La Isla Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Lawrenceburg

If you are looking for great Mexican food, look no further than La Isla. Recently I had the chance to have lunch at this little Mexican place in Lawrenceburg. Just off Highway 127 and next to the County Fairgrounds it is easy to find. On the outside it looks like every other small town Mexican food place you have ever been to. It was probably a Pizza Hut in its former days. On the inside it is colorful with artwork and wall hangings everywhere. The place isn’t huge but its not tiny either.

For our lunch visit, I had the pork carnitas. For an appetizer, my companion and I shared the bottomless chips and salsa and a side order of pico de gallo. I am a bit of a “pico snob”, having had this salsa at many Mexican restaurants all over the country. La Isla’s is a cut above the rest, or I should say a ‘chop’ above. It is the basic mix of jalapeno, onion, tomato, and cilantro. The difference is in the freshness, it tastes like it was just chopped when you order. This pico is the new liquid of life flowing through my veins making every taste bud from the tip of my tongue to the soles of my feet dance with delight. For my entree I enjoyed the carnitas very much. The server delivered huge chunks of the most juicy, succulent, slow cooked seasoned pork. Seriously, when I set my fork to it, the hunks just fell apart and practically melted in my mouth. They came with sides of rice, beans, and a small salad with more of that Pico De Gallo on it. (Did I mention how much I love the Pico?). Overall the food was exquisite.

Of course great food is my number one priority when judging a restaurant but La Isla takes it over the top with great service. On the many visits we have made there, our servers have always been quick and attentive. They greet you at the door like you are a guest being invited into their home with warmth and friendliness. As soon as you sat down a basket of chips and salsa were placed on the table and in a flash someone was taking drink orders. All of the staff at La Isla seem to get along and work together as a team making their patrons happy. We did have one experience where the waiter made a mistake by leaving guacamole on my wife’s entree when she asked for it to be deleted. However they were quick to correct the mistake and had re-made her entree within minutes.

After our meal, we declined dessert because we had eaten way too much food. The great thing was that we got our bellies stuffed for not much money. Of course you could always fill up on chips and salsa but the entree portions were huge as well. My friend and I both needed a box to take home our leftovers. Our total bill for lunch for the two of us was under $20. This is a very small price for such amazingly delicious food regardless of the quantity. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a better value anywhere. Again, if you ever find yourself hungry and anywhere near Lawrenceburg, there is only one place you need to...

We walked in and waited. Had to ask to be seated. Went for the patio and was given the option of any table. I go for a nicer one in the corner that's also a good distance from other customers but I was told the umbrella was broke, so we sat on the other side of the patio. I could barely taste the tequila in my margarita and my chori queso never hit the table for 15 minutes and our waiter never visited us. I walked inside to address why and was told he would be right out. Which admittedly he was. So my question order finally went through and I got to eat it pretty quickly. But again another 10 minutes without our waiter visiting us and I had finished my drink a while ago. Oh and the best part was the table I wanted to sit at? Not only does the umbrella work but the lady who told me it didnt set it up right away for another party. I walked inside and asked for the check. I'm sure the food would...

I don't hold many expectations for any mexican/Latino chain style restaurant because you go in knowing it's not authentic, so the expectations are lower. However this establishment fell well below that line. Be prepared to be charged for everything, no included rice or beans on most meals (they charge up to 3 bucks extra), and substitutions for red or white size is all extra as well. Ordered the lunch fajitas and Jamaica. Fajitas didn't have much taste, little salt and pretty bland. Jamaica didn't have much taste as well, very watered down which is disappointing since it's 2.50 for this specialized drink. After my food was served, I had to wait 25 minutes until someone walked by to flag someone down for my check. The servers were nice, if only they came to the table more than one time.

When I was leaving, the outdoors, it was so slippery I almost fell 2 different times....