La Loma

This was our first time trying out La Loma. We had a very sweet waitress. Margaritas are decent. A little watered down for my taste, but still good. The cheese dip is a bit on the spicy side. I liked it, but it was too spicy for my toddler. The salsa is delicious and chunky. Overall, the food and experience was just fine. The inside atmosphere is dimly lit, except for a row of booths that sit adjacent to a row of windows. That area was well lit. I hold Los Barrilles and Nachos as my top 2 favorite Mexican restaurants in town. La Loma is in the top 5. I would put it right above Camino Real.

At 2650 St. Andrews, you will find this gem of a Mexican restaurant (in the Publix shopping plaza), in a city with plenty of Mexican restaurants to choose from. Portions and prices are good, food is well presented and flavorful. The 32oz mugs of ice cold beer for $3.89 are hard to beat. Atmosphere is appealing, and quiet as compared to a few other establishments in the area. Service is good, maybe just a tad slow, but still acceptable. Have been here three times over three weeks, and food, portions, and service has been consistent.

Food is average, no better or worse than any standard run of the mill Mexican restaurant. The lower star score, which I feel is generous even as it stands, is due to a completely uninterested and inattentive staff. I have called in to-go orders multiple times, and each and every time I have had to wait 10+ minutes to even be acknowledged by any of the staff. At this particular instance I am writing this review, it was a slow Wednesday night and there seemed to be more staff working than customers in the restaurant. As someone who has worked in food service for years and functions now as a manager, I can’t fathom the level of disregard that is expressed here and I would never tolerate it from my own employees. If this location wasn’t so conveniently located to my home, I would not return.