Trece Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Lounge

So I came with my sisters (Dallas residents) who convinced me to come because of their free-​Monday menus.
I noticed right away that this was a nice place, so I made sure that I was on my «best behavior». Server was standard, nothing special, but the menu did catch my eye.
Had the Budin Azteca, and was hoping that I didnt make a mistake and stick with something safe like a chicken dish, but luckily, I was right. The budin was delicious. It was a pulled chicken dish and mexican chorizo dish with mango and a great creamy sauce that was not overly hot that it caused a distraction. Yet even with the abudance of sauce, the fired corn tortilla shells managed to stay crispy!!!
I did have some of my sister’s Chile Rellena Vegetariano, and it wasn’t as good. Lacked the depth necessary to give a veggie dish any kinda weight weight to stand up alone. Inconsistancy is not a good sign. Either way, I can still recommend this place to this people who love a great deal.

Unfortunately, when it comes to most self-​proclaimed «upscale» forms of ethnic cuisines, this usually means that the food is lackluster at best and completely disastrous and a shell of its former mother cuisine at worst.
For Trece, it is somewhere in the middle. I would think that of any state, besides California, to pull off this kind of cuisine successfully, it would be Texas. While I can’t speak for the rest of Texas, Trece does not do Mexican food justice here in Dallas.
I was here for my cousin’s rehearsal dinner.
The décor is very forcedly modern, dark in a way you could tell is supposed to be romantic, but I just find kind of dark and dull.
The food was not good. We had the enchiladas with black beans and rice. The tortilla was very dry. The beans and rice were very bland. The chicken inside my enchilada also suffered from both the same issues.
When I come back to my homestate, I will not be returning here.

WOW! What can I say, I’ve used Unilocal for years and swear by it. 90% of the time the star rating is accurate in the Dallas area. Not the case at Trece!!! (Who is currently rated at 3 stars.)
The same 3 stars, that I consider to be decent but not memorable. 1. The warm salsa was void of flavor or spice. It was kinda creamy and could have been tortilla soup. The chips had an interesting cut to them that made them easier to eat. So that was nice, but over all just a standard chip that you can find anywhere. The Tortilla soup had some really poorly cooked chopped chicken in it and tasted like cream as well. It needed salt and didn’t taste any better than the salsa. The pork chop was super thin, tough, poorly cooked and topped with some kind of sauce that again was somewhat creamy and served with mashed potatoes that were ok, but nothing I couldn’t get at Grandy’s. My margarita was $ 10 and no freaking kidding was SUPER TART. I’d like to say they got something right. But in all honesty, I’m grasping at straws. The cook or food runner that brought the food was pretty good and enthusiastic. But our waiter was cold and seemed put out by our having come in.

Half-​off appetizers during HH… Cha-​ching. They also have a great private room in the back if you have a reservation of 10 – 15 people. I came here for a birthday dinner and we got to sit in the back room, and I don’t even think the birthday girl asked for it when making reservations. I could be wrong on that, but it sure was nice. Our waiter was also awesome and the guacamole was wonderful. Other than that, the food here is alright. Not very memorable, I’d venture to say.,. I would prefer MiCo or Taco Diner when eating mexican. But the atmosphere is nice and I love the Travis St. neighborhood. Cute for a date night if you have never been.

I could say I really loved the attentive service, warm atmosphere and flavorful yet refine food. But that would be a lie.
We arrive at about 8:30 on a Friday night for dinner and the restaurant was so empty we were seated in the bar area. That’s a pretty new concept to me seeing as this place was known as the swanky Mexican eatery around these parts. Now that swankiness has been replaced by a bright TV (oh no you didn’t), obnoxiously loud and over-​served party boys and a pace of service that had us in and out in 30 minutes. Even after we had politely declined 3 times, our waiter still asked us if we wanted an app or order of $ 20 guac.
The sangria was great, not strong enough though. I had the tacos which came with two chicken (spicy) and pulled beef (not so spicy), black beans and rice which I barely touched.
All in all, I could see how this place once had a shine to it, say when Wilcox was still here whipping up dishes in native form, but that culinary flare has now been over taken by a restaurant that seems to pride itself on it’s tequila over it’s food.

Once again with the «upscale» Mexican description. Seriously. Just because you charge $ 18 for a chicken dish does not «upscale» make. There’s no such thing. (The chicken dish is horrible, by the way)
What I enjoy about Trece is the atmosphere and the service. Beyond that, they really need to do some recipe tweaking. I can eat better food at other Mexican joints.
Would I recommend? No. Not even for the free dinner on Mondays.

It started off so well! And quickly went downhill… the host was attentive. The drinks were delish. The décor was slick. :)
But the rest of the staff (and our waiter) were clearly preoccupied with moving tables back and forth, which totally killed the atmosphere. :(
We had to resort to setting down our menus and flagging down the waiter to place the appetizer order. At that point, we opted to go ahead and order the entrees as well, hoping to avoid another lapse.
It took a long time for them to make their way to us with the guacamole service, which wasn’t a huge deal. It would have gone unnoticed except, before he was finished, another waiter brought our entrees. When he asked if we were ready, he seemed quite confused when we said no. He then asked if we wanted it kept under the heater in the kitchen.
We then had to place our app plates on the edge of the table and try and get the attention of our waiter (or someone, anyone?) to bring the entrees. At this point, the surrounding activity was incredibly distracting and made it difficult to settle in and enjoy the meal.
My boudin azteca was yummy, even better the next day! Husband’s tablones (short ribs) were just ok. Actually, it just tasted like pot roast. Really good pot roast, but we were hoping for a little more flair.
We’ll probably try one more time, making sure to try and sit on the patio while being prepared for service. Maybe out there the service will be a little better, or at least a little less intrusive on the mood.
(Not to beat a dead horse, but the Unilocal survey questions asked what type of music they play. I have no idea if music was playing or not becuase it was so frenetic in there! lol!)

Trece can be summed up as upscale Mexican food. I have been a couple of times and have enjoyed it, but I haven’t been sure it justified the price.
Therefore, I decided to try out free dinner night on Monday which other reviewers have mentioned. You have a small menu of choices that you get for free! You just pay for the tip and drinks. The bill came and for four drinks and guacamoli came to almost $ 50. You then must tip off of what your total would have been before the discounting… our total was $ 109.00 so I gave a $ 20 tip. Our free dinner night cost us $ 70!
I wouldn’t have been that concerned about $ 70 if there wasn’t better Mexican food, but there is so much competition in the category of upscale Mexican. It is good and the environment is great. I just caution to not raise your expectations too high.

Interesting Mexican food left me very happy with our experience at Trece! First, the menu was unique. Even common dishes had an interesting touch. The chile relleno was good, the guacamole was fantastic (the roasted tomatoes really came out well), and the Budin Azteca was a treat. Ok, it was made with chorizo, and that’s almost cheating in a chicken dish, but it brought the disparate ingredients together for a strong, singular impression. Also, the drinks were above average, the dessert (a crêpe) had an excellent combination of creams and cajete, and the service was great. Plus, on a Friday night around 7:30, there was no wait. Easy!
Dear Trece: Please consider a seasonal menu. Some of the fruits were not quite ready for prime time, and this keeps you from 5 stars in my book. If it’s not fresh, change the menu! The current menu seems very summer-​centric, so I’ll be back in the summer to see how it’s supposed to be!

I had a suprisingly nice date with my husband and 8 month old daughter at Trece. We had a nice walk on the Katy Trail and walked in to Trece afterwards. It was one of the few times I didn’t Unilocal something beforehand. THANK GOD! I am a foody. I am Mexican. I am VERY picky about my Mexican food. I can’t believe the attacks that this place has from patrons who ate for free or used a coupon.
We HAPPILY paid full price, and tipped based n the price and WONDERFUL service. We were dressed much more casually than anyone else in the place, we had a stroller with a baby, and they treated us very well and were very accomodating. I am pregnant, the waiter happily suggested a virgin margarita.
We shared quacomole tableside, and crab cakes to start. Both were great. I then had two enchiladas, one with shredded beef and one cheese. My husband had the flank steak with chimachurri sauce. We both enjoyed each other’s meals. For dessert, we shared a chocolate cake, with chocolate sauce, in a stawberry soup. It was good. Again, we are snobs when it comes to food.
I have ZERO complaints about the place, the service, or the food. I am SO happy I didn’t let the reviews ruin my opportunity to go there. I will definitely go back. The tequila menu was fabulous and if I was drinking, would have indulged. My husband had a bottled beer and said it was great, served in a chilled glass. The patrons were a mix of families, date nights, and groups of hipsters. Everyone seemed happy.
It is NOT Tex Mex. It’s gourmet Mexican food. To all the people who complain about the prices, there are other places such as Chipolte and On the Border within walking distance. If you go to Mi Cocina, you will pay more for less qourmet. We found the prices fair for what we were served, quality gourmet Mexican food.
As we were leaving, the bar was beginning to fill up and there was a dj playing dance music.
For the Monday night waiters, God bless you. It seems like you’ve got quite the crowd of whiners.

I really can’t put my finger on why I was unimpressed with Trece. But I can tell you right now that if I had been paying for this meal I would have died from shock at the bill. I mean, for tex-​mex? $ 15 for a plate of 3 enchiladas with beans and rice? W. T. F. That should be illegal.
So our waiter was nice, but a little… spacey? I don’t normally comment on service unless it’s really good or really bad, and this was neither. 100% technically okay, but let’s just say I’m pretty sure he was passing the dutchie to the left hand side at some point earlier that evening.
We started with two orders of guacamole, and it was REALLY good, but I’m also a guacamole whore. I’ll do dirty things for avocados (not TO avocados… get your minds out of the gutter, people). Since the people we were entertaining weren’t Texans, we opted for an order of the mild and an order of the medium. If a go back for anything, it would be solely to try the hot version. Mmmmm.
Some of the chips were burned, but I think they were supposed to be that way? Maybe I’m just not classy enough to enjoy the avant-​garde-​ness of burned chips. Whatever. As far as the salsa goes, I literally cannot remember what it tasted like at all. So there’s that.
Drinks: yum! This was definitely the high point of the evening (isn’t it always?) I had a Skinny Margarita and a frozen Pomegranate one. YUM.
For my meal I ordered the jalapeño-​marinated pork chop with cotija-​mashed potatoes. It was actually pretty good. The consistency of the mashed potatoes was a little off. The pork chop was freaking huge, I noticed some other reviewers said the portions were small, if that’s a concern for you, get the freaking pork chop.
I guess all in all it was definitely an A-​OK type experience. I just… I dunno. I guess maybe I can make a blanket statement and say upscale tex-​mex just isn’t my kind of thing. Or maybe it is my thing and this place just didn’t do it exactly right. All I know is I would have been just as happy — okay, probably happier — with some cheap brisket tacos down the street.

I’ve been here multiple times and don’t have any desire to go back again.
The first few times I went for their «Free» dinner on Monday nights and, although you get an average tasting appetizer and entrée for free, you’re asked to tip on what the meal would have cost. My issue each time was that the waiters were never good and there was no continuity over the course of the meal. By the end you haven’t seen the same waiter twice and you get a bill that tells you the very average entrée normally costs $ 20 and its suggested that you tip off of these prices. Because of this I’ve left each time feeling like I overpaid for a meal that was supposed to be free.
I’ve come on a Saturday night and the service has been excellent– food and drinks get brought right to you without the waiter having to ask the entire table «who ordered the tacos?» The food is pricey and be warned, they don’t split checks. All in all, for my money I’d rather go elsewhere.

I’ve been here 3 times over 4 years. I consider it a real treat when I get to enjoy a night at this place. I have never had anything but top notch service… taste bud tantalizing food… and stroooong tasty drinks :)
If you go and dont try the table-​side made guac, you’re insane. Now now… yes I know the $ 12 price tag on a bowl of guacamole is a little jarring… but once you taste it, you’ll wonder how they get back without charging $ 25 for it. WOWZA it’s yummy.
If you’re there, you’re already preparing to drop some dolla’s…so for the love of José, order their top shelf margarita’s. You’ll thank me. And teh cab driver will thank me, too. he he
The short ribs? Fall off the bone.
Their tamales? All very unique flavors combined to make conversation piece food.
Sides? Highly recommend the squash… and the rice… and the corn.
Yes this place is a little expensive… but there is a reason… it’s top of the line food, ingredients, chefs and service. You get exactly what you pay for and then some.
I can’t wait for my next chance to go. Hint. *cough* hint. AHEM.

The place looks pretty sweet, I have to admit. You don’t expect it, it has a random door on the outside that you’re not even sure is the right door to enter from. But I should have realized what I was in for when I came upon the hostess. She looked about 6’0 95 pounds, and she wasn’t looking up as I was standing there. I know I’m short and all, but I’m not thattttttttttt short. After about 2 minutes, she asked if I wanted a table. I remained calm, I didn’t want to be that short guy throwing a tantrum in public.
So the night went on, I got the guacamole and made it spicy. No complaints there. I wasn’t too hungry, so I got the tacos. They were pretty good, but nothing to write home about. Got drinks, just made the bill pricier.
I had to laugh at Tori’s review, because I was also on a date, and we had to sit in a big booth, but we decided sitting closer to each other and being that couple.
Would I come here again? Yes, for drinks. It’s a cool place.
Why 4 stars? Because the waiter gave us cough drops, because we ran out.

I went here for free 2 course dinner on Mondays, and had a pretty decent meal. There menu changes every week, so when we went, it appetizers were your choice of sopas, chicken quesadilla, salad, and some much more. The dinner was your choice of talapia, brisket enchiladas, and chile relleno.
I tried the sopas and chicken enchiladas appetizers as well as the talapia and brisket enchildas. The sopas had a mild, but elegant broth. It was the faniciest sopas I have ever had and probably my favorite dish of the night.
However, when they showed us the «what you would have paid” — I can say without a doubt that I would never return! $ 9 for sopas?!? $ 19 for talapia? Are you out of your damn mind???
I thought the food was underseasoned and bland, and for a $ 69 meal, there are other places that can do much better. I recommend going to Trece for Monday night dinner to give them a chance before you decide and save from spending some of your hard earn money.

Entering busy Trece on a Monday felt like a sceney cool nightclub as we waited for our table on a leather ottoman in the dark ambiance of amber lamps and casually dressed up beautiful people. We joined the ranks of what my friend called, «people pretending to be rich», as we partook of the free dinner offered here on Mondays, from a preset menu in environs that suggests upscale. It was really just an excuse to drink, and the free food on the preset menu, the quesadillas and the vegetariano chile relleno, even though better than it had to be, was basically just free bar food.
It was also an excuse to order tableside guacamole ($ 8) and dessert ($ 10)
The both sexy and homey surroundings surpassed the food quality which was a bit like an overpriced hotel restaurant at some Colorado ski resort during the Summer. Well, we had fun.

A very trendy, upscale Mexican restaurant located uptown. Well known for their huge selection of tequila here (over 120). It’s got 2 bars when you walk in, lounging area, outside patios, and the dining tables are on the right.
The guac is made tableside and one of the better tasting guacs I’ve had. Beware it does not come with the chips and costs extra. The salsa is very watery and could have been better. The cost per entrée is hovering right around 25 dollars. Their food is decent, comparable to Gloria’s or Chuy’s. The portions are smaller however, but you’re really paying for the environment more than anything. The wait staff performed well. No complaints.

The food was 4 stars the service was 2 stars. The guacamole was some of the best I have had. The Carne asada was just excellelent. The chile releno was better than average.
This was one of the worst service experiences I have had in a long time. I would also say the place seems over priced.

Trece, you’re not quite four stars but I give you the benefit of the doubt. You are toooo expensive and your portions are toooo small.
BUT, you are really pretty, your drinks are really good (jalapeño capirinha is good but not as good as some others I’ve had around town; the cucumber lavender mojito is my drink of choice, especially when you can get them to make it a little stronger), the tableside guacamole is AWESOME, and you have the Monday customer appreciation menu! (Eat for free off their special menu, just pay tip. I vote they call it «just the tip» night. Make your reservation in advance though.) Plus you have a DANCE FLOOR. Service has been good every time I’ve dined here (with large parties and small ones), but they are really good at getting you to spend more money. Very very sneaky.
Sunday is family day, where you can get a 3 course meal for $ 15.95 and kids eat free. Their website actually says adults can «eat to their hearts content» which to me implies you can get more than 3 courses? I’m not quite sure. I did this at Villa-​O, which also has the same Sunday/​Monday specials but I don’t recall anything about free food refills.
Some entrees are better than others (I really like the fish ones, and their little butternut squash tamales kick ass so try and ask for one of those!) and as long as you go in resigned to the fact that you’ll be shelling out for your meal (hard to justify for Mexican food for me sometimes), you’ll love it. I’m not sure how many «fancy» Mexican restaurants one city can handle but Trece gets to stay!

I recently learned of a hidden secret but apparently Trece and Villa-​O are having a special only available Monday’s. If you book a reservation for a table of a maximum of 6 people, you basically get a complimentary appetizer and entrée.
YES — complimentary = FREEEEEEEE
But you have to make reservations!
So the BF and I went and they gave us a set menu for the special which is of course more limited. The options were still pretty good. We ended up getting chicken quesadillas and chicken nachos. They were yummy! I could tell everything was very fresh. The portions were small but I wasn’t complaining. The quesadillas came with a roasted poblano cream dipping sauce that was delish! It had a hint of sweetness I’ve never had before! The nachos were just as good but I was in love with the green sauce.
Our entrees came shortly after — I had the fish tacos and the BF had the «Mexican lasagna». I don’t think they’re on the regular menu. Both were good — not out of this world but good. Portions were just the right amount. My fish had a little too much batter on them and I wanted more sauce and jicama because it was a little too dry. I dipped my taco’s in the BF’s dish.
Didn’t order any dessert or drinks. Kept it simple and quick. Ambience is very nice — much nicer than I expected. The place is dark but very nicely decorated. Not too stuck up — I was relaxed and could be «myself». Staff is extremely attentive. I was impressed overall and extremely happy.
When the bill came — we knew what to expect because they basically charge you 20% of $ 25 per person for tip. The bill was supposed to be approximately $ 60 BEFORE tip… but with everything INCLUDING TIP, it was only $ 12!!! Yah, so you can’t say you’re getting a steal.
We’re coming back! But after we eat at Villa-​O next week. Yum yum for my tum tum on a budge!!!