Cantina Laredo ~ national chain : Addison, Texas

Mar 31, 2022 update: Cantina Laredo currently is in 8 states with 19 restaurants. There are still 7 locations in Texas including 2 in the DFW airport. The Addison location remains. None in Colorado unfortunately.

Last visit: Jul 2015 (Grapevine, TX - closed)

First visit: May 1988 (Addison, TX)

Earlier in the week, we once again had a new project kicking off in Plano, so we had employees all over the country fly in for the start. Sounds like a team event to me! As noted last month, we recently went to Pappasito's, and this time we selected a very similar place with Cantina Laredo. Old time DFW citizens know Cantina Laredo well, as it was one of the first "upscale Tex-Mex" places in the area. I can remember going to the one in Addison as far back as the 1980s.

I've always found Cantina Laredo to be reliably good. On this visit I tried the Tacos Cascabel which they describe as "Sautéed chicken with cascabel sauce on soft corn tortillas with cilantro, marinated onions and queso fresco." I wasn't sure what a cascabel sauce was, but once I heard the words "chipotle" I was in. Whatever they're called, I thought the seasoning and the chicken were great. As for the opening, the chips were restaurant-chain styled light and crispy and comes with two sauces, one heated and one room temperature. They're both chipotle/garlic laced, but I preferred the caliente one. Unfortunately nothing spicy for the RJG. Thumbs up for the frozen margaritas too. I had 4 of them, so yea, I guess I did like them!

A little research shows that Cantina Laredo is part of the Dallas based Consolidated Restaurant Operations chain, the same outfit behind Cool River, Good Eats, Lucky's Cafe, III Forks, Silver Fox... and... and... and... El Chico (euwww, icks!) You don't need a Mensa test to know which restaurant doesn't fit in that group. Oh well. For Cantina Laredo, you will find their restaurants in multiple states as well as foreign locations in the UK and UAE.

This was my first visit to the Dallas Parkway location (near Briargrove). As befits the area, this location was a bit more formal than others around town. It does feature a nice bar / television area to relax in.

5/8/88; 11/15/04; 12/3/11 (new entry); 12/20/12; 7/20/15