Mi Ka Xi Da Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Kaohsiung

Mexican-themed decor whets the appetite for what is to follow; namely, a mixed bag of successes and near misses inspired by Mexican food dishes. No English spoken. Menus have pictures and some English subtitles. Cash only - perhaps e-wallet payments as well but no credit cards. Service is rather brusque but effective. Small seating capacity - maybe 5-6 tables capable of seating 4-6 people. Indoor seating (AC) only.

Let me say to begin with this is not a bad place. The food is flavorful. It lacks authentic Mexican spices and flavors (jalapenos, cilantro, etc.) but it strives to be faithful to the various dish namesakes and while you won't think you're in Mexico, you won't necessarily find the experience bad as a whole.

The menu includes tacos, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, flautas, nachos, and other traditional Mexican names. Most of them are fine dishes, with the exception perhaps of the chimichangas, which basically turned out to be cheese sticks - in itself not a total loss! However the guacamole was very respectable and delicious. The pico de gallo lacked cilantro and jalapeno but otherwise was tasty enough as a half-chopped, half pureed mixture of red onions and tomatoes. The tortilla chips were thin but crisp and undoubtedly store-bought. The quesadilla was very tasty and served between two attempts at tortillas that ended up with more of a flatbread consistency. The burrito was packed with ingredients - most of which seemed to be rice - but was tasty and plated in an appealing manner. Fajitas were not skimpy on the grilled beef pieces. Teh sopapillas were more like extra-large tortilla chips dusted in sugar and cinnamon and drizzled with a bit of honey-like (agave syrup?) sweetness.

Again, none of these things were bad or otherwise unappetizing, they just couldn't quite achieve the goal of authentic Mexican flavors.

The surprising arena this place shines in is their drinks. The jamaica was light and refreshing and on target in terms of flavor and sweetness levels. The horchatas were genuinely delicious and tasted like they could be made from scratch rather than a mix. The mango margarita was questionable only in what (if any) liquor it contained, but the flavor was delicious, appeared and tasted like actual mangos blended with ice, and was a very generous serving size. The fruit jarritos drink was likewise light, flavorful and not excessively sweet.

I'd go again just for the guacamole and the drinks. They also offered a red wine option that looked intriguing. I was told this was one of the better Mexican food options in Kaosiung and I'd believe that is likely the case. In this case a valiant effort at real Mexican flavors is better than no...

Expensive. Mediocre. Nothing authentic.

I grew up in California. This is just bad Mexican food. Most of the stuff is bland and not very tasty. Even the nachos is overly oily, Doritos would taste much better even if processed. And they don't have basic stuff like nacho cheese as side order. They bake the shredded cheddar cheese into the nacho and don't even know how to make it into a dip. So when I asked for nacho cheese on the side, I got a blank look.

I know many restaurants caters to local taste and don't have access to authentic Mexican ingredients but you just don't use slices of hot pot beef in place of ground beef. Nobody in South or North America does that. How hard is it to ground the beef for your tacos and burritos? Just use a grounding machine??

A chain Taco Bell beats this place and much cheaper also.

I guess the locals just don't know what is authentic. Nobody would eat this food if it was in Mexico or US.

There is another Mexican restaurant across the street. It's a little better but they also use slices of beef instead of ground beef.

Such is sad state of Mexican food...

Chicken enchiladas: Came in 3, filling, and enough for 2 people to split. If you want it to be more spicy, I suggest using the salsas they provide on the table.

Fish tacos (crunchy shell): Crispy, tender, and juicy. Chicken empanada: The chicken was a little more dry then I'd like but flavor was good - especially with some sauces.

Flan: Homemade. For my first experience, not bad and not too sweet.

Stick rice (mochi) empanada: This was INTERESTING. I didn't know what to expect, what I was eating, or if I should've liked it. It smelled like apple pie but was filled with mochi(?) and cheese. I honestly couldn't put the empanada down after the first bite though. Take a chance and order this. It could've been a little sweeter but between the crispy and chewy texture, it won me over.

Overall: Give this place a try! Everything is homemade. Don't let the price scare you off. For the price, you definitely get your...