Cantina Laredo

I was craving nachos the other night. Yes, again. There’s nothing wrong with nachos every night!

Anyway….

Nachos…

Top Shelf Guacamole

Made fresh at your table, serves two to four – gluten-free, vegetarian

We started out with the Top Shelf Guacamole…. and we really should have stopped right there. The guacamole was made fresh at our table and was delicious!  I got distracted with the menu so I wasn’t paying close attention when the lady was making the guacamole, but I think she used one and a half avocados, lime, cilantro, jalapenos onions and green peppers.  The corn tortilla chips were crispy and fresh… Brian’s not a big fan of guacamole, so Mom and I got the whole thing to ourselves. That really could (should) have been our meal. (The two salsas that came with the chips were really good too. Not the traditional thick tomato-y salsa… more…. spicy, smokey…. less tomato…. good.)

But of course, we didn’t stop there.

The menu was clearly labeled with numerous Gluten Free options and we warned our waitress that we were all gluten free. The menu looked pretty safe… it’s not one of those menus with a ton of deep fried or battered selection. That’s one of the things I like about Mexican food… as long as you avoid the flour tortillas most things are gluten free. (Not everything, and you’ve always got to ask…. but Mexican food is generally a safe… and yummy…option.)

I decide to go with tacos…. ’cause… tacos!  Right?!

There were three tacos to a plate and the waitress said we could mix and match the different tacos, but Mom and Brian both wanted the Tacos De Pescado and they’d promised to trade me one of theirs, so I just ordered the Tacos de Barbacoa. (Which in the end, we all ended up with one Barbacoa and two Pescado tacos…. but whatever.)

Tacos De Barbacoa

slow-roasted brisket with marinated onions, monterey jack cheese and cilantro

Tacos De Pescado

mahi mahi, marinated vegetables, queso fresco and chipotle aioli

The tacos were good… colorful, flavorful…. but the meats were somewhat dry. The brisket was difficult to bite apart and I ended up using my fork and knife to eat it. The Mahi Mahi was better, but still on the drier side. The rice was delicious and the beans… which I almost never bother with were actually really good.

I’m hoping that we just caught the cook on a bad night… all the flavors were there… the meat was just too dry.

The Top Shelf Guacamole was well worth the visit and given my nacho addiction, I’ll be back for another bowl before too long.

At the moment Casa Maya is still my favorite, for tacos, but Cantina Laredo is the winner in Nachos Chips & Guac.

10282 Bistro Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32246