La Paloma Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in La Verne

Original review from June 2019

AAAAA

I'm big on "word of mouth" restaurants. La Paloma was not a disappointment. My wife actually suggested this place and only suggested that it had good food. I love good mexican food, but was even more impressed with the great service from the staff.

Started out with complimentary chips and salsa, YUMMY! For the main menu, I had the shredded beef tacos which were excellent. Crunchy tasty and delicious.

Since the original review, we have visited La Paloma Mexican Restaurant numerous times and have been impressed with the service and quality of the food.

Update 12/06/20

We are in full Covid-19 restaurant pick up only--no sit down.

As much as I am a major supporter of La Paloma Reayaurant, I think I'll refrain from pick up orders until they are better staffed, and better able to handle the volume.

For starters, my wife made the pick up order via phone and the female employee rushed her off the phone without asking for her name (to know who the order was for), or what type of meat on one of the orders. The big red flag was when she told my wife it would be 45 minutes before the order was ready. Previously, even during Covid 19, the wait was 10 or 15 minutes.

Anyway, I go down to pick up the order at the pick up area. There was one patron, a lady and her kids ahead of me and she tells me to go ahead of her because her order wasn't ready, even though it was called in over an hour ago. It was clear she was irritated with such a long wait.

I move into position as the next in line. Moments after i was in line, several more people had formed a line behind me..

Now that im at the front, I could clearly see a table with five or six fully packaged ready to be delivered orders.

The problem was, the lone female employee assigned to this area, was taking phone calls and taking additional orders without distributing out the orders that were possible getting cold on this 50 degree evening.

I can appreciate the worker hustling and picking up orders directly from the kitchen and making curbside deliveries, but we had several people in line who were essentially ignored.

This actually went on for roughly 20 minutes until the same lady with the kids reappeared. She had to tell the worker (rather sternly), to stop taking more telephonic orders and dealing with other things until she had dealt with those orders waiting to be handed out on the desk.

Eventually, the worker got around to handing me our order, and by the time I got it home a short time to Claremont, the chips on the bottom of the taco salad were soggy and not edible. There was an u usually smell quantity of ground beef. My wife's enchiladas were also cold.

This was a $37 meal that I tried to make the best of, but let's be honest... had the worker handed the meal out as soon as I made it to the front of the line, this would not have happened.

Until then, be cognizant of what you order. Also be prepared to question the establishment on time issues, food temp etc.

Stay tuned...

This restaurant has been in our family history for over forty years. It had become the standard by which our family measured all mexican food. Or should we say americanized Mexican food? The food is always consistent. A tostada twenty years ago is still the same. They have not changed the rest Recipe of their enchilada sauce the entire time i've been going there. Their portion sizes are very decent. If you tend to be on the hungry or side you'll be very satisfied. While i'm not a drinker i'm told by family members that the margaritas are pretty good. Part of what keeps me coming back is the nostalgia of all the memories. We've had celebrating our birthday's anniversary's congratulations. We always knew that mom and dad would be happy here. Also the salsa and chips that they serve are pretty good too. Not too spicy not too mild. They have big table accommodations so when you have a family of twelve coming they can accommodate you. It is a little dark inside the restaurant which is pretty typical of most restaurants back in the eighties.. So it is a little dated in that respect. But the prices of food and the service are all a decent level and keeps our family coming back your after year. Sadly this is the first year that we've gone back just my brother and I has both our parents have now passed. You shared fond memories of the times we had been there to eat and we will continue to make this restaurant a tradition...

UPDATE October 1, 2023 They're now adding a $1.15 charge to use a credit card.

Original Review OVERALL: Traditional family Mexican Restaurant. Good food and good service at reasonable prices While not a top choice for Mex, it's a reliable choice. Good choice for families with children.

Our visits are primarily on Sunday after church. While the parking lot was mostly full, there was plenty of seating in the restaurant, so don't let that discourage you.

The Mexican food here is traditional So Cal Mexican with tacos, burritos, taquitos, etc. What they do, they do well. Expect rice and beans with most plates.

The salsa served with chips is rather good, and reminds me of homemade (from canned tomatoes). Hey, it's tasty, spicy but not too hot to eat--and fresh tasting.

The Sunday breakfast specials like huevos rancheros are good choices. Wanting lunch, I had a carnitas torta. It was generous with the meat, and came with french fries. At $8.99 it was a bargain.

That's what you'll find at La Paloma, good food at a good price.

If you're looking for higher end Mex, this is not the place. If you're looking for unique or regional, this is not the place. But if you're looking for a nice family restaurant, you found the right place.

The decor is dated, and the interior is too dark for my taste, but it's clean and comfortable. You can tell that most diners are regulars. La Paloma is definitely a local,...