Cantina Laredo — Restaurant in Jacksonville

My husband’s been trying to get me to try this place but I’ve got a pretty high bar when it comes to food. So while my hopes for trying a new restaurant were high, my expectations were low. Needless to say, I’m still on a culinary cloud after this experience and I’m excited to go again. (And anyone who knows me knows that life is too short (and calories too precious) to go to the same restaurant over and over.

Literally, and I mean literally, the culinary experience was phenomenal from the very first bite of the thin crispy tortilla chip to the last refreshingly creamy bite of that Mango Tres Leches cake.

Now normally chips at a Mexican restaurant are ubiquitously fried vessels meant to hold salsa or guacamole. While we’ve had table side “high-end guacamole” made many times before, I wanted something new so the server recommended the “Queso Laredo”. I won’t describe this cheesy deliciousness with the perfect amount of kick to it, because the photo shows the wow. However the chips were too thin to hold the weight and often broke in the dip.

Now of course I had to try one of their margaritas for the full experience. (Who cares if it’s 12pm on a Friday?) I was in the mood for your typical Patron perfect on the rocks with salt, however when I saw the variety on the drink menu I decided to go with the Tajin Watermelon Rita. Now I hate sweet drinks so I was wary but considering we don’t get up this way very much. I tried it and it was delicate and powerful with a spicy rim. It had silver tequila, Blood orange liquor, triple sec, cucumber, jalapeño, agave nectar, muddled fresh watermelon, fresh lime juice and Tajin.

The entrees were tacos, rice and beans but while my husband’s was safe and standard I opted for the Carne Asada Steak Tacos. They were half the size of his but with avocado, charred corn, pico de gallo, cilantro, sour cream and Monterey Jack they burst with flavor. The grilled skirt steak was a little tough but every chew still had flavor reserved somewhere throughout it.

Now for God’s sake do not skip dessert. You can share one after apps, drinks and entrees but one is a requirement. My cake was wonderfully soft with the perfect ratio of frosting to cake and a coated tangy mango flavor on top with some scattered fresh blueberries. It was wonderful and if I had to do it over again I would. But my husband who got the typical blah-blah brownie sundae picked the showstopper. Assembled at your table on a small cask iron dish, the brownie brick was topped with vanilla ice cream and a brandy Mexican butter poured over it. It sizzled literally and figuratively. The presentation was a nice touch and the brownie was anything but blah. My only complaint was while the server was pleasant and friendly and knowledgeable the table could have been bussed better throughout the meal and we had to ask for napkins and silverware. So I’d give it 4.5 stars but im not afraid to say, “I can’t wait to go...

I've dined at this restaurant since it's opening, always at lunch. We've always had consistently good food and service. Last time we dined here was probably 2 months ago, and we had horrendous service, to the point where we had to request a different server. We hadn't been back based on this experience. However, today I decided to go back because my children requested it. Upon entering the restaurant, no one was at the hostess stand. There seemed to be no one working at all, despite the front half of the establishment having many diners. We waited almost 10 minutes to be sat, and that was by the manager. We waited another 5 minutes for the server (Drago) to come to the table. We ordered our drinks, chips and salsa were delivered by someone else prior to our server arriving. We waited another 5+ minutes for him to come back with 3 drinks (no alcohol). We ordered when he came back. I always order the Veracruz enchiladas, with no red onions on the top, and no beans. This has never been an issue. This server says, " so you don't want any vegetables inside or on top?" I tell him no, that's not what I said- I don't want them on top of the tortilla chips and sauce that is also on top of the enchiladas. I can eat whatever vegetables are inside, but it's so much red onion they pile on the top- I really don't like it. He starts arguing with me saying they don't do that, even though I have literally ordered it that way and been served that way since the place opened. I repeat again I don't want red onions on top. We wait over 45 minutes for our food, which was insane for lunch in a place that wasn't that busy. At no point did he ask if we wanted more chips or anything since the food was taking so long. At no point did he apologize for the food taking so long. At no point did the manager come over to apologize for the food taking so long. When the food finally comes, he has all the vegetables on the side, and beans are on my plate, which makes me want to vomit. I really hate beans. Now I just don't say anything because we have already waited so long for our food. It's almost 2:00 at this point. We needed refills and were ignored in regard to that for over 15 minutes. When I was done eating my drink refill showed up. Other tables were also unhappy- I heard them complaining. One woman didn't like her alcoholic drink, told him, and asked for a water instead. He remade the drink and didn't bring her a water. Listening is a huge part of being a server, as well as reading the vibe of the table. This experience has just reinforced that this place has gone completely downhill and isn't worth the money. If I'm paying that much for food, I expect it to be made the way I requested, and I expect to have great service. DO BETTER. Yes- I wrote that on my receipt. We...

If I could give 3.5 stars, I would. My wife and I went to Cantina Laredo for Sunday night dinner. We chose the place because the few times we've walked past it seemed pretty busy, which can be an indicator of quality and we were looking for a slightly upscale take on Mexican. However, when we arrived, for our 7pm reservation, the place was pretty much deserted - I can only guess that once the stores close up on Sundays, the place empties out. So, if you want to try this place and avoid crowds, that'd be the day and time I'd recommend.

Once we were in and seated, I was a bit disappointed - the overall decor is bland and uninteresting. The best comparison I could come up with at the time was "generic airport restaurant, circa 2005". Plain wood panel walls, little artwork, generic chairs, generic tables. This restaurant has no style of it's own at all.

The menu is neither limited nor extensive, which is nice - there's enough variety here that you're sure to find something you'd like while not being so overwhelming that you feel like you're trudging through War and Peace (I'm looking at you, Cheesecake Factory). For an app, we selected the Laredo queso dip, which proved to be quite tasty and in good quantity. For dinner, I chose combination beef and chicken fajita and my wife went with the traditional tacos. I added a side of shredded cheese since they don't serve cheese with fajitas, which I found a little odd, but I've seen that once or twice. Additionally, no lettuce. Most of the food was quite good - there was plenty of both beef and chicken for the three tortillas that came with it. The beef was tasty but slightly tough and the chicken was quite good. On the side was a small pot of beans that had a spice to it that I didn't think worked with the beans at all and rice, which had an OK flavor, but was under cooked. My wife felt the same about the rice that came with her tacos and she said the re-fried beans were "so-so", but the tacos were quite good. Additionally, my wife had a Margarita that she felt had not enough mix in it and was overpowered by the alcohol. Adding more mix, fixed the problem however.

Service was spotty. When the server was around, she was pleasant and quick to respond, but she disappeared for extended periods. It appeared to us as though she had too many additional duties - busing tables, refilling sweetener containers at the tables, seeping the floor, setting up for the next day, etc. So, I don't think I can actually fault her, but I would fault the restaurant for that.

So, overall, bland decor, pretty good main course, so-so sides, and a distracted staff at prices higher than you'll find at most Mexican restaurants. I won't say completely stay away, but there's better choices in St....