Tin Lizzy’s isn’t your normal cantina. Most of us probably think of some sort of Mexican food when we hear that word, but it is actually quite the opposite. The word Cantina is derived from Italy, and this restaurant in downtown Atlanta fits quite perfectly.

The root word from Italy means, “cellar, winery, or vault”, all of which apply. The entrance takes you down a set of stairs off the busy streets in Atlanta into an enclosed dimmed dining room, which is beside a large counter where the food is cooked. Everything visible from the dining area is grand and rather fancy. The large amounts of decor were only one of the pieces to complete the layout. The large chandeliers and chiseled stone flooring really topped it off. There is nothing to not be impressed about, including the size of the “cantina”. It quickly opened up into a singular room with grand paintings and several amounts of seating available. 

As far as the menu goes, many of the options were not properly described, and our waitress needed to explain many of the details to us. Things as simple as sides, portions, meanings of foreign words, etc. were not listed.

And the second we all got our food, we all noticed something. Some plates looked much different than others—and it was not because we ordered different meals. 

My lobster ravioli was delicious. A well-cooked pasta, firmly wrapped around the creamy lobster paste. It oozed out of the doughy wrap while still maintaining its shape. The light orange cream sauce was nothing short of delightful. It even tasted expensive. However, not everyone at my table had the same experience.

My friends’ orders of pesto gnocchi appeared to be a leafy mashed potato mess. A simple touch of the fork, and it would smash into what looked like vomit. A seemingly hard dish to mess up, and it was still very unsatisfactory. Our waitress generously offered them new meals to replace it, and they took them gratefully. 

It was quite surprising that she was so generous with the meal, and she could tell we felt that way. 

Her honesty got the best of her, and she told us that the gnocchi is known to be bad. The pasta is cooked frozen, similar to a meal you could buy at the grocery store. She felt bad that we had paid so much for it, so she offered meals in place of them. While we did get substituted meals for free, it was still a hassle due to the unsatisfactory option. 

Choose wisely.