This place was just okay. The salsa tasted like it was from a can for starters. The ambiance was fun and upbeat but the food just wasn't doing it for us. My dad ordered the lobster and shrimp chili rellenos and I ordered the cheese chili rellenos. They DON'T deep fry the the chili rellenos!!! It tasted like they boiled the pepper and stuffed it. Which in return left a flavorless pepper and a subpar texture. Do yourself a favor and go to "Camino Viejo" in Sherman, it's half the price and triple the flavor. Overall Rustico was pretty disappointing... read more

I have been here 4 times and let me say, the food is very good. The two-stars are for the very bad service I have encountered each and every time. The first time was when they just opened -- our order for a 4-top was lost. The waitress was great about finding the issue and correcting it. But each time after the service just gets worse but now just don't seem to care. I was in this past week (and due to an early girl's basketball game), we decided to get a very early dinner. We arrived at 4 and were the ONLY table in the restaurant. Drink order consisted of two waters and one margarita. Well, the water was remembered but the margarita was MIA (even though I thought I saw her write it down). But after several minutes, I asked.....she went to get it but that still took way too long (did I mention we were the only table in the restaurant). When I did get the margarita, I did notice that they went to a mix (vs before where it was a true margarita). While it was ok, I couldn't recommend it to anyone. My sister-in-law thought the enchiladas were the best she ever had. My plate (tex-mex- steak) was good but the refried beans were very under-seasoned. I make them myself so understand that you can have an ok batch once in a while. But, the service again was terribly slow. Shouldn't have to WAIT to ask for more chips (did I mention we were the only table???). So, if you want to have good food but will accept lousy service going in from the start, i do recommend going. (I"m sure I'll be back at some point because I do like the food, I just need to build up energy needed to accept the bad service without yelling at the manager. I did leave a tip that was appropriate for the service and received a sarcastic toned "thank-you" which meant she did not understand what poor service she gave. read more

This place was AWSOME! I live in the middle of Dallas, where there are many options. Rustico just blew me away w/ the quality of the specialties. Wow! May I have the recipe for the spinach/zuchini/poblano mixture? So good! Whenever I come to visit my parents @ the lake, Rustico will be my request! read more

Lets just start off with 2 margaritas will knock you on your butt. Ok now to business service was great. Im sure he is the owner but he was fun. Service was great. We will be back. Thank you read more

Excellent Mexican food - friendly / attentive staff ! Highly recommend. Party of 9 seated & served quickly & efficiently. Variety of delicious choices. read more

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. It was packed but we were taken care of and had a delicious meal. We would come back for sure.

I have a great appreciation for high quality Mexican food. One measure for goodness is the appearance, taste and temperature of the chips paired with salsa that is flavorful and has the perfect amount of spice. Well, the team at Rustico knocked the chips and salsa right out of the park. I knew then the food would be delicious and each time that I visited the premiere entrees and traditional offerings have exceeded my expectations. Hats off to the chef for delighting my tastebuds and increasing my desire for many return future visits. Equally important is the service by a knowledgeable team of caring individuals. Said like Arnold Schwarzenegger "I'll be back"! read more

Rustico does so many things right. The most important thing is food. Some of the big winners are the Puerco in salsa verde and the crab enchiladas topped with shrimp. Their refried black beans are puréed and seasoned wonderfully. You can order a side of them to eat w their chips, which are fresh and thin. The owner is on site checking in to see if you're happy - and you will be! read more

Slow and owner was constantly picking at the server. Food was ok but haven't gone back.

Good food.Expect to pay $15+ per plate, not counting the drink and tip.I love the pineapple salsa. The steak was a little tough.You don't have to worry about dry beans.They're half juice and they taste good.The rice was fine.You get a roasted jalapeno.Leave the seeds if you like heat. read more

10/10. We rolled in 40 min before close on a Tuesday and were still greeted with a smile. Great host and waitress. Food was prompt and delicious. Easily some of the BEST Mexican food I've ever had. The bathrooms were very clean. read more

Just ok. Not worth the price. We were very hopeful to find good Mexican food. Just not our taste

i tried this place like 6 years ago, and i still think about how bad it was. the service was awful when they were speaking english which wasn't a lot of the time. the food wasn't very good either it tasted very poorly made. read more

First time to visit this restaurant ...WOW, what a GREAT surprise. The food was amazing, every dish had a unique flavor and the portion sizes were plentiful. Service was good, atmosphere was rustic ..... I will definitely come here, next time I am in Denison...... read more

The Rustico Restaurant is an AMAZING place for flavorful eats as well as authentic ones. The staff there is amazing and quick to fulfill needs. The portion sizes are INSANE and VERY well priced. I'm from out of town in Dallas but spoke with Alfredo and Felipe about the amazing service we received from Dakota. We will be coming here after every lake Texhoma visit. My boyfriend ate the quesadilla and i had the carnitas tacos with grilled onions with rice and borracho beans. The Queso fundido, is so string-y and flavorful, my boyfriend commented on how ALL quesos should be this way. The house margarita as well as the mambo taxi was strong yet sweet. The mambo taxi came with chile y salt on it. :) We can not wait till our next visit! read more

Rustico Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Denison, Texas

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Stumbled upon Rustico after a blinding rainstorm forced us off the road to stop. Even with hazard lights, hard to see one car in front of the other. Ended up at Rustico in Denison. Everything is made from scratch. The salsa is fantastic with just the right amount of peppers, onions and peppers. Ceviche is made-to-order. A wonderful find off of Hwy 75 in lower downtown Denison. Will be back! read more

I'm from Dallas and let me just tell you, this restaurant could rival the big dogs in the city! Rustico is the definition of a hidden gem. How it came to life in what seems like the middle of nowhere is beyond me! I only have one negative. It was actually not a huge deal, just kind of weird. We got there about 8:45 on a Wednesday and it was empty except for one other table who looked to be finishing. A girl, who later turned out to be our server, came out of the kitchen still chewing the last bit of the meal she was eating. I told her table for two and she seemed hesitant to sit us. I asked to confirm the restaurant was open for another hour, which she just replied "it's okay, we can seat you". Not wanting to be the table that walks in minutes before closing, I asked again "you guys are open until 10pm, right?". She responded "well that's what google says". I tried to confirm a third time and got the same kind of response. At this point I was just confused and felt a little unwanted. But I figured I had tried to confirm three times with no clear answer and we drove half an hour to get there, so we went ahead and sat down. From then on she was a very nice and attentive server. I could tell she was young and seemed a bit awkward at making conversation, but she tried. Turns out they don't have a set closing time on weekdays, they just close when tables stop coming in. Once we made it past this little bump in the beginning, everything was absolutely perfect! Being the last table in the restaurant, after our meal the owner showed us around. The outside looks like it used to be an old bank or department store (we almost missed it when driving by) but the inside is so nice! It's very clean and you can tell the owner puts a lot of pride into his business. AND THE FOOD..... WOW! I've struggled finding good Mexican since moving to the area. This will be our regular place for sure! We started with queso (awesome), then my boyfriend order beef fajitas (also awesome) and I ordered the Puerco en Salsa Verde (incredible). You can tell each dish is intentionally made with effort and authenticity. Nothing seemed commercial or mass produced. Every single thing was out of this world good.. and that's pretty hard to find even at the nicest restaurants in the biggest cities. Rustico Restaurant easily might have become one of my favorite restaurant! read more

Rustico Restaurant - Chips, salsa and queso - Mexican Near Me - Denison, Texas

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The place the food and the PEOPLE are amazing! From the moment we walked in we were treated like family. The owner brought everything we ordered to our table personally and checked on us. He recommended foods and drinks and told us at the end of the evening "welcome to the family these are hard times but we will get through them together." We will be back, I hope you will visit too! read more

First impression was at a time when it was low volume so I went to the bar area where I could interact and was presented with the menu and the employee explained my options which I then ordered the Key Lime Salmon which was very delicious and flavorful and of course I had beer as my drink but a nice white wine would have made the experience much better read more

Had my birthday dinner here last month and it was delicious! Service is excellent, food is wonderful, location is great, and the atmosphere very nice but casual. Highly recommend! read more

I ordered the seafood enchiladas and I thought they were great. I loved the Mexican street corn side but I do wish it were a little warmer when it was served. I did add a little salt to my enchiladas but other than that they were tasty. My mom ordered the chili relleno and she said it was wonderful. It wasn't covered in your typical TexMex chili con carne but instead a tomato ranchero style sauce. Large restaurant with lots of seating and definitely a must try. read more

Update March 2019 - they continue to execute the food very well. Y'all get your butts over to Rustico and order up! Poor location, mid-tier service. Food is the obvious feature and is executed well..... but needs polish in front of house This is a challenge for Grayson County Restaurants - you have work off of volume or location (not to mention the obvious lack of margin required for competitive pricing) Fine-dining attempts are often (tragically) short-lived ventures...... despite the small cult society of us who thirst for local upscale cuisine We applaud the effort and will return during peak hours to try and soak up the experience while i read more

So good! Best fajitas I have had in a long time. Chip where warm and crispy and salsa had just the right amount of spice. I got the chipotle pineapple margarita and it was fantastic. My husband wanted and old fashion they did not have all the ingredients but they made it work. Great great dinner. Kids dinner was good too read more

In town for an event. Looked up this place on yelp and it had great reviews. Decided to try it. We were here around 2:30 and it wasn't very busy. I had a beef enchilada, chicken enchilada, and tamale. My daughter had pollo poblano. Both dishes were great and juicy. The enchiladas had great flavor and the sauces on each were really good. Beans were good. Salsa was very good. Our drinks were also very tasty. I had a blackberry mojito and she had sangria and Panama Beach margarita. It's relatively new and nicely decorated, with stones, wooden beams, and a country/Mexican vibe. The bathroom was clean and had mouthwash and had nice towels. The owner/chef was kind and friendly and spoke to us a few times throughout lunch and seemed super genuine. I was pleasantly surprised by our visit. I'd highly recommend it! read more

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Food was blended with flavors that danced delightfully on the palate, presentation was higher end with a relaxed atmosphere & live music with a professional sound.... read more

I read the reviews and really wanted to like this place. After being seated, it took a while to get drinks and queso. We had to stop people to ask for those. Later we had to stop someone to order our food as no one approached the table. I will say, the queso was delicious. That's where it ends. We waited over an hour for food. Had we not asked for it a couple of times, we may have never received it. I ordered a specialty plate with bacon wrapped shrimp, veggies and rice. The rice took up most of the plate and lacked flavor. There were a couple bites of veggies, and 5 medium sized shrimp. That's it...for $20!!! Unreal. Definitely not worth it. I forgot to add there was a small piece of fried plantain on the plate that was pretty good. Better than the shrimp. So my 2.0 rating is for the queso and piece of plantain. read more

Best queso... Ever! Were from Dallas and I have not had a better meal in a long time! I highly recommend the fajitas. So, so so good! read more

I cannot remember enjoying a better Mexican restaurant, there is something for everyone here. This restaurant is located in the old downtown area. The building has a lot of character. The owner warmly greeted us and followed us to our table. He was a former chef in many fine restaurants in Austin. He talked about some of the restaurant's popular dishes. We immediately knew we were in for a culinary experience. Our waitress was nice and recommended some really good dishes. She was also very attentive. The fish tacos were by far the best I have ever had in both flavor and texture. The Red snapper beer battered fish was so crisp and light. The flour tortillas were outstanding, I've never had better. My co-workers had the Key Lime Marinated Salmon, Puerco en Salsa Verde (Braised Pork Loin in green chilies salsa) and lime shrimp. We all agreed that we would order the exact same dish again. We were disappointed it was our last evening in town, otherwise we would have been back the next day. This was truly a rare and extraordinary culinary experience. I will go back next time I'm in town. read more

Great food! Very gourmet for Denison. Waitress was very nice too. Definitely check it out. I had the shrimp special and it was FANTASTIC!

The service was ok. I had to go over to bar to get a refill. The restaurant was not busy at all so I'm not sure why we were not getting good service by our waitress. The food was really good though. read more

Been eating at this place for almost 3 years now. Simply the Food, Beverage and Service is always outstanding! So is the great simple live entertainment, always a nice add! Personally, I don't go there for the traditionally "Tex-Mex" food. Its the ~ upscale Mexico food that you can't get anywhere else, that keeps me coming back - outstanding! Rustico is simply a reflection of the aspect of having a bonified Latino Chef/Owner with years of experience! read more

Rustico is the best authentic regional Mexican food you can find in a 50 mile radius. Great food, great atmosphere. Sunday they have gone of the best brunch buffet you will find anywhere! read more

Food was excellent and our waiter Hunter was the best. I will definitely come back here for lunch and dinner.

This was our third visit to Rustico. The first two visits were for dinner, which were delicious. This visit was for their Sunday Brunch from 11:00am until 3:00pm. In a word, Wow! It's by far one of the most comprehensive buffets spreads we've experienced to date. It's not just Mexican food either. Beyond all of the breakfast staples of eggs, sausage and bacon, there were cheese biscuits and gravy. Salads galore. Posole. Smoked salmon. A waffle-pancake station. An omelet station. A roast beef carving station. A dessert table and much much more. I quit trying to count all of the different items, there were just too many. Throw in $3.00 Mimosa's and you have all of the elements required of a virtual feast. As I said, this was our first buffet at Rustico, but you can bet it won't be out last. read more

This is a fantastic Mexican restaurant this is the third time here in two weeks have found each entree was very tasty and not expensive. Lunch fajitas were big enough for two tamales were very good. But the best thing was the seafood enchiladas not found in your everyday Mexican restaurant very light and sooo good. Give this place a try Chef Felipe is an award winning chef. read more

Absolutely incredible meal. Service was top notch, drinks were amazing and food was terrific. Spent quite a while speaking with the owner who could not have been nicer and more welcoming. read more

What a find! We moved North from the Dallas area and have not found many places with a good vibe. This is one of those places! Awesome decor, good bar and wonderful food. We took our 3 small children and the staff was so nice to them. The owner or manager said whatever the kids need let him know, because they're "family." It was really sweet! Fajitas were perfect and seafood enchiladas were very good. Shrimp ceviche was KILLER!! Do yourself a favor and visit! read more

A wonderful first time experience. Seafood tostados appetizer and shrimp meal are incredible. Service was outstanding. We will be back.

If you think most Mexican food in the restaurants around here is just routine Tex-Mex then you haven't been to Rustico's yet. It's what I think of as upscale Mexican food, i enjoy Tex-Mex but to me this is much better. I was there recently with several friends, neither the food nor the service could have been any better. I have been to Rustico's several times and my most recent visit I wanted to show some of my friends what they had been missing, I didn't hear one complaint. I will be there again very soon. Rustico's is a top quality restaurant but I reserve my five star ratings for the super elegant restaurants with very gourmet food, fine tablecloths, etc. Sincerely, David H. read more

As we entered, the décor caught our attention. Once seated, the staff were attentive. The food was good and well proportioned; however, this will not be the go-to place for Mexican food due to the price. read more