I would like to like this place, however, after another (hopeful) trip there tonight I've decided it just needs a change of management. Let's start w the margarita. Ok at $13 I expect a great one. The salt in the rim ... table salt. How expensive could it be to buy decent rum salt? Margarita suppose to be "Cadillac ". Watery. No Ice. And it took forever to find our waiter to get more ice. Guacamole. Brown and tasteless. Chicken enchiladas. Apparently cheese and sauce are pricey commodities because it was lacking sufficient amounts of both. Beans. Sad blob. The best place in town Dos Maria's is, unfortunately , not a "dinner" place. Light years better. Really, no sense in eating here if I can make it way better at home. read more

We had a large group of at least 50, so things were very busy, but the staff did an excellent job of making sure we were stocked with food and drink. The draught beer selection was light, but bottled beer was available. The super nachos were killer: flavorful chips topped with steak, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and fresh jalapeño slices. Kudos to the staff for their great service. read more

Came to dinner with my family, the food was great! However my issue with this visit is... it seemed to have been busy not a big deal we understand. But to look to my right and see what appears to be the manager wearing a blue blouse and glasses sitting at the same table my whole stay with 2 servers all chatting.. my food was ran out by the cook who was rushing back to the kitchen so I'm assuming the back was busy yet no movement from the girl in glasses or servers sitting with her. The table they were at seemed to be doing a fb live so I'm sure it was a social media thing but coming from someone who has worked in a restaurant industry if the store looks busy and if a cook is running food, something probably isn't going well and should go help out. I hope the owners see this and do something about it because she's not doing her job. Unless it's to sit on her butt while everyone else works or sits with the staff.... disappointed in who the "leaders" are suppose to be. read more

Great fish tacos! Order them grilled vs battered.

A really decent atmosphere. clean and respectable employees who seem to be very conscientious and concerned about the service to their customers were receiving. the food was good and the margaritas actually contained alcohol unlike some restaurants that you go to. we were on the road, we were very tired and it hit the spot read more

Nice location, great service, beautiful inside and out. The only problem with Cicada is the food. Dry and bland. It's too bad they don't have quality control before food goes out because this place has the potential to be great. Went on a Friday might and there was no wait and plenty of places to sit, inside or out. It became apparent why when my lime tequila marinated chicken showed up and it was like jerky. They serve a corn side with almost all meals and the corn was super soft and tasted like its been cooking for days. This place will surely fail if they don't get some quality assurance and higher standards for their food. read more

Service was slow...food was icky. Hopefully they can turn it around. We had high expectations going in.

Pretty much the only thing I like is that the ambiance is nice here. I love all the pretty lights and decor. They have some great late-night drink and appetizer specials but they take forever. The food is just so-so. The shrimp lettuce wraps sound amazing on the menu, but I was very disappointed by how soggy and bland they were. I had to squeeze a lot of lime on them to give them some flavor and I had to eat them with a fork as there is no way to hold them; just a giant sloppy mess. My husband had a beef burrito and although it was huge, it had no exciting flavors either. The service was terribly slow and inattentive. read more

This place USED to be good. The Mexican food scene in Redding is absolutely horrid. They've changed chefs way to often and the food is never consistent. The owner Joe Wong knows how to own fast food franchises, but his "boutique" restaurants View 202, Spoon Me, and Cicada are all terrible when it comes to the food. Sure he probably has a good interior designer for his restaurants, but I'd rather have a good burrito than sit in a "hip" restaurant with food that tastes like nothing but empty calories. Even their cocktails taste so watered down it's sad. I wouldn't be surprised if they cut the alcohol with water. read more

My mom and I shared the nachos and each had a Cadillac margarita. The nachos were alright. The margaritas however.... Terrible. Tasted like cheap margarita mix and even cheaper tequila. Worst margarita I've ever had by far. SO bad. Ew. This place is getting three stars because the woman waiting on us was quick, helpful, nice and professional. But I'm not sure how one appetizer of nachos and two margaritas became 37 dollars? read more

So disappointed! The first several times I ate at Cicada, the food was great. Over the last year something went wrong! Bad service, bland taste, and drinks are watery. I miss the old Cicada!! read more

My mother and I are driving from SoCal up to Seattle and stopped here for dinner. I don't have one bad thing to say. Jessica was our waitress, and seriously, she could not have been more amazing. She recommended the carnitas (which we split) and it was DELICIOUS! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone a million times over! read more

Food was good. ..I had the street tacos and my husband has the taquitos. ..both were pretty good not the best we have has but decent. .service was good waiter made sure we has refills and more salsa read more

Service was good. Love the thin tortilla chips and two salsas. Shrimp lettuce wraps were really good. All other food was average, not great. Fish tacos were dry, carnitas were plain, not much spice or flavor. No pico de Gallo with anything. Probably will try some where else next time. read more

Well, my wife and I thought we'd try this place again only because our first couple choices were getting close to closing time. First of all, we love eating outside and Cicada has a very nice outdoor lounge and dining area. Our host kindly seated us at a very nice table at the outdoor dining area. I have to say that the ambiance and decor of Cicada is really nice. The food definitely a different story though. Our chips and salsa arrived promptly as well as our drinks, but things go downhill from here. At this point I'll just quickly list what was making this experience worth Yelping about: 1. The salsa was horrible, to me (salsa lover) it was worse than a bad store bought brand. 2. The chips weren't much better either in my opinion. 3. The Cilantro Cesar Salad (which I ordered) was soggy and drenched with dressing. 4. My wife ordered the Mahi Tacos which came with beans and rice. The beans had a burnt taste like they were scooped from the bottom of the pot. The Mahi wasn't fresh at all and the flour tortillas were dry and crunchy. As we sat there looking at each other in disbelief, we thought to ourselves "why in the world did we decide to eat here again". The first time we came here I became really sick with cramping and vomiting about an hour or so I finished my meal. Now, as I'm sitting on my couch writing this review my wife is suffering with abdoanal cramping and making trips to the bathroom. So, you get the picture, our date night dinner was awful! There are MUCH better Mexican Restaurants in TOWN within a close proximity of Cicada. I'm sharing this review only because we've had two negative experiences and wanted to let you know. BEWARE! read more

Great food. Every single thing was delicious. Salsas, shrimp cocktail, tacos and ambience are all 5 star. Highly recommend them

The food was great and our server was constantly asking if we needed anything. Our glasses were always full. The recommendation of Pollo Poblano was seriously the best Mexican dish I have ever tried. It's not your usual Mexican dish, but if you need something different, this is it. They also were able to make a signature drink that my husband likes. They are really accommodating. Kid friendly as well. read more

Food was good. Ask for the double extra secret hot sauce. Street Tacos tasted great. Ordered pollo Blanco too. That tasted very authentic.

So i first thought, EWWW but as soon as my food came i was in heaven!!! Happy Hour is a blast. This is my new fave place. Want to try something crazy? Try the mexico City Mac-N-Cheese!!! Best thing in the whole world!!!!!! :) I just cant stop saying it. I LOVE THIS PLACE! read more

This is a lovely restaurant to sit in & it has nice, modern decor. The waitstaff is very nice. Many margarita offerings, but the food options are kind of limited. They don't even give you rice and beans with your fajitas...!? Otherwise, a good, clean find! read more

Been here several times expecting a different experience. Food is not all that great. The manager was not welcoming and very rude. We waited about 20 minutes for the waiter to come even ask for drinks & welcome us. Just not pleased, and definitely wouldn't recommend to anyone. read more

This was a great discovery while house sitting for family in the area. As out of towners from the sf Bay Area, we didn't really know what our options were for a good drink and meal near Redding, but we were hoping to find something that wasn't a chain and when we saw this place it caught our eye visually so we decided to check it out. Glad that we did; Our service was great, our waitress Rachael was quick and attentive, the drinks were strong, and the food hit the spot. We will have to come back again next time we are up north! read more

My friend and I decided to try Cicada Cantina in Redding CA tonight? oh......well started in the afternoon but didn't get out until after dark. Waitress was very nice but food for 2 took well over an hour and that was early in the evening. Everyone around us had received their food and waitress was confused as to why we had not received ours. When the food finally came, it was only one of our orders because the cook had put the wrong sauce on enchilada and also forgot the rice. Food was okay but for $70.00 and waiting over an hour for fajitas and enchiladas we were not impressed. Waitress offered a dollar off coupon for next time....uhh? I don't think so. Thanks anyway. Will not return. One star for nice waitress and one for yummy chips and salsa. read more

Wife and I in town for the night and stopped in for a quick bite, we were really suprized with the decor and great service. The food is Mexican with a little modern twist in flavors. Supper clean and fresh food, really great service even though they were slamed a bit. Carnitas were really great, moist and seasoned correctly. We are not drinkers but there bar and margarita menu were top notch and looked good! Tons of great specials and regular menu items. Try the all you can eat carnitas flautas on Tue night, YUMMY! We will be back next time in Redding. Hope they open one closer to our home base! read more

Ignore the bad reviews!! People seem to be more inclined to complain than to praise. Food is solid and the alcohol is great. Boyfriend got a micro brew and a chicken burger, cooked perfectly, and I got the paella which was seasoned perfectly! Please check it out! read more

The service was good and everyone was friendly. The food however, was bland, boring, and in no way "Mexican". The fajita salad (which literally means grilled meat), has no meat! The rice was overcooked and the beans came out of a can. All-in-all, kinda sad; especially for the price. read more

I hope that the management really takes a look at these reviews. I would agree that there is a lot of need for improvement for food. The food preparation is spicy but very bland. The chef/staff really need to learn how to season food. Just the basic of the right addition of salt will make a big difference. Also - go back to basics. The beans and rice are a C- at best. This should be able to be excused in any Mexican restaurant well in order to earn more stars. I also feel that the restaurant needs a deep cleaning. Bring in a crew to strip and scrub the floor. read more

Really enjoyed our meals, and the guitar/vocalist was great and fun to listen to. Carnitas enchiladas were yummy, and the tortilla soup had a lot going on for it, I should have asked for some more cilantro to push it more into awesome territory. Jaime was super helpful in ordering and not afraid to give an honest opinion which was nice. Would have given a fifth star but service / attention waned near the end. Good flavors, nice decor, we'd definitely go back again. read more

Started out after opening mediocre, maybe more of a novelty that wore out.. Now it's not even an option as well as view 202 when planning to meet friends for dinner. Go up hilltop 1 mile to Casa Ramos read more

My last visit to Cicada was not good. When a sales rep ordered us lunch I decided to go with a veggie burrito. Shouldn't mess that up too much right? Wrong! They covered it in this sour green nasty sauce. I had to peel it back and eat the vegetables out of it, but the rice was not completely cooked, kinda crunchy. Awful lunch! Will never go back. read more

You should know when You walk into a dining establishments and only one table is taken that you should move on. Service slow, even with the fact we were her only table. Food took forever, I would hate to see what it's like when it's busy. Food came out and the steak was very well charred. I don't understand why they even let fajitas leave the kitchen cooked like that, Waited and waited for waitress to come back. Again long wait. Asked for tortillas, again waited and waited. Joe Wong should close the door on this one and find a different chain restaurant that has decent food and better service. Comped dessert, best part of meal, skip the main course and go straight to the dessert. read more

My husband and I went with our 3 boys about a week ago, I walked in and was impressed right away, nice atmosphere, great seating and they had some good live music, the chips were great and service was average; not bad, not great. The prices were fair, I really really wanted to love this place or at least like it, then the food came and Somehow they forgot the flavor! Not even salt. How do you make Mexican food without flavor? I'm not kidding, the food was so bland! I tried drenching mine with the chip dip, but I just couldn't. We let the kids finish then left our food. I don't think we will ever go back but if we did, it would be to enjoy a beer and atmosphere while our children ate. read more

Went there today for the firsts time and paid the consequence of server vomiting and diarrhea! Will never go back, should of got the hint when you get a dirty glass with like egg yolk died inside your drink. read more

I just remembered why I never come here...drinks are so ridiculously over priced!! $15 in food and $28 for 2 drinks :(. The food is good and would go more often if they didn't gouge you on a margarita! read more

This place is a home run! Traveling through Redding and stopped by for dinner as the place was so conveniently located to my hotel. The space is beautifully decorated with a great feel to it. Genuinely friendly staff were welcoming and efficient. Our waitress was excellent and saw to it that we were well taken care of. But, the food was the star. From the innovative menu all our courses were delicious, beautifully presented, and the portions were just the right size. I was lucky to have stumbled on to this gem and am left wishing I lived closer to it. read more

The server we had was really polite, and funny. But the food was pretty bad. All the food that my group and I had ordered was really bland. I've been to fast food places with better food. Also it's way overpriced. read more

Best Mexican food since I left San Diego!. Lexy was a great waitress and checked on me often to see how everything was. Mucho kudos to the cook who prepared my signature Mexican Paella: gulf shrimp, chorizo sausage, garlic, peppers, onions, cilantro and red rice roasted together with mexican spices, topped with scallions. It was absolutely perfectly cooked! The manager, Angel Jimenez was also very hands on with the customers and checked to make sure people were happy. Definitely will be coming back for another good meal here.! read more

im giving cicada a star and thats based on the customer service that was given yesterday, this would be a first time thats happened to us there seeing as we eat at cicada often and have never had anything but the best service and food. im hispanic so my native tounge comes out or we could say slips out while im talking or translating for a fellow hispanic. the waitress anyhow seemed to understand me with a word or two in spanish that had worked its way into my ordering or asking questions about the drinks or in this case i was translating for my cousin visiting the country , just before our food was brought out i asked if she spoke spanish seeing as she understood it, where she replied "yes but i only speak it when im paid for it"-(waitress at cicada) that instantly ruined our food and vibe there as if we wernt welcome there for being hispanic or latino read more

We had dinner here last night. The service left a lot to be desired. The place was busy, but really it took a while to get drinks and even see our server. Don't except a lot refills, because they are just to busy. The food was ok. We where not impressed! My rice wasn't cooked all the way and the black beans where tuff and just warm. My son ordered Street Tacos he said they had No Flavor. Our chips had so much oil on them it was gross. Ya, for a mid to high level place it was not impressive. The price wasn't bad just over $57.00 for the 3 of us. We won't go there again. read more

A friend and I went here for lunch. I was telling her what a fantastic large Caesar salad I had there just a week before. When we got our salads there couldn't have been a cup of lettuce in our bowls and not much dressing on it. Lettuce wasn't cold either. This is the main reason we stopped going to this place years ago is because they were not consistent. To pay $11.00 for a cup of lettuce and some crispy strips is ridiculous!! They get one more chance, after that I stop going again. Be consistent when serving meals!!! read more