Nachos in Paradise: Grand Leyenda Cantina

A few of us got together for an impromptu nacho night to check out the grand opening of Grand Leyenda Cantina in Ward, next to Ryan's. We got there for happy hour and were pleasantly seated in the bar section at a high top that would seat about 8 of us. The bar area is nice, comfy chairs and open air. The restaurant area itself is a bit crowded with short tables. We were especially stoked to find out that nachos were on the happy hour menu for $5 (extra for meat). The regular nachos are $11.99 (plus extra for meat). Our waitress, Deedee was fanastico. Since the happy hour nachos were smaller, they were about the perfect size for one person. We all ordered are own and devoured the plates. One complaint we had is that drinks took way too long (20+ minutes at some point). The food came out super quick, even before any of us had received a drink. Because it was the grand opening, they had a sombrero wearing mariachi wandering around and singing. It was lovely. And we got free desserts with the ID card as well as a 15% discount off of the food. The nachos were good, not a lot of complaints.

Nachos?

Otter Pop! (4!, I like it!) - Looks good! Beans are aweomse! RAD: Beans! Super good flavor, I like the menus and the mariachi kicks ass. LAME: My day sucked…but this made it better. Yay mexican stuff! i.e., beer AKA cervesa. T:C Ratio=3, seemed ok…I'm not mad at em. Server is super awesome! Love the atmosphere, much better than compadres.

Katia (4) - Nice lil mound for$5!!! RAD: Great value at happy hour, nice fancy ambiance, pretty servers, loved the fried ice cream and chimichanga. LAME: I might expect higher quality ingredients at a place with such fancy décor, but it is $5. T:C Ratio=4, good toppings on the veggie nachos. Good service but still had some kinds to work out. Some servers are hot.

SUPER adorable mariachi dude

Traci (3.5, basic but well done nachos - I downed half of each and would order HH again for sure!) - Small portion, but enough for pne person and not bad for $5, well $7 with meat. RAD: Good portion for the money, beans and cheese were good! included sour cream and quac, crispy home-made chips. LAME: Not much meat for an extra charge. Some chips greasy from the cheese (makes em soggy :( ), but I love the real cheese. T:C Ratio=3.5, some empty chips but small plate so mostly covered. Patio seating was comfy and airy. They make their own tequilla. Free chips and salsa! Warm chips! Musician took requests and serenaded us! Very nicely remodeled. Love the stone walls and floors. Desserts: Flan-too stiff, didn't melt in your mouth, caramel had a burnt flavor, Fried Ice Cream-I liked the outside, ice cream and whipping cream were generic, Apple chimichanga-my fav, like a fried apple pie.

Adam (3.5, nothing outstanding, very copasetic) - Single size portion, good topping coverage RAD: Modelo on tap, el mariachi, real cheese, filling. LAME: Was told steak and received ground beef looking steak. T:C Ratio=5, loaded unlike everyone else, I was especial. Service was slow. Dessert: They were free but just okay, nothing noteworthy.

Heather (3.8) - Plenty of toppings RAD: good prortion for one person (and for $5) and toppings included guacamole. LAME: No cholulu hot sauce, lots of smaller, crushed chips underneath, chips are thin and greasy. T:C Ratio=4, loaded but needs to be mixed up. Nice location and breezy, sombrero wearing musician and comfy chairs available. Desserts: Flan-not a fan, Fried ice cream-good for gluttony, Apple chimichanga-best of the 3.

Shannon (3.75, all the flavors were great together, basic deliciousness) - Small portion for happy hour, perfect for one. Would like to see the full size. RAD: Beans, real cheese, tasty chips, fresh guac. LAME: No spice whatsoever. Needs jalapenos or something. The drinks took forever to come out, the food came out much quicker. T:C Ratio=3.75, very few empty chips. Live mariachi singer was wandering around. Waitstaff was attentive and nice, place looks great from remodel.