Karen Contino
At Cantina Laredo, you know there’s love in the food the moment the freshly prepared salsa and chips hit your taste buds. The salsa is brilliantly served warm, allowing the smoky undertones created by the lightly charred peppers to shine without being too spicy. It’s the perfect complement to Cantina Laredo’s award-winning signature margarita, Casa Rita, made from fresh lime juice and the finest tequila.
The décor, with its earthy colors and textures, is both sophisticated and welcoming. Its modern Mexican menu is even more sophisticated and welcoming. Enough to feed four people, the Top Shelf Guacamole is a true crowd pleaser. Made fresh at your table, this appetizer is as much a treat to watch your server prepare as it is to share. Or try the new crispy Ahi Tuna Tacos, expertly paired with jicama slaw and that amazing guacamole.
The lime-marinated ceviche is unforgettable enough to inspire Apopka resident Ericka Laroda to travel all the way from work almost weekly. “I have to stop on my way home for it,” she says. “It’s so good. So good.”
Perfect for lunch or a light dinner, the Tacos de Pescado feature savory pieces of mahi-mahi surrounded by marinated vegetables, queso fresco and a deliciously creamy chipotle aioli.
If you’re looking for meat and potatoes, the new Guiso de Filete, a generously portioned Mexican-style stew with juicy tenderloin tips served over Cantina Laredo’s authentic Mexican rice, is sure to please even the heartiest appetite. Equally sensational, the chipotle-wine topped carnitas are fall-off-the-bone pork shanks braised so flawlessly you can literally eat them with a spoon. The Camaron Poblano Asada is another showstopper with its grilled skirt steak wrapped around a poblano pepper overflowing with shrimp, mushrooms, onions and melty Monterey jack cheese. This dish is a definite “must” for any cheese lover.
For dessert, the Mexican Brownie has an intoxicating aroma that will make your mouth water. Both the brownie and Cantina Laredo’s decadent Mexican Apple Pie are served sizzling in an irresistible Mexican brandy butter.
In addition to the already outstanding menu, Cantina Laredo regularly offers a unique dining experience with its exclusive monthly tequila dinner. Guests are treated to four courses of distinctive appetizers, soups, entrees and desserts paired with specially crafted tequila-based cocktails. Offerings like the Huarache, creamy Pumpkin Soup and Grilled Veal Porterhouse with goat cheese-draped roasted potatoes showcase Cantina Laredo’s consistent ability to combine a variety of flavors into one truly amazing dish. Just ask Lena Wasserman who has traveled all the way from Longwood for nearly every tequila dinner since Cantina Laredo opened its doors five years ago at the Dellagio Town Center in Dr. Phillips.
“It’s always a great experience,” she says. “We just love these tequila dinners. The food is amazing and it’s also a great way to get to know some wonderful people.”
