Came here for lunch and it was great! Did the Mussels (minus pork) and Ceviche. Both fantastic! We also split the mahi tacos which were also very good. Our waitress was very friendly. We came early at 11:30 so no wait and not many people there yet. Highly recommend, cute place. read more

I live in the neighborhood and this place is absolutely awesome. The service is great, the pricing is perfect for the food quality and ambiance. They have this great dining room where they can open the clear bay doors and outdoor seating in the summer which I am very much looking forward to. We took our food sensitive friend here and she loved it, they have something for everyone. They did a special menu on Valentines day and it was superb. I highly recommend a visit. Try the fried plantains, they are delightful. read more

Love this little gem. Food and service are great and the small charm of this location makes for a unique dining experience. Be sure to try the roasted corn pizza- and sit at the bar if you want to see fabulous food made with almost no counter space and one oven. read more

Fantastic food at a very cute spot! We started with quest fundito and moved on to very fresh and flavorful entrees. Pizza with roasted corn was wonderful. Mahi mahi tacos were very fresh as was the coconut shrimp. Hornado (pork) was very flavorful! Friendly service. read more

I had fish tacos, boyfriend had chicken tacos - happy hour menu - not close to Mexican fare. He said chicken tacos tasted like a mediocre chicken salad something or other. Disturbingly, the chef/cook did not bother to cook the tortillas - they were pulled from the package & served cold. So wanted this place to be a good restaurant - serving good Mexican food -- or really any type of good food! read more

I'd try to cram any place in my neighborhood into a good review, because of familial affection... but I'd drive miles out of my way for this place. It's quiet, cozy, but the food spans borders. Fresh and flavorful. THE PORK. GET IT. I've had it weekly this month. Seems ridiculous, til you try it. I've heard the burger is to die for. And my son loves the mousse. read more

We LOVE La Mesa and not because it's our neighborhood restaurant. The food is exquisite and reasonably priced. Also, the wine list is reasonably priced as well; and they don't give you skimpy pours. Recently, I had the scallops special which was $21 and worth every penny. Coincidentally, I was at a fancy, chef-driven restaurant in town the next night and the scallop entree there was $35! I highly recommend La Mesa. read more

Great atmosphere. Just the right amount of food. Everything was fresh and flavorful. Definately coming back. Desserts were amazing!

Great food and service. We went on a slow, snowy week night and everything exceeded our expectations. Great to have a cozy little spot like this in the neighborhood! read more

This small neighborhood restaurant is such a gem! The beautifully prepared food, reasonable prices and attentive service are reasons we go there. We love their crispy and chewy pizzas, and there are several delectable seafood choices. (Meat eaters will be happy, too.) And the mango creme brûlée is divine. It's not a fancy place--heavy wood smoke and a large screen TV detract somewhat--but its pluses far outweigh its minuses. We're going back next weekend! read more

Everything was prepared perfectly-this is saying a lot coming from a married couple both with food service backgrounds-one of which is Ecuadorian. Upscale- Ecuadorian flair- great concept and execution. Thank you- we will be back! read more

I love this place. As a neighbor an regular I find something new that I love every time. The green sauce with the mahi mahi is the best

Two couples met for lunch. Service very attentive and friendly. Only a few tables busy during our visit. I had the chorizo tacos with side of rice and beans; I can only give it an okay. My wife had the pulled pork sandwich with a side salad and said both were very good; portion size large. Ended with a shared flan which was very good. We will try another time. read more

Sad to see Sparks go, but super happy that La Mesa came in quickly and very excited about the concept. First visit this week: 1) Staff was soooo nice and attentive, a treat to experience their attitude and service. 2) Food was very good... pizza great as noted by other reviewers. Also had Mahi tacos -- tasted great but tortilla fell apart immediately (and appropriately listed on 'small plate' portion of menu). 3) Can't wait to try other menu items. Request: I was hoping to see Empanadas on the menu?! Maybe a summer happy hour item? read more

Visiting Minneapolis from Chicago. La Mesa was close to where we were staying, so we went on our first night in town. To be honest, it was quite a letdown. I had the veg plate, which was not terribly impressive. The plantains didn't seem very fresh. There were only a few sad slices of avocado. The portion size was not great. A $16 veg entree should most certainly be more flavorful and plentiful than that. My husband had the shrimp special for $22, which sounded tasty in the description. It was a major disappointment. It came in a bowl the size of a small cereal bowl and contained only 4 shrimp, 1/2 cup of bland rice, and 3 small pieces of plantain. I thought certainly they had brought him an appetizer portion by mistake. Nope. Our daughter had the $9 kid's burger. $9 is too much for a kid's meal, particularly when it was a tiny burger with nothing on it, accompanied by only potato chips. We had tres leches cake and chocolate mousse for dessert, which were both tasty (albeit small). The desserts and the atmosphere are the only reason I'm giving it 2 stars. It's really more like a 1 1/2 star review. We won't be back. read more

We had a wonderful meal tonight the wood roasted pork and the tostadas were delicious. Margaritas were also excellent. We will be back

Great ambiance and delightfully fresh delicuoua food. Reasonable.prices. I will go back.

Cute place with a good mix of shared plates and entrees. Nothing really stood out but the service was great. Will try again some other time just to be sure. read more

This is a pleasant surprise tucked in a quiet corner of Minneapolis. The ambience is warm and friendly, and the food is excellent.

Great neighborhood vibe! Absolutely delicious - everything I've ever ordered is so good. From the burger to chorizo to mussels - just plain delicious. Service is fantastic too. Highly recommend!!! read more

Just tried this place for the first time. We were sad to see Sparks was gone, but we were very pleasantly surprised with the menu at La Mesa. We will definitely be back to try more of the menu items. Service was great and the food came out in a timely manner. We will be back soon! read more

Great evening in a wonderful restaurant. My wife and I popped in for a casual Friday night dinner. She thought the "restaurant week" special menu was a great value and delicious. I went for the Cioppino myself. While not strictly Ecuadorian, I was not disappointed. Tons of shrimp, mussels and Mahi Mahi capped with a perfectly seared sea scallop. Great, low key vibe and friendly service. The fact that there's free parking on site makes this a no-brainer. read more

Really really nice handsome and friendly guys serving the food. Unbelievable pizza. Great selection of wine. Comfortable and warm place to sit by the windows in the front. Tasty salmon. Welcoming lights surrounding the front door on the outside. Nice to see from down the street in the dark. Beautiful. Thank you. read more

We stopped in for brunch/lunch on Sunday. Top notch. Everything was delicious. We tried the French toast, breakfast tacos, breakfast burrito and Mesa Benedict along with their amazing chips and salsa. You can really taste the freshness in the food. Can't wait to try dinner menu. read more

Went in at 5PM friday with my husband and brother in law- was asked rather imperiously if I had reservations by the frosty hostess- i certainly have reservations now. The house was empty and I was informed they could only seat us in the cold drafty bar area next to the garage door. The dining room was still half empty when we left- guess I don't fit the sophistication profile? or maybe gay people are "unseemly" even though we are both managers in S&P 500 companies? The rest of the staff tried- but the experience of sitting in the cold bar area eating with my coat on and looking in on the warm empty dining room sealed the deal. I will not return read more

Started with the roasted olives and a glass of Pinot noir. Continued with a delicious cumin vinaigrette avocado tomatoes salad that is so incredibly fresh. The Mahi Mahi entree is so light and flavorful that I was able to indulge in a French press coffee and melt in your mouth Tres Leche dessert. read more

So far so good. We've only been once everything was fresh the beans and rice side is nothing special- but tastes authentic. I had a lunch special of tomato/arugula/mozzarella and a chilled tomato gazpacho - my friends had the chorizo, tacos, and and AMAZING mushroom quiche. The quiche was perfect not too dense they make it with 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk so it's lighter and tastes amazing. I'm excited to go back it's relatively inexpensive for how fresh the food is. The sidewalk seating is nice as well. The service was a little awkward/slow/off... maybe that will change in the future. The roasted olives were very good would be better with like bread/crostini or something. They didn't provide any sharing plates with that app either. But food is good service needs a little fine tuning. They meant well- I'm sure. Had to hunt the server down for the check and even after the cook said they would get them it still took another 10 minutes for him to come back to the table. read more

This is an amazing little spot in such a great neighborhood! Great menu! Had the wedge salad, wings and tacos ... all were super good. I will definitely be back. Would love to see a happy hour menu once the weather warms up on the patio! read more

A nice, quiet patio experience, oh BTW excellent food and service! As I rarely give out 5 stars but La Mesa reached the nexus of quality, price and service. I enjoyed the pork shoulder with citrus slaw and beans and rice. The pork was tender (but not mushy), lightly spiced and not too salty as is the case with many restaurants. My companion had the mahi tacos - just an excellent version; and all fresh including the home made guacamole. NIce neighborhood with many large trees and a shady patio completed the scene. P. S. Try the floral tea! read more

I went to this place for bunch, and had a delightful lunch. I never drink at lunchtime, but I did have a sangria, and it was superb. It is a pleasant location, and was wide open at 1 PM on a Sunday. The llapingachos were absolutely wonderful, as was a benedict which had a lot of avocado on it. I will definitely be back! read more

This place is wonderful - the food is REALLY good, the service wonderful, the wine and beer list = perfect! We spent two delightful hours on Friday night - and we'll be back!! read more

Authentically WONDERFUL!!!!! I live in the neighborhood and it's taken me a year to come back after my first visit (not sure why, as I really enjoyed my meal that first time..?) but, there's NO WAY my taste buds will let that happen again! The truth is, I'm a really good cook and we live in a city with SO many great restaurants so, it takes a lot for me to want to visit a restaurant twice; plus, experience has left me feeling many of Minneapolis's neighborhood restaurants are over-rated in their reviews, and that people actually are in love with the walkability of the restaurant, not necessarily the food. La Mesa is a true gem that deserves it's great reviews and, with it's close proximity off 94 and 394, my hope is more commuters find their way over after work (a stop quite worthy of happy-hour, now that they have a liquor license!). Families should also keep this place in mind, as they have an adjacent dining room that has more space in-between tables then most neighborhood bistros and, with a wood-fire oven, your guaranteed a DELICIOUS pizza can be created for, both, young and old taste buds (its a great option for vegans too; as long as they can enjoy their 'pizzas ' without fake cheese!) As far as recommendations? I will FOREVER be dreaming about La Mesa's guacamole, green sauce and fresh chips, roasted corn pizza, fish tacos and their quesadillas with avocado crema. I was enjoying an outdoor lunch with my vegan teenager so, I didn't have any alcohol but, I can assure you I plan to return with hubby for an evening meal and cocktails soon! Honestly, the only reason I'm not giving this review 5 stars is because of the lack of attentiveness from our waitress; she was nice enough but, I got the feeling she was thinking her shift was over when we arrived at 1:50 (they close from 2-5)). In fact, between the cook and her, we really weren't made to feel welcomed (obviously the quality of food saved this review so, I'm hoping it was just an off day; as I would hate to have to feel differently about this place, if the service wouldn't improve). read more

This place exceeded our expectations & was fantastic! My s/o and I were big fans of Sparks and sad to see it go, but La Mesa is just as good or better. The staff was super friendly and helpful with choosing our order. The house red wine was surprisingly tasty- and for $6, you can't go wrong! We got their flank steak and mussels which was made to perfection. We liked sitting at the bar area and watching the cooks prepare all the dishes- everything looked so so good and we can't wait to go back and try it all! 5 stars all around and what a hidden gem in Bryn Mawr read more

menu has well chosen small plates and entrees, spiced just right, local beers and international selection of wines

I just came across the receipt for the dinner we had there ($92.94 for four of us) and thought I should write a review. We went on Mother's Day - later in the day. Unfortunately for us the restaurant was running very dysfunctional in its service due to someone quitting/not showing up on this key day. We had the manager (or owner?) waiting on us. He didn't know the menu; some of the items were out and he had to come back to tell us this after taking our orders (we ended up with some appetizers, a burger, fish tacos, salads - all average). Drinks took forever to get; water glasses weren't refilled (my husband went and grabbed a water pitcher for the table); the table didn't get cleared properly and it took forever to pay the bill. I will give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt that we came on a day that had its disasters, but in the end, the manager (or owner?) that waited on us should have recognized that we were not having the best experience and should have at least offered us a round of drinks to compensate. He never did. With so many restaurants to go to in the Twin Cities area, we will not go back. read more