Mexicali Cantina Grill Review

By Ryan Guilbeau and Keegan Kerr

Mexicali Cantina Grill recently moved into Lyman Street Plaza where the Ruby Tuesday’s once stood tall. As huge Ruby Tuesday’s fans, we thought Mexicali had big shoes to fill. We are pleased to announce that they did just that. 

The color scheme is bright and energetic. Rich yellow and blue tiles line the walls and tables, and potted plants and decorations are spaced out around the rest of the dining area. Mexican music played distantly on the speakers overhead. All in all, the environment was pleasant, welcoming and authentic. 

Upon sitting down, we were given complimentary bottomless chips and salsa. We took full advantage of the “bottomless” part of the chips by asking for more when we finished the first batch. The salsa was spicy, but not too spicy. The chips were also really warm and had a good amount of salt on them. We were impressed with the food before our entrees even came.

We were both pleasantly surprised with the speed and quality of our meals. Right when we were done with our chips, our food came. We ordered a chimichanga with beef, cheese, lettuce, white rice, and their “special sauce”, as well as a unique burrito bowl that featured grilled chicken, guacamole, rice, black beans, and pico de gallo. The texture of the chimichanga was great, and the sauce was truly special. It was kind of like a cross between salsa and barbeque, and it was delicious. The chimichanga probably would’ve tasted better with chicken, but the beef was still pretty good. The burrito bowl was perfectly ratioed with all the right ingredients and flavors. Unlike Chipotle or Moe’s, the contents of the burrito bowl were spread out almost like a pie chart, so you could mix them together or eat them separately if you wanted. 

For dessert, we ordered a fried cheesecake burrito, which sounds exactly how it tastes: amazing, but very, very rich with flavor. We both wanted to eat the whole thing, but after a few bites we couldn’t take the overwhelming flavor. 

Final rate: 8.5/10. We thought the restaurant was very similar to Casa Vallarta on Route 9, so if you enjoy that we’d highly recommend giving Mexicali Cantina Grill a try. Even if you haven’t been to Casa Vallarta, we honestly think any Mexican cuisine fan should stop by.