La Minerva Cocina & Tequila — Restaurant in North Charleston

Deconstructed guac and charred lettuce - my oh my.

La Minerva is a Mexican restaurant experiencing an identity crisis. The atmosphere is interesting - a mix of hyper modern and house music. Nothing really screams “orale” when you walk in. The next big foul up is the chips and salsa, unlike most Mexican restaurants in the area that provide complimentary chips and salsa… Minerva demands $5.00 for their salsa. At $5.00 for a salsa I was intrigued… what could they be doing back there? When it arrived in a mini wine caraffe… I was reluctant but indulged. The taste was good but as you can imagine for a table of 6, the wine caraffe maybe got us through half a bowl of chips. Then came the indication that a top off would be another $5.00… my heart sank. The salsa was not worth the price of admission.

Next came the Guac… which i guess was “deconstructed” because it was just sliced/chunked avocados. I thought this might be an error, that somewhere between the Mocajete and our table there must be some confused employee wondering where his avocados to mash are - but we were informed that their guacamole is “chunky”.

The entrees themselves were a mixed bag. Our birria tacos were perfectly acceptable. The Del Valle salads on the other hand was bizarre. I guess this valley has no access to knives, because we just received a half charred head of Romaine. Im pretty sure I should receive a discount because most of the assembling of the salad happened table side by our party.

On the plus side, the service was impeccable… borderline too friendly.

I really wanted to love Minerva but the value proposition just isn’t there for the taste of the food. I would try this place again but only if somebody raved about a specific dish that...

Literally such a good experience and THE BEST Mexican place in the area for sure. I lived in San Diego for a while and this is the first time a Mexican restaurant here has been comparable to the food over there. The atmosphere was comfy and spread out. The seating was comfortable. The bathrooms were cool and clean with nice decor. The style and decor throughout the restaurant is elegant and creative. Everything flows so nicely! Our server Angie was SUPER AWESOME!! She was literally so nice and had perfect timing. We tried some delish food/drinks bc of her recommendations!! Shout out to my girl Angie fr🔊🔊 best of all the food was SO GOOD. I was dining with my family and literally everything looked good. I personally ordered the torre di mariscos. It’s a seafood dish 10/10 ISTG it is so flavorful and fresh. I absolutely would go back just to have that and their plantains(sweet plantains) again. I also had a virgin pina colada (super good) and their chips and guacamole (also super good and fresh). I didn’t order this but I’m also intrigued by their dessert collection and they have birria ramen too?👀This place deserves more attention frfr I am looking forward to eating...

This is quite likely the best Mexican restaurant in the area now. It was SO delicious! Words can't describe.

Our waitress was Kayla P - she made fantastic recommendations, was patient with us as we took our time (we were three friends catching up on many things and were slow with our menus!), met our vibe (appropriate balance of classy and fun), and met our every need. Management (the owner?) even stopped by the table and checked in, and we sung our praises because everything was so fabulous. What an amazing experience.

They have a fun drink menu, so be sure to check that out. We tried so many different foods that I don't even remember what all we got, but the shrimp and scallops were my personal favorite. The chocoflan also had a twist to it that was particularly yummy.

The restaurant is beautifully decorated. It's a wonderful atmosphere that has a little fancy to it and a little cozy to it. The bathroom was clean and had a fun feel to it. They even have a little photo spot with angel wings if you're into Instagram pictures.

Looking forward to coming back for more girls nights and...