Mar y Tierra Mexican Restaurant

Restaurant: Mar y Tierra
Location: 3000 Yorkmont Road, Charlotte (across from Yorkmont Cafe)
Website: n/a
Telephone: TBA
Food Selection: Mexican
Health Score: TBA
Hours: TBA


The Initial Walk-In:

Mar y Tierra recently opened on Yorkmont Road across from Yorkmont Cafe. They do not have a website, nor are they even on Google maps yet. I will be upfront and say, I missed some of the extreme basics on this review (see above), but still can provide sound insight. Mar y Tierra is located in an interesting building in the pseudo-industrial/commercial area of the Yorkmont Road/Billy Graham area.

As you walk-in, there really was not much in terms of atmosphere welcoming you. The walls were barren, aside from a few Mexican decorations. You pretty much walk into the restaurant too. They have booths along the walls and standard chairs and tables in the middle of one rectangular room. There was a party-area with a wall divider.

Course of Meals:

Appetizer: There was no surprise here, chips and salsa were provided. The tortilla chips were basic and straight forward. The salsa was not watered-down and it was some-what spicy.

Beverage: Top Shelf Margarita. The sizes are small (12 oz), medium (24 oz), and large (32 oz). I ordered a medium. The medium is a great size that was not tarnished by too much ice. However, it was a little to sweet for my taste (and I like sweet things) and I did not think there was too much alcohol present. Big bummer. I thought maybe it would I would feel it later, but I really did not. As a result, it was okay.

I perused the menu and looked at their options. Almost everything is under $10 on their menu. The only things that were over $10 were the fajitas and a couple entrees.

Dinner: I selected the Steak Fajita. It consists of steak, green bell peppers, salsa, refried beans, rice, salad, and a couple tortillas (either corn or flour). My food was served extremely fast. I was impressed. It came on two plates and a tin-foil pouch for my tortillas. The steak was good and not rubbery, despite being cooked well-done, so kudos to them. The veggies and salad were very fresh. They were crisp, crunchy, and refreshing. There was not hint of staleness, which I feel plagues a lot of restaurants. The beans were light and fluffy. The guacamole was light, refreshing, and tasty. As a result, the meal settled nicely.

My meal got the job done. For this meal, I was in the mood for basic, cheap, and straight forward Mexican food.

Atmosphere/Ambiance:

Judging from the exterior of the restaurant, I was a little reluctant to what awaited me inside, and my guess was right. There really was not anything in terms of atmosphere. Like I mentioned above, there are some Mexican decorations used sparingly on the walls. There was some 'traditional' Mexican music playing (it was more like Mexican Polka). They did have a live band, but I think there were working out their kinks.

There were a lot of large families there. As a result, kids were running around. It was a very diverse number of people.

Server/Staff:
The staff was very friendly. I had server #3 (he did not introduce himself officially). He was very laid back (but still very prompt) , and referred to me as "Amigo". He was very attentive and delivered on his part. Other employees also stopped by frequently as well. As a result, the staff gets a very high rating. It is places like these I dislike saying anything remotely negative because they are working and trying their hardest.

My Complaints:

*Atmosphere. It was almost desolate.
*The margarita. More alcohol please!

What's Special about Mar y Tierra:

*Staff
*Promptness of food delivery
*Simple, straight forward Mexican food

Closing Everything Out:

I spent about $24 (including tip). The fajita was $10.50 and the Margarita was $8.99. I would recommend Mar y Tierra primarily for the lunch-crowd. It was very fast, cost-effective, and near quite a few office parks. While it is not a Cantina 1511, it's a new business trying to establish itself in a weird location. I give them thumbs up for trying. So, if you want a straight forward, quick, and "get in and get out" meal, this place will get the job done.

~the RESTAURANT GUY