So glad I came to this restaurant after reading a number of 5-star reviews. Add me to that list! I was staying at the Chattanoogan/Hilton hotel about 3 blocks away. I saw it when I came into the city and during my walks around the area. Do not let the humble outside frontage discourage you from giving it a try. It is a neighborhood gem! I was greeted warmly by Hector and asked if I could sit outside on the patio. My server was Francisco, who was also friendly as well as attentive. We talked throughout my meal, and I found out he and Hector are sons-in-law to the original owner who started this business over 31 years ago. At the end of the meal, as I was enjoying one of the fantastic homemade frozen margaritas, a local couple came by my table, and we had a nice chat. They said they come here every Friday evening when they are in town. I commented on how this is a great neighborhood place and very family friendly. Plus, the food is excellent as well as very reasonably priced. Now for the food. My meal started with chips and homemade salsa (excellent!) that were brought to my table, along with a Big Mag (margarita-28 ounces, I believe) which was only $8.50 during Happy Hour. (Happy Hour is from 4-8pm!) I then ordered a side of guacamole which was very fresh and flavorful. For dinner, I tried the Mojado burrito. It consisted of steak, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese and onion, covered in a special house sauce. The dinner also came with chorizo rice and refried beans. All for $12.99! The burrito was stuffed with ingredients and was one of the best burritos I have had in a long time. Everything was so fresh and definitely homemade. I truly enjoyed my visit here. If you are in the Chattanooga area. I highly recommend you stop in for a great meal, with excellent friendly service in a relaxing and welcoming environment. read more

See all

Came here for a late lunch and I just say I wasn't impressed. I ordered the chicken enchiladas and a taco (that was good!). The chicken in the enchilada honestly wasn't too edible, it was like the chicken was boiled? I couldn't even really cut it with my knife. I ended up ordering a side of beans and ate that with the nachos they give you and that filled me up. Also ordered a passion fruit margarita that was okay, it was super sweet and I couldn't really taste the alcohol? I will say I ended up paying about $25 for all of this which isn't bad in this day and age, but not sure so would ever be back again. read more

We just arrived in Chattanooga for just a little weekend getaway and tried this spot. I had the quesadilla and my husband had the shrimp fajitas. It was quite delicious. We sat outside and it was nice. read more

See all

Love this restaurant! Consistently great food and the service is outstanding. You must try this place. You will not be disappointed. The family works incredibly hard to make your experience extraordinary. Very casual ambiance and plenty of street parking. read more

See all

Very authentic food, small place but big personality! Service was fantastic, the food was delicious and accurately priced. I will definitely be returning. They make their salsa daily and you can taste the quality. Don't pass up this hidden gem! read more

The service was great! They were very attentive and friendly. The menu is expansive. Our table ordered lots of fajitas and a guacamole fresca. The guacamole was probably my favorite - there wer large chunks of guacamole and it definitely tasted fresca. I ordered the steak fajitas and the beef was just average. I've definitely had better quality meat in a fajita before but it was still good. It was also easy to make gluten and dairy free (tortillas de maiz, sin crema y queso). My husband ordered the Jalisco fajitas which he enjoyed very much. The corn tortillas were good and kept very warm in foil. I'd come back here again. read more

A Chattanooga staple! Awesome atmosphere, the staff has always been kind and energetic, the food is consistently delicious, and the frozen margs are so SO good. I've lived in the area for the a long time, and I've been to a lot of similar places, but this is truly the best - hands down. read more

Our usual Mexican spot near the farm has new hours. Closed Mondays! Crazy right. We had to find anothwr place. This place dodnt used to have a liquor license so no thank you. Margaritas are a bacic food group. Lo and behold they now serve Real Margaritas! I had the Camarones Diablo. They were over the top spicy and wonderful. Velvet had the vegie burrito. She said it was wonderful. Oh and the Margaritas were fabulous. Sorry Tres Amigos. We have a new favorite. read more

Great restaurant, good food and atmosphere !! We request Fausto as our server, he is great !

I drive by this restaurant at least once of week and for whatever reason I thought it was a hipster taco place. Wrong. It's definitely been there for awhile and the inside could use some updating, but it is delicious! Service was quick with chips and salsa coming to the table right when we sat down. The chips were warm, which is my favorite. I ordered my go to chimichanga which for $9 was a large plate of food. We'll definitely be back when we're close by. read more

Nice look and feel of Mexican when you walk in. Music playing and decor. Although it had the smell of a smoky kitchen. The salsa is pretty plane and bland. This from a guy who hates spicy. This was not even near having any bite, not much taste either. The chips were on the brink of stale. But a hungry man ate all of it. Chicken Chimichunga was good but not very hot. The plates are cold when they put the food on it which just cools the food. That said the meal was fine but could be hotter. read more

La Altena - Mexican Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

This is hands down the best Mexican place within miles. They make the biggest chimichanga I've ever seen and filled with fresh vegetables and the meat here is good quality too. Everything I've ordered here is so fresh. The salsa is the best around with plenty of cilantro. It is mild and has hints of citrus and once again, all of the ingredients are FRESH. The entrees are not microwaved. The food is cooked when you order! Just ask! There used to be an El Chico in Brookwood, Al that was my all time favorite and this place has surpassed them. I never thought this would happen. The setting is not fancy but more like a hole in the wall that happens to be better than all the fancy places. I just can't say enough good about this place. You've got to try it for yourself. Even though I'm in a big hurry(my words are jumbled up a bit) I had to stop and give a review before I left. read more

Well, damn, y'all. Now I can't leave Chattanooga. At least until I have tried 92.3% of the menu at La Altena. After hearing much to do about this little spot (see my pics - if you don't know what you are looking for, you will easily miss it- if you do, it's like your eyes blink and you're on the street somewhere really . . . authentically Mexican-looking . . .) I ventured in today and found them open - yay! Divey. Friendly. Cramped inside. Love. Huge menu, from start to finish. Queso to start with their chips and salsa (note: first round of chips, free; second/more, 0.99) - white as I expected but thicker than at home. Tasty. So many choices, from all the usual solo suspects to combo plates, fajitas and salads and more. I went with the tacos- got the Mexico City style and picked two (you can order a la carte or an order of 3 for just under $5) which is your choice of meat (I got steak which was well flavored, and they also have chicken, pork, spicy steak options) with onions and cilantro - note, both are very generously added, so for me I picked off about half the white onions and enjoyed the heavy amount of cilantro as served - and I got the extra tomatoes and sc - odd, though, that it was sliced tomatoes in a cup not diced (so I didn't eat, partly because of that but also because they just weren't that ripe/tasty looking, I guess it still being early Mar and all). Perfect amount of food for me with the starter of queso and I was a super happy camper with my big Diet Coke. Expect to see your typical spectrum of worker-bees-at-lunch, like the corporate guys sitting at a big table in the middle of the main dining room or the slightly bitchy, verrry gossipy Erlanger nurses crowded around a booth for four (they fit six). Note that the women's room has a step UP to get in, and DOWN to get back out - don't trip on the pretty tile floor. NPWH. I will be back, soon. Those fajitas - they have a small, regular and large size, all with rice, beans, etc! - are calling my name . . . read more

See all

La Altena will always have a special place in my Chattanooga heart. One of the first Mexican places I went to when I moved here from Southern California. It gave me hope that I wasn't going to be totally out of luck when it came to some real Mexican food. Sure, they cater to the local queso-loving, tacos in flour tortillas - palate; but they do also have some amazing authentic Mexican food. Get the tacos al pastor - so yum!!! The Mexican street tacos are always a great option. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I like to dig in to a big plate of nachos with some gooey queso. Nothing wrong with that. La Altena has got you covered on all fronts. The margaritas and micheladas are great too! Órale read more

We were up there for band competition and had to eat. I remembered this place about 15 or more years ago. We were not disappointed at all. Great food and a Authentic feel. The wait staff was superb. The Horchata was delicious and the sweet tea was really tasty. I will be returning with my family. The best Mexican food around. read more

I am never let down by the quality of the food. The food is always on point and I always leave satisfied. Highly recommended authentic Mexican Cuisine. read more

Awesome service and great authentic food! Nice atmosphere. The food cane fast without sacrificing taste! Gracias! read more

La Altena - Tamales - Mexican Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

See all

excellent Mexicano food! My only complaint the are using an older website which doesn't reflect price increases. Had sides of Chile rellenos, burrito suprema and enchiladas con salsa...ready in 20 minutes. Owner was gracious...spoke a little on Mexican cocker and suggested a Guatemalan store my cravings of chippolines...look it up! read more

This is great for what it is: good American Mexican food. They do have legit favorites like lengua tacos. We had carnitas in green sauce, enchiladas, and a tamale. It was all great. Good service too. Would def go back. It's 5 stars for cheesy classic American Mexican. Doesn't sit heavy like most do. Service was top notch too. read more

Great food and service. Our server was quick and so was the kitchen. We are passing through here and we're very pleased with the food and price is super reasonable! Definitely recommend. I got the chicken chimichanga and fiancé got the chicken tacos. The fresh guacamole was also delicious. Our baby liked the beans lol read more

Anyone that gives this place a bad review deserves to get slapped with a taco! Hands down the most authentic Mexican food in the area. Their tacos al pastor is amazing and that's out of the mouth from someone who is from Chiapas, Mexico. You don't get anymore authentic than that folks! Seriously... Food is amazing big, best damn service around, and they have Mexican beer! Tacos, beer, and you can watch soccer. Muy bueno! read more

I was a full blown vegetarian for seventeen years until two years ago when I started eating seafood. I don't have a whole lot of experience with seafood at mexican restaurants and order a lot of shrimp chimichangas. Today I had the best shrimp chimichanga I've ever had. There are two types of shrimp chimis on the menu at La Altena-fajita shrimp and grilled shrimp. I got the grilled shrimp and it was oh so fine! Nice authentic feeling atmosphere with good mexican music loudly playing and servers singing along. Lots of good draft beer too. read more

We just moved to chattanooga. I didn't think we would find a good Mexican restaurant . We were right. We found a great mexican spot called La Altena on Mountain creek Rd. As a starter go for fresh guacamole dip. It is delicious. Everything we ordered was satisfying and reasonably priced. You cannot go wrong. Very friendly atmosphere. Go! You will not be sorry. read more

Didnt seem to be ranked (at least not high) on Mexican for in Chattanooga and this was the only Mexican place I ate while there but I'm convinced this is the best one. The service was great, the food was great and the specials were good too. Gotta try this place! read more

Authentic food, very flavorful and well-prepared. Loads of atmosphere and fun/lively attentive service. I will definitely return!

Started our 2022 "Main Street Eats: Main Street between Broad St. and Central. Three couples, twice a month, eating at every place that serves food! I think this place has been on Main the longest (27 years). Great food, great atmosphere, great service. Some "like it hot" some not. Everyone enjoyed the food and experience. Give it a try! read more

this place was okurrr. honestly, i really loved my food but my bf's opinion matters too and he thought his burrito was dry and said the ingredients didn't meet his flavor criterium. i got the flautas though y'all and they were bombbbb. we did have to ask for refills on chips and drinks and they add gratuity to your check if you dine in for some reason, which ultimately led to these 3.5 stars purr read more

Come here every time we visit Chattanooga! Great drinks and even better service, happy hour is also super cheap and extremely close to downtown and The Signal for concerts. read more

La Altena - Happy hour margs - Mexican Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

Our favorite Mexican place in Chattanooga, and trust me we've tried them all. It's authentic, fast, and absolutely delicious. Tito and his staff are awesome!! Can't recommend them enough. read more

I love the salsa that's comes with their chips, it's so good in that it's not real spicy. The service here is really quick and the food is always hot. The staff is very friendly yet professional. The pork plate I got today was so good. I totally enjoyed it. It was perfection and during the peak rush hour of lunch speaks volumes of the talented chef and staff for their speed in getting the dish out to me. read more

La Altena - This pork plate was so good! - Mexican Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

My favorite Mexican restaurant on Main by far. Love the food. No one can beat their chilli rolleno. And their grilled jalapeños are for serious foodies. Friendly staff. Good margaritas. Good chicken everything. Main Street icon! read more

I have dined at alot of Mexican restaurants and this is one of the best! The food was excellent; not texmex and the service was great! We sat outside and had a wonderful time! We will definitely be back! read more

La Altena - Mexican Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

First time trying this place! Very good and fast service! Also the virgin margaritas are great as well! Thank you! read more

La Altena - Taco salad with ground beef - Mexican Near Me - Chattanooga, Tennessee

See all

There is an outside patio also as I side area but relatively small. The meal I ordered I specifically stated no cheese and beverages. Tge writer stated it didnt come with cheese, which I stated typically it does. Yes, both were brought incorrectly. The dinner contain cheese on top. The same waiter came back and returned the incorrect items. Another waitress brought back the same plate and obviously had attempted to scrape the cheese off of the dish. My first thought is what if I have allergies. They don't know, but yet didn't serve a new plate or at least remove the dish that had the cheese and replacing it with new. The beverage was not better either. read more

So we went here because the photos on Yelp looked great and it looked like an awesome family-owned, authentic, like someone's abuela came up with the recipes restaurant.. and the food was AMAZING. The tamales were exactly how I like them (mole sauce inside with the chicken) BUT... there was hair inside the tamale and in my boyfriends nachos. I understand things happen, so when this happened I brought it to the attention of Tito, our server. It was no big deal- I just didn't want to eat hairy food. At first he was incredibly apologetic, then when he came back with another plate, he said (in short) "that wasn't a hair it was from the corn"... I've never seen thick black hair come from corn before... so that would be an absolute first. It felt like he was basically calling me a liar or stupid. Then he said it was a family business run for 27 years they can only do their best, etc.. which is fine and well, but that doesn't negate the fact that they could be responsible for hair in food- it happens- we are all human. Our family owns a restaurant too- plain and simple, fix the problem without a huge argument. In the end, the issue was fixed and he apologized- but the fact that it got to that point was uncomfortable and irritating. I strongly recommend the food. It was INCREDIBLE. I only left 3 stars because the experience was less than great. read more

I tried La Alteña for the first time seven years ago. Some of the other teachers were going on the last day of school and invited me. I have been going at least once a month since. They have delicious food and awesome drinks! Tito is the server with neat hair, and he's funny. I remember when one server got married. The gentleman with the goatee might be the fastest. The female has a grand daughter that was born within a few weeks of my youngest. Not only do they have great food, but they became like family. read more

EAT HERE! Please, please, please. Please? Would you food snobs just pass this great place by? Leave it for the folks who want an enjoyable meal. Such good service & such good food. Team service and terrific food. Cold beer and golden margaritas. Fresh chips and delicious salsa served in a casual (bars on the windows) atmosphere. Don't let the exterior fool you. Dining rooms full of happy patrons saying "mmm" can't be wrong. EAT HERE!!! read more

I chose this place for dinner because it had such rave reviews that claimed it was a small, divey place that you could easily miss but was a gem of Chattanooga. I was disappointed. I ordered three tacos, one of each--Carnitas, spicy steak, & Chorizo, guacamole, and a margarita. We dined outside on the porch. I love Mexican food and always look forward to trying my favorite go-to choices (basically everything I ordered). Of the tacos, the chorizo was pretty amazing. Kudos to them for that. The rest were subpar, I've had way better Carnitas from a kit I bought at Kroger. The margarita was so weak I felt like I was just drinking the mix. Finally, the guacamole had such a low percentage of avocado which was mostly in large quarter-sized chunks. I got pretty upset when they shut the lights off on us because they were closing. We had just gotten in town from a long day and did not think about the time change. Granted this was on us, someone could have come and told us they were closing soon. But, they just shut the lights off on the porch so we couldn't see our food... My friend had a pretty bad experience with her veggie dish as well --so bad that she ate maybe 10% of her dish before pushing it away. Since they shut off the lights, nobody came back to notice and ask her if it was alright because she had barely touched her food. read more

I will admit I'm biased because I already liked this place but I have reviewed it before. I knew before walking in that I wanted the carnitas, but I didn't know that I'd have the best carnitas ever. The flavors were deep and well developed. Seasoning was perfect and nothing was too salty. Even the refried beans were above average. At most restaurants the beans are like, whatever, but these were delicious. They were a little runny texture wise but the flavors were fantastic. The service was prompt and attentive. He kept checking back every two minutes or so to see if I was ready to order. The food came out fast, but the runner forgot my tortillas, my extra plate (for my two year old) and silverware for my seven year old. I asked for my tortillas and also ordered an horchata (deliciósa!!) and both came out very fast. They even gave me the horchata for free, which I believe was to make up for the shortcomings in service. read more

Do not let the location or the bars on the windows fool you, this place is great. Authentic mexican dishes, freshly prepared, and served quickly. Best mexican place I have found in Chattanooga, and the prices are great. You can leave this place full spending less than 8 dollars. They have huge portions so you are sure not to leave hungry. I highly recommend the grilled chicken nachos. Heck the grilled chicken anything. The marinade they use on their chicken is just fantastic. If you like salsa, the hot kind, you have to request it. It is good, much hotter than I figured it would be. The regular salsa is fairly watered down with lots of cilantro. In fact that is my only complaint. If you order a burrito, and you do not like cilantro, you are in for a bad surprise. A whole layer of the burrito is devoted to fresh cilantro. The wait staff are all very friendly, and you may even catch one of the waiters singing as he delivers food and cashes out checks. Over all it is a great little restaurant and I eat here a few times a month. read more