Cafe Margarita

I would give it NO stars, if that were an option!
We stopped in here for the first time after we had seen the OK Corral shootout. I should have figured the time and the rush to have lunch by EVERYONE around us…
This was the third restaurant we went into to see how long the wait was. We walked in, didn’t see anyone and no one acknowledged us. We stood for 10 minutes while other people (who had been there longer than we have, waiting for a table) left the establishment before being sat down. We opted to wait it out to see how long it takes before we are seated (or even acknowledged). It was a (unusually) cold December day in Tombstone so we kept inside. We stood for another 10 minutes (20 min now) before we even had any acknowledgement that «someone» would be right with you. This restaurant (along with every other eating establishment) in Tombstone was bombarded with customers and this restaurant was certainly no exception. The problem was they were definitely short staffed because you saw the bus boy come and go like he was the wait person, clearing the tables, taking orders, bringing food out,
A couple of tables opened up and the «bus boy» was clearing the table. After the tables were cleared, those two tables sat empty because no one came to seat the customers who had been waiting for over 20 minutes!
Finally, we get seated. We mull over our menu. Meanwhile, another table opens up and new customers are seated quickly. I’m now trying to order and am trying to catch the eyes of the bus boy and/​or the waitress but I’m not having any luck. We seem to be invisible. The waitress visits the other table with 6 people and takes the order. They were sat AFTER we were. Keep in mind, we were waiting for over 20 minutes and finally sat down and I can’t even wave our waitress down to order. (I don’t even know who our waitress is because everyone’s doing everything from taking orders, clearing tables, delivering food to the tables, etc. to accommodate the overwhelming demand.)
I finally get the attention of one person taking an order on a table who were seated AFTER we did and she says she needs to take the orders for the other table and will be right over after that. Honestly, that’s when my patience maxed out! By now, we had been waiting to be seated for over 20 minutes and then sat for another 10 before I was even acknowledged existence so I told my family, we’re getting up and leaving and we did. I don’t care how good their food is, WE ARE NEVER RETURNING TO THIS PLACE EVER AGAIN! To be fair, however, if I visited them outside of normal rush hour and off-​season tourism, I’m sure my experience would have been better… but, as of right now, this is what I experienced so that’s the review I’m giving.

Nice little Mexican/​Italian restaurant in Tombstone. Friendly prompt service, nice décor and solid Mexican and few Italian standard dishes. Server Barbara was very friendly and accommodating. Good to find one restaurant that wasn’t all about big slabs of MEAT and everything fried.

The atmosphere is warm along with the décor, but the food was something to not desire. I judge Mexican restaurant’s by their refried beans, which were the worse I’ve ever had. They were bland along with the beef taco which had very little ground beef with no seasonings at all, mostly lettuce. Again the rice was a big blah! That was just my meal My husbands’s combo plate was just as bad. Prices were reasonable, service was efficient and pleasant but we will never go back.

I’ve eaten here twice. The food is decent, but not fantastic. The service is very slow, although friendly.

The food was very good, however, the service was awful. I understand that they get busy, but we sat at our table for 30 minutes before anyone came by our table, even though servers were constantly walking by.

This place was delicious! Not only was the food great but the service was awesome. The lady was really sweet and pretty fast. Must remember for next time!

First things first my wife has been here several times and prior to todays service she would have given this place 4 out of 5 stars. With her recommendation of this place I decided to choose this the Cafè Margarita as the food embassador of Tombstone for my parents who have come to visit from Washington state. Sadly I now find myself making excuses for the poor service and slow food. It is my, my wife, and my parents opinion that both aforementioned issues are the direct result in the abominable waitstaff, specifically our server Chelsea. Her poor people skills reminds me of what I assume Gestapo Soldiers were like in 1939 Germany. The blond haired waitress has a smile that when present darkens a sunny day. Finally her complete inability to apologize for her actions is truly the icing on the cake. So, with a 15 minute wait for a Pepsi, Tea and water, having to ask for the common restaurant essentials such as napkins and utensils, all in a place that was only running at about ¹⁄₃ capacity, the question has to be asked: why stay? To answer that I will have to give credit to the hostess/​buss-​girl, Taylor, as I’ve just been informed she is the owners niece. This poor girl was running around asking all the tables asking the patrons if they were okay and if they needed anything of her. I will conclude this long winded review by stating that although my time in the Cafè Margarita was poor, I will heed my wife, as all good husbands must do and return if not for anything other than giving this establishment an opportunity for redemption.

I was there two weeks ago. This was my second visit. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t something to write home about either. The waitress was very nice. Not many people were there I think three other couples. For Mexican food I’ve had a lot better however this really wasn’t too bad The Margarito was excellent. Very quiet in there and the décor is nice. Overall it was OK I’m not raving about it but I’m not going to knock it either. I would probably go back because it was so quiet. A couple of times I’ve been to big nose Kate’s it was so loud I left with a headache. I would recommend it. As long as you don’t go in thinking it’s a five-​star restaurant it’s not it’s just a cozy little Mexican Café with so-​so food

Took a day trip to Tombstone as people in Tucson do. We were having an excellent time and wanted some lunch with our dog. He was super welcome out on the patio at this café and honestly I would have requested to sit out there anyway. it is a closed off area with a door so its kinda like a secret garden area but in an adobe. It is a really cool spot. We looked all over the little downtown and this café looked like the absolute best food and location and atmosphere. The staff is a little overwhelmed it seems like on super busy days (like Wyatt Earp days for memorial day weekend) but they do a great job and the food is more than worth the wait. Try the prickly pear margarita and you will not be sorry! I only wish I had asked for it blended. It just means that I’ll have to come back and have it blended next time :)

The Café Margarita in downtown Tombstone is the place to visit when you’re hungry for great Mexican food. Although the menu has all types of food to satisfy your appetite, the fajitas are their specialty. The Café Margarita in Tombstone is a local favorite and I can let you know that it lived up to the hype.
Café Margarita, like everything else in Tombstone, has its history. It was formerly the Russ House, a lodging house that was opened in 1880 by Sal Anderson and Jacob Smith. The Russ House had a clear view of the mine as well as one of the largest dining rooms in Tombstone. The lodging house had spring mattresses and many other «modern» amenities for that period. The Russ House is also associated with «The Angel of Tombstone», Nellie Cashman.
Well, we decided to saddle on up to the Café Margarita after folks in town let us know that it was one of Tombstone’s prime dining experiences. We started off with fresh guacamole and queso as appetizers. After a long day of sightseeing and visiting museums, we decided we were ready for the Prickly Pear Margarita our new friend Steve Goldstein had told us about earlier that day. All three menu items really hit the spot. The homemade guacamole was absolutely wonderful. It had the perfect consistency and captured all the flavors without any particular one standing out, bliss! The queso was a fresh inspiration for sore taste buds as well. I’ve been living in California for so long that I had forgotten what real queso tasted like! It’s a rare commodity out there and when you do manage to find some, it certainly can’t compete with the incredible Tex Mex flavors I grew up with. The Café Margarita did a beautiful job, so they both come highly recommended. And, what’s not to like about the Prickly Pear Margarita? This 16-​oz bombshell of a drink was made with lime, Prickly Pear Midori, Chambord and Grand Marnier. It was absolutely delicious and paired really well with our appetizers. I recommend you stop by for one!
For the main course, we decided to get the house specialty, the sizzling hot fajitas! Wow, just take a look at the picture and you will see what I mean. We all decided on the beef fajitas, which were perfectly prepared and came with fresh tortillas, Mexican rice and refried beans. The fresh vegetable and beef combination was out of this world. Our hungry crew had been steered in the right direction when we were told that we must have dinner at the Café Margarita!
We finished off our dinner with the wonderfully sweet and creamy Flan and a sipping tequila. We shared some great stories about the day’s adventures while we sat by the warm fire listening to a live band. What ambiance! This will not be my last trip to the Café Margarita. You can bet on it!

The food was great as well as the service. The Chicken enchilada and the Chicken burrito were very tasty! We were met at the door and given the option of sitting inside or out on the patio. Once we sat down, we were greeted by the server very quickly. Good was prepared quickly and tasted great. While Tombstone is definitely a tourist trap looking for your $$, we found this restaurant to be extremely kind on your wallet/​purse. Would definitely recommend folks eat here!

Overall, I liked it and would go back. The food was salted, but not super flavorful. I had the grilled fish tacos and half of a wedge of carmello special (my husband’s).
The kids options are great with quesadilla, hot dog, taco and a few others with one side.
When we arrived, the restaurant was 25% sat on a Sunday afternoon. We were a a group of six and there were two tables to choose from. We hovered around both negotiating which we preferred, when a gal came over asked how many and said that we could sit at either. Once we sat they gave us menus, got our drink order, served drinks and took our order. She allowed enough time but not too much. (Nothing notable.) After ordering we were served salsa and chips. Our food came out in a normal amount of time.
Overall, not a must do again, but not awful either.

Not really a place I would want to go to again and here is why…
Pros: The bathrooms are the nicest ones I think I have ever seen, the carmello is the best thing on the menu
Cons: no one sat us (there was no hostess, the bus boy ended up seating us and wanted us to share a table), the waitress took another 10 minutes to come over and say hi, the bus boy did most of the work (he brought us drinks and chips), finally when our meal came my was completely over cooked and the enchilada was hard as a rock (she was not very happy that I complained and brought me another one in 2 minutes, which then made me wonder why is took 35 minutes to get our food if it took 2 minutes to replace an enchilada), the waitress took another 20 minutes to take our card and bring it back to us.
Needless to say, not a fan.

I was looking for a place called Nellie Cashman’s, which was still listed in the guidebooks but appears to have closed a couple years ago. I found this in its place, and since the only other option in the visible vicinity was a dull-​looking burger joint, I ordered a «Sonoran dog,» a frank with various fixings on it. I had never had one before, so I can’t say how good it was, but it needs salsa to taste very interesting.
What was good was the soup of the day, albondigas. Home-​made style Mexican meatballs, the kind with rice in them, in the most amazingly tasty broth.
What was less than good were the home-​made potato chips that came with the dog. Home-​made does not always mean good.
Service was good. When I arrived, I was the only customer, though it was about 1 p[m, and the waitstaff were sitting at a table in the corner chatting over coffee. Not a good sign, but the hostess (who’d greeted me immediately upon arrival) nodded to them, and a waitress jumped right up and served me with full attentiveness for the rest of my stay.

Elsa welcomed us with open arms and had our group of 10 with 4 young children taken care of in no time! The Mexican food I’ve been craving for ages… authentic, perfectly seasoned, freshest tortillas, warm chips and tasty salsa, gorgeous guacamole… the list goes on. The restaurant is decorated beautifully and is pleasant and very clean. Elsa is top notch. She knew what we needed before we did… (milk and extra plates for the kids, soda refills, chips and salsa refills.) Portion sizes were right on. So glad we found this Tombstone gem!

We were a little apprehensive because it’s Mexican and Italian but we gave it a go because a group walked out raving on the Mexican food.
When we walked in there was only one server. I was worried it was going to be slow service. Actually it was extremely fast and friendly service. We had a group of 5 including my toddler and we all ordered something different.
Drinks were awesome. Great varieties of margaritas. Mexican food was outstanding. Meat was tender everything was flavored well.
We really enjoyed our food. Tortillas for sure homemade and prices were on point!
Deff will return.

Worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. You can go there. If you like stewed tomato salsa, stale tortilla chips, store bought tortillas and slow service. We had to get our own menus. Carne Asada was tough in some kind of creamed gravy, it may have been rat. Fish taco was some kind of strange mustard flavor. I asked server who seemed angry, how their fish tacos were? «fantastic» I say no way! Awful!!! Price ridiculous! A lunch to the tune of $ 56 dollar before tip for 3 adults and 2 children. We will never return!

Most awful service ever.
Sign says «Wait to be seated», so we waited… should of been the first sign that this was going to be bad. We ended up finding our own table, the place was packed (holiday weekend). I was constantly looking around for a server and from the looks of it they only had two tending between inside and outdoor seating. About 20 minutes later our waitress made her way over we decided to get our drink order and food in at the same time so we didn’t have to wait longer (we wanted to order margaritas but with the waitress also being the bartender we knew it would be a really long wait). I asked our waitress where her help was, did someone call out sick? She said no, this was it. Who doesn’t bring extra help on a holiday weekend? I think about 25 people came and went since no one tended to them at the door. I think it took about 65 minutes to get our food, and several people were served before us even though we had been there longer.
Well finally received our food… it wasn’t half bad but we were starving at this point so I am sure anything would of been amazing. We got the bill and I was so dissatisfied with the service & wait time I had asked the waitress that she should at least comp our drinks (we only all had one bottle of beer since getting a second one was impossible), and also the stupid .99 charge for friggen sour cream. I would never generally ever do this but seriously it was friggen ridiculous. She got upset that I even asked (apparently she was the boss as well) she said everybody had to wait and I said I understood that but that several people were served before us just put the icing on the cake and 60 + minutes was unacceptable. She said no, but then offered a 10% discount which wasn’t shit but whatever.
I would never ever come back to this place mediocre food and awful service, they don’t even deserve the 1 star but a review for this awful place was necessary.

I remember my food being better last time I was here. This time, the food was mediocre. The service was super slow. The air conditioning and iced water were great! :) The place itself is nice inside. and I guess if you like either Italian or Mexican food, this is the place in Tombstone to go.
Yes, it is a historical buidling, but I didn’t see anything related to Nellie Cashman.
Best thing on their menu was the pricky pear margarita, but note that Café Margarita is a part of the Longhorn/​Big Nose Kate chain and you can also get that drink at the other locations. You can also get discounts from those other restaurants if you show them your receipt of dining within the chain.

Visiting Tombstone, we stumbled upon this restaurant thanks to fellow Unilocalers. I’m somewhat puzzled by some of the bad reviews as our experience was quite the contrary.
I’m a sucker for buildings on the NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES and this one is one of Tombstone’s historic structures that just happens to house a mighty fine restaurant that serves Mexican and Italian food.
We walked in and were greeted cheerily (is that a word?) and our server was just as pleasant and friendly as can be. The ambience is wonderful with music playing in the background. The place filled up really fast and it’s obvious this is a local favorite. It’s a tad loud but not too bad.
My cheese enchiladas with roja sauce were magnificent. I got to choose my 2 sides and picked roasted corn and refried beans. While they were not piping hot like I like it to be (the enchiladas were!), they were very tasty.
My partner enjoyed their fish tacos and gives them 5 stars.
This will be a destination restaurant when we bring friends to Tombstone for a visit.