I've been to this restaurant dozens of times the food was always good. BUT the last few times the food has not been good. Decided to try again... we both got steak fajitas. Use to be grilled and sizzling and tasted Great! This time it was on a plain white plate...very little steak mostly onions and peppers and TASTELESS! Not grilled like before! What happened??? Also seated a few feet from the bathroom when there were plenty of other seats available. The last couple of times i felt like i was being seated at the worst seats in the restaurant when plenty of nice seats were available! We ordered the same meal but the beans were completely different? Looked like...well they were TASTELESS too along with the rice..I'm not a complainer but don't understand how this happens???...is there a new owner??? Is there a different Chef? I've eaten at this restaurant Dozens of times! Not sure what the problem is? Service: was ok....nothing bad nothing good. Ambiance: seated next to a bathroom in a Mexican restaurant...not good. Had 1 Margarita mostly ice $9.00 but it was good! Bill was 73.00 with tip incl. I truly hope the food improves in the near future. I leave nearby and I will give it 1 more try! I should have complained at the restaurant but didn't want to get agita...not sure it would have changed anything though....If that's the way they serve the food now...that's the way it is...
Rich Conroy
I would like to share my recent experience.First and foremost, I have been a patron of La Esperanza for over a decade and I have never had a bad experience. The staff is friendly, caring, and attentive. Especially Oscar. He is such a hard worker and doesn’t sweat, not even under pressure of being the best bartender. I arrived at 6pm. The busiest time at the restaurant and waited patiently for my food, like a good patron would. The food came out hot and delicious and the drinks were phenomenal. 1000/1000 recommend! Thank you Oscar, a true American Hero!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fat Alex’S Burrito, Chips and Salsa
Tammy Bastidas
The service at this restaurant was absolutely terrible. My friend and I wanted to have a nice meal before heading to a show. We arrived at 6 pm. We sat at the bar so we could get done quickly. We ordered a drink from a drink menu that was laying on the bar. I had to ask the bartender for a food men. He never asked us if we were ready to order. I had to get his attention. He was too busy talking with 2 girls the bar and doing shots with them. At 6:40pm I asked if our food was ready. This was a good 35 minutes af we ordered.. We only ordered 2 quesadillas. He said it was 2nd to come out . After another 10 minutes our food was not out. I saw several orders come out of the kitchen in this timeframe. I asked the bartender what happened to our order. He became VERY rude. I told him I saw several other orders come out since he told me we were 2nd on the list to get our food. I told him that could not have been true. He asked "Are you calling me a liar". I asked his name and I requested to speak with the manager. He said that he was the manager.His name is Oscar. He was clearly not the manage. He said you can have your food to go. I can put a rush on that. By this time, it was 7 PM. Our show was at 8 PM in Philadelphia. I can't rate the food because we never got it. I paid for our drinks and told him I'm gonna fight this on my credit card. He was sweating the entire time we were there. He used his teeth to open a packet of something that was added to a drink. A waitress returned a drink to the bar and said the customer said that you did not put any tequila in his margarita.. This could all be related to the fact that he was doing shots while working. He was very unprofessional. I don't know if that's his personality or it was the alcohol in him talking. NEVER AGAIN!
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1
Cindy Grossmann
Awful service food never arrived after an hour. Bartender rude and non attentive.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1
Tammy B.
The service at this restaurant was absolutely terrible. My friend and I wanted to have a nice meal before heading to a show. We arrived at 6 pm. We sat at the bar so we could get done quickly. We ordered a drink from a drink menu that was laying on the bar. I had to ask the bartender for a food men. He never asked us if we were ready to order. I had to get his attention. He was too busy talking with 2 girls the bar and doing shots with them. At 6:40pm I asked if our food was ready. This was a good 35 minutes af we ordered.. We only ordered 2 quesadillas. He said it was 2nd to come out . After another 10 minutes our food was not out. I saw several orders come out of the kitchen in this timeframe. I asked the bartender what happened to our order. He became VERY rude. I told him I saw several other orders come out since he told me we were 2nd on the list to get our food. I told him that could not have been true. He asked "Are you calling me a liar". I asked his name and I requested to speak with the manager. He said that he was the manager.His name is Oscar. He was clearly not the manage. He said you can have your food to go. I can put a rush on that. By this time, it was 7 PM. Our show was at 8 PM in Philadelphia. I can't rate the food because we never got it. I paid for our drinks and told him I'm gonna fight this on my credit card. He was sweating the entire time we were there. He used his teeth to open a packet of something that was added to a drink. A waitress returned a drink to the bar and said the customer said that you did not put any tequila in his margarita.. This could all be related to the fact that he was doing shots while working. He was very unprofessional. I don't know if that's his personality or it was the alcohol in him talking. NEVER AGAIN!
Cindy G.
Bad experience here yesterday. Rude bartender ( claimed he was the manager and that his name is Oscar. He was heavy set and from Mexico and I'm not sure his real name). He definitely was not the manger and if he was he needs to be fired immediately. He was drinking alcohol shots with two girls at the bar and had a drink returned from the waitress because her customer said it didn't taste like tequila was in it. My friend and I sat at the bar at 6pm ( table was 1/2 hour wait). We opted for bar seats as it would be faster and we were limited on our time. We placed food order at 610 and after 35 minutes asked how much longer. "Oscar the manager bartender" told us it was second now to come out. Fifteen minutes and several other table food orders later we still did not have ours ( which was just a quesadilla). We asked again ten minutes later and he said he could rush it. I'm not sure what was to rush if it was second on the list the first time we asked. My friend politely asked what happened to our order and he said nothing. She asked why other tables that got seated after us did receive their orders. She showed him which tables .He didn't address that. But he did get ....rude and nasty and cocky and half the things he said were under his breath but loud enough to be heard . We asked Sa other employee for the manager and she said the restaurant doesn't have a manager. My friend said there has to be a manager or asst manager there and then asked why " Oscar the bartender" said he was the manager. The reply after a pause was " he is in charge when no one is here" . Our food had still not come out it was over an hour and we did wind up leaving. " Oscar the bartender not manager" was rude biligerent non apologetic etc. in fact, no one apologized, or tried to help. It was not a well run establishment. I had not been here for years and won't go back. Poor customer service to say the least. Can't rate the food because we never got ours!
Mick Bonde
Nice Fresh Corona and Modelo beers. Tasty Fajitas and tacos. Great lunch stop for our work group! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Carne Asada
Venezuelan Official
Great service by staff there amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Edison
Go for the watermelon marg!!
Ossi Avila
The lady who I believe is the owner or manager is very nice and welcoming opposite of a younger female that had an "ALL DAY" Attitude. Besides that ...I will definitely come back.... I have been a regular in this restaurant and enjoy ? most of the meals there, but last time I was there I ordered a burrito ? that lacked the meat I requested in it, it was filled with tons or rice and beans and not meat at all. It will be nice if they correct this deficiency soon, if not I would have to wonder ? somewhere else.
Great food for either a date, going with friends, or whatever; it's a chill place to go and the food is fan-tastic. Especially the Fat Alex- OMG!
Jeff M.
I've heard so much about La Esperanza that I had to check it out. I really enjoy Mexican cuisine and this was very authentic. I had to order a wind variety of entrees to get a full experience. The entrees were perfectly portioned. Full flavor. Not too spicy. The menu has many different options that I can't wait to try more. The empanadas was just ok Very delightful.
Sharon Challender
First-time lunching here. Great food, the margarita special was yummy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Flan Napolitano
Jo M
Delicious food, fun atmosphere,and a lovely staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Enchiladas Rojas Rice and Beans Guacamole, Pico De Gallo, Traditional Guacamole and Chips
Alex Ander
the the pastor burrito was so good I got a second one togo
I've been to this restaurant dozens of times the food was always good. BUT the last few times the food has not been good. Decided to try again... we both got steak fajitas. Use to be grilled and sizzling and tasted Great! This time it was on a plain white plate...very little steak mostly onions and peppers and TASTELESS! Not grilled like before! What happened??? Also seated a few feet from the bathroom when there were plenty of other seats available. The last couple of times i felt like i was being seated at the worst seats in the restaurant when plenty of nice seats were available! We ordered the same meal but the beans were completely different? Looked like...well they were TASTELESS too along with the rice..I'm not a complainer but don't understand how this happens???...is there a new owner??? Is there a different Chef? I've eaten at this restaurant Dozens of times! Not sure what the problem is? Service: was ok....nothing bad nothing good. Ambiance: seated next to a bathroom in a Mexican restaurant...not good. Had 1 Margarita mostly ice $9.00 but it was good! Bill was 73.00 with tip incl. I truly hope the food improves in the near future. I leave nearby and I will give it 1 more try! I should have complained at the restaurant but didn't want to get agita...not sure it would have changed anything though....If that's the way they serve the food now...that's the way it is...
I would like to share my recent experience.First and foremost, I have been a patron of La Esperanza for over a decade and I have never had a bad experience. The staff is friendly, caring, and attentive. Especially Oscar. He is such a hard worker and doesn’t sweat, not even under pressure of being the best bartender. I arrived at 6pm. The busiest time at the restaurant and waited patiently for my food, like a good patron would. The food came out hot and delicious and the drinks were phenomenal. 1000/1000 recommend! Thank you Oscar, a true American Hero!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fat Alex’S Burrito, Chips and Salsa
The service at this restaurant was absolutely terrible. My friend and I wanted to have a nice meal before heading to a show. We arrived at 6 pm. We sat at the bar so we could get done quickly. We ordered a drink from a drink menu that was laying on the bar. I had to ask the bartender for a food men. He never asked us if we were ready to order. I had to get his attention. He was too busy talking with 2 girls the bar and doing shots with them. At 6:40pm I asked if our food was ready. This was a good 35 minutes af we ordered.. We only ordered 2 quesadillas. He said it was 2nd to come out . After another 10 minutes our food was not out. I saw several orders come out of the kitchen in this timeframe. I asked the bartender what happened to our order. He became VERY rude. I told him I saw several other orders come out since he told me we were 2nd on the list to get our food. I told him that could not have been true. He asked "Are you calling me a liar". I asked his name and I requested to speak with the manager. He said that he was the manager.His name is Oscar. He was clearly not the manage. He said you can have your food to go. I can put a rush on that. By this time, it was 7 PM. Our show was at 8 PM in Philadelphia. I can't rate the food because we never got it. I paid for our drinks and told him I'm gonna fight this on my credit card. He was sweating the entire time we were there. He used his teeth to open a packet of something that was added to a drink. A waitress returned a drink to the bar and said the customer said that you did not put any tequila in his margarita.. This could all be related to the fact that he was doing shots while working. He was very unprofessional. I don't know if that's his personality or it was the alcohol in him talking. NEVER AGAIN!
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1
Awful service food never arrived after an hour. Bartender rude and non attentive.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1
The service at this restaurant was absolutely terrible. My friend and I wanted to have a nice meal before heading to a show. We arrived at 6 pm. We sat at the bar so we could get done quickly. We ordered a drink from a drink menu that was laying on the bar. I had to ask the bartender for a food men. He never asked us if we were ready to order. I had to get his attention. He was too busy talking with 2 girls the bar and doing shots with them. At 6:40pm I asked if our food was ready. This was a good 35 minutes af we ordered.. We only ordered 2 quesadillas. He said it was 2nd to come out . After another 10 minutes our food was not out. I saw several orders come out of the kitchen in this timeframe. I asked the bartender what happened to our order. He became VERY rude. I told him I saw several other orders come out since he told me we were 2nd on the list to get our food. I told him that could not have been true. He asked "Are you calling me a liar". I asked his name and I requested to speak with the manager. He said that he was the manager.His name is Oscar. He was clearly not the manage. He said you can have your food to go. I can put a rush on that. By this time, it was 7 PM. Our show was at 8 PM in Philadelphia. I can't rate the food because we never got it. I paid for our drinks and told him I'm gonna fight this on my credit card. He was sweating the entire time we were there. He used his teeth to open a packet of something that was added to a drink. A waitress returned a drink to the bar and said the customer said that you did not put any tequila in his margarita.. This could all be related to the fact that he was doing shots while working. He was very unprofessional. I don't know if that's his personality or it was the alcohol in him talking. NEVER AGAIN!
Bad experience here yesterday. Rude bartender ( claimed he was the manager and that his name is Oscar. He was heavy set and from Mexico and I'm not sure his real name). He definitely was not the manger and if he was he needs to be fired immediately. He was drinking alcohol shots with two girls at the bar and had a drink returned from the waitress because her customer said it didn't taste like tequila was in it. My friend and I sat at the bar at 6pm ( table was 1/2 hour wait). We opted for bar seats as it would be faster and we were limited on our time. We placed food order at 610 and after 35 minutes asked how much longer. "Oscar the manager bartender" told us it was second now to come out. Fifteen minutes and several other table food orders later we still did not have ours ( which was just a quesadilla). We asked again ten minutes later and he said he could rush it. I'm not sure what was to rush if it was second on the list the first time we asked. My friend politely asked what happened to our order and he said nothing. She asked why other tables that got seated after us did receive their orders. She showed him which tables .He didn't address that. But he did get ....rude and nasty and cocky and half the things he said were under his breath but loud enough to be heard . We asked Sa other employee for the manager and she said the restaurant doesn't have a manager. My friend said there has to be a manager or asst manager there and then asked why " Oscar the bartender" said he was the manager. The reply after a pause was " he is in charge when no one is here" . Our food had still not come out it was over an hour and we did wind up leaving. " Oscar the bartender not manager" was rude biligerent non apologetic etc. in fact, no one apologized, or tried to help. It was not a well run establishment. I had not been here for years and won't go back. Poor customer service to say the least. Can't rate the food because we never got ours!
Nice Fresh Corona and Modelo beers. Tasty Fajitas and tacos. Great lunch stop for our work group! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Carne Asada
Great service by staff there amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Go for the watermelon marg!!
The lady who I believe is the owner or manager is very nice and welcoming opposite of a younger female that had an "ALL DAY" Attitude. Besides that ...I will definitely come back.... I have been a regular in this restaurant and enjoy ? most of the meals there, but last time I was there I ordered a burrito ? that lacked the meat I requested in it, it was filled with tons or rice and beans and not meat at all. It will be nice if they correct this deficiency soon, if not I would have to wonder ? somewhere else.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food for either a date, going with friends, or whatever; it's a chill place to go and the food is fan-tastic. Especially the Fat Alex- OMG!
I've heard so much about La Esperanza that I had to check it out. I really enjoy Mexican cuisine and this was very authentic. I had to order a wind variety of entrees to get a full experience. The entrees were perfectly portioned. Full flavor. Not too spicy. The menu has many different options that I can't wait to try more. The empanadas was just ok Very delightful.
First-time lunching here. Great food, the margarita special was yummy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Flan Napolitano
Delicious food, fun atmosphere,and a lovely staff
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Enchiladas Rojas Rice and Beans Guacamole, Pico De Gallo, Traditional Guacamole and Chips
the the pastor burrito was so good I got a second one togo
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tortilla Soup