La Morada--Info & Reviews
12407 N Mo Pac Expy # 525
Austin TX 78758
836-6611
- Service: Waiters
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Overall Rating:
About La Morada
Local North Austin tex mex spot. Apparently popular for happy hour.
Staff Reviews (Your Reviews Below)
Ni Bueno ni Malo
Reviewer: Chris
Original Review Date: 09/08/2005
Rating: 0/+3(Ho hum)
Finally, a trip to La Morada (so I can now pass my own La Morada Test!). And, I didn't see much reason to go back. It wasn't terrible by any means, and the service was good, but the food was just...there.
They have a nice way of doing the lunch menu, a choose-your-own-combo-platter setup. I had the Crispy Beef Taco & Queso Chip from Category One, and the Cheese Enchilada (with "tex mex sauce") from Category Two.
Decent chips and hot sauce are served when you sit down. As for my meal, the taco and queso chip came out first. The taco was served in a mini taco-salad type shell, which means you can't easily pick it up to munch it. It makes for a cute presentation, but I prefer the traditional shell. The queso chip was an inverted mini taco-salad shell slathered with decent-tasting queso. The taco tasted fine (even though I had to eat it with a fork).
On to the main course, the cheese enchilada with rice and refried beans. It came out on a hot plate (food was too hot to eat for a minute or so), and the plate was one mass of pooled tex mex beans & sauce. The enchilada was barely discernible. This is not a bad sign necessarily and can be a common sight at tex mex places, but is not the best presentation. The rice was nothing special (did not seem very fresh), the beans were nothing special (admittedly, they rarely are at tex mex joints), and the enchilada was...nothing special. Nothing tasted bad, it just wasn't that great. Please note that I'm a fan of this style of tex mex--very traditional no-frills stuff. But this didn't measure up.
The sauce was bland, and the enchilada was just kind of lost in the tex mex pool. The waiter asked "onions or no onions" when I ordered, and I specified onions. I tasted not even a hint of onion, which was disappointing. On a positive note, I asked for a side of jalapeños, and was not charged any extra (as it should be, but I have eaten at tex mex restaurants where they have the gall to charge for them).
They also played 80s music, which is absolutely unacceptable for a tex mex resaurant.
Your Reviews (add a review)
Terrible service - ok Food
Reviewer: Nate 209.163.219.54
Review Date: 05/09/2009 12:26PM
Rating: -1/+3(Crap)
It was Cinco de Mayo so I was very excited to go eat some good Mexican food and drink some Margaritas... So we decided on trying this place we always see when going to get groceries from the local HEB. (La Morado)
First off, no one was there to greet us... basically it took about 10 minutes for someone who worked there to acknowledge 8 hungry people that were wanting to sit down. When the waitress finally showed us to our table it was like we were in a Mr. Gattis kiddie room. The room was tiny and they still stuck our party of 8 in there with 2 other tables of 4 people. We should have all eaten at the same table because we could hear everything anyone was saying anyways.
Now comes the part that made me want to take time to write this review. We started off with some girl as a waitress - then she obviously looked overwhelmed so told another guy to take over - It took about 15 minutes for that waiter to even bring out menus - about 10 minutes later another guy came. So at this point we have had 3 different people waiting the table. 30 minutes after sitting down the waiter finally starts taking our drink orders. This place knows how to treat their customers... Here is a quote from the waiter... "What do you want to drink lady?" To me that is not very respectful or a way to treat a customer - Anyways, we ordered some queso and a round of margaritas - another 10 minutes and the waiter comes back with the queso but no chips - so by the time the chips got to us the queso was allready cold and hard... I cant complain about the food bc the cooks actaully did their jobs... It was the horrible service that I was pissed about - And for that reason will never recommend this place to anyone.
So in a nutshell.... the people who work here have no training in customer service... I liked the food, but the time it took and the way they talked made me want to avoid this place next time I go out for some mexican food.... Oh yeah and they charged us for gratuity... I guess they knew we wouldn't have given them shit if they didn't force us to tip
My favorite Austin Mexican Food
Reviewer: Tim 71.145.188.123
Review Date: 08/03/2008 07:47PM
Rating: +3/+3(Great)
I love the chips and salsa. Best in town. Chips are thin, hot, and a little greasy. (Which I love). The salsa doesn't taste too tomato flavored like most other sauces around town. To say it is bland as one critic stated it unbelieveable. They must have gone on an off day or something.
Not the best Mexican food
Reviewer: Laura 143.166.255.58
Review Date: 04/15/2008 12:22PM
Rating: +1/+3(Not bad)
I have had much better. This place tries to make you feel like you are in an authentic mexican restaurant but you can tell from the chips and the food that it is not real Mexican food. I wouldn't go again, but the happy hour specials looked good, maybe i'll go for a drink- then the food might be better.
Reviewer: anonymous 76.244.26.244
Review Date: 02/03/2008 07:42PM
Rating: +3/+3(Great)
La Morada has fabulous Tex-Mex food. The beef enchiladas with chili gravy can't be beat and the fajitas have just the right seasoning. Chips are thin and crunchy - always fresh. Pair with a frozen marguerita and it's a great lunch or dinner anytime. They started breakfast in the last quarter of 2007 and that was very good as well.
My all-time favorite
Reviewer: LaMo's #1 Fan 128.208.134.95
Review Date: 12/19/2006 05:38PM
Rating: +3/+3(Great)
I know for a fact that these recipes are authentically Mexican, and since La Morada's inception in the early 80s, I have been hooked. Ditto on the chili gravy - mmm! The chips are homemade, the queso is to die for, and the fajitas have been sizzling deliciousness for as long as I can remember. Go for the happy hour, go for the laid back atmosphere, go for the people, go for the food - just go!!!
Recycled Chips...
Reviewer: Marcus 69.153.160.54
Review Date: 11/07/2006 12:53PM
Rating: -1/+3(Crap)
From someone who used to work there (back in 98), I can vouch that the then owners insisted on recycling unused chips from customer's tables back into the chip bin for future use.
The food itself is forgettable, and the atmosphere just screens hotel lobby... cheap hotel lobby.
And in response to the comment with a +3:
Yes, a Sauza Hornitos Margarita with Grand Marnier margarita is good anywhere, it's better when served with good food.
"The Albondegas are the mack as are the Cheese Enchiladas." - Don't you mean the cheese enchiladas are made with Easy Mac?
Nothing special
Reviewer: Torgo 72.179.33.13
Review Date: 09/03/2006 01:02AM
Rating: 0/+3(Ho hum)
The salsa is unbelievably bland - like watered down tomato sauce. I had the lunch combo, and while none of the items were bad at all, none were much better than what you would get at Taco Bell.
Excellent Food
Reviewer: Trace 71.145.174.81
Review Date: 07/04/2006 03:28PM
Rating: +3/+3(Great)
I love this place. I have been addicted since the first visit. The food is excellent and the service is great. The Chili Gravy is the sauce to get over the Tex Mex but the TexMex is great as well. Try a Sauza Hornitos Margarita with Grand Marnier. It is wonderful. The Albondegas are the mack as are the Cheese Enchiladas.
worst salsa ever
Reviewer: mike deans 70.244.123.168
Review Date: 10/08/2005 10:44PM
Rating: -1/+3(Crap)
It's very hard to get past the first thing that you eat there - "free" chips and salsa - the salsa is generally warm and unflavorful. It tastes like warm tomato soup. There are no spices in it. No cilantro - no cloying taste of cumin - nothing - it taste like warm watery tomatoes.
Chicken fajitas were unnacceptable - made with chicken beef jerky. Very un Tex Mex. The prices are on the high side to boot.