La Tequila — Restaurant in Buellton

The Tequila Mexican restaurant Buellton is a Hidden Gem. And I really mean a hidden gym. We were looking for a place for dinner as we were driving through on our way back North from Santa Barbara so we thought building would be a nice stop. some of the places we wanted were closed, but I stumbled upon Tequila Mexican restaurant. boy am I glad I did. I don't know how new it is but everything seemed very new very fresh and pristine. you have to go up to the counter to order and then they will bring it to your table. Oh boy another Taco Stand I thought oh well let's see how it goes. And this is how it went people kept coming in and ordering and sitting down and our order finally came up and was delivered to the table and wow. Looked beautiful huge piles of meat on each of the tacos I got.1 asada taco and 1 Carnitas taco. They were huge.. the salsa bar had quite a few salsas to choose from, at least five different. And several other of the ususal items too. Tasty o so tasty . and then heard you arrived also which was a shrimp taco and a fish taco and they had huge piles oh goodies on the tortilla. What a big chunk of fish for a fish taco and to top it off my honey who eats a lot of fish tacos gave this place best ever ever. Now you don't know her but I do and that was like a 10 star rating. So if you're in Buellton or anywhere near Buellton get on over to the Tequila Mexican restaurant and enjoy. Yum yum yum, I just wish it was closer...

I understand we are dining in during a pandemic which I appreciate. However, this has been by far one of the worst restaurant experiences I have had in such a long time. Not only was the food a disappointment but the service was just as disappointing. Me and 2 of my friends ordered wet burritos, 2 of them being with extra cheese. I personally had to pay for a water which is absurd. The server did not give us silverware or napkins which at first was understandable but then they didn’t even know our order and whose had extra cheese or not, so we had to take a guess and go from there. My friend requested extra sour cream and had to get up during his meal and go pay for it which was absolutely ridiculous. The wait for our food was over 45 minutes mind you, and it was extremely slow. Upon receiving our food the meat was tough, there was quite literally no beans and the cheese was not melted!! 10/10 would not recommend going here to grab a bite. I would eat Taco Bell over this establishment. We were not checked on and it was an awful experience. One of the workers operating the register was not wearing a mask as well and was using her shirt as a cover which should’ve been the first strike but I let it slide. I’ve heard so much praise about this establishment so I gave it a shot, however I will not be returning and letting others know about...

We went for dinner and ordered the Molcajete. We had the salsa on the side for we were told that it was rather spicy. Unfortunately, the experience was a bit lackluster. They advertise the dish as being "presented sizzling on a lava rock molcajete...". Needles to say, it wasn't the case.

The dish was served on a regular bowl and the meat was far from "sizzling". If anything, it was lukewarm. As you can see in the picture, it had a good presentation, but it was nothing compared to what was advertised. We were truly looking forward to the picturesque presentation showed on the restaurant's screen menu and online.

As for the service and atmosphere, while our waitress began our experience providing food customer service, that ended quick as she talked away with another guest while we needed help completing service for our order. Eventually I had to get up and approach the counter to ask for it missing items. The restaurant's atmosphere was spot on recreating the feeling given by the traditional "hole in the wall" Mexican eatery.

Overall the food tested ok and while the presentation was disappointing and the service a bit impersonal, it was only one dish and I am but ready to dismiss a restaurant based on only one dish. The have a wide array of dishes and I want to try other dishes before I give up...