Las Hefas Latín Cuisine — Restaurant in Hays

I now have a new favorite restaurant in Hays! Las Hefas Latin Cuisine is worth every 5-Star review it has on Google and then some! Israel and his staff have created a fantastic restaurant which exceeded every expectation we had for our dinner! I grew up in Hays and have been to pretty much every long-standing restaurant here, and I can easily say, without reservation, that I may never eat at any other restaurant in town on future trips.

Our server, Brooklynn, was excellent! She was knowledgeable about the menu and brought our food out so quickly! She made sure we had everything we needed and checked back with us often to make sure we didn't need anything else.

We started with cocktails. I had the Paloma which was fantastic. My wife got the Caipirinha, which was so tasty it could be dangerous! Then we had the homemade chips and salsa. It was all so fresh and delicious!

For dinner, my wife had the Pupusas which is a Salvadorian dish consisting of bean and cheese filled corn patties served with curtido (a pickled cabbage relish) with and a red sauce with a side black beans. It was so satisfying and again such fresh ingredients.

I went with the Gallo Pinto which is a traditional central American breakfast dish typically found in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, consisting of rice and black beans sautéed in a savory sauce, topped with pico de gallo, avocado, and eggs (I chose over easy). The dish is served with homemade corn or flour tortillas and fried plantains. It was pure heaven from the first bite! The flour tortillas I had were so delicious, I ordered more just to eat by themselves! The plantains were fried perfectly! So many times I've had plantains before they were soggy and disappointing, but not at Las Hefas! The sweet, delicate taste was balanced by the slight crispy edges...just perfect!

If you are passing through Hays, or come here often, don't miss out on trying this restaurant! You will not be...

I think many who visit or travel through Hays have discovered and instantly come to love and appreciate this downtown gem. But, Hays Locals: Go to Las Hefas! You will not regret supporting this hyper-fresh, completely scratch-made, three-generation family-run restaurant. Try it just once, and it will become your new go-to.

I am in town for a family funeral, and today Las Hefas catered our post-funeral lunch. We had vegans, vegetarians, gluten-intolerant, kosher, and severe nut allergies to accommodate, and Israel and his team went above and beyond to meet each requirement flawlessly. That alone would have been enough to earn our gratitude and satisfaction, but in addition to just accommodating our needs, the food was legitimately delicious.

If you've only ever tasted the pasty, stale tortillas at your local mexi-merican family restaurant, you absolutely have to try the fresh, handmade tortillas at Las Hefas. Night and day. How many times have you returned the obligatory refried beans that accompany your tacos, burritos or enchiladas, untouched? Not so at Las Hefas - they are so full of flavor they could star on their own.

Don't let the unfamiliarity of "Latin Cuisine" deter you. My husband's 80-something-year-old grandmother tried ropa viejo for the first time in her life today and liked it so much that, after she went home, she asked for some more to be brought over to her house for her dinner...and even requested some to freeze for later.

From vegan to meat-lover and everyone in between, all commented on how exceptional the food was, to a one. Please support this wonderful new local...

My teenage son and I visited, and both of us ordered tacos. He ordered the steak tacos and asked for no onions and no cilantro. I ordered tacos de barbacoa. We ordered queso blanco as an appetizer. The queso was very thick and not very hot (temperature), which made dipping difficult. When our tacos arrived at the table, my son's were covered in onions and cilantro. I asked for the order to be sent back and made as he'd requested. The waitstaff was very gracious and apologetic. However, when the tacos were brought out to him again, you could tell they'd just tried to pick off all the onions and cilantro as there was still cilantro mixed in with the steak, and now the meat was much colder. He commented as well that the meat was somewhat tough and chewy. Both of us received a side of rice, which appeared to have absolutely no seasoning. It tasted like plain white rice with frozen mixed vegetables added in. My son also received refried beans that we both tried. They tasted as if they came directly from a can. My barbacoa tacos had tender meat, as barbacoa should be; however, it did not taste like it had been seasoned with anything but salt or maybe black pepper. The Verde sauce that was served with it tasted like water with cilantro. I inquired of our waitress what was in it. Tomatillos? Chiles? She had no idea even when I sent her to ask. She just said it was Verde sauce. The most flavorful thing was the sauce served with my son's steak tacos, a red sauce. You could see spices in it. Overall, it was a very...