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    Lava Cantina

    3.3 (657 reviews)

    Order Lava Cantina Takeout or Delivery

    Lava Cantina Photos

    LAVA CANTINA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Loud
    Casual
    Trendy

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    Recommended Reviews - Lava Cantina

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    Pizza
    Ellie Beth T.

    We had a great time listening to Emerald City Band celebrate their 40th anniversary! We had prime seats just inside with views of the stage, perfect to listen and see without being overwhelmed. We ordered Mac n Cheese balls, nachos, and pizza and they were great. The pizza could've been cooked a lot more as the center was soggy but it was still good. Would def go back!

    House Margarita
    Rachel H.

    Came here for a concert. We've never been here before. The location is very easy to find. And we didn't have any problem finding a parking place. We first sat inside and ordered food and drinks. The drinks were really good. And the food had amazing flavor. Our server was very nice and attentive. The atmosphere is very fun and laid back. We then went outside to see our concert. Which was awesome. All in all we had a great experience and are looking forward to coming back next week for another concert we purchased tickets for.

    a classic car parked in front of a building
    Erin L.

    Always a great time and shows are amazing and sound quality is phenomenal. We love the bar and drinks and decor is cool. Staff is always friendly.

    a view of a city at night
    Diana D.

    Great place for concerts! They have a really nice outdoor but covered area for concerts and they always have really cool bands playing. Food is ok, I personally don't think their menu is great but their Brisket Tacos and Elote pizza are really good! Staff is always nice. Drinks are reasonably priced. They also have Karaoke nights every Tuesday and that is a lot of fun too!

    Staci W.

    Awesome music Waterloo!!!!! Service was great and we are having a great time! Great weather, great friends!

    Another view of the elevated stage taken from the dance floor.
    Sherri H.

    I came to Lava Cantina to attend a private party. The venue was closed to outside customers and the food was probably selected from a catering menu. The welcoming staff at the door was very friendly and well, welcoming! There was a wide variety of self serv food set up that was just alright. I had a frozen mango margarita that was good but not the best I've ever had. The venue was clean and once the band started playing the volume was off the charts! When I arrived, I tried to pick a place to sit that was fairly away from speakers so that one could carry on a conversation. Wrong!! I don't think there is a place available here for conversation. After leaving for the evening, my ears were ringing for hours. I've been to lots of concerts over the years and to this venue several times the noise volume here is always way too loud. I would have enjoyed the live music so much better if the volume was not turned all the way up! The dance floor was spacious and it's set up where the band is elevated from it, which is great. Again, the music was way too loud to enjoy from the dance floor. Maybe I'm getting too old for live music events, but I don't think so! Louder does not make it sound better, in fact the opposite is true. In my opinion, the acoustics go down the louder the volume. I think the rock and roll decor is nice and I was happy to see a poster in the ladies room on how a lady could get help from the bartender by ordering certain drinks. Overall the venue is okay. Just don't expect to have much conversations without shouting and having a sore, scratching throat to go along with ringing ears the next day!

    Lava Cantina Menu
    Veronica H.

    Great venue for a concert! The drinks and food are good. Small venue, but totally worth going to.

    Bang bang shrimp
    Janet H.

    We stopped in at Lava Cantina for a quick bite. Sorry to say the food was just not that great. The bang bang shrimp were over cooked -way beyond crispy, to the point of being chewy. The salad was lettuce and a ton of tomatoes, very little dressing and you had to ask for croutons! The pizza was so salty! It looks so good but the salt overpowers everything. The crust was really good. Not sure how it was, but there was a band playing and we throughly enjoyed them. We were seated quickly, and our server was very sweet. All in all, may go back for drinks and music but not food!!

    Bar Menu
    Cory H.

    The Sunday soul event is amazing. People of all ages having a great time. They also have food and you can reserve tables if you want for your group ahead of time. I went solo and still met a lot of cool people. Will definitely be back again.

    Ben L.

    This rating is specifically regarding their "VIP" section of their live events. It sucks. The most expensive ticket with the crappiest view. Do not recommend it at all. You end up standing unless you you've snagged a seat on the rail. The rest are crap. May as well save your money and buy a GA tickets Oh, and on the floor, you can see the stage from wherever. In the BS VIP, you can only see if you are at the rail.

    Me sitting pretty in the corner of our booth

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    1 year ago

    Nice venue, decent music, but grossly understaffed. And those working are too busy updating their Facebook accounts. Not worth the trip.

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    2 years ago

    Very good food. Nice selection of drinks and food. Nice venue to check out a show. Service has been great.

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    Page 1 of 17

    Ask the Community - Lava Cantina

    Is there AC in the concert seating area?

    it's outdoors and i think they have fans installed but i'm not 100% ..

    I haven't been to a concert anywhere since this Covid stuff started. How are they handling social distancing? I see that they are having shows now? I'm especially concerned about the GA areas. And does the balcony have tables and chairs in GA?

    They are doing a great job with social distancing. They have far less chairs and tables in the concert viewing area than before covid. Each table per party is separated into sections, so you get basically your own safe space to view the concert if… 

    Is it kid friendly?

    Yes especially during brunch

    I'm going here soon for a concert... but I need to know more about the venue/stage. I want to be as close to the stage as possible, but I was wondering if that would be GA or VIP? Before I buy the tickets.

    GA is closest to the stage, but unless you get there early to secure seats at 1 of the 6-8 patio tables, you’ll be standing all night.

    Is it cold for winter concerts?

    A little bit. But if the band is good and with a couple of drinks it can be fun

    How is it for the Dallas Cowboys Meet and Greet events?

    Havent been to those but the space is huge lots of flexibility to be upstairs or downstairs and the staff is great.

    What is the capacity for a concert venue there?

    It's huge. Room for tons of people.

    How is parking?

    Parking lot is huge! And I believe they have valet service too.

    View All 10 Questions

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    Casual dining
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    We recently hosted a bachelorette party at Mi Cocina near Nebraska Furniture Mart, and overall, we…read morehad a great experience. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming, and we were greeted warmly upon arrival. It's a great spot for large groups and celebrations. We had a party of 16, and I really appreciated that there was no automatic gratuity added. The restaurant was also very accommodating when it came to splitting the checks exactly the way we wanted, and the QR code payment option made settling the bill quick and convenient. Our server, George J., was friendly and attentive with drink refills throughout the evening. I ordered the Shrimp Brochette and a Strawberry Mocktail. The Shrimp Brochette was delicious and definitely something I'd order again. The Strawberry Mocktail was refreshing, but I wish it had a stronger strawberry flavor. I was also a little disappointed that it seemed to be the only mocktail option available. It would be great to see more non-alcoholic choices, such as virgin margaritas and other traditional mocktails. One area that could use improvement is table maintenance during the meal. Since we had a large group, empty plates accumulated on the table and remained there for quite a while. Even as our server stopped by to check on drinks, the plates weren't cleared. Eventually, I moved several of them to a nearby empty table myself. A little more attention to clearing dishes throughout the meal would have made the experience more comfortable. We also brought a Nothing Bundt Cake to share for the celebration. While paper plates were available, we ran short on serving utensils, and it would have been nice if the restaurant had been a bit more accommodating for guests celebrating special occasions with outside desserts. That said, everyone had a great time, everyone else's food looked fantastic, the prices were reasonable, and the overall experience was very enjoyable. I would definitely return for another group gathering.

    You can't go wrong with Mi Cocina. Our service was fast and the food was consistent…read more Here's what we got: - Susnset style Fajitas 50/50(half chicken, half steak): this is always amazing. We normally ask for extra sunset sauce, and when we asked again this time around, we had less sauce. Don't know if the extra sauce wasn't rung up or if the quantity has been reduced. I truly hope it's not the latter, because that would be disappointing - redfish ceviche: a little too sweet for us. It's been a while, but we normally get the Havana nachos - an off the menu item.

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    Mi Cocina
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    Lalo's Cocina Mexicana

    Lalo's Cocina Mexicana

    4.1
    (148 reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    Met a friend here on a weekday for lunch. The clean dining area is one large room with plenty of…read moretables and a full bar along one wall. The complimentary chips arrived warm. They were not too busy so our food came out quickly.

    Short Weekend trip to Dallas/Plano left us a little hungry after exploring and shopping! Stumbled…read moreon this place and legit only went off Google and Yelp reviews because I'm a stickler for "vibes" and pictures! The photos make it look very lively and fun so imagine our surprise at happy hour on a Friday walking into an entirely empty restaurant! Two couples inside and a couple guys drinking on the patio. We still decided to stay because we were hungry and the place itself is super duper nice and cute! We opted to sit at the bar where we were kindly greeted and two TVs playing football with no volume (which I love)! The barstools were very comfortable as well. Ordered two of the BEST margaritas I've ever had with the gran marnier! I now want all my margs made this way. No need for a second! For food, the enchilada verde and the taco lunch plates were pretty dang good. No complaints there and the servings were reasonable and not too much from the lunch menu. No leftovers. Really enjoyed the verde. Chips and salsa were something to write home about! Amazingly toasted and crunchy, I should have asked for a bag to go with just those chips! Very good! All in all, the staff was too kind and it happened to be my friend's birthday so I "snuck away to the restroom" and told our waiter and he surprised us with a perfect tres leches slice that was absolutely delicious! For lunch and margs I spent $65 and he treated us with that dessert and I felt like that was so sweet! Thank you team at Lalo! You guys were great and I now actually like that the restaurant was slower at the time but I do hope they pick up because it was a great place for us! Enjoyed very much and if we are ever back in the area we will stop through.

    Photos
    Steak fajitas
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    Plata BlackBerry & jalepeno Margarita
    Plata BlackBerry & jalepeno Margarita
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    Calles de Mexico Taco Shop Tex or Mex

    Calles de Mexico Taco Shop Tex or Mex

    4.1
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    Calles de Mexico has been a staple for us for years, and at this point it's basically a weekend…read moretradition. We don't make it in person as often as we'd like, but we order delivery almost every single weekend--and seriously, we couldn't live without it!! The pozole is the reason. It is absolutely divine. I genuinely dream about it during the week, counting down until the weekend because that's the only time they serve it. The meat is unbelievably tender--melt‑in‑your‑mouth tender--and the flavor is rich, comforting, and deeply satisfying. It's one of those dishes that sticks with you long after the bowl is empty. Everything else is consistently excellent too. The guacamole is always fresh and delicious. All of their salsas are vibrant, fresh, and full of flavor, and you can really taste the quality. Their chips and tortillas are also fresh and delicious, which makes such a difference and really rounds out the whole meal. When we do go to the restaurant in person, the experience is just as good. The servers are always helpful and friendly, the bar is great, and while the atmosphere may not be over‑the‑top fancy, it's comfortable, welcoming, and always very clean, which we really appreciate. Calles de Mexico is one of those rare places that's incredibly consistent over the years. Whether you're dining in or ordering delivery, they never disappoint. And if you're lucky enough to catch them on the weekend--do not miss the pozole!!

    This customer arrived at 3:20 PM. The lunch meaning is from 11AM-3PM…read more The chicken enchiladas with rice (it normally comes with both rice and beans), a small guacamole, one beef hard-shell taco, and one plain pork tamale. The food was good! They also serve complimentary chips and salsa before your meal. The service was welcoming with frequent check-ins, regarding the meal & if anything was needed.

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    Calles de Mexico Taco Shop Tex or Mex
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    Lava Cantina - bars - Updated August 2026

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