Israel’s Delicias De Mexico Gourmet — Restaurant in New Albany

I spent 20 years in Texas. Traveled the entire state, and spent much of it in the Valley, and Houston. Many long weekends, in Mexico too. Once, a working professional in the kitchen myself. Avid cook to this day. I know regional Mexican foods, and the differences, and the differences between Mex/Tex Mex.

1,) Service was really, really slow. 2.) The chips were stale AF! My dog might enjoy the bone like staleness,, maybe good for whitening her teeth?

The waitress had 9 tables, she was buried. People that were waiting to get seated, walked out. 3,) A plus, plate Presentation/arrangement was beautiful, clean, good job on my partners and my plate Presentation...it was beautiful.

Btw, the really stale chips, (you have to pay for here adding injury to really stale insult)

What I really came for... I heard they had, Tacos de Lingua, Beef tongue tacos. I mostly have to make them from scratch at home now, from the freshly made corn tortillas, to the cilantro and onions from my garden, to the marinated Lingua/tongue...from a local butcher... But, that takes time.

The tongue tasted like it had been boiled a long, long time, first, used for stock..then reheated and served. Blah, Bland. Tastelees, no yummy buttery fat. No, secondary char...just, boiled without any spice or marinade. There was no, melt in the mouth, buttery quality to it at all. Sorry, I know great tacos, and for "street tacos"...I've had much better from Texas taco trucks.

My water glass, needed refilled, asked several times.. Nothing, even rattling my ice, got my waitresses attention as a reminder.

I HAD TO WAIT TO EVEN PAY MY BILL!

I'd like to review the tortilla soup, which I was charged for, but never got..

After, 45 mins, sitting staring at dog chew chips. No soup. Then waiting for the meal. I just said F it, give me a "to go" box, which also took forever. I WENT BACK TO THE KITCHEN TO ASK FOR A TO GO BOX, AND HELP MYSELF... WAS Almost SCOLDEd and TOLD TO SIT DOWN, like a child, "the waitess will get it for you:. When, tomorrow? I should have responded. She still got tipped well...but very, very...

This might fall in the worse 5 dining experiences category. I noticed this place while driving and thought, why not...it looks authentic and probably a nice little taqueria. Nope.

The place was empty of customers and they were overly excited to have someone walk through the doors. Not a big deal, but after the meal, it certainly explains things.

This is a place several rungs below El Nopal, but striving to be "upscale". I stress the word "striving". Sadly, I think their pricing and lack of customers indicates a failing business, but who knows.

Any taqueria should offer chips and salsa, especially since most of their entrees are priced in the mid $20s to $30 range. If they're trying to be haute couture, the physical environment desperately needs a HGTV makeover. As a reminder, this is a hole in the wall establishment.

Additionally, the rice in the burrito was rock solid and apparently, from what they said, from the bottom of the steamer...it makes me think the rice was quite old. 🤢

Ever been to a place that gave you a "discount" if you pay cash? You'll find that here. AND...they will charge you $.50 for a to go box. Yes, they charge for a container. Folks, this is a place that can't cover their operating costs and need to add surcharges like this AND raise prices above the norm in order to stay afloat. I'm surprised I wasn't charged for the straw, napkins, and refills on my water.

If you're thinking of heading here, save your money and go elsewhere. You'll have a better meal and will possibly want dessert, too. (something they lacked here as well). Plus, avoiding Israel's, you'll get a free to go box to...

MONEY MONEY MONEY. Want charged for every little thing at a super inflated price? Then you’ve chosen the right place. One of the worst experiences at a restaurant I’ve ever had. The owners are incredibly greedy from what I can see. The prices are super inflated and they charge for every little thing. You want extra sour cream? That’ll be two extra dollars. The appetizers are incredibly expensive. A small guacamole is $8. Sheesh. Don’t even look at the large. The place is understaffed, but considering how greedy they are, I’m assuming it’s because they don’t pay their employees anything. They also charge $5 EXTRA IF YOU WANT TO SHARE THE PLATE. Like, what’s that? You gotta pay extra to share a plate? Jeez. Then, they also charge you extra if you pay with a card. Then they also charge you money for a to go box as well. They also charge far more money if you eat there at dinner time. I ended up paying almost $40 for my girlfriend and I, and we didn’t even get appetizers and we just got water. The portions were not great, the taste was lackluster, the food was cold and they kept tacking on charges. The food was greasy and for some reason my meat was chewy. And we got the cheaper things on the menu. I feel like they’re taking advantage of the high end apartments across the street from them. Also, the service isn’t friendly and is abysmal. For $40, I could’ve gotten far better food and far more bang for my buck somewhere else. I am beyond disappointed. I feel scammed and incredibly unsatisfied. Steer clear...