REA Mexican Cuisine

I have eaten lunch here several times. Today was great again. I usually have 3 steak tacos and fried jalapenos, rice and beans, and Mex Coke. Nothing fancy here to see and has been a quiet dive-​bar for long time. Looks that way in and out. Great service always. Seldom anyone else eating. Usually people here at bar watching tv. Enjoy the tacos.

At the corner of West 10^th and Lynhurst. This location has gone through several iterations of Mexican restaurants. The current set-​up is nice. Two small dining areas. Each dining area has it’s own TV tuned to a Spanish channel. Separate men’s and ladies’ restrooms. Low-​light décor, but nothing to be embarrassed about.
Maybe a little hole-​in-​the-​wall-​ish, but they have worked well with the small size of the building.
The waitress spoke English, and the menu was bilingual. I’d say it’s a pretty good «authentic» Mexican menu aimed at a Mexican clientele, but also «gringo friendly».
The ambience isn’t going to impress anyone, but the food impressed me. Though I would say that cleanliness and ambience is better than the average authentic Mexican restaurant.
I’d give 3 stars for Ambience, because the men’s room needed some remodeling. And others might say Cleanliness here is only 3 star, but it exceeded my expectations of what the average authentic Mexican restaurant in town is like.
The chips were pretty good. If they were not made in-​house, they were excellent for out-​of-​the-​bag. Very fresh. At least made locally, if not in-​house. The salsa was SUPERB. At first I thought it was too thin and runny, as I like my salsas thick-​and-​chunky. But oooooh, the flavor! The flavor more than made up for the lack of chunkiness. Great citrus and cilantro flavor. It made me wish for «scoop style» chips to get as much salsa as possible.
I ordered the Camarones Rancheros: shrimp in a tomatoey sauce. Not too spicy. Not as spicy as Camarones a la Diabla. Served with saffron rice, chopped lettuce, a couple tomato slices, some avocado slices, and an onion slice. A side tortillera of soft and fresh corn tortillas.
Soft drinks are out of a can, served with a tumbler of ice, so you don’t get free refills.
$ 12.00, including tax. Great price.
A little after 6:00pm, there was only one other customer besides myself.
The sweet and cute waitress knew to ask if I was ready for the check and brought it to the table.
They are also proud of their chilaquilles, though I didn’t try any.