La Palapa Mexican Restaurant

Excellent service and fabulous food!

The food is authentic and the margaritas are the best ever. Staff is super friendly. Carmelo the Bartender is on top of it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Nice little place with great food and great service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Just really bad vibes. They need to make money I understand. Just be unconditionally nice it would take them way farther. It's just overrated.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 2

Extremely disappointed and honestly shocked at the 4.6 star review

We ordered from here specifically because of the high Google reviews, but this was a terrible first impression from start to finish.

First, when picking up, the place itself felt old and musty, with carpet that smelled bad. The food matched the environment.

The food was poorly prepared and lacked flavor. The enchiladas were flooded with sauce, making the chimichanga that came with it soggy. The meat in the chimichanga was bland and unseasoned. The rice looked old and dull, not vibrant red like authentic Mexican rice and the beans had absolutely no taste. We were also served old radishes on the side. I didn't even eat my plate.

When I called to request a refund, I offered to send pictures of the food but instead the employee took my card information and said her boss would process the refund. Minutes later, she called back with saying the owner wanted us to bring the food back to receive partial refund.
Mind you we ordered TWO PLATES for two people only from a busy business. Asking us to drive back with food that was bad after saying the boss would refund us is unreasonable. Now it felt like we were being questioned. No apology, no accountability, and no effort to make things right.

Poor food quality, poor customer service, and a VERY misleading rating. Save yourself the disappointment and go to a real authentic Mexican restaurant were they take pride in what they serve you.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Used to eat here in the early 90s when it first opened, then moved away. Tried it a few times recently. And the memories came flooding back. OG cantina vibe. Good food. Stiff drinks. What more can you ask for? Great service? The hostess Sherrie is a treasure. The wait staff is super friendly and efficient. Highly recommend!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Bernadette style shrimp burrito and Sherri’s salsa the best! Come all the time

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Worst Mexican food around. Perfect for the gringo taste buds. My wife ordered a skinny margarita and the bartender brought Sprite & tequila. The kitchen door was open and we watched them microwave our food. Do not waste your money here. Go get Mexican food where they take pride in their craft.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Very good Margaritas and best fish taco !! The staff is always friendly and the carrots are my favorite. Great price and looks like it had a little refresh inside !

Comforting, old-school Mexican restaurant with an AMAZING bar! Food is great, staff super friendly. Kinda dark inside but I love the retro feel. Amazing service with chips, salsa, and carrots. Great carrots too! Bar made me one of the best drinks I've had from an establishment. So great!
A staple of the East County!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Always awesome.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My all time favorite !!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Service was good but we were not their ideal clientele. We wanted spicy - more authentic Mexican. I will say it tasted like it was made with good quality ingredients. The mango margarita was mango sherbet with tequila shots poured in...

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

Love this place. Fun neighborhood restaurant. Friendly people, good food and killer margaritas 👍

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food and amazing staff

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5