Mex 1 Coastal Cantina

Love the atmosphere and the food. Drink specials are great too. Always had great service, I go here pretty often.

To be honest, I was pretty disappointed in this place. I had high hopes for Mex 1 — the atmosphere is very cool and I love the outdoor seating and live music.
Sadly, all of these positives were trumped by a few key downsides: we ordered every non-​fried and non-​red meat taco on the menu in order to sample the goods. Honestly, only the shrimp taco was well flavored and appropriately seasoned. The rest of the tacos were so incredibly dry and flavorless: that includes the Mahi Mahi, the chicken, the carnitas (pork), and the mushroom tacos. So disappointing! Although I loved the concept of a hot sauce bar, it turns out the hot sauce was essential to choke down the dry tacos. So sad!
The chips and salsa were good– nothing amazing, but the salsa was fresh and hit the spot on a warm, spotty day.
Service also left something to be desired. We tried to catch our server’s attention several times, but she never seemed to be around.
Finally, the beer list left something to be desired. Only two or three local beers, and nothing special. Ended up settling on a Pacifico just to have something with the meal. Was pretty disappointed in the experience, even though I really dug the atmosphere, especially the outdoor seating and the live band.

I don’t live in Charleston, currently, but whenever I come back, this is where we go AT LEAST once. Happy hour is AWESOME. great atmosphere, great service. and holy hell, amazing house infused margaritas. I always get the pineapple habanero. And for 5 bucks during happy hour, you can’t beat it. I’ve never had any of the meat tacos, but their fish tacos are all good as well as the shroomer and they’re pretty big tacos too for only 4 bucks!

2 out of 12 orders didn’t come out. No apology just an oh well you’ll have to wait. Food was decent.

The food was good, smaller portions than many mexican places but the quality was good. The happy hour margarita deal is killer. Great salsa and chips as well. The queso is great.

My friend and I were looking for a spot to check out after burning some calories at this year’s Cooper River Bridge Run. After some back and forth, we decided to head over to Mex 1 Coastal Cantina. Like others have mentioned, it’s definitely a small parking lot! Luckily we got there shortly after it opened and had no trouble finding a spot.
We both ordered the Tequila Mockingbird and white cheese dip. The cheese dip was good but too thick… gotta be a little runny! Of course that didn’t stop me from enjoying… I mean it’s white cheese dip… even wrong, it’s always right. Their salsa was delicious! Very tasty. And besides being fun to say, the Tequila Mockingbird totally hit the spot. I’d absolutely enjoy all three things again.
We both also ordered tacos. I picked the carnitas and the grilled mahi. They were both good, but nothing spectacular. Solid tacos but not memorable, but I’m a bit picky about my tacos. I guess I’m still in search of spectacular tacos!
I enjoyed Mex 1, our server was excellent, and I’d definitely return to try more of their food menu, as well as enjoy that tasty salsa and Tequila Mockingbird!

Whenever I come here, it’s like a little taste of Santa Cruz, Ca. Get the Bangin Shrimp Bowl if you want to be totally satisfied for your coastal and texmex urge fulfilled. Great selection of adult beverages!

I’ve never had a bad meal or margarita here! The food and cocktails are absolutely delicious and the service is good, too.
You really can’t go wrong ordering. I’ve tried the tacos, dips, quesadillas and bowls. They were all amazing. My new favorite is the chicken lime quesadilla. It’s served with salsa, fresh guacamole and crema. Last time I went I also tried the queso fantastico, which was, as its name suggests, fantastic! Whatever you order, the portions are plenty large and you will definitely leave full (note: if you order tacos, plan to order more than one).
If you are in the mood for a cocktail, you can not go wrong with a margarita. You can choose between a house margarita and wide variety of specialty margaritas with liqueurs or infused tequila. My favorite infused margaritas are made with the jalapeño and berry Serrano infused tequilas.

If you go, I recommend snagging a table outside if the weather is nice. It’s a great place to unwind with a cocktail after work.

Stopped in around happy hour time for apps and drinks. The inside feels like a surf bar on the beach that’s been transplanted to West Ashley with plenty of space and seating. There’s also a huge bar to saddle up to or grab a table outside if it’s nice enough. I started off with a signature margarita and we got the triple dipper to share. I wasn’t very hungry, but saw that they have street corn as a side and couldn’t pass it up.
The Triple Dipper comes with queso, salsa, guacamole, and endless chips. I preferred the house salsa that originally came out instead of the smokey one on the dipper, but I’m not a fan of smokey flavoring. My street corn was alright, but I was disappointed when I saw it in a bowl instead of on the cob. It’s like they took the corn off the cob and then added the accouterments to make it street style i.e. lime juice, spices, cojita after the fact. Unfortunately, you loose most of the flavor doing it this way and don’t really get any char on the corn.
Signature margaritas were on special for happy hour so I went that route… on the rocks, with salt, the only way to drink margaritas. I’m not sure if they’re using a mix but it was super sour. I was wincing while I drank it at first and then the ice melted a bit and balanced it out some. The service was great and I tried some of my friends food which was better than mine. The atmosphere is great for happy hour so I’d give it another shot, but would definitely order differently.

I don’t understand why people are raving about the tacos? I visited with a family member and we both ordered 3 tacos each. The portions were okay, but they were just so watery. Our tacos were leaking so much liquid our plates were both left with puddles (our server noticed and apologized, maybe we were served duds?). They use flour and not corn tortillas which was also another disappointment.
This seems like a cool place to grab some drinks and hang out with friends, but if you are hankering for a legitimately good taco, don’t bother.

Terrific beach shack atmosphere and tasty food.
Warning…‘big mama’ nachos are HUGE (and really good). Shareable for four.
House margarita is very good, more orange than lime and the house salsa, queso and guacamole are just the way you’ll like ‘em. Hot sauce bar.

Stopped in on Saturday afternoon and have to say they won me over with the margarita (the Mex1 margarita, not the Presidential), chips and salsa — stellar, all 3. I want to bottle the salsa and take it home! My husband had an array of tacos, he said the bang bang shrimp one was the best. I had the Tijuana Quesadilla, the meat tender, the hatch chilies charred a bit and not too much cheese. Next time I will order it without the crema, it was just a tad too sweet for my taste buds. All in all our meals were very good. I wouldn’t mind seeing a side of beans on the menu, something without the rice.
The only thing we’d like to mention is that we came in sort of handicapped. My husband had surgery and was on a knee scooter — If we had traipsed in from the parking lot, up the ramp and to the side door we would have to interrupt 3 tables on the patio, which amounted to at least 12 patrons we’d have to interrupt to get by. A wheelchair certainly could not have passed through on a crowded beautiful Saturday afternoon.

I love their drinks and baja bowls, and their chips + accompaniments are pretty great, too. Nice little outdoor space, laid-​back vibe, and good happy hour deals. Also they might have the only «skinny» margarita I’ve ever actually enjoyed.

Great Tex-​Mex spot to eat in West Ashley.
I’m always a fan when Mexican restaurants serve free table chips and salsa. It smooths over the wait. This should be standard at them all. However, the chips were a bit over-​salted, but I those drinks don’t sell themselves, right?
I would say they are trying to be too authentic with the Mexican beers on tap. Why? They aren’t great. I feel like they know it too, because the preferred method of Tecate is with hot sauce and pepper on the top of the can. Order it by asking for the «Mexican Ashtray». The margaritas were decent though.
The real highlight is the food here. Lots of creative twists and really tasty. The tacos/​bowls are great and also pretty inexpensive. Especially since I know you filled up on free chips and salsa already…

Recently visited and really enjoyed the food and margarita. I had the Berry Serrano (as in Serrano Pepper) infused margarita and it was amazing. Spare yourself the frozen nonsense and drink a real margarita. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other flavors.
I had the steak quesadilla and my hubby had the shrimp quesadilla. I loved mine – I meant to save half for lunch the next day, but I ate it all. Oops. Hubby said that the shrimp quesadilla was good. Not the best he’s ever had, but definitely edible.
The small band playing was great as well, but it is LOUD, so don’t go expecting to be able to conversate with your date. :-)
Also, the service is awesome. Our waitress Caroline was very attentive and rocks because we share our name. Haha.
Looking forward to going back and sitting on their patio once the weather is warm.

I like this place. It has a cool vibe and the food is above average. I’m usually in here once a week, when it’s my night to cook. Surf boards adorn the walls and surfing videos are on constantly. Dinning highlights for me are their bowls and quesadillas. They have negro modelo on tap which is a plus. Seating outside faces the road so scenery is limited to a liquor store and a massive storage building (which in my opinion the designer did a great job on making it fit the neighborhood)
Best margaritas in town! And brunch isn’t too shabby — I like their version of the huevos rancheros.
Recommendations: try and construct a divide between your outdoor seating and the road, also on event days offer parking near the old food lion and offer rides to and from on a stretch golf cart.
What else… Offer a drawing to win a surfboard annually. Of course place your logo on the board

Ive only lived in Charleston for less than a year but with all the amazing food have not found a great mexican resteraunt, until now. Mex 1 gets it done with rice bowls, salads, tacos and tortas, just to name a few of their great menu items. Dont let the cover fool you this place nails it.

I can not say enough about this place. Was in town for work. We found this place on Unilocal and gave it a shot. We loved it. all the flavors were right on spot. We got tacos and nachos. Needless to say the best ever.
The nachos are the best I have had both steak and chinch and can not come up with a favorite. They actually make the nachos do the the toppings are not just on top, but also under with the top layer. That gives you a equal distribution of topping throughout the entire plate. The flavors are also top notch. I do have to give a big shout out to the pico ge gallo that has a great test that is not over powered by cilantro. I also have to say that the picked jalapeños are the best.
As for the tacos, they are just as great. I am a big fan of the bbq tacos and banging shrimp. You can not go wrong with a taco here.
One other thing I notice that here is that they pAy equally close attention to the taste of the salsa they bring to your table when you first arrive. It is a nice blend of sweet and spicy that is not over powering.
The atmosphere is great as well. I love it because you can bring a group and be loud. Everyone here treats you like they are your friend and not just a customer. I travel a lot for work and I have never found a place as tasty, fun, and friendly as here. I will be back as often as I can.

I really struggle with most mexican places since I can’t eat spicy foods. This place has probably become my new favorite! The salsa that arrived with the chips and dips wasn’t spicy at all and for the first time EVER I got to enjoy salsa with my chips!
Since brunch is served Sat/​Sun (11 – 3), I ordered the huevos rancheros, my go-​to brunch order. I was definitely pleased. Queso on the bottom (which originally I thought was sour cream, but queso was a way better surprise), toasted torilla, black beans, perfectly cooked (no runny white stuff, but still had runny yellow) egg, topped with avocado and cilantro. There was a chipotle salsa that also came with it, but I used the regular salsa just in case.
We will definitely be going back so I can try the regular menu.

The number one thing you need to know about Mex1: they have FREE chips and salsa… Just as every taco joint should (but for some reason quite a few around here charge you)!
I have eaten at Mex1 so many times. I love the rice bowls, mahi tacos and all the salads. Most tacos are about $ 3.95/each, salads under $ 10 and the rice bowl without meat is under $ 7.
The vibe at Mex1 is very chill and laid back. Outside seating is available. Parking is sometimes limited but you can park on the street. Do not, however, park at the offices next door. They will have you towed.