Salsa Cocina Mexicana

The food is not good. Service has been fine the few times I’ve been. Huge happy hour place for older folks.

This is not exactly what I’d call Mexican food. It was a subpar attempt at best. Those who don’t know better may be fooled.
Walked in looking for my party of 20+ and had to stand there for over a minute for one of two employees relaxing at a table to tear themselves away from their cell phones. Was sent to the upstairs room. The male bartender was outstanding, the room filthy, and the food was easily forgettable. I had been here before years ago when it was one star better.
My advice, search some of my other reviews on local Memphis Mexican food and go there instead.

Imagine being a little kid on a Christmas morning, and knowing in your gut that you will get that toy you’ve been wanted for months. You get up excited, and run towards the tree trying to find the package that holds your happiness. You finally see it, and you hold it, you hug it, and after a nod from your momma, you open it in a frenzy. Then you see it: its a sweater.
That about sums up how I felt when coming to Salsa Cocina Mexicana. I had been wanting to try it for a while, in part because it is by my office, but also due to the more than decent reviews. On top of that, I had a bad itch for Tex-​Mex food. Like, I had to go get some. As soon as my lunch hour arrived, I raced down Poplar and made my way to Salsa, located in a upscale-​looking mall surrounded by many office buildings. I entered the restaurant, and I liked what I saw. Nice décor, nice atmosphere. The hostess, a bit tired looking, took me to my table. And thats when things went downhill.
First and foremost, the whole experience felt very impersonal. One person brought me water, another asked me what I wanted, another brought it, another refilled my drink. I never really heard much of a word from any of them.
Second, and this is key, this was the least mexican mexican restaurant that I’ve ever set foot into. Perhaps a little step above Taco Bell in that regard. The menu was rather limited, a bit expensive, and contained almost exclusively Americanized versions of mexican plates, and some that were only mexican in name. It was so bad that I saw at least 7 or 8 awfully misspelled Spanish words and sentences in the menu. It was thoroughly disappointing, but I was hungry, and maybe the food was good, so I stayed and ordered a plate of tilapia tacos that included beans and rice.
Now, if the food had been good, the lack of mexican flavor would’ve been alright. But it was not. The presentation was pretty, but the rice was cold and tasted bitter, the beans were flavorless and were inside a very greasy tortilla-​made bowl, and the tacos themselves were very average. I had to drench them in salsa to make them taste better.
I honestly felt sad. Perhaps is my own fault for getting there filled with anticipation, but maybe it was just bad. If you want authentic mexican food, this is not the place. If you want average Tex-​Mex, this is not the place. Visit at your own risk.

I’ve been hitting a lot of Tex Mex this trip and it has been acceptable. The chips were warm, the salsa was cold and spicy! The salsa was fresh and had veggie chunks which is always a good sign. I had an order of guacamole which was okay. I ordered beef fajita quesadillas which I wasn’t too fond of. One side of the tortilla was seared while the other was lightly seared so it was close to soggy and would not hold up towards the end. I’ve always had pico de gallo with my quesadillas and this time I just got sour cream. Overall it was OK for a Texas girl.

Not your average Mexican restaurant.
It was a fun, friendly atmosphere with superb food.
Fish tacos and black beans tasted great.
Margaritas not the prefab type.
Nice severs and helpful staff.
I recommend.

Excellent! This is probably our new favorite Mexican place. Their cheese dip is to die for, beef tacos are like nothing I have ever had, and their top shelf margaritas are the best! Sit at the bar! It’s such a fun atmosphere!

Generally speaking, this place is pretty solid on the food and touch-​and-​go on the service. Prices are reasonable, and the drinks are great. A family friend even threw us a buffet-​style bridal couples’ shower here on the 2^nd floor, which overlooks the bar.
I recently went for the Cinco de Mayo party, which was standing room only! Cash bar only, too, but fortunately they took pity on my friend who was on crutches and didn’t say anything when we ganked someone’s patio table as they left (I think there was a list, but did not see said list). Our waitress was kind of fishy with our credit card receipt. My friend’s disappeared between my handing it to her and her getting inside, and they had already left. She wanted to know «how much they left for a tip». My credit card information was used fraudulently the very next day– I’m not saying she did it, but I’m not saying she couldn’t have!
I will be honest, usually I just get their soup or a chimichanga. For Cinco de Mayo we were really just there to drink and hear the Dantones play (they were outstanding all night long), and through the 3 or 4 top shelf margaritas, I cannot remember for the life of me what the food was. The restroom was clean, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Just bring cash!

Wow — not great food but we’ve always had great service til today — Daniel de la Paz worst manager — charged my friend one price for drink at bar and double for drink outside! Weird. Going to Owen Brennan’s next time.

This is your usual Mexican restaurant. Prices have gone up a little bit since last I have been here. What place has not though. Food is your normal Mexican fare. Nothing fancy. Reminds me a lot of on the border food. Service was pretty good.

The location is nice. The food is okay. And the service was meh… I will try to find a better Mexican restaurant next time.

My dinner was not as good as I remembered Salsa could be.
After a week of meetings I wanted a casual dinner and knew I could count on mexi food. I walked over from my hotel and easily found a spot at the bar. The bartender offered the standard chip and salsa and I ordered a corona light.
After reading my previous review I was reminded how much I enjoyed the tequila lime shrimp so after some internal debate decided to go with that instead of a combo. Bummer for me as I should have gone for something, anything, else!
The shrimp tasted like it has been swimming in tequila. It was bitter and nothing good about it. I pushed it around my plate and left most of it uneaten.
Either they changed the recipe or they haven’t trained their staff very carefully. I am disappointed with the inconsistencies and am now in no rush to hurry back.
Another thing I noticed is that I probably wouldn’t want to visit the restaurant in day light… There is a reason the lighting is kept low. The décor reminds me of bars in Ensenada.

This is a charming locally owned Mexican restaurant. I love the salsa and creamy cheese dip with the crisp fresh seasoned chips. I can make a meal of it. My favorite entrée is the pollo Colorado. This is a grilled chicken breast topped with avocado slices and melt ed cheese served with a spicy mole sauce served with rice and red or black beans.

After receiving a recommendation from the hotel staff that I was staying at, I was eager to try this restaurant. Unfortunately Salsa did not live up to the billing from the staff. I ordered the Burrito Carne Asada, chips, a small salsa and a iced tea for carry-​out. After waiting for 30 minutes I inquired with the hostess who took my order about the status of it she went go check. It had now been 41 minutes before I finally had my order and was able to pay for it.
Once I returned to my hotel room, a 3 minute drive, the burrito, rice and chips were cold and the salsa was warm. The cheese on top of the burrito which had melted earlier, probably after it was made about 30 minutes ago, was now hard and was more like a helmet for the burrito. I figured the burrito would have come with sour cream but was surprised that there was not any in the Styrofoam container. i don’t know if it was left out or if I had to specify that I would have like some, but what good Mexican restaurant does not serve sour cream with their dishes. The steak in the burrito while it had decent flavor was more of minced steak with several chunks of fat.
After pay $ 18.14 tip not included, I think it is needless to say this experience with Salsa was beyond disappointing and I would not recommend this restaurant to anybody.

I was excited for some good Mexican food on my recent visit with a large party of twelve. Unfortunately, Salsa did not deliver. They got off to a poor start with a nearly emotionless, sloppy server. He had no interest in being there, and it’s a shame, because that’s the kind of tip situation servers love to see walk in on a Monday night.
I liked the appetizer sampler and found it to have some good options. The guac seemed well seasoned, but the chips were a huge disappointment. At first I thought they were Doritos!
None of the mains looked good, except the quesadillas. I had the tequila lime shrimp based on the Unilocal recommendations, and I found them to be dry. The black beans and pile of bitter greens (with no dressing) served alongside the shrimp were inedible.
Lastly, the top shelf margarita was incredibly sweet with way too much salt on the rim. You should be able to taste the good tequila, not have it masked with a ton of cheap margarita mix.

I’m totally in love with the spinach and mushroom quesadillas here! There is something different about the way they chop up the mushrooms and spinach and incorporate it with the cheese. I might be hopefully wishing this but I almost feel like I taste a hint of cream cheese in there. Just sayin…
The atmosphere is just darlin’ and staff is always very fast and friendly. This is a great place for large groups too. There is a large area upstairs that could possibly accommodate a small party. There is a great area for outdoor seating too!

The fiesta inside with loud live music is worth eating at Salsa despite the lackluster food. We came with a large group of girlfriends and sat at a long table upstairs. Our server took a while to take our orders but did a nice job settling the bills with so many tickets. We enjoyed the cheese dip and chips and my friend’s tortilla soup looked tasty. I had the chicken tostada which was unremarkable and lukewarm. I think I needed a margarita instead of a soda to give this place another star!

This place is absolutely fantastic. It is a tad pricey if you are on a more strict budget, but I am here to testify that the food is worth it. I had the Pollo al Cilantro and enjoyed every rich flavor found in every tasty bite. Our waiter was very attentive and never let my drink run low or our chips run out. On a Saturday night, that seems like quite an accomplishment to me!
If you’re in the area, definitely give this place a shot!

We went here last night for a birthday dinner. We’ve been here before and it’s always for someone’s birthday. I’d say the Mexican food here is on-​par with everywhere else I’ve had in Memphis. However, what sets them apart is their atmosphere. Rather dim lighting and brick décor. The bar is in the middle near the front. I enjoyed the restaurant. I’ve never had bad food but it’s never blown me away. Last night I had the Pollo Colorado con Queso which was a grilled chicken breast with sliced avocado on top covered in melted cheese with rice and refried beans. It’s normally served on a bed of Colorado salsa but I opted for the queso blanco instead.
The fourth star was for the atmosphere but this is a 3 star «average» Mexican restaurant otherwise.

You really can’t beat the location of this place. The location is so awesome that you expect an awesome restaurant. Well, sorry folks. This ain’t it.
I had been here once before… for a birthday party, and for parties of 20 or more I really don’t think you can judge any restaurant fairly. And so tonight when I went I was excited. That was short lived.
The queso is supposedly the house specialty… but the texture and temperature was beyond gross and it remained uneaten. And the chimichango was another recommendation… but it was gross too. ¾ remained untouched.
The only savior of the night was the blackberry vodka drink…3 of those and it was delightful! Not sure if I’ll be back to this place.

Great location at Poplar and Ridgeway, so if you are hitting the high end retail in the area, stop by and have a margarita.
I actually have lunch or happy hour at Salsa about once a month. Regarding the food it is ok… it offers a Tex Mex style which is not my thing. When I do eat at Salsa, I enjoy the following
1. Chicken Enchilada Soup… Very good
2. Mexican Pizza
3. Jalapeño Poppers… these are just basic but good pub grub
I also recommend the Margaritas… Salsa is not stingy with their tequila and they make a great Margarita