Location: 220 Columbia St, Lafayette (map it)
Phone: (765) 420-0283
Cuisine: Mexican

I had a chance to try out Tomates Mexican Grill yesterday. They have taken up residence in Bea One’s old location. I had read about it in the Journal and Courier, but didn’t have any information on if it was open or when it would be open, but then I drove by and saw the “NOW OPEN” sign. I figured that was a good indication. There’s not a lot of parking in that area, so prepare to walk if you go.

The walls were brightly colored but aside from that, there wasn’t much in the way of decor. I hope that changes, because there are really no windows in this place, and it can be kind of dreary. That was one of the things I disliked about Bea One when it was there – no natural light.

We were greeted warmly and given seats and immediately had our drink orders taken. Sadly, we learned at this time that they do not yet have a liquor license, therefore we could not enjoy a margarita with our lunch. (They are trying to get one, they assured us.)

The chips and salsa arrived at the table and they were pretty good. Not the best in town, but good.The menu was large with everything you can expect on the menu of a Mexican restaurant. Because I’m a nice reviewer, I even have a poorly scanned menu here for you to review. Although the menu has beer and margaritas, and they as of yet don’t have those things.

I ordered burrito verde off the lunch special menu. It was described as “A big burrito filled with beef chunks, onions, green peppers & beans. Then smothered with cheese & our special green tomatillos sauce.” And so it was. It was really big and it was really quite good. I could only mange to finish half of it because it was so big, but I saved the other half for dinner. It came with rice.

My friend ordered the Tomates Quesadilla, which is labeled as a specialty. Flour tortilla filled with steak, pico de gallo, and cheese served with guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes. She reports that it was very good.

We also ordered some guacamole, which was okay. Not exceptional, but okay.

The service was very good. The servers were all friendly, our water glasses never went empty, and overall we had a great time. If I was downtown and in the mood for Mexican, I’d definitely go again.

Kid Friendly: Yes.

Price: Very reasonable

Location: 2601 Teal Rd Lafayette (map it)
Phone: (765) 477-7924
Cuisine: Mexican

I love it when people send me names of restaurants I need to try. Recently someone on Twitter told me I needed to go try Mi Cabanita. So as I needed to do something near the mall today, I decided I’d go ahead and give it a try. First thing I had to do was find it. Located on Teal, there are a lot of places it could be. Turns out that this place is on the southeast corner of 26th and Teal, in a building that also houses an auto repair shop. Don’t let that scare you though!

We arrived and parked and went inside. It was a tiny little place inside, with maybe half a dozen tables. However, it was very clean, the furniture was all in good shape, and the hostess/server was really friendly. We were told to sit where we wanted and given menus.

The menu was not huge, but did contain most things you see on a Mexican restaurant menu – tacos, quesadillas, burritos, etc. There was a sign that chips and salsa were extra unless you ordered at least $10 in food. I knew we’d eat $10 worth of food, and I used to be very judgmental about places that charge you for chips and salsa. However, here’s what I learned. Places that charge for chips and salsa are more than likely making those chips and that salsa from scratch, rather than dumping out a big bag of Tostidos and a can of salsa. So if I have to pay extra to get really good chips and really good salsa, then I am okay with that. The chips were fresh, warm, and delicious. The salsa was good, but what I liked was that it was topped with a helping of cilantro and onion. I really liked that.

We worked on the chips and salsa and before we knew it, well before we’d finished the chips, our meals came. I ordered the tacos de carne asada with a side of beans, and my friend ordered pork quesadillas. The carne asada was good, and the beans were really excellent. My friend was nice enough to let me try her pork quesadilla and I have to say, it was my favorite of the meal.

The hostess/server was extremely friendly. I got the impression that this is a nice family business, and they take a lot of pride in their work. I think they do a lot of carry out business as well, so if you are in the area and looking to take home some tacos, skip Taco Bell and head over to Mi Cabanita.

Kid Friendly: Yes.

Price: Very reasonable. My friend and I ate for less than $15 for two of us.

Location: 360 Brown St., West Lafayette (map it)
Phone: (765) 250-3060
Cuisine: Mexican

Recently there was an article in the Journal and Courier about a new Mexican plan over where the River Rock Grille used to be. Then I got a slew of emails from people requesting I go check it out. So being the good blogger I am, I did just that. I went to Poblanos on Monday (sorry I’m late with my review, I’ve been busy with my job that actually pays me.)

Located in West Lafayette, in the same strip as BW3 and the Neon Cactus, Poblanos is a very nice place. The inside has been redone, and it’s very clean and well organized. The decor is tasteful, the eating areas are nice, and the ambiance is also good. I was impressed.

Immediately we were brought two baskets of chips and two bottles of salsa with four salsa dishes. This is nice, because everyone had their own salsa dish and we could double dip as much as we wanted. The salsa was very good, but the chips were a bit lacking. Not warmed, which I prefer. The menu was expansive, with lunch specials as well as a regular full menu with everything you could possibly want.

From the JC article, it seemed to me that the fajitas were something of a specialty. I’m not one to normally order fajitas the first time I go to a restaurant. I like fajitas just fine, but I saw on Anthony Bourdain once that fajitas are what people who don’t like Mexican food eat. And I like Mexican food, all kinds. So my usual test is something a little more traditional, but since the fajitas were a specialty, I felt like I needed to try them.

The fajitas arrived on a sizzling platter with a separate plate of beans, rice, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and pico. They looked fantastic. Unfortunately, I have to say they were not all that great. The chicken was pretty bland and dry. So I was definitely disappointed in the chicken fajitas. My friend who ordered a lunch special reported that all of her items were great. I am a big fan of refried beans, and the beans were quite tasty.

Perhaps the bland fajitas were a fluke, or else there’s some room for improvement. I’ll definitely go back and try again. The servers were really friendly and the manager or owner made his way around to greet the patrons, which is always a nice touch.

Kid Friendly: Yes.

Price: Very reasonable, lunch specials around $6-9.

Location: 408 Sagamore Pky N, Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: 765-449-0270
Cuisine: Mexican

A friend of mine told me that El Meson was pretty good, and since I think I’m running out of places to try, I decided yesterday to go give it a try and was not disappointed. This restaurant is over across from the Home Depot plaza on Sagamore Parkway. Clearly it is located inside a building that was once a fast food restaurant, but I have no idea what it originally was. Maybe a Hardees? I can’t remember what was there. It’s been decorated completely with festive tables and chairs and wall decor. (Actually, I have eaten at an El Meson in Indianapolis before, and from looking at their website, they have many locations all over Indiana.)

I walked in and there were a number of people already seated and eating. I waited to be seated by and was called “amiga,” which is a nice change from ma’am or miss. I like being someone’s friend! I asked for water and it came out quickly with chips and salsa. The salsa, while not made from fresh tomatoes, was really quite good. Spicy enough, but not too spicy.

The menu was extensive. It had all of your standard Mexican fare as well as multiple lunch and dinner combinations, an array of fajitas, and a few things that stood out to me such a the Mexican Pizza, an item made with chicken, steak, and shrimp with kudos on FourSquare. I wasn’t quite brave enough to try the pizza, so I opted for the tacos de carne asada. My friend ordered the El Meson Burrito.

The tacos were awesome. I love steak tacos, but too often they are tough and flavorless. These were tender and full of flavor. The pico de gallo was really good on them as well. Double thumbs up for the tacos de carne asada. My friend who ordered the El Meson Burrito, reported that it was really good as well.I didn’t get rice with my meal, and I’m not really a big fan of Mexican rice, but my friend got rice and assured me that it was even good.

Our server was friendly and attentive. The restaurant was clean. The floors there are standard fast-food restaurant floors with the ubiquitous brown tile, and usually when you see that places it’s almost always disgusting but they had it well taken care of it. The food was fast to arrive as well.

If you are out for Mexican, I’d definitely recommend El Meson.

Kid Friendly: Yes

Price: Very reasonable, my lunch was less than $8.

Location: 1400-3 Sagamore Pkwy North, Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: 765-448-1715
Cuisine: Mexican

Last week there was an article in the Journal & Courier titled, “No shortage of Mexican restaurants in Greater Lafayette.” I knew this was true already, but then I read the article and there were several restaurants I’d never heard of or never tried. So I figured I’d better get a couple more in here. Today I picked Mango Loco, which is directly across Sagamore Parkway from Taco Rico, so there’s some stiff competition.

It’s located in a little strip mall just south of Greenbush on Sagamore Parkway (on the east side of the road) and is surrounded by a Mexican bakery and a Mexican grocery. So if you need anything Mexican, this is apparently the place to be.

The place itself is set up in just one long area. Colorful bright walls and booths line up the wall, then the kitchen area is walled off to the other side. It is not a big place.  We arrived and a server brought us some menus and we picked a spot. There did not appear to be many people working there, or eating in there actually at the time. We sat down and perused the menu. I actually think when it started it was mostly a smoothie venture, with a few options to go with your smoothie, and it has morphed into a full restaurant. The menu had two sides, one side in English and another in Spanish. That was a very nice touch.

The menu consisted of your regular Mexican fare: tacos, burritos, tostadas, etc. as well as smoothies. My standard order at any new Mexican place are tacos de carne asada, so I tried to order those but was told they were out of steak. So I switched to a chicken burrito. My friend order chicken tostadas. I also asked for some chips and salsa, which were not immediately brought to the table.

The wait for the chips and salsa took a while, and the server apologized for that, but the they were very good. The salsa was on the thinner side, but I like thin salsa with good flavor, so it was just fine. The chips were extra salty which I like.

Then out came the food. My burrito was huge, so big  that I knew immediately that eating all of it in one sitting was not going to be a successful mission today.  The burrito had in it rice, chicken, lettuce, some kind of cheese sauce, and an interesting bean option. I ordered beans on the side, because I really like refried beans, but these weren’t the same. It was like a cross between black beans and refried beans. Like refried black beans perhaps. I really liked it in my burrito. I was not as much a fan on the side. The burrito also had avocado slices in it, and that’s really unusual and was extra tasty. It looked like the burrito had been grilled a little on all sides. It was really good and I’m looking forward to going and finishing the other half after I write this review.

My friend had the chicken tostadas and they were each loaded with a big hunk of avocado. She reports they were delicious. (They looked really good.)

The service wasn’t spectacular. Our water went dry and things kind of came out slowly and in no particular order. The restaurant itself is small and the Mexican MTV on the TV in the back was a little loud. There was only one other person eating in, but there was a steady stream of people coming in for take out orders the whole time we were there.

I would definitely recommend going and trying Mango Loco. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. But I think next time, I’ll get it to go. (Next time, I need to try a smoothie. That was a mistake I made today.)

Kid Friendly: Yes

Price: Very reasonable. $8 for a large burrito and a side of beans.