Large, impersonal and rude. We came with our baby and just asked for an accurate wait time. We were told 30 min or less. After over an hour with no follow up they told us an additional 1 hr and 30 min wait time needed. We wouldn't have waited this long but we had already wasted an hour here. Do not go here. Le Margerita is better.
Review Source:The Chain of Restaurants, Margaritas & Pico de Gallo are nothing compared to Mi Tierra. As a child I would frequent this place often. 24hr Breakfast is always a plus for me. The Menudo is really great and it does come with the pozoles!! Tacos are excellent. Rice could use a little more zing, salsa is good would be better if warmed but that's just my personal preference. Overall I'm satisfied.
Review Source:The key to Mi Tierra's or Mi Ti's if you're local is to make it to dessert. The food is okay. It's not the best in town. You are going for the experience. It's loud and tacky and perfect. Don't miss the Selena painting on velvet or the giant mural. Whatever you do, do not miss the bakery. That is the most important part. When you look at the menu you'll want to get a combo platter to try everything. Rookie mistake. Take most of your dinner home so you can have the flan and/ or eat your bakery goods while their still warm. Get a churro or seven. Anything with the words "sweet potato" is amazing. But really, you're going to want a churro.
Be prepared for a long wait and a lot of standing.
Well I must say this place is overpriced and over exaggerated, I don't know what it is that it is always packed but you could probably get better food from a rinky dink place somewhere around the corner. I must say the margaritas are awesome the people are friendly but for good tasting food you might want to go somewhere else. Atmosphere is awesome for drinks and the pan dulce is great but get ready to pay a hefty amount to eat here especially if you have a good group with you. It is more of a place to go and have some drinks cause those margaritas sure are good.
Review Source:the restraunt "MI Tierra" tasted like Tierra!! This restaurant was horrible the food was gross the staff was rude and just ughhh!! the Salsa tasted canned and bland, The guacamole came ou black and had 3 STRANDS OF FREAKING HAIR!! and when we sent back the guac' the servant got all rude about it, she  was rude to begin with, anyways so we sat there for 47 minutes waiting for ..guacamole :-/ and don't get me started on the fajitas!! lets just say they were dry as the sanoran desert!
THIS PLACE IS THE TOTAL TYPICAL TEX-MEX!!! THIS PLACE DOESN'T EVEN COME CLOSE TO REAL TRADITIONAL MEXICAN FOOD!!In all it was a bad, gross and a waste of money experience... :(( I Highly Would NOT recommend this place, to anyone!!
Considering the amount of buzz I have heard around town concerning Mi Tierra, I was expecting much more than I received. Â The food was OK, but when comparing the cost of the meal to the actual meal, it was no where near being worth what I paid. Â Besides the overpriced food, I did not care for the ambiance or the table after table of screaming families trying to be heard over one another.
Review Source:Where to begin - this place was ridiculous. haha  If you are visiting San Antonio, I think you need to go! It was like confetti threw up everywhere, but it was charming...  There is also a little mariachi band that walks around, I always like live music with dinner.
Now, the chips salsa and guac were really tasty, so I had high hopes for din. Â The food was not bad - I ordered the chicken mole and the chicken was a bit dry...you wouldn't be able to tell if you always ate it with the sauce, but regardless, meat should never be overcooked.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and our server, who worked there for 30 years - Manuel - was great. Â He gave us a history lesson of the place! Â I wish I had gotten some baked goods, but by the time we were leaving the place was PACKED!
OH and I forget to mention: THERE IS DON JULIO ON TAP - YES ON TAP, JUST LIKE BEER. Â Cool? Â I think so!
We had such a great experience during breakfast here. My 6 girlfriends and I visited San Antonio for a weekend getaway and stopped by Mi Tierra for breakfast. We came at 9:15am and just waited less than 10 minutes to get seated. We requested to sit near the murals since it was the girls first time there. I've visited once during dinner a while back and didn't really expect anything this time around.
Our server Eddie was fantastic! We had another server named Daniel who was so sweet and took pictures for us and even got the owner's son to meet us and get a picture with him. It was such a fantastic and warm welcoming experience at mi tierra, we loved every waking moment.
The breakfast was also pretty good! I'm not a fan of Mexican food but the breakfast plate tacos hit the spot. I got the  Huevos Rancheros with Smokets served with Refried Beans, Breakfast Potatoes and Tortillas. The tortillas were pretty fresh and warm. The girls ordered breakfast plates with Barbacoa, chorizo, eggs and some of the tacos and all enjoyed it.
Then they ended the meal by bringing me a dessert to celebrate my birthday! They got the mariachi band to sing in Spanish and the wait staff. What an enjoyable and awesome experience we had. There's so much culture inside mi tierra that all the girls loved it. This was a nice recap of our San Antonio trip and what San Antonio is all about. We give our overall experience, service, food and how much fun we had 5 stars. :)
Mi Tierra is a local institution along the lines of Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans or the Rockefeller Center cafe in NYC. Â
The clientele is a mixture of locals and tourists, many presenting as  families with children of all ages.  Calls for "party of 19" and "party of 10" are not uncommon from the host as he works through the queue. Â
The food is good quality but unremarkable Tex-Mex. Â Diners start with free standard issue chips and salsa. Â Guacamole comes as "guacamole salad", a large mound of chunky guacamole that eventually is revealed to be somewhat less impressively large after excavation by chips reveals an unseen layer of lettuce propping up the mound. Â The guacamole was good, similar to the basic stuff one can make at home, but what at first seems a generous portion for nine dollars turns out to be just reasonable or even slightly expensive. Â As you can guess from the length of this paragraph, this trick left as much of a taste in my mouth as as the guacamole itself.
The decor is in the unabashed pinata style: bright colored lights everywhere, dangling foil stars and shapes, with service staff in brightly colored dresses. Â Some really excellent old-hand Mexican musicians stroll about offering a live performance for six bucks. Â Do this; our party was treated to the best version of "Guantanamera" I've ever heard (except, perhaps, for Patrick Swayze's "One Ton of Fan Mail"). Two singer guitarists stand right at table side executing the song perfectly in voice, harmony and guitar. Â The occasional and fleeting "how much time until my shift is over" glances between the duo are actually reassuring. Â I would not expect a fifty year old performer to exude boyish enthusiasm as he works through the 10,000th performance of this song. Â
You can get anything on the menu anytime of day. Â As with Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, there's something more authentic and evocative about enjoying these places at 3:30 in the morning. Â Only the hardiest and most bohemian of tourists (which is what Yelp readers are, right?) are there. Â Part of the authenticity comes from the other patrons, workers grabbing a quick bite and awake at this hour only because they have to be. Â
Back to the food: Â The flautas are crispy, not too greasy, with a strong and delicious corn taste. Â Fajitas are served sizzling, brought to the table under cover and presented steaming hot. Â The flan is what one expects. Â Be warned that five year olds who normally eat like a bird can deftly balance half of the whole serving on a spoon and put it into their mouths faster than parents can say, "Whuh?" Â It's good. Â
FOr those on long car trips, the bakery up front is a worthwhile stop for Mexican breads and treats. Â There's a not-too-sweet bread object with a crosshatched top (sorry, I don't have the actual name) that keeps well and makes for a nice rest stop snack. Â I was able to get all the way to Tucson with a bag of these.
Don't expect to come away with memories of fantastic and creative cuisine.  Do enjoy Mi Tierra as the institution it is, a first stop in the real West as one heads west along  I-10.
I was in San Antonio for a conference, I like Tex Mex, was looking forward to this place as it was crowded. Â The staff and waitresses were very good, charming, but the food just was nothing special, very standard faire, very unmemorable.
My disappointment was also from the lost opportunity, its a large place, well staffed and it could and should be much better with just a little effort.
3.75 stars
When in San Antonio, you must visit this place.
I live in San Diego, California and love Mexican food. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised to find some really good Mexican food here.
We came for breakfast. I had a "breakfast taco" which came with carne de Puerco and casacabel sauce. I also ordered pancakes. My husband ordered the ultimate breakfast platter of chilaquiles famosos and carne de res.
My taco was one of the best tacos I've had in a long time! The meat was so flavorful and just the amount of spice. The tortilla was also very soft and fluffy. My husband's entire platter was really good - especially the carne de res.
Also, the décor is unforgettable at this place with all of the Christmas lights, textured murals, strolling musicians and the like...and don't forget the bakery. We went home with some baked goods to go.
A lot of the local Mexican families visit this restaurant - so you know it's a winner. My only reason for a 3.75 is that my pancakes didn't seem like they were made from scratch. I also would have preferred stronger brewed coffee at breakfast - just my personal preference.
If I ever have an opportunity to return to San Antonio, Mi Tierra will be on my list.
We were in San Antonio for a family vacation and were told that we have to try Mi Tierra while we were there so we did.
Let me just say that I have no idea where all these great reviews come from. This was the most chaotic unenjoyable meal I've probably ever had. The atmosphere is extremely loud and yes there are mariachis that will play you a song but not unless you fork over 6 bucks! Service was about as bad as I've ever had as well. That's the short review. Now for anyone interested in a longer read, here you go.
We arrived around 6:30 to an extremely crowded waiting area. After we registered and got our buzzer, we did a little shopping at the market and waited for our buzzer to go off. After about 30 minutes it went off and we returned to the registration area to find out they had us down as a party of 2...there were 5 of us. The host said he could make it work and took us to a table for 4. Yes I said 4. We squeezed the 5th person in and waited for our set up. The waiter came and brought what looked like a salsa bowl with 11 chips in it and 1 bowl of what I think was pace picante sauce that had some cilantro thrown in it for a disguise. Now I'm no math whiz or anything but that is about 2.25 chips apiece! Now I'm thinking, ok this waiter is going to get awfully tired running back and forth for chips. That was before I realized that he wasn't planning on coming back! After what seemed like an hour he came back, chip less I might add, to take our order. To his surprise...WE WERE OUT OF CHIPS! So he takes our order and brings back another bowl of chips. Same size bowl but maybe 15 chips this time.
My wife and I decided to split the chicken fajitas and the three kids got kids meals. The enchilada kids meal comes with retried beans and our son doesn't like them so we asked to substitute fries instead. The waiter said that would be fine. Food came out in a timely manner and all seemed ok until we discovered the fajitas, which come out still sizzling at every other Tex-Mex restaurant I've been to, were cold. When the waiter finally came back again he offered to take them and bring more, but by this time the kids were whiny, drinks were empty, and patience were nowhere to be found, much like our waiter, so we just said take it back and bring us our ticket. We get our ticket and just to add insult to injury they charged us $1.75 for substituting fries for beans on the kids meal! What?!
Maybe they just had a bad night, but I don't think so.
PS I'd love to give a review of the guacamole but...WE WERE OUT OF CHIPS!!!
Was hoping for one good meal in San Antonio, and this was the last place we were going to try from the recommendation of our cab driver. A coworker had also recommended this place, so I was excited to try. This place is open 24 hours and was packed on a Saturday afternoon. We had to wait about 30 minutes and the line for the pastries was incredibly long as well. We were working up our appetite just standing in line and perusing the menu.
30 minutes later our buzzer went off and we were seated in Christmas-land. The reviews weren't kidding about all the Christmas lights in this place. Our server was quick as we were in a rush, and we received chips, salsa, and our drinks in no time.
I placed an order for the special mexican dinner as I wanted to try their tamale and enchilada. it also came with a beef taco, but I wanted to try their chicken so added that instead. Our food came out super quick as well, loved the efficiency of this place. The tamale was tiny, but just the right amount for a tasting for me. It was very tasty and homemade! The cheese enchilada was my favorite and was accompanied by a chile sauce. The taco was good too and the chicken was so tender.
Prices are very reasonable and this was the best meal I had in SA hands down.
Walking into Mi Tierra you are bombarded by blue and white christmas trees and lights surrounding every table. Â It's quite the view. Â This place was recommended to me by some friends when I was visiting San Antonio. Â It's open 24 hours a day and while there lunch and dinners have some excellent reviews on yelp, I was specifically told to target breakfast.
Besides the extreme decorations the next thing you notice when you walk in is the bakery, it spans the length of the restaurant and is full of mexican baked goods. Â Try the mango filled empanadas and of course a churro.
Grab a table and have some traditional fare of mexican breakfast. Â I loved the Chilaquiles, scrambled eggs with tortilla chips, cheese, beans, and ranchero salsa served with fresh tortilla (flour for me). Â It's a large breakfast but I was doing a lot of walking and these love handles take work!
Located a little ways from the riverwalk, but definitely walking distance and right in the middle of market square Mi Tierra is a great stop for breakfast/brunch!
It's a stop on the list when you're bringing folks into SA for Mexican cuisine, I'll grant it that. But, if you're a local like I am, there are others that are better values and a little more fresh too - without the wait! Don't get me wrong, the food here is not bad, it's just that the wait is evil sometimes and because the food isn't a knockout, your out of town guests are left wondering why there was such a wait. Again, a good place to visit, but THEN hit the holes-in-the-wall!
Review Source:Had to stop in..so many people talk about this place! Â First off..service is soo good, even at 1130 at night! Â The decorations are a little gaudy..but hey it's cool!
We ordered their tacos and they were good, but I must say...best rice I have had in a long long time!! Â
We didn't stop for pastries this time..but they all sure looked and smelled wonderful!!
if you are new to San Antonio or visiting and looking for the best mexican and the best experience, Mi Tierra's would be my first suggestion.
Open 24 hours, whether i feel like breakfast or enchiladas, i think of this place ahead of all the others (and there are a lot of others).
The bakery is impressive and you can't get out of there without stopping by.
If it's only a tequila or a margarita you want, the Mariachi Bar is like being in Mexico, just safer.
This place is to take out-of-towners and tourists. Â I am not sure how they pull off what they do in such an immense space, but it is impressive. Â Avoid the weekends, if possible, and expect waits. Â The food is very good and the service always pleasant. Â If you pretty much want the same food without all the hype, check out Pico de Gallo outside of the market.
Review Source:Cute place.  The decorations are pretty wild.  They gave me sensory overload.  I liked it.  I guess they are open 24 hours & I think it's an awesome place to stop late night.  Much better than  steak n shake or denny's at those hours.
We went for a snack mid afternoon while strolling the market area. Â We had the botana platter to share which came with flautas, quesadillas,& chalupitas. Â I will say it was okay, not great, not bad. Â We then had the fried ice cream which was good. Â Service was good. Â
It was fun to check out the pastry counter though we didn't get anything. Â
I would say go for a snack just to check it out or for a late night stop but I wouldn't necessarily just recommend the food.
Don't miss an opportunity to experience this spot. From the moment you walk in the door, you're in for an event. The staff dresses the part and are friendly and hospital the entire time. If it wasn't for the electricity, cell phones, and fountain drinks you might think you were in old Mexico... Â Or that could've been leftover effects of last night's margaritas. I went for breakfast and my head was swirling from the decision process because everything sounded good. I went with the Chorizo Mexicano con Huevos. Wow! Â Came with tortillas, beans, and potatoes. Â I needed to pace myself because I was in public. I so wanted to scarf it down so desperately. Every bite offered a another celebration for the taste buds. The tortillas were homemade and melted perfectly in my mouth.
The place is huge and has a bakery and a full service bar. Â There are mariachis doing their thing and the whole place looked like Christmas on the inside. There were even a couple of nuns selling handmade goods up front.
Parking can be tricky, but save yourself a couple of bucks by parking somewhere in the distance. You'll appreciate the walk once you're done eating.
Limited vegetarian options but I went here twice in 3 days. The place had a 5-ft dark skinned elvis impersonator mime and nuns hawking jewelry. Great food, prices, and portions. Yummy baked goods. What more do you want?
The place is almost a mile outside the riverwalk but is easily accessible through taking the street car. Food prep is not fast but the waitress is attentive.
FYI: Their rice is made with chicken stock and beans made with pork. I wouldn't be surprised if their tortillas are made with lard. If you are a militant vegetarian, you shouldn't be going to the more traditional tex-mex places.
Mi Tierra is the king of the tourist traps in San Antonio, with garish and fantastic colors and lights and foils all over, all kinds of photographs and art (the Bill Clinton painting is my fave) and a full Mexican bakery.
I only reccomend eating here if it is late and everything else is closed and you are looking to fill the riverwalk induced drunken hunger. The food just isn't that great to brave the lines and improbably bright period costumes otherwise. The bakery is pretty good, though.
They have the standard Tex-Mex classics, but you are within shouting distance to much better places, without the long wait.
Watching the Cinco De Mayo celebration while sitting on the patio with a Margarita, It doesn't get much better than this.
We had the botana platter. Â It came with 4 mini chicken flautas, 4 cheese quesadillas squares and 4 mini beef and bean chalupas with a side of guacamole and sour cream. Everything was hot, fresh and tasted great.
The margaritas here are pretty good. They use lime salt on the edge of the glass instead of regular rock salt. I like it, it's a nice little twist.
Our waitress was great, very friendly and attentive. You couldn't ask for better service.
The last time that we were San Antonio we came for breakfast. It was top notch as well. A good place to get something to eat while shopping in the Mercado.
I didn't have a real meal here, I opted for sweets only. Â It is an AWESOME bakery. Â My friend and I went to see the Mariachis. Â It was fun. Â (She had a meal and said the food was good.) Â As you are eating, the Mariachis come and serenade you. Â It's a must-do for anyone visiting San Antonio!
As for that bakery, OMG, you can't imagine all the delicious, fresh choices. Â Try them all!
You could probably get Mexican food this good very close to your own home anywhere in the country, but there won't be a long bakery case of beautiful Mexican pastries, more tinsel than you have ever seen in your life, and Elvis won't walk past your table on his way to the counter.
Go for the experience. Â The food will be good enough and reasonably priced. Â The atmosphere is unique and worth a visit.
Made the mistake of unknowingly coming here during the Fan Fair 2013 Tejano Music Awards festivities, but we were in town and this was one of the closest Mexican restaurants by our hotel. Â Checked in with the hostess and inquired about the wait time: Â 45 min. Â It was our first time here. Â Well, judging by how crowded the waiting area was, it must have signified just how great the food is, right? Â So... we waited.
45 min turned into 1hr and 20min. Â We must be gluttons for punishment... literally. Â By now, our stomachs were rebelling; subliminally telling us to GTFO of there already and go someplace else.. NOW! Â Thankfully, they had a table set up with complimentary chips and salsa. Â But, I was mentally torn whether I should eat some. Â There were a bunch of unsupervised kids helping themselves in the most unhygienic way. Â Eventually, I said screw it.. tainted chips and salsa it is. Â That'll momentarily appease the Stomach God for now.
By 1hr and 30min, I was amusing myself by watching a kid in front of me grab his little brother in a headlock fighting over the chips. Â Now, that's entertainment! Â The extreme wait time must be making the others go mad. Â **BUZZ BUZZ** .. pager goes off. Â Damn, finally...
Walked in, and I agree with the rest of the comments about how festive it is inside. Â But, I am not jaded because they just don't have places like this in my neck of the woods. Â I like it!
It was very loud and crowded inside. Â Don't care, I'm starving. Â Our waiter was very sweet. Â My companion and I ordered a Combo Mixed Fajita (chicken & beef) plate, and I added a Grande Margarita for myself. Â The waiter warned me that their margarita's are pretty strong, so I opted to have it made with less alcohol (I'm a lightweight).
Food promptly arrived and this is where it gets disappointing:
- Steak fajitas: Â good flavor, but kinda chewy and fatty (you can see a huge chunk of fat in my photo)
- Chicken fajitas: Â dry and just ok
- Refried beans: Â dry and overdone (dried-out layer/crust on top)
- Spanish rice: Â just blah
Best part of the meal were the flour tortillas, margarita, chips and salsa.
On second thought, maybe I should've just opted for the pretty strong margarita instead. Â It probably would've just made me not care about all we went through just to eat this (censored). Â Oh well... Â
P.S. The mariachis played a love song for us and they were fantastic! Â 5 stars for you alone, gentlemen. Â Bravo!
It looks like Christmas threw up in here. There are Christmas lights, some small artificial Christmas trees, and lots of random decorations all over the restaurant. It's so over the top, but it works! I'm sure this restaurant attracts tourists and locals alike.
There is a lot to keep you amused while you're waiting for your food, a mariachi band was playing when we were here.
The fajita plate was exceptional, I love their homemade tortillas. My picks from the bakery were divine - I got a pecan cluster, and this caramel fudge bar. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know what either of them are actually called, but if you go to the bakery, you'll know what I'm taking about.
Christmas lights, mariachi bands, schooners of beer, platters of fajitas. What's not to love about Mi Tierra Cafe? A 24 hour celebration of cheap Mexican food with huge tables, friendly staff, and lots of energy. This is a place you have to see to believe. It's just so ... much. Don't go for the food, which is about average for Mexican, but go for everything else that makes this place one of a kind. An extremely short taxi ride from Downtown, it gets you away from the throngs on the Riverwalk without breaking the bank. Our return fare was $4. Yes, $4.
Perhaps the only head scratcher is that they do *not* have burritos. It's a small quibble as you'll get stuffed on the enchiladas, fajitas, tacos, and myriad other things before you even realize burritos aren't an option. Oh, and get the chile relleno. Definitely a highlight.
As others have said, the tortillas are tops. They come out piping hot and are so good you want to dip them in honey or maple syrup or something.
I came across Mi Tierra Café & Bakery, after visiting <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.visitsanantonio.com&s=7ce8967a1402783f402812187f3c7234a4975277f3e8190f44be3847a5b38429" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.visitsananton…</a> a while back to see what events were coming up, since I would be spending a weekend in this remarkable city.
So clearly, I decided to try it out for myself and I quickly realized that not only was this Tex-Mex gem open 24/7 but it borders El Mercado (Market Square) in the Downtown area and bonus, it comes included with its own 24/7 bakery! Oh yeah!! Offering you, 24/7 access to a carb overload A.K.A. traditional Mexican pan dulce.
I loved this place and I plan on returning! Even though the restaurant can house over 500 guests, I still had to wait 25 minutes or so to be seated; so you can only imagine how long my wait would have been if they didn't have such a large capacity.
The wait ended up being completely worth it; my waitress was very attentive and lovely. The whole restaurant is illuminated with countless Christmas lights and decorations. Making you feel like its Christmas 24/7 and on top of that, everywhere you turn - you can hear Mariachi performing (they are always strolling up and down the restaurant - day and night).
My dinner was delicious! I had the Enchiladas de Pollo en Mole served with Spanish rice and refried beans. So yummy! Mi Tierra Café, is the only other place (besides my mother's house) that I will eat mole at. I'm not a big fan of mole since, it can get rather spicy, but Mi Tierra Café makes it just right... Not too spicy and not too sweet. Like yin-yang, they offer a perfect balance of the two. For dessert, I ended the night with their sopapillas - warm, fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness sprinkled on top.
The bar is stunning; not only is the architecture amazing but the Mexican symbols that were implemented inside made me want to stay there all night long.
Overall, I had a great experience and plan on visiting again.
However, there is a downside... Parking.
Luckily, the night I attended I was blessed with VIP parking and by that I mean, front row parking that I acquired by some miraculous incident...
A couple was leaving as I was pulling in.
Mi Tierra has made a very obvious shift over the decade or so I've been going, and I think I'm officially over it (though Yelp doesn't yet offer a relationship status).
The food used to be awesome, then it became really solid, now I'd say pretty meh.
The service has also slid downhill as it's popularity with tourists has grown, as have the portion sizes... all the while the prices have kept creeping up ($7 for a single beef soft taco kids meal).
On the most recent visit, we waited for a half hour or so outside, looking over the menu. They had a number of lunch specials for a couple bucks off, which a couple in our party decided on. When we went to order we were told they weren't doing specials today, to which we mentioned that they're posted where you wait out front.
The waitress agreed, but said they weren't doing them this day, to which a member in our party said that this was a bait-and-switch. She agreed, then stood there waiting for our order. When he asked to speak with the manager, the manager had just taken the menu down, and refused to honor it. I can't imagine upsetting a customer over a couple bucks, but that's what they chose to do.
Anyway, the food was ok (the salsa tastes like ketchup, though), but the portions were small, the prices were high, and the service was pretty unimpressive. We were also pestered about half a dozen times by the mariachis, who ask if you'd like a song, then ask for $11 when you say yes... a little steep for a song.
Mi Tierra... after a decade of good times, I'm movin' on.