Nebraska Restaurant Review – Michael’s Cantina in Norfolk
Last weekend my sister-in-law and I took a little trip to Nebraska to visit with my niece, Michele, who is attending Wayne State College.
While we were there I decided to seek out some Mexican food. If I found some, I thought it would be fun to do a restaurant review for my blog. I wondered if I could find any good Mexican Restaurants.
We got a recommendation to try a place called Michael’s Cantina in Norfolk. So we gave it a go.
Michael’s is a very relaxed place with many beer signs adorning the walls as well as several TV’s so you can watch your favorite sporting events while you eat.
The place was pretty full while we were there, which I consider a good sign. The service was adequate and the waitress greeted us fairly quickly.
We started with cheesy nachos which were a hit. The nachos consisted of tortilla chips covered with cheddar, Monterey jack, and queso cheese dip. Then baked with tomatoes, onions, olives, and jalapeno. Our group opted out for the onions, olives and jalapeno. Even the tomatoes had to be on the side.
Usually this kind of dish is served with sour cream and guacamole but it was quite tasty without it.
For dinner I ordered chicken fajitas while everyone else ordered combination plates with enchiladas, taco’s and burritos. The portions were large. In fact when I ordered my fajitas the waitress warned we might have to move to another table because my dinner would be served on three plates and there might not be enough room.
My fajitas were good although they were not sizzling when they arrived at the table much to my disappointment, nor were they served with guacamole. I’m not even sure they serve guacamole. If they don’t serve it with nachos or fajitas, then they probably don’t serve it at all.
I asked for corn tortillas for my fajitas but what I was served looked like mini flour tortillas. I didn’t complain or ask about them so I don’t know if they consider those corn or flour. I was hungry and wasn’t being picky.
I did taste Michele’s enchilada. I’m always curious about a restaurants’ enchilada sauce. Unfortunately Michael’s fails completely here. The enchilada sauce tasted like tomato sauce. The refried beans were good and tasted better than the rice, which was a bit bland.
I tasted my sister-in-laws chicken taco and it was very good. Michael’s uses a deep fried flour tortilla for this which my sister-in-law really enjoyed.
For dessert we all shared some fried ice cream. I had never had fried ice cream before this trip and since I love ice cream, no one had to twist my arm on this one.
This dessert was served in a deep fried flour tortilla. The ice cream was coated in some sort of bread crumb mixture and then quickly deep fried. It was then covered with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry. Very tasty.
Prices ranged from $8 to $13 for combination plates which is reasonable and dessert was $4.00.
Service – Our waitress was pretty good although she seemed a bit impatient when Michele’s roommate asked a few questions about the menu. She could have been a bit more friendly.
Here is the big question. Would I go back? Yes, based on the general quality of the food and the portions.
Overall I would give this restaurant 3 and a half stars out of 5.
Service ***
Portions *****
food quality (taste)***
Price ****
Michael’s Cantina
The Hub
9th & Omaha Ave.
Norfolk, Nebraska
402-371-6707
If you know of a great Mexican restaurant you would like to share with us, tell us about it and I will post them all here. When we travel we can all find some great Mexican food to eat. Submit your restaurant review here.
Regards,
Robin
