Milanesa Torta (5/5): Delicious blend of flavors. The chipotle mayo and the pickled onions…read morecomplimented the chicken very well. The chicken was crispy but a little thin. The bread was soft and chewy. I liked that this was served with the good, battered fries. Birria Torta (4/5): Good birria flavor with lots of meat. I liked that this was served with the good, battered fries. RATING SYSTEM 5 - Great (Need to get this again) 4 - Good (Would get this again) 3 - Ok (Might give this another shot) 2 - Not Good (Won't get this again) 1 - Bad (Telling people to avoid this)

Stopped by here on my lunch break. Noticed they had a lunch…read morespecial. I tried ground beef quesadillas and they did not disappoint! Really good I also ordered my regular 3 tacos. You can mix and match. I got the shrimp, fish, and arrachera (skirt steak). One word: yummy Service was fast but it does get busy when it's prime time for lunch, so go early like 11 or 11:30. Ambiance feels relaxing but busy!

I've lived in Charlotte for 20 years and it's rare I'm blown away by a restaurant. The best way I…read morecan describe it is a flavor explosion, new and exciting dishes I've never seen other restaurants do before, and excellent vibes. So happy to have them in the neighborhood and hope they get the business they deserve and are around for a long time!

I absolutely loved my dinner here with friends! My bestie brought me and a friend here for a…read morebirthday dinner and it was truly a 5 star experience!! From walking in and being greeted by the sweetest hostess, I don't remember her name but she mentioned her hubby was the Chef and I thought that was soooo cool. She seated me and was super nice and helpful. This was my first time here since this spot was Vana, I believe. It looks amazing inside. The decor is fun and sexy. Their bar game is fierce with so many different selections. Our server was THE BEST!!! So funny and real. EVERY SINGLE thing I had was AMAZING!!!! The corn dip app, the other app too I just can't recall the name but check out the photos lol. For my entree I got the lamb ribs. O! M! G! SOOOOOOO so so good and flavorful. My gosh. I had a couple cocktails that were also very very good! Literally everything was amazing! I especially loved that everything they brought out to dip in our apps was fresh made in house. I mean you could tell by the smell of it and texture and warmth. This place is wonderful. I cannot wait to go back soon!!!

I highly recommend!…read more My meal was delicious and fresh! I went for lunch and ordered a vegetarian burrito and Mexican street corn came out hot and tasty, I love the salsa bar option. Service was friendly and prompt. The ambiance was clean and the decor was lovely! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, I can't wait to return.

I was in the mood to try and possibly find a new gem in the city and saw this place. The pics…read morelooked good and the reviews seemed to be good as well. This place gets one star from me. The food was extremely mediocre in taste and portions. I ordered the two-taco combo plate that comes with two sides. I chose Mexican Rice & Refried Beans as my side and the tacos I chose were Birria. Let's start there. There is no option to order anything other but the same two tacos so for example, I wanted to order one chicken and one birria or one shrimp taco and one birria taco, that option was not available. Most places allow you to customize your taco orders. I arrived to pick up my food and noticed the bag was NOTICEABLY light...which is a stark contrast to when I order this same kind of meal from my regular go to taco spots. I get home and start taking the food out of the bag and the taco presentation was good. They looked good and had pretty much what you would expect to be on them. I then go to open the containers that had my sides and noticed that the containers barely had any sides in them. I'm talking about the containers were less than half full of the rice and beans...to where it looks like they only put a couple of spoonfuls in each container. Which explains why the bag was so light. The rice looked like the typical Mexican rice and smelled about the same. It tasted very average, nothing special. The refried beans however, had no texture to them and looked like someone just put all the beans into a blender and turned them into a thick paste of some sort. They were completely flavorless and also didn't have the layer of cheese on top on them that most authentic places put on there. The three tacos were also very flavorless. The meats had absolutely NO flavor to them which is crazy for a birria taco. They were full enough with meat, salsa, onions, etc. but the meat had very little seasoning. I also found two VERY hard and sharp pieces of BONE in one of my birria tacos. I have braces and thought one of my back brackets had come loose. Imagine my surprise when I spit everything out and saw a decent chuck of bone shard. I set i aside and took another bit of ended up with yet another piece, albeit smaller, of shard in my mouth. As someone who moved here from Los Angeles and prior to that lived in Texas, this place just doesn't cut it for tacos. Not even for a chain restaurant quality of tacos. It's just like so many of these trendy restaurants popping up all over Charlotte with mediocre food trying to make a quick buck before it's eventually shut down for whatever reason . I'll be sticking to my two go to places which are very authentic taco spots where I have NEVER been disappointed. They are little pricier, but quantity and quality are worth it at this point. I have attached pics and you can see the pathetic amount of rice and beans that they gave me in that entire container, smh. You can see it from the top view and the side view where you can see the shadow lines of how full the containers were. For comparison, the container was about the size of a medium Mac N Cheese from Chick-fil-A. Rice and beans are literally the CHEAPEST items to acquire and add to meals so being stingy with them is a really bad look.

From the time our group arrived for lunch we were greeted warmly. When asked if we could be seated…read morein a party type room, our server was happy to accommodate us. It was a beautiful, private space for a group just catching up and having all the laughs! We started with the guacamole and cheese dip. The creative menu names were a nice touch as well. Most of us chose different taco options with sides and everything was delicious! I had the steak taco-Fat Guy in a Little Coat. It was so good! My only suggestion would be for the steak to be cooked a little less, but that is just a personal preference! The side of corn was very flavorful. Our server had beautiful natural curls. I tossed my receipt so I cannot mention her by name, but I wanted to compliment her fantastic service!

RuRu's was such a fun time! I absolutely loved the outdoor patio. At the time that we went it was a…read morebit slower so the vibe was more chill and laid back but I can definitely see it get busy on weekends or later on the night. But it's a perfect spot for summer nights, grabbing a drink and appetizers, or honestly, any occasion. The staff were super sweet and took the time to explain the menu, which was so fun. I loved the creativity behind the names of the dishes and the fresh ingredients they use. While we didn't get cocktails this time, I saw so many people ordering their margaritas, and they looked incredibly popular and yummy! We started the evening with the "Ma! The Meatloaf!" guacamole. It was super fresh and came in a great portion. Since it was Taco Tuesday, we took advantage of the special and tried "You're Going the Wrong Way," "I'll Have What She's Having," and "Prestige Worldwide." All of them were delicious, but the "I'll Have What She's Having" was definitely the favorite! We also shared the "Snoop-A-Loop" and added grilled chicken, which was the perfect addition. The chips were super crisp, and all the flavors complemented each other perfectly. We even had enough to take home and enjoy later! Overall, it was a great experience, and we will definitely be back.

Que Fresca is a fast and fun experience. They have 2 counters - one for food and one for drinks…read more You walk up to the counter and order. We got two Burrito Fresas (one grilled chicken and one chicken tinga). The burritos had the COOLEST crunchy cheese coating on the tortilla that the hugs all of the ingredients inside the burrito. Both the grilled chicken and the chicken tinga were phenomenal. We truly could not decide who the "winner" was because they were both so flavorful. Now, to talk about the other fun part!!! SORBET MARGARITAS! I'm obsessed. I had initially seen Que Fresca on social media, specifically for the soft serve margs. And let me tell you - they did nit disappoint. They have two flavors - strawberry and lemon (and then you can do a swirl). They were SO refreshing and delightful!! It was such a fun way to ~eat~ a margarita! All of the staff were friendly and very quick. The restaurant is well laid out and I love that it had TVs to watch all the games. The bathrooms are fun too - as the mirrors have color changing lights! I cannot wait to come back and try more!

Gave it a chance but wasn't impressed. Went for lunch and ordered the Burrito Fresa with crispy…read morecheese. The cheese was more burnt so the wrap had that unique flavor you get with well cooked cheese (make a grilled cheese. burn some of the excess cheese off dripping off the side , then eat it and you'll know what I mean). Before the server brought it out I could seem a couple of employees picking at one half of the burrito - which had me concerned. I assume it had some aluminum foil pieces from where the burrito was sliced in half. Sincerely hoping that was all it was. The employees seemed to be just standing around not talking to one another while there were tables that needed to be cleaned for new guests.

10/10 -- highly recommend this place!…read more From the moment we walked in, we loved the atmosphere. The vibe was fun and welcoming, the food was outstanding, and our server went above and beyond to answer all of our questions and make recommendations. Our group tried the duck, steak, lengua, and carne asada tacos, and every single one was delicious. The duck taco was the standout for me--the crispy fried duck skin added the perfect texture and flavor. We also shared the Para la Mesa with sweet corn on the side, empanadas, and churros for dessert. The empanadas were incredible, especially with that amazing sauce that had just the right kick of spice. The wagyu steak from the Para la Mesa was another favorite, cooked perfectly and packed with flavor. And I can't forget to mention the warm, fresh tortillas--they were absolutely delicious and elevated every bite. Sometimes it's the little details that make a meal memorable, and these tortillas definitely did. If I had to pick my top three items, they would be the duck taco, the wagyu steak, and the empanadas. A special shoutout to our server (I wish I remembered his name!). He introduced us to mezcal tequila, which none of us had tried before, and it ended up being such a fun experience that made our evening even more memorable. Great food, great service, amazing drinks, and a fantastic atmosphere--we'll definitely be back!

That little sibling your mom made you bring along when you went out with your friends... and…read moresomehow they ended up ruining the whole night. Unfortunately, that's exactly how this meal felt. I ordered the street tacos with the papas bravas, while my boyfriend got the carne asada. The papas bravas were the coldest, most under-seasoned potatoes I've ever been served. For the tacos, I tried the duck and the carne asada. The duck was dry but edible. The carne asada taco, however, was practically a weapon against mankind--the most charred, burnt, and flavorless taco I've ever had. I could only finish it after adding some of the sauce from my boyfriend's steak. As for the carne asada entrée, it looked like two separate steaks had been pieced together into one. The center pieces were noticeably undercooked and inedible. The only standout on the plate was the reduction sauce. The potato pavé was simply... potato, relying heavily on that same sauce to carry the dish. It was a highly disappointing experience, especially since we were excited to finally try the "sibling" restaurant to Crunkleton and Rosemont. We genuinely enjoy both of those restaurants and have brought family there several times, but never had the chance to visit Puerta until now. Sadly, it felt like a waste of money. The aesthetic was beautiful, but that's about where the positives ended. One additional concern was food handling. Our bartender repeatedly touched her hair and face while wearing the same gloves she used to handle drink garnishes, which was disappointing to see. I truly hope they regroup, tighten up the execution, and improve the overall experience because there's a lot of potential here.

Would recommend this spot to anyone in charlotte!! The food, the atmosphere, the staff, everything…read morewas amazing. So sad when I heard it was only a soft opening because this place needs to stay!!! Our server was Dianna and she was the best. :)

The service was absolutely amazing! Everyone was incredibly welcoming, Miguel, Dahianna and Emily…read morewere attentive, and friendly throughout the entire experience. The food was exquisite--full of authentic flavors, beautifully prepared, and truly delicious. You can really taste the quality and authenticity in every dish. Definitely a place I would highly recommend and come back to!

My son and I visited one Sunday evening in December. It was cold outside, but warm and inviting…read moreupon entering Mal Pan. We were seated quickly and greeted by a spunky and lively server, who went by the name Lil Ducky. She was just as cute as she could be. Lil Duckie, the bar manager and our host for the evening. She's giving hospitality like you don't get anywhere else. She created a welcoming environment by telling the story behind the restaurant. They are family owned and very big on sustainability. The staff as a whole were very welcoming. My son and I ordered some drinks. He had a house special Margarita, at the recommendation of our host. I had the Old Oaxacan which is similar to an Old Fashioned. We also shared a Butternut Squash Tamale and man it was delicious! For our main course, we both went with burritos. I had the Surf and Turf Cali Burrito and my son had the Shrimp Burrito. They both came with a side of rice and beans. The burritos were huge and full of flavor! We both were able to have half of them for lunch the next day. Two meals in one...you can't beat that! We ended the night with a dessert recommendation of one of there seasonal flan. It made you want to kick the spoon afterwards. I really loved the vibe of the place and look forward to dining there again. Major props to the staff for making our evening so enjoyable! See you guys soon!

My experience started off kind of shaky but then it greatly improved. I added a note in our…read moreopentsble reservation about it being a birthday celebration but the host or staff never recognized that. Service from the waitress was good and the food from the brunch menu was amazing plus filling. We only had one cocktail but both were amazing. I will return to try the dinner menu.