1129 Weaver Dairy Road
Timberlyne
Chapel Hill, NC
Website
Entrees $8–20, easy to stay on the cheap side
Margaret's Cantina bills itself as healthy Southwestern cuisine, inspired by the owner's childhood in Arizona and the plentiful produce of North Carolina. Inside, the walls are either sponged on orange or green in a fern pattern. The present art display is a collection of modern portraits with a bit of a Mexican folk art bent. There is a large wire neon cactus in the center of the restaurant.
We ordered chips and guacamole to start. The chips were a little stale but I can eat anything with guacamole on top. Mr. Gourmez had Mexican Lasagna, which was surprisingly similar to a Gomez family recipe called Shipwreck. It's a casserole of fried tortilla strips, tomato, cheese and onion. Margaret's version also has salsa and chicken. Mr. Gourmez declares mine to be better because the tortilla strips were a bit too soggy, but otherwise, the dish was good. My own taco and enchilada plate lacked any special punch to it, but I was satisfied when done. It was overflowing with chicken, so if you like lots of meat, this is a good place for you.
We ended the meal with a cinnamon cream cheese topped cake and Mexican chocolate chunk ice cream. It tasted homemade and that's always a treat when so much of the cakes these days are from a grocery store. Moist and rich, definitely grab a slice if you stop in.
Margaret's is a fine place to grab a bite to eat but I think they may sacrifice a bit too much flavor in pursuit of healthier food.
2 stars
