Anybody remember the Cantina on N. Broadway in Walnut Creek?
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Taco Tuesdays in the building that became Maria Maria, back when the latest last call in town was at the Blarney Stone
Loved The Barney Stone!
That was a great place. Miss the good ole days.
Carlos Santana was a co-owner.
Aunt Barbara-
Don’t forget Bing’s in Broadway Plaza. Another
celebrity themed restaurant with the Dudum’s
partnership. I heard it was a very elegant place
to dine but never went there myself.
I miss all these restaurants from the past. IMO it is hard to find a good Mexican restaurant in the area. Growing up, one of my favorites was El Pappago (sp?) in the Encina Grande Shopping Center.
Agreed…. El Papagallo was great. Excellent food, decent prices, a great bar & friendly staff. I went there alot in the 80’s.
We enjoyed El Papagallo also. That space was also occupied by the Red Rooster for a time.
As for Maria Maria, was that located on N. Main near Stan’s Brick House? I vaguely remember eating there one time.
El Papagallo
Tia Maria
The good old days.
Kirkwood-
Maria Maria is at the corner of N. Broadway
and Lincoln. I can recall as a kid when Stan’s
Brickhouse (which became Le Virage) was one
of the largest buildings in Walnut Creek. Do
you remember the sign on the front? It was a
large horses head turning back and forth.
Why do you always go negative Aunt Barbara? It would be nice to see you take a positive tone in 2021.
Hates leaf blowers, doesn’t like non English speaking bus boys.
🤔
BTW, the bus boys don’t take your order. How can they get it wrong?
Smelly creek? Is that the restaurant’s fault?
Making tasty mexican food…and serving it quickly…with plenty of cold beer…and icy margaritas…in a comfortable…booth-laden atmosphere…with friendly staff…and plenty of free parking…was standard fare for decades. Miss it.
“miss it”…ie; miss that era, not this joint in particular
I liked the Cantina. The food was OK and it was nice to be a little away from Broadway Plaza and get a dinner after shopping. I went to Maria Maria once and really hated everything about it and never went back.
Great place to go in the 1990s. I recall many lunches and after work parties there back in the “normal” days.
I do miss that place too. Taco Tuesday- get there early or wait in line. 😀
The best part about the Cantina was Renee <3
It was okay but it was no C.C. Ole’s.
As long as we’re into history with CC’s, how about Michael’s in downtown Concord? Quite the watering hole for a lot of business folk. The real name of the place was Michael Anthony’s, as I recall with fading memories.
So many memories at CC Oles. Really miss that place. The bars and restaurants that all followed all failed. Mr Pickwicks was one?
We loved CC Ole’s! It was my favorite restaurant in Concord. When the owners retired, they turned it over to Mr. Pickwicks, which moved there from Pleasant Hill.
Mr. Pickwicks had the best fish & chips. My only regret is that one had to replace the other. Claycord could definitely have supported both restaurants. Then, Mr Pickwick also retired.
When AJ’s took over, supposedly, they got Mr. Pickwick’s fish & chip recipe, but it never seemed quite as good. But we did have some fun times at AJ’s, watching friends do karaoke.
Mr. Pickwicks in Pleasant Hill brings
back fond memories. Authentic British
food and live music many nights. Could
I have some more Mushy Peas please!
I must have driven past C.C. Ole’s a few thousand times, even before it opened. Our house is nearby, but I can only remember ever eating at C.C. Ole’s once, probably about a year after they opened. I guess we weren’t very impressed, or we didn’t have restaurant money around then, or we just were going where the kid wanted to eat, or some combination of all of the above. When Mr. Pickwicks opened up we were in heaven!! My mom and I REALLY enjoyed eating there. Wonderful food. Even their bread, and I almost never eat bread. We were heartbroken when they pulled up stakes way too soon. I miss Mr. Pickwicks. I wasn’t aware there really was a Mr. Pickwick!😆
Cowellian & Silva-
I never knew there was a real Mr. Pickwick.
I’d always thought it took the British theme
from Dickens’s novel The Pickwick Papers.
Blimey, the things I do learn reading Claycord!
I won’t swear there was an actual Mr. Pickwick, but I do know that I loved Mr Pickwick’s fish & chips with the mushy peas, whatever his name was.
I believe you’re being honest with yourself. One can be honestly positive instead of honestly negative. Honesty isn’t the issue.
Great place, food and service! Not sure why it closed…. sure was better than Maria Maria there now 🙁
There was a sister restaurant on Park Blvd near where I grew up in Oakland. Nice place with good food.
Well Auntie, the reason I can recall that you’re so negative is because you were super harsh on me several months ago. So let me share my thoughts and ideas (freedom of speech). You should not pick on individuals like me because you do not agree or my posts annoy you or hit a sore spot..Happy New Year