La Cocina Mexicana — Restaurant in Kecamatan Abang

As someone who truly understands and enjoys cooking a wide variety of foods — especially Mexican cuisine — I found this restaurant quite disappointing overall.

Let’s start with the positives: the totopos (corn chips) were surprisingly excellent, possibly the best I’ve had. Crispy, flavorful, and clearly made with care. We ordered them with guacamole, but unfortunately, the guac was a big letdown — I’d rate it a 4 out of 10. It lacked key ingredients like tomato, lime, and cilantro, resulting in a bland and uninspiring dip. We even asked for some lime and cilantro on the side to try to improve it, and it did help slightly — but it’s hard to understand how such a fundamental recipe could be so far off. Freshness and balance were completely missing.

Moving on to the fish tacos: the tortillas were soft and poorly made — not crispy or structured as they should be. I’d give them a 5 out of 10, as they were edible but definitely far from authentic or satisfying.

Lastly, the burrito was nothing special. The beans inside were clearly straight from the can — no seasoning, no depth. Traditional Mexican beans are usually simmered with garlic, onion, and tomato sauce to bring out flavor. These were just… there.

Overall, the restaurant felt underwhelming. If you’re familiar with Mexican cuisine, you’ll likely be disappointed. It lacked the soul, freshness, and identity that good Mexican food is all about.

One final thought: the Indonesian staff were friendly, but I believe they would benefit from deeper training in Mexican culinary culture, so they can better understand and transmit the essence of each dish. Without that, the food ends up feeling soulless and generic.

Very average restaurant. Not terrible, but definitely not a place I’d return to if I’m craving real...

If you’ve never tried Mexican food before, you will love the food! I’m Mexican and we wanted to try it just to see what it would taste like. Now, if you know what real Mexican food tastes like, I’d give the authenticity a 5.5/10. Taste 6/10. Presentation 7/10. It’s fine and not bad, but not what Mexico or what California can serve. The staff were 10/10 great and the Latino music playlist was 10/10 like a real Mexican restaurant would play. :) They had “papel” picado and sarapes for decorations too. So I appreciate that. My margarita was fine! The salsas were fine. I would just recommend they use the detailed ingredients for the food. I’d recommend using actual pinto beans and revisit your tortilla structure for the tacos. The yellow corn tortillas should be used for meals like enchiladas, but not soft shelled tortillas for tacos. Maybe use a high quality corn tortilla and heat it with no oil. Otherwise, you can use a flour tortilla and fry it to be a close hard shell tortilla. And I would recommend the chefs learn how to make Mexican rice again. The birria needed more sauce. And just revisit the flavors for the guacamole and pico de gallo. The rice/beans/guacamole/and pico de gallo can help boost the experience if you nail those at least. Thanks for offering...

I'm American and I grew up eating real deal Mexican food. I love trying Mexican food all over the world, just to see what it's like. This is some of the best I've ever had abroad; flavor alone it's well worth trying, then the service, quality and serving size makes this place extra special. Probably from necessity, but so many components here (tortillas, chips, salsas and so on) are homemade and these guys do a great job. The tortillas for the tacos were pliable and flavorful, the mushroom taco very satisfying, the fish in the fish taco was the first time I've EVER tasted actual fresh fish after months of Bali "fresh" fish, the beans are really good, the salsa with the chips and salsa was 🔥, and hey the margaritas were high quality and awesome too. I would go back any time I'm craving...