Lorena's Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Woods Cross

I am very reluctant to write this review as Lorena's was my late mother's favorite restaurant in the world. She would order from Lorena's 1-2 times per week when I was growing up, so you could say the food played quite the role in my upbringing. Today, me, my sister, and our spouses went in remembrance of our mother and how much she loved the food and atmosphere.

We sat down and were met with a rude and arrogant waiter who spoke to everyone at the booth in a very condescending manner. It didn't bother us too much as we were there for the food, which unfortunately was less than desirable and not anything like it used to be. It used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant.

When the bill came for my wife and I, we found it was about $11 more than we originally thought we had ordered. When I asked the cashier if it was calculated correctly, she rudely stated the cheese and onions the waiter offered for our meals was where the difference in price came from. It should be noted he never stated it would be an added cost to the bill. I was baffled at this deceiving money grab, as these used to be complimentary, but I paid our bill anyway as I did not want to cause contention. Contention was created by the cashier anyway. After having paid, my sister followed and paid her bill, to which the cashier commented, "Thank you for being a better tipper than him." while gesturing at me, loud enough for other patrons in the restaurant to hear, almost as a way to manipulate other customers into tipping more than necessary. Great way to retain customers and provide a friendly atmosphere if you ask me.

You'd think from the cashier's reaction that the tip I provided was giving them the middle finger before walking out the door, but it was the complete opposite. I was polite and professional, despite the way we were treated during the overall horrendous experience we had all endured. I paid more than enough regarding tipping etiquette, especially with the poor service and overpriced cheese and onions we received. And the crazy thing? It was a mere $2 difference in our tips.

After confronting the cashier regarding her immature and childish behavior, there was no difference in outcome. I was again met with condescension, stating I had not paid enough of a tip.

I find it sad that I am sitting here writing this, but as I browsed through other customer reviews, this tipping situation seems to be a common theme at this restaurant. It is not the place it used to be. I truly hope management can get its act together and fix this toxic environment, but ultimately wouldn’t be surprised if Lorena’s Mexican Restaurant was run out of business in the near future. And after this experience, I wouldn't be sad in the least if it did. I regret the amount of business my mother gave them in the past. Not a single person from my entire family will ever be a customer at...

Decided to stop for dinner on our way home from a long weekend of camping down south. The food was ok, my daughter ordered what their menu described as a 10 oz steak. She received a thin piece of carne asada. I told her not to complain as it was only priced at $11 & normally we pay alot more for a good steak. Once we got our check I was confused at the total, because nothing was priced as it was on the menu. So I asked the cashier to run through it with me which he was nicely. He mentioned all the beef products had gone up in price, due to the pandemic Which was ok, as we have been supporting as much small business as possible. We are fortunate not to have been affected & try and return the love where we can, but then the waitress who served us came and grabbed it out of his hand aggressively and said "these are the kid meals, and these are all the drinks" slammed the receipt on the counter and banged her hand on the counter a couple extra times and started punching the air as she walked away. I was very taken back and when I raised my voice, the manager, or an older lady who seemed to have authority approached the situation very defensively. I simply paid the bill, which they added a mandatory gratuity. We had a big party, mostly kids, in normal situations I would have tipped gratuitously, but the way we where treated when we simply asked for our bill to be explained, as the check had no details other then cost, was not how I would expect to be treated. Especially comimg from a hispanic culture myself. I guess if her $7 assumed tip is good enough to treat paying customers rudely so be it, but we won't be returning. Her loss in the end. I tip at least $20 on a $100 tab regardless of service. I waited during school and know how much the industry depends on tips. For a local Hispanic business, I was very...

As a local who grew up just down the street, growing up on Lorena's food, let me get a few things straight before you go here.

Lorena's is not exceptionally authentic, this is good ole comfort-style Mexican food and it's delicious. Whoever said it was bland has no idea what they're talking about.

Yes, the salsa comes in a ketchup bottle, but it's really good. Salsa can be smooth and does not have to have to be chunky like pico de gallo. It's also not "left out all day" it's constantly refilled after nearly every table. Sometimes we even need a refill within one sitting. The chips are also top-tier compared to similar restaurants.

95% of the time you are going to get your food fast. Like really fast. You're likely not going to have to wait for 30-45min for food like other popular spots in Bountiful.

I've never had a bad service experience here. The servers are definitely not going to take any nonsense though. If you come in with a bad attitude, I could very well see them dishing it right back to you. Rightfully so.

This place has always been great for families. You get quite a lot of food for the price. Which isn't that high anyway.

This place is a staple for Woods Cross. We hold it in high regard. Could there be some rosy retrospection going on here? Maybe. But we love this place and we hope it becomes a spot that you and your family love too if you're new in town.

If you've given this place a snooty review I suggest you try it again. This time though, instead of being so nitpicky, enjoy yourself, bring some friends, have a Modelo, and enjoy some melty cheese for me.

Lorena's is a great restaurant.

Now I moved out of town and crave this food. I dream of smothered papas (square) with cheese and onions or smothered bean and...