10/16/08

Worst Restaurant Ever!

by esps

Just simply the worst restaurant ever! When I went with my friend from cali, we experienced the worst service. The waiter was rude and we didn't get our food 50 mins after we ordered. We simply asked for water (because the food tasted so bad) and never got it. Please don't go to this restaurant.

• Pros: not really
• Cons: food and service

09/01/08

Delicious local meats and veggies - cozy and friendly!

by Silvergoth

I LOVE Austin Cantina! For the food, the music, the service and the ambiance. Jefe gets great local meats and their pork is awesome!

Try their fancy margarita - totally worth it. It?s a good thing I can walk home. ;-)

08/03/08

Not bad...but the food we had didn't knock our socks off. Good Service and decor

by braintrainr

My wife and I tried the "Gospel Brunch" today. It was hardly a revelation. The sevice had to be fast because we were the only two people in the joint. But we did have to ask for water TWICE before the waitress brought it. The coffee was very bitter (Cafe Appasionato) even though it was freshly made. We both ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs. The food was compitently prepared and tasty. I could have used MORE gravy on my CFS, though. For being a "TexMex" cuisine place the brunch menu was curiously devoid of anything, except Huevos Rancheros, that would make you think the place is TexMex restaurant. My wife and I found the menu to be "Unimaginative." They did have some "chile roasted potatoes" (BTW the breakfast was just the meat and the eggs no toast or hasbrowns or chile roasted potatoes for that matter and neither was even offered as a side item.) If we go again I will have to try the Migas (its a SCRAMBLE fer gawds sake) or the breakfast tacos (I know, I know, THIS is lookin' pretty TexMex but you can get this at alot of places in Ballard, podner.)

Maybe the TexMex part of the brunch menu is GREAT but the more traditional items on the menu, while good, could be better. (Insert potatoes or toast HERE!)

The dinner menu looks much more interesting.

• Pros: Fast service
• Cons: Traditional brunch items a bit short on some needed details

07/21/08

Austin Cantina- a huge disappointment in Ballard

by ballardfoodie

I love Ballard, and want to do everything I can to support the town, and most of all it's restaurants. Austin Cantina woudl be no exception. The service was excellent, the atmosphere was great, but the food was awful...my dinnner partner and I tried to find redemption in any of it, and sadly could not. The gucamole was bland, and tasteless...not even several shakes of salt could help it...the multi colored chips, although festive, were stale. I had the potroast enchilada, and it had no flavor, needed salt, and was dry. The beans were pinto type beans with a bland taste and the rice, although a nice texture was falvorless as well. I also orderd a classic margarita...that was thin (no a blend of flavors) tasting, little or no booze and exceptionally sour with a lemon taste instead of more of a lime flavor. My friend commented that his bottle fo beer was good! My dinner companion had the taco with pulled pork, and his response was...dry, lacking flavor. Worst of all was the prices, exceptionally high, and at least for those prices the food could be unique and tasty...it was not..we wished we were at Oxaca, Senor Moose, or even Azteca! Please Austin Cantina...get your act together and ifnd someone there who can go throught your menu and capitalize on taste to match your descriptions...PLEASE! In the meantime, as much as I hate to say it...don't waste your time, money or palate on Austin Cantina.

• Pros: great location, easy parking, friendly staff and atmosphere
• Cons: bland food, expensive, and lacking authenticity of any tex mex flavors

07/06/08

Very disappointing

by slartybarty

Like another reviewer, I checked this place out because I live round the corner. I ordered a margarita (weak to the point of comedy) mole (bland) and my friend had a steak (tough, overdone). The sides were poor too, and the staff, while friendly enough, were vague on the orders. For $30 a head I expect substantially better.

I won't be going again, and I can't recommend it to anyone. Too bad, as Dandelion it was a great little place - but it's not now.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Food, drinks, service, prices...

06/07/08

Great food, not too heavy, friendly people, fabulous margaritas

by jeliza

I love tex-mex but get tired of having to excavate through inches of cheese and lard-y beans to get to my main course. I was *incredibly* pleased with the dinner I had at Austin Cantina, which transmute the spirit of austin-style tex-mex with fresh, local ingredients and an eye towards fusion. The pulled pork and apple chutney quesedilla appetizer was mouthwateringly good, and with a side of beans and rice, made a lovely dinner. My companions were equally pleased with their enchiladas (pulled pork for one and pollo en mole for another). The pomegranete margarita was sweet and tart, and clearly made with fresh juices.

The service was warm and friendly; the chef made a point of stopping in for a brief chat with pretty much every table that I could see.

I may never go to Azteca again.

06/03/08

Great Tex Mex experience - small and funky, good food and nice folks

by BrotherGreg

We drove 60 miles to check 'em out based on the City Search reviews. We have a shortage of good Tex Mex up in Skagit County and were on our way to SeaTac to drop off a traveller. We went on a Sunday evening and were seated right away. The house margaritas were good - the slice of fresh orange added a nice twist and there wasn't a hint of the dreaded corn-syrup heavy mix trashing the tequila flavor. We tried every version of the enchilladas. The calibacitas ordered by the vegetarian in the group were very good. I had one potroast and one chicken mole enchilada. I think there was a $1 charge to mix 'em, but it was well worth it. The mole was well balanced and not too sweet or too laced with cinnamon. My son had the pulled pork, which was also very nice. The black beans and red rice were exceptional and made the whole combination hum. We all left feeling happy and well fed and we had enough late night leftovers. We'll go back the next time we're in town. The kitchen and wait staff were completely friendly and made us feel right at home. Give these guys a shot. You'll dig it and they'll earn your return business. Don't forget the guacamole and the salsa, too. You pay for 'em, but they're both very good.

04/07/08

This place wouldn't get any stars if I had the option

by Selbias

I live right down the street from Austin Cantina, so I came in really hoping to have at least a decent meal here. Also, it somehow came recommended from several friends, even though they had never actually eaten there. When my girlfriend and I arrived, we noticed that the people leaving were all VERY drunk, so figured hey at least the margaritas might be strong. Not the case. We started off with the drink special, a tequila/ginger ale drink that was weak and, at $9.95, as pricey as any classed up drink in Belltown. Then the food. First of all, the nopalitos salsa was bland and the guacamole spent a few too many minutes on high in the blender. Then, my steak- which was supposed to be medium rare- came chewy and well done. I had to drive back home to floss my teeth after dinner. To top it off, my girlfriend ordered enchiladas and was confused when the waitress came with tacos. Apparently, the cook decided to make something else, and we didn't have a say in this. The waitress said she would knock "a couple bucks off", which is literally what she did. No consolation for an order of tacos that my girlfriend did not enjoy AND, at $15.95, didn't even order! Also, the sides were not good. In general, the food was over-flavored (pairing too many disparate ingredients, like apples and chilis) and poorly cooked. The chips sucked. I could go on, but you probably get the point. We left feeling robbed, and still hungry.

• Pros: Close to my house
• Cons: Everything else

02/01/08

This friendly Ballard cantina combines Tex-Mex with a serious commitment to environmentally sound practices.

by Contributor

The Scene
A snug spot filled with warm colors, dark woods and a few cool Mexican folk art touches, this small, friendly restaurant manages to be Texan without being corny. Solo diners should check out the shelves of cookbooks, while parents will appreciate the choice of kid-friendly play materials. The staff offers neighborly explanations in response to questions, and personalized recommendations on every dish.

The Food
It's easy to make an inexpensive meal from the antojitos and sample some of the best menu offerings--crisp tempura-like onion rings and gooey queso fundido provide just the right touch of spicy comfort to go with a cold beer. Each day features a different selection of beans and rice; take this into consideration when ordering, or you might end up rolling sweet baked beans into a tortilla. Slow-cooked meats are tender perfection, and there's a wide range of hot sauces for personalized seasoning.

Hits: The attention to local ranchers, composting food scraps and using oils to create bio-fuel provide appealing environmental reasons to support.

Misses: Seasoning varies tremendously, from Southern sweet to shockingly spicy--the real issue is that it's hard to tell which is which from the menu.

01/22/08

I love this place

by pattapit

This place... This place.

If you haven't been here, please don't go. I wont be able to get a table if you do.

Food is great,

service is WOW,

environment & drinks are amazing!

It will just be far to busy if ya'll show up!!!!

My wife and I have been a couple times and between us we have tried the chicken fried steak, skirt steak, chipotle mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, TX caviar, Chili, etc.

Portions GREAT

Flavor GREAT

You just can't go wrong. I cannot think of anything bad to say about any of it except the TX caviar could use more corn and the Chicken fried steak didn't set itself apart from others I've had (but how can you it's chicken fried steak)

the skirt steak and the sides are just absolutely to die for.

My wife loves to drink the BlooYouReallyCantTypeThisWordd Orange Margaritas, and we sat next to a lady that just had to try it cause she kept hearing Chrissy rave about it. I always just order a shiner cuasethey don't have lonestar... yet

Service,

Jeffe you are an experience and as the old saying goes... great people flock together.

Your staff compliments your friendly, beautiful personality, and we have had nothing but raves about our service. From the entering to the goodbye, there is always good conversation and a friendly hello, and for that I thank you. We really appreciate everything.

We were gonna wait till valentines day before we went back (newly graduated and newly-weds leave a budget constraint) but I just cannot stop thinking about it and think we'll go tonight!

pros: everything

cons: nothing

• Pros: everything
• Cons: the tables are a little close together.... but not bad (i'm reaching for anything bad at all)