More Tex-Mex than Mexican. Had the burrito for lunch, and unfortunately I didn't really care for the sauce that was layered on top. Ambiance is nice, service is good. read more

I can get mediocre, bland Mexican food for a lot less money. Beautiful decor & friendly service, this place just needs to step it up on food quality & flavor. Won't be back. read more

I would give 0 stars if I could. Food and service were both extremely terrible. Worst restaurant experience I've ever had, even being a server in the same restaurant for almost 4 years. Everything took way too long to come out. Our server Lorraine never asked us if we wanted another drink or even refilled my water glass for the last 45 minutes we were sitting there waiting for our sent back enchiladas to come back out, yet again not made correctly. Morally, because of my serving experience I could never walk out on my tab, but I was very close to walking out this time. Wasted 2 hours of our time to go sit there and wait for food we never got to eat. read more

Hear again yesterday but sadly they need a lot of work. Tammy the bartender was buried in customers AND it was her job to get the food orders in the bar and on the porch? WTF is going on? Although we like her we had to ask three times for service and at least a drink to hold us over. Now, the manager I talked to did the right thing and called some employees in to help out and that's when service got way better! Ok now the food.....my three enchiladas were terrible. I got ground beef and two cheese ones. The ground beef one tasted like the taco seasoning packet, so the flavor was nasty. The cheese ones did not have the gooey cheese, it felt like it was under a heat lamp or something so not authentic food at all. Beans and rice just basic. Flautas were decent. The steak in the fajitas was not good quality meat, but the shrimp and chicken fajitas were good. So, I heard the owner lives down by us in Roseville, so he or she needs to get schooled by a seriously real mexi food place with killer service called "Zocalo" in Roseville. Not trying too talk bad but yeah the chefs here need to be trained better or let go. Anyway we will go back just for large margaritas and a few apps. read more

Great food, beautiful ambiance and amazing service! The owners were amazing! Love the Blackberry Margarita and all their appetizers! read more

Cicada Cantina - Blackberry Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Redding, California

The food tasted good but they did not plate it appetizingly; they just threw the beans and rice on top of the street tacos, which is disappointing. They also forgot a taco; it comes with 5 and I only got 4. I did order it through doordash but all of that wouldn't happen through a car ride. All in all, I will not be buying from here again. read more

I really want to give this restaurant a good review. We have tried it several times both before and after the new management. However the issues remain the same. The food here is good, good enough that I want to come back again and again. But I wont. The biggest issue with Cicada's is the salsa. It was really great, but they give you teeny tiny square bowls and if you ask for more they charge you for it. They make these fresh homemade corn tortillas with cheese in them. Yet you can only get them if you order the Molcajete or if you pay extra for them. This is a mistake, you have something that sets you apart from the 50 some odd other Mexican restaurants in the area and you charge extra for it. Most people probably don't even know about the house made tortillas. The corn tortillas they use for the other entrees are cheap and tasteless. Then there's the service. Number one reason to either love or hate a restaurant is the service. If you can't even keep the iced tea filled, then you have no business being in the hospitality industry. Bottom line, stop charging extra for what will make customers come back again and again, and hire waiters who actually check in with the guests and you'll have a really nice place. read more

Are you serious ! This place was awful - waited till it had been open a bit before going so they would iron out the kinks however the food was just plain terrible - servers without a clue - no way Joe Wong got this right - Mexican - ha - do yourself a favor and skip this hole read more

Worst service ever. We came in and wanted to sit on the patio. The hostess said it would be 5 minutes. We told her we would wait in the bar. 25 minutes later no table and no drinks. I finally chased her down and we got a table outside. The waiter claimed he was slammed he had a 2 top and a 6 top. I don't know how redding restaurants stay in business with this type of service. It will be a long time before I come back. 30 minutes for two drinks when there was a dozen people in the bar. The drinks were good. read more

Had my last lunch there.. Food awful & service as bad! Joe, it's time to get a new chef who can cook!

I ordered the carnitas nachos here, and not only were they soggy, they ended up making me super sick for 2 days after eating them. I will never eat here again, it was overly expensive and sickening. Husband ordered the taquitos and assumed they would be of a nice quality, but they were also incredibly disappointing as well. read more

Haven't been here in a year and not much has changed. For a Sunday night it was pretty slow. The person greeting us seemed like she didn't want to be there. We wanted to sit outside and it took her 5 minutes to set the table up. The menus had old dried food inside every page. Service was slow, took forever to get waters and to get our food and they weren't even busy. This restaurant use to be the place to go years ago and now they have pulled back on staff, food quality and service to save money and it shows. Empty tables, staff isn't happy to be there and the food is just ok. read more

The carve asada tacos were top notch, salsa A+. In a town with limited authentic Mexican food the carne asada is great.

I am a big fan of The Cicada Cantina,especially the Happy Hour,but we stopped in for lunch on Sun May 18,2014.and were very disappointed with our experience. First,we ate on the patio and the table was full of crumbs and sticky. Second there were no condiments,sweetners or sauces on the table and we had to ask for each one. Then we received chips and salsa, but the chips were the size of cornflakes.Lastly only after ordering and purely by accident did we find out that there was a buffet..The waitress made up for this after awhile and the food was very good. We always have a great time,good food and great service when we sit in the bar for Happy Hour. read more

My husband and I had been wanting to try this place because the new look seemed upscale and appealing. I have nothing bad to say about the service as we were quickly served, and our waiter seemed pleasant. We ordered the guacamole appetizer, and their chips were delicious. We both opted to try their street tacos with carnitas. We thought they tasted okay, but thought their beans and cilantro rice were different and very bland. Left feeling like we had a good experience overall. I spent all night terribly sick to my stomach, and thought it might just be a flu. That is until I found out the following morning, my husband had been up off and on with the same sickness and we both wondered about what we had eaten. I mentioned it the following day to my brother our experience and he proceeded to tell me him and his wife had not gone to Cicada because all of the ladies who had tried it at the dental office had complained that each, on different occasions had wondered if they also had gotten food poisoning. Coincidence maybe? But just to be safe, we won't be going back. read more

First of all this was our third time here and my first review. Our other times were not this bad, but they still left a bad taste. It took 2 hours for us to eat lunch on a Saturday, an hour to get the appetizers (had to ask where they were). Food was burnt and tasteless -honestly how hard is it to cook rice without burning it? The service was some of the worst i have had in a long time. We will not be returning. read more

Just passing through Redding on the way up to Seattle and we're so happy we stopped into this Mexican restaurant. It has a wonderful upscale feeling, is very clean, and our waitress Toni was quite helpful at suggesting different items off the menu. We both had the chicken enchiladas w suiza sauce (Toni's favorite) and it was delicious. When in Redding be sure to checkout Cicada Cantina. read more

I loved it! Have already been twice since it opened maybe a month ago. The first time we did wait a bit but the service was great. Always checking up and bringing us refills :) our chips were different than the normal Mexican restaurant which I enjoyed and the choice of 3 dips was fun. We were suggested to try and peppered fries. SO GOOD. Also had their nachos which one plate was enough to feed 3! All of our food was promp and delicious. Especially their house green rice. The owner even made sure to come by our table and chat for a bit. For the reviews that didn't have as amazing of an experience as myself, try and remember the place JUST opened not everything will be perfectly organized right off the bat. Running a restaurant must be really hard and takes time to get all the bumps and knots worked out. I'll definitely be going back. Again, food and service was great, good atmosphere, awesome music, and decent price. read more

Atmosphere is more sophisticated than most 'Mexican' restaurants, this is not Chevys. Great food and service; had the Mexican Mule and Prickly Pear Marg for drinks, Mexican Paella was delicious too! read more

Definitely american mexican food, that being said, we love it. Great environment. Considering you're only paying $10-14 for entrees, what you get in atmosphere and food is excellent. I'll be very surprised if this restaurant doesn't successfully expand. read more

First off, the girl who answered the phone was extremely rude. I asked a couple of questions about the restaurant and she responded in a condescending tone. Completely deterred me of ever going there now. Thankful for the honest reviews of their "Mexican" food claim. Being from Los Angeles and being of Mexican heritage, I'm glad I didn't waste my money or time here. read more

What a wonderful place we just happened upon. They've only been open a few months, but what a great start! The menu has such unusual and delicious menu items for a Mexican restaurant. One bite of any dish and you know you're not in the "usual" Mexican restaurant. The guacamole and veggie appetizer was so good. My fajita salad with chicken was to die for. My husband's veggie enchilada was great. This was a restaurant Was a great find! read more

The food here is decent but not the greatest as far as Mexcian food goes. It's a pretty nice place and somewhat upscale. Not a huge selection of food like some of the other Mexican restaurants. read more

Decent Mexican food in a town we have had some difficulty finding great food in. Good service in a pleasant outdoor patio surrounding, and within walking distance of our hotel (The Oxford). read more

Cicada Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Redding, California

We keep going back and it keeps getting better. The kitchen and bar had issues first night - underseasoned and the worst long island. Next time, bar service improved. Bacon wrapped jalepenos came out with bacon crisp this time - a plus. However, underseasoned dinner. Last time, all getting better. Mac and cheese a favorite - however, we are still underseasoning. So, what do I mean by underseasoned? No heat! I expect a Mexican restaurant to offer heat options. It's all the same and all very, very mild. The favor is good - maybe a weak Spanish variety. But none of the heat that you get anywhere in Mexico. Next complaint - the ranch as a dipping sauce has got - to - go!! If they are appealing to the 'bland' palate, it's a winner. If you are offering salsa trio, then offer a salsa trio. Think Border Grill in LA/LV. read more

We took my sister for her Birthday dinner here and were not disappointed! She had her favorite Mexican dish, enchillada's and loved them. The complimentary chips with salsa and cheese sauce is a yummy starter. Prices are average, customer service was excellent. We will be back! read more

I have eaten here for years when Joe Wong owned Today I had lunch for my parents 55 Anniversary and there were maggots under the totilla

Took 5 of us out to dinner for my sons birthday dinner. We were all very dissapointed! We did love the decor! BUT......we all ordered margaritas, they were so weak , like Kool-Aid. Seriously no alchohol at all! We ate chips and salsa..,chips were way salty, salsa was all very mild (no hot stuff to choose from)...we waited forever for dinner...so long we decided it wasn't worth it and actually went to the hostess to get our bill for our drinks and we were going to leave...just then the food started being delivered to our table. We sat back down to eat it and were even more dissapointed. The tortilla soup was awful. The tri tip street tacos were shredded and tasted more like carnitas, the waitress said she had been asked about it before. The churros were hard and stale and the caramel to dip them in was a gloppy mess. We were all very unhappy with the experience. How can you call it a "cantina" whith the bar being soooooo bad! We will not be back! Read the review by Tony C.... he was right on about the drinks!!! Exactly what happenned to us. read more

Ugggg... never again. The service was TERRIBLE. We asked our waiter for more salsa, and he never came back. We stopped another waiter walking by and asked for more salsa, and he never came back either. The food came and it was greasy and bland. I never liked Chevy's all that much, but this place makes Chevy's look like a five-star restaurant. read more

Food is sub par at best. Drinks were way overpriced for how bad they were.

I'm only giving a 1 star because there's no -0- option!!! This place is horrible!!!!!!! I've been there a handful of times always thinking that it would probably be better than before and it just never has been. I've been seated in both outside areas (the one with the colorful cushions & the one with standard outside dining tables) as well as inside in the regular dining area and bar and all were comfortable but service sucked! The food isn't good at all as they like to put a weird spin on EVERYTHING. The kids mac-n-cheese has a weird sauce on it that even my 2 and 4 year old kids turned their noses up at. The same sauce happens to be on the nachos and just about every other dish...it's gross! The last time I was in there with my husband and kids the manager happened to stop by our table to see how our service was and me being the straightforward person that I am told him that it seemed like all the servers were college kids who didn't have any real desire to actually serve, that nobody seemed to want to be at work and that maybe he shouldn't be in engaging with them in the water station singing and watching youtube videos on his iphone where customers can see...especially when we were waiting for drink refills!!!! I told him it was the WORST experience I'd ever had there and that it wasn't the first time I'd had a horrible experience. He was taken aback and offered me a gift certificate and I told him to keep it that I would never be back even if the meal were free. He gave me a look like I was the problem which made me want to sock him in the throat! Upon exit my 4 year old needed to use the potty so I took her back through the restaurant and into the restroom and upon exit of the restroom I witnessed the same manager that had been by my table mocking me to my waiter and referring to me as a bitch. He's lucky I didn't confront him about this...I'm Irish and it wouldn't have been pretty, but I had my daughter with me and don't want to be violent in front of her. He should consider himself lucky. Needless to say, we've not been back, I am sure to always tell people how horrible it is and I chuckle each time I drive by and see an empty parking lot during business hours. This place won't and shouldn't survive...it's probably Redding's #1 worst restaurant with Duke's Steakhouse in close 2nd. read more

the prickly pear margarita was very good the fish tacos pretty much had no fish. It had very little flavor too. The street tacos were flavorless not seasoned very well. The restaurant was decorated nicely with nice atmosphere and staff was good, the food was second rate. read more

When this place first opened up it was great. Food was amazing, drinks where great and so was the staff but the longer it has been open it's just been getting worse. Like for example, friend and u went there on a semi busy night, guy took our order for food.....waited 2 hours and we get his attention to come over and the first thing he asks is, "oh are you ready to order now "..... read more

Fantastic! The food is great, very authentic taste! Staff is super friendly and fast. I came here for lunch during work and I was in and out. I also travel a lot and get worried about trying new places, but I would recommend anyone come here. read more

Good food and drinks. It is more Spanish/Cuban style. The paella is outstanding. Had great service too.

The food was good, but very small portions, very pricey, the ambiance was nice aside from the flies all over the place, but again the food was good and lots to choose from.Too much money for too little food. read more

This restaurant was excellent! Super Fresh, wonderful flavors. Thin crispy chips, with a unique red creamy sauce, and yummy salsa. I so appreciate the real fresh cut lettuce in my taco salad. And my hubby loved his smothered burrito. Dos Equis on tap with also a big plus. Thank you for a wonderful pit stop on the way to Oregon, prompt friendly service. read more

I order chicken poblano because I saw it from picture on yelp, no grill chicken, looked like authentic Mexican food, when I got my food is grill American style chicken, I end up 20$ for the food that I don't eat it, will not recomended this restaurant if you looking for good food, but the place feel cozy, service ok but food is suck read more

Visited for the first time, for dinner. Very pleasantly surprised! We had three different entrees, and all three met with approval. Food was very flavorful, and all meats were very tender and well prepared. Service was very good, but was a bit slow at times. We enjoyed that this was not "typical" Mexican fare; instead it definitely had a flair! Definitely can recommend! read more

When arriving to the restaurant we had to wait 30 minutes just to get some water. The whole hour we stayed there our waitress visited us 2 times. Other employees stood around while one person was serving 5 tables. Not going to recommend this restaurant to friends. read more