Recently became aware of this place through a mailing. Since it was started by someone with long time local success, assumed it would be worth a try. Arrived at the dinner hour on Tuesday evening and there was hardly anyone there. Had hoped for live music but was subjected to country music over the sound system. There were a number of patrons outside who appeared to be drinking and smoking but little dining. The menu was very diverse and interesting. I tried to order two different draft beers to enjoy with my meal and they were either discontinued or "out". Out of 5 or 6 draft options, that was disappointing. We ordered a "smashed" avocado appetizer. We received a dish with what looked like 1/2 of an avocado that had been mixed with some pico de gallo and ringed with chips for $7.99. My wife ordered the chicken fajitas and I ordered fish and chips. Keep in mind the founder has extensive experience in preparing and selling fajitas and great Mexican food. These did not taste like any fajitas either of us had ever eaten. They tasted like oregano, were dry and completely unappetizing. The beans were tasty and the spanish rice was stale and bland. My fish and chips were also disappointing. The fish was bland and the coating greasy. I had to request ketchup for the chips. The serving of chipotle tartar sauce was about the size of a thimble. The waiter recognized that immediately and brought a more adequate amount. The cole slaw was fresh and tasty. I did not eat half of this dish. To repeat, I did not eat half of my dish. Anyone that knows me, will affirm that I never leave an empty plate unless ill or completely dissatisfied with a meal. Did we complain? No. Devin, our waiter was very nice, prompt and I am sure would have made an effort in that regard. However, considering the dearth of patrons, I felt this was a learning lesson for us and he should not be penalized for the poor execution of the kitchen. If you want large portions of bland, overpriced food, this is the place to go. Otherwise, walk 100 feet to George's and have a much more satisfying experience.
I went with a large group and sat in the enclosed area (used to be the bar when it was La Fiesta). Other than the fajita salad, there were very few low-carb options on the menu. A few entrees looked promising, but they all came with corn or mashed potatoes. I opted for a cup of soup (cream of asparagus - it was tasty, just not a great choice for my eating plan) and an order of pesto deviled eggs from the appetizer menu. The deviled eggs were scrumptious, but I would have liked a heartier option available.
Service was decent but not great. The waiter refilled beverages pretty quickly but did not remove the empties, so the table was cluttered with glassware.
All in all, I'm not in a hurry to go back. For the price and the types of food that I eat, I can find better options elsewhere.
Aspiring potential but couldn't quite come through.
Went with some friends this weekend to try out the new Cantina Texas. The best thing I would have to say is the atmosphere. It has a very cool Texas Hill Country kind of feel to it and the bar area is very neat. The service was good. The menu has a lot of unique things that I think a lot of thought went into BUT I'm not sure anyone is tasting the dishes after they are actually prepared. We got the chunky queso as an appetizer and it was pretty good except that the "chunky" just happened to be a couple of big 'ol pieces of pork fat.I had goat cheese enchiladas with grilled vegetables and black beans. The enchiladas apparently had way too much sour cream (and I love sour cream) in them because they were SOUR! Grilled veggies were good, black beans eh. My friend got the tamarillo chicken street tacos. Again, sounded really good but totally lacked in flavor. Two others got the chicken fried steak and I'll say this, it was HUGE! Lots of crust and pretty good. The mashed potatoes were good if you like the ones with "peelings" in them. But all in all came out feeling not quite so comforted by the supposed Texas comfort food restaurant. Should have gone to Taquerio #9!
Complete waste of our time. We went on Saturday before any "crowd" showed up. We have 2 small children, and one of our girls is allergic to milk. Their kid's menu is terrible--there are no options without cheese or cream, other than a burger. Not even chicken fingers? Come on!
To top it off, the service was terrible. We must have sat there for at least 10 minutes before we even had someone come over to get our drink order because our waiter was busy visiting with his buddy, I guess. When we inquired about options without cheese for kids, he suggested the chicken quesadillas off of the appetizer menu, which he then charged us full price for. Thanks for nothing.
About half way through the meal, a larger party came in and they moved a bunch of tables together to the point where I couldn't even scoot my chair back without bumping into another diner. Ridiculous.
Nothing infuriates me more than another freezer to fryer (or in my case canned to plate) restaurant claiming to use fresh local ingredients. What seemed to be an impressive menu of quail and bison that we couldn't order because according to the waiter was "eighty-sixed" was a quick disappointment when I was served canned chicken and dumplings. The shredded chicken was obviously canned and tasted it and the "jalapeno dumplings were lacking any flavor and tasted like gummy paste. I couldn't finish. I was thankful I ordered sauteed vegetables as a side. They were good and cooked well but it didn't have much vegetable variety as it was just a plate of carrots and onions.
My husbands meal was a pre-made beef patty that was drier than sawdust and the frozen fries were STILL FROZEN and over salted. This is also not a place for anyone looking for a beer other than the usual Miller Lite and Corona.
There's nothing wrong with a "premade food freezer to frier" place if that is what you desire but Cantina Texas is just claiming fraud with it's menu. I'm saddened every time Waco thinks they have come up with a new fresh upscale restaurant only to be tricked by another restaurant pulling the wool over our eyes and ordering off the pre-made Sysco truck. The menu states they use local ingedients but from what I saw "local" must have meant from the local warehouse.
If you like premade food that is bought from a distributer than cooked and fried this place is for you. But if you are yearning for a real chef and menu that knows that there is pride and achievement in cooking from scratch don't come here! The soundtrack of Beyonce and Mariah Carey should have been a warning. Sorry Waco you failed real food again.
Did not like it at all - dried out food with no flavor!
I went in today and had a late lunch, or thought I would.
I ended up eating the black beans on the Creamy Chicken enchilada, a bit of rice, and the sauce from enchilada. There is a picture of it uploaded in my album, aside from a standard fare 'upscale' plate (but not presentation) the food was very uninspiring.
The sauce was quite ok, but the chicken was reheated dried up cubes, that had no salt and no seasoning. Frankly, I thought I was at Chuy's eating a flavorless meal. Sure Chuy's may be busy, but is hardly something to be emulated for the food.
I paid for my meal after a rather slow service, but I was alone and not complaining about that one bit. after speaking to the manager who was receptive to my complaints, I may return but want to see major improvement.
I saw one plate of the special chicken and dumplings returned with what looked to be maybe two bites out of it. The other had a burrito and almost entire of it there. The older couple next to me disliked their food(barely ate any) and disliked waiting with nothing to snack on, I understand that part, but they liked the chips and salsa of La Fiesta.
I picked the chicken out of my enchilada and ate the overly tough, probably microwaved to death red corn tortilla. It was super chewy, and did not even want to cut. The sauce over the top was good.
I highly recommended that if they are not going to make fresh chicken, they MUST do something to fix that pre-cooked stuff and warm it in chicken broth, a scoop of the creamy sauce they put on top, anything would be better than what they served. I left and could have stopped at Taco Bell on the way out....and I hate taco bell.
I tried out this new Castillo family restaurant last night and really enjoyed the experience! I am a HUGE La Fiesta & Sam's fan, so my expectations were pretty high and I wasn't let down.
My companion ordered the Buffalo Burrito - shredded buffalo meat, beans, rice, and cheese rolled into a wheat tortilla and served with salsa and pico. He was informed that this was the first order for the Buffalo Burrito, so he forgave the chef for initially forgetting the cheese :) He really enjoyed the enormous dish and I even thought the buffalo meat tasted good (not really a fan of gamey meats).
I went for the sliced brisket with a chipotle BBQ sauce, steamed veggies (a nice blend of zucchini, onions, red peppers, carrots and maybe a couple of others), and the skinny fries. The veggies were heavily peppered and delicious and the skinny fries were nice and crispy. The chipotle BBQ sauce was great - a perfect blend of sweet and spice with a kick. When the waitress first checked on how we were liking our food, I mentioned that the brisket was a little tough and she apologized, I kept eating though because it was still pretty tasty. Soon, she and one of the managers came back with a new plate full of brisket and asked me to try the new batch - it was MUCH better. Very tender and juicy. They explained that their new "guy on the grill" had sliced the first batch in the wrong direction, accounting for the toughness, and boxed up an extra order of brisket for me to take home - how nice!
I chalk our couple of hiccups up to the restaurant being new and we really weren't bothered by the mistakes because the staff was SO friendly and attentive.
I will definitely be visiting Cantina Texas again soon and hope to try out their flavorful sounding wings and jalapeno infused chicken and dumplings.
