La Palapa Grill & Cantina

Small in the hole place with FANTASTIC food and drinks.

Would leave 0 stars if I could, I decided to come have a nice dinner in this small town, I’m just here visiting and I walked in trying to get a table but the hosts were so unprofessional & unwelcoming. Seems like from the start the hosts didn’t even want to offer us service, I felt completely ignored until I spoke first. I chose to just walk out of this restaurant. Never coming back here again.

for a long time now (I'm talking about several years) I would pass by Route 29 and I would always see the ad for La Palapa Restaurant and its name caught my curiosity since being Mexican and from the coast every time I passed by there I would imagine the delicious dishes and want to enjoy them, today I finally went to visit the beautiful city of Ellicot and we ate at La Palapa restaurant, the place is nice, we ordered some a la diabla shrimp and some mole enchiladas, the truth is the shrimp didn't have a la diabla flavor they tasted more like spicy cocktail sauce, the mole in the enchiladas didn't taste like mole and the tortillas they used to make the enchiladas looked like cardboard, the price wasn't that bad.

We've seemed to have some bad luck with service lately here, used to be our favorite place in OEC but 20 mins for our sodas and 4 requests for chips n salsa seemed to much for our server who only had 3 tables to cover. Also had recent menu change so my husband's smothered enchiladas weren't there he got a smothered burrito but it wasn't mole sauce.

Best Happy Hour and Sunday Brunch

We came for dinner but because the service was so bad we left after the appetizer and went elsewhere to finish.

Have been multiple times for family events and it was great. This time the server was horrible. I reserved a table of eight people. Food was slow even though we came after the brunch rush. Waiter gave my vegetarian wife a chicken burrito. Gave me sour cream after I asked it removed. Had to ask multiple times for to go containers. Finally a waitress from another section helped us. They also had to get the bill even after I asked our waiter twice. Love the place but this visit was horrible. Will rethink for next group excursion.

We booked a table for 6:30 on a Friday...should have left more time for parking! EC is very busy and parking was tricky to find. Server was great. Food was very good: we had tacos. Bar service was a bit slow because they had a big party in. Noise level made conversation difficult at times

November 2024, It's been many years since I've been in Old Ellicott City. La Palapa Grill was the perfect starting point to get reiquinted. I was very impressed with the service, food and drinks. Perfect spot for couples.

My husband and I love the restaurant but service was lacking. The waiter kept apologizing for not being attentive. My husband even made a comment that we were the only ones who had to wait to be acknowledged, served, but when it was time for the check our waiter magically appeared often than what we were expecting. The food was always was good, we even tried outside dining the ambiance was great for the start of the summer nights. Will return but it will not be anytime soon.

We have been going to this restaurant for years and it's always a great time. Love their drinks and their food is super yummy. Great for a date night, getting together with friends or even bring the older kids. Probably not somewhere I could bring young kids.

Good food, really nice bartender

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

It's nice and spacious and the food is excellent
So ...
It can get crowded and busy and a little noisy during peak times.
The service staff is great.
The food was exceptional

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa

Visited for lunch. What a great and fun restaurant. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I had a problem with my food, but the waiter was right on it. I highly recommend this restaurant as a stop when you are in Ellicott City.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Went here for lunch. The staff was so nice, making it a great atmosphere. The decor was so fun and inviting. There was a slight problem with my order, but my waiter took care of it right away, really going out of his way. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5