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

Great food. They are very popular so it took us awhile to get seated. We were seated in 2top that…read morewas too close to bar where waiters were entering and exiting constantly bumping my seat. I really liked the vegetarian trio course and the salsa bar. They make their own salad dressing that was my favorite. We tried the margarita sampler it was fun and good presentation. Mostly frozen dessert cocktails. If you want something to pair with a main course it's better to get regular margarita.

LOVE this taco spot!! Their Birria is so good and can rival places in SoCal!! I love their Al…read morepastor tacos, everything here is so good! Give them a try!

Great customer service from the staff inside they were welcoming and friendly with providing some…read morerecommended options and answering questions. I love that there are the street tacos available here and the pricing is fair. In my opinion. It's a great option for if you're looking for something quick to eat and especially if you want some authentic tacos, I will be back. Interior is more so quick, grabbing a bite type vibe rather than a traditional sitdown restaurant.

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

Great Mexican food! The food is always fresh, has great flavor, and is the perfect portion size. I…read moregot one shrimp taco to try it, and it was really good! The shrimp was cooked perfectly and there was a (what seemed to be) mayo based sauce inside. The slaw was nice, though if it was a bit sweeter it may have been even better. The nachos are my go-to. The Guac and sour cream on top is my favorite part and it's always super fresh. The staff are always super friendly and service is fast! It's a seat-yourself order at the counter type of place. Nice covered outdoor seating

As someone who is very familiar with Mexican food from Border states as well as Tex-Mex I can…read moresafely say that Indio is unique and not in a bad way but in its own special way. I have ordered via the drive-through, in person, online and by phone. Each time the customer service was up to standard. (Props for dealing with college kids all day and still being professional even at the end of the day) I've only ordered one thing and it's been so good that I keep coming back for it. The chimichanga platter. Me Gusta la chimichanga, la Comida es Muy Bien. With a drive-through on both sides, outdoor covered outdoor seating arrangements. The building is fitting for a Mexican joint you would encounter say in LA. The bang for your buck is my favorite part. I get a very heavy plate with tasty food. A bag of freshly made in house corn chips and salsa! Just don't forget to grab the packaged salsa Verde y Rojo on your way out In terms of Mexican food in Gainesville. At the time of me writing this review there is no other Mexican restaurant that gives you as much food for the same price. (La Tienda yes I'm talking to you ) This restaurant is a cornerstone of GNV and all residents should try it at least once.

Food is soooooo damn yummy bro OMG; ordered the Drowning Fatfuck sandwich with steak (Torta…read moreahogada) and i pigged out on that shit. The mole sauce was delicious as fuck. Chairs are cute as hell and the artwork makes gives a great atmosphere. Waitress was very kind and meal only ended up being 44$ after tip to serve two individuals

In a dive of a shopping center, walked in and it smelled like a dirty bathroom, spills on the…read morefloor, table dirty, menus filthy, walked out. Waitress had attitude and didn't care that the table was dirty. Not sure how they'd ever pass an inspection.

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!

Our favorite Mexican!…read more We continue to be impressed over and over as the food here is amazing. Everything is so fresh and delicious and not greasy like a lot of Mexican restaurants. Every taco is fabulous, especially the pork belly. The entrees are great. Highly recommend the salmon or blackened mahi. Gluten free options are marked on the menu. The drinks are also incredible and I highly recommend the prickly pear margarita.

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 loved curia!! I ordered a cappuccino with orange cardamom syrup and it was extremely satisfying!…read moreThe orange didn't really come through a whole lot but the cardamom was front and center (which I loved). My boyfriend got a cappuccino with strawberry syrup but we didn't really taste the strawberry in his. Regardless, it was delicious. We also got one of their biscotti which seemed like they made in house but I'm not sure. It was yummy, but definitely was not a very traditional recipe. It tasted more like a short bread than a biscotti but still very yummy. We walked out to the food truck to get some vegan bites and they definitely met expectations. The crabby patty was delicious with a great texture, and my boyfriends patty melt was also super good. We shared a mac and cheese and honestly I was full before we even got to that. The Mac and cheese was great but did taste a lot like coconut so if you're not into that then maybe veer away. The ambience was a mixed bag. The initial shop that you order the coffee in had a very cozy vibe with great decor. If you walk past the patio into the overflow seating the vibe changes a ton. The decor felt very uncanny valley, back rooms, like very odd. I think they need to work on that side of the property a little bit and make it more cozy. Maybe it's a work in progress or maybe they like it that way, I'm not sure, but it wasn't the sort of vibe that made me want to stick around. Overall great experience though! Will be coming back & hopefully I can get seating in the main shop ;)

After nearly four years I finally got a chance to check out Curia On The Drag. This place is hard…read moreto define: it's a bakery, an art space, a vendor marketplace, a podcast recording studio, a bar, a coffee shop, a food truck, a community event center. I came with a friend for dinner and we got food from the food truck, where all of the menu options are 100% plant-based. I got the mojo tacos and for my chosen protein I went with the fried fishless filet. The two tacos came on corn tortillas with pico de gallo, queso fresco, pickled red onion, mojo sauce, and lime. Each bite was so refreshing! The lime gave a citrus kick to the sweet pickled red onions. The fried fishless fish was tender and flaky like real white fish. I was thoroughly impressed with Curia and think it's one of the most unique places in Gainesville. Check it out!