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    La Joya - Fresh Mexican

    4.6 (124 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    La Joya - Fresh Mexican Photos

    LA JOYA - FRESH MEXICAN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Salsa trio
    Kevin D.

    Good tacos, pricy, but lacking spice. Be mindful of surcharges. Came here for some hockey matches, so had to try the local taco joint. Place is a little tiny in this small strip mall. The inside is decorated minimally but nicely. Our server was nice and cordial, explained the menu and normal questions and answers. We ordered a drink, their salsa trio, 4 tacos, an empanada and tamale. Food wasn't paced, just sent out as it was prepped. Took pics and dug in. The salsa trio was intriguing. Each salsa had about 2-3 distinct flavor notes. The salsa verde was grassy and vinegary, the Roja was smoky and tomato forward, and the Verda was creamy and lightly spicy. We asked which one was the house salsa and that was not part of our trio. So we got a side of that sauce to try. Was much better than the trio, was smoky, spicy, and a touch sweet. The drink was next. Was a kinda like a pina colada with a heavier emphasis to pineapple. Light and sweet but coconut and pineapple forward. The tacos came out. All the tortillas were very delicate. They pretty much disintegrated after a single bite. The scallop was the best bite, the bacon gave the salty pork flavor which matched with the briny softness of the scallop perfectly. The beef brisket was also seasoned well and had a good amount of raw red onion and cilantro. The duck was overcooked but the pickled veggies helped. The fish taco was a bit basic and overloaded on sauce. The tamale was pretty but the masa was overcooked and unflavored. The chorizo was also fairly weak on seasoning, combine that with a copious amount of sour cream on top and it was a pretty mushy bland bite. The empanada was a bit wet when fried, so the inside of the dough was undercooked. Chicken was smoked nicely though, needed more seasoning. Finishing our meal, bill came out to $70. So about 8 dollars per item which is a bit high. We did get charged for the house salsa and an extra plate. Which was annoying but stated on their menu. For the price, I would expect less missteps on execution. It's possible that there was no execution errors, and they really toned down their flavor profiles to match the locals. If so, then this location is very much a product of its surroundings and is executed well but very muted.

    Rusty O.

    Arrived on this hot hazy humid Tuesday afternoon just in time for dinner service. The place was empty, except staff and me. I sat at the bar, and watch the place fill up to capacity quickly I ordered the beef burrito $22, which came with two sides, black beans, and a Mexican rice. I also ordered a Coca-Cola. The beef burrito was flavorless, with the same black beans inside and some rice and corn. I did not see nor taste any cheese. I ate only 3/5 of the Burrito, While it was grilled, it also was super hot inside; like it was microwaved first. This burrito was missing flavor big time. Maybe include some sour cream with lettuce and tomato, a little cilantro, maybe some Mexican cheese that I could taste. And it was accompanied by a rice side, which was lukewarm, along with black beans, which also were lukewarm and flavorless. The soda, fountain type, was warm, with the ice quickly melting in it. Service was friendly, and attentive. So the final bill was $32 with the tip of $6. I'm really mixed about returning here. It's overpriced, and the food is only mediocre. While not a big fan of TJ Burrito, it's better than this. I am quite amused at how many stars this place gets. This place is way over rated

    my favorite place!!!! vegetarian friendly, great service and delicious food 10/10. Staff is always super friendly and attentive. Must try the trio app! ** note that they're not open on mondays and it is a little small as it used to be a dunkin' donuts

    Sally A.

    Always a great experience! Food is consistent and delicious! The cocktails are even better! My only wish would be to have a bigger space! My favs are the cocktails (yes all of them) The chili con queso Fried chicken taco Shrimp taco Mushroom enchiladas

    Bira burrito
    Michele G.

    Always really love coming here. Great quality foods and nice portion size. Restaurant is cute and great service. Love the quality of Mexican cuisine and flavor here. Recommend to others. Got the bira burrito and really enjoyed. Portion was quite big and was able to take some home.

    Cheese enchiladas
    Sarah C.

    Absolutely delicious. I've known of this restaurant for a while, but hadn't tried it. my husband and were blown away. He got the chicken burrito. He said it was phenomenal. We got a tamale to try and two fish tacos and everything was just incredible. Just so impressed with all the sauces they give you. This coming from two Californians. Try this restaurant you won't be disappointed.

    Meghana A.

    I love the town of Simsbury, fresh food and it's even Mexican. That summarizes everything. It has a very surfboard beach vibe. I was in a mood for some soft shell tacos baja fish, a vegetarian one and shrimp ....$5 to $6 a la carte.everything looked fresh and came out hot. My first bite into it and all I could taste was sweet.. lacked flavor.My kid had the chicken quesadilla, I didn't taste it but it was all gone so I'm guessing they were good. The jalapeño margarita was simply superb. I also got some chip+salsa to go with it. The salsa has a nice kick to it while the chips were ok. Overall I have some mixed feelings, although I like that the food is fresh it let me down in flavor. I wanted to love it..but! I do recommend you come try it out .. the staff is great the service is quick.

    Short Rib Burrito Takeout
    Jason P.

    Pasta the Dog and I were walking in Simsbury around dinner time on a misty evening. I Yelp-searched nearby restaurants and I was super close to La Joya -- Fresh Mexican, which I've seen people rave about. I was under the impression that it can get busy, but I was able to make an online order for a decent pickup time. I ordered a short rib burrito, which came with "green chili" rice and black beans, and I also ordered queso and chips. I ate out of my trunk while throwing dog treats to my dog every 45 seconds. The burrito was large and full of shredded short rib, rather than unwanted filler, although the burrito did have some rice, beans, onions, corn, cilantro and cheese. The burrito was so full, that it stretched apart a bit, exposing the short rib. A parent might think this looked like swaddled short rib. It was good and better than burritos I get in a lot of places. I didn't love the rice or beans. They were barely warm even though I arrived as my order was being packaged. The rice needed more salt. And the flavor of the beans didn't work for me. The queso on the other hand was delightful. I presume it was a Velveeta-type base, which is what my fav queso makers use. But it was jazzed up with things that may have included tomatoes, onions, herbs, chilies, other cheese and seasoning. It was tasty. In terms of atmosphere, La Joya is in a Plaza with a nice package store and there was inside/outside seating. It was pleasant, clean and lively, but not fancy. It reminded me of one of the nicer restaurants that you might see in an airport terminal. I liked La Joya. If I lived in the area, I would occasionally go. La Joya didn't quite connect for me like it has for some others though. Four Stars

    Cheese enchilada with green chile sauce
    Erika T.

    For my fellow New Mexicans, this green chile is made with Anaheim peppers not Hatch green chile. It's good, but be advised. The cocktails are so good. Like insanely good. It's so hard to find a good margarita on the east coast, but these are fantastic. Strong, good flavor profile. Yum. The Oaxaca Old Fashioned was excellent too. 10/10. The cheese enchiladas were good. Not amazing, but I wouldn't say no to coming back. It's truly a 3.5 star place, but since that's not an option, it's getting a 4 star from me. The service was just okay. The server was so sweet, but he had no idea what was on the menu or even what was on tap. He had to ask someone else everything. That said, he was good natured and very pleasant. We liked his personality and hope he will improve his menu knowledge over the summer. We will absolutely be back for the drinks.

    Joe B.

    Takeout is still as good as eating inside. We just learned they do cash reward points on the toast app and we had $45 to spend on two taco trios and two quesadillas! (Duck is better than chicken).

    Exterior
    Dan R.

    La Joya's dining room doesn't have a lot of seating capacity. From Wednesday to Friday they open at 4:00 and we just chatted with a customer who told us he was on line for one of those 4:00 openings and by 4:15 the dining room was maxed out. I don't think they can fit more than 30 customers. They only have seven tables, three window counter seats, and maybe half a dozen bar seats. We grabbed two of those bar seats, and after enjoying a terrific lunch I can assure you that every single person sitting in one of those scarce seats had a great meal. La Joya is that good. I expected it to be good because of its pedigree- owner Daniel Stevens used to be the Executive Chef at South Glastonbury's celebrated Sayulita. You'll find La Joya in the Andy's Market strip mall inside an old Dunkin Donuts shop. Hats off to their design team because the place is gorgeous. We had an order of guacamole, two cheese enchiladas served with rice and beans, a beef and chorizo tamale, a sweet chili shrimp taco, and a glass of Rioja that ran us $45. The guacamole was served with chips, salsa, pepitos, and Cotija cheese. A nice assortment of flavors to pile on your chips. My shrimp taco was so good - a healthy portion of fried shrimp with a yummy sweet glaze piled with a mango habanero salsa, napa slaw, toasted almonds and minced jalapenos. Excellent ! The tamale was just as good - a sneaky spicy dish served with salsa fresca and "Diablo Cream". Its great to have such a high quality Mexican restaurant in town. I know we will be back.

    Gringo taco & chorizo
    Shane W.

    Good food, fast service , smaller inside location but cozy. Food is authentic mexican. Everything seems very fresh and nice modern interior. Great location in heart of simsbury.

    Carne asada taco, sweet chili shrimp taco, al pastor taco
    Rebecca J.

    We came here to celebrate a late Mother's Day. My mom has been wanting to try this place out for a while now, and we finally got around to it. It was very busy (a good sign). We waited maybe 10 minutes for a table, not bad for how busy it was. We were seated outside, which was nice because it was a warm evening. We tried the salsa trio, which was delicious! I ordered the carne asada, sweet chili shrimp & Al pastor tacos. I was very pleased with all of them, very fresh and an explosion of flavors. My boyfriend tried the duck, brisket and scallop/chorizo tacos. My Dad had the duck, fried chicken & Baja fish. My mom had the pesto chicken burrito. They all loved their food as well. We kept saying how we can't wait to come back again! What a gem of a spot!

    Grilled short rib burrito

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    9 months ago

    Sat outside on a recent Wednesday evening, food was good. Tried the chicken mole tamale, it was ok, not much mole flavor. Service was OK.

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    2 years ago

    What a fun, cozy place in the center of town with great food! Plus the service is so friendly, our waitress Bianca, was outstanding!

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    2 years ago

    Creative unique flavors. Great meal experience. Be prepared to wait for seats. Wish it was bigger!

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    La Joya - Fresh Mexican - mexican - Updated May 2026

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