LILA Wood-Fired Taqueria — Restaurant in Dubai

🌮🍹Lila Taqueria - A Foodie's Paradise! 🌮🍹

🌧️ On a rainy Saturday afternoon, I stumbled upon Lila Taqueria, and little did I know, it would be a culinary experience of a lifetime! 😍🌟

🌊 The one-day event in collaboration with Dibba Bay for World's Oyster Day was an absolute treasure. I relished the wood-smoked Dibba Bay oyster with the delightful green chimichurri, setting the perfect tone for an unforgettable meal. 🦪🔥

💥 But the real showstoppers were the Smoked Crab Tostadas with Honey-Glazed Stone Fruit Salsa! 🦀🍅 The burst of flavors and the refreshing, light sensation left me craving for more. They are undoubtedly a taste sensation that dances on the tongue! 😋💃

🐟🍤 Every bite was a blissful journey: Baja-Style Crunchy Fish, Chipotle-Honey Grilled Shrimp, and the exquisite Gringa de Camarón - each one showcasing the skillful craftsmanship of the chefs! The flavors were a symphony of ecstasy for the palate. 🎵🎉

🍖 The Al Pastor, a mouthwatering spit-roasted lamb taco available only from 3pm until it’s sold out, was like a culinary unicorn - rare, magical, and totally enchanting! 🦄✨

🍮 I also had the most beautifully made churros I have ever had in Dubai. Perfect balance of sweet and salty, crunchy and soft. 🤤🤤🤤

🌮 What amazed me even more was their dedication to sourcing locally, delivering authentic Mexican cuisine from Mexico right to Dubai. 🇲🇽🇦🇪 This commitment to quality and taste made every dish a celebration of Mexican culture, right in the heart of Dubai.

💯 Special shoutout to the incredible staff - Louis and Herley - who took care of us with warmth and professionalism. 👏👏 And a heartfelt thank you to the manager, who exemplified understanding and true hospitality! 🤝💕

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This is not just a restaurant; it's an experience that nourishes your soul with flavors and hospitality that transcend boundaries! A place where food becomes art and dining transforms into a gastronomic journey. 😍✈️

🌮🍹 So, if you want your taste buds to dance with delight and your heart to be filled with joy, look no further than Lila Taqueria! 🎉🌮 Trust me, this place is more than a restaurant - it's a foodie's paradise! 🌈🌮

#LilaTaqueria #FoodieParadise #MexicanCuisine #DubaiEats...

The place is small, casual and relaxing and more and more people arrived to create a nice atmosphere. It’s nice to see the chefs in the kitchen. Music personally was a bit hit or miss and didn’t suite the venue at times.

The staff were friendly and informative.

A bit underwhelmed with the food. Overall, quite pricey as a casual, unlicensed venue. But also that’s Dubai and it does fall within a similar price range to other places. Personally, 20-30dhs for a single taco (they come as a trio between 60-80dhs) is quite a lot considering the small amount of ingredients used and size (they are authentically small).

Ordered the guac and queso fundido to start. The guac and salsas were nice but nothing special. The corn chips were made of both yellow and blue corn and were really cool and different. The queso fundido, however, has left me unsure how to feel. It came with mushrooms which I feel is slightly weird for a Mexican setting although maybe it’s authentic? I chose to add the lamb chorizo to it as well and to be honest this was a mistake. Too many different heavy and strong flavours.

The tacos were really tasty. We ordered the chicken, fried fish and special short rib tacos. The chicken and fish were really nice. The disappointment were the short rib tacos. The meat inside was more fat than meat and considering the price paid I’d expect more tender meat than gristly pieces. It was a bit off-putting.

The churros were really good. Really crispy with the right balance of cinnamon and sugar. The only downside, I wouldn’t expect to pay extra for a tiny portion of chocolate sauce which, by the way, is authentic Mexican chocolate. It’s very sweet and has a rich taste. Personally, I liked the churros as they were and wouldn’t order sauce.

Not much to say about drinks. The agua frescas are really refreshing. I also wish restaurants would start offering local water. This is not so much a critique of Lila’s but Dubai restaurants as a whole. Especially at casual down-to-earth places where the objective is to have a simple, casual meal and really...

The overall experience at this place is a very good one. But, there definitely a lot of room for improvement.

The open kitchen gives fun vibes, waitresses are very nice and helpful and the food is good overall.

However, there are a few setbacks: -Generally everything is overpriced in respect to portion sizes. If you're really hungry you might have to order items that will total in around 200AED/ person. Something that you don't see coming from a humble place like this.

-Although some items were really amazing like the wood fired roasted salad and the Glazed Short Rib Tacos(which looked more like steak sliced rather than actual pulled short ribs), some are way below average.

Some items disappointed like the Al Pastor Salad (tasted so "lame") it was basically spicy mix of greens with 1 slices of grilled pineapple cut into tiny pieces. The Chicken tacos were really disappointing too. They weren't flavorful at all although they have the potential to be so given that the restaurant has a woodfire grill. Instead, the entire taco tasted plain and meh. The chicken didn't have any grilled/smoky flavor to it. And there was no flavor of peanut sauce and the menu promises. We would rate it as 3/10.

-Quesio Fundido is recommended if you're a cheese lover.

-Churros were really good, but the chocolate sauce was HORRIBLE. It tasted as if there is some sort of alcohol or sour cherry juice added to the chocolate. It was very weird no one could eat it and it ruined the entire churros experience.

I hope that the above get fixed and that portion sizes get revisited from the management to reflect better value for money for...