I should know better than to go out for upscale Mexican. That’s like going out for fancy Chinese food — 99% of the time it leads to nothing but utter disappointment. Cantina Laredo was no exception. It’s a great looking spot in Tivoli Village with a cozy patio, indoor/outdoor bar and modern decor but the service and food were a letdown.
I heard guacamole is made tableside. Except maybe if you’re dining on the patio? Our order was hastily dropped off by another server/food runner at out patio table. It wasn’t bad and was a large enough portion to feed four. The tuna tacos were decent enough, but surprisingly bland, minus the guac and red onions. The casarita margarita tasted watered down and wasn’t nearly as strong as it should have been. My wife’s salad suffered from mushy mangos and soggy greens. The lone saving grace for that dish was the shrimp.
I was happy to hear that I could mix and match a taco platter. Unfortunately, these tacos made me crave ones found at cheaper taquerias (Tacos el Gordo anyone?). The barbacoa was my favorite with it’s smokey flavor. The carnitas wasn’t any better than what I can make at home and the al pastor was average. They would have been good coming from a home cook, but from an upscale restaurant… I expected more.
Our server may have been busy, but slow service is slow service. We didn’t get napkins and silverware until after our appetizers showed up — and we had to ask for them. No offers to refill our drinks until after we were done eating. Our server vanished after we got our food and didn’t show up until fifteen minutes after we were done eating. There may or may not have been a good reason for the poor service (he looked to be in a hurry as he was rushing from table to table), but it was bad enough to create a negative dining experience and ultimately it means there’s zero chance of me returning.
2 Stars
Tivoli Village
440 S Rampart Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89145
(702) 202-4511
