My family received a complimentary meal to No Mas Cantina t All opinions expressed are my own and my family’s. Any additional expenses incurred were my own.
After a busy day in Atlanta, Georgia, we were on our way to No Mas! Cantina, Hacienda, and Adios Café. We weren’t sure what to expect, other than good food, because a friend of mine had been at the Cantina only a week prior. She came back raving about how good the food was. With our hopes high, we parked in the lot behind No Mas! Cantina and walked into Adios Café and the Hacienda. The café offers breakfast, dessert, and coffee seven days a week. When we walked in, it was too late for breakfast, but chocolates and desserts in the case were calling our name. Since we would be eating in fifteen minutes, we had to pass, but temptation was strong.
To keep ourselves from ordering one of every dessert in the Adios Café case, we walked on into the Hacienda, where we met the owners of the whole shebang. We were given Santos bracelets, with pictures of the saints, and told about the history of No Mas! Cantina. They told us that the Hacienda was originally the only part of the No Mas! Brand, and that they came up with the name as a play on words. You see, it really stands for “No Mass Production,” because everything in the store is handmade by artisans from various parts of Mexico. When they opened Adios Café and the Cantina, they decided to keep the name, and their quality standards. Coffee served in Adios Café and the Cantina is a type of coffee called “Cloud Coffee,” grown near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The coffee is called Cloud Coffee because it’s grown on a specific mountain slope, where it’s always foggy! My husband is a coffee fanatic, so he picked up some of the coffee before we left for the day. He says it’s “genuinely the best coffee he’s ever tried,” and he has tried a LOT of coffee.
When four o’clock rolled around, and all the bloggers, friends, and family had assembled, we walked into the Cantina. A long table had been set for us, and there were bowls of chips and salsa waiting. Since we had been exploring Atlanta all day, we dug in. The chips tasted fresh, and the salsa was good- blended, with a bit of a kick. Mom filled up on salsa and chips while we waited for our food, which was actually a feat because the food came out quickly after we ordered. While we munched on the chips and salsa, we took in the atmosphere of the Cantina. The decorations all appeared to be from the Hacienda, which gave the place a very cool vibe. The walls were bright, and it wasn’t too crowded.
When it was time to order, mom, Justin, and I all ordered something different, so we could try a sampling of everything No Mas! Cantina had to offer. Mom ordered the Camarones Brochette, which were bacon wrapped shrimp over a bed of polenta, with a pineapple salsa. Justin ordered the Camarones Alambre: shrimp on a sugar cane skewer over sweet plantains and a masa cake, drizzled with a tamarind sauce. Finally, I ordered the daily special, which was swordfish and veggies skewers over cilantro coconut rice, topped with a mango sauce. We all wound up eating off each others’ plates, although I ate a little more than everyone else. Hey, someone has to taste the food to write about it!
Although all the food was delicious, mom’s polenta was a standout. Although none of us were polenta fans before, now we can’t get enough of it. The pineapple salsa and shrimp made a nice, light foil for the rich, creamy polenta. Justin’s dish was slightly sweet from the plantains and tamarind sauce, along with the sugarcane skewers. I tried to steal bites of it from time to time, but it was gone quickly enough that I only managed to snag a few.
I’m a huge swordfish fan, so the daily special was perfect for me. I’m still looking for a copycat recipe for that rice, which was a deep green color. It added visual interest to the plate, plus it just tasted really good. The mango sauce was perfect on the swordfish, which appeared to be grilled. The fish texture was perfect, which is a feat many restaurants just can’t manage. The only thing I could have asked for was a bit more mango sauce, because I was sopping it up so fast that it disappeared before my swordfish did.
When our server came around to ask us if we were ready to order dessert, we were stuffed. However, we can’t pass up sweets! Mom ordered a dessert that turned out to be a giant brownie topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce, while Justin and I shared the mini flan trio and a Mexican Hot Chocolate. Mexican hot chocolate is hot chocolate with cinnamon and cayenne in it, which adds a bit of extra warmth and some spice. The flan trio was three mini flans: one was coconut flavored, one was topped with strawberry, and one was chocolate with chocolate sauce. I’m not a fan of strawberry, so I favored the other two flavors, especially the coconut. The texture was perfect, and they weren’t too sweet, like some flan I’ve tried. Service was attentive during dessert, as they had been during the whole meal, filling our drinks and salsa and making sure we didn’t need anything else.
As we were leaving the restaurant, several people checked out the Hacienda and Adios Café one more time to make a few impulse purchases. I noticed that a valet had set up outside in the lot we had parked in, and were now charging a small fee to valet all cars coming into the lot. If you plan to eat at No Mas! Cantina and don’t want to pay for a valet, come early or park on the street.
30 Comments
Often I don’t use a tripod because many Hummers in the great outdoors tend not to
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What a great restaurant to enjoy a meal with your family. The food looks amazing. I really like the flavor of Mexican foods.
LOVE Mexican food, it’s one of my favorites! This food looks savory and delicious!
Mexican food is my fave, this place looks amazing. I want to try that polenta so bad!!
My fave is Mexican food. If I ate my way across America it would be in Mexican restaurants! No Mas Cantina does a beautiful job plating 🙂
Looks yummy! We are huge fans of mexican food around here.
My family and I are huge lovers of Mexican food! My daughter could probably it every night if I’d let her LOL.
I’m so hungry, your food looks amazing! Mexican is definitely one of my favorite cuisines
Looks like a fantastic place to eat. Your photos are great, I have never tried polenta but it looks so good.
This food looks dangerously good! I love Mexican food so much!!
I LOVE all things Mexican food! Those chips and salsa are calling my name.
What a neat place to eat! I’m a big fan of AUTHENTIC Mexican food myself!
Your food looks so good! My favorite part is that this location looks like it was meant for friends and family to gather!
What a beautiful restaurant and the food is to drool for. Now I am starving. Loved your images.
My family and I love Mexican food and are always looking for new Mexican restaurants to try. We will definitely be stopping by for a bite! 🙂 Food looks awesome!
Mmmm it’s been a long time since I’ve had good polenta!! This definitely looks authentic!
Wow! That’s the kind of restaurant I’d love to visit. And, I bet it was hard to not only get dessert.
That looks amazing. All the food is making my mouth water!
This looks like a great place to get authentic Mexican food. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant, and the food looks delicious.
This looks amazing! I especially love the look of the dessert plate mmmmm..
Yummy! Mexican food is so good and that looks absolutely delicious!
Delicious! I love good Mexican food and this sounds like the perfect place!
The food looks amazing. I think I am ready for lunch now!
You had me at Mexican food, it’s my fave!! I love finding new gems too, this place looks amazing!!
The food looks delicious, especially that shrimp over polenta!
Oh that Mexican restaurant looks awesome! looks absolutely amazing! Love the atmosphere! And the food too!!
I love authentic Mexican food. That looks like a wonderful place to eat. I can see myself and the husband just having a nice quiet evening there, enjoying each others’ company over a plate of chips and salsa.
What a gorgeous restaurant. I love the decor, and the food looks yummy.
This looks like a nice restaurant. I want to try the Camarones Brochette!
Oh wow, that food sounds AWESOME. I love Mexican food!