I have been to the Garfield location years back and had a good experience there. I came to this location on a Sunday late afternoon with some friends and the place has the same lively atmosphere and vibes. They give you iPad/digital menu. They serve complimentary chips and salsa. Ended up getting the nachos with Al pastor for the table to start. It was huge and the Al pastor tasted great with the nachos. For my main, I got the Al pastor and chorizo tacos which were solid but for $25... it's a bit pricey but still delicious. Overall had a good experience with good company. * Valet parking read more

La Fortaleza - NACHOS - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

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Made a reservation for a group of 8 to watch Mexico play (lose) in the World Cup. It was a great place for the occasion, vibes were good, and they had specials on bottles. Despite the place being packed, the service was very attentive. Definitely not a place for a quiet dinner as there is music constantly blasting. read more

La Fortaleza - al pastor tacos frozen margarita - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

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Think Pee Wee Playhouse meets Guanajuato Mexico and there you go. The place certainly isn't boring. But what's annoying is valet parking, perhaps on a packed night it's needed but yeah. Portions are extremely generous, you will be taking some home. Food is average but I guess it's the ambiance that keeps this place hopping. read more

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Wow! What a gem, they have live music, the birria tacos with consomé were just delicious and savory the ambiance was exquisite and really felt like I was in Mexico. Lucha libre, el Chaco del ocho, Frida Kahlo in neón lights, we went right after the final soccer game to continue the party! We are so sad that there is no restaurant like it in Los Angeles read more

There's many good things about this place but some things where they miss. They have a valet and you're only allowed to use their valet period. While the valet is free, I like to park my own car so that was a bit annoying for me. When you step in there's lots of cool decor and cool lights everywhere, and if it is LOUD in there but in a live restaurant kind of vibe not an annoying one. We had reservations but still had to wait for them to get our table together about 10-15mins. Once we sat down everything felt rushed, our server took our drink order and within minutes she wanted our app order and our food order. It felt like she needed the table to be turned quickly and so this was the most disappointing part because no one goes to a restaurant to be rushed to eat. We were a large party of 10 and all our meals were rushed. We ordered guac for appetizers which was good, and for dinner I had the quesadillas which were good, my mom had the chicken tacos which were good, my niece had chicken wings and fries and some people had burritos and their specialty meals. While all the food was good taste wise, it was very oily and very rushed like our dining experience. Another star they lose is in their bathroom. Their bathrooms are absolutely disgusting. Papers all over the floor, pee all over the seats. The papertowels to dry your hands broken. Just a mess all around. This was a let down because it gave me the ick wondering what the kitchen looks like where we really can't see. All in all. Come at your own risk. read more

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Excellent, best mexican food I have had on the East Coast, awesome portions and prices, delicious flavor, they actually have spicy food and the ambiance and decoration is incredible I have to go here everytime I am in Lodi read more

Service was great and food is also great. The prices are reasonable for what you are getting. Favorable portions. Overall great experience

Went during happy hour and it was so worth it. We had the coconut and passion fruit mojitos. We got the ceviche de Camarones which tasted so fresh! Ordered the mini tacos which had chicken in it and they were tasty. My other half got the birria queso quesadilla and it was also delicious. Rosalia was an awesome server. She was so friendly and attentive. The menu is on an iPad which was easy to navigate and check out prices. Festive decor inside with lots of photo ops. Good music playing. read more

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I was at La Fortaleza restaurant in Lodi yesterday with 19 of my colleagues. We were treated like royalty and the food couldn't have been better. This is my go to place for quality, fresh made dishes from Mexico. Prices were very reasonable and the atmosphere is awesome. I highly recommend it read more

Good for drinks. It's more of a Colombian place with Mexican decorations place and the food is very basic.

Service even thought they try It really does take a first time comer for a ride with the charges They do not make clear what they charging for. A bit disappointed for being a regular and bringing all this new people who have no clue read more

La Fortaleza - Appetizers guacamole great - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

Delicious food, large portions. Service was wonderful. Ambiance is fun, lively and colorful! However music a bit loud.

La Fortazela is hands-down one of my favorite spots for authentic Mexican food with a fun, upbeat vibe! From the moment you walk in, the music is bumping, the drinks are flowing, and the energy is contagious. We started off with fresh guac and chips, and the flavors were spot on--creamy, zesty, and clearly made to order. I had the birria tacos, which were insanely good--crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful on the inside, and the consommé for dipping took them to the next level. The margaritas are strong, generous, and come in so many flavors (highly recommend the passionfruit and cucumber ones!). The entire staff was super friendly and kept the vibe fun all night long, even when it was packed. This is the kind of place that's perfect for a night out with friends, casual dinner, or even a fun date night. Great food, great drinks, and a guaranteed good time. Can't wait to come back! read more

Not sure why the ratings and reviews are so low. I love the decor! Dark glow in the dark , beautiful bright colors, and Mexican decorations everywhere. Our server was the perfect amount of being attentive but also letting us enjoy our food/company. You will definitely be leaving full....I had to take home leftovers( I almost never do that!). They use fresh ingredients and it makes the prices justified as a result. Ill be back 100%. read more

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If you're looking for a quiet and calm atmosphere to enjoy Mexican, this ISNT the place for you. Regardless, they have delicious food, outrageous drinks and appropriate portion sizes that leave you satiated and content. Great local spot. Good for parties and festive occasions. read more

The food is ok nothing to write home about, service is slow & this is the second time I've been there & the service is slow, ambiance is awesome!!! read more

Our #1 place for Mexican food! We are frequent customers and love their happy hour menu which is now until 7pm! Love the service, cultural ambiance and entertainment! Highly recommend! read more

Excellent food and Abraham gave me and my friend great service always a pleasure when I come here

This is the 2nd La Fortaleza I have visited. The ceilings were low, but they made up for it by covering it with artwork. Art was everywhere- on the walls and the chairs. We ate in the VW Bus. Very photogenic Our waitress was kind, but very busy. She did her best to accommodate us. I don't know what she might have done in the kitchen, but she was our hostess, waitress and bartender. The food was OUTSTANDING. My only disappointment was that they did not have the guacamole trio that was served in the skulls. In addition to guacamole and sour cream, I enjoyed 4 different "salsas:" ranchero, habanero, jalapeño and chipotle. There is a store that offers souvenirs but it was not open during our visit. There was a private parking lot and even valet who must have only been available at dinner time. What I guess might also be available at dinner time was the "professional" photographer who later offered frames souvenirs of the dining experience. ‍ read more

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Fortaleza Mexican Restaurant has the best burritos I've ever tried. The food is amazing and the service is 5-star. I really enjoy this restaurant and highly recommend it. read more

La Fortaleza definitely has a cool vibe--the decor is vibrant and creative, and it makes a great first impression. Unfortunately, the food and service didn't live up to the hype. We received the wrong dishes, and what we did get was served cold. Our server, Stevie, was inattentive and not helpful when we brought up the issue. The menu sounds exciting, but the execution was underwhelming. Don't come expecting authentic flavors--this is more of a trendy spot than a culinary destination. It's worth checking out for the atmosphere, but lower your expectations when it comes to food and service. read more

Food was terrable ... even the salsa Sauce with the chips was terrable . Plus to top it off , the automaticly charged me 20% fot a tip .... Dont waste your money or your stomach... read more

My relatives from Mexico were returning home from their visit to NJ and I invited them to have a farewell cocktail at La Fortaleza restaurant in Lodi, NJ. I have visited this restaurant approximately 4-5 times each year and enjoyed it food and creative décor. After we enjoyed our drink, I asked for the bill and questioned why an 18% service charge was included. I was told that they automatically add the tip to the bill. I requested that they remove that and allow me to add the tip I feel is appropriate. We were not eating a meal, we were there to have one drink. After I received the new bill, I paid it and added the tip I felt was appropriate and we left. Afterwards I realized a trick the restaurant played on me. The original bill with the 18% tip included also had a $12.00 discount. The bill I paid did not include this discount. So the restaurant received the same dollar amount + the tip I paid. La Fortaleza customers, be sure to pay attention to your bill and watch out for their maneuvers to make money and hope no one notices. They took advantage of me and they lost a customer that will never return to any of their locations ever again. Enjoy your win. And one last thing, the Valet Parking at your locations is completely absurd. They make you hand over your keys to a parking attendant and the parking field is right in front of the restaurant! There is no reason to have anyone park your car for you. This is a greedy organization and I will never return there and I certainly will tell anyone not to endorse this restaurant. read more

Everything was great, food, service, and vibes were all good. Daniel C. Took care of us and made everything perfect

Very good food and service, Daniel was a great server! The restaurant ambience was amazing and it looks amazing! read more

La Fortaleza - Bar and seating area - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

I was here a month ago, so forgive me, I actually don't remember much about the food from this experience. I had birria tacos though and I think as long as I'm still able to write this, they must be doing something right. However, we celebrated a friends birthday here and had the collection of dessert pictured and I thought this was cool and great! I haven't really stopped thinking about it! They gave us a little hammer to crack the skull with and gave the party a selection of tres leches cake, churros, and ice cream! I would probably come back for a friend's birthday just for this haha read more

La Fortaleza - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

We had the honor of being served by the wonderful Liliana, excellent service, delicious food, 10/10 absolutely everything.

I celebrated my 30th birthday here with my family, It was LITTY MCGRITTY, burrito and tacos were amazing, the guac was great, the service was great... A mariachi band sang happy birthday to me, I would say the only thing missing was Peso Pluma performing a full blown concert... This is 30. read more

La Fortaleza - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

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Located right off of Route 46 East, this mecca of a Mexican restaurant will make you think you've entered a fun house. The glaring colors, loud music and spacious dining room are the perfect place for a party dinner, albeit you probably won't be able to do much talking though with the boomboxes going. Luckily for me, I came here for takeout so I was able to go in and come back out in a matter of minutes. No eardrum protection or blowhorn needed. However, if you are going to dine here, just beware of what you're getting into. We've done takeout at 2 other La Fortalezas before and, like all of the La Fortaleza restaurants, this one was really no different - a very vibrant interior with a diverse menu of Mexican staples. Also, a pretty big bar can be found inside too. For our takeout meal, we went with: - Chicken Enchiladas with Yellow Rice and Frijoles Charros (Sausage Bacon Ham Beans) and Maduros (Sweet Plantains) - Mole Poblano with Yellow Rice and Frijoles Charros (Sausage Bacon Ham Beans) - Tacos - Chorizo and Carnitas The other times we ordered from the other locations, the food was pretty solid, but the food at this location was underwhelming. Shockingly, it was not very flavorful and just about everything was lacking salt. The Enchiladas were bland and so was the side of Frijoles Charros. The Enchiladas were literally just tortillas with dry chicken breast inside, cheese on top and lots of lettuce. Not much sauce. The Mole Poblano was extremely disappointing. All of that sauce and just no flavor again. I've had Mole Poblano many times at other restaurants and this might have been the worst Mole Poblano I ever had. The sauce was really flavorless. The tacos were also blah, especially the Chorizo. Chorizo is typically our favorite taco at restaurants because many restaurants use ground sausage with lots of sauce on it, but La Fortaleza uses cut up sausage, so it was pretty dry. Like I said, we loveeeed the food at other locations, but, for some reason, the food here was so off. Rarely will you find takeout food that is flavorless. Maybe the flavor is not great tasting or it's overly salty, but there is no reason food from a restaurant should taste like you're drinking water. I wanted to love the food, but all 3 dishes were ordered were consistent. Maybe I'll give them another crack, but it's hard to when my entire order was tasteless. read more

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Everything-Sorry but even if u went in to get lit drinks taste watered down. Steak is always tough, huge interior your spaced out all over. I don't know how they stay open.The cactus tasted like nothing. read more

This location is located on Route 46. The entrance is easy to miss and is right after the Outwater overpass but before the light. It is valet only, so finding parking wasn't an issue. I've been to this location a couple times and I enjoy the atmosphere. It is noisy, so if you're looking for a quiet dinner, this is not the spot. In the past, we've had drink orders that either have come out really late into the meal, are incorrect, or did not come out at all. The most recent visit, only 1 of 8 drinks was incorrect, so that was great! For appetizers, we usually order the Guacamole and Calamar Costeño. Great choices, can't go wrong with either one. For my main entrée, I ordered the Birria Tacos. Taste is great every single time! Took off 1 star because I don't appreciate the people walking around trying to sell us things while we are eating our meals (e.g. pictures, flowers, etc.). I would recommend if you're in the area! read more

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Delivery Review - Chilaquiles is my favorite Mexican dish and I get a craving for them at weird times. Restaurant I usually order from no longer delivers to my location and I am happy to have found a good replacement. Food was ready on time and tasted good. I had also ordered one of the Juices (Orange + Pappaya) and it tasted fresh and healthy with artificial flavors. Restaurant looks fun from the pictures so will probably dine in one of these days. read more

La Fortaleza - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

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Atmosphere is Awesome! Food was ehhh. Our server was very confused about menu items, things were sent to the table wrong. I love Mexican food and was really looking forward to this place. Some dishes were just either under-seasoned or cold. Or like the queso dip, very greasy. I will say the Quea-birra was excellent! That alone was worth 2 stars. Atmosphere is another. Uncle had the seafood soup, he liked it. Drinks were wrong. I'm hoping this isn't normal because the place is really cool. I would probably return for drinks and apps, but maybe just sit at the bar and get the quesa-birra. read more

La Fortaleza - Our guacamole in a little car. It was good and fun idea of a serving vessel. - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

Friendly service, but food is not flavored at all. And the tortillas fall apart immediately. I wouldn't come back, but think there is potential for them to improve. The ambiance is very unique. read more

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Great fun place with new location in Lodi Drinks are good, food is decent ...my enchiladas were a bit bland and the churros a bit undercooked, Like their other 4 locations very festive and a fun place. Wasn't happy that there is valet parking when my spot is literally 20 ft from door and it's 3:30 in the afternoon. Start it at 5 when people are streaming in I am handicapped and could've parked next to the door on my own read more

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We decided to stop by on a Sunday for lunch with some friends. It has interesting decor, but for me it's a little overdone. Service is incredibly slow. Our friends arrived before we did and it was a good 15 or 20 minutes before someone stopped by for our drink order. I also had to ask them for a menu since they didn't offer us any. The food was ok, it came out slow but was hot. Our waiter didn't stop by again to check on us after taking our order even though he was 10 feet away from us talking to other staff the entire time. The restaurant missed out on money because we all wanted more drinks but just ended up asking for the check since no one ever came over. read more

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We've been to other locations but this is the biggest. They did an amazing job with the decor. Feast for the eyes and stomach :) Upon entering you are greeted with 3 giant statues and then you see this VW Bug table! Have to come back on a less busy day so we can get the table! LoL. So much to see around the restaurant. There are little rings with Lucha Libre action figures to keep busy while waiting for the food and drinks :) The drinks are great, so colorful and various sizes to choose from. Looks like every drink comes with a little airplane sized bottle of alcohol you get to control the amount of alcohol in your drink. You want more just add another little bottle. Guacamole - was fresh and yummy Tacos Al Albanil - this was delicious!!! This is a must try! Chuletas en Salsa Chipotle - this was good as well Come for the experience! read more

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Came here during a brunch hour for a friend's birthday. The aesthetic was absolutely gorgeous! This was impressive and I fell in love at first sight with the aesthetic. We ordered drinks which were strong and flavorful. We also ordered the sampler appetizer which was decently priced and extremely delicious. The only complaint with the sampler appetizer is that the chicken flauta specifically could have had a bit more flavor. We ordered our entrees which were a little on the pricy side. A steak dish that I can get at another restaurant for less costs 55 at this restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious I had no complaints about our entrees. The service is the reason that I am giving this review 3 stars. Our host did not come to check on our table at all. We couldn't ask for refills on our drinks or for utensils or anything else. They were no where to be found for over 30 minutes. It was not busy at the hour that we had all went so I was perplexed as to why the service was this slow. Overall I enjoyed my time I just wish the service was more attentive. read more

La Fortaleza - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey

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Ambiance is great, food was delicious. The servers were friendly and patient and kept checking on me which was great. My only issue my food was a little cold. read more

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Excellent food and great portions. The service was great and the ambiance was good and fun, Very decorated. VIP Parking read more

La Fortaleza - Guacamole Side (New) - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, New Jersey