La Mesa

It's a neighborhood gem! Delicious food with nice plating impressed me the most. We celebrated a friend's birthday there, so five of us tried a little bit of everything. Obviously this place is known for the Ecuadorian cuisine. Hornado, the classic Ecuadorian toasted pork is my favorite. Exactly what I expected for Latin flavor, well done! Love all the small plates. Ceviche and the Llapingachos are typical and I won't get tired of ordering them every time I come back. The chocolate panna cotta was a surprise. Never had chocolate flavor but this one was great! I love they use the garage doors as the restaurant front. Although most people sat outside, it was very nice to see the Latino decorations inside.

Located in Bryn Mawr, this is a Latin American-inspired cozy little place about 6 minutes from downtown Mpls. After 4 enjoyable visits, I'd rate the food as very good. Highlights include the queso fundito (spend the 2 bucks and add chorizo), Llapingachos (potato cakes), roasted olives (fantastic), pork tacos, slow-roasted pork and the pepperoni pizza. The Bryn Mawr burger was tasty but hard to eat. After it was sliced in half, the onions and all just slid off the burger. We found the guacamole just okay lacking any kick. The service is routinely awesome - friendly and attentive. Didn't test the bar yet, but La Mesa sells some good local beer. Nothing on the menu sells for over $30, so all-in-all, this place feels like we've found a hidden gem. Don't tell anyone.

Went back for a New Year's Eve several course set menu and it was delicious!! We were drawn to come in for the live jazz music as well and thought it would be a fun date to end 2022! Salmon mousse appetizer was refreshing. The winter vegetable salad was surprisingly large and filling with sweet potato, beet and tangy cheese. Possibly my favorite thing was the warm cocktail in between the salad and main course! They described it as a Latin version of mulled wine- but light and citrusy. Loved it. The ribeye was of course amazing- cooked to perfection at medium rare. And the au gratin potatoes did their job as comfort food. The flourless chocolate cake and crème brûlée were also fantastic and rich. Only not so great part was that my husband could not have several of the items on the set menu due to his dairy and gluten allergies. They tried to accommodate him, but some of the dishes were already prepared with dairy and there were no alternative options. So we likely won't do a set menu night again (although I got two desserts out of the deal!). But I am continually impressed by this place and will be back!

Such a cute little place tucked into the lovely Bryn Mawr neighborhood. Plenty of free street parking. They prefer you call ahead or make reservations. They also request that you wear a mask while arriving. We sat on the patio which was simple but very pleasant. Service was fair but the the server could've had a little more personality. They have some wonderful dishes I wanted to try. All Latin American based, some with ingredients I had never heard of. We started with the shrimp chuzos. The shrimp was mixed with fresh tomato and mote. It wasn't what I was used to but, it was simple and a good starter. For entrees, we tried the mahi mahi and the ribeye. The mahi mahi tasted so good mixed with the mango salsa. It added a lovely sweetness to the fish. But I wanted more flavor from the rice, it was quite bland and dulled some of the flavors. We really enjoyed the ribeye. It was wonderful with the chimichurri and cooked to perfection. All dishes were plated beautifully and we really enjoyed our time here.

I've been keeping this place a secret, because, well I wanted it all to myself, but the truth is...if you love something, you gotta tell the world about it, so here it is....run here for an amazing dinner and fabulous drinks!!You seriously can't go wrong with anything you order, but honestly the best part of this place is the service, the staff won't lead you wrong with what to order.Great drinks too!

A neighborhood spot featuring a wide variety menu of Latin inspired food from Ecuador. A buddy and I stopped in for a weeknight dinner to try out their menu which features salads, pizza,, small plates, tacos and wood fire entrees.We were eager to try a bunch of things as everything sounded good. We started off with the Queso fundito, a rich creamy cheesy mix with 6 crunchy chewy crostini (we had to ask for a couple extra crostini to finish it all off. Next followed the shrimp ceviche which was a bit different than others in that the small shrimp were whole (peeled and deveined), not chopped up as is so often the case.Since the server raved about the Roasted corn pizza, we got that too - good but not as special as what we thought. Even though we were getting full, we couldn't leave without trying something from the woodfire menu -Hornado-slow roasted Ecuadorian pork and fixings. We also sampled the delicious, made from fresh lime juice, margaritas. They are heavy on ice, and a little skimpy on the liquid but still tasty.The restaurant has a bunch of garage doors along one entire wall, so I'm thinking when summer comes it will be a great indoor/outdoor type spot.

Loved it!I've been wanting to get here for months. Finally got the BF to agree. He loved it! Had the bean tacos and the tomato/avocado salad. He had the burger. Everything was great. Fun place with friendly staff. And, lots of options for vegetarians! Can't wait to come back and try that roasted corn pizza. We watched them roasting everything in that wood fired oven. Sit at the counter for a fun experience.

Fairly unprepossessing from the outside, the interior is much more attractive and cozy. A long kitchen/bar is flanked by tables along a windowed wall. This somewhat narrow corridor opens to a spacious adjoining room with a mix of tables and booths. I've had dinner here twice and each time come away impressed with the food, ambience and service.The first time I came here with a friend. We started with refillable chips accompanied by two smoky salsas, green and red ($7). I had the Slow Roasted Pork with rice and beans ($18.5). It was a savory, satisfying and delicious plate. Friend had the fresh, well prepared Mahi Mahi with cilantro rice and mango salsa ($22).Second visit I was accompanied by two others. We started with the Chips and Salsa to which we added a largish bowl of very good Guacamole ($9.5). We then proceeded to split the Mussels ($12), Shrimp Chuzos ($10. - skewers) and a Chorizo Pizza ($15 ). We added three Tamarind sodas to the mix. I think all left fat and happy. Parking can be a bit of a hassle though street options abound. Moderately quiet so as to enable most conversation. Staff is knowledgeable and courteous. In my estimation, a great addition to Bryn Mawr serving Equadoran/Latin inspired cuisine. Perhaps one could even say it's a great addition to the ever evolving metropolitan food scene.

Very cute little neighborhood restaurant, maybe a Diamond in the rough! The service was attentive and they had live music on the patio.My daughter and I had the ribeye steak which was done to our liking, medium. It was seasoned just right. The roasted potatoes were average. My family loved the chimchurri sauce. I'm very sensitive to spices so I didn't eat much of it, but it was tasty.My husband had the Mahi Mahi and he said it was delicious as were the mashed potatoes and the mango salsa garnish.We also enjoyed the limeade (non-alcoholic) not too sweet or too tart. We ordered chips and guacamole for an appetizer, it was tasty but a really small portion for the table to share. Most other restaurants provide more for the same price.Many of the items on the menu looked inviting so we'll be back!

The food is really tasty, albeit small portions for the price. Service is great. Wanted to share it's not super kid friendly for young kids. While it has a good kids menu, the bathroom doesn't have a changing table and when our kids were dancing to the live music we were asked to stop them because of a licensing issue. Anyway, great spot for a date night, maybe not for energetic little kids.