La Mestiza

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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.