Casa Margarita

107 Edinburgh South Dr
Cary, NC 27511
(919) 462-1420

Casa Margarita is in MacGregor Business Park, which is, like so much in Cary, a rather faceless development off a highway. About the best thing I can say about the complex is that there's plenty of parking!

The food at Casa Margarita was tasty, basic Mexican fare, at below-average prices. It's the usual combos of tacos, tamales, quesadillas and so forth. We had no complaints about anything we ordered here, but the only food that really stood out was the fresh guacamole.

We've visited several times because the food is fast and inexpensive, making it a perfect destination on a weeknight when I'm too tired or too busy to cook dinner. Our weeknight dinners are made even better by the nightly drink specials and rotating dinner specials! Dinner specials tend to be a touch more creative than the mainstays on the combo menu.



There's a disclaimer on the menu, saying that Mexican food is best when prepared specially, and to please give their staff ample time to prepare your meal. Don't be concerned about the wait! Every time we've eaten there, our food has arrived very quickly.

The Boy and I don't have children, but this also strikes me as a very family-friendly dinner spot. Lots of kid-friendly dinner options, like cheese quesadillas, nachos, and so forth. And what child doesn't like tacos?

Overall, solid Mexican fare and drinks for an inexpensive meal out.

Piper's Tavern Easter Brunch

Piper's Tavern
8304 Falls Of Neuse Rd
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 676-7413

This isn't really the type of place we'd pick on our own, but our family decided to visit Piper's Tavern for the Easter Brunch Buffet.

Besides the part where the waitress served a tray of hot coffee cups from over my niece's head, service was what you'd expect for a busy place. A drink was forgotten, it was hard to find our waitress to get refills or creamers, but it was packed so I'll give them a pass.

The food was excellent for buffet food, everything was fresh. Nothing looked or tasted like it had been sitting in steamers or under heat lamps. The carving station, often a traffic flow problem in buffet lines, moved very fast.



I think buffets should be labeled. It may sound silly that I need tags for my bacon and eggs, but I mistook some kind of weird ground-beef-shredded potato mixture for hashbrowns, and my M-I-L was not pleased with the surprise coconut in her chocolate cake. I imagine pretty disastrous consequences of a diner being allergic to an ingredient instead of just not fond of it.

In general, I prefer plated food to buffets because eating out can be a visual treat too. Biscuits and eggs that I put on my own plate aren't as aesthetically pleasing as professionally plated food. It's hardly worth going out for something I can put together on my own. The buffet worked well, though, for younger members of the family who could chose exactly what they wanted, and with the wee ones happy, the whole family could relax and enjoy an Easter meal. It seemed like all the families at the tables around us had the same idea.

Overall, The Boy and I wouldn't return on our own for a buffet, but we would like to check out Piper's Tavern on a non-buffet day.