La Bodega Taqueria - East Brisbane — Restaurant in Brisbane City

After hearing so many good things about this place, we knew we had to try it. We travelled a little over an hour and a half each way, but the journey was absolutely worth it. When making my booking, I spoke to the owner (Anna), who was so lovely and accommodating. When we arrived, the place was busy and the atmosphere was great. Despite how busy it was, all the staff greeted us warmly, and one of them directed us straight to our table. Once we were seated, they checked if we had any allergies or intolerances, and a young waiter gave us his cocktail recommendation. Not long after we were seated, a waitress came over to take our order. We started with the "Frozen Mango Margarita", the young waiter's recommendation: the "Frozen Passionfruit Pornstar"(spicy), a serve of empanadas, and the chips with guacamole. We were still deciding on our mains at this point because they have such a great variety—it was hard to choose! Our drinks came out very quickly, and they were absolutely delicious. The Frozen Mango Margarita was super refreshing, and the Frozen Passionfruit Pornstar was so flavourful. The hint of spice after each sip was something we hadn’t experienced before, but we loved it. Shortly after, our starters arrived. The presentation was beautiful. The chips and guac were so fresh, and the portion size was generous. The empanadas were the most perfectly shaped ones we had ever seen, and the pastry was super soft. We were loving everything about this place already.

For our mains, we knew we had to try the beef birria tacos. We ordered two servings of the beef birria tacos and one serving of the barramundi tacos. Once again, the food came out promptly, and the presentation had our mouths watering. The barramundi in the fish tacos was very light, and the pickles added an incredible amount of flavour. Then came the main event—the beef birria tacos. They were absolutely delicious. The beef was so soft and full of flavour. Once we dipped the taco into the consommé, it took things to the next level, adding such a layered depth of flavour. We both loved them and would highly recommend giving them a try. After this, we were still a little hungry (and couldn’t stop thinking about how good the birria tacos were), so we ordered another serve, along with the loaded fries. Again, the food came out quickly. The portion size of the loaded fries was insane—they were packed with flavour and filled to the brim. Such good value for money! After eating a bit more, we decided we were too full, so we took the rest to go, along with a serve of churros and a chilli choc brownie. We tried half of one churro on the way home and can confirm, just like all the other dishes we had, it was super yummy.

Throughout the whole night, every single staff member was amazing. They constantly checked in to see if we needed anything or simply stopped for a friendly chat. A special mention to Amparo, our main waitress—she was so kind, accommodating, and friendly. Overall, we loved this place: the food, the drinks, the staff, the atmosphere, the set-up, the vibe, and the location. We’ll definitely be making the trip again because it’s so worth it! We can’t recommend this place enough, and we thank everyone at La Bodega for such a lovely...

Food is ok, portions a bit small.

I had the Carnitas and it had a good taste with a good combination of ingredients, but meat was chewy and tough.

Unfortunately, service was terrible. We sat in the big table next to the counter, a family of 5. We waited a bit longer than usual for someone to take the order and then waited for 1 hour for our food to arrive (literally one hour).

After about 50 minutes we ask the person in charge if the food will take much longer, he says "you're next".

The food then started to arrive but at different times so a bunch of us were finished as the others were just getting their food... It's only 5 of us, not very hard.

In that whole hour, we did not even have one person coming to us to explain the delay, or even bring some water, nothing at all. What we did see was the high number of take away orders going past us every few minutes.

At least the music selection was nice, unfortunately the speaker is right next to the table and it gets loud.

It's interesting how a group of people can be there, waiting for food for one hour in front of all the staff and a metre away from the person in charge and not even get noticed.

The combination of average food and terrible service means we are not going back, but if you are, either get there early or get it on an app, better a bit soggy than waiting for an hour with poor service.

Reply Hi Ana You're correct, my order was pork al pastor, not...

We visited La Botega with high hopes, but unfortunately, the experience was disappointing on multiple fronts. This is what we had: • Chips & Guacamole: The chips were underwhelming, lacking seasoning, and the guacamole needed a touch more salt to bring out its flavour. • Tacos: We tried the pork and beef birria tacos. The pork was disappointingly dry, and the consommé lacked the spices and depth typically associated with a good birria. • Fried Chicken: While this was decent, the weird timing of the dishes left much to be desired.

Our issue was timing and taste. The pork taco arrived first, followed by the guacamole, then the birria taco, and finally the fried chicken wings. It felt chaotic, as though the kitchen simply sent out dishes as they were ready, rather than pacing them logically.

Also ordered a margarita and for $22, I expected a fresh, well-crafted cocktail. Instead, the drink felt like it was poured from a pre-made pitcher - absolutely missing the freshness and kick one would expect at that price.

Overall, the experience at La Botega was disappointing. The flavours were inconsistent, the service poorly coordinated, the staff super busy - but trying their best which was valued. The value for money was absent for me, unfortunately it missed the mark. There’s definitely room for improvement...