Margarita's Mexican Food

As usual, I was craving Mexican food, and my husband found this place on his phone. We drove down a cute little 'Main street' area and parked in a lot around the corner. The interior is small and simple. It was Friday night, and I was ready for some margaritas...how can you go wrong with a place called Margarita's Mexican Food, am I right? Well, how about if it's bring your OWN tequila? Yeah, bummer. We didn't know about this little caveat in advance, so no margaritas at Margarita's. :-P

The menu is posted on two big boards on the wall. I wish there was a more detailed menu so we could have looked over everything more carefully. There were lots of menu items I wasn't sure of, but I didn't want to ask a ton of questions.

There are only 5 tables inside for dining, and for some reason, an employee was literally crawling around on the floor and scrubbing them one at a time. I would think there was a better time to do that then when you have a handful of customers who are trying to sit down and eat.

OK, so despite that initial disappointment, I would have to agree that the food here is remarkable. There were complimentary chips and salsa, and the chips were thick and hearty. The salsa was very fresh-tasting, but a little too spicy for me, so I didn't eat too much of it. I tried the Chilaquiles..I had no idea what this dish actually was, but I just confirmed there was no meat in it and embraced trying something new. The husband had Green Enchiladas, and he even commented that they have the "good" Mexican cheese that he always complains that most Mexican places lack. The food just tastes really fresh and seems to be good quality. Everything had a bit of spice to it, but overall we enjoyed our meals.

While I personally prefer to go to a Mexican place that offers more convenient margaritas, I would definitely consider returning here for some fresh and good quality food!

Because we can all agree that "hidden gem" is an overused term on Yelp and in discussing restaurants in general, let's call Margarita's a "concealed semiprecious stone."

Margarita's is ensconced in the Reading Bridal District, which is not exactly where you'd expect to find quality "ethnic" food. I heard about it a couple of years back, but based on its location, I assumed that it was another location of the local Margaritas restaurant chain, which sure isn't (or wasn't) very good. But this Margarita's couldn't be more different from those Margaritas (and note the apostrophe): It's a tiny, homey, and colorful restaurant with only a half-dozen or so tables, featuring super-fresh and mostly authentic Mexican specialties. (That means, to the consternation of at least one recent reviewer, you won't find stuff like queso dip here. Although they do have a taco salad.) I like their authentic tacos (called taquitos here, i.e., with cilantro and onion), and the huaraches and tortas are great as well.

Given the fresh and scratch-made food, the prices might seem slightly high for the portion sizes (the big tortas are an exception!), given the extreme casualness of Margarita's. But the food's good enough to justify them.

The family that runs Margarita's is friendly and helpful, and food has come out fast when we've been there.

Best authentic Mexican food in the area. Hidden gem of Reading/Bridal district of Cincinnati.

They did close at the Benson Street location, but fans of the restaurant (I know several) will be thrilled to know they simply moved to a new location. The amazing food (it is one of my favorite places for a Mexican meal) relocated to the Wyoming/Hartwell area!

You can find them at 7 Woodsdale Ave Hartwell, OH 45215 (513 432 0685). Same great family, same amazing food but new name... La Casita!

Their new location here on Yelp is http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-casita-cincinnati-2

It's a bunch of hipsters who like burritos.

The food is ok, but I came here hoping for queso dip and chips. It's all I wanted since I'm pressed for time. I only have 20 minutes for lunch, and I'm not terribly hungry.

The girl at the register is a dear, but it's easy to throw her off her game if you ask for anything beyond her realm of understanding. Who knows, maybe she's just new. I asked if I could have a side of queso dip. They don't have any and that's ok. But the girl's confusion...She couldn't understand that nachos and queso dip are 2 separate things. While they are essentially the exact same thing, yes, I wasn't scouting for a stack of nachos.

It's also a matter of price. The regular nachos are $5.50. Queso dip is usually around $2, and I get free chips and salsa. So it's the exact same thing served in different styles, yet one is more expensive than the other. What can I say, I'm trying to stay on a budget! We all do this!

Anyway I felt like a pain in the ass, so I went ahead with the nachos. About 10 minutes later, a guy brings chips and salsa to me. Now I'm annoyed. I talked to him about my transaction, and sure enough he was happy to refund my meal for a simple bowl of cheese. Meanwhile the girl at the register is dumbfounded that this is all I want.

Staff is kind. Atmosphere is basic but clean. Clientele look hip and upper crust.

Cheese is a basic nacho dip. Chips are good. That's about it lol

Summary: Margarita's has food that tastes fresh, well made, and layered with flavors. While the portion size feels less filling than a typical Mexican restaurant for the money and the foods err-ing on the side of light seasoning, I would still recommend Margarita's to get a fresh taste on the typical selection of Mexican foods.

Margaritas is a small restaurant in Reading. The place is very clean, and looks very well kept. There are five tables in the whole store, so not necessarily the best spot for big crowds. There is patio seating, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out where.

The menu is written up on two big boards which was a bit of an eye chart and quite frankly, the descriptions weren't all that helpful because of the familiar array of ingredients in an Mexican restaurant. The friendly staff recommended the wet burrito, so I obliged and got it with the red sauce and asada.

Like many other restaurants, chips and salsa come with the meal. They serve a thick chip here which I found distinctly unique. The salsa was on the bland side but the seeds in it reveals that it should have had a bit of heat to it. If you enjoy the salsa a lot, you can add $1 for more for your meal, though I wasn't wowed enough to want to take that option.

The plating at this restaurant is nice considering the $8 price point for a meal. you get rice in a little mound and with the red sauce, it reminded me like a water color palette. The refried beans had a unique taste. I think the cheese that is included has a stronger taste that I was expecting from refried beans. I also suspect these beans were made fresh on site, as after sitting a little, it became slightly watery, a sign of being kitchen made. The burrito was not very big, but I think it was adequate for lunch. The asada was slided into little strips, which I found to make it feel more like ground meat than asada. The red sauce had a rich color and hinted at a bold paprika flavoring, but really, was again, very light. You can ask the staff for hot sauce, which they have a selection of 3, but I think the base dish could've used more seasoning.

Despite all my qualms, I still think this place is a nice take on Mexican food. It surprisingly makes it feel less about being stuffed with quantity, but rather more about the subtle techniques gone into putting the dish together. I can see myself coming back to get a refresher on Mexican food, but unfortunately, the flavor needs a bit of work for it to challenge the restaurant on Red Banks Rd for best Mexican in my book.

I am a Mexican food snob, and this place didn't disappoint. I found it thanks to Yelp while roaming around the Reading area and I'm so glad I stopped in! It was a Saturday and the place was dead, but the staff really made it clear that they were happy to have me there and make my dining experience positive. The restaurant is small (maybe 8 tables) but very clean, modern looking and adorable.

I ordered the marinated pork soft taco platter along with some guacamole and wow! So tasty. The only thing I'd do differently is not get lettuce on the tacos, but that's just me. The rice was meh, but usually it is - however the refried beans were stellar! I'm no expert, but I'd say its very likely the refried beans are made on site and not from a can. They don't make their salsa very spicy, but my server was only to happy to bring me out a little of their tomatillo and habanero hot sauces to try - those will crank up the heat no problem! I'll definitely make sure to pop by the next time I am in Reading.

Just tried this place for the first time tonight. I carried out the chicken enchiladas and three of the taquitos (one grilled chicken, one carnitas, and one asada). The taquitos were my favorite-- the carnitas was incredibly flavorful with garlic and other spices, and the chicken and asada were delicious too!

I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. The owner came out to talk to me when I picked up my order and was very pleasant and friendly, thanking me for coming in, and welcoming me as a first time customer. The food was all very fresh and flavorful. I would've never guessed this place was so good from its outward appearance... just a tiny little place on Benson with a couple tables... but it is DEFINITELY worth a try! The prices were reasonable and I'm looking forward to trying something new the next time!

When my friend, Larry, who is one of the best cooks I know and has an encyclopedic knowledge of food (growing it, cooking it, and eating it) told us about this place, I knew we had to try it. We've been there twice now and it's filling a void left when Dinastia Latina closed up a couple years ago.

Margaritas is a true hole in the wall, nestled among the bridal shops in Reading. It's very unassuming from the casual counter-style service to the laid back owner's personality. Their menu selection is surprisingly extensive for such a small operation. They have everything from authentic tacos to tortas and even chilaquiles which is an item I don't see around these parts very often.

The chorizo torta I had last night was excellent (and enormous). It was prepared exactly the way the good ones are, with refried beans on one side of the bun, mayo on the other, dressed with fresh minced onion, lots of cilantro, and avocado.

Larry really likes their enchiladas and chile rellenos and my husband and I have both had an assortment of tacos which are very good and authentic.

We have yet to take advantage of their namesake, homemade margarita mixes made with fresh lime juice or strawberries. But the owner insisted that next time we come, we must bring our tequila and they will take care of the rest. They also told us about the new outdoor patio they will be opening at the end of April -- just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

Working in Evendale, we don't have a lot of options for non fast food in the nearby vicinity. One of my coworkers started 'Margarita Mondays' and I discovered this wonderful Mexican restaurant in the heart of the bridal district.

Don't be afraid of the sketchy outside, this place is the real deal. The pork and chicken are excellent. You know it's homemade when they inform you the pork hasn't been made that day. Sad, but it's ok to try something new sometimes.

I haven't been to dinner, but bringing your own tequila for margaritas sounds like a great idea to me!