Lunch at La Diferencia was delightful. Food was plentyful and prepared perfectly. Wait staff is so pleasant and accommadating. The music was uncomfortably loud when we walked in. We were about to leave but the waitress pleasantly turned the music down and continued with serve with a pleasant and helpful attitude. Great experience, we will absolutely be returning, read more

I'm always greeted and the service is good. I think the food and drinks are great. I don't have to go far for Mexican.

Got takeout from this place and the servings were very generous! Very good quality food. Fresh tortilla chips and house made salsas. I hope this place thrives! read more

This used to be a good place, under new ownership. service awful, food inedible and prices higher. this is a hard pass and we will never be back. It's too bad it USED TO BE GOOD read more

Just ordered delivery for the first time. I got the guacamole and 1 La Diferencia combo. Both were delicious! Liked their chips too. The food traveled well, but I bet it's even better in person! I think no matter where you order from, it's always better when dining in. But like I said, delicious with delivery! Nice to have such a great place right under my nose! read more

Boring food. I don't see how folks call this "authentic". It tasted more like canned food you'd give a tourist who thinks they're getting real Mexican food. I can't recommend. read more

great service, great drinks, guacamole could use improvement, quite watery and was not made table side as the menu suggested. food was pretty good besides that, minus the fried ice cream. the crust on the ice cream you coins tell was old because the corn flakes were soggy. otherwise, our entrees were good and the staff was more than friendly. read more

I have ordered from them many times, and usually the food is great. The portions are usually generous, food comes hot, and delivery is quick with UberEats. Last night, I ordered for my family. My parents have never had Mexican food before. I was so disappointed. The food came fast, within 40 minutes of ordering online. When it arrived, the food was cold. My alambres were cold, as was the rice and beans. I was nervous about eating it given the temperature of the rice. The nachos that we ordered were so cold that the cheese on top was unmelted. My mom's taco salad had so much standing water at the bottom of the container that the taco shell bowl was soggy. The only dish that was passable was my husband's birria tacos, but unfortunately he was expecting rice and beans with it not realizing that those don't come with the Birria tacos - only the other tacos. I called right away to let them know that the food was delivered cold. The person who answered apologized, and said that they had a new chef and he was very sorry that the food was sent out cold. He took my number, and told me that the manager would refund the money. We spent over $130 for the meal, btw. Not only has there been no refund posted, but now when I call the restaurant, the number appears to be out of order. Not sure what's going on there, but this was really disappointing and totally out of character for them. However, it makes me really reluctant to ever order from them again. read more

The Food here is fantastic i love coming here with the fam and just enjoy the food and the quality service.

We were feeling like Mexican food so picked this place in Bethel. We were warmly greeted and seated quickly. Drinks were also quickly provided along with a basket of tortilla chips with salsa. I have to say, the salsa was Great! Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I ordered a chimichanga and the hubby got a burrito. Have to say I was disappointed a bit with my guacamole. You can see in the picture it is a bit brown, which means it's not fresh. I make guacamole for my family when they visit so I know how long it can stay in the fridge before it turns brown. The chimichanga was also uninspiring. Maybe not my thing, although I've had it before. My husband also felt the same. Also, during the meal, we were not asked if we wanted more drinks. It was getting busy, but we were surprised this was overlooked. In any case, great place for chips and salsa. We didn't get alcoholic drinks but I can easily see this would be a fun place for that in front of their tv at the bar. There was enthusiastic guitar playing. read more

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A friend of mine told me about this place, specifically mentioned the margaritas. I ordered the frozen kind from a machine and they add the flavor. Unfortunately they ran out of guava so I got passionfruit which did not disappoint. Birria tacos were very tasty. The table-side guacamole was good too. My kids are picky, so to my surprise were their positive comments on lunch (grilled steak with rice &beans chicken burrito with rice and beans). Salsa was also a hit. Definitely trying this place again. read more

Food was great I got grilled steak was good they had fast service and I came at 1:10 it was amazing you should go.

food is great, however, when I put a order in for their delivery, one of the items, a five dollar chips and salsa, the salsa is not included in the order that we received. They absolutely refused to give me a five dollar credit, and told me that I had to go and pick up the salsa myself if I wanted it. I told them that we had been loyal customers since they have opened and ordered from them from Covid at least once a week. they absolutely took no ownership on the fact that there was no salsa in the bag and blamed the driver even though I talked to the driver and he said this was the only bag they gave. Very frustrating to get such a bad attitude from this nice restaurant they would not let me speak to the manager. What garbage attitude! read more

I stopped by on Wednesday night with my friends and order that special fresh pineapple margarita ,I love it The burritos was so good too. Very friendly family place ,I'll go back for sure. read more

La Diferencia - Best downtown Bethel Fresh pineapple margarita - Mexican Near Me - Bethel, Connecticut

Ordered take out from this location: terrible. I order two chicken fajitas, chicken chalupa and a grilled chicken house salad. The house salad never came and the two chicken fajitas were a joke. There was maybe one spoon of rice with my serving and my daughters serving. There was no chicken, just a bunch of mushrooms, peppers and onions with both orders. There was also no guac or pico on the side. I will never be ordering from this place again. Sorry just tried the food, the fajitas were also frozen, never again. read more

After passing by this establishment many times I can definitely, positively, absolutely, wholeheartedly say veo la diferencia

I really enjoy the shrimp fajitas, beans, guacamole, and margaritas here. Huge portions!

Ok so a few nights ago we decided to order out. So we went with LaDifferencia again. The experience was just as good as dining in. My wife had enchiladas with some delicious rice and beans. I had skewered steak and veggies and shrimp also skewered with peppers and onions Let me tell you I don't know what they're doing in that kitchen but it was the best steak and shrimp I've eaten in a long time. Flavorful doesn't do it justice! The beef was tender and the shrimp couldn't be better. All this over the best tasting rice and beans. You just have to try it. The dish is called Alambres, just ask for David and tell him Frank sent you. They all are easy going and always ready to please. We can't wait to do it again. Another HREAT E read more

La Diferencia - Skewered Steak - Mexican Near Me - Bethel, Connecticut

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OK - The food is better than the bar drinks. Bartender is awesome, the mixers are not Keep it simple. And would prefer my meal served as hot as the plate it is on. I am game to try again. Will do take out next time and make my own margaritas ! read more

We ate dinner at La Diferencia the night before Thanksgiving. We're happy to report that the all the positives we heard about this new restaurant in downtown Bethel are absolutely true. Although it's not on the printed menu (???), the made-to-order guacamole is deliciously spicy, especially on the crisp and colorful tortilla chips. Alcoholic drinks are a very generously poured and yummy. The food is flavorful, portions are quite large (we took home leftover fajitas), and the service is friendly and helpful. We'll definitely be back! Note: if you can't find a parking spot in front of the restaurant, there are lots of spaces in the rear of the plaza and on the street. Parking in downtown Bethel is VERY convenient. Location: 5 Parking: 5 Atmosphere: Neighborhood-type with fun music Drinks: 5 Food: 4.5-5 Service: 4.5-5 read more

Amazing food. Food was fresh and the restaurant itself is an unique experience. Would definitely recommend this place. read more

The only positive thing that I have to say about this restaurant is the decor. The overall atmosphere is wonderful, but that's about it. I went around dinner time and there is surprisingly a lot of seating considering it looks very small from the outside. I was excited that they had a few vegetarian options on the menu. I got the vegetarian enchiladas and I was sadly disappointed with what I received. To start off, these were the smallest enchiladas I have ever seen. The were literally the size of small tacos. They were filled with barely steamed vegetables, a tiny dollop of sauce on the top and a tiny bit of cheese. Don't get me wrong, I love steamed veggies, but they were barely even cooked which made it very hard to eat. Overpriced for a tiny serving and mexican food that I could have made better... read more

The service was wonderful and the food was delicious. It has a colorful and inviting interior. A hidden gem in Bethel. If you're looking for authentic Mexican cuisine, this is the place to go. read more

I decided to make a trip out of my way here in the pouring rain last night and am so glad I did. The decor is very colorful and cheering, the wait staff was really excellent and I enjoyed my meal tremendously. I ordered the Chile rellenos, which I always order at a Mexican restaurant if they're on the menu. These were done just the way I like them with fresh juicy peppers. Great place! read more

La Diferencia - Chile relleno and margarita, perfect! - Mexican Near Me - Bethel, Connecticut

Great food and the service is also wonderful. Definitely a place to go for food and drinks

No not good for the price.... my chips should not be stale my rice should not be crunch and shells from the shrimp should not be in my chimichunga. Service was mid but I am used to that at times being black. Not happy at all 70 for 3 people and it was bad a Ross the board. read more

Okay Mexican, but in my experience very bland and catering to the gringo palate. If you loved ChiChi's back in the day, you'll love La Differencia. Service was fantastic and nice atmosphere. No negatives there or anywhere. But I've yet to have something I've really wanted to go back for. Will give a few more tries and update my review if I find an OMG item. read more

Excellent food, drinks and service was great.. very authentic food and nice portions and good pricing read more

La Diferencia - Full bar - Mexican Near Me - Bethel, Connecticut

Location/Parking- 3.5 Waitstaff- 4 Food- 3.5 Drinks- 4 Parking is a little tight in plaza and hit or miss. Waitstaff was very accomindating even was able to provide smaller app option. Waiter as well was very attentive. Food left something to be desired in terms of that wow factor. Every sauce on main dishes appears to be premade so for someone like me who doesnt eat onions my options were extremely limited and they werent very accommodating on offering substitutions or options that would work for me. As well as my first choice dish Osso was not available. Maragritas were great on the rocks. For a new resturant I was disappointed though as with my meal they were out of my first choice margarita flavor, prickly pear. Overall a good experience though and worth a visit if in the area especially if you eat onions. read more

La Diferencia - Mexican Near Me - Bethel, Connecticut

Really nice people. Kinda dark but cozy. Food is authentic and the margaritas are delicious.

Always great food at La Diferencia. Service is quick, staff is super nice!! Atmosphere is great. Take out is super easy. Very reasonably priced. Highly recommend. read more

This place is a little pricy. Their beens with chips are good. I will only come here for happy hour

Great food. The chimichangas are delicious. Nacho appetizer is perfect. Table side guacamole is always fun to watch, you get to pick your preference of no spicy, mild, medium, hot, or super spicy. I go for the medium/hot it's so so sooo good. Food comes out quick and hot. But waiter/waitress makes sure you are done with your apps before bringing out entrees. Glad they don't try to rush you by overcrowding the table with food. I have tried their fajitas, I do half chicken and half steak, DELICIOUS! I love how they come out sizzling, steaming, and hot hot hot. Just don't touch the dark hot plate as it will burn and leave a scar!! I give this place five stars. It took them so long to open it as it was formally Plain Janes. This is exactly what Downtown Bethel needed! Well earned. read more

Took my wife here for dinner one night. We got different entrees and shared. Both were very bland. Took hot sauce to give either dish any real flavor. read more

Good flavorful Mexican food. Fresh and balanced. Charming service and engaging staff.

We were so excited that there may be a nice little place in Bethel to enjoy some good Mexican food and an equally good Margarita What a disappointment!! The first sign of a problem, aside from the "Dollar Store" decorations, was the "far from authentic" red, yellow & green factory made tortilla chips with BigY salsa. We had the "special if the day" scallops and shrimp chimiconga plus beef & cheese enciladas. The enchiladas were completely bland. I'd be surprised to learn that the chimichongs was actually hand made. It looked and tasted "factory made". My only puzzlement was how they defrosted it so quickly. And, all of the food was room temp at best. Hopefully this place will take a lesson from these critiques and retrain it replace the chef. To top it off, the Margaritas were the worst ever. Definitely it of a plastic bottle of mix with little or no salt on the rim. Also, their little hi tech credit card machine makes your uncomfortably rate the place right in front of the server. I put 4 stars, when I should have only put 1, if any. read more

Friendly waitress but food was average. Fresh ingredients but no spicy ness on anything. Even the salsa. No hot sauce (even Cholula) even on the table. New place so I'm sure they are working out the kinks. Gotta improve a little more to call yourself "authentic Mexican" or even authentic Tex mex. read more

FLAVORFUL, FRESH MEXICAN FOOD! Bethel CT finally has a good Mexican resturant! Fun and festive decor.

Loved La Diferencia! We had takeout for my birthday - everything was fresh, decent portions for the money. Would definitely order again!

Great service and excellent food. Chips and salsa to start were great, the salsa actually had some kick which is lacking many places. Entrees came out nice and hot while the beer was nice and cold! All the staff was very warm and welcoming. I will return! read more