La Charla Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of New Paltz

Nice new Designer Mexican on Main St. So my buddy Mike asked me if I wanted to take a chance on this brand new place that's been open for a week. The decor was real pretty the ambience very nice, lots of decorative ceramic tile, warm, and very well lit. Our server was just as new as the restaurant, but also very nice, a kid named Carlos. We were brought chips and salsa, like most Mexican restaurants. The Aztec soup I ordered was good, but big on cheese and low on other ingredients like the avocado. The surprise came with the Chile Relleno I ordered which came on a fancy plate as a presentation with sauce poured as a display. But where was my rice and beans? There is none I was informed. It costs extra, do you want it now? No thanks, by the time I get it my food will be cold. My friends who ordered the enchiladas got the same disappointment, just enchiladas, no rice and beans.

So none of the dishes come with the usual rice and beans, a Mexican staple. My suggestion would be to make this crystal clear on the Menu, as I was told "other people have asked" Of course they have!

Really beautiful place, and I'm sure they will have great success as they iron out the "bugs" so to speak. I wouldn't hesitate to go back as the food was good, just be prepared to spend a little more than you thought if you want...

I stopped in for taco Tuesday to try this spot. We were seated immediately and service was on point and courteous.

We ordered the chips and salsa to start with and those were great. Fresh, warm, and lightly salted chips. Salsa was thick and a tad salty, so we didn't need to dip a ton. The amount of salsa to chips ratio was great. In addition to that we ordered the Baja fish tacos and the birria beef tacos. The fish tacos were nice but only came with a tiny container of salsa. We weren't a huge fan of the tortillas they used. Not sure if they were old or fresh and not our type. The birria tacos came with a beefy thick sauce that was overly salty. It was difficult to eat or dip the tacos in. There was also a small container of what seemed like a spicy bean dip. I had a really nice kick, but the fact that it was more bean based threw things off. The beef wasn't as tender as I'd prefer and had more chew. I wish there were more balance with tomatoes, cilantro, onions, peppers, etc. But maybe that's just how the Oaxaca style is and I'm unaware.

Overall, if I come back it'll be for drinks, chips and salsa, and not necessarily the tacos we ordered. Chicken might be the...

The food is quite good. Service was slow but there is only one waitress for the whole room and she did her best.

My complaint was the tip situation. Keep an eye out for the added service fee.

The service fee was added maybe because we had a group of six, which is reasonable, but there are 2 opportunities for you to tip an additional amount on top of the amount WITH the tip already added.

Our bill was 250. They added 20% so it was around 300. On the Check there was 10 15 and 20% that you could add on top of the 300. Which of course is the amount with the service fee already added, so you would be tipping on top of the tip

Then when I paid with the credit card, they brought an iPad out and the iPad had the $300 amount with the 10, 15 and 20% option, so you get a second chance to tip on top of the total amount for the food and the service charge.

I think a lot of people don’t pay that close attention when they’re out with their friends and a big group and they probably get some extra tips as a result. I’ve just never seen anything...