Cavo's Cantina (formerly Tabasco Tex-Mex Grill), Rockville

[dbwebhead]

Last night, my wife and I eat at Tabasco's in Rockville, on Norbeck Rd. It's a small, fairly new family-owned tex-mex restaurant located in a small strip shopping mall as you approach the Georgia Ave intersection. I tried their steak fajitas - they were excellent, waay better than Mi Rancho/Uncle Julio's variety. In fact, I thought they were better than the ones I've had at Guapo's, Austin Grill, and even El Mariachi. My wife had the shrimp and chicken fajitas - again both were delicious. Dessert was a surprise - very good tres leches - a huge portion, definitely to be shared.

Downside is that the place is small and lack of room for you to wait for a table, which is what you will do on a Friday/Saturday night. However, if you secure a seat at the small bar, you'll quickly be served a decent margarita with warm thin chips and hot salsa.

Overall excellent value for the quality of the food. We definitely will return to try other things on the menu.

A published review can be found here

[ALB]

Last night, my wife and I eat at Tabasco's in Rockville, on Norbeck Rd. It's a small, fairly new family-owned tex-mex restaurant located in a small strip shopping mall as you approach the Georgia Ave intersection. I tried their steak fajitas - they were excellent, waay better than Mi Rancho/Uncle Julio's variety. In fact, I thought they were better than the ones I've had at Guapo's, Austin Grill, and even El Mariachi. My wife had the shrimp and chicken fajitas - again both were delicious. Dessert was a surprise - very good tres leches - a huge portion, definitely to be shared.

Downside is that the place is small and lack of room for you to wait for a table, which is what you will do on a Friday/Saturday night. However, if you secure a seat at the small bar, you'll quickly be served a decent margarita with warm thin chips and hot salsa.

Overall excellent value for the quality of the food. We definitely will return to try other things on the menu.

A published review can be found here

I want to second this review. My family is in Olney and Tabasco is now our go-to dinner place. Yes its small, but it is really delicious. My favorite is the beef enchiladas. That space hasn't had the best of luck in the past- so please spread the word to keep this nice little restaurant in business!

[DanielK]

Last night, my wife and I eat at Tabasco's in Rockville, on Norbeck Rd. It's a small, fairly new family-owned tex-mex restaurant located in a small strip shopping mall as you approach the Georgia Ave intersection. I tried their steak fajitas - they were excellent, waay better than Mi Rancho/Uncle Julio's variety. In fact, I thought they were better than the ones I've had at Guapo's, Austin Grill, and even El Mariachi. My wife had the shrimp and chicken fajitas - again both were delicious. Dessert was a surprise - very good tres leches - a huge portion, definitely to be shared.

Downside is that the place is small and lack of room for you to wait for a table, which is what you will do on a Friday/Saturday night. However, if you secure a seat at the small bar, you'll quickly be served a decent margarita with warm thin chips and hot salsa.

Overall excellent value for the quality of the food. We definitely will return to try other things on the menu.

A published review can be found here

This place got ripped to shreds last summer on Chowhound, so I hadn't given a shot yet, but maybe I'll swing by some time.

Truly annoying - the Gazette review does not include any restaurant info on the review page - no website, phone number, address, hours, NOTHING.

Also, my recollection of this corner is that there's no way to get to that shopping center coming East on Rte 28? You actually have to wait at that ages-long light, make the left on to Georgia Ave, go up a half mile, make a u-turn, and then come back.

Did they take over the spot of that Jamaican place that closed a couple of years ago - Grandma Cooking, or something like that?

[ALB]

This place got ripped to shreds last summer on Chowhound, so I hadn't given a shot yet, but maybe I'll swing by some time.

Truly annoying - the Gazette review does not include any restaurant info on the review page - no website, phone number, address, hours, NOTHING.

Also, my recollection of this corner is that there's no way to get to that shopping center coming East on Rte 28? You actually have to wait at that ages-long light, make the left on to Georgia Ave, go up a half mile, make a u-turn, and then come back.

Did they take over the spot of that Jamaican place that closed a couple of years ago - Grandma Cooking, or something like that?

I think you can make a left around 28- rather than going up georgia, but I'm not positive. and I believe its the grandma's cooking spot. but really the tex mex is good! I often think about driving there from bethesda when I'm in the mood for tex-mex. I don't always make it- but not in favor of another tex-mex joint.

[DanielK]

I think you can make a left around 28- rather than going up georgia, but I'm not positive.

There's definitely no break in the median to get into the shopping center, and going across Georgia is insane - there's no turn or turnaround for a while, and then you'd be stuck at the long cycle coming back across Georgia. Perhaps you can make a U-turn at Georgia, but this doesn't seem likely (or safe). This seems a silly thing to hold over a restaurant, but it's absolutely boneheaded design for that shopping center.

We will give it a shot soon - my daughter has gymnastics lessons off Gude and 28, so it's less than 10 minutes from there, and my ex-Texan wife does love her Tex-Mex!

[deangold]

I have now eaten here twice. It is a solid choice with good, homey foods and very nice service. This is not "worth a detour across town" food, but solid "great to have them in the neighborhood" stuff. I had the pork & onion stew (masitas I think), really good chile rillenos and Kay had good tamales. The guac is very good, they have great Tequilas at ery good prices, nice warm salsa and really good if altogether too fragile chips. The only real disappointment is that the rice sucks big time. On the opther hand, I have had two kinds of beans there and both were incredible.

A last warning: its a big, heavy, old fashioed kind of meal. Go hungry! I have yet to clean a plate there. Really nice people too! Daniel, it looks to me like you can make a U turn at 28. The pain is getting out of their tight parking lot and going south on Georgia which requires a U at the 1st signal west of Georgia which takes forever!

[DanielK]

I have now eaten here twice. It is a solid choice with good, homey foods and very nice service. This is not "worth a detour across town" food, but solid "great to have them in the neighborhood" stuff. I had the pork & onion stew (masitas I think), really good chile rillenos and Kay had good tamales. The guac is very good, they have great Tequilas at ery good prices, nice warm salsa and really good if altogether too fragile chips. The only real disappointment is that the rice sucks big time. On the opther hand, I have had two kinds of beans there and both were incredible.

A last warning: its a big, heavy, old fashioed kind of meal. Go hungry! I have yet to clean a plate there. Really nice people too! Daniel, it looks to me like you can make a U turn at 28. The pain is getting out of their tight parking lot and going south on Georgia which requires a U at the 1st signal west of Georgia which takes forever!

We're going to try to make it tonight after my daughter's gymnastics class.

Thanks to the magic of Google Maps, I can see that you CAN make a U-turn from 28E to get into the shopping center. Those street-level camera views are awesome!

Dean, I think you can go around the back of the building, and dump out on to Georgia going south, without having to turn on 28.

[deangold]

Dean, I think you can go around the back of the building, and dump out on to Georgia going south, without having to turn on 28.

Now you tell me!

[zzxzmsn]

I have now eaten here twice. It is a solid choice with good, homey foods and very nice service. This is not "worth a detour across town" food, but solid "great to have them in the neighborhood" stuff. I had the pork & onion stew (masitas I think), really good chile rillenos and Kay had good tamales. The guac is very good, they have great Tequilas at ery good prices, nice warm salsa and really good if altogether too fragile chips. The only real disappointment is that the rice sucks big time. On the opther hand, I have had two kinds of beans there and both were incredible.

Next time try the white rice that comes with some of the dishes instead of the yellow. "Sucks big time" is a little too much. It's not like the stuff's going to poison anyone.

[DonRocks]

This news is a couple of months old, but Tabasco Tex-Mex Grill has changed it's name to Cavo's Cantina (same ownership).

[DanielK]

I think I posted about it on Chowhound.

It may be the same owners, but based on my visit a couple of weeks ago, they went two grades down on their suppliers. What previously was fresh and vibrant was dull and uninspired on a recent visit. Downgraded to "avoid" in my book.