I have been to a lot of Mexican restaurants in Madison, and La Mestiza is the best. The chips and salsa are excellent; so is the food. And, importantly, the service is friendly and professional. That's what it's all about when dining out. The prices are reasonable. When I go out to eat, for the money I spend, I want excellent service and food, and I always get that at La Mestiza. I am from California and as you know, there is excellent Mexican food in CA. Hard to find Mexican food in WI that is as good as CA. I wish there was a Mexican restaurant in WI that made great wet burritos. read more

Wonderful flavors, food is delicious, easy to talk, casual dining and service, lots of takeout

We're from Tucson and are picky about Mexican food. La Mestiza is a fabulous find! The owners take great pride in their homemade, authentic mole and tomatillo sauces, which are all heavenly. It was hard to choose just one after being presented with a sampler. The mole verde is complex and exquisite. The chips are freshly-made on site and the best we've had in a long time. The enchiladas are made to perfection with white shredded chicken, corn tortillas, sour cream and cheese with a side of rice and fresh lettuce and tomatoes. Antonio, the owner, is friendly, helpful and humble. The restaurant is small but clean, colorful and quiet. Our bill was only $30 for two. A bargain for an authentic Mexican dining experience! read more

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I took out dinner from here on a Friday. The gaucomole is the most impressive item here. It was real fresh and flavorful. Puntas de filete is a flavorful beef dish. Beef should be slightly more tender though. Enchiladas de pollo verdes was a good dish as well. Side of refried plantains was good. For drink, I had a horchata. It was an excellent flavorful drink. Flan de kahlua was my dessert. It was an excellent flan with coffee flavor. read more

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This place is a true gem! Living in the southwest for a large percentage of my life, I have had a lot of Mexican food. However, since moving to the Midwest finding excellent Mexican food can be difficult. That is not the case here. This place is by far the best Mexican food I have had in Madison. They even have cactus nopales on the menu, which are cooked to perfection. My husband and stopped by for lunch to try this place as we have passed by it multiple times, but never stopped in. My husband had the carne asada plate and I had the enchiladas pollo con mole. These were mouthwatering delicious. read more

La Mestiza - Enchiladas de Pollo con Mole - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Happened on this spot for lunch. So glad we did! The moles were outstanding with the verde being the standout. Great service and food!

So good! The mole verde sauce for the enchiladas was so complex and delicious. Loved everything we tried.

Good food the portions are good sized and the server was very good and allowed me to practice my Spanish.

Best Mexican food in Madison as far as I know. Super-friendly service. Great local business!

This is a consistently solid Mexican restaurant, and we always have a really good meal when we come here. The services is great, and restaurant isn't huge, so it's quieter. You can actually hear your friends talk over dinner. read more

Updating to appreciate ... I order chilaquiles so much that this most recent order I simply ordered as provided online. Got home and found a side of onions and cilantro in my salsa bag. They really remember how I prefer to eat chilaquiles but didn't order it as such this time because I wasn't in the mood. Ordering online requires a $10 minimum. The chips are always hot at pickup. The containers are packed for traveling but I always ask to leave the lettuce off for the Mexican sampler does not travel well with it. Neither the ceviche. But downtown from the westside is brutal if the Beltline has an issue. Overall, I highly recommend. read more

La Mestiza - Ceviche #2go it varies with each pickup. - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I'm a fan of this place!! The place is run by a small crew, with one main guy as the center. He is super sweet and what I can only assume is the owner. It was busy on a Tuesday night at 5pm, which is a great sign. We sat down and looked over the menu, enjoyed some chips and salsa at the table as well. So, let me stop there. These chips, are exceptional. Super crispy, thick, with lots of crunch. There were 2 different salsas and both were delish. We ordered a cheese enchilada plate and 3 taco trio appetizer. The enchilada was with a verde sauce, which is my favorite and came with some rice and beans. Now, the cheese was a little hard on the inside, but the flavors went really well together. The tacos were quite good and enough to share with my partner. It came with generous amounts of meat and each had good flavor. I will say the carne asada was my favorite. Then the Al Pastor and chicken tied because I think the chicken could have used a little more flavor and the al pastor was differently prepared than I'm used it. It was more a stewed pork with onions verses with sweet and spicy sauces on a spire. All in all, enjoyed the experience, got away with a really good cheap meal, but I will say, the service is pretty slow given the one man show mentioned at the beginning. So go with some time on your side and you'll be golden! Happy Taco Tuesdays! read more

Consistently awesome and fresh! The chips are the best in town and the guac/pico never disappoint! read more

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Excellent food! Authentic Mexican food with very friendly service. Like others have said, get the guacamole! The combo trio de tacos was delicious! The meats all had tons of flavor. read more

NOPALITOS = Cactus leaf tacos! Madison really needed these. I'm from the South and nopals are on most menus. Thank you La Mestiza for bringing them out, and with a KICK (spice)! It's just another awesome veggie for us veg heads, but it shows genius and authenticity how you do it! Escabeche (pickled veggies) is impressive here too. Very well seasoned; is that clove? Also, they use a bunch of veggies, not just carrots and coliflor. Mild to Medium heat. Pro: they are accommodating, even if their menu doesn't look like it. Call 'em. Con: please put those veggies in an enchilada! Maybe add a spice rating system? Sometimes it's a level 1 and other times it a level yowzer. Overall, keep it up! read more

Been looking for a New Mexican restaurant and this place hit the spot. My go to is enchiladas and they have a great selection of regular and vegetarian options enchilada options. The menu is limited just as a heads up but it's also a small local restaurant so it is understandable. The night we went it looked to be one server and one cook only working with a steady steam of in restaurant and to go orders. Server was super nice and food was FAST! The chips are homemade and the salsas were amazing! The enchiladas were good but I wish the chicken had more seasoning to it. The flautas were also good with guacamole but same issue with the chicken. That being said the sauces made up for it as well as the price and service! read more

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My expectations were moderate. I was out of town on a business trip and wanted to see what Madison had to offer regarding tacos. These were not fun at all. They didn't even warm up the tortillas. These were some bold tacos. read more

La Mestiza - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Delicious tacos and impeccable hospitality. We came here at 1:55p on a Thursday unaware that the restaurant is closed from 2-4pm every day. While we couldn't dine in, the server put in a to-go order and made sure we had water during our wait. My party ordered two taco combos, carne asada and al pastor. Both were delicious. The tacos and two tortillas each and were lightly fried to give it a crunchy texture. The al pastor tacos were some of the best I've ever tasted and the carne asada tacos were great as well--better than any NYC restaurants I usually go to. I will definitely be back before the end of my visit in Madison. Chips were fresh as well as very appetizing! read more

Small location hidden inside a strip mall-like setting. They offer friendly albeit a tad slow service. I tried the carne asada which is accompanied with cactus Napoles. It was a bit different than anything similar I had tried before. They had a variety of enchilada sauces which should suit everyone's taste. read more

Wonderful authentic flavors, ingredients and preparations! More complexity and authenticity than local taco bars. Service is attentive and very friendly! This is our "go to" place. We appreciate the colorful family-friendly atmosphere! read more

Antonio and Stella offer a cozy, quiet, and colorful environment for their authentic Mexican cuisine. The food is delicious with homemade mole and tortilla chips. The salsas are fresh and made by hand. They were closed briefly but are now open with their original hours of operation. A wonderful, family-friendly place to eat. read more

Food was delicious, chips were homemade, service was quick. It's a small place, but well decorated and comfortable. I will return!

Great experience of authentic Mexican food! I was in Madison for work and this place was perfectly placed right next to my hotel. I took the short walk over with some colleagues in order to try this place out. Inside it's a small operation but very inviting! Plenty of color used to warm up the ambiance, and it was pleasantly clean but not in the "sterile" sense. We sat in a booth and the waiter was quick to hand us some menus and start us off with water. The menu is a good size and they had a vegetarian section which I appreciated and was right up my alley! I ended up choosing the corn quesadillas for my meal - and I'm glad I did! Their version of a quesadilla was shaped more-so like a small calzone. It was filled with cheese and veggies and came with a small side salad and pico de gallo. I found the dish hearty. I was afraid it was going to be too greasy, but it was pleasantly less so. I think the balance of the cheese and veggies was perfect! I wasn't over-chewing the cheese and the sautéed veggies helped add texture and flavor. The waiter was really helpful in explaining the menu and even came out with a sample of cactus since we all were unfamiliar on what or how to eat that - super cool! He also came around to share stories of the restaurant which was nice to learn about. Overall would definitely recommend this place for a solid dinner! Enjoy! read more

When you're after a bit of an upscale Mexican meal come here. Ingredients, preparation and presentation are a cut above most Mexican restaurants in town. Drinks are reasonably priced. I'm a fan of there guacamole... and there chips are much better than average. In general I've been drawn to their pork dishes and always been happy. read more

Small restaurant with delicious food. Veggie tamale was outstanding. You can tell everything is made fresh. Great fresh salsa and chips. Margarita was good also. read more

Me and my sister came here with a craving for authentic Mexican food and were not disappointed with the food or service! You can tell this is a family owned business that puts their heart into the dishes they make. We both decided to order the enchilada entrees, our waiter (who I think may have been the owner of the restaurant) brought out little sample cups of each enchilada sauce on the menu, so we could see for ourselves what they tasted like before ordering. This gave us a good idea of the spices & flavors, and I really appreciated him taking the time to do that! We both enjoyed the green mole & sauces the most, and my sister ordered one enchilada with a red sauce that he brought out for us to try as well (I forgot the name). I also ordered a side of the guacamole & a drink that was 1/2 sangria and 1/2 margarita. The guac was a generous portion, served in a molcajete for $5.95 - we both loved the fresh lime flavor added in & had more than enough to share. If you are looking for a meal to share, they offer "juicy fajitas," which come with sautéed steak+chicken+shrimp with peppers and onions, with a side of rice+pinto beans+Guacamole+tortillas ($15.99). The lunch specials are very reasonable for around $9 and there's even a yelp! deal available, which I will definitely be using at my next visit in Madison. All in all, I was very impressed with my experience and food! read more

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Oh my gosh. This place is high class. The prices are affordable and the dishes are delicious. This could easily be the best Mexican food I've ever had. I ordered guacamole and it came out in a huge portion serving. This place is friendly, intimate, and inviting. read more

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Unassuming shopping center exterior belies an authentic menu of excellent Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes prepared with care, served hot, and very reasonably priced. Welcoming staff and comfort food from our good neighbor to the South. We're from Austin and this is one of the Madison places that does it right! La Mestiza deserves your support. read more

Dependable delicious food, warm service and vibrant, colorful atmosphere. I love this place! The chips are fresh, crunchy with tasty dips. The best corn tortillas in town. read more

Love this place. Great food at reasonable price. Antonio who has served me whenever I go here is a gracious host as well. read more

My latest visit to La Mestiza is not what I remembered from a few years ago. I'm not sure what changed. The dish I ordered was decent. I should have changed the sauce from the verde to something more brown (adobo or mole). It was alright, but I could have enjoyed it more. Nothing here really stood out that would make me come here FIRST. I'll come here again, probably, but if it's my choice, there are so many other places to go. read more

This place makes me smile just thinking about it. Not just a family run business, but a family run kitchen as well! Love is put into this food by people who truly understand flavor and can just flat out cook! Whether you're looking for tacos for lunch (pastor and tinga are exceptional), enchiladas for dinner (pollo verde is a family favorite), or delicious and thoughtful catering for a large event, this place should always be on your short list. I was just craving their queso fundido and thought of how I want to show more support for outstanding local businesses like this. I figured this review and dinner at La Mestiza tonight sounds like a delicious start! PS Their house made chips are the best! Do yourself and our community a favor and give this place a try! read more

Love their consistently original and delicious food. Vegetarian Mole option is a big plus!

Phenomenal pumpkin sauce enchiladas. Try them! Everything they make is good--salsa, beans, rice, and chips prepared the right way.

Great food and service by Antonio. Everyone loved their meal!! Try the carnitas and pulled pork.

Me and my daughter had beef and chicken tacos w sides of rice and beans. Ordered to go as not the greatest ambience. Very authentic. Very good food. Friendly service. We will go back. read more

Great carnitas when available ( special on weekends usually!) We typically do take out.

Terrible experience, one of the worst Mexican places in Madison. Food is plain and lacks flavor. They charge you for hot sauce if you want to get one for your tacos. They are pretty cheap, chilaquiles won't ce with beans. They give you like two tablespoons of salsa for 6 people and of you ask for more they charge you extra. They give you less than two half of bowls of chips for 6 people and then charge you if you ask for more. When we express our concern about the extra charges the waiter did not care. Her answer was: it's been like this for many years. Don't go the. Go to el pastor, los gemelos, taqueria Guadalajara. read more

Decided to pop into this spot for lunch not having visited before. We immediately found a table to sit. It was really crowded, which was great to see, so getting water as well as chips and salsa was a little slow. No fault of theirs. Just what happens when it's a nice, spring Saturday during lunch on a holiday weekend, so no complaints there. We ordered off the lunch menu: Three steak tacos and the chicken mole enchiladas. All so good! Top three best moles I've ever eaten, and the steak was super flavorful, abundant and delicious. Plates came out well plated, everything was warm, and the prices were good. As busy as he was, our server was great! Very welcoming, attentive, and high-spirited. Will definitely be back and would give a 4.5 if the app would let me! read more

I have been here about four times for lunch over the last two years and each time it has been consistently good. I am not a Mexican food aficionado but it definitely seems different than the usual Tex-Mex a la Laredos. On my last visit two weeks ago, I had the 7.95 grilled steak lunch special. Rice and beans accompanied a nice grilled piece of flank steak covered with a deep dark mole sauce hinting of chocolate. Subtle + simple = sophisticated. Nice. Tasty and fresh guacamole too and homemade tortilla chips! It is not a large restaurant and some would say it is a little cramped. I call it cozy and serene. read more

La Mestiza - Enchilada verdes - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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