A La Mexicana Authentic Mexican Food — Restaurant in Sandwell

I’ve been going to the reataurant for a while now and each and every single time I’ve been has been an outstanding and great experience!

If you’re thinking of going to a chain mexican restaurant - don’t. Come here instead. The food, drinks, hospitality and price point are miles ahead (we went to chiquitos a week before and had a terrible dining experience and it was also £30 more expensive for less food at a poor quality).

Every single time upon arrival you’re greeted with smiles and a warm welcome - there has never once been a time where you catch someone in a bad mood, this certainly uplifts the dining experience to what I would say not even michelin starred establishments could ever touch.

We booked a table for 2 and because it wasn’t busy we were able to choose our seating, the wait staff were attentive and listened to our needs, being someone who was on a low carb diet they made sure that my needs were catered for and also made special accommodations for my partner!

The decor and atmosphere takes you away from the drab and dreary setting in Birmingham and transports you to Mexico, and the music puts you in such a great mood! Even the kitchen staff have a smile on their faces and it really sets a good vibe for your evening.

To start, we ordered the sharer nachos with queso and the shrimp and chorizo - both were absolutely delicious - the food here really does have that certain flare that can only be achieved with the right ingredients and quality. Tortilla chips are made fresh and are such a crunchy delight. Definitely recommend trying all salsas they have to offer (if you can tolerate spice). The sauce for the chorizo and prawns had a robust and deep flavour - which could only be achieved with time and experience.

For mains we ordered the chicken fajitas, and the pechuga a la mexicana - both were at a generous portion size for their price and tasted amazing. The standout for the fajitas was definitely the savoury spice (although it wasn’t hot spice) on the chicken - alongside the char on the peppers and onions - this helped elevate the flavour of the meal and add a real depth to the dish. The pechuga was also packed with flavour - and attention to detail was put into every component of the dish - even the salad which at a chain restaurant would usually be a sad bag of leaves - but here you could tell it was constructed for you with avocados - radishes - salad leaves, cucumbers and a dressing to die for. Here the salsas and the pico de gallo also gave the dishes another burst of flavour which is key when you get a big portion size.

We took the chocolate flan cake to go and my partner praised the combination - the flan made sure that the cake didnt dry out the palette and it had a creamy texture and consistency - high praise coming from my partner who is a baker by profession.

The alcoholic beverages are a real treat too - the jarritos cocktails are a real burst of flavour and give you an idea of what Mexican hospitality is - they are also generous with the tequila so you’ll be sure to have a good time!

Before we had realised it we had spent close to 2 hours there and didnt even notice...

Great taste food wise. The only thing I would like to point out is the portion sizes would need to be a bit bigger for the price paid. I am happy to pay the same price, don't get me wrong, but for about 9 pound I had 3 little tortillas on a plate with a bit of meat and veg. (You can browse through other people's pics)

They tasted great, I get that the quality might be fresh etc, but I was still a bit hungry after that - and that was a main course.

It was only 3 palm zise tortilla as I mentioned above.

I was so happy until I saw the portion sizes for the price you pay.

That is the same price you would pay in a restaurant in Birmingham, and at least there, for a 10 pound you will feel full.

Please don't take it as a negative, you are ticking most of the right boxes, little inside, family friendly, family owned business, cosy inside (not formal), but you are asking for higher prices and giving small portions.

After all, I shouldn't be hungry after a main dish.

A little bit extra on the plate for the price paid might have us coming back, if feeling full. It's a win for you as a owner, but you want to make profit by taking from portion size, which is not the smartest idea, as you actually lose more as a restaurant owner.

After all, you make more money with people coming back again to order and eat at your place, and not with making portions too small.

Stop being so greedy and look at the bigger...

Looking at the reviews, I was super keen to try this place out. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, and the place is simple but nice. Given those reviews, and photos of he food online, I was ready to be wowed. The guacamole was very tasty; if the rest of the meal had been as good as that, it would be a four star review.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. Given the other reviews, maybe we were just unlucky, but our fajitas were under seasoned and really overcooked - some of my friend's beef was so over he had to spit it out, and my prawns (the portion of which was tiny compared to the beef, and burned for the most part) were disappointing. In addition, the fajitas came with three tiny (but actually pretty good) tortillas... which wasn't enough for the meal by a long shot.

Everybody else reviewing seems to love the place, so maybe we were just unlucky, but the food was (overall) disappointing. They seem like good people, so I'm sad to leave a negative review, but really I would have had more satisfying fajitas if I had made them at home with one of those kits (at a cheaper price). So: guacamole tasty, tortilla wraps very good (but mean portion size), but the main dish was a massive letdown.

My other friend, just to add, did enjoy his burrito more than we enjoyed our fajitas, but did say that they weren't 4.9/5 level good - more...