This is our go to Mexican restaurant. Food is always good and the margaritas is really good! We have never had to wait to be seated.

The food was just okay....... Shrimp quesadillas was very tasty, but my wife dinner? Not very good at all. She had the Burris tacos, dried out the broth to dip them in had zero flavor. The service was not the best unless you were in the front talking to them. Keep driving right by ..... nothing to see here. read more

Great service and fare in a fun atmosphere!! I ordered the Cancun!!! We enjoyed our meals and the friendly service in a vibrant atmosphere! read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Cancun Dinner Special - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

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If you are in kitty hawk this is a must stop for a meal. The taste is very authentic. The salsa, hot sauce are all house made. Very good service. Pleasant ambiance. read more

We had a longer wait than usual - looked like two birthday parties and the staff were hustling. It was a typical menu but there was birria tacos on the menu-I had to try them and they were outstanding!! Two others ordered the shrimp enchiladas and they were stuffed full! Overall meals were all great. read more

We are still La Fogata regulars when we are in town. It is usually once per week, because we are going to eat Mexican at least twice and split our dining between here, 3 Tequilas and Los Antojitos. AAdvantage Dining is one of the reasons we continue to patronize La Fogata but we also like the food. I almost always order huevos rancheros. La Fogata makes a very good version and it is an order of three eggs. The huevos rancheros are served with red ranchero sauce, rice, refried beans and tortillas of your choice. I take half the order home. They also have great carnitas and this is one of my guilty pleasure orders. I also like to have an order of chiles torreados with my eggs or carnitas. They have a good, tart spicy salsa verde that tops off the pork well. Ms T will always order ground beef tacos, no matter where we are. That is what she likes and these are just fine. In ranking the three Mexican places we go routinely in the area, I would put Los Antojitos as the most authentic, since they are more of a taqueria with lengua, birria and other meats for their street style tacos. 3 Tequilas is a little more sophisticated and makes the best fish tacos and great black beans. La Fogata is the only place with huevos on their daily menu although the other places will normally make them if you ask. We like all three places and are comfortable with what we order on a regular basis. I will say that La Fogata does not make good enchilada sauce, so I steer clear of that. It looks and tastes like chick broth thickened with cornstarch and enough chile to make it orange. It is essentially flavorless. We are used to a pure red chile sauce so this is not something we could recommend. Regardless, we keep going back. As with many places, you have to find what you loke and fortunately, we are here often enough to experiment. A poorer experience will not keep us away. read more

Mind you I'm a 18 year old girl down at the beach on her graduation trip, and I think I knew how to act more like an adult and be appropriate with my actions then this man was. I don't usually leave reviews, but my recent experience at this restaurant was disappointing enough that I feel others should be aware. While the food was passable, the service was absolutely unacceptable. From the moment we sat down, our waiter was rude and dismissive. He barely greeted us, seemed irritated by basic questions about the menu, and acted like we were inconveniencing him by simply being there. The worst part? When our food arrived, several items were missing or incorrect. When we politely pointed it out, instead of correcting the issue, the waiter insisted--repeatedly and condescendingly--that we were wrong and had not ordered those items. He spoke over us, refused to listen, and made us feel like we were being dishonest. It was uncomfortable, embarrassing, and completely disrespectful. A restaurant can have good food, but if the service makes you feel unwelcome and disrespected, it ruins the whole experience. I will not be returning, and I would not recommend this place to anyone who values basic courtesy and professionalism. (How do I ask for a taco salad and you give me just beans and beef?) read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Stopped here with some friends some we were wanting Mexican food and this place had good reviews. It was busy and the service was good and the food was great!! Only downside was had to pay for extra chips and salsa but otherwise would go again! read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

We came here on a Friday night and got seated quickly, which was a plus. I ordered the steak fajitas, but stragely only two tortillas. The steak was not really tender or flavorful. Overall the food was just okay, nothing to write home about. Service was decent. If you are in a pinch for Mexican food, I guess this place will do. read more

My husband grabbed some lunch from there today and he is always kind and respectful and tries to practice his Spanish any chance he gets, and today was no different. The cashier proceeds to insult him in Spanish not thinking he would understand and all I can say is DO BETTER. Needless to say will not be coming back read more

This restaurant is open all year long! The food was excellent, arrived quickly and was large portions. I had the Carne Asada - very flavorful. My husband had the Texas fajita. Neither one of us had any issues with the food. Service staff were friendly and attentive. It was in Feb 2025, so definitely the low season, and not very busy. A good place to get a good meal without all the noise of the bars. read more

I got the namesake menu item. Good steak. Good margaritas. The salsa is a bit on the spicier sauce which I found to be exceptional.

We got a large order for delivery. We had tacos with hard shells and soft shell with chicken and ground beef. The taco shells are homemade with a great crunch .The white queso paired nicely with the house salsa. Big shout out to Saundra for making it happen. We will call next year for another great meal! read more

Ordered for pickup and when I went to pick up, the lady handling orders was rude. I asked for an estimate for when the order would be ready and she said 15 min. I go to a bakery nearby and while enjoying a dessert the app told me the order was ready. I went to pick up my order and told the lady that the app said it was ready. She shook her head and said no. I asked again for an estimate of how long it would take and she said, "it will be ready when it's ready" her attitude sucked. She had no people skills and she was just flat out rude. She even wanted to argue with me. All I wanted was an estimate of how long it would take. I will never come back here. Your people (employees) are the face of the establishment. If you can't get at the very least respect for your customers you will lose many of them. It's sad as I ace always enjoyed Mad for Chicken. Not anymore. They're not the only good Korean chicken place and they just lost a customer. read more

Service was absolutely awful and at 7:30PM on a Sunday night!!! It was evident they were short-staffed and my food did not come out the way it had been ordered! Even more unacceptable is that my daughter called before we went to specifically ask if there was a wait to be seated and were told "no". But upon arrival we waited more than 30-minutes and behind several others to even be seated! The wait for our food, once ordered, was even longer and the waitress completely forgot the order of guacamole and chips my daughter ordered with her meal. Next time we visit OBX/Nags Head we will NOT return here!!! read more

Nothing upsets me more when i visit a Mexican restaurant and the food sucks. The cooks are Mexican. The staff is Mexican but the food is American. What the hell is going on here. Where are the spices? The heat the flavor. Did you leave it back in Guadalajara. Very upsetting. Avoid going here unless you like the food bland. Shrimp fajitas were bland no flavor and the shrimp was tough. Steak fajitas were also bland. Generous portion but where the hell is the seasoning. Do your family proud give it the real authentic Mexican flavor. Don't hide it use it darn it!!!! read more

Best burrito I've ever had. We got pickup and Everyone working there was also super nice.

We had visited La Fogata at their prior location near Nags Head, a few years ago. We liked their food back then, and by the look and tastes today, only GOT BETTER... I got Parrillada, which is described as ....."Grilled beef, chicken, pork and onions. Served with rice and beans on the side and two flour tortillas", and was really quite good. The beans and rice and tortillas complemented the VERY HOT PLATE full of meats and sautéed onions.. .. For a great meal at Outer Banks resonable prices, give this place a chance. PS: Our waiter is a long time employee, who was very happy to serve great food with a smile. read more

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant here. They have been here for years and they never disappoint. The tables were spread out and staff super friendly. The chips are homemade and they have excellent queso dip. Homemade Salsa is also yummy. My Margarita was well poured and tasted really refreshing. You get a lot of food for the price and most meals are under $12. They have good lunch specials Monday-Saturday. There are a few locations in OBX. I think this one is the original. Their food is really traditional and they have so many combos to choose from ! Worth stopping for lunch or dinner! read more

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worst service ive ever had in my fucking life, got 50% of the order wrong, no one refills waters or chips. worst restaurant of all time lmfaooo read more

As it was 8:15 pm on a Saturday night & La Fogata didn't close til 10, we went. They have a large dining area so there are plenty of seats, the booths & tables/chairs are comfortable. We had a group of 10 and were seated immediately. The staff is always fantastic, very attentive. We ordered a ton of food and different appetizers, all were hot and tasty. The Chicken Chimichanga wasn't the best I've had, but was OK. The beers, specialty drinks were excellent. Overall we were full, fat & happy! I live in KH so it was my recommendation, all were pleased. read more

Very very slow service. Asked for a Modelo blond and they only had dark beer. They don't have Chile Riano's. Service was exceptionally slow. I think I could understand if the place was packed but the restaurant was half full. Can't recommend! read more

The food was good but the service was lacking. They were not very busy, but we couldn't get the waitress to come around to refill our drinks. It is a shame because it had a nice atmosphere. I'm glad we didn't order drinks because we would have never received seconds. read more

Ignore critical reviews. Wife and I were not that hungry but needed to get out of hotel. Walked to La Fogata and ordered a la cart two chicken soft tacos and one beef burrito. Both were full of flavors and spice. Very nice! read more

La Fogata is a great Mexican restaurant to enjoy while you're at the Outer Banks. Though the service was iffy, the food was great. I rarely don't finish my dinner, but here it was a must with how big of a portion I got with the ACP. Rice was cooked beautifully and the chicken had a lot of flavor. Tortilla chips were standard, as well as the salsa and queso. read more

Stopped in for lunch and got the fish tacos. I'm accustomed to cuts of fish with probably some slaw mixture for fish tacos. What I got was actual fish filets on taco shells with guacamole "salad," pico de gallo and a side of rice. It was delicious and filling. I couldn't eat it all. Service was fast and friendly. Prices were about right. read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Fish (filet) tacos - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Very accommodating and friendly place. The mango Rita is to die for. Super friendly and professional staff. Good prices and generous portions. read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Mango margarita - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

When visiting the OBX we had heard good things about this restaurant so we gave it a try. The Texas Margarita was OK but not great. They did not have any vegan options since all vegetarian options were covered in cheese. We got the vegetarian fajitas without any cheese or sour cream. They came out with cheese covered refried beans and sour cream drizzled on the lettuce. The veggies themselves seemed to come from a frozen steamer bag. Very disappointing and not tasty with little to no flavor. My kids got a chicken quesadilla which was ok but had a little too much cheese, but it was ok, and the chicken tamales which they said had no flavor at all. Will not go back or recommend, especially to anyone who's looking for vegan or no cheese. read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Veggie Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Plenty of seating and the service was excellent. We got a Chicken Quesadilla A La Carte and it was HUGE. Pretty much a meal in itself. I got the Fajitas Rancheras, very good. Not spectacular but got the job done because I was hungry. I did get the HOT version, and BEWARE, it is spicy. Sinuses were definitely effected. If you are sensitive to spices, dont get the HOT. Also the complimentary salsa is spicy as well. Good but spicy. I would come back. read more

Can anyone guess what I ordered? It was called a burrito special...NOT. Barely any burrito content. Literally ate only sour cream. Spent almost $100 at this place and it was incredibly disappointing. Will NOT be coming back to this place again. read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Good food, nice atmosphere. Good service. Authentic Mexican food. Had a bunch of appetizers

The service was solid. Our waiter was friendly, kept our glasses filled, and provided boxes when we decided to save some for lunch. Carne asada was delicious. Mole Poblano was not bad, but if we go back...it'll be carne asada or some dish that incorporates it. Good stuff. read more

Food was good. Really liked my meal. I ordered the taquitos chicken. Although u do have to say, service, terrible. My whole family went a solid 15 minutes without our drinks. She completely disregarded our requests when we needed something. I never got salt for my food until I had one bite left. The women was so jam packed with stuff that she forgot our food orders multiple times. Mid read more

Our favorite Mexican restaurant on the beach....always friendly and great food. The chips and salsa are great. The guacamole is a little bland and could be improved, but that's about the only complaint. read more

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I'm a year-round OBX resident. The food is generally good to very good and consistent. I do think they have the best tortilla chips of the Mexican restaurants on the beach and I'm a fan of their salsa. I'd give them 3.5 stars on their food. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the restaurant and have been going there less often because of the issues I have with the restaurant. There are two issues that I have continually seen over the past 12-18 months. The first is service. I feel like they are either understaffed at the server position or the servers are just under performing. I understand that staff has been hard to find and keep over the past several years. That issue is exacerbated on the OBX due to the high cost of housing. The last several times I've been, it is difficult to get adequate attention from the server. I was there this week for dinner. After the food arrived and a cursory check-in two minutes later to see if everything was ok, my server didn't check on me the rest of the evening. I could have used a refill. I then became annoyed and ready to leave due to the lack of attention. A different server checked me out thankfully. The second issue is one I have brought to the management's and owner's attention on several occasions - three that I can distinctly recall. They overcharge patrons for sales tax. They charge 8.5%, when the rate should be 7.75%. The owner claimed she didn't know what the correct rate and brushed it off. I told her I was a CPA who has multiple restaurant clients and I knew for a fact the rate is 7.75%. Before you say that's minor and not a lot of money, I don't disagree with you on a transaction by transaction basis. I don't know how much revenue they earn. Let's say it is $2,500 a night, which equates to just over $900,000 annually. That small difference in sales tax rate is $7,000 a year. To me, that is nickeling and diming your customers. At best, it is a simple mistake (despite my repeated notifications) and they remit what they collect to the State. At worst, it is fraud as they know they are cheating their customers, the State, and pocketing the difference for themselves. read more

Chicken was dry, beans had no flavor, cheese on the food looked like it came of the fridge and never melted, on top of the terrible service almost begging for me to buy a soda instead of the water that I asked for they decide to put the tip to what ever they want. Left a $2 tip cause everything was horrible and they updated the tip to $8 EXCUSE ME. never eating here again. read more

My family visited this restaurant because a friend of ours is related to the owners. We had a great time and great food here at La Fogata - delicious authentic Mexican cuisine.. can't go wrong with that! The service was great and the food was too and not because we received any special treatment - didn't tell the owner who sent us until the end. The staff was very patient with our large group of 16, which included 4 children under 5. I would come back again on another visit to the OBX. read more

La Fogata Mexican Restaurant - Menu 4/1 - Mexican Near Me - Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Nothing special, the salsa had horseradish in it, my husband & I where not fans at all. I ordered a Cadillac margarita & it had to be one of the worst margaritas I've ever had, it tasted like it came from one of those pre-made bottles from the ABC store. I got the soft chicken tacos & they where not bad, my husband got a taco salad & he said he liked all the fresh veggies. That all being said we won't be back. read more

We stopped in during one of our happy hour searches. The restaurant had plenty of parking. Upon walking in, we felt we were thrown back in time. The bar and dining areas were very dark. It was very hard to read the menu. They had a large variety on their menu. Unfortunately there was no evidence of happy hour. We ordered a couple of small margaritas. The liquor was lacking. We also ordered a couple tacos and were served chips and salsa. Their menu stayed that the first batch was complimentary but they charge for additional portions. The place is outdated. The food was mediocre and the service was ok. read more

As a local, I have had the displeasure of watching La Fogata spiral downward over these past few years. While I usually find it hard to complain about Mexican food, La Fogata has made it undeniably easy. My last visit to la Fogata was at around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Despite the lack of business at this time, we waited nearly an hour and a half for our food. I ordered taco salad which appeared to be old beef, (I ordered chicken) beans, and lettuce in a soggy shell. My acquaintance's meal was described as a hard taco, a soft taco, and a burrito. However, due to the fact that each of these had the same contents, it was nearly impossible to tell the three apart. On top of all of this, nothing was hot. I wish I could speak better of this restaurant but there is not much to say. The staff seems to be sincere but their friendliness does not make up for the second-rate service. read more