Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill serves up delicious food in the Lakeside neighborhood of Flower Mound TX. Warm, friendly service and a great atmosphere make it a must-try restaurant.
A few weeks ago I made a quick-trip to Dallas. I almost always stay with Joni & Tony when I’m down there, and this visit was no exception. When Joni and I get together, we do 3 things really well: eat, drink wine, and nap. We have a few favorite restaurants we like to visit, but this time Joni wanted to try something different, and we headed to Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill.
Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill has locations in the Dallas suburbs of Richardson and Carrollton, and we visited the newest location in Flower Mound. It’s located in Lakeside DFW, a mixed-use community overlooking Lake Grapevine. Plans for the community began in 2012, and I’ve seen it grow during my visits over the past 5+ years. As we drove into Lakeside, Joni commented that I could buy a home there, and be much closer to them. I do like the area, and maybe on my next visit we’ll check out some of the real estate.
Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill opened last October and is located close to the entrance to Lakeside DFW, on the corner. It is open daily except Monday, and serves both lunch and dinner.Joni always likes to sit on the patio, but this overcast and windy day definitely was not patio friendly. We did see a few brave souls out there, but you could tell they were cold. The interior is nice and spacious, with 2 walls of windows along the street side, a large bar to the right along the window, and a main dining room with a combination of tables and booths.
Of course, chips and salsa come to the table first
I love the warm, thin and crispy chips. Both the red and green salsas are delicious; the red has a serious kick, and the green salsa has a nice, mild flavor. We also decided to do a tableside guacamole
I had great plans to do a video of the preparation, but I was too entranced by his work that I totally forgot until it was too late. We requested everything in the guacamole; the jalapeno added a kick, but it wasn’t overwhelming.
I couldn’t decide between a margarita or a Mexican martini. I asked our server, and before I could even fully finish the question, he said skinny margarita…hands-down.
Yep, he was right. I love margaritas that use fresh lime juice, because it makes such a big difference in flavor. This margarita also included lots of fresh lime and lemon. The margarita has some serious power, so I savored it slowly.
Like many Mexican restaurants, the Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill menu is quite large, and Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill offers both lunch and dinner. I don’t do well with large menus, so it took me a while to make a decision. Joni got the enchilada dinner
I didn’t try any. She said it was pretty good, but not her favorite.
After some back and forth, plus the help of our server, I went with the Tacos Al Pastor, with corn tortillas
The tacos are really delicious, and I love the combination of pork and pineapple. I ate one taco whole, and by then I was getting full so I ate the insides of the other 2. The bean soup is fabulous. The broth is rich and flavorful, and the soup is screaming hot. They offer it by the cup and bowl, and I could easily eat a whole bowl of it. I’ve never seen salad as a side in a Tex-Mex restaurant. I only ate a couple of bites because I was way too full at that point.
Our server warned me that the adobo sauce is very spicy, so I decided to add just a very small amount on my taco
He was NOT kidding about the heat. Even with just a few drops, my mouth was on fire. The sweet, mild onions and guacamole helped to cool that down.
Will we go back? No question. We enjoyed the atmosphere, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. We discussed sitting on the patio next time, and there are several other dishes I want to try.
