El Mundo — Restaurant in Louisville

The short version: delicious, true Mexican flavours, veg options galore, friendly staff, and a really fun environment!

I walked into El Mundo yesterday to grab some takeout with zero expectations, after my intended restaurant choice was out of my favourite dish. What a perfect time to try some place completely new! Still, I wasn't imagining much more than maybe some palatable TexMex with one or two veggie-friendly options that I - as a vegetarian of 23 years - could stomach.

To my surprise and delight, El Mundo is a hidden gem and an absolute plant-based paradise! It states clearly right on the extensive menu that the rice, beans, and even most sauces are vegan, and most every dish has a choice of 8 proteins or fillings, 4 of which are vegetarian or vegan. They even have meatless chorizo!!! (Never fear, carnivores, there were also plenty of meat options for those who turn up their nose at tofu-based protein.)

When I mentioned to the bartender taking my order how excited I was to see they are willing to make most dishes vegan, she replied, "Oh absolutely! It's not hard at all to accommodate." EXACTLY! I wish more restaurants had that mentality vs. acting like us herbivores ought to be grateful they even bother to offer a store bought frozen black bean burger or (gag) a hunk of mushroom on a bun. For once, I didn't feel like I had to settle for a "meh" default option or pester the staff with a million questions to determine if the ingredients were safe for me to eat. It felt like the menu was thoughtfully selected to make easy, appealing, and suitable options for many dietary restrictions.

I let the bartender suggest her favourite dish and ended up going with that: vegan mole enchiladas with meatless chorizo, with a side of happy-hour-priced chips & vegan queso. My food was ready in under 10 minutes, time which I spent happily enjoying the fun, eclectic atmosphere, perusing the menu for future visits, and chatting with the friendly staff. I arrived too late to eat on-site this visit, but the meal didn't suffer any for being brought home with me!

My enchiladas were generously packed with super filling & savoury vegan chorizo, smothered in a rich mole that really hit the mark. It was smoky, spicy, earthy, and delicious. The side of rice, beans, & tomatoes added all the variety the dish needed. While decidedly hot (which I had told the bartender was OK by me), this wasn't so heavy-handed with the chilis that you can't taste anything else, striking a great balance. My side of vegan queso with chips was also impressively tasty, and even my non-veg family reported that it still managed to achieve that gooey, creamy "cheesiness" they look for in a queso dip. We all liked it more than we expected.

I didn't get a chance to try the drinks this time, but the ones I saw leave the bar looked great, and the menu selection was ample and interesting, especially for tequila drinkers. I will definitely be returning for $5 happy margaritas or a tequila flight.

My bill came to $23 or so including a small tip on my to-go order: I still have one of my two enchiladas left AND some of the chips & queso, even after sharing. I feel like it was a fair value for the quality of the meal.

As someone who is hesitant of "Mexican" food since most of it is just disappointing Tex-Mex, I am thrilled to pieces to have found a new go-to dining establishment. I can't recommend this place highly enough, and am eagerly awaiting my next visit to try all of the other veggie options...

Food was very bland and tasteless—especially considering the prices. There was a long wait for a table so we sat in this little room next to the bar area. My friend ordered the enchiladas, I ordered the quesadilla. You could choose among different “fillings”— some came w/ an added extra cost such as the types of meats, and others such as black beans or sautéed veggies were at no charge. I decided to add black beans w/ mine. Waitress/bartender asked if I wanted them inside the quesadilla or on the side, I asked for on the side (this information is important later on). The food itself was terrible. I’m not sure what, If any, seasoning was used. The only way to remedy it was asking for their hot sauce to give the dishes some kind of flavor. I have had better quesadillas at Qdoba for half the price, so the food was very disappointing. We also ordered a couple of margaritas, which were good, and a couple of tequila shots too. In the room we sat in, which seemed more like a small waiting/lounge area, there was a mini coffee table and a few single couch chairs. There was not much room for both our plates and drinks to collectively all fit on this coffee table so our waitress ended up sitting our 2nd round of shots on this mini cushion close to the floor. My friend spilled her shot and upon trying to explain to our waitress what happened, asking for towels to clean it up, and seeing if she could get another shot, the waitress did get her one…but she ended up charging her anyways for the spilled shot when the bill came. Totally understand that’s the restaurants prerogative and right but I have experienced many accidental spills at restaurants and bars in the past where the restaurant was more than willing to comp the spilled drink and replace it at no charge. She ended up paying for 3 $7 shots when she only consumed 2 of them. When it came time to pay for our food, I noticed that I had been charged for the black beans and when I questioned the waitress on why she charged me for them when the menu indicated that filling option was at no charge, she tried convincing me that I had ordered a “side order” of the black beans which came at a charge. After clarifying that I ordered it as a filling and that she was the one who asked me if I wanted it inside the quesadilla or “on the side” (that verbiage, to me, is not synonymous with “a side order”), she got a little bit of an attitude and shortly said “I’ll just take it off!” She ended up taking it off but I was turned off by her attitude and demeanor about it. I’d recommend this place for drinks, especially during their happy hour (this is not my first visit, and I’ve been to both locations) but would never go back...

El Mundo is a Louisville staple but not sure what changed prob due to covid and the staffing issues but I've always remembered going there and being treated like family. This time it was an understatement of the exact opposite. I asked when I was seated if I could move to the same exact table like the one I was at but one not in the dark corner they had put me at, there were 3 other open tables around me. Also I had a reservation. The hostess said of course and sat me at a table with a window, then came back about 2 mins later and told me I had to move back, her manager told her it was already reserved for a reservation. I asked a few questions as it's a bit odd to request a certain table at this kind of restaurant and then asked if I could just move to a different open table besides the dark table in the corner. The hostess seemed like she didn't know what to do, seemed like she had been given orders to make me sit where I was originally assigned. But she was very hospitable and said she would go back and ask her manager. This time the manger came back and boy was I in for one. She walked up and said well we are gonna keep you here in a rude tone. I was very uncomfortable and just tried to explain in the nicest way that I wanted to sit somewhere not in the dark, she again said the same thing, "well we are gonna keep you here as you caused trouble for my server, we will just have to figure out the rest of the reservations around you" as she put her hands on the table to emphasize that, then turned and walked away. My jaw dropped open! I couldn't believe someone was being so nasty to a customer who made a request but was never rude back. It took everything not to get up and leave after that disrespect but my sister was meeting me there, she was in town and I hadn't seen her in some time. My ego wanted me to leave but seeing my sister made me forget about what happened. The rest of the experience was fine, prices have gone up which is normal and the menu has changed just a bit which is annoying but nothing really different. I tried emailing to let someone know about this manager but haven't heard anything. Maybe she was having a bad day and took it out on me but that shouldn't be allowed to happen at a place as near and dear to my heart as El Mundo. A very sad day for a very...