Friday Foodie: Festiva

I was beyond excited when I learned the creators and owners of Tinker Street (which is easily one of my Top 5 favorite restaurants) were planning to open a Mexican restaurant with a similar vibe: cozy, warm and madly delicious. Festiva is located just off downtown and boasts sharable, authentic cuisine. It wasn’t even open for a week before I talked Husband into taking me out for dinner (to celebrate our last week of Christmas break, of course, so there was a reason… :))

I could tell just from the outside that it was going to be a party inside. Bright colors, beautiful decor, and cheerful staff welcomed us as soon as we walked inside. Thankfully, we found easy parking and had no wait. We were escorted promptly to a table (the tables are quite close to each other, so be prepared to start a conversation with your neighbor). Our server explained that tacos are served in a “build your own” style and all entrees can be shared (this seems to be a very popular concept these days). We started with some fresh guacamole topped with pomegranate and pumpkin seeds. I was surprised by the large portion because many restaurants seem to go cheap on the avocados. Because I dream of tacos, I naturally decided to try them for my entree. Husband really wanted to order goat, but I talked him into sharing Al Pastor (pork) and Tinga (chicken) tacos instead. I adored the presentation and had fun trying all the different sauces with varying levels of spice.

Food was tasty, but for as much as the pork tacos were talked up, I thought the chicken tacos had surprisedly more flavor. Our server didn’t really explain the food when it arrived, so I just guessed on everything I was piling on top on my meat. I can’t eat Mexican food without a margarita, so I was excited to try Festiva’s version, especially since I know they employ a fancy beverage director, but I was sadly disappointed by the combination of flavors.

Overall, I thought the entrees were delicious and I would definitely order them again. I think there are better margaritas and guacamole in the city, but I absolutely adored the cheery atmosphere and friendly staff. It’s a great place for date night or meeting up with friends, so while I won’t rush back tomorrow, I know I’ll be back soon.

Rating: 4/5