Anyone who comes here twice has no idea what Mexican food is. service was fine, ambiance is "festive", real "Quatro de cinco" vibe.
Milan B.
Stopped by after a long day of shopping. The service was great and our waiter was friendly and attentive. It was happy hour so we got 2 margaritas which were pretty weak and watery. For food we ordered the birria enchiladas and the steak and shrimp fajitas. The food came out looking amazing and delicious...unfortunately it did not taste the same. All of the food was bland and underwhelming. Would not visit again.
annanzie a
We come for the happy hour every couple months. They are always able to accommodate our group, regardless of the number. I always ordered the same thing, 3 carnita tacos for $8. These are just amazing!! I've also ordered the carnita sliders, which are just as delicious. The wait staff as well as the greeters are
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Happy Hour
Sihan Liu
Highly recommend Signature Fajitas with Shrimp. Shrimp are very tender and juicy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Catalina Rojas
I came with my service dog and they denied the service. The manager did not want to see the service dog certificate and he asked us to leave refusing to serve us. I hope no one supports this kind of business and behaviors.
Service: 1
Ariana Smith
There is no atmosphere and the food was absolutely horrendous. Why does my frozen margarita require me to chew and have multiple textures?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Julia Armstrong
The food is good and reasonably priced. The food came quickly, honestly a little too fast. We ordered an appetizer and our entrees came almost immediately after (within 5 minutes). We weren’t even half way done with the app when our entrees arrived. I would suggest waiting to order your entree if you don’t want to be rushed. Other than that, the service was good and it’s an excellent spot to people watch at the mall.
Kevin Beaver
The margaritas and the tacos were amazing - we had the carne asada and shrimp tacos. Staff was very friendly and made the experience beyond enjoyable . . . all this inside a mall! Make the journey to La Sandia!
Not bad for an east coast Mexican restaurant. The shrimp tacos were good, the carne asada tacos were ok, I didn't like the marinade but the salsa that came with it was good. The chips and salsa though, it had no flavor or spice which was disappointing. The casa margarita, don't get it.
Nisha T.
We used to love coming to La Sandia, but after tonight, it's unlikely we will return. The service was incredibly slow - nearly finished dinner before drinks came. The food was tasteless. We didn't receive anything unless we asked several times. While the guacamole is good, it's not worth a $200 check with no consideration of the terrible service and other food.
We arrived for a 5pm "pre-movie" reservation and entered a nearly empty restaurant, only to be guided to a two-topper in the back of the restaurant next to the kitchen door. We asked for a different table, and the second choice was not much better. Finally we requested to be seated on the patio which was accommodated. We understand it was Valentine's day; however, a more appropriate table should have been offered in an empty restaurant. By the time we finished dining, the restaurant was still nearly empty. We enjoy La Sandia but just wanted to point out this seating miss.
We had a dinner reservation for 7:45 but they were able to seat us early, which was nice. We were a party of 7 and the table given to us was a little wonky. The one end had little leaf extensions on the table, which made eating on it a little precarious. The server did a lot of reaching over with our drinks and food, instead of walking around to the other side, which we didn't like. The food itself was good. The drinks seemed a little watered down. Overall, it was okay, but we are not in a rush to go back.
Daniel C.
La Sandia is a spacious restaurant with a casual vibe. The chips and salsa are a highlight - warm, crispy chips paired with fresh-tasting salsa. A small downside is the $1 charge for hot sauce, unlike many places where it's complimentary. The habanero sauce was disappointing as it was not spicy. However, the habanero paste was excellent on all the food. The enchiladas impress with ample meat, sauce, and a touch of greens on top. The burrito is a star, perfectly made, and incredibly filling. The tender steak and impeccably cooked rice and beans made for a fantastic meal overall. The staff members are nice and helpful. There were occasional delays with the check and water refills.
Joshua Learn
Ok, where to start... The menu looked great--was excited to try the birria enchiladas and was amped they had pozole on the menu. Made it seem like this wasn't just American tex-mex style. And the food was decent. The trouble was the service, which was terrible. My pregnant wife ordered her tacos when they were taking drink orders as she was hungry for two. They didn't come early with the drinks, and didn't come at all in fact. The server was nowhere to be found for long stretches when people wanted drinks. I had to ask a server, then my friend also asked the manager, before they finally came out. He explained that they came late because she ordered after. When I said she actually ordered before everyone else, the manager just shrugged and said it was busy. Only a third of the tables in the place were full. I asked for another round of drinks and he didn't seem pleased about that either--but it there had been a waiter around we would have ordered them from him.Eventually the tacos come out, though by that time she was no longer hungry as she'd mooched enough chips and food off everyone else.Finally they bring the bill, which came with automatic 18% tip as we were a big table. As usual, this explains why the service was so bad. Here comes the coup de grace. We split the bill three ways (which included the 1-hour late chicken tinga tacos), and didn't do our math right on the cards, so we just added cash to make up for the shortfall (remember tip was included). The guy comes back with the cards and it turns out he added the extra shortfall on our bills. He just pocketed the cash, saying he thought that wasn't included??? It wasn't a lot of money, like $10. But it's the principle of it. Terrible service, and bad management.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Edwin Orellana
Food and Service was great. The waitress really took care of us.
Anyone who comes here twice has no idea what Mexican food is. service was fine, ambiance is "festive", real "Quatro de cinco" vibe.
Stopped by after a long day of shopping. The service was great and our waiter was friendly and attentive. It was happy hour so we got 2 margaritas which were pretty weak and watery. For food we ordered the birria enchiladas and the steak and shrimp fajitas. The food came out looking amazing and delicious...unfortunately it did not taste the same. All of the food was bland and underwhelming. Would not visit again.
We come for the happy hour every couple months. They are always able to accommodate our group, regardless of the number. I always ordered the same thing, 3 carnita tacos for $8. These are just amazing!! I've also ordered the carnita sliders, which are just as delicious. The wait staff as well as the greeters are
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Happy Hour
Highly recommend Signature Fajitas with Shrimp. Shrimp are very tender and juicy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I came with my service dog and they denied the service. The manager did not want to see the service dog certificate and he asked us to leave refusing to serve us. I hope no one supports this kind of business and behaviors.
Service: 1
There is no atmosphere and the food was absolutely horrendous. Why does my frozen margarita require me to chew and have multiple textures?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food is good and reasonably priced. The food came quickly, honestly a little too fast. We ordered an appetizer and our entrees came almost immediately after (within 5 minutes). We weren’t even half way done with the app when our entrees arrived. I would suggest waiting to order your entree if you don’t want to be rushed. Other than that, the service was good and it’s an excellent spot to people watch at the mall.
The margaritas and the tacos were amazing - we had the carne asada and shrimp tacos. Staff was very friendly and made the experience beyond enjoyable . . . all this inside a mall! Make the journey to La Sandia!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada, Shrimp Tacos, Tableside Guacamole
Not bad for an east coast Mexican restaurant. The shrimp tacos were good, the carne asada tacos were ok, I didn't like the marinade but the salsa that came with it was good. The chips and salsa though, it had no flavor or spice which was disappointing. The casa margarita, don't get it.
We used to love coming to La Sandia, but after tonight, it's unlikely we will return. The service was incredibly slow - nearly finished dinner before drinks came. The food was tasteless. We didn't receive anything unless we asked several times. While the guacamole is good, it's not worth a $200 check with no consideration of the terrible service and other food.
Restaurantji Recommends
We arrived for a 5pm "pre-movie" reservation and entered a nearly empty restaurant, only to be guided to a two-topper in the back of the restaurant next to the kitchen door. We asked for a different table, and the second choice was not much better. Finally we requested to be seated on the patio which was accommodated. We understand it was Valentine's day; however, a more appropriate table should have been offered in an empty restaurant. By the time we finished dining, the restaurant was still nearly empty. We enjoy La Sandia but just wanted to point out this seating miss.
We had a dinner reservation for 7:45 but they were able to seat us early, which was nice. We were a party of 7 and the table given to us was a little wonky. The one end had little leaf extensions on the table, which made eating on it a little precarious. The server did a lot of reaching over with our drinks and food, instead of walking around to the other side, which we didn't like. The food itself was good. The drinks seemed a little watered down. Overall, it was okay, but we are not in a rush to go back.
La Sandia is a spacious restaurant with a casual vibe. The chips and salsa are a highlight - warm, crispy chips paired with fresh-tasting salsa. A small downside is the $1 charge for hot sauce, unlike many places where it's complimentary. The habanero sauce was disappointing as it was not spicy. However, the habanero paste was excellent on all the food. The enchiladas impress with ample meat, sauce, and a touch of greens on top. The burrito is a star, perfectly made, and incredibly filling. The tender steak and impeccably cooked rice and beans made for a fantastic meal overall. The staff members are nice and helpful. There were occasional delays with the check and water refills.
Ok, where to start... The menu looked great--was excited to try the birria enchiladas and was amped they had pozole on the menu. Made it seem like this wasn't just American tex-mex style. And the food was decent. The trouble was the service, which was terrible. My pregnant wife ordered her tacos when they were taking drink orders as she was hungry for two. They didn't come early with the drinks, and didn't come at all in fact. The server was nowhere to be found for long stretches when people wanted drinks. I had to ask a server, then my friend also asked the manager, before they finally came out. He explained that they came late because she ordered after. When I said she actually ordered before everyone else, the manager just shrugged and said it was busy. Only a third of the tables in the place were full. I asked for another round of drinks and he didn't seem pleased about that either--but it there had been a waiter around we would have ordered them from him.Eventually the tacos come out, though by that time she was no longer hungry as she'd mooched enough chips and food off everyone else.Finally they bring the bill, which came with automatic 18% tip as we were a big table. As usual, this explains why the service was so bad. Here comes the coup de grace. We split the bill three ways (which included the 1-hour late chicken tinga tacos), and didn't do our math right on the cards, so we just added cash to make up for the shortfall (remember tip was included). The guy comes back with the cards and it turns out he added the extra shortfall on our bills. He just pocketed the cash, saying he thought that wasn't included??? It wasn't a lot of money, like $10. But it's the principle of it. Terrible service, and bad management.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Food and Service was great. The waitress really took care of us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chips and Salsa, Fajitas