La Fogata — Restaurant in Texas

The place is lovely and the ambiance and atmosphere are as well. The service has always been exemplary, but this last time was somewhat lacking. Our waiter was charged with 2 other large tables, thus limiting his attention to our group. He was very pleasant and accommodating, just not on a consistent basis. The appetizers of choriqueso/guacamole/mollejas/tortillas were delicious, but there were other disappointing issues. We asked whether margaritas were made with a mix and were told they could make authentic Mexican margs. Being veterans of many trips across the Border in the past (before Border violence) and lately visiting Arturo’s in Weslaco that serves up an exact replica of Mexico margaritas, we were VERY disappointed in the offering. All we tasted was tart lime juice—if there was ANY tequila or Contreau it was almost non-existent. I switched to wine, but my niece tried a frozen marg only to come to the same conclusion. Zero stars. We were there because it was my mother’s 85th birthday and Cabrito is her favorite. She wanted riñonada but it wasn’t available. Okay; I get it. She ordered a paleta and it was very tough. Maybe it was an older goat and not a true “cabrito”, but it was disappointing. She’s had the Cabrito at Arturo’s and has had high praises. The appertizers were great, but my margarita experience is important to me and my family. Lame margs or margs made with a mix at an establishment that’s supposed to mimic the Mexico experience is just not acceptable. Arturo’s and Fogata are about the same distance from my home. Although the appetizers/atmosphere are better at Fogata, the margs are what I’m ultimately more interested in. Maybe it was a bad bartender night, but they were AWFUL. Would love to go back because it’s a lovely place and appetizers are delish, but don’t know if I will because...

On 1/6/2023 at around 4 pm, My family and I went to the La Fogata Restaurant in Mission on Shary Rd. The family ordered 2 cabrito rinonada, the fajita with shrimp, the enchilada plate and I ordered the stuffed red snapper (huachinango/shrimp and veggies). The food took a reasonable time to cook and be served at our table. The waiters were not very attentive but didn't completely neglect our table of 8, drinks were not readily available for refill. The place was approximately 30% full at the time and there were about 8 visible waiters. The food was not up to par with the place, by this I mean the place is nice, clean, and elegant. The food was NOT that good, to say the least. My huachinango was flavorless and was way over cooked (steamed) to the point it was rubbery. The veggies were bland and tasteless as was the pre-cooked mini salad shrimp inside the foil paper wrapped filet. I also tasted the beef fajitas and shrimp from my nephews plate. The fajita has a nice smoky taste but was tough and the shrimp was overcooked. I asked my wife how the enchiladas were and she was also disappointed with her food taste. I tasted the cabrito also and it did have a very good taste and was properly cooked as were the charro beans. My recommendation to the cooks would be to properly and timely cook the food with good spice and to PLEASE season the fish appropriately. I hope this was just an off day for the cooks and the wait staff. I may go back someday to...

My wife went there for brunch and raved about it so I took her back for dinner. It is a rather large establishment with 2 separate dining areas. The main dining room was, I won't say lavish but well apportioned and had kind of a regal look. The restaurant was clean and neat, the wait staff neatly uniformed and attentive. We chose to eat in the bar. A smaller area and quieter than the main dining room, still neat and comfortable and well staffed. They have a large well stocked bar and while we didn't drink I watched many great looking drinks go by. There were 3 large TV screens with different sports channels playing . The menu was quite interesting, it is a Mexican restaurant and they had many delicacies. It is much like Rebecca's except it has English translations and the staff speaks English. Their specialty is carbirto but they have a large selection of fish chicken and beef as well as a children's menu. I had mullejas (sweetbreads) something I was fond of as a kid growing up in a farm community, and arroz y pulpos which was excellent. My wife had the chicken skewers and baked potato. For dessert I had a lovely Caramel cheese cake and my wife had flan. Both were delicious. We will definitely be back as I have a hankering to try their machitos. Interesting to note as we were leaving the restaurant the car ahead of us was from Mexico. I think that says a lot for...