It has been many years since last eating here. They were busy! We had the fish tacos. I hardly ever eat Tilapia as I don't trust the sources, but I made an exception as we were with another couple. I asked if they could change the tilapia for the blackened salmon on the tacos and they flatly said no. They have blackened salmon on a salad, so I thought it was not a big deal. I guess as busy as they were, changes would be a problem. Anyhow, I also asked for more of the spicy mayo sauce as it had very little. THEN, they were fantastic. The prices were much higher than I remember, but I understand after COVID things are different. This place is really close to where we live. That being the case, I might not rush back as I can get Tilapia everywhere. So, not a big deal. The chips and salsa were really good by the way. ....well, ok, maybe I would give them another try as long as I can find another non-meat dish that isn't too expensive. For most people, you will love it. The service was good as well. See what you think. read more

The server was not attentive. I ordered a Caesar salad, it was dry romaine with a couple of tortilla strips. Disappointing

Consistently tasty food. I have been coming here for years and I can honestly say every meal has always been delicious. The complimentary chips are incredible. I'm a fan of the street tacos and crab cake. Margs are also great! Service is consistently friendly and attentive. They used to have a table side, freshly made guacamole, but recently I noticed it was removed from the menu for generic guacamole. Still tastes good but not as fresh. Some meals are a bit over salted but nothing overwhelming. Overall, I recommend this for elevated southwestern cuisine. read more

My folks love coming to canyon cafe, every time I've been there the service has been pretty good, but today, not so much. Went there with my girlfriend, we arrived at 8pm (they close at 9), the hostess sat us down right away. We literally sat there for 24 minutes, no water, no chips, we could see waiters coming and going, but still no service. At the 25 minute mark, we just about ready to leave, instead I go ask the hostess if we can get some service, her response "my bad"..... Even after talking to the hostess, it was about 10 minutes later that a gentleman came and offered us waters. We asked for our food, to go boxes, and our check. I've never had to do this. Pretty sure the waiters were avoiding us, either cause we looked young or they were expecting us to leave. Food came right around 8:50pm, the entire restaurant was empty, all the waiters were watching us like hawks, we wouldn't be eating 10 minutes before you closed if you just had came to our table as soon as we sat down!! Food is always a 10/10. But get your staff working better! Everyone looks like they're in a psych ward, walking around aimlessly, no one smiles, I tried waving people down but they were just looking at the ground. You would think a restaurant connected to Plaza Frontenac would have the highest quality staff! Also no white chocolate with my check, my girlfriend was so hyped to finally check this place out cause I've been several times with family, she was so disappointed. read more

Canyon Cafe - Steak fajitas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Solid Tex-mex food for moderate prices. Meal starts with large, crisp chips with thick salsa - perfect with a margarita or cold beer. Order table side Guacamole or some Queso cheese dip to spruce up your starter. I enjoyed the combo Carnitas and Verde Chicken enchilada. Portion size was plenty for one, and think you can even share if you want a smaller portion meal. Pork was tender and served with sautéed peppers, onions, tomatoes and warm tortillas. The Enchilada had plenty of chicken and the verde sauce was flavorful. It came wIth rice to round out a full plate. Another table favorite were the pick 3 tacos, you can have shrimp, fish, veggie or meats; also served with beans and rice. Finally, if you want a full dinner, they had daily specials as well as nice selection of fresh salmon and more. It ends with a taste of their homemade white chocolate, presented in a corn husk wrapper, delightful finish! I've been several times and keep going back. Enjoy! read more

The Combo enchiladas and the Southwest Cobb salad were outstanding. And our server Alli was very friendly, helpful. She mixed up a great top shelf margarita. The chips and salsa at Canyon Cafe are the best. Highly recommend the Canyon Cafe. read more

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My family of 6 went Friday night at 5:30. We were seated right away. Very friendly server. We started with the homemade free chips and salsa. Tasty. We also got the queso. You guys! This was the greatest queso of all time! 10/10. Comes with more chips and a couple of tortillas. PERFECTION! I recommend the frozen margaritas also. Tasted both the strawberry and mango. I'm a light eater with IBD so while the rest of the family ordered food I asked if I could order the chicken quesadilla off of the children's menu. Not spicy and doesn't have all the veggies I can't handle. I was told NO! and the waiter moved on. Apparently the street tacos are spectacular and same with the enchiladas. Spicy! But in a really good way. Would i go back? If Friends or family wanted to yes. But since I can not eat there I wouldn't choose it. But you all go and try this place! read more

I've always enjoyed the street tacos at Canyon Cafe. The Bison, Fish and Vegetable are always my go to order. I also love their top shelf Margaritas and house chip with salsa. This last visit, I don't know what possessed me. I went totally crazy and ordered chicken wings at a Tex-Mex restaurant and I am glad I did. Their wings were spicy, huge, meaty and crisp. They were better then wings I have enjoyed at a sports bar and a specialty wings restaurant. I'm still a fan of the street tacos, quesadillas and huge salads here, but now I'm having to put these amazing wings into my rotation. In addition to the wings, I shared an order of Queso Dip with my friends. This creamy dip was served with fresh house made tortillas as well as warm chips. I favor the chips, but the tortillas are easy to dip in the queso, too. The service was attentive and friendly. Amanda our server was actually a delight. She made our dining experience fun. She knew we were dining between two movies and made sure our drinks & food were served promptly. Orange is my favorite color and I'm a fan of linen napkins, so wiping my mouth here after a hearty bite, puts a smile on my face. Canyon Cafe is a great place to eat after shopping the plaza, meeting friends for Happy Hour, or after a movie at Landmark. Will I return? - These margaritas will always bring me back & now I want more of these wings. When: January 4, 2017 Why: Snack between movies of a double feature afternoon. read more

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Canyon Cafe offers a casual, comfortable setting for Southwestern recipes inside Plaza Frontenac. The three street taco lunch special is a good choice and a good value. Mix or match tacos of seafood, chicken or meat--there's a vegetarian, too. Margarita slaw and chipotle mayonnaise on most pop the flavor. Add beans and rice for a couple bucks more. More complete meals include a variety of salads and entrees of seafood, bison, and chicken. There are even some pasta dishes. Service has always been attentive during busy lunch periods. read more

Food was AMAZING! My family has always loved this place, but I had only been once. Honestly the service wasn't fantastic but these were the absolute best enchiladas I've ever had--one of the best overall meals I've ever had. Portion is really big for the price, got two meals out of it. Definitely going back to get again!! My mom and sister loved their quesadillas as well. read more

Canyon Cafe - Panchos Enchiladas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

We had a disappointing visit to Canyon Cafe this week. Went in on the Sunday of Presidents Weekend. We were told the wait would be 30 minutes, no problem. They took my cell number to text when the table was ready. The restaurant had the appearance of being understaffed with tables needing to be bussed. We decided to get a drink while we waited. Went to the bar. The bartender was totally overwhelmed. She wouldn't take our order. She listened that we would like to order some drinks. She just walked away without comment. We heard from the others sitting at the bar that they were not being served either. This experience gave us a bad feeling about how the night would go so we left and went to near by Uncle Julio's instead. (See post for Uncle Julio's). I never did receive a text about the table being ready. Thinking we made the right choice. read more

We had a lovely dinner. Our server was attentive and the food was tasty. I only wish that there was a side option on the menu. I would have liked to have had beans, rice and one taco. Most if not all restaurants I go to have that option. I'm not sure why you don't. Please reconsider what you offer. Thanks. read more

The food is delicious! The moment you are seated, they bring chips and salsa to the table. A generous portion of the most delicious tortilla chips I've ever tasted; they're so good, that I have to pace myself not to fill up on them before the main course. I always order the lemon grilled salmon, because I'm a creature of habit and when I find something amazing, I always seem to come back to it. My hubby is more adventurous and has tried a host of their dishes; he has loved everything he has ordered (we go often, so he has tried the better portion of the menu). The servers are always so pleasant; they come to check if the food is to our liking, but they aren't intrusive. It's a huge restaurant, so not very noisy ; even though they don't take reservations, it's never a long wait. This place is fantastic! read more

Not sure what is going on here. I understand being short of staff in these times. We had a 25 minute wait and sat at the bar to have a drink. I chose a draft beer, had to make three different choices as the kegs were not working. Ended up with a Carona bottle which I was not pleased with. Got to our table and ordered. This fish tacos were not fresh at all and the chicken on my southwest chicken sandwich was very dry. Took forever to get a refill on water. Lots of open tables which tells me understaffed read more

I always forget how much I love this place until I'm there again. The Pancho Enchiladas are everything an enchilada should ever be, and their rice and beans are so good. As a few other reviewers mentioned, the chips are great (although I think the salsa leaves a little to be desired). During the dinner rush, I found that the hostesses had no idea what they were doing in terms of estimating waits, and our waitress was MIA for most of the time (when she was there, she was great, though). However, the place was packed and somehow not incredibly noisy, and the kitchen gets the food out very promptly. Overall, it's always a fine experience, and the food is worth any minor inconveniences. read more

Canyon Cafe - Dinner Menu! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Good Tex mex food. I like the tacos of the day. Salads are great. Service is consistently good.

Good TexMex mix of food in a great central location. Love that the seating can be cozy inside or spill out into the mall area.

One of the few personality characteristics I inherited from my (hella) asian parents is the love for free things. And I absolutely LOVE Canyon Cafe's complementary and amazing assortment of flavored chips along with their homemade white chocolate. They don't just give you free shit. They give you QUALITY free shit. As for the rest- food all taste great (especially the fajita) and come in large portions. No problemo with the service. Nice/spacious atmosphere in Plaza Frontenac. Ruv it. read more

Canyon Cafe - Pancho's enchilada - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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We've been eating here for over 10 years and it's one of our staples. The food is always amazing. The chips and salsa are their own thing and the service is usually pretty good. The real kicker for us though is the top shelf margaritas. They're literally in our top 3 anywhere. They just get it right and know how to make a solid margarita. HOWEVER, this time was disappointing. The top shelf margaritas come in a shaker which always allows for 2 full glasses (we usually end up ordering 2 each). However this time, both margaritas we ordered only filled our glasses once with a very small amount left in the shaker vs normally being able to pour another full glass...hopefully today was a one off, but if it happens again, it's a deal breaker. read more

I went here for lunch with my mom on a Friday afternoon and was seated promptly with space for my baby carrier and welcomed with chips and salsa. I had the chimichanga and my mom had fish street tacos. The tacos had a good flavor and they served them on corn tortillas by my mom's request which was nice. My chimichanga however was just average. When I think of chimichangas I expect a nice crispy shell. This one was lightly fried so it was a little too soft for me. The ingredients sounded wonderful and I expected a lot of flavor for chicken, cheese, and peppers but it was pretty bland. I would probably come back to this restaurant since it's a great option while shopping at Plaza Frontenac but I would order something different next time. read more

Canyon Cafe - Street tacos - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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I've been going here for a while and yesterday was the WORST. My wings were not thoroughly cooked and my wife's bean tortilla whatever was a pile of soggy mess. We only took a couple of bites. It all tasted horrible and we awoke in the middle of the night with issues. read more

Everything was great!!! The food, the service and by mistake I forgot my pursue at the table. Walked back to go the parking lot and the waiter ran to me to let me know that they had it at the office. So, so very grateful!!! read more

I visited for the first time on cinco de mayo this year. Overall I loved it! Location: Perfect location in Frontenac and it is pretty easy to find. It is right near Saks Fifth Avenue. Scenery: The vibe here is very lively! There's a very nice outside eating area (like an open patio), along with plenty of dining space inside and a bar as well in case you want to catch a game. Service: The server I had was okay. I think he might have been new. Food: Plenty of chips and salsa. The chips have different varieties, including sweet potatoes, blue tortilla, fried tortilla, etc. Salsa and queso is fresh. I chose their chicken chimichanga and it was delicious! Drinks: Plenty of options. I had a strawberry margarita. It was a good amount for the price. Also I liked that the server asked about how I wanted it rimmed (salt or sugar) often times I feel it's automatically rimmed with sugar. read more

Canyon Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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sorry food was fresh but LACKED any flavor, flour tortillas like rubber, food was NOT good. me and my mom almost spit out our food and it was Pricey. no flavor and dry and Nasty...no way! read more

I placed a to go order using the online system. Order went through and the confirmation email said 30 minutes. When I arrived it was another 30 minutes before I would leave with my dinner. 3 tacos and enchiladas. I know everyone is working short but if it's going to be an hour I would have arrived in an hour. The only reason I didn't give one star is the bison tacos are a hidden gem. read more

We decided to give this place another try. We've had really great meals here, but a few years ago it went down hill. I'm happy to report its great again! The chips and salsa have always been awesome and they still are. The thick sweet ones are my fav! Hubby had the chili rubbed sirloin and it was cooked perfectly and he said it was excellent. I had the steak fajitas and wow...best I've ever had! Delicious! Wonderful service too! I'm so happy this place is back where it should be! Want Tex-mex....this is the place to go! read more

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The hype is ReAL! This restaurant is the bomb of deliciousness! Fresh awesome food, great portions, and good wait staff. Go there NOW read more

Canyon Cafe - YUMMMMIE!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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It is typical Tex-Mex food, but I highly recommend it. Yes you are in the mall, but it doesnt have that mall feel to it, and the food is actually good. My family came during the Black Friday weekend and the service was still on point and the food didnt feel rushed or over or under cooked. Let's quickly talk about the guacamole: YES YES YES, I had a "When Harry Meet Sally" moment. It was that good. read more

Canyon Cafe - Crab cake - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I have no idea why people where waiting to eat at this place. The food was subpar Tex Mex food. The rice looked and tasted like a prepackaged Knorr rice. It was DISGUSTING. The vegetables on my taco were seasoned with teriyaki,why? I have no idea. The vegetarian taco platter was a poor man's Taco Bell. Except their food is overpriced and tasteless. The wait was 20 min. Our server Mark was overwhelmed and over-sat. He came by and took our order. Never refilled our drinks.We had to flag him down to get our check.Then we waited 20 for our check. We ended up leaving an undeserved $10 tip because we didn't want to wait ANOTHER 20 minutes to get our card back. I do NOT recommend and will not return. You're better off going to Taco Bell... read more

The food is great but the service is always so slow. I get ignored as a single person table.

Delicious tex-mex and margaritas are excellent! They come in a shaker and it is left on the table giving you two full large margarita glasses worth of yum read more

After dining at the Canyon Cafe and trying different parts of their menu, I would give this establishment 3 stars and nothing more. The good: The chips, queso and guacamole were great! The portions were generous and the chips were obviously house made & tasted excellent. The service was also very good and we enjoyed our server immensely. The bad: The food seemed to be plain in comparison to similar, local restaurants. The menu is very outdated and I was underwhelmed with all of our meals (it was cooked well and absolutely fresh, just lacking). I don't think I would come back for food unless they revamped their menu and introduced new ingredients and tastes. I will, however, come back for their margaritas as those are mainly what they are known for. I really appreciated the small dessert tamales they give you with your check and think it's a fabulous finishing touch. read more

I have been to Canyon Cafe twice. I never know what to expect from a chain restaurant operating out of a mall, but I guess I try to keep my expectations low. (I do enjoy the occasional Cheesecake Factory visit aha). I enjoyed the first time enough to want to come again, my mom was in the mood for Tex-Mex and this is nearby and non-hassle. We went on a Friday night around 5, before the crowds. Honestly, there's not much to remark on other than the whole experience was rather mediocre. I had no idea the restaurant literally opened up to the mall, so where we were seated left much to be desired. We watched shoppers walk by in and out of stores the entire time so in general, the atmosphere was wanting. The service was fine. Our server was friendly enough and many others came by to see that we were doing good. But what got me the most was the price! OMG, I don't think there was anything under 10$ on the menu, even the appetizers were expensive. I ordered the Grilled Tuna, one of the entree specials for 20$. For that I expected something top notch. What I got was a lot of lacking in flavor. The tuna was decently sized on top of a bed of plain rice with roasted vegetables but nothing was seasoned and nothing had any flavor. Even with the chipotle mayo drizzled on top! All of it tasted bland, especially the fish. And I just felt so unsatisfied after eating it, I came away feeling as if I hadn't eaten anything at all. We finished with a tres leches cake, hoping to find some success. Unfortunately it was similarly bland. A normal sugary cake that somehow tasted dry despite being soaked in the milks. The best part of the meal? The free chips, the only food I tasted all night. I will not be back and would not recommend this overpriced, mediocre restaurant. read more

-5 stars. The absolute worst. They served all the food at once and when we asked to hold off on the entree to eat our salad, they attempted to deliver the entree 2 more times within minutes while we were still eating salad. We talked to the manager about this and he got VERY defensive. When we were ready for the entree the food was cold and the beans had a crust on them. After we complained and asked to take the entree off the bill, the manager came to the table with mall security (!!) and asked us to leave the restaurant immediately. He said we were rude. Not once did we cuss or raise our voices. The manager had his ego bruised. What would he would have done if the restaurant wasn't in a mall with security? Call the police? read more

We keep coming back. Why? I don't know. We love the drinks. I keep wanting to love it but...... Their hiring profile stinks. And while they seem to hire poorly, their training seems even worse. From the first impression, the hostess made us feel like we were quite the imposition. Oh well...lower your expectations and you'll be fine. read more

After leaving the movie theater I was ravished and tired of being gawked at like a Unicorn (that's a mythical creature); so I needed a drink STAT (shortest turn around time)!!! Frozen margarita, sugar no salt please. It didn't taste like the typical strawberry purée...fresh strawberries were definitely used & I immensely appreciated it! If you've been here then you know the drill; in five minutes or less you receive fresh salsa and on all accounts the BEST chip mix in the land (any land, including but not limited to Middle Earth, Pony Ville, Panem, Westeros, Hogwarts, Tatooine, Land of Oz and Pandora). This may not be a white tablecloth restaurant but just like them when there is a Chef specialty there are no substitutes! Having dinner at some of the aforementioned places I totally understand the reason. Substitutions can really mess with the integrity of the vision and above all Chefs want to be consistently consistent. So what does that mean? I ordered what I knew I could handle with no changes and I was particularly pleased. I had a trio of street tacos, which were chicken honey hot sauce w/ mango fruit salsa, blacked fish and veggie. I upgraded to a platter that included black beans and rice. Totally tasty and totally fresh! Each taco had a charming mix of flavor, color and texture that were on full display with careful preparation. Our waitress was Stacy and she was helpful and attentive. I made sure to ask her to relay my compliments to the Chef and that everything was delightful. The manager came over and I had to reiterate how awesome the meal was and that I didn't even need the side of sour cream and guacamole that I requested. The food and drink was so good that I temporarily paid no mind some repulsive comments and the stares we received in the dinning room as if brown people eat differently but it was more of a what are "they" doing here stare (more on the entitled & exclusionary vibe I always get at this mall in my Frontenac review). I even ordered my favorite soup to go (Poblano chicken chowder soup) and it even came with extra chips and salsa!!! The only reason this is not a five star review was because a large party came in and instead of making sure the group had room, the staff tried to cram them all together. At one point there was a man so close to me that our arms touched (no bueno). read more

Canyon Cafe - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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The wife and I often find ourselves craving Mexican food... or at least Tex-Mex. We've lived in this new location for a couple of years now and never thought of Canon Cafe. In fact, she had no clue that they focus on Mexican inspired dishes. But alas, Yelp, with their handy search engine made the recommendation and off we went. Canyon Cafe is in a mall. Usually I detest Mall restaurants. They're always over-crowded, over-hyped, and corporately mediocre. But for whatever reason, the restaurants in Plaza Frontenac are good. Cardwells, Flemmings, Brick Top's all offer well executed meals. Entering Canyon Cafe at night is somewhat romantic... you enter through an outdoor cooridor flanked by two large flame towers (think olympics). In fact, when the weather is nice, the tables outside around this entrance are full. Inside consists of a modern Southwest feel, with imagery of the Grand Canyon, and everything painting in those same muted red tones. Their dining area spills out into the mall corridor. They do their best to maintain the same vibe out there, but I'd suggest asking not to sit there... the atmosphere isn't nearly the same. This past visit I had carnitas which I found out were marinated in coca-cola... they were very good. I also had an enchilda. She had shrimp tacos. Everything was good, decently priced, and our server Tiff W. was super helpful and friendly. They serve homemade chips and salsa and they're good. You might ask for those with the meal so that you don't fill up before hand. read more

Canyon Cafe - Carnitas Enchilada Combo - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Quite surprised at how good their place was. I had the Margarita Shrimp Tacos. They where spicy and very good. It came with a side of black beans and rice. The beans came in a tortilla bowl. My husband got the Carnitas. It was very good also. The chips where made in house along with the salsa. The salsa was spicy with a smokey flavor. I didn't like was our table. It was positioned right outside the restaurant and a little acquired in the mall. Kind of lost the feel of the restaurant. Also I felt a little rushed by the server. We where sat an hour before close, but come on she was hovering at our table to much. Still not that mad because the food was good. read more

Canyon Cafe - Margaret shrimp tacos - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Okay okay, I have to give this place it's full 5 stars now for these reasons: 1) Service is always prompt and quick (by that I mean I come to eat lunch here once a week and I am in and out within an hour and my drinks are always full). 2) The bar selection is full of variety and the bartenders are always in a fun mood! 3) About 3 weeks ago, I left my iPhone at the table that I was eating at during lunch and once I got back to work, I started freaking out and called up there and spoke to the manager who reassured me that their busser was so sweet and found my phone while cleaning up my table and left it locked in the back office of the restaurant so no one could steal it. I was definitely a happy customer after that. All in all, this is a great place to come eat with your family or have drinks on their patio with your girlfriends or plus one! read more

Canyon Cafe - Pecan encrusted crab cakes with shreds of sweet potato... Very delicious! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Went for my first lunch-time visit. Definitely 5 stars. Great patio area. Tables outside are 4-tops, so if you have a larger group, you'll like have to wait until two tables area available to push together. First come, first serve. You can also eat inside at a table looking at toward the main mall hallway. Decor is very Southwestern and makes me nostalgic for Phoenix, AZ. Here's what we ordered. Everyone enjoyed their meals quite a bit. See posted pictures: 1) Chips and salsa (complimentary) 2) Buffalo Crawfish & Shrimp Wrap (for the health eater in our group) 3) Desert Fire Pasta w/ fresh jalapenos and Jalapeno Gravy (for the spicy eater in our family) 4) Chicken Flautas - This was my lunch, and I can't recommend it highly enough! 4 chicken flautas in red and yellow shells comes with rice and beans. 5) White chocolate w/ nuts (I think?) - Complimentary at end of meal read more

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