Wisdom's Cafe — Restaurant in Nogales

We get out to Green Valley once or twice a year to visit a relative and whenever we do, we make sure to dine at Wisdom's Cafe at least once. This visit was no exception. We went on Saturday night (live music from 5-8 pm, though this trip, we couldn't hear it because we ended up in the small dining room instead of the main room). Our party of six didn't have a reservation but arrived at 5 pm and we were seated promptly. Even that early, the restaurant was full; we just got lucky on seating. Margaritas were ordered all around except for me; I had designated driver duty this time. If you haven’t been here before, definitely try their Margarita -- it's great. If you don't have to worry about driving, get the large; if you're driving, I'd suggest the small size, which is about the same size as a drink you'd get anywhere else.

The first thing you need to know about the food here is that the servings are huge here. Beyond a few chips and salsa, I'd recommend that you skip the appetizers and save room for your entrees. The second thing you must know is that the fruit burritos (a desert item) are unbelievably good. These burritos are a "must order" item and all by themselves justify a trip to Wisdom's. BE SURE TO ORDER YOURS AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR MEAL. One fruit burrito will easily serve as dessert for two people. We ordered the flavor of the month but due to a mixup, we got the coconut creme. While we would have preferred to get what we ordered, the coconut creme was delicious as well.

I had the Cliff Burrito with red enchilada sauce and my wife had the Chimichanga. Both are our go-to items and neither of us were disappointed. I keep telling myself that I need to try something different but never seem to quite get around to it. Neither of us could eat more than half our entree, which gave us a nice, filling lunch the next day.

Service was a little spotty. Our waitress seemed either distracted or overwhelmed. Given how full the restaurant was, this was certainly understandable. We had to remind her twice to bring us water, she missed one drink initially on the drink order, and then there was the mixup on the fruit burritos. All three couples in our party got something other than what they ordered and though everyone loved what they eventually got, it was still a mistake. Had it not been for these glitches, I'd be giving five stars on this review.

Do I recommend Wisdom's? Absolutely. Will we go back? You bet! This place has been around for almost 80 years -- far beyond the life expectancy of most restaurants -- and a restaurant doesn't stay around that long without providing good food, good value for the dollar, good service, and a convivial atmosphere. Wisdom's checks all four of...

Visited after the lunch rush about 2 on a Thursday. March 9th 2023. We did have to sit inside no room outside. The parking is very tight.We have a full size truck with a camper on it. Busy road. We were seated right away. Nothing special about the inside. Alot of family memorabilia. Dark. We waited approximately 15 minutes for a waitress to even stop and say she would be right back. She was busy but the rush was over. When she did come we ordered the $12 margarita that was recommended by reading about the restaurant. It wasn't anything special and was poured from a cooler behind the bar. Our waitress never smiled or made recommendations unless I asked her. She seemed distracted and not interested. The hostess was very pleasant apparently a family member. The bathrooms really smelled like sewer and our table was just at the end of the hallway. Never saw the waitress after another server brought the food. It took another 15 minutes to get the check when we were finished. She kept coming by and saying she would bring it. Now the food was delicious. Although a long wait so we ordered chips and salsa from another server because we didn't see our waitress for awhile ,which was very good. The kitchen made a mistake on my order and she did bring the correct one back and said just to keep the other. Nice gesture . The food was very...

I didn’t take pics and I should have! I ordered the Flautas (to go) which is rolled corn tortillas with shredded beer then deep fried - some places call these rolled tacos or taquitos. The first thing I noticed was the amount of shredded beef inside the fried corn shell was the way it’s supposed to be … most restaurants give you a rolled and fried corn tortilla with such minute shredded beef you’re basically eating just a rolled up fried corn tortilla - I was very satisfied with the proper amount of shredded beef.

What comes with the meal is the traditional Mexican or Spanish rice which was made to perfection and refried beans again tasting like beans should taste. On the side was home made (not store processed) guacamole, sour cream, lettuce topped with the perfect amount of cheese and salsa. This was an entree meal at a nominal cost of $19 for four delicious taquitos (flautas) .. The place was packed and I was eating alone and was not forgotten which was really nice experience. The Server was male and pleasant. No free chips and salsa here...