La Mestiza

Amazing enchiladas, and tacos very nice place to go during the winter (and also summer). It’s a nice calm and cozy place with good service and very reasonable prices despite the food being really good.

This is a small location that also had a much smaller menu than I am used to at places like this. I got the steak tacos. This was three tacos on corn tortillas. The meat was great it just was laking something to bring it all together. You are also served chips with dipping sauces. The chips were fantastic. The service was fine and the food came out quick.

Strip mall storefront notwithstanding, this joint serves up some terrific food. Heeding the waiter's recommendation, I ordered the pork shank in honey chipotle sauce. Out-damn-standing! I ordered a paloma cocktail, which was delightful. Highly recommend!

This is one of my husband and mine’s favorite spot. We’ve like everything we’ve ordered. The food is consistently good and tasty. The service is always prompt too. The restaurant has a smaller, family-owned vibe. We love coming here.

Unassuming little place in classic strip mall setting. It’s shabby interior but the food is worth it. Had solid margaritas, tacos, and bunch of other items. The chips and salsa are very good - flavors are there. Great service. The little place quickly filled up with newbies like us as well as regulars - was sweet to hear the staff call the regulars by name and already know their favorites. Plenty of parking right up front and easy access.

One of the nicest owners ever, Antonio. Their food tasted like family made it, it was absolutely amazing. Everything was so fresh and he said they make almost everything in house and it tasted like it! Cant wait to go back.

I had grilled salmon and nopal on the side. The salmon is grilled and slathered with pineapple salsa; the bite of the bitter char from the grill is perfectly balanced by the flood of pineapple salsa. (Sorry, I started eating the nopal before taking the picture) I had the nopal served on a taco, and it was a great first experience. I failed to ask about the spice level and was almost caught off guard by the rising heat, but the refried beans tempered the spice without taking away from the rich flavor. As a bonus, you get their in-house tortilla chips -- thick and crispy, evenly salted, and dashed with lime.

Chicken enchiladas 5/5 Chips 3/5 Salsa 5/5 but bowl was hard to dip Bench was a bit uncomfortable Menu 3/5 - limited. would love to see burritos chimichangas or fajitas added!

We're from Tucson and are picky about Mexican food. La Mestiza is a fabulous find! The owners take great pride in their homemade, authentic mole and tomatillo sauces, which are all heavenly. It was hard to choose just one after being presented with a sampler. The mole verde is complex and exquisite. The chips are freshly-made on site and the best we've had in a long time. The enchiladas are made to perfection with white shredded chicken, corn tortillas, sour cream and cheese with a side of rice and fresh lettuce and tomatoes. Antonio, the owner, is friendly, helpful and humble. The restaurant is small but clean, colorful and quiet. Our bill was only $30 for two. A bargain for an authentic Mexican dining experience!

I have been to a lot of Mexican restaurants in Madison, and La Mestiza is the best. The chips and salsa are excellent; so is the food. And, importantly, the service is friendly and professional. That's what it's all about when dining out. The prices are reasonable. When I go out to eat, for the money I spend, I want excellent service and food, and I always get that at La Mestiza. I am from California and as you know, there is excellent Mexican food in CA. Hard to find Mexican food in WI that is as good as CA. I wish there was a Mexican restaurant in WI that made great wet burritos.

I took out dinner from here on a Friday. The gaucomole is the most impressive item here. It was real fresh and flavorful. Puntas de filete is a flavorful beef dish. Beef should be slightly more tender though. Enchiladas de pollo verdes was a good dish as well. Side of refried plantains was good. For drink, I had a horchata. It was an excellent flavorful drink. Flan de kahlua was my dessert. It was an excellent flan with coffee flavor.

This place is a true gem! Living in the southwest for a large percentage of my life, I have had a lot of Mexican food. However, since moving to the Midwest finding excellent Mexican food can be difficult. That is not the case here. This place is by far the best Mexican food I have had in Madison. They even have cactus nopales on the menu, which are cooked to perfection. My husband and stopped by for lunch to try this place as we have passed by it multiple times, but never stopped in. My husband had the carne asada plate and I had the enchiladas pollo con mole. These were mouthwatering delicious.

Good food the portions are good sized and the server was very good and allowed me to practice my Spanish.

Happened on this spot for lunch. So glad we did! The moles were outstanding with the verde being the standout. Great service and food!

Best Mexican food in Madison as far as I know. Super-friendly service. Great local business!

So good! The mole verde sauce for the enchiladas was so complex and delicious. Loved everything we tried.

This is a consistently solid Mexican restaurant, and we always have a really good meal when we come here. The services is great, and restaurant isn't huge, so it's quieter. You can actually hear your friends talk over dinner.

Updating to appreciate ... I order chilaquiles so much that this most recent order I simply ordered as provided online. Got home and found a side of onions and cilantro in my salsa bag. They really remember how I prefer to eat chilaquiles but didn't order it as such this time because I wasn't in the mood. Ordering online requires a $10 minimum. The chips are always hot at pickup. The containers are packed for traveling but I always ask to leave the lettuce off for the Mexican sampler does not travel well with it. Neither the ceviche. But downtown from the westside is brutal if the Beltline has an issue. Overall, I highly recommend.

Excellent food! Authentic Mexican food with very friendly service. Like others have said, get the guacamole! The combo trio de tacos was delicious! The meats all had tons of flavor.

Consistently awesome and fresh! The chips are the best in town and the guac/pico never disappoint!

NOPALITOS = Cactus leaf tacos! Madison really needed these. I'm from the South and nopals are on most menus. Thank you La Mestiza for bringing them out, and with a KICK (spice)! It's just another awesome veggie for us veg heads, but it shows genius and authenticity how you do it! Escabeche (pickled veggies) is impressive here too. Very well seasoned; is that clove? Also, they use a bunch of veggies, not just carrots and coliflor. Mild to Medium heat. Pro: they are accommodating, even if their menu doesn't look like it. Call 'em. Con: please put those veggies in an enchilada! Maybe add a spice rating system? Sometimes it's a level 1 and other times it a level yowzer. Overall, keep it up!

Been looking for a New Mexican restaurant and this place hit the spot. My go to is enchiladas and they have a great selection of regular and vegetarian options enchilada options. The menu is limited just as a heads up but it's also a small local restaurant so it is understandable. The night we went it looked to be one server and one cook only working with a steady steam of in restaurant and to go orders. Server was super nice and food was FAST! The chips are homemade and the salsas were amazing! The enchiladas were good but I wish the chicken had more seasoning to it. The flautas were also good with guacamole but same issue with the chicken. That being said the sauces made up for it as well as the price and service!

Antonio and Stella offer a cozy, quiet, and colorful environment for their authentic Mexican cuisine. The food is delicious with homemade mole and tortilla chips. The salsas are fresh and made by hand. They were closed briefly but are now open with their original hours of operation. A wonderful, family-friendly place to eat.

I'm a fan of this place!! The place is run by a small crew, with one main guy as the center. He is super sweet and what I can only assume is the owner. It was busy on a Tuesday night at 5pm, which is a great sign. We sat down and looked over the menu, enjoyed some chips and salsa at the table as well. So, let me stop there. These chips, are exceptional. Super crispy, thick, with lots of crunch. There were 2 different salsas and both were delish. We ordered a cheese enchilada plate and 3 taco trio appetizer. The enchilada was with a verde sauce, which is my favorite and came with some rice and beans. Now, the cheese was a little hard on the inside, but the flavors went really well together. The tacos were quite good and enough to share with my partner. It came with generous amounts of meat and each had good flavor. I will say the carne asada was my favorite. Then the Al Pastor and chicken tied because I think the chicken could have used a little more flavor and the al pastor was differently prepared than I'm used it. It was more a stewed pork with onions verses with sweet and spicy sauces on a spire. All in all, enjoyed the experience, got away with a really good cheap meal, but I will say, the service is pretty slow given the one man show mentioned at the beginning. So go with some time on your side and you'll be golden! Happy Taco Tuesdays!

Delicious tacos and impeccable hospitality. We came here at 1:55p on a Thursday unaware that the restaurant is closed from 2-4pm every day. While we couldn't dine in, the server put in a to-go order and made sure we had water during our wait. My party ordered two taco combos, carne asada and al pastor. Both were delicious. The tacos and two tortillas each and were lightly fried to give it a crunchy texture. The al pastor tacos were some of the best I've ever tasted and the carne asada tacos were great as well--better than any NYC restaurants I usually go to. I will definitely be back before the end of my visit in Madison. Chips were fresh as well as very appetizing!

Wonderful authentic flavors, ingredients and preparations! More complexity and authenticity than local taco bars. Service is attentive and very friendly! This is our "go to" place. We appreciate the colorful family-friendly atmosphere!

My expectations were moderate. I was out of town on a business trip and wanted to see what Madison had to offer regarding tacos. These were not fun at all. They didn't even warm up the tortillas. These were some bold tacos.

Small location hidden inside a strip mall-like setting. They offer friendly albeit a tad slow service. I tried the carne asada which is accompanied with cactus Napoles. It was a bit different than anything similar I had tried before. They had a variety of enchilada sauces which should suit everyone's taste.

Food was delicious, chips were homemade, service was quick. It's a small place, but well decorated and comfortable. I will return!

Great experience of authentic Mexican food! I was in Madison for work and this place was perfectly placed right next to my hotel. I took the short walk over with some colleagues in order to try this place out. Inside it's a small operation but very inviting! Plenty of color used to warm up the ambiance, and it was pleasantly clean but not in the "sterile" sense. We sat in a booth and the waiter was quick to hand us some menus and start us off with water. The menu is a good size and they had a vegetarian section which I appreciated and was right up my alley! I ended up choosing the corn quesadillas for my meal - and I'm glad I did! Their version of a quesadilla was shaped more-so like a small calzone. It was filled with cheese and veggies and came with a small side salad and pico de gallo. I found the dish hearty. I was afraid it was going to be too greasy, but it was pleasantly less so. I think the balance of the cheese and veggies was perfect! I wasn't over-chewing the cheese and the sautéed veggies helped add texture and flavor. The waiter was really helpful in explaining the menu and even came out with a sample of cactus since we all were unfamiliar on what or how to eat that - super cool! He also came around to share stories of the restaurant which was nice to learn about. Overall would definitely recommend this place for a solid dinner! Enjoy!

When you're after a bit of an upscale Mexican meal come here. Ingredients, preparation and presentation are a cut above most Mexican restaurants in town. Drinks are reasonably priced. I'm a fan of there guacamole... and there chips are much better than average. In general I've been drawn to their pork dishes and always been happy.

Small restaurant with delicious food. Veggie tamale was outstanding. You can tell everything is made fresh. Great fresh salsa and chips. Margarita was good also.

Me and my sister came here with a craving for authentic Mexican food and were not disappointed with the food or service! You can tell this is a family owned business that puts their heart into the dishes they make. We both decided to order the enchilada entrees, our waiter (who I think may have been the owner of the restaurant) brought out little sample cups of each enchilada sauce on the menu, so we could see for ourselves what they tasted like before ordering. This gave us a good idea of the spices & flavors, and I really appreciated him taking the time to do that! We both enjoyed the green mole & sauces the most, and my sister ordered one enchilada with a red sauce that he brought out for us to try as well (I forgot the name). I also ordered a side of the guacamole & a drink that was 1/2 sangria and 1/2 margarita. The guac was a generous portion, served in a molcajete for $5.95 - we both loved the fresh lime flavor added in & had more than enough to share. If you are looking for a meal to share, they offer "juicy fajitas," which come with sautéed steak+chicken+shrimp with peppers and onions, with a side of rice+pinto beans+Guacamole+tortillas ($15.99). The lunch specials are very reasonable for around $9 and there's even a yelp! deal available, which I will definitely be using at my next visit in Madison. All in all, I was very impressed with my experience and food!

Unassuming shopping center exterior belies an authentic menu of excellent Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes prepared with care, served hot, and very reasonably priced. Welcoming staff and comfort food from our good neighbor to the South. We're from Austin and this is one of the Madison places that does it right! La Mestiza deserves your support.

Oh my gosh. This place is high class. The prices are affordable and the dishes are delicious. This could easily be the best Mexican food I've ever had. I ordered guacamole and it came out in a huge portion serving. This place is friendly, intimate, and inviting.

Dependable delicious food, warm service and vibrant, colorful atmosphere. I love this place! The chips are fresh, crunchy with tasty dips. The best corn tortillas in town.

Love this place. Great food at reasonable price. Antonio who has served me whenever I go here is a gracious host as well.

This place makes me smile just thinking about it. Not just a family run business, but a family run kitchen as well! Love is put into this food by people who truly understand flavor and can just flat out cook! Whether you're looking for tacos for lunch (pastor and tinga are exceptional), enchiladas for dinner (pollo verde is a family favorite), or delicious and thoughtful catering for a large event, this place should always be on your short list. I was just craving their queso fundido and thought of how I want to show more support for outstanding local businesses like this. I figured this review and dinner at La Mestiza tonight sounds like a delicious start! PS Their house made chips are the best! Do yourself and our community a favor and give this place a try!

My latest visit to La Mestiza is not what I remembered from a few years ago. I'm not sure what changed. The dish I ordered was decent. I should have changed the sauce from the verde to something more brown (adobo or mole). It was alright, but I could have enjoyed it more. Nothing here really stood out that would make me come here FIRST. I'll come here again, probably, but if it's my choice, there are so many other places to go.

Love their consistently original and delicious food. Vegetarian Mole option is a big plus!

Phenomenal pumpkin sauce enchiladas. Try them! Everything they make is good--salsa, beans, rice, and chips prepared the right way.

Great food and service by Antonio. Everyone loved their meal!! Try the carnitas and pulled pork.

Me and my daughter had beef and chicken tacos w sides of rice and beans. Ordered to go as not the greatest ambience. Very authentic. Very good food. Friendly service. We will go back.

Great carnitas when available ( special on weekends usually!) We typically do take out.

Decided to pop into this spot for lunch not having visited before. We immediately found a table to sit. It was really crowded, which was great to see, so getting water as well as chips and salsa was a little slow. No fault of theirs. Just what happens when it's a nice, spring Saturday during lunch on a holiday weekend, so no complaints there. We ordered off the lunch menu: Three steak tacos and the chicken mole enchiladas. All so good! Top three best moles I've ever eaten, and the steak was super flavorful, abundant and delicious. Plates came out well plated, everything was warm, and the prices were good. As busy as he was, our server was great! Very welcoming, attentive, and high-spirited. Will definitely be back and would give a 4.5 if the app would let me!

Terrible experience, one of the worst Mexican places in Madison. Food is plain and lacks flavor. They charge you for hot sauce if you want to get one for your tacos. They are pretty cheap, chilaquiles won't ce with beans. They give you like two tablespoons of salsa for 6 people and of you ask for more they charge you extra. They give you less than two half of bowls of chips for 6 people and then charge you if you ask for more. When we express our concern about the extra charges the waiter did not care. Her answer was: it's been like this for many years. Don't go the. Go to el pastor, los gemelos, taqueria Guadalajara.

Excellent food, addictive fresh chips and sauces... cozy, has little bar, and conveniently on OdanaRd.

The menu wasn't what I expected. This is not your typical Mexican restaurant that has combination plates. It's a variety of dishes that come with some decent rice that looks great. I only ordered the three tacos from the appetizer section. I didn't want a full meal. The tacos were very filling. They were: beef, pork, and chicken that were very flavorful. Cilantro and onions of course -- authentic. It was definitely worth it. I got a side of guac which was cheaper than ordering it as a full appetizer. I will probably venture to this place again. I am interested to see what their lunch is like. When I went, there was a family celebrating a birthday, two older couples having a nice quiet double date, and me and my friend. The chips were delicious. I've been looking for a restaurant with their type of chips and I finally found them. The search is over! The best part is that this is so close to La Michoacan! Ice cream, micholada, or paleta after dinner anyone? YES!

I have been here about four times for lunch over the last two years and each time it has been consistently good. I am not a Mexican food aficionado but it definitely seems different than the usual Tex-Mex a la Laredos. On my last visit two weeks ago, I had the 7.95 grilled steak lunch special. Rice and beans accompanied a nice grilled piece of flank steak covered with a deep dark mole sauce hinting of chocolate. Subtle + simple = sophisticated. Nice. Tasty and fresh guacamole too and homemade tortilla chips! It is not a large restaurant and some would say it is a little cramped. I call it cozy and serene.

Great food. It is a lovely small, owned family business. Large portions that you can share. The food was flavorful and delicious. Definitely going back for more!

This place is really tasty! I made the mistake of getting take-out though (not a bad option if pressed for time), I would definitely recommend eating in if you have the chance, it really is a nice atmosphere and the free chips/salsa served if you eat in looked scrumptious! Everything was very delicious; it definitely tasted house-made and fresh to boot! The prices are a tad bit higher than your standard Mexican establishment, yet, their options are more plentiful and held to a standard that rivals any spot in Madison. I definitely would go back to try some other dishes and the house-mole looks fantastic! Also, don't forget to check in with Yelp to take advantage of a discounted lunch special!

Super good food and service today . All of us eat a lot of Mexican around the Madison area and is this by far the best stop yet. Great chips and salsa , drinks and the owner has top notch service. Barbacova Taco Special was the best ever !!!!

The food is hit or miss, the service is pretty much miss. The family decided to check this place out on a Friday evening based on a recommendation of my wife's co-worker. The Rick Bayless Everyday Mexican cookbook holds an esteemed spot in the kitchen, so I'll admit I set the bar pretty high when evaluating this style of cuisine. We arrived at 5 pm and our server promptly took our drink order, but things started to slow down. Despite having three servers working five tables, it took about 15 minutes to get our drinks and a small complimentary basket of chips. Did I mention that the basket of chip was small? Our party of four devoured them in three minutes, but no one came by to ask us if we wanted more. (It should be noted that the first basket of chips was free, after that, you'll be charged $2 for a bottomless supply). The chips were the star of the evening. Hot, fresh with plenty of crunch. I would make the trip to the west side just to get another fix. The consistency of the salsa verde was a disappointment. It was far too watery, making it difficult to get the right balance of salsa and chip. I also enjoyed the Quesadillas de Rajas y Queso we ordered as an appetizer. The corn masa coating was cooked to perfection, but I would have preferred a Mexican cheese over the mozzarella used as the filling. The roasted poblanos were excellent and a small serving of crema was a welcome addition to the dish. After a long wait (about 20 minutes) and only one refill of our basket of chips, we received the entrees. I ordered one of the specials, a beef barbacoa based on the recommendation of the server. The beef was tender, but a little under seasoned. The dish was overpowered by a pile of raw onions that topped the beef. I like onions, but these gave the dish a sulphery aftertaste. The sides also were disappointing, the re-fried beans were overcooked and lacked texture, the Mexican rice was mushy and bland. With the little more focus on the details, this could have been a great meal. The kids ordered cheese enchiladas and chicken enchiladas. The salsa verde lacked punch. The tomatillos really needed to be roasted longer to give the green sauce more depth. The chicken was well cooked but under seasoned and I was frustrated with the the use of mozzarella as the filling for the cheese enchiladas. There are some great Mexican melting cheeses that could have vastly improved this dish. After another long wait, we finally received the bill which totaled $65 before tip for our group of four. The meal cost was reasonable, but I can't really recommend La Mestiza given the below quality of the food and service I experienced.

Sometimes when I start to write a review, the reviews of the people that have reviewed the place before me totally mesmerize me, and I feel more compelled to review the review than the restaurant! I had this whole scathing paragraph all typed out, but when it comes down to it, really, you should just check out La Meztiza. It's definitely authentic. The chips are the best in town, but the salsa is not. I wish they had a slightly bigger menu, and it seems just a tad pricey for the portions. The place is in a strip mall next to Pegasus Games, there shouldn't be any pretensions. All this being said, I want some right now.

Being from LA, I am definitely missing my authentic Mexican food. La Mestiza is pretty darn close. The mole enchiladas are tasty without being greasy and they use real queso fresco instead of cheddar cheese or Mexican blend (whatever the heck that is!). Madison loves their cheddar cheese and I hate to tell you that it RUINS Mexican food! We also had their fish tacos, which were also tasty and light with good salsas. The salsas are not spicy, however if you're feeling brave and want some spice order a side of Jalapenos Toreados, they are grilled jalapenos with lime and salt! They are absolutely delicious! The staff is friendly and attentive. The next time we go, I will try their cafe de la olla, a Mexican coffee made with spices and brown sugar, cochinita pibil, a Yucatan style cooked pork, and their barbacoa. For the vegeterians: they also have options foe you! Go check them out, it's worth it!

Ummmmm. Margaritas made with real lime juice. Delicious vegetarian sides. Cozy ambiance. Handmade fried tortilla chips. Traditional Banda music. Outstanding service. Reasonable prices. I wish they would open an actual restaurant instead of this rink a dink place in a West Towne strip mall! So far the best Mexican food we have had since moving to Madison. And I lived in Xalapa, MX for awhile so there is my credibility statement. Buen provecho!

Stopped here after driving up and down the street. Saw a few car outside and it wasn't quite dinner time. We stopped. I ordered chile's rellenos and my DH ordered the beef special. The chile's were amazing. They were stuffed and fried in the egg batter. They tasted fresh and not reheated. The sauce on top was an orange red and cooked (my favorite to look at and to eat). Served with corn tortillas and a side of rice. The best I've had in years. My hubby enjoyed the beef special - steamed beef with a sauce with a side of rice, beans, and flour tortillas. His food was amazing. We left full and with no upset tummy. We enjoyed our chips and two sauces. A red salsa that was hot and a milder green sauce that was yummy. Don't leave a lot of reviews. This place is amazing and I would go again in a heartbeat.