La Mariposa Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Lyons

Update: the restaurant, after a long remodel closure, has reopened. The food is mediocre and the service is sketchy. The great manager is long gone. Food : ordered fajitas. Got gristle instead of steak and two dried out flour tortillas. Ordered street tacos and got corn tortillas with oil slicks on them (single tortilla, not double) and more gristle - CHEAP). Soggy, soaking wet shredded lettuce on a bean tostada. Ordered cheese enchiladas and got corn tortillas with cold, unmelted processed cheese in the centers. All accompanying guacamole was turning brown on the surface. Service: got bad vibed by a hostess who took at least five minutes to make an appearance - the place was empty. Had another hostess try to coerce me into sitting in the bar. Didn’t want to. Routinely ignored by staff when waiting to place an order. SO bummed. This place is not inexpensive. I will go to Mojo's or drive to Longmont until I hear there is new mgt.

Prior:A little back story. When a new restaurant opens in our little town it's a THING. I gave them a few chances - the last try didn't go well. But a couple months ago, there was nothing in the fridge, so I figured a bean tostada would be safe.

I was greeted by Alejandro, now the manager, and a brilliant, gracious host. It was a new day at La Mariposa - superb red and green chili sauces, stellar tamales and rellenos. If they get those right, everything else works. They have a vegetarian poblano relleno beyond compare.

Excellent service and food to rival the North Denver mom and pop Mexican joints. I love this place, and actually crave their rellenos and bean tostadas. And the best margaritas...

As I sit here now at La Mariposa, I'm sorry to tell you all that it sucks. The atmosphere is lovely-not too loud in decor or volume....but that's about all the accolades i can give it.

The food is sub-par at best and the service is lacking so badly that my girlfriend and I have been to the bar three separate times to ask for: a modifier for my burrito that I stupidly forgot, a tortilla set that was supposed to be a side for the chili rellenos my girlfriend ordered, and, finally....even our bill.

The place has 12 guests in it total. Eight people in the dining room; divided among three tables, and four bar guests. There are several more examples of the two front-of-house employees' unacceptable lack of attention to customer satisfaction, but I've already spent more energy and time writing this review than the restaurant deserves.

Final thought: When we finally questioned the bartender/server who was "taking care of us", about his level of service, he replied that they were really busy tonight and there actually was no bartender...that he was learning the...

Having relocated from Texas to Colorado a few weeks ago, I was craving good Mexican food. I was not disappointed La Mariposa. While it's not a large restaurant, the menu options were incredible; not only do you have the typical tacos burritos, and enchiladas, but the seafood dishes and the molcajete dishes were a nice surprise. I had the molcajete dish which had chicken, beef, shrimp, grilled jalapeno, and Cactus in a succulent tomatillo sauce which was serve with beans rice and tortillas. I was very impressed with the serving size and the authentic Mexican flavors of my dish. The margaritas were a good size and nice flavor, although I didn't see any frozen margaritas available, only rocks. Our server was very attentive and amiable, there was no wait time to get in, and the place has a very authentic Vibe. I will definitely go back to the next time I'm craving...