02/11/09

Good But Overpriced

by gopher02

Upon reading the many reviews of Tejas I realized few restaurants ilicit such a broad range of feelings and opinions. Like many things in life, the truth lies somewhere in between. It is defintley better then a 1 star rating but should not be considered an unbelievable choice either. The restaurant itself has a lot going for it. The ambience is great altough it can be crowded. The 50th and France area is a nice place to eat so the general area is desirable. The menu however is fairly limited. The choices that are offered however are very good. In particular, the fresh Guacamole is incredible and to not try it would be remiss.

The drinks are very expensive and if you order more then one be prepared for a hefty bill. The service is good and overall the food is tasty. I just don't feel the food justifies the expensive prices.

03/30/08

Very unpleasent!!!!

by WylieW

My parents came to town to visit so we decided to try Tejas for supper. The Fresh Guac was the only thing that was good. My mother and I had the short ribs.....It tasted like chewing on a hard, fatty, chunk of beef jerky. I would have preferred a McRib sandwich from McDonalds! Didn't even eat it because it was so bad. The service was horrible, the waiter never returned with chips to eat the guac with...we sat with no beverage refills for the entire meal, never was once asked how the meal was. And at the end of the night we had a $140 bill for 4 people. If I was able to give this place a half star I would have.

• Pros: Good Parking and Good Guac
• Cons: Horrible Entres, Horrible Service, Over Priced

03/26/08

Bad food that is very expensive in a fast food environment....

by hundheim

I will never return to Tejas. Our waitress was very friendly but seemed to be very rushed. The food was horrible.

The calamari appetizer was over cooked and way to spicy. The nachos were so-so but I think Tejas has run out of cheese.

I has the flank steak "fajita style" - the steak was inedible and the salsas were cold. I sent the whole thing back.

My wife had a steak "special" - I use the term loosely - it was dry, overcooked and touch.

My daughter had a pasta "special". She said it was ok.

My son-in-law had the steak "special" also. He said it was ok.

All in all a bad experience. Bad food that is overpriced in an atmosphere that reminds me of a bad hotel restaurant.

11/05/07

Great Food, Decent Service

by lucafun

Tejas has been a Minneapolis landmark for 20 years now and it's still a great place to get great food on any night. The menu has changed slightly now that winter is coming with great dishes like Tamarind glazed shortribs, which pretty much melt in your mouth. Try the salmon too, don't be scared b/c it says beans, the chorizo adds a little kick and the savory beans blend beautifully with the perfectly grilled salmon. The lamb shank is always a crowd pleaser as well. New specials seem to appear weekly and are not always southwestern, which is good b/c change is nice, but they always seem to be pretty good. This week try the seared tenderloin with pureed potatoes and a creamy ancho sauce, just what the doctor ordered. Service can be decent to spectacular just remeber your servers name and sit in their section if you can, its worth it. Overall this is a great place to cozy up for a great dinner or lunch. Try it yourself and see what I mean.

• Pros: Food and drinks great margaritas
• Cons: decor is a little outdated

11/05/07

Can be great or occasionaly, it can be disappointing; find a good server and stick with them.

by paul_and_sarahw

I debated between selecting "recommended" and "average" as my rating for this restaurant and concluded that I would be doing a greater service by lowering your expectations before you go. The problem with Tejas is consistency. We live in Edina and this can be great place to grab drinks after or before a movie or lunch while shopping, though you never know what you are going to get. For the prices, you should always receive great food and dependable service, this is not the case. Our servers have, more often than not, been very good, but we have had two who have been inadequate. Our experience has taught us to write down the names of those we have liked and to specifically wait for their sections on future visits, this makes a big difference in the experience. Find a good one and stick with them and at least the service aspect of the experience will be good.

As far as the food is concerned, if they are very busy, the food quality seems to drop off. To avoid this, makes specific requests (and allow yourself the time to wait for it, it will be worth it). We order our food "extra hot" during the dinner rush and it comes out simply hot, which is perfect. Also, even to our Midwestern bland taste buds nothing on the menu is very spicy, so if that is truly what you want (it is Southwestern fare mind you), then specifically ask for "extra spicy" and the food arrives with the zing that should be part of Southwestern cuisine.

So, go, but expect an average experience, then order and be specific and then maybe the food will surprise you. Take a chance because the experience can be great.

• Pros: Great drinks, convenient location and fund atomoshere.
• Cons: Pricey for what you get, lack of drink specials.

07/11/07

Southwestern Cuisine for Geriatrics

by xpano

I've eaten lunch at Tejas a few times in the past and found the experience pleasant. But a recent dinner venture my wife and I took there convinced us this establishment has taken a southward turn (for the worse) rather than a southwestern one. Nearly all around, we were treated to haphazardly strewn, bland, luke warm food. Not good. We started with the tableside guacamole which was the only highlight of our meal, it turns out. Fresh, nicely green avocados smashed together with garlic. This could have used some more lime to give it a citrus bite, but the taste was fresh and fulfilling. Far less pleasant, however, were the items we received following our appetizer. The wild mushroom enchiladas (the only vegetarian entre option) were an oily mess of mis-matched pungent flavors (madiera cream, fig and celery root puree, earthy mushrooms) that rendered it inedible - just a very badly conceived dish I was only able to get a few bites down from. The cob salad my wife ordered was impressive in presentation, a rainbow of minced steak, eggs, blue cheese, bacon, sliced avocado, but the steak was gristly and the overall dish lacked flavor - only a hint of seasoning in the vinaigrette that was so sparsely hidden in the lettuce you wondered if the kitchen had simply run out of it. We cast our largely uneaten entrees aside and opted for a dessert. Surely the "molten chocolate cake" would help us past the doldrums of our disappointing entrees. No such luck. Substitute "tepid" for "molten" and you get the idea. Our desert had effectively reached morgue status by the time it made its way to our table - no pulse, no warmth, and despite a brilliant description in the menu, lacked any semblance of flavor. Where was the vanilla in the "vanilla sauce", the espresso in the "espresso syrup"? Tejas appears to have taken a page from rest home cuisine rather than the southwestern flavor it espouses. Not good. We won't be back.

• Pros: Nice ambiance
• Cons: Flavorless, tepid food, slow service

09/01/06

Great Service

by jmfix

It had been years since I'd been to Tejas, and after going last night I'll go back. We had an incredible server, she knew everything on the menu backwards and forwards, and was very accomidating to everyone. We ordered the guac, which she made right at our table while going through the menu with us. Good specialty margaritas, yummy guacamole, highly recommend the chicken sour cream enchiladas and the flutas. Loved the little chocolate bites they served us when giving us the bill too.

• Pros: Amazing service, electic menu, yummy food
• Cons: not a place for kids or groups of more than 6 people

08/15/06

Too Pricey

by ssample

The food was not good whatsoever. There were four of us, and none of us liked our food, and that is saying a lot since there are only about 8 entree options on the menu. Our bill with 1 drink each and an entree was more than $100 total and it was not worth it at all. The food is bland, and portions are small.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Food

Innovative Southwestern cuisine keeps this Edina standby a Cities' favorite.

by Contributor

In Short
Terra-cotta casual meets brand-conscious clientele at this trendy spot. In warm weather, pitchers of sangria and sidewalk tables are coveted; wintertime, the dining room is noisy and warm. Bare wood tables and booths, adobe-like walls accented with pottery and wrought-iron chandeliers combine for a super-relaxed atmosphere. The menu merges traditional Southwestern fare with contemporary taste, such as the smoked trout tostada with roasted beets and the veggie-friendly ravioli with goat cheese and lavender-sweet salsa.

07/02/06

awesome service excellent food

by missbusybee

went there after a salon vist in the area and had a great meal. staff was great and knowledgeable about the menu. Me and my girlfriends will definitley be back.