Mago Grill & Cantina

This place definitely has the potential of becoming a 4 or even 5 star restaurant if they iron out a few kinks.  I hope someone from management reads some of the suggestions in others' posts, as well as mine.  Let me begin:

AMBIANCE
The restaurant is on the smaller side, but I loved the atmosphere, especially the warm color scheme.   We had to wait a bit, but were fortunate enough to snag two seats by the bar while we waited around 45 minutes on a Friday night.

DRINKS
I enjoyed the El Diablo Margarita, which was tangy, sweet and had a nice essence of orange.   My husband tried both the Victoria and Negro Modelo beer on tap.  He liked both, but preferred the former, as the amber colored beer was lighter and refreshing.

FOOD
We enjoyed the complimentary salsas - a very mild green salsa, a peanut infused one and a roasted tomato one.  The complimentary cup of soup was also enjoyed and appreciated.

I found it extremely helpful and I appreciated being able to taste samples of the different moles, because I was having a hard time choosing one.  It takes the fear out of ordering something you may not like.   If you like mole, you must try them here - they are delicious!  The moles all have several ingredients, but can be distinguished by one ingredient that really creates the flavor:  peanut, chocolate, coconut, etc.  The Xico and Ranchero were the standard tasting ones, but the Cacahuate (peanut), Pistacio (Chef's special) and Coco (coconut) were really different and great!  We absolutely both loved the Coco one the best.

Now...everything so far was shaping up to be a great dinner experience until we received our entrees.  Since we loved the coco mole the best, I ordered the Mojarra (tilapia) with it and my husband ordered the Puntas de Cerdo (pork).  Now, this coco mole is so good, it could cover up almost anything, but my fish still tasted fishy - as in not fresh.  This is not okay.  My husband's pork was dry - way too dry for a $20 pork dish. Again, the mole made it edible, but we were both disappointed.  It was busy tonight, so we didn't want to send it back.  

Management, if you are reading this, please know that you absolutely have to get the main dish right.  Fresh fish and tender, juicy pork would have made this reviewer extremely happy.  

SERVICE
We had a nice server - thank you Adan for your service, especially with the mole samples.

OVERALL
I liked this place, but I'm hoping they will see the helpful suggestions and work on the flaws.  If they were addressed, we would happily return frequently.

If you would have asked me 3-4 weeks ago about Mago I would have given it an enthusiastic thumbs up. I was actually quite ready to update my review to a 4-star rating as I often craved their carne asada...in a really aggressive way. However, over the past few weeks, my weekly craving has subsided. The reason behind the drop off? The carne asada beef. I have beef with the beef.

The carne asada meal is $19. That's not a cheap take out for just one person. However, said meal comes with a nice portion of mashed potatoes, delicious mole tamale, black beans and free chips and salsa. And then there's the previously succulent carne asada, which used to melt in my mouth. However, as mentioned, the prior three times I've ordered it the meat is much thicker and tougher than usual. That carne asada I used to salivate over is a distant memory.

Perhaps they changed supplies? Perhaps they changed their beef? Either way, I'm saddened. And while Mago has a deep menu with plenty of tasty items, I'm mourning the loss of a carne asada of the past.

My boyfriend and I decided to try this place on a whim. I was very impressed. We went around 6:30 in the evening on a weekday, so it was pretty calm and not noisy. The food was very good and tasted fresh. The waiter was friendly. I was recommend this place.