Courtesy of Botanas
Botanas has been a colorful, casual cantina and a neighborhood gem for 20 years. Whether it’s your first time or if you are a regular, you are greeted like family. Botanas has done an amazing job sustaining their restaurant and staff, but also regrouping during these trying times for the restaurant industry.
First, they took the Shelter at Home downtime to give the restaurant a little face lift with new floors and a few updates. Don’t worry, all the wall murals and decorations that make this place special are still intact, but new are the steps they are taking to ensure a safe environment for diners and staff. Before you even enter, the humor and fun of this restaurant makes you smile with La Calavera Catrina gracing the entry and of course donning a mask. Red circles 6-ft apart on the floors and spaced out tables, which are easy to do in this large capacity restaurant, make it easy for dining in or out on the patio. The patio is lovely with flowers, a fountain and umbrellaed tables to help beat the heat. Employees really take time to sanitize, wear masks and gloves and upon our arrival we noticed that the host was wiping down and sanitizing each menu after each use. They are only using plastic cups for drinks and no limes or glasses dipped in salt at this time. The thing is, the food, service and margaritas are so good, you don’t even miss that salt and lime in that cactus margarita glass. They have a nice selection of margaritas by the glass ($6.50-$12), half pitcher ($15-$24) or full pitcher ($25-$42)
A disposable basket filled with chips and salsa promptly arrive at your table and they happily refill upon request. Botanas’ massive menu and all the options available are generously portioned and a great value. If you go to Botanas during the week between 11 a.m and 2 p.m., take advantage of the mini combos ($8.95-$9.95) that include rice and beans, but the biggest bonus is the enchilada soup included in a special lunch price. This soup also available on the regular menu for purchase by cup or bowl ($2.95-$4.95) and you won’t want to leave without trying it. It’s a creamy, cheesy soup packed with flavor and crunchy strips of tortilla on top.
There are combination plates to choose from and you can mix and match your proteins. Botanas offers vegetarian options and many fish options too. On these blistering hot days, the Botanas’ famous shrimp cocktail (you can also get this hot) is so refreshing ($14.95 or $12.50 for a half order). It is full of shrimp, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado all bathed in the chef’s special red sauce. One of my favorite appetizers are the firecrackers ($10.95)– six roasted jalapenos stuffed with loads of Mexican chihuahua cheese and are also available stuffed with assorted proteins.
The fajitas ($17.95-$22.95) include options of chicken, shrimp steak or a combination of half chicken and steak. The vegetarian special of chili relleno ($11.95) hits the mark of cheese and heat that you look for in this dish. They offer different types of enchiladas, but if you can’t decide, try the enchilada platter with all four moles ($15). The tacos al pastor with marinated spicy pork, tacos ala plancha (good option if you want the flavors of fajitas but don’t want so much), taco carne asada or barbacoa are all on the menu with choice of flour or corn tortilla. They have many options ala carte.
Desserts are a treat if you can find room for the Mexican cheesecake, flan and fried ice cream ($4.50-$6). There are so many wonderful dishes I look forward to the next 20 years to get through their menu.
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