Efrain's — Restaurant in Lafayette

This place is so lack luster... I've been several times with my family, and on this particular outing it had been a while, so I forgot how unappealing it is and made the mistake of coming here.

I was sat at a dirty table and waited 5 minutes until someone came to clean it. It took 10 to get my waitress to come get me and get me water. It took another 10 for her to take my order. At least that was fast, but it wasn't that hot. I asked for a box from another staff member because I had been done and not helped for a solid 7 minutes and he never brought it. I literally sat there, not touching my food, on my phone for 15 minutes AFTER asking him before she finally asked if i was done. I then waited for the box even still.

The service has always sucked. It's so bad, even my sister who actually enjoys this place asks which one it was, because they are just notorious.

That's just the service. The salsa is the tomato juice kind, and isn't that great. Sometimes you want to dip a chip in water tomato sauce, but pretty much never. The menu never speaks to me. The green chili isn't that great. It's really just refried beans and cheese if you want vegetarian, or even "vegetables". It's just such a bummer coming here, and I always leave having an anxious, because it's so bad.

The ONLY redeeming quality is they make good margaritas... which is the only reason I know my sister comes here. I hope and pray this last experience sticks with me, so I never make the mistake to come here again. I'd rather eat at Hacienda... and I love authentic Mexican food, and never have said, "I...

The food was very sub par and unprofessional. One member of my party ordered huevos rancheros and the eggs were misshapen and cooked for too long. Their beans and rice were very bland and were very disappointing for a so called “authentic” Mexican restaurant. Also a young member of my group has a wheat allergy and had to order a quesadilla with corn tortillas, a very reasonable order to which most restaurants are able to accommodate. However, when their food arrived the quesadilla was open faced and the tortilla was so crunchy it was practically a tostada. We then tried to explain to the server how they wanted their quesadilla cooked he replied “that’s all we can do, we put the quesadilla in the oven to melt the cheese. But we can put it in the microwave if you want. Maybe if I take this dish and put it into the microwave the quesadilla will become soft”. I’m not joking or exaggerating when I say that he claimed that putting the quesadilla into the microwave would make it softer, anyone should understand that you can’t take something that is burnt, put it into a microwave (cooking it even more) and have it magically become non burnt. Finally I ordered the blue corn enchiladas which ended up being three stacked tortillas with lettuce and tomatoes swimming in a pool of enchilada sauce. The dictionary defines an enchilada as a rolled tortilla with a filling, contradictory to the pool of enchilada sauce with tortillas floating in it that I was served. Overall the food and the experience was not at a level that you would expect and I recommend to anyone reading this...

I have been a periodic (six to seven visits per year) customer of Efrain's for about nine years. They have decent margaritas, great food and pretty good service. The chips are decent, the salsa is good and the menu offers a great selection of Mexican comfort food.

If you are looking for a high-end snobby Tex/Mex place, please stay away. The place is humble with a neighborhood feel - which can be somewhat laid-back at times.

On a recent trip to San Diego, my wife noted that Efrain's food stacked up quite well to Mexican food we had there. We are not self-described "foodies" but we eat very well and eat out often.

I personally am addicted to the beef chimichanga and the green chili (which can vary in heat level).

As a tequila fan, I would enjoy a more traditional coin-style margarita, but the ones they serve taste pretty good and are of a good strength. Our bill usually is less for the food than the drinks, but that is a good thing in my opinion.

Five star restaurants do not need linen tablecloths and a Maître D'. This one does quite well without them - and the kids (well not so much kids any longer) doing the hosting are part of the owner's family. It is one of the things that makes the place even more attractive to us. The core staff really has not turned over much since we started going - which means they must treat them well. That is another hallmark of a...