Border Cafe

This is my favorite place to eat. Everything that I have had is delicious. It is priced well and the service is excellent. Will frequently eat here.

True blue Tex-​Mex and Cajun food! I’ve eaten at several places that claim to have what they do, and they blow every one of them out of the water! It’s no wonder that Chili’s down the street closed!

I’ve been going to this place for years. The NJ version of Border Café is «Jose Tejas» and both are ALWAYS PACKED and ALWAYS DELICIOUS. This is the kind of place you can easy wait an hour — but it’s SO worth it! My go-​to dish is a Gold Margherita and a Steak Quesadilla. Fresh warm chips and salsa (which are now spicier than they used to be) are given to each table. LOVE!

My seafood enchiladas were very good. The service was good as well. I sat at the bar during lunchtime. I will come here again when visiting the area.

One of the best gumbos I’ve had in the area! They don’t take reservations though so there was a wait but nothing out of the ordinary.

Okay, seriously? In my 100+ reviews written, I’ve only dished out three 1 star reviews, but this was warranted. What a disappointment. In attempt to not bring my issue to Unilocal immediately, I went to Border’s website to find an email to address my experience to a manager directly but their website has no contact info which is lovely and very professional. (sarcasm)
Of all the cuisines, Tex Mex is one of the most vegetarian friendly. With that, me and my vegetarian date land at Border (thanks Carrie). We ordered the veggie quesadilla and the vegetarian fajitas. What we received were a cheese quesadilla with steamed veggies inside. Zero flavor, like seriously, zero seasoning on the veggies. Also, the veggies were mushy from being steamed so the tortilla was soggy.
As for the fajitas… these were not sauteed veggies the menu had described. (pic attached.) These were under-​seasoned and steamed. (see a pattern) I was so hungry and thankful for the free chips because without them, I wouldn’t have eaten. If you’re charging $ 13+ for fajitas, please make fajitas. Birds Eye sells steam fresh veggies for $ 2 so maybe during my next Tex Mex crave I can just head straight to Giant.
In conclusion, I’m baffled by the abundance of good reviews this place has. I will return only during a national disaster when and if there is a need to raid a restaurant of all it’s steamed vegetables.

We have been frequenting Border Café for over seven years at least monthly. I has been our favorite Mexican? cajun joint for all these yeras… until now!
Recently, there food quality has slowly deteriorated while their customer service is tanking. Last Friday, 13 of us went there for dinner; four got held up in traffic and were delayed by a few minutes. The managers made our life miserable and repeatedly threatened to take away our table every two minutes. We had ordered food and drinks and were spending money at this place and expected better treatment!
It’s time for us to take our business elsewhere!!!

This restaurant is extremely confused when it comes to branding. Is it Tex Mex? Yes. Is it Cajun? Yes. So wait, it’s a tackily Texas themed restaurant serving Mexican food but also Cajun food, just-​in-​case? Yes. I’m not joking — you can actually order chicken enchiladas with a side of jambalaya, paired with a margarita that you can enjoy with chips and salsa while waiting for your food.
It is all totally fine by me. Being born and raised in Texas, I have high standards when it comes to Tex-​Mex. Tex-​Mex is something that is easy to attempt but hard to get right. As many times as I’ve visited, the food never fails to disappoint. The Cajun food, on the other hand, while enjoyable, is not as authentic.
The service is consistently quick. It’s actually faster than most other restaurants. For a party of 2, I’ve never waited more than 15 minutes after placing my order. The prices are also very reasonable. Meals average $ 8-​$ 13 per person for entrees.
Overall, I’m very much a fan and will continue to come back.

This place is a go-​to favorite of mine if you are ever in Delaware and looking for a solid place to eat — only 5 minutes away from Christiana Mall — the tax-​free hub for many shoppers. Always delivers very affordable quality Tex-​Mex food in very big portions in a timely manner. They start you off with large water cups that will last you the whole meal and complimentary fresh tortilla chips with salsa to fire off those taste buds before you get to your main dish.
My current favorite dish is the half and half (chicken and steak) fajitas. Meat comes with sliced onions on a sizzling plate along with 4 fajitas, warmed and wrapped. They also include a side plate of finely shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and spoonful of sour cream to compliment the meat as well as a side of either Jose’s rice or Jambalaya (pretty spicy in my opinion). Given these large portions, an added plus is I almost always leave with some leftovers for another meal!
Their margaritas are on point as well and large enough to share with a friend. Can get them on the rocks or frozen and with sugar or salt rim coating.
Even with the large crowds during peak hours, they have a quick turn over rate for tables with most people waiting a maximum of around ~20−30 minutes from my experience. Service is pretty quick and friendly. Word of caution — ambience is very loud so if you are looking for a quiet sit down place to eat, I would save this place for another time given its more upbeat rodeo kind of feel. Otherwise, a solid place to fill that Tex-​Mex craving!

I was initially skeptical about this restaurant. It’s gaudy and tacky in the ways that make you wonder if they serve boxed taco shells and Tostidos.
I was sorely mistaken. My mango margarita was amazing, and discernibly made with real mango (I suggest trying it New Orleans-​style which means they add an extra shot of Cointreau).
The crawfish étouffée with jambalaya was delicious and the cornbread was perfect and crusty and only a hint sweet.
Our server, Brandon, was attentive and friendly without being overbearing or intrusive.
As a pretty damn good home cook who specializes in soul food, I’m always weary of restaurant’s Creole cuisine that’s often poorly seasoned and missing key ingredients. This is not one of those places.
I’ll definitely be back.

Ambience: Very much Tex/​Mex! Ample seating, tons of corona décor, lights, nice sized bar. This place is usually pretty busy, especially Friday and Saturday. On those days if you have more than a party of two, I highly recommend making a reservation.
Food Presentation: typical Tex/​mex presentation. Food coming out sizzling on hot skillets, multi-​colored plates.
Taste: food is good here and it doesn’t hurt the wallet either. I order the «Vegetarian Empanadas” – corn and black bean. These things are flavorful and cheesy. Everyone knows I’m no vegetarian, so you know it’s a big deal when I choose a vegetarian dish over a meaty dish! These taste better than the beef and chicken empanadas. I also like to get the Jambalaya as well. It packs a irresistible taste as well! Drinks are on point here too. Always leave with a buzz lol!
Server: service is pretty good here, I’m a huge fan of having water with my meals! This place give you like a huge 32oz glass of water! Rarely have to ask for a refill of anything, server is usually on top of this!
Revisit: absolutely! This place is you good meal on a budget!

Border café is one of the best tex mex restaurants i’ve ever had the pleasure of eating at. I have not had one entrée or appetizer that I have not enjoyed. All of the entrees are perfectly seasoned, the portions are huge, and the price is a steal. My go to meal is actually the chilli appetizer which comes with cheese, sour cream, and optional chopped onions but the portion is so big that I usually just add a side of cornbread and eat it as a meal. I’ve never had bad service which says a lot since it is always packed no matter the time or day! The only downside is their margaritas, which always taste watered down to me. Other than that, it’s a great spot to try if you wanna avoid the mall crowd.

Recommended by some good friends and they were absolutely right. Service was excellent. The food was tasty with reasonable sized portions. We will be back!

I normally don’t post a second review for places, but this is WELL WARRANTED! I’ll begin by restating the fact that this is my FAVORITE restaurant in Delaware, but that’s not what this review is about!
Friday, December 18^th, 2015 my family and I stopped in to eat lunch. As usual, the food and service were excellent! However, their credit card system was down, so they had to take our information on slips of paper.
We just naturally figured they would sort it out. Well, after nearly a week, the charge had still not been deducted. So we called them and wanted make sure we settled up. The Manager, (I think his name was Will) told my wife that he had never had anyone call back wanting to be charged before! He said that he wished there were more people like my wife and I and said «Happy Holidays». We just wanted to be honest. We basically were given a meal as a gift! I wrote this review to let EVERYONE know that not only is Border Café a great place to eat, it is a place with GREAT PEOPLE TOO!

festive
seated promptly
Cajun/​Tex mex music
loud sounds
loud colors
lights, brightly painted walls
fast service
hot chips
good chunky guac
decent margaritas — not great
friend thought his fajitas were B– and he did not dig the super spicy rice which comes with
my fish tacos were a little overly spicy too so i had to pick and work around
did i mention it was loud?
very loud.
loud colors, loud sounds, loud flavors, weak margs.
still somehow felt like a big party, and since were coming from a sad memorial, well, that’s just what we needed.
3.5 stars.

Worst fries in the history of mankind. The french fries have no moisture in them whatsoever. Ever had potato sticks in a can? They are the exact same thing. The actually shatter when you bend or bite into them. If you have not had those, they have the exact same texture as those crunchy dried out onions that people put on salads. I literally ground a french fry into dust.
That being said, everything else is completely hit or miss. The first time I had the swordfish, it was amazing! For $ 16, I couldn’t have been happier. I ordered it again a few weeks later and it was far below average. The same goes for the service. Often I get an excellent server, but last night, someone that was not out server dropped off the food and we didn’t see our server again until she brought out the check. There wasn’t a single check to see if everything came out okay (it didn’t) or if we needed drinks (we did). I think the problem is that the restaurant is so big and popular that it is just a food factory. Maybe things are better outside of the lunch and dinner rushes, but I haven’t seen it.
So, if you are a gambler, Border Café is the place for you. You are either going to get a great meal at a great value or just a completely unsatisfying experience.

Had dinner with Steph and Alex back in August. Alex and I ordered guacamole which was one of the best ones I have ever had. Steph and I ordered giant margaritas which were delicious as always. I had the seafood enchiladas which I have every time even though I want to try something different, because they are just so fantastic! Border café never disappoints, always fast service and great food.

Border Café was a really pleasant surprise, when traveling you have to take some chances but a packed parking lot on a Tuesday doesn’t lie and this place didn’t disappoint. Chips and Salsa truly homemade, Gumbo (chicken and shrimp) was Awesome seasoned very well and the blackened catfish over Cesar salad was really good too. Service was very quick, friendly and offered great recommendations. I look forward to coming back

Atmosphere is pretty neat. The food was tasty and came out in a good amount of time. We had two waiters as one was in training. They kept the drinks filled. I liked the fries but my kids weren’t fans.
My husband and daughter went there for a second time and brought me some food home, it was still hot and tasted great.
Downside, they didn’t have refried beans or cheddar cheese. My margarita was yummy so I couldn’t really complain.

Loud? Yes.
Chaotic? Yes.
Delicious? YES.
Anytime I’m away for extended periods of time, Border Café is the first meal I crave.
Order the Gulf Coast Seafood Enchiladas. It’s my go-​to order, and I have yet to be disappointed. Shrimp, crab, and crawfish stuffed in a tortilla with green pepper, and smothered in a decadent cheese sauce.
All of the portions are HUGE, and well worth the money. Even the drinks arrive in oversized glasses, and between that and warm tortilla chips served immediately upon seating, you’ll never go hungry or thirsty.
As a side I’d recommend the Jambalaya, which has just a bit of heat to it. But in the end, you really can’t go wrong with anything at this place.