Mamacita’s Restaurant & Cantina

Me and my husband are new to the area and we’re looking for great Mexican. I loved the design and feel of this restaurant it was fun and something different. The green sauce for the chips was so good! We ordered an appetizer sample plate which was great (The chicken flauntas were so so good and flaky!!!) and shared a tamale plate also amazing! Their margaritas were also very good. All in all we loved with restaurant and we will be back!

Great Mexican food in that area of San Antonio. It’s a little bit pricey but it’s worth it plus the way they design that Alamo and used some items that were in the 1800’s. They have TV, bar, and arcade. Great place to eat there.

I planned to have lunch here when I realized we would be in San Antonio this weekend! I love this place! My server Jose, is wonderful!

Chips and hot sauce were good. Lunch special $ 9.50 for three tacos. The taco shell was the kind you get at a cheap grocery store. Horrible. Beef had no flavor. Place was half empty. Will never go back

I was looking for a place close to my hotel that I could grab a quick lunch and so I found this gem. The staff were very friendly and attentive. I ordered the tacos al carbon which were delivered very quickly. The food was hot and delicious! Great lunch for a reasonable price. Would come back.

I love this place! They have a big menu with lots of variety. I’ve tried over a dozen items, and they have all been excellent. I particularly like the tamale dinner and the jalapeño shrimp brochette. But don’t be afraid to try something new because there’s lots here to like.
It’s fun to watch the tortillas being made in a little room just off the dining area. Servers grab your tortillas straight off the conveyor belt, so they come to you hot and fresh. And there’s plenty of real butter on your table that you can slather onto these steaming disks of delight.
Chips and salsa are de rigueur in any Mexican restaurant, but this places raises the stakes. In addition to an excellent tradition salsa, they also bring you a bright green creamy substance that is just about the best thing you’ve ever put in your face. I don’t know what it is, but damn is it good.
Desserts at Mamacita’s are courtesy of the Cheesecake Factory and Starbucks Coffee. Some people complain about that, but I consider it a major attraction. A slice of tuxedo cheesecake and a double espresso? Fuggedaboutit.
But my favorite thing about Mamacita’s is the atmosphere. You really feel like you’re sitting outdoors in a cool village square, from the stone floors and walls to the detailed storefronts all the way up to the starry night sky. One weird addition is the animatronic life-​size figure of Davy Crockett, who serenades the diners from time to time on his violin. A fiddler on a roof – sounds crazy, no?
I feel sorry for anyone who can’t enjoy themselves at Mamacita’s. This place kicks ass. Check it out!

We were brought here kicking and screaming because some family members who had never been here wanted to try it out. We played it safe and had the tortillas with butter.
Just to recap… our previous visit was some eight years ago. My wife and I came here for our anniversary because the building is beautiful on the outside and the inside and that’s where it stops.
We were greeted at the door and the waiter said «Welcome to Mamacita’s where we take pride in our TRADITIONAL Mexican food.»
We had not even sat down when they asked us if we wanted some coffee from their Starbucks dispensary, or cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. «I thought your were traditional traditional» I exclaimed.
The waiter seemed miffed when I said that.
We went ahead and ordered, thinking we should give them a try. I ordered fish, my wife ordered a chicken dish, hers came with fries.
The fish tasted kind of bland so I asked if they had any mango salsa, which by the way IS traditional. The waiter smugly stated… «We don’t have mango salsa, we’re traditional.»
MY wife soon began to feel sick, I asked them if they cooked their shrimp in the same oil as they do their fries and they said yes. I stated that they could have told us that beforehand since we made it clear she had seafood allergies and that they should have a separate fryer for that.
They refused to compensate, she also had to go to the restroom where she lost her meal.
For all the expense that it cost to build this restaurant leaving something like that out is a total disregard for the safety of the diners. This is really terrible food. Even a simple bean and cheese taco did not taste as well. And what’s with the ugly pink sauce?
I don’t recommend it. If you must go, look at the inside which is made to resemble an outdoor courtyard. Take pictures and then leave. There are many great Mexican restaurants here in San Antonio just a stones throw from this one. The décor is pretty, but just as genuine as their ‘traditional Mexican food.‘
Yes, it may have been a long time, but some experiences are so bad you can never forget.

First time here. Just okay for the overall experience. Slow pace, a little bright and laid out like a cafeteria. My tacos al carbon with queso added lacked in flavor and appeal. Not a repeat for us.

Cool scenary inside the restaurant. Look up And the ceiling has little lights that look like stars. Fresh tortillas! 4 star cuz the food is decent but I expected more. The meat is super tough.

For starters, the green dipping sauce and chips are very addicting. Personally, I’d rather have the sauce without cilantro but it’s still mighty tasty. On my latest visit, I ordered shrimp quesadillas. They come with jalapeños, guacamole and sour cream on the side. I appreciated that the waiter specifically asked whether I wanted to include or exclude tomatoes and onions — two items I typically exclude. Sometimes I have trouble with that request being fulfilled, so this was a nice change.
What to say about the ambiance? «Kitschy» is probably the best way to describe it. The animatronic Davy Crockett playing his fiddle is always a winner with newbies. Fun place for a group lunch or dinner. The food isn’t super fantastic but the experience is typically enjoyable.

I find the food here just ok. Nothing to rave about. I do not like the caldo here. The enchiladas are nothing to right home about. The wait staff is usually friendly, but I can’t say the same for the hostesses.

As an out of town guest our friends suggested this place for dinner — on the 4^th of July. It wasn’t too crowded, we were seated immediately. Our server was sweet and friendly. The food was fresh and delicious as were the drinks.
The ambiance is fun and entertaining.

Very good. Good size portion when ordering carnitas! Staff was nice. Green dip was amazing. You get your own chips and dip while waiting to be seated

Food was not even close to Mexican authenticity, bland flavors and everything tastes out of a can. The place looks great, service was quick and the atmosphere was nice. They told us that the beverages were freshly squeezed and the food made from scratch and obviously they were not. Not even the salsa was home made. Left disappointed.

Food was great. Staff was super friendly and great. The one thing this place needs to completely put it over the top! And it’s a great place as is. It needs better salsa! It needs good old home town San Antonio salsa. The house salsa is just OK, we need that good spicy stuff. We’re here on vacation from California and every place we’ve been has great salsa. Other than that, this place is awesome.
OK OK review update. Turns out they do have a better salsa, there’s a secret hand shake you need to know and the perky waitress will hook you up. Not really just ask for the spicier salsa and waaa laaaa.
Just ask for the mommatomic salsa lol

When I’m not thrilled with a place, you will find a very short review…
Margarita was Eh… too sweet.
The Fajitas were okay… but nothing to rave about.
The service was TERRIBLE! Waited for water/​chips… WAited to order… WAIted for my food… WAITed for utensils to eat my food… WAITEd for my bill and WAITED for them to pick up and reconcile my bill. All in all I think I spent 1 hour waiting and about 15 minutes eating.
Probably won’t go back even though it is RIGHT next door to where I stay when in San Antonio!

Favorite Tex-​Mex place of all time in the entire USA! I don’t even like tex-​mex but for Mamacita’s I make an exception. It’s extremely affordable (closer to $ than $$), sooo damn good (tortillas made on-​site, on-​demand), and most creative mission-​style ambiance you could ask for! I suggest the chips & salsa, Beer-​rita and fajita but really there’s no wrong move here it’s all so good. Very large portions so be prepared to take some home once you’ve had a fill. Ample parking, friendly staff, quick service — it’s everything you could ask for and you can feed a family of 5 for less than $ 100. Best value & quality by far. Great place for families.
Hungry? Try their tortilla soup appetizer!

I came here for a family dinner (about 12 people) and immediately thought I walked into the entrance of Fiesta Texas. The dining room is setup to resemble a courtyard in Mexico City. There’s a working water fountain right behind the hostess stand, to the right of the entrance is a fake grocery store, small arcade, old train ticket booth and other little things you notice while looking around. The ceiling has lights that resemble a starry sky and the walls look like the outside of businesses and homes in Mexico. I feel like the vibe resembles that of a fiesta. There is a crazy looking animatronic Davey Crockett that rises to play the fiddle on a scheduled basis. Have no idea what that has to do with everything else, but the restaurant has a discount ticket deal with Madame Tussauds downtown.
Okay, so the place looks touristy. Why do that when the Riverwalk and Mercado are about 15 minutes away?
The food is so-​so to me. The biggest thing that stuck out to me were the tortillas. I saw a tortilla-​making machine, but the products were some of the worse I’ve ever had. They were thin, overly chewy had no flavor. The carne guisada (my favorite dish) was odd. The meat was tough and I could tell hadn’t been stewed for long. The borracho beans though were very good, but not that hot. One of my cousins got the flauta plate and was very disappointed that only 2 flautas came on the plate. My g/​f and brothers weren’t really ranting and raving about their dishes either. However we all really liked the chips and salsa and the green sour cream dip was really good as well.
The cheesecake is from Cheesecake Factory, which makes for a wide variety to choose from but I’d like more of an in-​house taste.
The servers were very nice and attentive. The dining room was pretty packed while we were dining, with about 5 birthday parties going on. Still people were being served and I didn’t see any table get neglected or upset.
I feel like I can get a similar, if not better vibe, better food and great drinks at Mi Tierra. No need for me to go back to Mamacitas.

While visiting friends in San Antonio last month, we ate here a couple times. The meals were all superb, with ample servings for each meal.
The general décor, both inside and out, was welcoming and very well thought out. A very nice restaurant!
Staff was courteous and attentive, with the manager stopping by to make sure our visit was wonderful.
I highly recommend!

Had a great time eating here. I was in awe of the décor and the overall environment. You must go inside and see it for yourself.
The food is delicious and the service was on point. Try the tequila lime red fish.