La Urbana Tequila & Mezcal Bar

Using my ScoutMob on the last day before it expires. Our first time here. It’s a Tuesday night so it’s a quiet, empty restaurant. Beautiful setting, great music, excellent bartender named Kelsey who is very knowledgeable and made us fabulous cocktails. I had the riblets and chicken taquitos tapas which were delicious and my wife had shrimp tapas which was also delicious. Will definitely come back!

Was here last night and made it for a quick bite. Salsa was great but queso seemed a little too watered down. Drinks weren’t particularly great for the price that it came with. Ambiance was fine although they could have had some of the lights switched on or fixed. Service was great and that was nice. We were informed by our waiter that the place will be shut down for two weeks and should resume to operations in the third.

I guess I lucked out of all 6 times I’ve dined here with the food and service. Everything I’ve tried has been outstanding, from the tacos, crepes, torta, guac, fish, shrimp, & empanadas. They had an unlisted pork belly taco that was delicious. I love the twist on the rice here. The flavor here is a bit more spicy. I don’t know why people always expect free chips & salsa at a true Mexican joint… tortilla chips are Tex-​Mex. The cocktails are a tad expensive, but they have $ 5 house margaritas on Wednesdays and $ 2 Taco Tuesdays.
Our food has always come out in a timely manner and service has always been attentive for me. They have great street patio dining on nicer days. I always look for the $ 10 off coupon in Creative Loafing as well. I do wish they can turn business up and hope they last in the neighborhood… some sort of Happy Hour would be great ;-)

Salsa and taquitos are the bomb! The service is good enough! See you next time!
Parking is tricky — don’t park in resident visitor spots — we met the booter. Eeek!

I went to La Urbana last night with hubby and friends. This is the second time, in a period of 1 year, that I go there, and last night I remembered why…
The place is OK, the tortillas they use don’t do their job at all, which is hold the taco fillings together, they come apart. Our food was cold, overall it was all too salty. It’s a shame, I love refried beans and they were impossible for me to eat. My husband ordered a soup and the server brought it at the end of our meal, so my husband had forgotten all about it, and it was kind of mushy…
The server was not too bad, although she did not know the names of the tequilas they sold… You know, it’s a tequila bar… She had to ask the bar tender if they carried the ones we wanted.
Hmmm… I liked the ceviche… That’s why I’m giving this review the 2 stars.
Definitely not going back there…

I used to like this place. But after removing a few things of the menu (2 of which were my favorites — esquites and the asada small plate), I’m going to head to Bar Taco instead.
Service has declined as well. I don’t think anyone enjoys being the last to get their drink or plate of food when the others at the table are practically halfway done. you know what also doesn’t work? Having to wait for that thing you ordered, while your friends are eating, only to have the waitress come back and tell you that they don’t make that dish anymore. I mean, it was still on the menu.
I will say that the refried beans and rice are still quite good. And why this is not a 1 star review.

Totes the place to go if you’re into tequila or mescal. The ambiance is also pretty nice. I loved the bean soup! I’d go back if in the area.

The way you can open up your original concept of tequila is incredible. Just in a random conversation with their incredibly knowledgeable staff has always taught me something new. Quiet patio, plenty of parking, maybe out of the way, but totally worth it. Steven Colbert (the best server ever, not our television personality) just went above and beyond more than I have ever seen before, just to make sure I was happy. By far the best service I’ve had in Atlanta, ever.

Thank you Scoutmob for leading us to this place. So different than typical ATL Mexicans The quest fundido with chorIzo, Serrano bacon wrapped cheese and the It’s delicious the Mezcal Buck cocktail… You must have one. We will be back!!! Daniel the bartender — very friendly and makes an outstanding drink!!! Molcajete aaahhhhh. Must try!!!

The food is mediocre, especially in relation to the cost. There wants anything really special about the food.
Don’t order the guacamole, they say it’ll come with cheese chips, but its like a cup of guac and they only give you 4 chips.
The service is insanely slow. I started writing this review because I’ve been waiting 30 minutes for the check. I’ve been here since 7 and this is not the kind of establishment that should take this long (we were one of 5 occupied tables in a restaurant that has maybe 20).
I don’t really intend on returning. If I’m going to spend this much money there are definitely better places.

The boyfriend and I were hungry and around the area so we stopped by for a weekend dinner. Snagged a perfect parking spot right in front of the restaurant.
GUACAMOLE CON CHICHARRON DE QUESO: Translation is guacamole with cheese chips. The guacamole was ok but nothing to right home about and the cheese chips were super greasy, I think I might’ve preferred normal tortilla chips especially because there were only a few cheese chips.
FILETE AL ACUYO: Fish wrapped in foil with some salsa verde and rice and salad on the side. This was SUPER DELICIOUS and the rice was to die for (so buttery and yummy)…until I got to the uncooked part of my fish. Yeah apparently wrapping a fish in foil isn’t that conducive to cooking it fully which made me really sad because the rest of the dish was so delectable.
CAMARONES with Enchipotlados (chipotle salsa): Translation is shrimp with (really really) spicy chipotle salsa). The boyfriend really liked his dish and he thought the shrimp were really well cooked but the chipotle salsa is incredibly spicy (but also delicious so he was ok with it)
Libations: I didn’t really feel like the drinks were particularly worth it (~$ 12) even though they may make their own mezcal and tequila.
Service: Was good. No complaints.
Verdict: In all, La Urbana is a little pricier than I would expect for the quality of the food and drinks.

Found La Urbana because we received a deal notification through Scoutmob. After checking with the restaurant that it was okay to dine with our dog Dr. Seuss at an outside table we decided to give them a try.
There is limited street parking available on Huff if you are coming for lunch or an early dinner. Later in the evening these spaces will be had to come by. Right next to the restaurant is an entrance to a parking structure for free parking on the ground level. Even though La Urbana is not listed on the sign, you can park in this structure.
Wait staff is pleasant, courteous and as culturally diverse as I have ever seen.
For our tapas selection we chose Ceviche de Pescado — the one thing that we tried that was not quite up to par. The overall flavor seemed to be a bit lost in the over saturation of vinegar.
The first of our two entrees was the Torta Ahogada — touted as a sandwich, this roll is stuffed with pork carnitas. It is definitely a fork and knife sandwich because it is soaked in their arbol red salsa. Has a wonderfully light spiciness to it.
The second was the Crepas de Pollo — nice twist instead of the use of a traditional tortilla. Here the chicken is dressed in a crêpe and smothered in cheese and verde salsa. Exceptionally fine flavor.
For dessert we had Empanada de Arroz con Leche — which is an empanada pastry filled with Mexican rice pudding topped with cinnamon sugar with a nice scoop of coconut gellato on the side. Simply outstanding!
For our liquid refreshments we started off with a couple of cervezas. A DOS XX and a Negra Modelo and moved into the Mezcal department. A Mezcal Tropical and a Mezcal Buck were very good agave cocktails. But the beacon of light at this bar was from neither the Mezcal or Tequila cocktail menu, it was a stunning glass of handcrafted Sangria. Prepared on site daily, La Urbana’s unique blend on the traditional sangria adds a hint of Mezcal to really take this fan favorite up a notch!
We came for unique Mexican fare and agave based cocktails, but will definitively return for exceptional customer service, Empanada de Arroz con Leche and more SANGRIA! (as well as trying the rest of the menu!)

I was slightly disappointed with La Urbana for a few reasons. The overall experience was okay, but not quite what I was hoping for. Before planning our trip to La Urbana, I emailed the restaurant to see if they had any vegan or at least vegetarian options. I had looked at their menu and was having a hard time determining so I contacted them. I received a response right away and was advised that they do have several veggie options and will do their best to accommodate any requests. I also asked if their beans contain lard and was advised that they do not. I was disappointed to learn from my server at dinner that their beans contain chicken stock… It was a bit frustrating because I would have thought that the person I was emailing with would recognize to tell me that when I was inquiring specifically about the beans being vegetarian friendly. Either way, I guess I should not assume???
La Urbana was on my list of places to try based solely on the fact that they are a Mezcal bar. I have been obsessed with Mezcal since I learned about it at Paper Plane in Decatur and I was excited to explore it more. I didn’t really get to do that here. La Urbana’s drink menu consists of a selection of tequila based drinks and a selection of mezcal based drinks. There wasn’t a list of their mezcal or tequila brands, no mezcal flights, etc. I was hoping for more emphasis on this since they are a «tequila and mezcal bar». When I asked the server for info about their mezcals she said she could write them down for me. Meh.
The food was more impressive than the drinks. We ordered the guacamole as a starter. It was served with cheese chips. kind of untraditional, which I like. I asked for regular chips but did try the cheese chips. Pretty tasty! I ordered the taco plate, minus the «chicken beans». Instead, I received a double scoop of their rice. The rice was good and flavorful. I ordered the «aquacate» tacos. They were made with tempura fried avocado. They were good, but not amazing. Overall, the experience was okay, but this will probably be a one time only spot for me due to my dietary preferences.

«All right. Then get me an avocado, an ice pick and my snorkel.» — Half Baked (1998)
I’m a big fan of the Westside and I had no idea this little gem was over there until a one of my friends introduced me this week when she suggested we go there for lunch. And I heart tacos!
We walked in early on a Friday and they were not busy yet, so we were greeted immediately. We were brought waters and started looking over the menus. We opted to order one of the cheese dips to start (especially while we decided on which tacos we wanted to order). We opted for the Queso Fundido (with poblanos and onions) and out came this bubbling, cheesey goodness in an iron skillet and a container of flour tortillas. Twist my arm!
As we snacked on this amazing dip, we decided on tacos. I decided on the Pastor (I’m a sucker for a great pastor) and the aguacate — a fried avocado taco. The tacos came out promptly and I was ready to dig in — the tacos were wrapped in white corn tortillas — authentic.
Let me start with the Pastor — this was disappointing. My first big bite, I could not get thru the pork as I hit a big chunk of gristle. I had to spit it out (how lady-​like of me). The flavor of the pork I could eat was excellent and full of spicy, rich flavor. Unfortunately, my last bite was also mostly gristle and so I could only really eat the toppings and a small bit of pork — again, spitting out the inedible pieces of «protein.»
Now, the aguacate was amazing. Crispy outside, warm and soft inside — not meant to sound dirty at all — but a crazy mix of textures in this taco. There were pickled onions, corn salsa, and a fabulous crema on top of this taco — spicy, flavorful — I’d eat 3 of these. The rice that comes with the tacos was good, but the black beans were too dry to eat. The flavor was good, but not good enough to eat them.
Half the entrée and the tacos — all for $ 13. Can’t beat that for lunch! I’ll be back, but will try other tacos and will most likely buy them without the beans and rice.

Food was not as tasty as my first visit, asada tacos were very chewy. The guacamole dip was a bit on the warm side and a bit over mushy. Was not a fan of the chicken taco either, extremely dry and not the flavor I was expecting. Our server recommended that dish which I found to be a complete surprise since it was our least favorite item of the night.
Not my go to spot for mexican anymore.

Creative drinks: the 50 Caliber has a punch, Negra Thomosa a nice smokey kick, their margarita’s taste amazing and authentic.
Fusion Authentic food: I tried their serranos (bacon wrapped jalepenos) very good. I also had some chicken mole tacos and they where awesome. My date had the crepas poblanos which he ate every last bit and approved of. On our second visit we tried the chicken crepas which where just as good too.

After driving around for a good hour or so looking for that perfect spot that will hit all the cravings and knock you back on your feet after an intense night of drinking, we finally pulled up to La Urbana. Being Mexican, I always go into Tex-​Mex places with low expectations. (let me reassure you, this is the real deal)
As we walked in we were greeted by our server (Kevin) friendly, welcoming, and very helpful. He seated us down and gave us a little inside on the restaurant. We took a few seconds and we proceeded with our order.
The first thing I noticed of course was the drink menu. (Tequila my friends. Is responsible for not remembering my 21^st birthday, as well as my 22^nd, 23^rd, a little of my 24^th… and 25^th). I ordered myself a Tecate to get things moving; upon its arrival I noticed I got the full package, Kevin explained to me that this is not the way it’s normally served but available upon request. The can was rimmed with salt, hot sauce neatly poured on the lid with a lime peeking out of the spout. Delish!
On to the food:
All together we ordered the ceviche, three different tacos, their enchilada with mole, and the crepas de pollo. We were also served a complementary shot of their «jugo de carne» which is basically a flavored beef broth — not what I’m use to in — it being in shot glasses — but never the less, delish. I really enjoyed everything we order. The tacos were amazing, a bit pricy for if you know exactly where to go on Buford Highway ($ 1 Tacos!!); the enchiladas, were my favorite for every time I bit into them, flashes of my childhood flashes before my eyes and I could see mother hand making the tortillas in the kitchen while mi hermano and I ran around the fields chasing chickens. (Not exactly, as I was born in Atlanta, but can you just picture it?)
La Urbana has very quickly become my favorite restaurant on the Westside — definitely my favorite Mexican joint (outside of BuHi) — I hope it’s here to stay. And did I mention an old chum of mine painted that mural? Small world.

So, what does a girl do when she’s craving tacos for lunch? Get on Unilocal & «Find» tacos, duh! New place for me to add to my lunch destinations! You know I love tacos!!! I tried to upload a couple of pics from phone on the Unilocal app, but «there is an error…», and I don’t have the pics anymore! BOO! I guess I’ll have to go back, ;) !
When I entered the restaurant, I was greeted by a THAI server! Yah! We greeted one another in our native language, and discussed FOOD immediately!
Me, «What kind of tortillas do you serve your tacos on?»
Kevin, «CORN!»
Me, «Cool, then I’ll sit! I’ll have a carne asada taco, and surprise me with another one.»
Lunch special, 2 tacos & rice or beans, $ 8.50, NICE!
Carne Asada Taco: Nice pile of carne asada on a CORN tortilla (that’s what tacos are suppose to be on, FYI), awesome Mexican street taco! (Thank you Jesus, this what I was craving!)
Tinga Taco: Yummy, moist, flavorful chicken on a CORN tortilla
The tacos are served on a cutting board, with some hot sauce, which isn’t too spicy, but very good with the tacos. They also brought out a shot of a beef broth, Juego de Carne, which I cleaned my pallet with in between tacos. They also have a chili oil that was DUH-​licious!
Loved the atmosphere, the staff, and the tacos! Looking forward to exploring their drink menu one day, SOON, and their dinner menu!
Oh yah, this girl LOVES tequila to go with her TACOS! :)

Early days! Went last night for drinks and apps.
House margarita — not sure what flavor it was but it was delicious — light but potent with a nice sprinkling of salt around the glass rim.
Had the shrimp quesadilla — which I wanted to compare to La Fonda’s rendition. Two different approaches — and both are tasty. La Fonda is your typical sized quesadilla with cheddar cheese and plenty of shrimp for $ 9 (?) with fresh salsa. Urbana’s quesadilla was about the same size with the shrimp not whole but seemed more chopped with Queso de Oaxaca (straight from Mexico) that worked well. Instead of salsa, it was a red chili sauce and/​or a salsa verde.
I liked them both. I would order it again. Not sure what I paid.
Solid service with the only oddity being that I was with a party of 4 sitting at a six top and they pre-​added 15% gratuity to the bill… and it even said for parties of 6 or larger. So… I don’t know about that. I usually tip 20% so because of that I just tipped 15%.
It gets a little loud but the vibe is upbeat.
I will return to try some other dishes and I hope — despite solid competition in the area — they create their own niche!

Nice décor, friendly staff.
The key to a good experience at La Urbana is to remember to «stick to the basics». Don’t get «exotic» and try things you maybe aren’t familiar with, try the Calibur 50 or the Spicy Margarita. Avoid the Fernet drink unless you know what Fernet is.
Among the tapas food items I have tried I enjoyed the guacamole with the fried cheese chips. The empanadas are hearty. There are two medium/​largish items on the plate. My suggestion for you is 1) The queso fundido 2) the ceviche and 3) the peppers wrapped in bacon.
The shrimp taco and the chorizo taco were very good. If you are a fan of either Shrimp or Chorizo, you will be a happy camper.
The costillas and tostados were okay though I probably won’t order these two items again. The sauce that comes with the costillas is delicious.
I do intend to visit again to try other food items.