La Tate Mexican Restaurant

I have tried this place once and happily will return. I will return because it is a Mexican American cuisine restaurant that West Newton's village center has sorely needed. When a famous burrito store opened a town away ten years ago, I began to understand just what the city of Newton was missing. La Tate brings that here. I will return because the service was wonderful, and the city is missing a place that has that "5 O'Clock Somewhere" atmosphere down the street from Chestnut Street. I know where it is because they have a colorful art installation outside of the restaurant, I know that the owners of the building put a lot of work into the food and enjoyed every moment of it.

Four stars, but I liked it a LOT. All very tasty, and my family all loved their meals. Margaritas delicious and generous. It's just that the steak in my fajitas was way salty. The shrimp, though: 👌!

Great authentic food. The mole poblano sauce was excellent. Shrimp fajitas were yummy, and plentiful. Service was great. I was stuffed when I left.

The staff is amazing and Incredibly friendly. They did a wonderful job renovating the space, too. It's welcoming and colorful and bright and fun. I did take out, so I didn't get to experience the full restaurant as a restaurant. My burrito was good. It didn't blow my mind. I found the fajita veggies undercooked and too crunchy. Also, I asked for a side of black beans and rice which I then wanted to be refried beans and rice, and I had a feeling that she didn't understand what I was saying... And when I got home, no beans and rice. It was fine because the burrito I got was absolutely enormous. I would definitely go back and try the restaurant sitting down. The menu looks really good. Great addition to the neighborhood.

This place for one is understaffed. The food had NO FLAVOR! They could of at least thrown some salt. The beans were watery and tasted like nothing. The tortillas were stale and cold. The salsa was like the rest of the food..BLAND! White rice has more flavor than the rice they served me. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME COMING HERE.

I went here with my wife on a rainy Saturday for lunch and it was excellent. She had the fish tacos and I had a chimichanga. Both dishes were served with Spanish rice and refried or black beans. The chimichanga also came with a small salad and sour cream. We also ordered an queso dip appetizer and had soft drinks. Everything was really outstanding! I would describe the quality as high-end Tex-Mex. The flavors weren't too out there and leaned towards being less versus more spicy but very tasty. The food reminded me of my days living in Atlanta were there were so many more options for Mexican food than Boston that spanned a wide range of styles. Yep, high-end Tex-Mex is how I would classify it. My wife said her fish tacos were some of the better she's had and the chimichanga was close to if not the best I've ever had. You could tell it was made fresh right then and there and fried up. Although a bit of a thick monster, it was heated evenly and stuffed with the chipotle chicken I selected. The verde salsa it sat in was very good and the refried beans and rice were good. I had to give 1/4 of the chimi to my wife since it was so huge. The decor of the restaurant is very bright and fun, the service was great and the restrooms were super clean. There's nothing negative to say about the non-food experience of the place. We didn't drink alcohol, but it looked like they had a nice selection of tequilla and the little bar was adorable. The cost of La Tate is a frequent issue with a lot of reviewers, but I think the best comparison is to a place like Margaritas in Waltham, but the food of La Tate is much, much better at perhaps 15% higher cost. There is no parking lot, but it's pretty easy in that part of Newton with a couple of commuter lots or simply the street at meters or free if you don't mind walking a little bit. We have been frequent diners at Margarita's in Waltham and that place is just fine, but now we have a replacement that is just a bit closer to us now! Enjoy!

I have tried this place twice now and disappointingly will not return. One order I had was fajitas and they were delivered without any tortillas! Not much of a fajita can be made without a tortilla. I thought perhaps we should try dining in and see if the experience had improved. Unfortunately, it was a greater disappointment. The food was overall bland and even though we asked for extra hot sauce and for hot spices, nothing could really help the very bland food. To make matters worse, the Margarita I ordered was weak. Lastly, one of the criteria on which I judge a restaurant is the cleanliness and supplies in the bathroom. There have been times when we have gone in and sat down and had to stop and order or not order based on how dirty the bathrooms were. Cleanliness was not the issue here, it was the fact that the toilet paper had room for two rolls but was clearly empty and had been for sometime. There was a roll of toilet paper on top of the apparatus, which clearly been there for sometime. I consider it an issue of management. Is the management spread too thin when there’s only three tables at the restaurant on a Friday night? What would happen if things got busy?It’s too bad that this place isn’t ready for prime time yet. Maybe with some improved management and an introduction of spices it could be worthwhile.

Fresh ingredients. Surprising lack of flavor ..... If you like your Mexican food with some heat this place is not for you . Only the green salsa had a noticeable punch. Prices are on par with blue Dahlias but the flavors are not.