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

If you can judge a restaurant by the quality of their refried beans . It would be a 10+ …read more Just had refried beans, chips & salsa. Excellent btw. Caught the end of the game. In case you didn't know. Spain Won. LOL ( as if I know anything about sports .. )

This popular Mexican restaurant in Alachua County in Gainesville offers authentic dishes like…read moreenchiladas and fajitas in a family friendly atmosphere. We were there for lunch. They brought out the freshest homemade salsa and chips for the table. I couldn't stop eating so they brought more. I had the Shrimp Quesadilla lunch special $12.25. It was so delicious and a bargain. The service was very friendly and efficient.

We sat at the outside bar as reservations were needed for anything inside. Our bartenders were…read morevery friendly, polite and did the best they could do, but were completely overwhelmed on this Graduation Friday. Place was clean, food was OK, yes just OK and wasn't even close to being served all together. The third plate was served after we finished all the other dishes. As I said, the bartenders were working hard but the overall service was terrible. No silverware was given, no drink refills were offered, no follow up on the missing food. Service just sucked! Especially for the prices ! Too many options to go back and have another bad experience. Today's busyness is not a surprise as I go through this every year, yet we're unable to take care of their guests.

We came to Cantina Añejo for a sorority moms & daughters event, and the vibe was definitely fun and…read morelively--it's right across the street from UF, so it's clearly a popular scene! Drinks were included with the event, and I ordered a Tito's with club soda and lime, but something was off. Not sure what they mixed in, but it tasted unusually sweet, almost like it had added sugar or syrup--which was unexpected for such a simple cocktail. On the plus side, we tried the chips and guacamole, and they were really good--fresh, flavorful, and a great snack to share. Overall, it's a good spot if you're looking for a social, energetic atmosphere, but the drinks didn't quite hit the mark for me. Might give it another try for the food or a different cocktail.

Keep Austin weird!…read more Oh wait, we're in Gainesville. Been years and years since I've been in the south. I loved going to Austin Chuys for the food, drinks, and chips on Friday nights. What great energy! When we happened by this Gainesville location I knew we had to stop in. It still has a great vibe, now with T-shirts of fajita raccoons for sale up front. There was definitely a family vibe here. It was better lit and all types of folks enjoying. I ordered the steak and chicken combo fajitas. I remembered it was the cheapest way to get the most meat. That hasn't changed. Two portions of meat came out on the sizzling platter, with another for cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. Another plate for rice and beans. And t Yet another for the hot tortillas made fresh in the machine. We also got the chicken tacos, which came on an attractive plate. The chicken tortilla soup was well received too. But the best thing was unlimited fresh chips. They brought it out before even saying hi and taking drink orders, to maximize our grazing time. As we comped away dipping in the fresh house made salsa, they kept bringing out more. My jaws are sore from so much chewing!

The hostess was fun and we were seated quickly. The server sweet and attentive. The interior decor…read morewas a nice vibe reminiscent of a Mexican vacay making the ambiance inviting. The food needs work. The flavors are on top only. The salsa serve with chips in entrance was flavorless

Cool ambiance... service eh , I mean the server did his job nothing more nothing less. the menus…read moreneed to be redone. They are severely worn and the words are hardly readable. The Street corn is a joke. The tacos Al Pastor were dry unfortunately, so Was the tortilla. Came here only cause it was near by from where we were which was Harley Davidson. Don't think we will come again.

Unfortunately I don't leave many negative reviews but this visit was sub par at best. I chose to…read morepay the bill and leave without eating my food. It started with a long wait for silverware and a drink. Once the chips arrived stale, I should've left. I trusted the parking lot full of troopers that they'd pick a good place, but I was wrong. The food was not fresh. The ambience was good.

I thought I had reviewed this place previously but I guess I didn't. Anyways, I've been here two…read moretimes now and was satisfied once again! As a heads up for anyone wondering, they don't serve alcohol so this isn't a place to go when in the mood for margs. This place is close to my house so it's nice when not wanting to drive a long way. We went on a Thursday night and there was only one other family there. The server was nice, even with a language barrier. The most recent time I went I had a steak burrito and added cheese. It was probably the most flavorful steak burrito I've ever had in my life, and that's saying a lot. I was only able to eat half and even the next day was it still very delicious. My bf had the burrito supremo and he enjoyed his as well. We also had queso and it was a little thick for our liking but otherwise, not bad. This is for sure more of an authentic restaurant as they also serve sauces like mole so if you don't know what that is, you will be cultured. I look forward to returning!

I wish I could give a 3.5. Ended up going down to a 3 instead of up to a 4 because they no longer…read moreserve alcohol, which was a bummer because we were looking forward to beer and margaritas with our Mexican lunch. The decor was very festive, but overall the premises have definitely seen better days. The wall paint was peeling in places and the ceiling tiles were stained. Definitely an older place. But the service was very friendly. The salsa was delicious, as were the spicy and verde sauces that came with it. I loved the enchiladas. The bistek con mole was my favorite. My husband's Toluca had an amazing flavor, but the ribeye was very thin and a little tough. Would recommend the dish but maybe the chicken version. All and all, we are not running back, but we'd come by again in the future if we're out on that side of town.

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 went here again for dinner at it wasn't too far from my hotel. I came around 7:30 on a Saturday,…read moreand was seated immediately. I had the Jose Cuervo margarita, which was fine for 8 dollars. Not as strong as some other restaurants in Orlando, but not going to complain for 8 bucks. The scallop quesadilla was decently sized for one person. It had a fair amount of bay scallops, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. The sauce was pretty good too, and adding hot sauce helped with the heat. The guacamole salad was enjoyable too, but the as sour cream tasted standard. For 15 dollars, the scallop quesadilla was worth it! For dessert, the chocolate cake flan was alright for 8 dollars. It was a bit rich and I couldn't finish it all, but it was a sweet enough to enjoy. The service was pretty fast. My food and drink came pretty quickly. My server was friendly and very good. She checked up on me a couple times. The atmosphere is the same as last time, but a lot less crowded. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday, but at least there was some music in the background. Of course, if you saw the photos from last time, you knew what I did before I left. For the price paid, I still think it's a good Mexican restaurant. I know there are better ones nearby, but the atmosphere is still enjoyable. I will try some other Mexican restaurants next time, but I can still recommend Las Margaritas for decent Mexican food in Gainesville. Overall: B

I'll be honest I'm not sure why this place is still open. It's not really the most authentic…read moreMexican place but good if you want quick food. Lunch prices can't be beat & are fast with it so I'll also give them that. I got a taco salad and it was pretty generic honestly I could make better ground beef. It lacked flavor and needed seasoning it was so bland. I added onions and cilantro which I'm glad I did because it truly was tasteless ground beef. The bowl itself tho was crunchy. I am not sure why they have a no drinks policy , I get the food but drinks? I had to down my iced coffee just to be sat down. I suggest going to La hacienda in Ocala if you can it's worth a drive trust me.