Galveston.com Review

Hidden downtown, near the bus transfer stop on 20th & Market, is a new Mexican restaurant. Two in fact: one is coffeehouse "Nada", and "Que" a very interesting take on simple dining. We wandered down around 5-ish on a warm ArtWalk evening. It was a challenge to find the correct door to enter, and we went into "Nada" first. Never fear, however, as they are connected through a back passageway.

Once we reached our intended destination, we had to trek back into "Nada" for adult drinks. I had a margarita ("naked" on the rocks) and my friend had frozen; both were fine. I actually watched the waiter prepare mine, no mixer. One of these days I"ll go back for a coffee.

We zipped back into Que for into dinner. The setup is interesting. It"s a steam-table type serving system, in which you can build soft tacos from an amazingly wide variety of prepared fillings, everything from vegetarian to hot and spicy pork. It is possible to order tacos alone, or as a dinner with rice and beans (refried or vegetarian charro style). The idea is simple, the choices are many. Vegetarian could make an excellent meal here.

Where it was not simple was the time taken to achieve a dinner while standing in line. Staff was in short supply and it took an excessive amount of time to get food to the table; the ice in my drink melted before I sat down again. Perhaps we were there early for a dinner crowd. But they do need more than one fellow behind the counter. (There was a woman in front of me who insisted on having a taste of every possible filling before she ordered; needless to say that slowed things down a bit.) So the cafeteria idea is a good one, with some kinks.

I ordered two tacos, and took a risk with the "spicy" chicken fajita filling, along with barbacoa. I love guacamole so I got an extra serving of that, along with a piece of fried plaintain. These tacos were delicious! The guacamole was tasty, with big chunks of fresh avocado. My friend had a side order of Chili con Queso with chips which was creamy and good, although the chips seemed right out of the bag. He also ordered a plate with charro beans and rice. Both were fresh and reasonably flavored. Everything we ordered was fresh and well-prepared, and not overly spiced. Salsa was available for those wishing more picante. Fresh cilantro and onions are options with every plate. There were some delicious-looking desserts on the counter but I"ll have to go back to taste those.

I must congratulate Que on using "eco friendly" disposable serving ware, with plastics made from corn. Even better would be reusable dishes for eat-in diners.

The decor is simple, clean, modern and and spare, perhaps a bit too impersonal for my taste. I prefer the intimacy of "Nada". We could have taken our food in there had we chosen. I might do so next time. There will definitely be a next time. The food is fresh and well-prepared, the choices are many, and prices are quite reasonable. Ambience is totally casual. Que Cafe" (think of taQUEria and you "get" the name) is a fine new addition to downtown dining. Try it out.