La Pampa Argentinean Steak House — Restaurant in Brownsville

I'm very tempted to give this restaurant 2 stars, but I think it wouldn't be fair to do so based on one visit.

Pros: Lovely decor. I felt like I was in an upscale Argentinian restaurant. The pictures of the gauchos on the walls were fitting.

The complementary bread was warm, fresh and tasty. The included pate was a nice touch, even though I'm not big on the flavor of it personally.

The Argentine salad had fresh veggies.

Cons: As I walked in, there was no host or hostess. The bartender was at the front and asked me to wait for her to come back. It only took a minute for her to come back, but it was just kind of awkward.

There were no menus at the table. This is typical of COVID-19 times, but there was not QR code either. After waiting a few minutes for my waiter, he was able to get me a QR code. I tried to look up the menu, but my phone has been having issues with data in town. Eventually, I was given a paper menu, thankfully.

The waiter was fairly inattentive. To be fair, his tables were seemingly all over the restaurant. Additionally, there was an 8-top next to me that looked like they got 8 separate checks (!) Still, he walked by me several times without checking on me. After dropping off my dinner, I wasn't checked on until I finished. I had one water refill. The service left something to be desired.

The steak was poor. There's no other way to say it. It was a poor cut, it was tough and it was bland. The cook seemed fine, although it was thinner than I expected. There was just very little flavor. It tasted like a borderline chopped steak. This was the most disappointing aspect of the night. I could forgive the other things, but there's just no way to sugar coat this one.

I'm from out of town, so I don't suspect I will ever return. I hope they can work on some of...

For one of the very few fine dining in Brownsville, TX, La Pampa lacks every aspect on fine dining. First the meats were great tasting, especially the Lomo and the flan was amazing. But the rack of lamb was definitely not a good choice. For almost 50 dollars, you would expect a decent amount of meat on the rack of lamb but I believe each rib may have weighed about an ounce. I don't recommend anyone getting the rack of lamb, until La Pampa finds the right butcher for those premium cuts. Now to the side dishes, how are steak fries part of each main course. If the aim is for fine dining, then French fries or steak fries should not be the main side for each dinner item, you need variety with your sides. Try sauté vegetables, mushrooms, add more asparagus, etc... Argentinean food has many sides that should be part of your menu. I was very disappointed with the lack of options to switch sides on a dish. Pretty much I requested to change my sides and the waiter was unable to due to the lack of choices. A flat out "no". The salad was okay but instead of sliced tomatoes, add small tomatoes. Your restaurant should be a la cart to allow clients to select items based on their likings. You are fine dining! I spent $600.00 with tip and I left disappointed. The wine selection was very minimal,, not too much to select. Pretty much the entire menu needs improvement. Waiters were poor,, not very tentative. Waiters in fine dining should be attentive to everyone, water should be filled every single time. My recommendation hire a waiter during your dinner times only to refill drinks.. Lastly the restaurant had a good atmosphere. I do recommend eating only the Lomo steaks, flan, the soups, and the bread that is about it. Overall, it's about time Brownsville has some sort of...

We visit Brownsville often to see family and had heard great things about La Pampa from several friends. On Thursday, July 24th at 5 PM, we decided to give it a try. The parking lot was completely empty, and the restaurant looked closed—but it wasn’t. We were the only guests there for quite a while, which we didn’t mind. It gave us time to relax, enjoy a couple of bottles of Prosecco, and order appetizers while waiting for my brother and his wife to join us. Our server was attentive, friendly, and did a great job checking in on us throughout.

Then the evening took a bizarre and disappointing turn.

When my brother arrived, he was stopped at the entrance by the hostess. She asked if he had a reservation—which he didn’t, and neither did we. Despite the fact that the restaurant was still nearly empty, she told him he couldn’t be seated. A larger group waiting outside told him to ignore her and go in anyway, which he eventually did.

When I approached the hostess to ask why she wouldn’t let him in, she flatly told me it was because he didn’t have a reservation. That was it. No explanation, no apology. Just an inexplicably rude attitude, especially given the complete lack of diners in the building.

At that point, we decided to close out our tab and go elsewhere. We had already spent over $200 and still left a 30% tip because our waiter truly deserved it. We explained to him why we were leaving, and he was completely understanding.

We had intended to spend the entire evening at La Pampa and were looking forward to it, but that’s not what happened. We won’t be returning, and I sincerely hope the hostess responsible for this experience is no longer the first person guests encounter when they walk...