Casa Nueva Restaurant & Cantina

Diner reviews

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• 
  May 13, 2012

  Likes it

  My favorite restraunt, hands down!

  by Leo (11 reviews)

  Ah, Casa Nueva! You have my heart. Why? Local organic menu. Salsas that will change your life. Really really good food, and the best tofu ever. Amazing house margaritas, and huge beer selection. Relaxed atmosphere, and cool worker-owners. It does take some time to get your food, but i just enjoy hanging out there and having a good drink and talking. I always get the guac and salsa sampler, some sort of burrito, a side salad with sesame-soy dressing, a side of tofu, and maybe a vegetable of the day. Local art adorns the walls, the Rattletrap Sting band plays there once every week and great shows as well. Go get you some Casa!
• 
  February 27, 2012

  1 year ago

  by Kia Dubs (9 reviews)

  Ate here last year and was not at all impressed. My friends who all live in Athens proclaim Casa's amazingness.. so maybe I showed up on an off day.. The atmosphere was awesome.. and I was expecting awesome.. but The service was awful.. literally waited 30 minutes on drinks then another HOUR for food. Once received, the flavor in the food was very one-dimensional as the prominent flavor in everything I had was CILANTRO! I like cilantro in moderation and is a must in anything Mexican or Mexican-inspired.. but when it is the main flavor in the rice, beans, chicken and everything in-between, it gets boring to say the least. Maybe I came here on an off day, and like I said that was one year ago so maybe things have changed, but that one torturous afternoon of cilantro was enough for me to never give them another chance!

  I gotta hand it to them for their use of local ingredients, though! Maybe that day they just got a whole lotta local cilantro ;)
• 
  January 28, 2012

  Likes it

  Mobile review

  by Terah (3 reviews)

  Love this place! Great food, good atmosphere, you're going on wait on a Friday or Saturday night for a table but the bodega is a great place to have an appetizer while you wait.
• 
  June 13, 2010

  Likes it

  Mobile review

  by JR C (332 reviews)

  This place is a cross between hippies and Mexican, but it's pretty tasty. The chips and guacamole are great.

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  October 28, 2011

  Likes it

  Cool place

  by Brenter (10 reviews)

  I really like the bar here. The food is good not outstanding.

  The service is slow always they act like they could care less but I still like the place. Price you pay.

  Jackie O's has better food and beer.

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  June 14, 2010

  Likes it

  Black Bean Dip For Life

  by marfrance (101 reviews)

  I love the chips and black bean dip. I always get some sort of taco and rice. It's not what you'd consider traditional Mexican. JRC put it best, mexican plus hippies. Maybe hippies that knew a Mexican once and thought his food would be good. So, they decided to build a place and sell food. I'm not sure if it happened that way, but none the less I am glad it happened. The food is boss.
• 
  September 6, 2010

  Really likes it

  Mobile review

  by Alli (4 reviews)

  Perfect - went to OU and the food, 15 years later, is just as good; everything on the menus is great.

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  March 8, 2010

  Likes it

  I love this place!

  by Power Peach (7 reviews)

  Casa seems to be a place for everyone, depending on what time of day you're there : they have an amazing breakfast menu that's reasonably priced, dinner specials are usually deliciously whimsical, late night they have music of all sorts. This place is super cool for people who prefer independent restaurants

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  August 5, 2011

  Likes it

  LOVE IT!

  by JP (1 review)

  This is how ALL restaurants should be. First of all, they never claim to be Mexican. It is a "Locavore's Solution" which means they use local ingredients in innovative ways, hence the unusual salsa some of the less adventurous have complained of. Furthermore, food does take a long time, yes, but you get good, home cooked food out of the equation rather than fast food trash. Casa Nueve is definitely not cut out for the college, frat, immediate gratification crowd, but for all the Athens people that "get it", it is a city wide staple. Some of the best dishes are the Chimis and the Enchiladas. Living in San Diego, I can't get this stuff anymore, but I will admit I get Casa cravings from time to time. ;-)

  1 out of 2 found this review helpful
• 
  November 18, 2009

  Likes it

  Interesting menu, always good food, relaxed atmosphere

  by Kim (4 reviews)

  We read about Casa before moving to Athens a few months ago and couldn't wait to try it. We've been for breakfast and lunch, and spent a couple of evenings in the Cantina because the restaurant wait was too long. I like knowing about my food, I like the interesting and thoughtful combinations of ingredients (such as the seasonal "trinity" that makes up some of the dishes), and having an arm-length list of vegetarian-friendly dishes to try. Service in the restaurant is usually good, friendly and thorough, if not always brisk, though it can be hard to get service at the bar sometimes. Some standout items we've tried: the fresh guacamole and chips, the vegetarian tortilla soup with coconut broth, papas y chili (homefries, cheese and veggie chili, pure comfort food), and for my mate the Puerco Pibil with jasmine rice. A meal here is a bargain too. Now, if they'd just add fish tacos to the regular menu ...

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  October 4, 2009

  Likes it

  best restaurant in athens

  by 898506fyl (1 review)

  can't miss here. mostly organic ingredients from local places and SO AFFORDABLE considering the quality of the food! everything is delicious and very nourishing - unlike most of the food on campus that makes you feel worse after eating it.

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  March 28, 2011

  Likes it

  Mobile review

  by sonyablade (10 reviews)

  Great food. Interesting atmosphere. The only down side is knowing that your table is right next to the bathroom door. Its not cool to here someone else making their business. Request a table not close to one.
• 
  September 19, 2009

  Doesn't like it

  Complaceny.

  by BobDog (2 reviews)

  Boring Boring Boring. When will the people of athens wake up to the fact that this food is not that good and certainly far from great. Last time I ate there my we got the veggies of the day burrito and the veggies were raw. Eggplant and Green beans raw inside a burrito. Where did the cook think up that one. Raw food is good food especially fresh veggies but that was just absurd. When I go there to avoid the constant disappointment that follows I get the To the Hills or Breakfast in the Hills or some variation of that. Beans, Rice, Tofu and a tortilla. There tofu is excellent and well seasoned and you really have to try to mess up black beans and rice.

  It perhaps wouldn't be so bad if the service wasn't so terrible. No one seems to care about the customer and they have a way of believing that it doesn't matter if you ever eat or sit down. Everybody in Athens loves Casa, and talks about how crappy the service is. I have been eating there for years, because there are 10 restaurants... more »Boring Boring Boring. When will the people of athens wake up to the fact that this food is not that good and certainly far from great. Last time I ate there my we got the veggies of the day burrito and the veggies were raw. Eggplant and Green beans raw inside a burrito. Where did the cook think up that one. Raw food is good food especially fresh veggies but that was just absurd. When I go there to avoid the constant disappointment that follows I get the To the Hills or Breakfast in the Hills or some variation of that. Beans, Rice, Tofu and a tortilla. There tofu is excellent and well seasoned and you really have to try to mess up black beans and rice.

  It perhaps wouldn't be so bad if the service wasn't so terrible. No one seems to care about the customer and they have a way of believing that it doesn't matter if you ever eat or sit down. Everybody in Athens loves Casa, and talks about how crappy the service is. I have been eating there for years, because there are 10 restaurants in Athens and nothing has ever changed in terms of quality of food or service. We as individuals and as a society have an obligation for continuous improvement why don't we expect more from our home-grown "co-op"?

  1 out of 2 found this review helpful
• 
  January 30, 2011

  Likes it

  by urbanac (4 reviews)

  Casa has an amazing Bloody Mary!
• 
  June 4, 2011

  Doesn't like it

  Mobile review

  by Ashlyn VanKampen (1 review)

  my friends and I waited 45 minutes to eat here as they are vegetarians. when we finally got our table, the waiter was rude and the other service was awful as well! the food was too salty and overpriced for what it was. he also charged us for things we did not order and was short when we tried explaining the situation. regardless, we left a rather small tip and will by be returning.
• 
  September 16, 2009

  Likes it

  A different kind of Mexican

  by greensweep (1 review)

  Casa is a great place for the healthy eater, vegetarian or vegan, but there is plenty to chose from if that's not your thing. Most everything is made in house and tastes great. The menu changes seasonally and features local products. The service can be a little slow, so plan plenty of time to enjoy.
• 
  August 22, 2009

  Doesn't like it

  Mobile review

  by Louis-g (2 reviews)

  Hippie-yuppie ssetting. Can't cook
• 
  January 29, 2010

  Mexican gone tragically wrong

  by Pete Garphle (1 review)

  I grew near East LA, etc. I moved to Tucson. I LOVE Mexican food. I moved to Athens 12 years ago. I've eaten at Casa dozens of times because friends like to go there.

  What in hell is this? It's only vaguely Mexican. The flavor balance is all wrong. The last time I was there the sauce was so HOT I couldn't taste anything other than pain. Other times I've had "quesadillas" that were bland cheese in whole wheat tortillas vaguely warmed by nuking.

  When friends plan lunch or dinner meetings there, I often have a nosh before, eat nothing during the meeting, and then zip off somewhere else to get food. The Burrito Buggy (a deli truck at the other end of Court street) is incomparably better.
• 
  June 21, 2010

  Fresh food - Terrible service

  by Hocking Hick (1 review)

  I'm a long-time Athens resident.

  If you are looking for good service, just don't bother. They obviously do NO training.

  But the food is fresh and reasonably priced, and in the off-season, with OU not in session, it's a good place to eat.

  Just be aware that if you are used to professionalism and good service, you will be disappointed.
• 
  September 6, 2010

  Mobile review

  by Nicholas Melissa (1 review)

  Not mexican, but Mexican inspired food. I'd describe it as homestyle version of tacos, burritos and enchiladas. The meat, produce and cheese are all locally sourced. A dozen house salsa to choose from based on seasonal discretion. Tortillas nd chips also are made in house. Always plenty of local microbrews on tap.