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    La Hacienda

    3.5 (172 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Open 11:00 am - 10:30 pm

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    LA HACIENDA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Quesadilla Toluquena
    Jenny D.

    It was really really nice to sit outside and enjoy chips and salsa. The service was good, she forgot a few things sometimes but was nice. Would return again especially for a margarita outside in summer!

    Complimentary chips and salsa.
    Daniel B.

    For years now, we've passed by La Hacienda on our trips to Wegmans, Whole Foods, and various restaurants along E Franklin St and Fordham Blvd (15-501), north of S Estes. We finally checked this place out and thought it was A-OK. Currently, the average Yelp rating for La Hacienda is 3.5 stars with 142 reviews. 3.5 stars sounds about right to me. In short, the food was good, my margarita didn't taste great, and service, while not bad, could've been better. If you're looking for a classic, casual Mexican restaurant experience, this place should suffice. La Hacienda is old school. It was here long before Wegmans (opened February 2021) and many of the other retail, restaurant, and residential developments in the vicinity, close to Chapel Hill's northeast border with Durham (15-501). The earliest Yelp review for this place was posted in July 2007, so you know it's OG. La Hacienda has stood the test of time. During our Tuesday night visit, the front of the house was deceivingly empty. There was no one on the patio and, from looking through what windows I could, there was no one in the dining room either. However, when we were seated, I realized where all the people were -- everyone had been seated towards the back of the restaurant, in two dining rooms. It was nice to see that we weren't the only customers. That said, it wasn't too busy. I'd guess the two Monterrey Mexican Restaurant locations nearby were busier at the same time. The music inside was loud when we arrived, shortly after 6pm. A bit too loud for me. I think they turned it down a few notches after we and more customers arrived. It was evident as soon as we sat down that this place has been around a long time. The cushioned seats in our booth were flat and worn out. They'd lost their springiness and support. I could feel the indentations of where other people sat over the years. And just in general, the furniture, decor, etc. looked like it hadn't been refreshed in a while. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, it adds character to a place. The clientele was a mix of the typical "academic-looking" older Chapel Hill crowd (middle age up to senior citizens), college students, and the working class. The menu was chock full of options. Some notable things: (1) Breakfast is served all day. (2) Lunch specials are available 11am-3pm. (3) Be sure to check out the daily specials when you first enter the restaurant. I didn't see them posted anywhere else. For us, on a Tuesday, we got $2 off any of the Special Ritas (margaritas). (4) Examples of unique items offered include Parrilladas (combination meat platters), Mexican Pizza, and Molcajete (another combination meat dish, served in a stone mortar/bowl). (5) Fish tacos weren't listed with the other tacos, but instead under the seafood section. Here's what my wife and I ordered: * Cha-Rrita (discounted at $8.75, regularly $10.75) special margarita - tequila, Gran Gala, simple syrup, grenadine, fresh lime and orange * Cheese Dip (small, $3.50) * Three Tacos with Rice and Beans ($11.25) - my wife chose all Al Pastor, but you can get mixed meats/fillings; served with corn tortillas with onions, radish, cilantro, and lime on the side * La Cazuela ($16.75) - marinated chicken breast, ribeye steak, and chorizo, topped with melted cheese and served with rice, beans, guacamole salad, and tortillas (choice of corn or flour; I chose flour) Sadly, the Cha-Rrita didn't taste good. My wife loves a good margarita and this was not that. I tolerated the flavor much better than her. The drink tasted like Dimetapp (children's cold medicine). On the bright side, the drink was big and strong. I definitely felt good and buzzed after dinner. Speaking of big, we found the portion sizes here to be quite generous. Just take a look at my photos of the tacos. Lots of meat. And fresh, good quality ingredients too. I also think this place is a decent value, so it's got several things going for it. The tacos were delicious. The al pastor pork was marinated well. It was tender and flavorful. For "authentic" Mexican tacos (tortilla, meat, onion, cilantro, radish), I really liked the presentation style with the tacos on a stand and the ingredients laid out on the side. It was colorful and customizable. La Cazuela was excellent. It was a meat and cheese smorgasbord. I loved that I could get chicken, steak, pork, and dairy in almost every bite. All of the meats were tender too, though I'm sure the melted cheese and tasty ground chorizo helped a lot. This was a filling and satisfying dish. The chips and salsa (complimentary) and queso were par for the course. The chips were corn. Thick and crunchy. Service was alright. Our server was nice, but she could've been more attentive. She spent lots of time hanging with her friends at the bar, which I didn't have a problem with, but it did result in slower service. Not a big deal, just didn't seem super professional. The staff wore black uniforms and had radios with headsets.

    Enchiladas Ricas
    Chris K.

    After not dining here for more years than I can count, I happened to be nearby and thought, what the heck, I'll check it out again. Honestly from the few times I visited way back when I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary, but they surprised me! I had a very sweet waiter named John, who you can tell he's is very kind. Anyway, he took my drink order quickly and the chips and salsa arrived just a moment later. There was a lot to look over on the menu so took my time. I always look for either mole sauce or a dish that's covered in cheese sauce. Didn't see any mole, might have overlooked it, but decided on the Enchiladas Ricas, which is three enchiladas filled with chicken and topped with cheese sauce and tomitilla sauce and rice on the side. When it arrived I wasn't expecting each sauce on either side of the enchiladas as you can see in the picture. It helped them from running together too much and it made for a very nice presentation. Now for the taste. It was all very delicious. The chicken was lightly seasoned and didn't overpower the tomitilla sauce. The rice was nicely cooked and the salsa had enough of a kick to give me pause and the chips warm. Love, love, love! The restaurant itself is very clean and cheerful decorations too. I was an early lunch diner, and there wasn't hardly anyone there so hope business picked up cos they definitely deserve folks to come check them out!

    Dog-friendly patio seating!
    Erica P.

    Great food, great service, and great prices make La Hacienda one of my regular favorites. They offer outdoor seating, which is dog-friendly! Enchiladas Suizas are my absolute favorite, but the fajita quesadilla is a close second. Salsa has a nice kick, chips are plentiful, and margaritas are strong. What more could you ask for in a neighborhood Mexican place?

    Walking in this place is very clean, we were sat immediately and the staff is very polite, food was amazing!

    Outside seating, socially distant.
    Smythe R.

    First time here, met a friend for lunch on a chilly yet sunny January day. We ate outside on the deck, where nine tables were in a space where 15 would have been in the before times. My dining partner recommended the lunch specials, and I had already chosen one: ACC - Arroz con Camerones. It arrived with actual silverware, on a real plate, brought by a polite, masked, socially distanced waiter. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the rice fluffy and tasty. There was cheese atop, as well. The chips and salsa served while waiting were good - better than most, and the salsa tasted fresh and homemade. It was a welcome return to semi-normalcy after ten months of quarantine.

    Drink Specials
    Ale M.

    Drink specials!! Bartender was very knowledgeable of the drinks def recommend!! Great bar and many options

    Combo with no cheese

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    Kevin M.

    Thank you for visiting us we hope to see you soon !! <3

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    6 months ago

    The El Pastor Torta was amazing, we had fantastic service from Estephanie. I would definitely stop in again when I visit Chapel Hill.

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    9 months ago

    Food tastes like chemicals. Terrible and inedible. Nasty. Worst Mexican place. Threw out almost the whole meal.

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    1 year ago

    Food was amazing and so was the customer service! Me and my whole family loved it! Will be going back!

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    8 months ago

    food and service was great. the staff was very friendly and the restaurant is very clean

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    Kevin M.

    Thank you!! We hope to see you back again soon

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    Kevin M.

    Thank you for the kind words we hope to see you soon !!

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    We are glad you enjoyed it Cassandra we hope to see you soon !

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    Lucha Tigre - Bulgogi Nachos. $15.99. Giant-size nachos with Korean BBQ beef, pico, kimchi, cheese, crema, jalapenos, black beans.

    Lucha Tigre

    3.9(441 reviews)
    2.8 mi
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    We love Lucha Tigre for their unique menu and awesome vibe. Consistently good food, great options…read morefor gluten-free, vegetarians but really something for all. Service can be a little slow, but they are friendly and accomodating. Fun place to dine with larger groups too.

    We discovered Lucha Tigre thanks to Yelp. We enjoyed our meal here. I give this place 3.5 stars…read morerounded up to 4. Good food, for the most part, and great service. I'd come back. This is a casual, fun, Asian-Latin fusion restaurant and bar. Inside, the space is divided into two sides: bar and dining room. A big "LUCHA TIGRE" covers one of the bar walls and pop art decorates the main dining room wall. They also have a somewhat spacious, partially-covered patio. Overall, it's got a neat vibe. I booked our reservations on Lucha Tigre's website at https://luchatigre.com/ The reservation process was unconventional because instead of getting booked immediately, I had to wait for an email confirmation. On a Sunday, I got a "Pending Reservation Request" email at 2:16pm followed by a confirmation email at 2:52pm, so a 36-minute turnaround time. I got us a same-day reservation at 5pm, not a peak time as evidenced by the lack of customers upon our arrival. However, business had picked up by the time we left around 6:30. The menu had an interesting selection of food and drink. A few good examples of the Asian-Latin fusion served here include General Tso's Chicken Empanadas ($5 each), Pozole Ramen ($15.99), and Pad Thai Al Pastor ($16.99). They also serve straight-up Asian and Latin dishes like pho ($14.99) and tacos ($2 and $4 each). Drink-wise, they had a full bar with a decent selection that included tequila, mezcal, and sake cocktails. They even had a cocktail made with Japanese Suntory Whisky Toki. Here's what my wife and I had: Bebidas Especiales (cocktails) * El Conquistador ($14) - Tequila Herradura Silver, freshly-squeezed citrus, Cointreau Tapas * Tuna Tiradito ($16.99) - sashimi tuna with aji amarillo pepper, onions, cilantro, roasted corn nuts, and fresh citrus; Nikkei cuisine * Bulgogi Nachos ($15.99) - giant-size nachos with Korean BBQ beef, pico, kimchi, cheese, crema, jalapenos, black beans Entrees * Salmon Poke ($18.99) - raw salmon with sesame, onion, and tamari with seaweed salad, rice, and avocado * Pollo Saltado ($16.99) - stir-fried chicken, tomato, cilantro, onion; served over fries with rice and salad In general, we were happy or content with everything. Some dishes were better than others. Beautiful presentation all around. The El Conquistador was a margarita that was more tart and less sweet. It was refreshing. I liked the Tuna Tiradito more than my wife. Tiradito is like Peruvian sashimi. I thought this dish was fine. I could see why my wife didn't like it as much because the texture of the tuna wasn't as fresh and appetizing as the tuna sashimi we're accustomed to. This tuna was a bit more "pasty" in texture. Also, the roasted corn nuts, which we think were the same as hominy, didn't add much. The standout dish was the Bulgogi Nachos. I saw pictures of it on Yelp and knew we had to order it. The portion size was huge and the Korean beef bulgogi was sweet and savory. We devoured the nachos. They were incredibly delicious and addictive. A lot of textures and flavors, and they all blended and worked well together. The Salmon Poke was solid. I recommend it if you like poke. Admittedly, it was better than we both expected because we haven't encountered a lot of great poke in the Chapel Hill-Durham area. Decent portions and fresh salmon, seaweed salad, and other ingredients. I will say the rice tasted plain and not seasoned with rice vinegar. The poke came with two sauces on the side, tamari (a type of Japanese soy sauce) and what I think was a type of curry sauce. The salmon was already nicely marinated and tasty so the sauces weren't needed. The Pollo Saltado was OK. It wasn't among the best I've had, but it was "authentic." The problems with this dish were the chicken was too dry and tough and the fries were underseasoned (not salty enough). Unfortunately, the salad was the best part of this dish. Our server Taryn was great. She was attentive and efficient. Everything we ordered came out fairly quickly. One detail I really liked and appreciated was Taryn neatly packed our leftovers and labeled and dated the boxes. That's an extra level of service you don't get at most other sit-down restaurants. Lucha Tigre opened in December 2012. It replaced the Chapel Hill location of The Original Flying Burrito: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-original-flying-burrito-chapel-hill You can find it in the Midtown Market shopping plaza, north of UNC's campus. There's plenty of free dedicated parking. I didn't have a good cell signal here and used their guest Wi-Fi. Password was Beefbulgogi1.

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    Lucha Tigre - Inside. Dining room.

    Inside. Dining room.

    Lucha Tigre - Seared Salmon Fillet, Heat Seeker Tofu

    Seared Salmon Fillet, Heat Seeker Tofu

    Lucha Tigre - Inside. Bar. View upon entry looking left.

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    Inside. Bar. View upon entry looking left.

    La Hacienda - mexican - Updated May 2026

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