Although Cantina Laredo is a subsidiary of the shivers-inducing Consolidated Restaurant Operations, of Spaghetti Warehouse fame, designers have done an okay job of avoiding that chain-restaurant feel; although furnishings are trendified, they still manage to feel soothing and intimate, especially the cozy two-person booths. Lighting is dim, and there’s a certain pleasant bustle to the space. But the unavoidable chain bugaboos are also there: seemingly high staff turnover, an increasingly impersonal experience, and sketchy execution.

Good, strong, not overly sweet margaritas are the highlight of the bar. Guacamole prepared tableside is a pointless gimmick (if it were made in the kitchen, chefs could taste how undersalted it is—imagine!). Queso, too, is uneven. We are, however, fans of the “Camarón Poblano Asada” with sautéed shrimp, mushrooms, onions, and jack cheese all stuffed inside a grilled poblano pepper, which is then wrapped in a tenderized carne asada steak. It sounds like overkill, but it’s cheesy and harmonious. Order steaks rare, and they come juicy and delicious. Watery spinach enchiladas and fairly dry mole enchiladas are much less impressive, more in line with your expectations for an out-of-town chain. And bland rice is another weakness.

Residents of the multiplying Second Street District high-rises must still endure a lack of comfortably shabby authentic Mexican neighborhood joints, but at least they needn’t go without a decent margarita for long.