Las Calaveras Restaurant

We had a great time at Las Calaveras. Their food was fantastically flavored and cooked to perfection. In the past I have had tacos that tasted more like a fruit salad than a taco, they found a perfect balance of sweet and savory. The service was on point. Our drinks were never empty. Our waitress was great and so was the manager who came and visited with us from time to time. On top of all that they had live music that sounded fantastic. A great place, I can't wait to go back.

Las Calaveras is hands down one of our favorite spots. We went when they first opened, and yeah, the service was a little slow and food took a while—but hey, brand new place, we totally got it. Since then, we’ve been back around seven times. Anytime family comes into town, it’s pretty much our go-to spot. The food is consistently great. We've worked our way through most of the menu, and nothing has disappointed. We definitely have our favorites though—I'm all about the nacho plate with chorizo, the steak tacos, the blackened cod taco, and when they had them, the crab croquettes were amazing. The elk sliders are also solid. The atmosphere is laid-back, and the staff is cool and friendly. That said, one thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes the service can still be a little slow—definitely not every visit, but it’s happened maybe three times out of the bunch. Nothing major, just something we’ve noticed. It’s not your typical traditional Mexican restaurant, so if that’s what you're expecting, just know this place puts its own twist on things—and it works. Mexican with some creativity and bold flavors. And for drinks, the La Llorona is my favorite. It’s smooth, citrusy, and has just the right amount of heat to keep things interesting. Super refreshing and a great match with the food. All in all, it’s a great spot that we always recommend to friends and family.

This is a favorite new restaurant of mine in downtown Meridian. The food is so amazingly good it's hard to describe. I've been 3 times in less than one month and can't wait to go back! My favorites are the Jalapeno Rellenos, Quesa Birria and their guacamole is really good too! We've tried many different items and they are all outstanding! Lastly, the food presentation is very impressive and that of a high end restaurant. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of food.

Ordered Door Dash on a Monday 5pm evening from Meridian to my office dwntwn on 9th- held up great in Monday 5 traffic across town. Not just held up but was amazing!! Can’t even imagine it better but fully warm is likely just that- better so im in for round two likely tomorrow. Bringing the family for lunch. I said it on DD and I’ll say it here…. INSTANT CLASSIC ! Elote - halloumi blt-chips and queso= best work / office dinner yet. Go get some yall!

This was our first time here for lunch. Overall we were quite happy. We sat on the patio, so if you come anytime after about 12:30pm it may get quite sunny, although they have curtains, which may help. The menu is not your typical Mexican Restaurant type dishes. We each had the Cod Tacos, my wife had a cup of tortillia soup, and I had the rice for a side. She loved the soup and I thought the rice was also good. The taco's were tasty and for me 2 tacos and side were enough for lunch time. We can't speak about their drinks since this time we stayed with ice tea. One thing I've learned about Mexican resteraunts in the USA, in general, is to not expect what you get in Mexico, and accept that it's Mexican inspired, or TexMex dishes. This is from what I've experience over the last 30 years of vacations in different parts of Mexico. I'm sure we'll be back.

The food was pretty good, though I'd heard mixed reviews before going. We were seated at these high top tables on the right as you come in. I don't know who planned this, or if they cleaned and decided to move the tables, but I'm not tall and I hit my head twice getting into my seat. My bf hit his head twice also, just standing and getting his ticket off. Whatever absolute idiot decides to put a SHARP METAL LIGHT FIXTURE over high top tables, I want to know. Good luck sitting there--we had to move tables. We had a happy hour special on margaritas since it was Cinco de Mayo. I was ecstatic to see a huckleberry margarita, oddly never encountered one in Idaho before? However, we got that and a watermelon one and there was no taste of alcohol. It's basically very nice juice, with no hint of tequila. We got chips and salsa--the chips are fabulous, the salsa doesn't have much kick. The elote ribs were honestly pretty fabulous. I enjoyed the fish and chicken tacos, and my bf got steak tacos, and I think the shrimp chorizo skewer. Our waitress was lovely. I would go back but not for drinks, ever. If you need a stronger one there's a few places within less than a block that do way better, including The Roosevelt. Would I eat here again? Yes. Would I ever go near those idiotic lights? Nope. And this is me coming in sober--good luck to anyone who came in later with the spirit of Cinco de Mayo raging. I bet that was interesting.

We went here and had Maria as our server. She was fast with service, SO efficient, and SO nice!! Huge fan of this place. I had three tacos: chorizo, steak, and cod. I also had the corn ribs. All of it was phenomenal! I cannot express enough how amazing Maria is as a server, and I’ve been serving for 14 years. Also the shot glasses are adorable!!

The food here was literally some of the best food we have had in a long time. We tried several things but the Prawn Taquitos and Carne Asada Tacos are a must. The Shrimp Ceviche was amazing and their chips are so good! This place is a must try.

Fabulous food, environment and service, Marlee is the best! Lunch steak protein bowl For the win!

The Protein Bowl!!! The Service!!! The freshness! The Spice! And...Marlee! What could be better than a downtown lunch in the shade on their patio.

Cute little restaurant with a small eclectic menu. We arrived during happy hour so each of us had a half price margarita (which were very tart, a bit too much lime dominant), chips & salsa and chips & guacamole for starters. The homemade chips were very good. My wife had the tortilla soup which was good but too spicy for her. I had the pollo lindo taco which was one of the best tacos I've ever eaten. Wonderful flavors with a pineapple pico that blended perfectly. Such a depth of flavor, delicious. Overall they need to work on their margarita mix and offer different heat levels for the more delicate palates.

We stopped in for the first time tonight for dinner. The service was great and the food was amazing. The guac and chips were beyond good. Fresh and crispy home made chips and guacamole that was bursting with flavor without being Spicy hot. I had the "Surf and Turf" Tacos which had delicious and tender Carne Asada and flavorful and not overcooked shrimp. My wife had the smash burger which she enjoyed a lot. Staff was friendly and efficient. Our order was taken promptly and our food was delivered within a time frame you would expect. We will put this restaurant on our list of favorite places to go for dinner and we will be back often!

Didn't know if this place would be good so wanted to try lunch first and it was Yummy!! What great service and kind of scary atmosphere LOL with a New Orleans Vibe. We sat outside and it was very pleasant and we received good service. You know how sometimes sitting outside the staff forgets you but that didn't happen. Great waitress

This was my second time here. Very different experience from the first. They have very obnoxious live music on Fridays. Maybe some people like this but this guy has an electric keyboard that he carries and goes and stands at each table whether it's welcomed or not. It was extremely loud. Our server was nice but her follow through wasn't there. She ask if we wanted more chips and then never brought them. She ask if I wanted another glass of wine and the brought me a red when I was drinking white. She never refilled my husband soda or water. The surf and turf tacos were really good! The caso was barely warm and bland. The shrimp and chorizo appetizer was nicely done. The prawn taquitos sounded like a good idea but they were definitely over cooked. The crab tasted like fryer oil and the prawns were hard and chewy. Overall an expensive underwhelming meal with a karaoke atmosphere.

Service and food was excellent. Alejandro was very attentive and we appreciate the timeliness of the service. Chips were addictive and food was fresh

Husband and I tried this place last week around lunch time and we were very happy with everything we tried. Our server was kind and very helpful when we explained it was our first time. We ordered the Chips and Medium Salsa ($4/ if you are a salsa snob like me, you WILL be happy!!) the Nachos appetizer with chicken ($16/ pictured/ these are to die for especially with the chicken added), 2 Steak Tacos ($6 each/ seasoned well and packed full) and a side of the Elote Corn ($5/ be careful bc these things are so addictive!) Everything was very delicious and we left FULL. Our bill was under $40 and we felt that what we ordered was priced appropriately. The ambiance and decor was great, I loved it! It's always fun to find a place that can seat you outside. Thanks for a great experience and a fun date spot for us!

We tried a new spot and were seriously impressed--especially by the Mexican prawn taquitos. Perfectly crisp and full of flavor, and that mango chile sauce they came with...absolute perfection. We also sampled all the salsas (because how could we not?) and honestly couldn't pick a favorite. Each one brought something totally different to the table, and they were all so good. We sat out on the patio, which made it even better--great vibes, great food, and a perfect place to hang out and unwind. We'll definitely be back!

Went for happy hour. Place was about 1/4 full. Kitchen got backed up on our second order. Drink order came out wrong. The waitstaff makes too many trips to the tables without accomplishing anything. They look busy, but nothing gets done. This is a problem with direction from either management or training. We had an assortment of happy hour items. Loved the carne asada & shrimp (Surf & turf) tacos. Loved the pollo lindo taco - huge and very tasty. Had the grilled halloumi cheese and proscuitto tapas - salty, but really good. The shrimp Chorizo skewers were tasty. The Carne Molino was hamburger meat, blah. The tajin corn ribs were outstanding. Lots of flavors and sauces here. Not boring or commonplace. This place deserves another visit and it will get one Beautiful interior, lots of skulls (calaveras) all done up with a day of the dead theme. Nice, very nice. Lots of free street parking and a free lot behind the building. This is friendly downtown Meridian not the s-hole downtown Boise. Try this place. Your taste buds will thank you. We left knowing there is a lot of menu unexplored.

My first impression was that this restaurants menu makes no sense. It was hard to read and understand where the Mexican food was because half the menu was bruschetta and things alike. We came in with a larger group and a reservation and our server (young woman with long wavy brown hair) was probably the best part of the whole experience. She was really on top of it which I appreciate. We started with the chips, salsa, guac and queso and it was ok. The guac was super chunky but in a way that made it hard to scoop up. The chips were fresh and warm and that was great! The drinks were good and I got the steak nachos. I wasn't very impressed but I guess for being a Tex Mex kind of place it was decent. The decor is what threw me off the most. I felt like they were going for a San Diego Tex Mex restaurant feel, or maybe trying to be similar to a place Iike Mesa in Nampa, but it was giving "landlord special" and the bathrooms were rather dusty. The live music was.....interesting. All in all, maybe not my cup of tea but hopefully it will improve in the future!

Great food, love the tapas like halloumi blt and chorizo shrimp skewers! Also fun atmosphere. Fun events.

We went later in the evening and there was live music. We decided to sit outside and it was a nice evening. We got guacamole, nachos, and carne asada. I would come back, but probably only for happy hour. There wasn't a ton of dinner options - just dip, tacos, small bites really. But the flavor is great and food is great. Want to come back from happy hour for cheaper prices and when I'm not too hungry haha.

I met a friend here for lunch. He said that Las Calaveras has been open a matter of months. I had not heard of it. It seems to be a combination of Spanish and Mexican food. Located off Meridian on E Idaho, the inside has a casual vibe, with dark wood and tables that are between bar height and regular. Large windows bring in plenty of light. At noon on a Thursday, the place was not too busy. Our lovely server was Sophia. She was friendly and took good care of us. They have some great deals on lunch specials for $10, which I expect will go up as they become more popular. My friend had the taco and a side dish and I had the Power Bowl with shrimp and avocado (extra charge). We also got a flight of dips (guac, salsa, and cheese) with some yummy chips. My bowl, with rice and veggies, was yummy, and my friend liked his dish. I would definitely return with my wife to try it again. I don't know how busy it gets in the evenings or on weekends, but I'm retired, so I would come in the non-busy times.

First time visitor. We came on a Saturday around 11:30am for the brunch menu. They have both patio and indoor seating. Seating inside looked comfortable but we opted for the patio. Our server promptly checked on us and took our drink orders and answered questions. My friend and I ordered off the available brunch menu. They offered breakfast tacos, quesadillas, burrito which I was pleased to see. We started with chips and salsa and appreciated the freshly fried chips. We got the mild salsa which has a uniquely sweet flavor which may have been from carrots. My friend ordered the breakfast tacos with chicken and I ordered the breakfast quesadilla with birria beef. I must say the presentation and the meat ratio was good. My birria however tasted like pork not beef. The chicken tacos (3 per order) came with a nice sauce. Both included scrambled eggs and skillet potatoes. The food was fresh and filling. I can't wait to return and try some other menu items. We enjoyed our visit.

So happy we stopped in. We called ahead to see if we needed a reservation and we did not. Place was packed and we got the last table. Fresh food always pleases the palate. Guacamole was fantastic. Flank steak was delicious and the tacos were great as shared by my table mates. Decor, music and ambience was warm and welcoming. Live music on Wednesday nights is coming soon.

Good food Slow service. Maybe because it was Memorial Day, but things took a long time, even a simple can of Pacifico Will try again because the food was good

What an amazing New Mexican / Cantina joint in downtown Meridian. Inside very well done with great ambiance and atmosphere. Great art on the walls and lots of seating all around. We came here yesterday during lunch time and got seated right away. Service was 5 star all the way! Simply amazing! For food this place has a tapa vibe menu so that's what we went with. I will rate each thing below separately. Margaritas-5 star and you can tell some care went into making these! Chips and dips we had the guacamole, spicy salsa and queso-5star the chips are homemade big bonus! Salsa was homemade and guacamole good spice and delicious! Elk sliders-OMG delicious! 5 star! Shrimp and chorizo-5 star BLT- Bomb 5 star! Shrimp taquitos OMG if you don't get these you missed out so amazing! Carne Asada taco-5 star! Mahi fish taco-5 star! This area needs a place like this so bad!!! These guys are doing it right and hope more people come try this place!

TLDR: expensive, tiny portions, loud, and slow service (Wednesday at 6:30pm - party of 6) Cool atmosphere and glad to see more Mexican options in Boise. The chips and guac/salsa were good but not free. Ordered our food shortly after sitting and it took quite a while to be brought out. Two members of our party ordered the nacho appetizer as their main course. We saw them start to bring it out but then retreat back to the kitchen waiting to bring it out till the rest of the food was ready. At least 10 minutes, by that point though the nachos were cold. One member of the party ordered three tacos and they only brought out two initially. He had to wait another 10/15 mins for his third taco. Myself and two other members of the party ordered three tacos. All either $4, $5 or $6 a piece. The tacos were the size of street tacos, and you could easily finish it in two or three bites. They are way too expensive for what you get. If they were half the price I would have enjoyed them more but they weren't anything special.

Marlee was the best server. Great personality and she had great recommendations. Food was hot and quick. We had a great time.

Slow rude service-cold food when it did arrive-too bad because decor location chips and house margarita are on point! With health violation now posted-will not be back. Pic attached is from Yelp's health section on this place's page

The food was out of this world. We had the jasperito (plain AND fried) that was delicious. We also had the carne molida tacos and the Tuesday special)--delicious! As for the secret menu! The music was amazing--awesome 70s and 80s! Our server was Sophia who was probably the best part of our experience. She was kind and fun. The decor is Mexican and true to the calaveras name.

waitress was nice at first, then was bartending and sadly ignoring us, took long time to get guacamole side, to go containers, then had to wait almost 20 min while she served drinks to just get our check. did not like that no receipt is shown to you upon her wanting your cc. was told she could print it 'after'. we just wanted to see the charges first. and yes the bill was wrong and overcharged. food was ok, husbands flautas were served on a shot drink tray making it difficult to cut/eat. $2 for a super tiny cup of guacamole, really? Had high hopes, but would give it a 5 out of 10. service maybe a 3. bummer.

Went here on a random late Saturday morning, we were out and about and needed to eat. Everything else looked busy or wasn't open. Went here and were seated right away, wait staff took a minute to round but it seemed like they were getting started for the day still and they had tables on the patio. Wasn't sure what to expect, ordered some breakfast food, tacos, and sodas. All of the food was excellent, best breakfast burrito I think I've ever had and I was not ever expecting that. I'm told the tacos and the breakfast burger were good too. The food was all delicious, and the staff were friendly. Definitely going to come back here when we're out and about again

Let's start with the atmosphere, great , the whole decor vibe was great. Started with chips flight. 12$ for 3 sauces and chips. Honestly not bad at all sauces we're delicious That's about it they had there servers gathered together watching us all kinda weird These are street tacos for 6$ no freaking way was it worth it at all . Terrible flavor in the meat , terrible portion size . If you are hungry do not do not come here you will spend stupid money for absolutely nothing ! I love trying new places until I come into a place that's like this

First time here tacos are great salsa needs some heat cheese dip was curdled guacamole was delicious. Rice was terrible I make better rice quite pricy for tacos but they were delicious but overall idk if we'd be back

I came here with my parents on a Saturday afternoon to try somewhere new. I read online that this was a Mexican-Spanish fusion restaurant so I figured there'd be some good options. Upon arrival, the place is very well decorated and the overall theme is awesome. I enjoyed the art, music, and lighting. The space is well utilized and there weren't too many folks there when we arrived. The menu was a bit disorganized and I found myself having to jump back and forth and up and down to find certain sections. Usually, I don't have any trouble navigating menus at Mexican restaurants. The online menu lists fajitas but they were not on the physical menu. I wasn't interested much in the tapas, as I believe bruschetta is of Italian origin and represented a good portion of that part of the menu. We began with the chips & guacamole with salsa picante. The chips are homemade, greasy, and delicious! The guac was also yummy, however, the portion is small for a shared appetizer. The salsa had a good smokey flavor but wasn't real spicy. I ordered the tacos de venduras and removed the cheese and aioli and told the waitress I'm vegan and that's why I was modifying items. Accompanying my taco was some elote ribs (+$3) with no cheese or crema, also. It's $5 for one taco and they're pretty small. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I had only ordered one taco and had to order a couple more when it arrived. I asked for slices of avocado on the taco which they forgot, and then brought a sad plate of small slices on the side. The tacos were subpar tasty and the elote ribs had some sort of... batter on them? I scraped it off just in case it contained dairy or eggs. Beyond that, the flavor was good. In addition to my plates, my dad's Coca Cola was flat, which they did replace and it was still flat. He's a stickler about this, however, something for management to be aware of. My mom's side of avocado was also forgotten and then she found a hair in her food. Overall, this place has potential. The flavors are there and I definitely want to see a good Mexican restaurant in downtown Meridian. It would be awesome if they had more vegan options. There are some final touches to clean up.

Great margaritas, dips, chips, and tacos. Great service and their patio has misters going on hit days.

We've been here a couple times now. Good atmosphere, fun decor, tasty food. Eclectic music which was fun. Both dinner and brunch menu items were good. We were pleasantly surprised by the delicious brunch menu. Recommend the mimosas!

Excellent drinks and delicious appetizers. We haven't gone for a full meal yet but we've been a couple times for drinks. The drinks are delicious and the service is on point. Chips and queso was bomb

Excellent Food and Service!! I recommend the Smash burger or the "not on the menu" burrito... chimichangas style

WOW! What a great new edition to Meridian. Love the VIBE! Starting today 11/16/24 Las Calaveras will be serving BRUNCH. My gf's and I got to sample the Bloody Mary's and Mimosa's outstanding! We also had the Shrimp Taco and Grilled Halloumi BLT delicious! I highly recommend trying Las Calaveras!

Favorite Mexican spot in town. Food and service is always top notch. Would definitely recommend.

This is the $32 steak and cactus meal, $32 for a portion smaller than an iPhone, and 80% of the "meal" is veggies, there were 3 slivers of steak under the mass of veggies. Outrageous prices for the smallest portions I've ever seen, and this was an entree, not off the tapas menu so I cannot even imagine how tiny those portions are. Staff was great, but with these prices and portions I can't see how this place will stay around.

Great service, amazing attention to detail. Their chefs are top-notch. From their chips and salsa till they're great main courses. In love with this place!

Great Friday break for lunch special of 2 tacos. Delicious beef one and chorizo one. Side of tasty guacamole was great add on. Great downtown Meridian spot!

We came here on a Sunday afternoon and ate at the table outside (not on the patio but outside of that). The only complaint is where we were seated had a strong smell of stinky trash or septic or something.. it wasn't constant but def more than we'd like while eating a meal. But the service was great and the food was delicious. The surf and turf tacos were very filling and tasty. My husband and son both ordered the burger which was not your average American burger- it had refried beans on it. They both liked it. The tortilla soup was not super flavorful. Overall this was a very good experience and we will be back.

We had dinner at Las Calaveras on Saturday July 19th. The food and atmosphere were great, but wait and bar staff seemed more interested in chatting amongst themselves than service. We endured long waits to get water refills and rounds of drinks, which was very disappointing with how great the food was. It was our first visit, so hoping it was just an off night for them.

Great place in downtown Meridian! Chips are the best I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant. Queso, guacamole and salsa were excellent. Loved my surf and turf tacos. Service was great, atmosphere is fun! Can't wait to come back!

The best lemon drop martini & delicious food & excellent service. Ask about the delicious secret menu!

Great service. Great food. Can't wait to come back again. You gotta try it out. Sophia is a great server and did an amazing job. Frank also shared a secret.

Delicious food, outstanding service and great prices. Great addition to Downtown Meridians food scene.

Stopped in for the first time tonight my husband and I and let me tell you.. this place is amazing! Just what the city has been missing . From the colorful inviting decor; to the tasty prawn taquitos and margaritas. It was incredibly busy and for good reason. Our bartender Dallas was great, very informational and suggestive when it comes to the food and drinks. I came in this evening but have already recommended las caliveras to everyone that I know. 10/10

Great service, great food, beautiful atmosphere, and a ton of amazing options! Plus, DAILY happy hour! Please help keep this place open!!!

so yummy! the service was awesome and the setting is great! Marlee is outstanding! Las Calaveras has a really nice menu - lots of fun options!

Delicious food! The service and ambiance were amazing. The best vibes! In any wait to go back

Did was wonderful. Drinks were good- margaritas not too sweet! great Cinco De Mayo Show!!!

What a fantastic restaurant! My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the experience. We ran into an another Idahoan, Frank, at an art gallery in Naples, FL and he told us about this new restaurant. He said we should ask for the secret menu. The salmon tacos are sooo delicious! I'm glad he told us about Las Calaveras. We'll definitely be back!!

We had wonderful service And fun ambiance. Great new spot in downtown! Be sure to ask Frank about a secret menu :)