Llorona Cantina — Restaurant in McAllen

(skip to the end for the bad part :p) solid food i enjoyed the meal mostly. we got the trompo and milanesa tacos as well as the gringa llorona. great fajita on the llorona, very tender. trompo couldve had more seasoning for that al pastor taste but the meat had a decent texture (i love it when it is crispy and soft almost like thick pieces of bacon but this was more like a soft chewy trompo) i like the diced pineapple and grilled costra cheese. the milanesa was good texturally but u gotta be ready for the heavy greasy vibe it gives you. the salsa bottles are kind of annoying since it is hard to control how much comes out. when you squeeze them the salsa shoots out rly quickly. they bring out doritos and lays with valentina-type salsa when u first arrive. not loving that. just bring me regular tortilla chips instead of a tiny bag of doritos and lays.

music in there is pretty clubby which was grating w the sun still out. just know the music will be loud and with that reggaeton and edm vibe to it. lots of vibrant fluorescent/neon lights and big screens with music videos on them.

okay service: the place was pretty empty and our server didnt check on us too often. i had to get his attention a couple times which was okay since it was empty. with more customers there i suspect we couldve been waiting around a lot more. overall he had a nice demeanor tho.

the worst part (which i noticed in other reviews) is the sleazy service charges. our receipt had an 18% gratuity by default. if that's how it is, i prefer you to communicate up front before we even begin ordering anything. i asked the server if they charge 18% for any size party or only big groups. he said yes. then i point out it just seemed like a mistake because our receipt says there are 6 guests when there were only 3 of us. then he said oh yeah let me fix it. he brings back a receipt without the automatic gratuity charge.... yeah it's a weird experience where it seemed like they were trying to snag a good tip when that wasn't the protocol for a party of our size. i didnt like the way it felt when he switched up about whether or not we are supposed to have 18% tip? unclear if he was just confused or if it was on purpose, but unprofessional regardless. he wasnt that attentive anyway and the restaurant was empty. so yeah it was a good meal but my experience left a sour taste in my mouth.

i think the place has potential to be a nice place for a special dinner with rowdy friends where you want the clubby vibe with lots of drink options (pricey but happy hr $6 palomas and...

My husband and I decided we would try this place after hearing it advertised on the radio today. We went tonight and waited 15 minutes to be seated, which was absolutely fine, we have waited longer at more affluent places. We finally get a table, and in 30 minutes of waiting, NO ONE acknowledged our presence or even offered a glass of water. I would love to say it wasn't because I was the only black customer there, but EVERYONE else was serviced except for us. Apparently if you're a mixed race couple or just African American, your money is...

Amazing night life, the prices are reasonable definitely not overly priced, the mixology is at another level. To start off, totally complementary, is chips with their signature salsa to enjoy while you wait on your drinks, we enjoyed the ceviche Tostitos- they are well executed and as an appetizer it’s enough to share around the table. Perfect spot for a birthday celebration and after speaking to hostess a reservation is always recommended on the weekends since it does get...