All I have to say is YUM!!! Wonderful food, great drinks, and top notch service. It's a bit of a "hole in the wall" if you will. Not a dive, just hard to find. Tucked away on a busy street surrounded by medical/business offices. Glad we found it. Wonderful food, nice atmosphere and great service. Can't wait to make an excuse to go back. It's a bit far from my local fair, but have leftovers!!! Either way, I am winning!!! read more

Since we are from Albuquerque we really wanted to like the food at La Ristra, but alas as most Az restaurants that advertise "New Mexican food" it just wasn't up to the standards of what we are use to in NM. I ordered tacos with ground beef, I got shredded beef, 2 of my grandchildren ask for them to hold the garnishment on their plates, (lettuce & tomatoes) they still received it. However my wife didn't get any on her plate! We pointed this out to the waiter and he comped the soft drinks. Salsa was good and hot, but the food just wasn't that good, so we will still make our quarterly trip to Albuq to get our fix of good Mexican food. read more

Fantastic fresh New Mexico food. Try the adovado relleno. The homemade salsas are excellent.

Menu had hardley anything to choose from. Waiter seemed to be very knowledgablee but after order was taken we really didnt see him much. Food was very bland and not good tacos were suppose to come on flour tortillas but came on corn instead. Not happy at all and will not be going back. read more

Great food but had an issue with the delivery. I have faith that next time it will be better and look forward to eating their food again.

Love this place only been there three times so far and the host remembered us I was surprised! Wait staff are great food is so awesome!!!

We have searched for a great Mexican good restaurant for several years. Finally, we found one. The food was excellent. The service was surprisingly good. The wait staff was very attentive and we even had a visit from the owner. She was appreciative of our business and wanted to make sure our dining experience was one which would encourage us to return. This restaurant us a WINNER! read more

I have always loved this place. Now even more since Tommy has become our favorite waiter! Definitely ask for him.

We were visiting from Northern California and saw a review for this restaurant on public television. I love Carnitas and theirs looked amazing. We arrived after lunch but before the dinner hour. We sat at the bar where it took a minute to get us settled in. The staff was pleasant and engaging. However our server was new, first day. My wife ordered a flight of tequila tasters and I ordered a beer. After another lengthy wait she took our order. We decided to share the bone in carnitas with both the red and green sauce (Christmas style). I asked for rice and tortillas because they didn't come with the plate. Whole beans and potatoes were included. When I received the order, it was carne asada and French fries. I sent it back, reordered and waited again. When the correct order did show, the sauce was barely visible on the meat and only one small potato wedge on the entire plate. No tortilla or rice. When I was asked about the meal, I mentioned that I had not received the tortillas and that one potato wedge does equal potatoes. Two tortillas were delivered after I mentioned not receiving them and one of the two was too dry to eat, still no potatoes. The waitress was openly sorry for the kitchen service and asked the manager to give us a discount, it was $2 that's not a type-o, $2.00! Our waitress was nice and the truth is the carnitas were very good but everything else SUCKED! read more

The salsas are spicy yet delectable. The setting is fun and relaxed. Lots of options on the menu should everyone happy. Try the spicy margarita! read more

My mom and I always ask for Chris! He is an amazing waiter. I love the margaritas, we love the enchiladas. The chips and red salsa are very good. read more

I would've given 5 stars however when I order extra sourcream and guacamole I don't expect to be charged 5.00 extrA bucks, especially since it's literally a dollop not a half of a cup.disappointing there.our server arnel was great! And while seated outside they put my packer game on.that was a plus.pribably wont return but if I did by some chance I would've order the extra condiments. read more

Being from Southern California, I expected the Mexican food in AZ to be just as good. Let me tell you, it's a whole different thing. This place was okay. The margaritas were good, but really tasted watery towards the end. They bring you 3 salsas with the chips, those were really good. My wife got the carne asada, and I got the fajitas (chicken and carne asada), well I'm pretty sure it was a flank steak. I've never had carne asada like that before. The chicken tasted good, and their atmosphere was nice. Not a bad place, but not really what I'm looking for in a sit down Mexican restaurant. read more

Authentic Mexican food. Good ambiance with splendid service! The nachos are made in the restaurant. Three salsa sauces ranged from mild to spicy. The entrees we chose were a one! read more

Great prices on a la carte items. I had the chicken enchilada and it was very tasty! Right up there with the best I've had! The pork stew had a good broth base with carrots and potatoes and was simple but had complex flavors that worked! Joey provided exceptional service and I will definitely be returning and trying more items on the menu. :) read more

I can't stay away from their blue corn enchiladas. They're so good. I can see where some people could complain about their food being a little bland, but since I'm pregnant, I gotta stay away from spicy stuff anyway so it's not a problem. ;) I do wish they had better salsa, but overall, I enjoy the food, and the service is always great. read more

Our server Amanda was off the charts! She gave us everything we wanted on time fast big smile super friendly. She loved my jokes!

MEDIOCRE and PREJUDICE!!! The food and service was terrible!!! If I could give it ZERO stars I would. I really hate to say this but this is one of the places where you obviously have to be a certain color to get good service!!!!!! I saw everyone who came in after me get water and chips before I did and I didn't even get any water. The only way I got a refill or any kind of service was if my waitress happened to be walking by and I had to say excuse me. Also my taco came out in a shell and meat like really?! So I again had to wait to get my waitress' attention then asked her if the tacos usually come out like this especially with no cheese and she said "no, they don't" took my taco away said she'd have them make me another one. The one they brought out that was worst than the first one!!! The shell was completely brunt and the cheese was everywhere. My waitress never asked how I was doing but yet I saw her ask everyone else around me how they were doing. The food was mediocre because I've lived in NM not authentic at all. I will never ever go here again. The service made me feel stupid for coming here because I saw everyone getting way better service than me. Food was terrible!!! I should have stayed with my gut instinct which is, IS IF you want AUTHENTIC MEXICAN food you have to stick to downtown or the west side of Phoenix because anyplace that does not have color is BOUND to be mediocre and prejudice read more

Great place to go! Bartender Joey is top notch with his tequila recommendations. Spicy mango margarita is out of the world. If you want good service, great food, and great drinks this is the place to go! read more

If this is New Mexican food, than I want to go to New Mexico... I had the blue Corn Enchiladas, Christmas style and they were great.. I wanted to keep on eating them, but alas just could not take one more bite. The Cilantro Margarita was so refreshing. All of us enjoyed our food and margaritas.. The place is hard to find in the dark, It is on the NW corner of Warner and Lindsay, but infront of a medical strip mall. To the west of Big O tire and circle K. The parking can be tight, so park behind the medical center and walk. You will want to walk after eating all the food. That night we had a very slow waitress, not sure what the deal was, but would not stop us from going back read more

Just ok. My husband and I are new to the Chandler/Gilbert area and we checked out the restaurant because the reviews looked good. We sat at the bar, it was very busy and there was only one bartender taking care of the bar and the restaurant. We ordered a Cadillac margarita which was just ok, not much flavor. Our second margarita we ordered a skinny with a grand Mariner float. It was better than the first but not great. Food was ok, service fair. We will move on to other places. read more

This place is awesome. We have been coming here for a while and since you got a bartender named Cherisse we are so happy with her service she always remembers our orders our names stories I've told her about my family. She is such a beautiful person inside and out go see her the food is amazing. I feel your restaurant scored when you got her read more

Excellent food an service will have to back to try stuffed sopapila. Our server Tommy was very helpful and seemed to love his job and the restaurant read more

LOVE La Ristra! Best New Mexican food in the area! Perfectly hot & spicy. The Adovada sopapillas are to die for!

First time eating here and was amazed! The trio of salsa was so good, we could not stop eating it! We sat in the bar area and the service was great! We will definitely be back! Asked for suggestions on what to order and our server, Loren was very knowledgable and helpful! Portions were large, so go hungry, you won't be disappointed! read more

I am definitely a fan of this place. My favorite dish is the stuffed sopapillas. YUM! They also have really good rice and pinto beans (whole - not refried). I highly recommend it. read more

Wow!!! This place is Great!!! I'm not one that likes Mexican Restaurants cause they are never authentic. But this place is Awesome!!!!! Have to come here!!! I will be a regular here. And their prices are really reasonable!!! Ask for Angel!! She is awesome should you get her!!! Thanks Angel!! We will see you again!! read more

So we saw this restaurant previewed on PBS Channel 8's show called "Check Please". The show made it look interesting and good, and all of the commenters that participate in this forum gave the location high marks. OK, sounds good and we'll give this place a try. So we went with another couple and all four of us ordered something different. Everyone came away with mixed reviews on the quality of the food. I personally liked mine which was the blue corn enchiladas, but my wife complained that her three generation taco plate was a little colder than she expected and it was all right, but not over the top. The couple we were with also said the same thing about their meals. So the food is about as good as any other Mexican restaurant and we'll just leave it at that. Nothing over the top. Now here's where the whole thing completely breaks down. And that was with service. The typical round of chips and salsa came out and we made fast work of that especially with four people going after a medium sized portion. Next, we placed our Margherita orders with one individual and no sooner did we get those placed than here comes another person asking if we were ready to order drinks. Not sure what that was about, or at this point not even sure who was taking our order. So moving right along, our food orders were taken by the same server who took our drink orders and with no issues. As a compliment, the food did come out very quickly, which was good. However we did ask for more chips and salsa when our meals were being served and our server said she would get that right away. She must have completely forgot about that because she never came back with more for quite awhile. OK, whatever, she's busy I get that. So we flagged down one of the young guys running around just doing miscellaneous stuff and lo and behold he was more than happy to bring us another round of chips and salsa and get this, he asks us if we needed our water glasses refilled. The ladies at our table both commented on the fact that they would rather have him as our server than the one we were stuck with. And the server assigned to our table never once offered to refill any of our water glasses, and only partially checked to see if we were doing good and if our food was acceptable. OK, whatever, she's busy I get that. So the funny part is, and I've never understood this but the server certainly turns on the charm when it's time ask if we need our checks, and right on cue this individual turns on all the charm and everything else at the end hoping for a better tip. In conclusion I won't say the service was horribly bad. What I will say is that it turned an OK meal into a so-so experience. One other note, another server who was walking around did come up to our table and asked us if the food was good and if we liked it. Kind of like on a fishing expedition hoping to elicit raving reviews about how fabulous everything was. All of us commented on the fact the food was good and just left it at that. It was nothing that really made me say they just knocked it out of the park. Again it was as good as any other restaurant. But just a word of caution to that person would be, don't go fishing for compliments on something that may not be worth complimenting over. Be careful for what you ask for. You may get responses you don't like. In conclusion, the food's good the service was mediocre at least from this one individual, but I must say the prices were very respectable. Overall I'd encourage you to try this place at least once for the sake of supporting a small business in Arizona. read more

Such a great find! Great happy hour. Loved the ceviche and the 3 generation tacos. Plus great service too. Will be back!

I so wanted to like this place but after eating there I will just say it is OK. This dining experience was forgettable. Arrived and they had employees smoking on the back dock with a bunch of random equipment strewn out the door. You have to drive around the back to get to the entrance so it is the 1st thing you see as you park. The restaurant has typical New Mexican decor and they played country music. Food was just Ok. The place had no energy and felt like it had no soul. read more

We went in after seeing it nearby us on Yelp. The service was outstanding! I ordered the flauta and a chicken enchilada. Very good but I do enjoy my flauta with guac and it was 1.99 for a small side of it. My food was good. I got both red and green sauces on top of my enchilada (they call it Christmas). Highly recommend doing that! Pretty tasty. My husband got the chile relleno and he said it was very delicious. They only thing I felt was a con was the prices. The items were a little steep for what you got. I'm not expecting huge portions in fat America but for what we got I wasn't expecting it to cost as much as it did. But overall the food was very good and the service was great. read more

Love this place! The food is SPICY hot and the sopapillas are to die for. Love it every time we go!

Great new Mexican food! Great service! Brad was our waiter and he was very friendly, prompt, helpful and had good food recommendations. The salsa is very spicy but very delicious. Try La Ristra!!! read more

LOVE this place!!! Drinks are great with lots of unique options. I like the spicy mango margarita. It's not super spicy. The cilantro margarita is good, too. Their enchiladas are delicious, and we have had great service here. read more

We were visiting from CA and were looking for a good Mexican restaurant close to where we were staying. So glad we found this place. The salsas were excellent. The food was fresh and had a lot of flavor with the perfect amount of spice. Now onto to the service we received. Our baby was very fussy and needed to nurse. One of our servers( I forgot her name) walked me to the back of the restaurant and set up a nice little space behind the a divider to give me privacy. She was very nice, understanding and provided such a positive customer service experience that will never be forgotten. Thank you so much for doing this. Our other server, Nigel or a name close to that, he was awesome as well. He was on it. Made sure our drinks were always full and checked on us many times to see if we needed anything . (So sorry, I am horrible with names). Thank you to the both of you. We loved the service and the food. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Came here for lunch. It was good, but nothing worth bragging about. The service was not that great. Food took awhile to get out to us.

Food was really good the last time we were here, not quite as good this time, but still good. Recommend the chile plate, just be sure to ask for extra tortillas. Fried ice cream was terrific. read more

I have lived in El Paso, Central Arizona, and Albuquerque for many years and have loved New Mexican style foods (e.g. Sadie's, El Pinto, Julio's Cafe Corona, Tomasita's Santa Fe Station, Maria's New Mexican Kitchen, Rancho De Corrales, Los Dos Molinos, etc.). La Ristra is amazing - I love their fresh salsa selections. Try the lunch special - it is sure to fill you up (ends at 3PM) and is very easy on the wallet. The Margaritas are fantastic so I will suggest you don't drink and drive! This is a very busy restaurant so it may take a while since everything is prepared to order - but well worth it! read more

We have been wanting to try this place as it is right down the street. I am so glad we did! The food is not your typical Mexican food and they have a lot of choices. We split the blue corn enchiladas and a cheese crisp. All of the salsas are really good too! I had a skinny margarita which is sweeter than I usually like but overall he service and food was great and we will definitely be back! read more

This place is well decorated but DARK...a sconce or candle would be nice. The food was pretty good..a little spicy for me...we would have liked a bigger menu. Steve provided attentive service. read more