Red Mesa Cantina

You guys have the cheapest napkins! Ha! I had to say something bad. Otherwise this place rocks my world! Super good.

I wont bore you with in depth food reviews, we all know the food is great. What you need to know is that this place is super casual during the daytime, outside drinks and appetizers at the bar is a popular experience and the patio is beautiful. I think at night dining inside especially can be a little chaotic but nothing too bothersome. This is probably one of the most well known restaurants among locals.

I swear we come here every single day for lunch!!! Wait staff changes a little much for my taste, food is excellent, drinks are fricken the bomb!
Great atmosphere, outdoor seating is cozy! very beautiful!
Simply love coming here

No bueno.
I was in town for a wedding and thought I’d drop by for a margarita and some chips and guac. I should have kept walking. I’m no booze-​snob, but my margarita tasted like floor cleaner. The guac was brown, and my waitress seemed ticked off that we weren’t ordering real food. I’m adding an additional star to my review for the patio. It was nice to get to sit outside.
Thanks, but no, thanks, Red Cantina.

Went here for a friend’s birthday a week ago and was pleasantly surprised. The food was good, the drinks were great, and the atmosphere was fun. Definitely no complaints here.
The restaurant itself is extremely cute. It has two main areas: a large outdoor area with plenty of seating and it’s own bar, and an indoor area where the walls are densely decorated with Mexican-​themed flair with just overall a very cute atmosphere. We were here with a group of 8 people, and despite not having been able to get a reservation, we only had to wait about 15 minutes before they were able to seat us.
The service was great, the waitress was very friendly, happy to add to our celebration of my friend’s birthday, but still getting everything to us quickly and with no issues. They definitely made it feel like our celebration belonged at their restaurant.
The food and drinks were good too! I got the Salmon a la Plancha, because I was looking for something light, and I thought it was delicious. One of my friends got the Huachinango ceviche which was good but too spicy for him. The birthday boy got the Chicken Enchiladas, which were tasty and perhaps the biggest meal that arrived that night. Too bad he was too busy drinking their absolutely delicious Margaritas to pay attention to his food. And my boyfriend go the Carne Asada, which similarly pleased everyone that got to try it.
So why is this not a 5 star review? The price. It’s not that it’s incredibly expensive, it’s just that for the majority of the dishes you don’t get very much food for your money. My Salmon meal was pretty small, the tacos are pretty expensive compared to other local taco places, and with the ceviche you get a martini glass full of ceviche and some chips. The main plates can get pretty big, but they’re also more expensive. Again, nothing is unreasonable, but it’s just a bit of a knock on an otherwise great restaurant.
Definitely a place I’ll continue to go to for special occasions, or even a simple weekend dinner when I’m feeling tex mex. I strongly suggest you visit, and I strongly suggest you try their margaritas. Definitely the best pitcher of margarita I’ve been able to find in the area.

Beautiful restaurant, my food was good and service is great. I went for lunch, great atmosphere for intimate chats I certainly could of easily ordered a couple more drinks and just hung out but quickly had to leave. Nice affordable menu, my food was ⁴⁄₅ not the best but good and satisfying I will be going back for sure

The atmosphere and location are what makes this place worth going to. The food is hit or miss. I’ve been here several times and I either love my dish or hate it. The fish tacos are really good. I’ve had good luck with the quesadillas. This is a great place to go with friends if you want to have a nice night out. The service is usually really good. The queso is terrible and their drink selection is tired. One time I went there and ordered a drink and the waiter told me not to order it because it was terrible but I ordered it anyways and hated it and he actually spilled it and gave me something else. It seriously tasted like dirty feet. Dinner is usually $ 20-​$ 25 a person with tip and drink. I go back

First time going there and it was good ! We first purchase the chips and trio dip (beans, guacamole, and cheese) and the same of salsa, it was okay but I really did enjoy the bean dip but the salsa was not anything special but what I enjoyed the most was the TACOS ! I order shrimp and the tuna and OMG THE TUNA IS THE BEST ! Spicy and creamy and the tuna was cooked well and tasted fresh ! I should have order 2 or 3 tuna tacos instead of one… My bad ! Overall I would recommend it to everyone. Has a Spanish person in extremely picky on «Spanish» food I’m happy I found this place ! Beyond delicious

This place was GREAT!!! Went with my family and two children for lunch, I appreciate the kids menu. My son is a fickle eater and even though he will try new foods he likes to see a familiar food choice in front of him. Thank you for your kids menu! The BIGGER bonus was the Jarritos!!! The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE them so this was a nice surprise.
Our lunch was awesome, I had the enchiladas with habanero sauce and they were divine! My husband had the steak wit the jalapeño cream and it was delicious! We will back sans kids :)

Excellent Mexican food and amazing menu. We came during happy hour for twice the delicious margaritas. Mark was our server and provided the best service we’ve had in a while. No up selling… on the contrary he steered us to the dishes and drinks we were actually looking for! Great atmosphere, food, y el mejor servicio!
PS I don’t write reviews. The service we received from Mark compelled me to.

Loved this Mexican restaurant and their patio is top notch!
They have a great weekend Brunch menu which includes many different Mexican items. Their bloody mary is tasty and so reasonable! Only $ 4.50 and is severed with Shrimp, cucumber and olive skewer. (They don’t have any pickles to add to it).
If Mexican isn’t your thing they do have some other options like sandwiches or the Americano (fried eggs with pancakes and sausage).
I opted for the breakfast quesadilla and it did not disappoint. It was huge. I was picturing this flat tortilla, but it was nothing like that. These quesadillas were stuffed with juicy pieces of ham, bacon, egg and cheese. The side sauce habanero chipotle aioli is super good, give it a slight kick. I asked to add the Jalapeño cream sauce on the side as well, and i would recommend to anyone doing the same. The cream sauce is delicious! (It does not come with this entrée)
We also had the guacamole, which was a good size portion. I asked for salsa as well which is an additional charge.
The patio is absolutely beautiful with a pond/​small waterfall in the middle and a bar outside.
If you’re downtown I would strongly suggest heading to Red Mesa!

Wow. Beautiful place, excellent service, fabulous food. What more could you ask for? The chips were a knock out and if a Mexican joint has crappy chips… well…
These were light and crisp… it was a great experience! A must do in St. Pete!

This place is awesome! My friends and I went here today after a visit to the Dali museum. The food here was stellar!
First of all, their sauces are phenomenal and the way they incorporate them in the food is great.
We all walked away loving our meals.
Recommended food:
–Mofongo — we LOVED this one.
–Bomba (with the habanero aioli sauce!)
–Duck taco (the sauce was super unique and made this taco)
–Refried beans are delicious and they also have a unique flavor. At lunch/​brunch they are black beans and at dinner they switch to pinto.
My husband said this is the best Mexican-​inspired food he’s ever had.
Definitely worth the visit — highly recommend!

I went for dinner and noticed that the menu was limited. The first disappointment was not getting chips and salsa. A $ 4 charge for chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant is ridiculous. I noticed them piled up near the kitchen. I guess I’m not the only one that didn’t want to pay for them. I typically order a combination platter at mexican restaurants, but this is not offered. I ended up ordering shrimp and chicken tacos. I also had 2 margaritas. My second disappointment was that the shrimp tacos were too spicy, the Chicken tacos were just right. The margaritas were decent. Overall I thought Red Mesa was just okay.
3 Stars!

This place has been around for a while, and I have never been disappointed. I tried the ceviche and tuna tacp. Both were great. I also love their brunch.

Loooove this place! We go every time we are in st petes and it has not disappointed us once!
Great environment, very good service and super yummy food! We have been indoors and out and you can definitely find a perfect spot in this restaurant according to your mood!
We’ve had burritos, tacos and almost al of the desserts and I can just say, go for it! Taste everything! Super fun and amazing experience!

I really wanted to give out 3.5 stars, I don’t know if they have earned the 4^th star but I don’t think its fair to only give 3 either.
I have to say I am not a huge fan of the dinner menu here, I think its OK but the price you pay is more for the location than the menu. I have tried multiple things, and its not like I hate it, I am just not very impressed by much other than the guacamole.
The real star? BRUNCH. I have a love for all things Mexican and breakfast-​y, so it is not hard to make me mildly happy. When I tell you this was one of the best brunches I’ve had I am not kidding. We sat outside in the courtyard, Mimosas in hand, next to the water. We started with the chicken taquitos and never looked back. They were covered in a sauce with some crème on it. We wanted to lick the plate. I then went on to a shrimp, spinach, and feta burrito, also smothered in amazing sauce and sprinkled with cheese crumbles. I brought the leftovers to work, threw it in the microwave and it was STILL amazing!
Our service was OK, we didn’t have silverware until we were almost finished with the taquitos (yes we ate them with our hands, no shame in the deliciousness) but other than that we were happy. Thankfully the waiter kept the H2o coming.
All in all, skip dinner and come for brunch!

So, when Leah said that every person we asked mentioned Red Mesa Cantina, she wasn’t joking. This place has a serious local following.
I ordered the chips and salsa starter which was filled with garlic but very tasty. I followed that with a chicken burrito and a side rice and beans.
The burrito had: roasted chicken, guacamole, pickled jalapeño and queso fresco. It was very good and the chicken was flavorful. Somehow, they managed to roll a burrito that didn’t fall apart. I mean, down to the last bite, it stayed wrapped and didn’t leak. It was some sort of burrito miracle. The rice and beans delicious and were soaked in Chimichurri and had an incredibly bold taste. Mexican food can be very bland but this plate was full of flavor.
Service was good, building was nice on the outside and the patio seating was lush and pretty. Great full bar options and seating was readily available at 2:00 p.m. Sunday for a late lunch.

Very cool place! I love sitting in the courtyard area. The ceviche assortment menu item is superb. Great Tex-​mex.
It’s more elaborate and gourmet than most Mexican food restaurants that I’ve been to. Great queso.
There are quite a few very unique things on the menu. Their chef seems to be creative and artistic. I had a few sips of a Margarita there once. It was very good.

I have been here many times and I don’t know how I have not written a review but thru’s is one of my favorite restaurants in downtown St. Pete! The outdoor seating is just gorgeous especially on all these sunny days we have here in Florida!
I love their tacos! My favorite is the ahi tuna tacos! Delicious! The burritos are also amazing. I really enjoy the rice and red beans that come with your meal! The sangria is very tasty! Never have had a bad experience here. Always great food and a great place to come when it’s nice outside

Wow! This place has over 550 reviews! That’s a lot for this area. Finally we tried it out!
The outside courtyard area is the best spot! It is not dog friendly there, but that’s ok. They have side walk spots that are! Yes that is important to me, and that is ok!
I started off with a passion fruit house margarita. They had two other flavors besides the usual standard house margarita. $ 6 for house, with flavor $ 2 more. You can up charge for double tequila! My drink was amazing!!! I loved it!
I also ordered the seafood mofongo and a duck taco!!! I loved both of them big time. They were both sweet and savory which is me! The seafood mofongo also has a mofongo with pork and sweet plantains so it is definitely different. All the flavors stood out great!
I love everything about this place, and will definitely be back to try the brunch!

Always good, service has always been friendly, and who doesn’t like good Mexican?
I’ve been here a few times, both for dinner. The first time I went to Red Mesa, I only ate tacos.
The duck taco is out of this world, by the way. I think about it a lot when I’m craving tacos. There is a sort of jelly on it that mixes really well with the spicy taste and I love duck.
On Wednesdays, Red Mesa serves fajitas. I ordered the shrimp fajitas and they were delicious. My server recommended them and I’m glad she did. Unlike a lot of other Mexican restaurants that make their fajitas really oily, Red Mesa cooked them perfectly so the fajitas still retained their flavor.
Service is always very friendly but the waitress didn’t know how much the fajitas were and they ended up being far more expensive than she told me they were going to be at around $ 17. She initially said they would be $ 13. Since they’re not on the menu regularly I had no way to tell how much they really cost.
I’d come back, especially for the duck tacos.