Food is good. Salsa bar. Service is great and fast. Very lively restaurant with live…read moremusic/entertainment. Our server Mia was super helpful and friendly.

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

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

I have dined here a few times now and each occasion delivered very tasty food with pleasant…read moreservice. I don't live in Gainesville, so I'm not an expert on the best restaurants there, but I've had multiple locals recommend this place. I love the vibrant colors inside. The booths, tables and chairs are works of art. There is some outdoor seating with tvs outside, as well. Very easy to scarf down the chips and salsa when they arrive at your table. We requested refills of each for our large party, and they were promptly provided. My fish tacos were packed with nicely seasoned tilapia and I appreciated the veggies present in the rice, adding a nice flavor. Prices are reasonable. Overall, it's a very solid choice for Mexican cuisine.

We came here during lunch and overall loved the ambience of the place! The service was quick and…read morethe chips and salsa was absolutely delicious. I really enjoyed the lunch chicken Linda Vista special it was very filling! I recommend coming back here!

Right across the street from the UF campus and a short walk to Florida Field for game day! Great…read moreplace to park yourself at the outdoor bar or even the inside restaurant & have some handhelds and adult beverages before the game. My past experiences here have always been good and the servers are attentive and willing to make your time there a fun time. On game days the menu is downsized to make it easier on the kitchen but what is offered is flavorful and presented in a nice fashion. So, for myself this is a spot I go to before many of the home games as it is easier than setting up a tailgate and then tearing it down. Now, I just park my car & walk to Cantina Anejo with my wife and relax and have a good time with my fellow Gator fans!

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.

Great Atmosphere, food and service. Prices are great. Had a great time with my Wife and Son.read more

Our family loves Chuy's but we do not have one in Memohis where we are from. We always look for…read morethem when we are on road trips. The queso and the creamy jalapeño dip are worth the trip alone. We can eat our weight in them because they are soooo yummy. We all love the steak burritos and my husband usually gets the steak quesadillas because he loves the veggies in them. My son is picky and just gets the grilled chicken and dips it in their yummy queso. It's a great family outing for us!

Highly Recommend! I…read morecome to Gainesville all the time for doctor's appointments and honestly can't believe I've passed this place a million times and never stopped in. I'm so sad I didn't discover it sooner -- because this food is amazing. Truly some of the best Mexican food I've had in a long time. The staff is incredibly friendly, down-to-earth, and made me feel so welcome from the moment I walked in. The whole experience was just easy, warm, and delicious. I really liked it here. A lot. And I'm definitely coming back every time I'm in town.

This place if in survival mode needs to up their game . First off the service for the restaurant…read morenot being all that busy was poor. The food was awful chips were old tasting maybe the oil was rancid , cup of chicken and rice soup was loaded down with all rice which soaked up the broth and my beef burrito was saturated in grease wish now I would have taken a picture the flour tortilla was limp and soggy from all the grease the burrito didn't have hardly any beef in it to begin with . Zero quality control here ! I will stop here with my review but the rest of our food was horrible . Prices were exceedingly high for a Mexican restaurant, especially of this quality. Go somewhere else even Taco Bell would be better.

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.

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

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 arrived with 3 friends on a Wednesday night 7:20pm and we sat on the patio. There was not a…read moresingle table occupied inside the restaurant. There were 4-5 other tables seated outside. Our server mentioned he was busy but would come by as soon as he could. No problem! Well....he silently dropped waters off about five minutes later and zoomed away. We flagged him down a few minutes later to order bar drinks. Two of us ordered beers and two ordered margaritas. The margaritas took forever and when they finally came out, they both tasted terrible. One tasted like pure sugar (all sour mix) and the other tasted like rubbing alcohol but not a tequila taste. My friend took them inside to the bar to swap them out since the server was too busy. The bartender said there was too much agave in their sour mix today. They ended up with beers. Finally by almost 8pm we flagged the server down and asked to order food. He was apologetic that he was inattentive. We ordered and the food came out quickly. Everyone enjoyed their food. The server asked us if we wanted dessert and made a recommendation. Two of us had a check together and the other two separate. The server struggled to separate the checks and was confused. Suddenly by 9pm the kitchen was closed, he had dropped off our checks, and quickly picked them up. As soon as the checks were signed he was picking up the signed receipts and bussing the table around us although 3 out of 4 of us had full beers from a second round. The server was very kind but I can only hope that it was his first week because he was in the weeds the whole time and there was another server on the patio, so at most they had 3 tables each. I don't know if the solution is to add another server for that shift or if he needs a smaller section but it was hard to watch and honestly I don't think I will return. Maybe the manager could have helped take drink orders or run drinks on the table.

I've been coming to Las Margaritas for about eight years, and one thing that has remained…read moreconsistent is the food. The flavors and portions have stayed reliable over time, which is why I've continued to return. Some of my go-to dishes are the carne asada, enchiladas suizas, fajitas, flautas, and quesadilla they're consistently well-prepared and satisfying. That said, the service has noticeably declined over the years. While it used to be more attentive, recent visits have felt slower and less engaged, which takes away from the overall experience. One thing I do wish they would improve is the salsa. It would be great to see a more authentic option or at least a wider variety to choose from. Overall, it's still a solid spot for dependable Mexican food, but improved service and better salsa options would make a big difference.

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.

I recently visited La Cocina de Abuela for lunch. The restaurant is set up cafeteria style and you…read moreorder a small, medium or large portion. You choose your rice, beans, meat, and side. I ordered a large with Ropa Vieja, Yucca, Black Beans, and Coconut Rice. I love Cuban food and the portion was massive, however, I was disappointed. The Ropa Vieja was tender but watery, the yucca was soft but bland and a little chewy, and the beans lacked any seasoning. I liked the rice: savory with a hint of sweetness. The best word to describe the food was edible.

Very tasty food that tastes homemade! The chicken was cooked to perfection as was the rice, and…read moreeverything was very flavorful. My one complaint is the plantains could be a bit softer, but otherwise this was a delicious meal. The staff was very helpful and quick with service. The ambiance isn't anything fancy but there is plenty of seating inside, though it is also easy to take this food to go. I'll definitely be back to try more items!