I am going back in time a little here... but when I lived in Vienna this was to only place to truly…read moreget Mexican food (outside of buying home made ingredients from some members of the small local Mexican community who made fresh tortillas, salsa, beans, and a few other items which they sold out of their house... and then I would make Mexican food in my tiny apartment). In fact, when I was there it was almost impossible even to get fresh cilantro. So after many months of missing these common American flavors and dishes (burritos, tacos, guacamole, chips & salsa, beans & rice, carnitas, and enchiladas), Estancia Santa Cruz was a welcome find.
None of the food was up to American/Mexican Food standards, but it was pretty darned good for Central Europe. In fact, at the time, I had to go to Amsterdam for good Mexican food. That said, Estancia Santa Cruz is a lovely place to spend lunch or dinner. It has a large outdoor patio section that pleasant, a bar inside, margaritas, and vague versions of many of the dishes from the Mexican restaurants in the states that I so craved. Nothing really authentic, like Menudo, but still, plenty of craved after flavors.
We had guacamole (which was pretty good), the Serrano ham plate (very Spanish and odd for me in the flavor profile but still yummy), I also ordered a big wet burrito expecting the typical American Mexican slop plate that we get almost everyplace (the same bins full of premade stewed meats distributed over various treatment of tortillas and covered in rice, beans, sauce, and cheese. But in Austria, the slop concept obviously wasn't so well received, so my plate was well ordered and compartmentalized. Still, it was tasty. My girlfriend got the quesedilla, which was huge, but a little dry, We almost ordered the Paella, which looked great, but we were a Mexican place so I didn't want to get too much Spanish food (a cuisine commingling that happens all to often for my taste... Mexican is Spanish and Spanish is Mexican.. I don't buy it). After dinner we both had flan which was good.
There are more Mexican places in Vienna now, and better ones. But there is something irreplaceable about Estancia Santa Cruz: may the garden: maybe that is is on the fair grounds of Prater Amusement Park, like a more commercial Austrian Tivoli. Maybe its because I got a little drunk and had so much fun. But the authenticity of the food aside.... this is a fine place.