Food is good. Salsa bar. Service is great and fast. Very lively restaurant with live…read moremusic/entertainment. Our server Mia was super helpful and friendly.

We found Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant in Gainesville through a last-minute Facebook Valentine's…read moreDay event, and WOW what a surprise! The event said no reservations needed, so we showed up not realizing how popular it would be. The place was PACKED with a line out the door! Even so, we only waited about 25 minutes for a table on Valentine's Day, which honestly wasn't bad at all considering the crowd. We went specifically for their Valentine's special: 2 margaritas, fajitas for two, and dessert, such a great deal! The margaritas were delicious. We ordered the Rita sampler and the blueberry margarita tasted like blueberry pie, so fresh, organic, and absolutely yummy. We also ordered homemade guacamole, which was delectable, paired with fresh, crispy homemade chips. Our fajitas included steak, pork, chicken, and shrimp, and everything was cooked to perfection. The flavors were incredible!!! And can we talk about the restaurant itself? It's HUGE! It felt like one of those multi-level Times Square NYC restaurants, with multiple floors and even outside patio seating. It was like a magic trick walking through it! Our waitress, Lia, was fantastic, attentive, helpful, and so sweet despite how busy it was. The staff worked incredibly hard all night and it showed. Plentiful parking, amazing food, great atmosphere. We will definitely be back to this hidden gem we didn't even know existed in town. Thank you for making our Valentine's Day special after a long day of yard work

Very authentic Mexican food! This is a great Mexican staple for Gainesville. You order at the…read morecounter and choose a table, so a great place for lunch or a quick dinner. The service is always super fast. The food is always fresh and authentic. Not pictured are the birra tacos, which are my favorite and go-to item at La Tienda. The spice is tolerable, and the meat is always fresh. The nachos were a huge portion and had nicely seasoned meat. The queso was warm which was lovely

True Mexican restaurant. Very casual and basic. Some of staff speaks English but not all. Inside…read moreand outside dining. Order at counter and they bring food out. Cash discount on food. Good size portions. My husband had the chorizo eggs with beans and rice. Just ok. I tried the Huarache (house specialty) with Barbacoa beef. Masa pancake with meat, lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream and avocado. Delish! We are from out of town but would definitely come back for if in Gainesville

New location but same great food…read more I am certainly not a Mexican food expert but frequently when traveling look to see how the flavors may differ. When considering having traveled east to west (New England to Utah), north to south (Wisconsin to Naples FL), Even several stops in Texas. I can confidently state my favorite is Linda Vista here in Gainesville. Great food, great service!

I have dined here a few times now and each occasion delivered very tasty food with pleasant…read moreservice. I don't live in Gainesville, so I'm not an expert on the best restaurants there, but I've had multiple locals recommend this place. I love the vibrant colors inside. The booths, tables and chairs are works of art. There is some outdoor seating with tvs outside, as well. Very easy to scarf down the chips and salsa when they arrive at your table. We requested refills of each for our large party, and they were promptly provided. My fish tacos were packed with nicely seasoned tilapia and I appreciated the veggies present in the rice, adding a nice flavor. Prices are reasonable. Overall, it's a very solid choice for Mexican cuisine.

We sat at the outside bar as reservations were needed for anything inside. Our bartenders were…read morevery friendly, polite and did the best they could do, but were completely overwhelmed on this Graduation Friday. Place was clean, food was OK, yes just OK and wasn't even close to being served all together. The third plate was served after we finished all the other dishes. As I said, the bartenders were working hard but the overall service was terrible. No silverware was given, no drink refills were offered, no follow up on the missing food. Service just sucked! Especially for the prices ! Too many options to go back and have another bad experience. Today's busyness is not a surprise as I go through this every year, yet we're unable to take care of their guests.

We came to Cantina Añejo for a sorority moms & daughters event, and the vibe was definitely fun and…read morelively--it's right across the street from UF, so it's clearly a popular scene! Drinks were included with the event, and I ordered a Tito's with club soda and lime, but something was off. Not sure what they mixed in, but it tasted unusually sweet, almost like it had added sugar or syrup--which was unexpected for such a simple cocktail. On the plus side, we tried the chips and guacamole, and they were really good--fresh, flavorful, and a great snack to share. Overall, it's a good spot if you're looking for a social, energetic atmosphere, but the drinks didn't quite hit the mark for me. Might give it another try for the food or a different cocktail.

Great Atmosphere, food and service. Prices are great. Had a great time with my Wife and Son.read more

The food was great, I had the King memorial combo , which is their chicken burrito and 1 beef and 1…read morecheese enchilada and a hard taco with queso cheese with rice and beans. They definitely give you plenty of food for the money. I also had a frozen swirl margarita that was lime and Strawberry, it was not bad. The decor inside the restaurant is cool with the colorful Mexican tiles and the rustic wood walls and the vintage pictures. We had a server Rebecca F that was awesome and took care of us . I will definitely come again.

Highly Recommend! I…read morecome to Gainesville all the time for doctor's appointments and honestly can't believe I've passed this place a million times and never stopped in. I'm so sad I didn't discover it sooner -- because this food is amazing. Truly some of the best Mexican food I've had in a long time. The staff is incredibly friendly, down-to-earth, and made me feel so welcome from the moment I walked in. The whole experience was just easy, warm, and delicious. I really liked it here. A lot. And I'm definitely coming back every time I'm in town.

This place if in survival mode needs to up their game . First off the service for the restaurant…read morenot being all that busy was poor. The food was awful chips were old tasting maybe the oil was rancid , cup of chicken and rice soup was loaded down with all rice which soaked up the broth and my beef burrito was saturated in grease wish now I would have taken a picture the flour tortilla was limp and soggy from all the grease the burrito didn't have hardly any beef in it to begin with . Zero quality control here ! I will stop here with my review but the rest of our food was horrible . Prices were exceedingly high for a Mexican restaurant, especially of this quality. Go somewhere else even Taco Bell would be better.

SOOO GOOD! the portions are HUGE & seriously so good. Service was good & i would absolutely…read morerecommend this place to anyone looking to get some authentic mexican food

Food was disgusting. Service as bad, it seemed we disturbed them. The ambience would be lovely - IF…read moreeverything else was good. I hate to leave a bad review, however, in this day and age where competition is rife, they need to make more of an effort, both food quality and interaction wise.

After trying a few other Mexican restaurants I chose this one because the Pork belly tacos. Upon…read morearriving we were told to pick our table. We chose to sit inside. Our server was Brandon, who was an absolute delight! He was so energetic, so friendly, and gave great suggestions. We started with drinks. I had a skinny margarita and my husband had a Frida (top shelf margarita) and our son had a Coke. First thing we ordered was the chips and salsa. The chips were perfect, not too thin and not too thick. They came with two salsas. Both were tasty. Not sure if there is a spicier option but we will check next time. I ordered the Birria tacos. They were so delicious! So much flavor! The avocado tomatillo salsa was perfect with it. My husband ordered the Al Pastor tacos. It was very traditional Al pastor. He loved the black beans. His words were " these are the best black beans I have ever had!" Our son ordered the chorizo tacos. First, I have never seen chorizo tacos offered in a Mexican restaurant. Secondly, they were amazing! To finish, I ordered the banana pudding and our son ordered the churro sundae. Both desserts were delicious. The portions were huge! All in all I say Nopal is quite the gem. Perfect portions and dishes that are packed with flavor. And service that goes above and beyond. We can't wait to go back. We will ask for Brandon!!!

I arrived with 3 friends on a Wednesday night 7:20pm and we sat on the patio. There was not a…read moresingle table occupied inside the restaurant. There were 4-5 other tables seated outside. Our server mentioned he was busy but would come by as soon as he could. No problem! Well....he silently dropped waters off about five minutes later and zoomed away. We flagged him down a few minutes later to order bar drinks. Two of us ordered beers and two ordered margaritas. The margaritas took forever and when they finally came out, they both tasted terrible. One tasted like pure sugar (all sour mix) and the other tasted like rubbing alcohol but not a tequila taste. My friend took them inside to the bar to swap them out since the server was too busy. The bartender said there was too much agave in their sour mix today. They ended up with beers. Finally by almost 8pm we flagged the server down and asked to order food. He was apologetic that he was inattentive. We ordered and the food came out quickly. Everyone enjoyed their food. The server asked us if we wanted dessert and made a recommendation. Two of us had a check together and the other two separate. The server struggled to separate the checks and was confused. Suddenly by 9pm the kitchen was closed, he had dropped off our checks, and quickly picked them up. As soon as the checks were signed he was picking up the signed receipts and bussing the table around us although 3 out of 4 of us had full beers from a second round. The server was very kind but I can only hope that it was his first week because he was in the weeds the whole time and there was another server on the patio, so at most they had 3 tables each. I don't know if the solution is to add another server for that shift or if he needs a smaller section but it was hard to watch and honestly I don't think I will return. Maybe the manager could have helped take drink orders or run drinks on the table.

This past weekend I visited Mexi Cocina for the first time, a food truck located at Midpoint Park &…read moreEatery. The park provides the perfect location for a sunny afternoon lunch, and is accompanied by ample seating and food options. The employees at Mexi Cocina were bubbly and helpful, and the service was exceptionally quick. The area surrounding the location was tidy and clean, and allowed customers to dine in the shade or the sun. I ordered the birria tacos, which were well seasoned and accompanied with a tasty jalapeño sauce. This delicious meal and fun environment make for the perfect lunch spot on a Saturday afternoon!

It was our first time at Midpoint and Mexi Cocina was AWESOME. Everything came out piping hot and…read morefresh and tasted amazing. We ordered birria tacos, American tacos, a quesadilla, and nachos and it was all so so good. Absolutely cannot wait to go back!

I went here again for dinner at it wasn't too far from my hotel. I came around 7:30 on a Saturday,…read moreand was seated immediately. I had the Jose Cuervo margarita, which was fine for 8 dollars. Not as strong as some other restaurants in Orlando, but not going to complain for 8 bucks. The scallop quesadilla was decently sized for one person. It had a fair amount of bay scallops, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. The sauce was pretty good too, and adding hot sauce helped with the heat. The guacamole salad was enjoyable too, but the as sour cream tasted standard. For 15 dollars, the scallop quesadilla was worth it! For dessert, the chocolate cake flan was alright for 8 dollars. It was a bit rich and I couldn't finish it all, but it was a sweet enough to enjoy. The service was pretty fast. My food and drink came pretty quickly. My server was friendly and very good. She checked up on me a couple times. The atmosphere is the same as last time, but a lot less crowded. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday, but at least there was some music in the background. Of course, if you saw the photos from last time, you knew what I did before I left. For the price paid, I still think it's a good Mexican restaurant. I know there are better ones nearby, but the atmosphere is still enjoyable. I will try some other Mexican restaurants next time, but I can still recommend Las Margaritas for decent Mexican food in Gainesville. Overall: B

I'll be honest I'm not sure why this place is still open. It's not really the most authentic…read moreMexican place but good if you want quick food. Lunch prices can't be beat & are fast with it so I'll also give them that. I got a taco salad and it was pretty generic honestly I could make better ground beef. It lacked flavor and needed seasoning it was so bland. I added onions and cilantro which I'm glad I did because it truly was tasteless ground beef. The bowl itself tho was crunchy. I am not sure why they have a no drinks policy , I get the food but drinks? I had to down my iced coffee just to be sat down. I suggest going to La hacienda in Ocala if you can it's worth a drive trust me.