CASA MARIA TEQUILA BAR & GRILL — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I’m dumbfounded by all the great reviews for this restaurant. Maybe we caught the chef on a bad night. I’ve never eaten here before and I will never eat here again. This was honestly the worst food I have ever had, and certainly the WORST FOOD that I have paid $70 for. How does someone screw up Mexican food that badly you ask? We ordered 3 takeout meals. I ordered the Ribeye Tampiquena, and if that piece of beef was a ribeye steak?! I will poke out my right eye. The “ribeye” mostly consisted of large fat globs (as you can see in the pic) & it was so tough that the type of meat was literally unidentifiable. The shrimp were soggy, as though they were taken straight from the freezer, thawed and then thrown onto the plate. The rice was dry and had no flavor (How does an anyone screw up rice?! & the refried beans —Please—the refried beans were also straight from a can & not even cooked. They too were watery & tasteless! The Esquite Mexicano corn?—also straight from the can, not heated. The sauce tasted like very watered down milk and was also tasteless. We ordered 3 different meals & after a few tastes of the meals, all went straight in the garbage. Maybe they just reserve the crap food for take out meals so that the customers won’t know what crap the food is until you get home. Why didn’t we take it back you ask? We spent all day moving into a new apartment and were so exhausted that we all just decided it was not worth our time to drive 15 miles back to the restaurant. Oh but the queso &...

Not sure what the raving reviews are for. We tried this place for dinner and were surprised by the food quality, service and then not billing us as per their current specials. We asked the server for some hot water with lemon due to one of our guests having a bad throat and was immediately refused. No attempt at all. It’s hard to believe a restaurant with a full bar does not have hot water. How do you boil your corn, rice and beans ? Oh wait, you don’t because the corn was frozen, beans were straight out of a can and the rice weren’t even cooked properly. Thankfully we placed a small order to check the quality before ordering dinner. I’ve had better guacamole at other places. The street tacos were however delicious.

Moving to the drinks, we asked for one of the Moscow mules to be with less ice due to the same guest with a bad throat but the request wasn’t considered.

Lastly comes the staff attitude, not sure what is there to gossip but clearly when we asked for hot water the server went up to the bar tender and started making fun of the request. We weren’t even billed as per the Wednesday Specials for Moscow mules being at 6.99 each. Might as well remove the specials in that case.

Will not...

I've been a loyal patron of this Mexican gem for 14 years, and it never fails to impress. The ambiance is fantastic, and the establishment is always impeccably clean. It's become our go-to spot for entertaining out-of-town guests, a testament to its consistently outstanding experience.

Don't miss out on the spicy margarita – it's an absolute delight that adds a perfect kick to your dining experience. And here's a pro-tip: Ask for Carmen as your server. Her attentiveness, friendliness, and knack for making you feel like family elevate the overall dining experience to new heights. Trust me; you won't regret it. This place is a culinary haven that keeps me coming...