Casa Molina

Dinner was a mixed bag. The beans and tortillas were excellent, but the chili relleno was horrible. The ground beef tacos were good, but like the bean tostada, there was way too much lettuce on them. The tomatoes on the tacos were funny, too. I was expecting fresh tomatoes, but that’s not what’s served. The service was excellent, and the portions were large.

Lunch buffet was mediocre, basic Mexican-​American food which is almost impossible to screw up. Cook seemed to only refill certain items that nobody cared to eat. Interior had no movement of air, felt like a cool sauna complete with heat and steam. Staff disappeared and when finally located acted annoyed when asked for simple things like say, a fork and maybe hot sauce. Can’t comprehend how this place lasted since 1947…

A very visually appealing restaurant. The initial chips and salsa were probably the best I’ve had in my life, even my gay cousins were put to shame. With salsa and chips of this calliber, it’s safe to assume the food is going to put me in a coma. Not so. I ordered a dinner #2 which comes with 2 enchiladas of my choice, beans, a taco and a bowl of soup. The soup was actually bomb, further setting me up for disappointment.
My food arrived in a moderately timely manner, the place was busy so I don’t expect it super fast, but was pleasantly surprised.
What I was not, in any way surprised with, was the quality of the mostly cheese (literally, cheese and a tortilla) plate I ordered
I received not two chicken enchiladas but two? Cheese? Enchiladas and a repulsive hard taco, a meal for for Taco Bell at two in the morning while I’m drunk. I am disappointed in this restaurant as a whole, and a waitress dropped a plate of food on the way out.

How can you not love a restaurant that has a huge bull statue out front with giant cojones that get decorated for just about every season and event? Oh, it’s supposed to be about the food and service though? Well OK then.
L and I had lunch at Casa Molina recently and sat outdoors in the patio which is quite lovely and relaxing. Our server was an older Hispanic man who seemed a little gruff at first but I quickly realized he meant no ill will; he is an experienced server who knows his restaurant, the menu and his job quite well.
Chips were hot and fresh and the salsa tasty. We had an appetizer of mini chimis (beef and chicken) and I have to say that I have a hard time ordering them because I think they’re going to taste like they came from Costco or something but these were really good and fresh. We also ordered some queso with green chiles and it came to the table on a cast iron dish straight from the oven — hot and bubbly with the bottom crusting just so perfectly. I could have made a meal from that alone.
L had beef fajitas which came out just to his liking with no bell pepper, just onion. Perfect. I had caldo de queso which had a flavorful broth, green chiles, potatoes and big chunks of gooey Mexican cheese. And you can’t beat the tortillas they serve at Casa Molina.
All in all, I would recommend Casa Molina for lunch. And check out that bull out front!!!

We came here based on an enthusiastic suggestion from a friend. In fact he was so serious about us trying Casa Molina he would hassle us about it whenever we saw him. «Best Mexican food in town,» he swore. He had recommended other places in the past that were good, so we naivly trusted the word of some gringo. Some friend he is!
We came on a Sunday, at 11 (when they open). We saw there was a buffet. Initially skeptical, two of us ended up opting for the buffet and one of us ordered a chimichanga off the menu.
Despite the fact that we got there right when it opened and it was almost empty, our server was never around. I mean, it would be one thing if it was Friday night, the place was packed, and they had a no call no show, but she had two tables and still couldn’t seem to remember to check in on us. And the terrible service lasted the whole dinner.
I knew something was fishy when the chips and salsa weren’t good. The restaurant had just opened and the chips were cold, and not salty. I took a deep breath, tried to put this out of my mind and ventured to the buffet.
First of all, the buffet was so poorly lit i couldn’t actually see the food. And, there were no labels for the food so i honestly didn’t know what i was scooping onto my plate. And it wasnt just us, other patrons complained about the poor visuals. I got what I *think* was a chorizo (could have been beef) egg scramble, two beef tacos, a chicken fajita, a tamale, and some rice.
Then the food quality. Everything was… Gross. First, the temperature. The meat was tepid at best. And remember they had just opened when we got there, so in theory it had recently be cooked. But it was as if it had been sitting out for hours. In addition, everything was bland! This food was so bland i didnt know if i was eat chorizo or beef. And thats sad. I’m white as f*** and I found myself craving for spice. The other guy got a tamale, a taco, rice and beans. The tamale was inedible he said. It tasted disgusting and the texture was like baby food. In sum, the flavor and texture of the food suggests to me that the buffet food was reheated this morning
The question thus remains, was it just the buffet that sucked?
Luckily, i can answer that question with an emphatic no. One of my friends got the chicken chimichanga. It was huge… ly disappointing. Seriously though, it was very big, but according to my friend, «it was only chicken, there was nothing else… It was just like boiled chicken.» No cheese, no sauce, no spice. There was also no side dish (ie beans and /​or rice). Just some soggy lettuce and unmelted cheese. Gross.
To be honest, this place was a total disappointment. One positive thing was the churros were okay. But if you are looking for authentic and/​or flavorful and/​or fresh Mexican food, i suggest you go elsewhere.

Upon arriving, a cock roach was walking along the ledge and ended up hiding in a crack in the wall. It was extremely disturbing and kept me jumpy the entire evening. The food itself was excellent. Mini chimi’s and fried ice cream was a real treat. Would probably come again, but would have to keep my eyes peeled just in case a roach decided it liked my legs better than the ledge.

If you go here for lunch, forget about getting any work done in the afternoon because you will be in a food coma! Service is fast and friendly, I have yet to eat something where I was disappointed, any burrito or chimichanga enchilda style, tacos or chile relleno are personal favorites. I would give another star but I wish the lunch menu had a few more dishes.

This is the first place we ate after arriving in Tucson yesterday because it’s super close to our new home.
First off, LOVE the décor! Very Spanish and loved the art on the walls.
The guacamole was chunky and yummy! And the tacos were also good. I got one beef and one chicken. I highly recommend the beef but the chicken was dry and lacked any real flavor.
All in all it’s a cool spot close to us that we can walk to and enjoy.
The End.

A quick stop here when working in Tucson recently with my sales rep. Perhaps not the best quality mexican food, but still, good enough when you’re craving classic dishes like tacos, enchilladas, burritos etc. Portions are humungous and can put you to sleep after the lunch period from feeling so satisfied. And for the price? Really worth it where your dollar gets you a lot of grub.

Who knew that the best restaurant burger in Tucson is HERE???
So delicious, AND made to order. (This is so important if you enjoy medium-​rare burgers.)
Their Sonoran entrees as very delicious, as well — I’ve been eating them for years. But, for the first time, and because of heartburn I’d been battling since chorizo breakfast, I opted for this good olé American classic.
I also recommend the Cadillac Margarita.

The prickly pear margarita was so good! We ordered appetizers and got chimichangas and taquitos. To our suprise when we got our order the taquitos were full size and these were appetizers!
Service was great and this place has a very authentic mexican restaurant feel to it.

Super delicious! Great bartender Felix, great menu selection. Salsa was hot, so great! Didn’t even get to drink my prickly pear margarita the food came out so quick!

I first ate here in 1979 when I lived in Tucson. What I remember from then and was happy to see hasn’t changed in all those years is that the margaritas are delicious! Food is very good also, but the margaritas… YUM!

The third and last of the Casa Molina restaurants that I am Unilocaling. This one is a bit of a distance from the other two. The other locations, one on Grant Rd and the other on Campbell, are within a ten minute drive from one another. This Casa Molina is somewhat separate from both; 15 – 20 minutes away from the other two.
I found the service here to be the best of the three. Also, it is different than the other two in that the interior was much different. It was more «home» like and the decorations were different. It is much darker than the other two. This one also has the most seating options. Out of the three this is actually has a decent bar with more than one television. I don’t drink but I was sitting there after a meal watching a baseball game with people. Bartender was very nice.
Their lunch specials are more limited than the other two. It also only runs until 3:00, whereas the other two keep their specials going until 4:00. That said, the food here is just as great as the other two. I noticed the enchiladas were different than the other two, but it was still delicious. The tacos, beans, rice, chips, and salsa were all very similar. The portions are very comparable and huge!
Look for the bull on the north side of Speedway Blvd and you will find this amazing restaurant!

$ 11.50 for lunch is ideal! Especially when you look at the menu and many items are over $ 12.
Buffet lunch included:
— taco bar with various kinds of meat
— salsas, guac, cheese, etc.
— white and mexican rice
— tamales (beef/​chile)
— bbq chicken legs
— corn & flour tortillas
— fruit
— churros!
— arroz con leche
Drinks are separate I believe. Pretty good food! They also have «American» food like pizza, kind of weird, but whatever floats your boat!

This is a review of the $ 9.50 Sunday buffet.
Today I finally made it for Sunday brunch at Casa Molina. I have been wanting to go to Casa Molina since I went to Tucson Modernist Week; they were featured in «A Guide to Tucson’s Mid-​Century.» The Guide describes the restaurant as «a step back in time» and ever since I moved to Tucson I have been a fan of the matador and bull out front. The bull’s testicles often get holiday treatment. Check out my picture from October. What’s not to like?
On Sunday Casa Molina opens at 11:00am, and today we arrived about 10 minutes after 11:00am, perfect timing. The buffet was hot and fresh, and the restaurant wasn’t busy yet. However, it did fill up as we ate. We ordered the buffet only $ 9.50 per person. There was a large variety of food. Everything I tried was good. These are the classics. Some Unilocalers have said the food is dated/​bland. I didn’t find the food bland but it is Americanized. I liked the salsa and beans. There were egg dishes, lunch items, and tamales. I loved the mini chimis. There were many options, and even multiple Mexican desserts. I was happy with everything.
Some buffet advise, look at everything before you start to pile up a plate. I think the best items are kept on the second half of the buffet. You might even want to start in the middle and work your way back to the beginning, but everyone has their own strategy for buffets.
The food is old school/​classic and it fits perfectly with the décor. Everything is vintage. There is a lot of Mexican kitsch. The cactus ceiling is beautiful, as is the round brick room in the back of the restaurant. It is amazing that this has been the same restaurant since 1947. I am so glad they have kept it all original.
Next time I come, and I will be back, I will come early on a Sunday sit on the fabulous patio, order the buffet, and order a Corona or two. I would recommend this brunch to anyone. It is affordable, fun, and everyone in the family will like it.

First off I’ll start off by saying our service was really good. I had the carne seca chimichanga enchilada style it was pretty basic not much flavor. Being a Tucson native I guess I’ve been spoiled with good authentic Mexican food. My boyfriends fish tacos had absolutely no flavor. On a high note the chips and salsa were really good. It wasn’t all bad but I don’t see myself going back

We received a recommendation for Casa Molina from a person at the Tucson Harley Davidson store and we were not disappointed. This is the oldest of three restaurants, building started around 1947, and was added onto as business grew.
We loved the original food, and the atmosphere and great service. We came for lunch this time, but will definitely be back for dinner.

It had been several years since we visited this restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised by our most recent random visit to this Sonoran style eatery. The carne seca was excellent and would return just for that. Their salsa is some of the best I’ve had. The small topopo chicken salad his huge and generous with meat and other toppings. The service was perfect, and turn around time was impressive for a busy Friday night. Casa Molina, you’re going back on my family’s go-​to list. Keep up the good work.
Last word — sopapillas!!!

Let me say up front that their Chile Relleno is excellent! In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I returned a second night in a two night stay in town to have it again, and it was on the second visit where it got a little weird.
I ordered the Chile Relleno AND a Taco, which I’ll admit is not on the menu, (but really, how tough is it?) and got a Chile Relleno In a Taco Shell! I kid you not…
Like I said at the beginning if you want a really good Chile Relleno this is your place, just don’t go ‘off-​menu’.