Plaza Morena Campestre Grill — Restaurant in Owatonna

I was here for lunch on a Wednesday. It wasn't very busy but I had to wait at the door for several minutes to be seated. Once I was seated, it was a longer wait before I could order.

They did not have all of the beverages advertised on the menu. The menu lists Diet Dr. Pepper as a drink option yet I was told they did not carry it.

While I waited for my food I was served what appeared to be freshly made corn tortilla chips and salsa. The chips were slightly bitter but otherwise flavorless. The salsa was mostly tomato water with absolutely nothing to scoop up in the chip leaving most of the chips soggy with a slight tomato flavor.

I waited over 25 minutes for my food to arrive. I had ordered a shredded beef chimichanga from the lunch menu, it came with rice, beans, pico, sour cream, and guacamole. The rice was light and fluffy. Not the best rice I've had but it was good. The beans didn't have any strong flavors and were a bit on the runny side, still they weren't bad. The best thing on the plate was the guacamole which could have used more salt but had a satisfying spiciness; unfortunately I only received about a teaspoon of guacamole. The pico and sour cream were as you would expect them to be.

The chimichanga was a good size, fried well, and served with cheese and red sauce. The shredded beef wasn't really shredded, it was chopped up and left you biting into large chunks of beef as you tried to eat the chimichanga. The beef itself tasted as if it were roasted but otherwise lacked any significant flavor. The red sauce was surprisingly flavorless and smelled of chicken stock.

Overall, while I found the meal hot, filling, and cooked well, it lacked flavor. The meal would have benefited from more spice overall and more salt (and I'm speaking as someone who doesn't really need a lot of salt in their food).

If I had to make a suggestion I would say a wedge of lime and a selection of hot sauces on the table would go a long way to allowing the customer the opportunity to spice up the food to their taste without having to change the food regular customers have...

If you are in Owatonna and you don't stop here (whether you're hungry or not is irrelevant), you're crazy. Plaza Owatonna excels where many others fall short: the guac/avocados are always fresh and delicious. They honestly make the best guac I've had outside Mexico and the southern U.S. Tomatoes and pico de gallo (no jalapenos) are also always fresh and the pico isn't too hot; and the salsa is similarly fantastic (if you are a fan of HOT items, probably let them know bc the pico and salsa might not be enough, but they have hotter versions). Tomatoes are always fresh, Dishes: the CARNITAS...just go all in. It will be gluttonous, but it is totally worth it. Or the PORK TAMALES, or the RELLENO (I've only tried cheese). Hubs loves the FAJITA BURRITO or any CHIMI. There are some pretty authentic items to more American-ized items, so even if you don't like traditional Mexican food and drink (if that's possible), there is something for you! Drinks: the house margarita better than most (you can drink more than one without getting a sour stomach). If you want a gooood marg, you know you have to go to the top, and it's worth it. And they have a ton of great Mexican beers (and...

Normally, good food and service. I won’t be back after a bizarre encounter though. They don’t do online orders, so I went in and asked if I could place a To-Go order at the bar and have a drink while I wait. They said that was fine. The woman at the bar asked for my drink order, brought it to me with chips/salsa and asked what food I wanted. When I gave the food order to go, she got upset saying that she wouldn’t have brought me chips since it wasn’t eat in and it wasn’t free unless I was eating (I didn’t ask for or touch them). I told her she could just take them back, which she did... but she acted like I tried to scam her or something? I paid the second the food came out (with a bag of chips?) and left. On my way I noticed instead of a name, the name on the order was bar girl... had they asked for ID when I ordered a drink they may have actually known a name...