Bone Garden Cantina - A First Taste

After reading the Blissful Glutton's review of Bone Garden Cantina, I was intrigued and wanted to give it a try. So, C-Dub and I headed over there last night for dinner.

Clearly, this is a photogenic fixture in the restaurant.
(Please see Exhibit A, Exhibit B, and Exhibit C.)

Apparently, we weren't the only ones with that idea. Not only was the placed packed but we also were lucky enough to run into Broderick, Beth, and a few friends dining with them. We were a little hesitant to have a seat with them since it seemed obvious to us that they had already ordered (drinks on the table, no menus) but we soon learned we were wrong. They had brought their drinks from the bar when they were seated ten minutes earlier but hadn't seen or heard from anyone in the waitstaff since. Little did we know at the time that this would be a common theme throughout the night. (A note - yes, the service was incredibly slow. But, I will say that all the waitstaff was incredibly nice and accommodating. I think they might have been caught off guard with the crowd that night. I suspect that they will improve over time.)

The long awaited menus. At this point, all of the dishes looked enticing!

First things first, C-Dub and I had to order some drinks. I ordered their sangria and C-Dub ordered a drink called "El Diablo". I wasn't crazy about the sangria because it had that Kool-Aid sweet taste to it. (I prefer more of the El Myr variety of sangria - super strong!) But the "El Diablo" was delicious, sort of like what Sour Patch Kids would taste like if they were made into an alcoholic drink.

Sangria to the left and El Diablo to the right.

C-Dub and I ordered their mahi-mahi ceviche for an appetizer and it was excellent. It tasted fresh and citrusy; a nice, light appetizer especially if the night was as hot as it was yesterday!

Mmm...delish!

After a long, long wait and many baskets of chips later, we finally received our food. My meal consisted of two tacos (one with chicken and mashed potatoes and one with grilled veggies) and a side of rice and beans.

Chicken taco in the front and grilled veggie in the back.

The chicken taco was really yummy; I think the mashed potatoes were a delicious touch! I wasn't as fond of the grilled veggie taco, though. The veggies were topped off with a peanut sauce that tasted a little strange to me in a taco. (Conversely, Beth thought that the grilled veggie taco was delectable mainly due to that same peanut sauce.)

C-Dub ordered a plate of three tacos: the chicken with potatoes, an al pastor, and a third that I can't remember.


He also really enjoyed the chicken taco but the al pastor left a lot to be desired. (We all began lamenting the closing of the Grant Park Zocolo, a place C-Dub and I often frequented for their al pastor tacos.)

My first take on the Bone Garden Cantina is that if you've got some time on your hands and friends to drink with, go ahead and give it a try. The mixed drinks were tasty and the tacos, while not super authentic, are on the same level as the decent tacos at El Tesoro. And, if nothing else, the decor makes for a good photography outing.

Bone Garden Cantina

1425 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30318
404.418.9072
www.bonegardencantina.com