La Ristra New Mexican Kitchen — Restaurant in Gilbert

Updated Review: July 1, 2021 Pictures are from a previous review

Hubby and I have come here on many occasions. I've left great reviews in the past, but tonight was a disappointment😟. Waitress was nice🙂 but waited along time for her to show up to take my drink order and order food, then she only checked on us once during the meal as she was hurrying to a different table. She finally showed up to give us the bill. Hubby had the Blue Corn Stacked Enchiladas with grilled chicken & Green sauce, topped with a fried egg & served with a Sopapilla. Previous occasions cost around $13, but now $16+ Hubby said his food was good but not worth the price...

I was disappointed from the start with all the 🥵 Peppers next to almost everything on the menu. Which weren't there on our past visits. I love green chilies, but La Ristra puts 🥵 green chilies into a lot of their dishes now. Everything I wanted had 🥵 peppers next to it ☹️. I finally settled on À la carte Enchiladas they were weird (I really wanted Tamales but both options were once again too Hot🥵)...I've never had an enchilada, look so sad before. Corn tortillas looked weird, I opted for Queso on top, because I was afraid any sauce would end up being too hot, queso was ok, (not enough of it) I've had way better out of a jar thou. Inside was almost no cheese with diced grilled chicken. The chicken was slightly dry but tasted decent but overall, I would never order enchiladas like that again...I guess it just wasn't what I expected. I'm use to enchiladas being Full of cheese n Meat n sometimes sauce. Then on top of all that they wanted to charge me $2 extra for the dry grilled chicken, which thankfully she was able to take off the bill when I asked about it.

And of course I was too disappointed to remember to take pictures. Doubt anyone would want to see my sad enchiladas. We probably won't be visiting here again. Older Review: prices below are old... One of my all time Favorite Restaurants! This is the 3rd time visiting here & I've never tried any item that isn't just wonderful! They start you out with chips & salsa. My favorite is mixing the mild & medium both have such great flavor and not too hot for me. My husband likes the medium & hot.

I ordered their Santa Fe Chicken Egg Rolls, 1st time trying. Just melt in your mouth good. You get Three egg rolls wrapped with chicken, corn, black beans, spinach, cheese, and jalapeños, served with a southwestern sauce, which is ok... sauce taste a little to much like mayo in my opinion. The Egg Rolls are great as a meal or an appetizer. ($9)

I also ordered my favorite Crispy Cheese Crisp to share with my husband. ($7) Also good with Green Chilies added, just a little too spicy for me

My husband had the Blue Corn Stacked Enchiladas with the Green Chili Pork & Green sauce, topped with a fried egg & served with a Sopapilla. He loved his...

After dining here and having the worst meal in a restaurant in a very longtime I decided to read some of the reviews here. As usual they were all over the place. The big take away for me is that management doesn't respond to any reviews including the negative ones.

I dined at La Ristra today. Walked in at 11:15am. There were 2 tables occupied. One table had a solo diner and the other table had 4 diners. I thought this was the perfect situation to get a HOT well prepared meal. Boy was I mistaken.

The service was adequate but the food was just plain bad. Green chili cheeseburger: Waitress didn't know the type of cheese that was on the burger. It turned out to be a blend of orange and white cheese that was tasteless. The burger was between medium well and well done. I asked for it to be prepared medium. The burger was gray in color and room temperature. There was no char or grill marks. It looked like it had been steamed. I know it wasn't but it was gray. I think it was a preformed frozen burger that was cooked. It was really dense like the preformed frozen burgers I sometimes buy at Costco. The manager said each burger was hand formed from fresh beef. No way. These were pressed with a machine. I don't know what the green chili tasted like. I only saw 4 very small pieces of chili. The bun was not fresh and I could not tell if it had even been toasted. The fries were fine but like the burger were room temperature. There is a huge difference between hot and room temperature fries.

Beer battered fish tacos: -Probably would have been ok but it was topped with finely shredded ice cold wet lettuce that turned each piece of fish into a cold mushy mess. -Rice and beans were meh. The rice was especially bland.

I spoke to the manager about all of these issues after we were done. She offered to comp the burger. I told her it wasn't necessary but she insisted. Her response to the overall poor quality of both dishes was that she would talk to the cook. My suggestion is that she spend more time in the kitchen especially when the place is so empty and make sure each dish that leaves the kitchen is perfect. Train your staff. After all isn't the manager responsible for the quality of the food.

I'm not holding my breath to hear managements response...

LA Ristra, Gilbert, AZ – A Fiesta for Your Taste Buds (and Your Instagram Feed) Reviewed on February 19, 2025

If you’re looking for a dining experience that’s as bold and spicy as a desert sunset, LA Ristra in Gilbert, AZ, has got you covered—literally, with enough melted cheese to make a queso volcano jealous. I recently sat down to a plate that looked like it jumped straight out of a Tex-Mex fever dream, and I’m still dreaming about it (or maybe that’s just the lingering kick of their salsa). The star of the show? A mouthwatering dish featuring a hearty chunk of tender meat, smothered in a rich, red chile sauce and draped with enough gooey cheese to make any carb-lover weep with joy. It’s the kind of dish that demands a tortilla on the side—not just for scooping, but for soaking up every last drop of that flavor-packed sauce. Paired with a side of cheesy veggies (zucchini, corn, and potatoes, if I’m not mistaken), it’s a symphony of Southwestern goodness that’ll have you questioning why you ever settled for plain ol’ tacos.

The atmosphere at LA Ristra screams “authentic yet approachable”—think rustic wooden tables, warm vibes, and a menu that doesn’t shy away from heat but knows how to balance it with cool, creamy toppings. Service was as friendly as a neighbor at a backyard barbecue, and the portions? Generous enough to fuel a desert trek—or at least a siesta afterward.

Pro tip: Save room for their chips and salsa—they’re dangerously addictive, like a spicy siren song you can’t resist. If I had one nitpick, it’d be the wait time during peak hours, but trust me, it’s worth it for a plate that looks this photogenic and tastes even better.

LA Ristra isn’t just a meal; it’s a celebration of flavor. Five stars for making me question my life choices—namely, why I don’t eat here...