Baja Sonora Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Long Beach

Now I don't normally like to leave bad reviews on beloved restaurants because I feel that my experience is rare and can't possibly affect people in the future but considering how I'm feeling right now I have to say my piece. This place sucks and stinks like those little black caterpillars when you burn them under a magnifying glass in the summer sun. I have had my share of Mexican food growing up in New Mexico so trust me when I say I know what certain things are supposed to taste like. I remember eating here two years ago and having the chile relleno so naturally I ordered it again yesterday thinking I may have enjoyed it. BIG MISTAKE. What I was given was what could only be described as a limp, hollowed out pickle topped with a very pungent cheese and a scrambled egg. I couldn't even finish half of the awful "chile" in all its faded mucus, green glory. I then turned my attention towards the tamale that came with it. The tamales ratio was off considering that there was a ton of dry masa and a very tiny amount of meat shards that felt very harsh going down my throat; I couldn't even bring myself to eat more than a 1/5 of it. I was then offered some enchilada to try off the plate of my companion and let's just say I didn't know lemon lysol was considered a marinade. The "red chile sauce" that was smothered all over my plate also tasted like ketchup mixed with Valentina hot sauce, and if it wasn't for the specks of pepper (?) in it I would assume it was so. I also had a problem with the salsa bar that had cardboard chips that could be dipped into their ketchup, dirty dishwater tasting so called salsa.

The only redeeming quality of this place had to be the drinks because it's hard to go wrong with putting syrup into a soda machine.

I just had a flashback to the greasy and very elastic tortillas. I wish I knew why the tortilla could act as a rubber band and make my hair have an oily sheen but I...

One of my favorite family spots I enjoy when craving that style of Mexican food. I say style because I know that there are particular regions that proudly state their origin, and what they are most proud to present. Growing up near downtown L.A. got me exposed to the taquerias, long before food trucks. Very early on, when we moved to a less diversified neighborhood, I knew Taco Bell / Dell Taco just wasn't right. Coming from a world of soft corn tortillas to fried was like eating Doritos and lettuce.

As an adult I spent a good amount of time in Texas, and have really become snobbish about real TexMex. Any decent Mexican restaurant in Texas has handmade flour tortillas being pressed out all day. Flamed beef, chicken, shrimp fajitas on a sizzling platter is unmatched. Colorado and especially New Mexico have their native chile's that create sauces that force you to go wet. A whole nother experience. So, let's wrap this up. If I'm wanting something I can pick up and enjoy in hand and savor the flavor and texture of the meat, I'm not going to Baja Sonora, I'm hitting one of my "go to" street taco spots that serve that aguacate and if you're in the know, you say "yeah"to the grilled cebolla and jalapenos, fill a bag of sliced cucumbers in sticky lime juices, picked carrots, onions, jalapenos to complement my barbacoa, and pastor. But if I want to scoop with a fork and some great green or 911 salsa and deep fried crispy potato, shredded beef, ground beef, or a big steamy wet burrito, and their brownie which is my pro tip, I love Baja Sonora. Price, and consistency will keep bringing me back. Oh yeah, and two spacious clean restrooms that you can lock the door in case you go...

I love the Baja Sonora on Clark. The service is good and the food is great. THIS location continually disappoints me. I try it over and over again because it's closer to my house, but I'm always dissatisfied. They regularly get my order wrong, and when they get it right it is luke warm at best and they put it together haphazardly. I never know what I'm going to get, but it's never satisfactory.

I always order the number 7, with black beans, but half the time I can't find the enchilada until I dig through the dry rice and the cold beans with cold cheese on top or I'm digging through refried beans and scraping them off because I don't eat refried beans.

The servers always seem to be bored and understandably so, the place is always barren. They are so bored they always forget my drink and I either take the hit, or I come back 10 minutes later to come ask for it.

The food quality is incomparable to the Clark location. The salsa isn't as good, the chips are burned, the taco shells are never intact, the portions are smaller, and the enchilada sauce is never as good.

Ultimately I'm disappointed. I've been eating at Baja Sonora for the better half of a decade and I was excited to have one even closer to home, but I don't think I'll be eating there for awhile unless there are some...