Hacienda La Paz — Restaurant in Podgorica

Authentic Mexican Cuisine Disappointment: A Dining Debacle. My friend wanted Mexican food; yes, in Podgorica. So, I didn't want to object to the request, thus ending up at Hacienda La Paz.

If your palate yearns for the vibrant flavors of Mexican or Tex-Mex cuisine, you will be sorely disappointed at this Podgorica establishment.

Culinary Catastrophe (only speaking what I ordered and consumed):

The nachos, a staple of Mexican / Tex-Mex culinary tradition, were a dismal failure. The cheese, a crucial component, was woefully inadequate, lacking the essential properties that define authentic nachos.

The chicken tacos were equally underwhelming. Instead of the expected succulent filling nestled in a warm tortilla, I was presented with fried chicken fingers on iceberg lettuce topped with mysterious white sauce (bits of caramelized onion), a tiny side of beans, and “sour cream.” The absence of traditional Mexican seasonings was glaring, rendering this dish a far cry from the vibrant flavors of true tacos.

Service Shortcomings:

Despite the clean and nice ambiance, the service fell short of expectations. A drink order was placed, the Beer was set on the counter, and the waiter brought the beer with no head; the food Order was placed, and the food was delivered, but the waiter was nowhere to be found afterward… 35 minutes later asked for the bill, received bill; the server vanished, nowhere to be seen. We walked to the bar and paid the bill. This lack of attention left us feeling neglected and frustrated.

Conclusion:

This dining experience was a profound disappointment. If you seek genuine Mexican or Tex-Mex flavors, look elsewhere. The food was sub-subpar, and the service left much to be desired. Avoid this establishment if you value authentic cuisine and professional service.

If I may suggest, the owner and or chefs(cook) should do some serious culinary research online on Mexican cuisine or travel to Mexico, northern Belize, Texas, Arizona, and California and discover authentic Mexican and...

Look, you're in Europe. Not even in Spain will you have 1000% authentic Latin food. But this is one of the best places I've tried in multiple countries throughout Europe. Maybe mostly from the texmex side, but that's okay. Those Mexican rolls they advertise? Yes, they're southwest eggrolls.... The pinnacle of southwest american food. I've not seen a restaurant outside of America put those on. I was very skeptical about the food here because I've been let down so much. I don't think their corn tortillas are masa flour, but I understand why... To expect it here is a huge ask. What they did was actually well. They do what they can with what they have, and they do it well beyond my expectations.... Especially the drink menus. I'm definitely coming back. You guys should cut up the fish on your fish tacos though.... Pretty hard to eat. Lol. The birria isn't... Birria... But that's OK, what they serve is still good.... Just advertised for a different audience, but I can still appreciate it and it is good. we had a lot of the cocktails, all solod Good drink selection. Maybe a bit dark... Most people were only drinking... Man maybe you guys gotta start just giving complimentary chips and dip I don't know... The...

The food here might be fantastic but the service was worse than non-existent. Two guys sitting at the bar on their phones, totally disinterested and quite dismissive when we went inside to order a beer, after waiting about 10 minutes (having already gone inside when we arrived and said we would sit outside). Perhaps they were too engrossed in the Serbia vs USA Olympic basketball? Finally, one guy came out - twice in fact - and worked really hard to not make any eye contact, despite us gently trying to get his attention, so we couldn’t order the starters, main course and bottle of wine we were planning to...