La Hacienda Draper — Restaurant in Draper

I don't often fall in love with restaurants like I did with La Hacienda. We stopped in with lower expectations since there are so many lesser-quality Mexican food choices around and we were blown away. The food tastes as authentic as food we have eaten at resorts and good restaurants down in Mexico. The portions are "American" sizes. And the prices are reasonable.

The chips and salsa are very good and are sufficient for anybody looking for a light appetizer. My wife begged me to try the pork nachos and all I can say is "wow" They were some of the best nachos I've ever eaten. Piled high with all the usual Mexican suspects: cheese, sour cream, guacamole, beans, meat, salsa, etc. And the chips stayed crispy right down to the last bite (you know how some nachos are soggy after just a few minutes?... not these!)

We then split the fajitas (and took a lot home as leftovers). We tried the combo with steak, chicken, and shrimp and I was surprised that the shrimp tasted good. Most restaurants overcook shrimp like this, but La Hacienda's shrimp was moist and cooked just right.

I'm not sure if every night has live music, but a man went to each table and took individual requests to sing and play on his guitar. I chose Santana and he did quite well.

Overall it's a fun environment (large enough for larger parties but still intimate for smaller parties). The service is wonderful (never an empty glass or salsa dish). And the food is VERY good. This restaurant is on my short list of excellent places I can recommend in the Salt...

I've been here a few times and it has never really been impressive, but i'm originally from another state much closer to the Mexican boarder, so maybe my opinion is biased.

Today's visit was horrible.

I walked in and stepped up to the counter and the two ladies who were standing there completely ignored me as if I wasn't there. After standing there for 10 minutes, one of them looked over at me and asked, "Have you been helped?..." Seriously? You watched me walk in...

Once I got my table, there were already chips and salsa there, I have no idea how long they had been there. Could the appetizer have been from a previous guest? I have no clue.

I ordered a meal that had ground beef in it, I don't remember what it was called. The waitress was warm and kind, which is why i'm giving two stars instead of one.

The food was kind of gross and the ground beef was weird. I've been feeling ill since a couple of hours after eating and I worried it might be food-poisoning. I have an early flight in the morning that I can't afford to miss and this experience is going to make my flight miserable for me. If I start vomiting, I will update my review to one star instead of two.

Update: Yep, throwing up now. Thanks a lot. It shouldn't be that hard to make food than doesn't make your...

I have been eating at La Hacienda for years. I have eaten there nearly every day of the week for both lunch and dinner. The food is amazing. I have had many different menu items and all are great. My top three are the smothered chile verde burritos, the tortas, and all time favorite the entomatadas with extra jalapenos. Service is generally really good. They have had a few new trainees that are a little slow over the years but the other main staff has been there for a long time and generally really good servers. I haven't been unhappy with the food yet. We have gone in really large parties and parties of two. They have always been really good to accommodate the large groups. Weekends are crowded and loud. Especially if the guy playing his guitar is there. That can be a little annoying, as he will come to your table, set his CDs down so he can play a song for you and expects a tip or you to buy his music but it adds to the atmosphere. We have turned him down before and he has always been very nice about it. It's sort of a game we play to see how many times he will get "La Bamba" as a request while we are there. It can also be cold inside the restaurant sometimes especially in the winter. If you get cold easily, I would bring a...