to Boxcar Cantina this past Friday and had a great experience. We ordered guacamole and salsa to share. The serving size of the guacamole is still small for the cost, but we are in Greenwich and also in an insane economy. I ordered the Mexican Salad with Grilled Organic Chile-Crusted Salmon (instead of the chicken it comes with), and my fiancé ordered the Beef Burrito. The food was very good. I especially liked the organic options. What made the night amazing was the excellent service. Both the waiter and host were very friendly. I did not respond to the owner to give a heads up I was coming, as I did not want to receive special treatment in hopes that I updated my review. This will be a regular spot for us in the future. I love the relaxed environment. Perfect for a Friday night after a long work week.

Initial Review: I ordered guacamole and chips to go. $16 for a tiny (approx. 4oz) serving of guacamole. Insanely overpriced. The guacamole was pretty bland and lacking both texture and flavor. It was literally only avocado and possibly a little cilantro. I don't think I have ever written a restaurant review before. I understand everything is more expensive, but this was absurd. I looked at the menu after I picked up my food. The rest of the menu is more reasonably priced. My fiancé wants to go back for dine in service. I am hoping it will be better. If so, I will...

I stopped in and tried the flank steak taco special this weekend. The steak was a little more well done than I’m used to but the flavor was pretty good with the salsa that came with it. I wish they would’ve double wrapped the corn tortillas. By the time I got to my second one they had split and were falling apart. Everyone at our table really seemed pleased with what they ordered. Chicken tortilla soup was a very large portion and the veggie fajitas were massive. The margaritas seemed a little off to me. I’m not sure if that’s how they come but it seemed like they needed some agave nectar to cut the bitter to me. Overall, It was pretty good. There were a few things now that I know to ask for like extra tortillas or flour for the juicy tacos and some agave nectar in my marg. It was definitely busy early though. Make sure you get...