Araña Taqueria Y Cantina

A friend of ours recommended we come check this place out, I am so glad we did. We had the open faced tamale, deconstructed margaritas, two different types of tacos (beer battered fish and steak) all exceptional choices. The jalapeño margarita was a little sweet for my taste but, still fresh. Down the street from «The Rum House» except much better food! Too bad I can’t come for happy hour.

Love this place! The happy hour is sweet, $ 12 for a pitcher of fabulous margaritas and the best tacos I had for a while. Also check out the nachos which are to die for.

Had the waiter order for me and he suggested he chili rejenno. Best stuffed pepper I have ever had. Will recommend to tourists.

Great spot for margs and tacos! Be warned, if you’re interested in the nacho appetizer you better bring an appetite with you. It’s a heaping delicious pile of food! Their seasonal margaritas are always the way to go. There is great indoor and outdoor seating and friendly quick service.

It was beautiful out tonight so we Finally got around to an evening in the hood and tried out Araña — great margaritas and tequila/​mezcal selections in particular. We missed the 2-​fer happy hour tacos (much better options than he competition) but enjoyed ours nonetheless, plus the baked enchiladas. We will be back

We came here for brunch on a rainy Sunday. They offer unlimited mimosas and margaritas for $ 15 which is $ 5 cheaper than some of the other restaurants nearby. We ordered a trio of salsas, but I wasn’t really impressed with any of the salsas. The warm chips were a nice touch but next time I’d try the guacamole or queso. My husband got a breakfast Torta that had potato, chorizo, and egg. This was pretty good. I ordered two tacos: one chicken Tinga and one chipotle shrimp. The chicken Tinga was okay, but overall I wasn’t impressed. This was definitely the most disappointing restaurant on Magazine street that we tried. Plus, our waitress was not very helpful at all. Overall just a mehhh, it could’ve been better experience.

Really cool laid back vibe to this place. We came here for a group get together for happy hour. Unfortunately there weren’t many tables that could fit more than four people. So we sat at at the bar.
The bartenders were really nice, but it took a while for them to 1) take our order and 2) serve us our drinks. We waited a good eight to ten minutes for each. It was pretty packed, but it was still a buzzkill on top of us having to sit away from our friends.

This place equates fun! Both times we visited were during happy hour. They have one of the best happy hours in town with their entire bar menu half priced. Plus discounted tacos. What is also nice is their extensive tequila selection. We happen to enjoy extra anejo tequilas and they carry all of our favorites. The food is pretty good. Average tacos and their authentic sandwich (cant remember the name) was hearty and messy but tasty.
They also advertise tequila dinners that sound interesting as well.
We had so much fun during both of our visits that if you even mention happy hour, my husband will make sure to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Arana. We met the chef/​owner last time and you can tell he’s the real deal. Super passionate about his food and business. Lots of fun memories and we cant wait for another opportunity to go back.

The key take away from this review is they serve brunch. More importantly they offer the option for a boozy brunch with their $ 15 bottomless drink special. It gets even better because they let you bounce between bloody mary’s, mimosas and maragritas. That’s right not only are you not locked into one drink for the duration of brunch, but you also have an excuse to drink a margarita before 5p.m. Their Margaritas taste like key lime pie, I repeat key lime pie which means after sampling the bloody mary and mimosa I had three margaritas.
It was a brunch I had been eyeing for a while and after arriving way too late to even think about getting seated at Katie’s we made our way to Magazine. My group of 6 was seated immediately and our server Abby was awesome.
Their brunch menu was limited with options like huevos rancheros, a breakfast torta with chorizo, eggs and potatoes and a few other options. I opted to get a torta from their regular menu with chicken Tinga. The portion size was generous and it paired perfectly with my drink indulgence. All my friends got items from the breakfast menu and we all agree there is definitely a reason to go back. Overall it was a great brunch stop, a little expensive, but only because the drink special.

I love the al pastor tocos! I end up here at least twice a month! Really one of the best happy hour deals on magazine. While the service is a bit slow, the food and drinks more than make up for it. Try everything, its all delicious!
They used to have grilled cebollitos, it made me sad when they removed it from the menu!

Absolute worst tacos I’ve ever had. Went to this place to give it a second try and I think the food was even worse than the first time.
Also had the Mexican rice which was bland and the sautéed veggies which tasted like burned seasoning.
Only 1 star because the red sangria was delicious.

BLUF: Quality service. Great variety of tacos and they are all great.
Giant spider on the wall. I could do without that. Other than that the atmosphere is modern and hip.
Staff was really great. We got several orders of tacos. I got fried chicken, mushroom/​spinach, and pulled pork. They were all amazing.
The staff kept coming out an apologizing for the wait but it was not a long wait so we appreciated the thought.
We then got fried oyster log thing which was also great. They apologized again for the delay which was unnecessary but then they offered free flan. Classy move. It really wasn’t a long wait for our food but their apologies made us feel they stress service.
All the food was great, we’d love to go back and try some more.

My overwhelming feeling here was «meh.»
The food is very expensive, small portioned, and not very good. It would be worth it if it was half the price.
The beer selection can barely be called a selection, most especially considering it’s location right next to The Bulldog. Paying $ 7 for a modelo is a sin.
The waitress flat out told us several things on the menu were terrible. I appreciate her honesty, but if the staff thinks their food isn’t good then that says something. If you want latin food, go down the street to the Rum House, and if you want beer go next door to The Bulldog.

First off… 5 stars for the location on magazine. Perfect location and awesome décor.
Everyone knows me as the «taco girl» and I take my Mexican food and tacos very seriously. Real tacos, street tacos, not the kind that people drunkenly consume at Taco Bell at 2am. I am adamant about the quality of my tacos!
We went during happy hour (half off tacos and margaritas) and it goes to say that the margaritas were perhaps one of the best I have had flavor wise (but I wouldn’t pay the full $ 9 for a super tiny glass of it)… I ordered the pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro one: DELISH. The pineapple looked like it was charred beforehand, but I can’t be sure about that detail. Either way, marg=awesome.
Now for the tacos… Although we did order during happy hour at half off, I saw other tacos coming out after happy hour that had almost double the filling in them! That irritates me but I didn’t complain to the waitress, which wasn’t her fault anyways. The chipotle shrimp were a bit on the rubbery side, and JUST had shrimp, no other fillings like cheese or cilantro or onions. It was a naked taco :’(The other one i ordered was the pato (duck) taco, which was tasty, but a little too much fat and not enough meat for my liking, and again, no other fillings and just laid lifeless let flat on the plate with no proper presentation. While the tortillas were obviously hand made and tasted great, they broke apart from the sogginess of the fillings and completely disintegrated on me. I usually ask for tortillas to be double stacked, but I forgot. I may give Araña another try during happy hour for a margarita while shopping on magazine street, but most likely I will still to the true taco king of magazine street for food: rum house.

The Happy Hour here is such a great deal! ½ off drinks and $ 2 tacos. And we’re talking good tacos. I had the chipolte shrimp and it was delicious. Also, the margaritas are REAL margaritas and the service was good. I hope to come back here for another happy hour.

What a great little taqueria on Magazine Street. Came here on Cinco de Mayo and had a really great experience heightened by ½ price margaritas and tacos!
Tacos you basically can create your own way with choices of a plethora of ingredients on the menu. Maragritas come in every kind of conceivable combination. My favorite is the pineapple habenero for a nice kick!
Place is festively decorated and their selection of tequilas is very impressive! They had an awesome live flamenco guitarist when I was there which added to the lively scene.
Highly recommend Ãrana Taqueria Y Cantina for deliciously authentic mexican food and creative margaritas.
Tip: go for happy hour when tacos and margaritas are ½ price. Well worth it!

IT’S VERY GOOD.
The wife and I came here more than a few months ago and I remember being pleased but not overwhelmed, especially in light of the fact that Taqueria Corona, the best kept secret on Magazine, is right down the street. The food at Arana is not as good as TC, but Arana does have better ambiance and a superior bar. If you’re looking for some decent Mexican themed cocktails, this is the place to go.

GO FOR THE HAPPY HOUR
It’s by far one of the best deals uptown (M-​F 3−7PM). Half priced margaritas and sangrias, pitchers and tacos. Our happy hour club recently held a birthday get together here. Four of us split 4 pitchers of potent tasty margaritas, plates of tacos and apps, and left buzz-​stuffed for just $ 84 before tip.
BUT IXNAY ON THE GRUESOME TACOS
As others have commented, these truly are the worst tacos in New Orleans. The mealy housemade tortillas are a pastel shade of nutria tooth. We had to send our fish tacos back because they were over breaded and incinerated (see pic). The chorizo and traditional were the only passable varieties. The apps weren’t much better.

The problem with this place is that their authentic ethnic culinary aspirations do not mesh well with their hip location. This place wants to do more interesting tacos that involve more traditional ingredients such as beef tongue, but the clientele that frequents this area of Magazine are your typical pumpkin-​spice-​latte-​loving-​and-​Uggs-​wearing basic b’s who love fish and shrimp tacos, guac, queso, and salsa and chips. Los putos no quieren tacos de lengua, nopales, y comidas auténticos. Lo siento, pero es la verdad, amigos.
Anyway, as a result, the more interesting tacos probably do not sell as well and have some problems. The pork belly taco was a touch dry. The tomatillo sauce that accompanies it helps, but it can’t work miracles and save the tacos from the dryness. The dryness problem was also present with the al pastor, but once again, the flavors were all there and were fine. The tongue and cactus taco was just flat — the cactus was neither interesting texturally or had very distinct flavors. The tongue could have used a bit of a sear on the grill top and was overall underwhelming. The fish taco was fine, and the fish was flaky and tender. Was it memorable though? Not really. Chips, salsa, and guac were all fine.
The entire experience was like going on a movie date with a nice, semi-​attractive, boring person. You don’t end up wanting to run away mid date, but it’s also not something you’re eager to do again. The sugar skull spider is kinda cool though.

Let me just say I passed this place 20 times. It wasn’t until a friend told me about the happy hour that I decided to go. We sat outside before the rain (on a Sunday). The calm before the storm out there was beautiful.
We ordered the 3 salsa dips that were really okay. They would be really good if they were spicier. Then we ordered what we really wanted which was margaritas. The strawberry was good but wasn’t strong enough. The drink was $ 10. Had we chosen to come on m-​f during happy hour the drink would have been $ 5. It was totally a $ 5 drink. So, to enhance my losses, I ordered another. This time I told him I needed more killer and less pain. He added more alcohol. This drink was all I really needed.
The end result equals me going back during happy hour and requesting a better mix on the drink.

Bastante deliciosa! 4 estrellas!
This restaurant has been open for a while and I finally made my way to the place that was once a Byblos which was once a Nacho Mama’s.
It was a pretty slow night and we were eating early, so it was a light crowd. I was looking over the menu and I found myself in the mood for a margarita. Since the «house» margarita seemed to call to me, that was the first one I ordered. I got it and– I don’t know. Something about it was a bit off. It was a little too sweet. I like a sweet cocktail, but I like my margaritas to lean more towards the tangy side. I decided to try another one, so I got their «top shelf» margarita. It was a little better, but it didn’t blow my socks off. Well, I wasn’t wearing socks but if I had been they would have remained on. Next time I just might add more lime to it. Maybe it’s me and my weird palate.
Ok, enough of the drinks. For our appetizer we got the guacamole and it was fresh and perfect. I’m a big fan of when the guac has chunks of avocado in it and that’s how this was, so it was an immediate win. For my entrée, I got the burrito con pastor. I loved this! The meat was spiced to perfection and the entire burrito had tons of flavor. My dining companion (he had the tacos), who has been to Mexico many times, remarked that this is the most authentic tasting Mexican meal he has had in the city. I really love it and I am anxious to go back and try more of the menu.