La Fiesta

To be fair, I had been in Mexico a week prior to eating here. But even accepting this as Tex-​Mex (rather than something authentic Mexican), it’s still pretty substandard.
Salsa: holy salty garlic Bat Man! It’s pretty good, but you WILL have garlic breath for the next 24 hours. Guacamole is fine, but lacking in salt.
Fajitas smell good, but are dry. The beef taco was pretty subpar. The waiter seemed rather perplexed when I asked if they had soft corn tortillas (most traditional) instead of the hard crunchy kind or soft wheat tortillas. *sigh*
My stuffed chili (I presume poblano; the menu did not say) was pretty decent, though a bit too much batter. The pork tamale was also not too bad.
Overall, the meal was heavy, greasy, and left me thinking of better Tex Mex that I’ve had. Service is attentive, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back just for that.

What a wonderful hidden gem in Columbia! The food was great as was the service. I also highly recommend the peach margarita. So good! Will definitely be going back!

The service was very good hence the three stars. The food would fall at a 2 stars. Such potential here but it’s lost on the food quality.

I grew up in southern Texas, which is where I developed a love of Mexican Food. Finding decent Mexican food in Maryland is definitely more difficult than down south, but this place more than passes. I had the lunch buffet. Not only was everything I tried (everything except the make your own tacos) solid Mexican food, it was really good.

Loved this place. Had chicken stuff jalapeños as an appetizer. So good. Perfect spiciness for me. Then I had a chicken and bacon quesadilla which totally rocked. Check this place out.

La Fiesta serves a very old fashioned idea of Mexican food for Americans. The food and décor are a throwback to Chi Chi’s and El Toritos of 30 years ago. The fresh, vibrant Mexican cuisine that is so popular now and so much better and readily available is not at all present in what is served at La Fiesta. Platters come covered in cheese and canned enchilada sauce with a side of dry rice and a cup of beans. Edible, but not especially enjoyable.
Still, I wouldn’t call the food bad, I just wouldn’t call it Mexican. The service is quite good. The bar area looked comfortable and there was a nice television with soccer on. I plan to return for drinks and appetizers. Maybe for dessert — we didn’t have any this time but the selection looked appealing. I just won’t have dinner there again.

What is with all the 2stars? I’ve been coming here since I was born and 19 years later I’m still here. Anyone who insults their food has clearly NEVER had their guacamole. No the staff is not Mexican but that doesn’t determine the quality of the food, 9 out of 10 times I come to La Fiesta my server is Ramish and he is always amazing. I don’t even need to order because when I walk in he already knows I want my guacamole, spinach enchilada and brownie Sunday. Where I am very stuck in my ways I can only attest for their A+ spinach enchiladas, salmon platter, guacamole, black bean soup and brownie sunday that have not disappointed me once in all of my 19 years. The restaurant décor is slightly outdated but it doesn’t matter because they have brought in 2 life sized cut outs of the Dos Equis man and we all know he is the most interesting person in the world. For anyone who says their is never a single Mexican in the place they clearly haven’t been because I am ALWAYS there. I celebrate my birthday, graduation, half birthday, and living there! Did someone really complain that the sauce on their burrito was running? You do know what sauce is right? I’ve been there during lunch hour before and my boyfriend really enjoys eating their buffet along with their chicken burrito. The owner is also very friendly and sits down and talks to his regular customers sometimes. Their is never a wait for a table except on Cinco de Mayo but don’t let that scare you off because their food is truly amazing. Anyone looking for guacamole to die for really must stop by this fantastic restaurant but be warned! Their portions are VERY generous. watch your waistline!

Awful. The food is not fresh not authentic it’s crap. The place had gnats and flies. The cheese tasted frozen the sauces were gross. Straight from a can. Avoid this place at all costs. The buffet is terrible too. Chicken was dry the pork fajitas were raw. Ugh. What a waste of money and lunch. One and done. Will never be back here. Sorry.

We got enchiladas. The sauce was runny and the chicken was bland. While eating we were also afraid the table was going to collapse from the wall it was jerryrigged to at any moment. I guess we know know why they kept their lights so low.

Awful! The food here is disgusting. I ordered soft tacos and they came with French fries (frozen old fries at that); what Mexican place serves fries with tacos? They also came with «refried beans» which were basically baked beans. The chicken on the soft tacos was barely there, grey, and over cooked. The queso dip was just like jarred store-​bought runny cheese. My friend ordered hard tacos and they were literally made from an at-​home kit (the bright yellow tiny taco shells). The beef on the hard tacos was not shredded beef or ground beef, it was almost like chili meat. The portions are small (which does not really matter because you won’t want to finish your dish anyway) but the prices are outrageous for such absolutely disgusting food. If I could give this place no stars I would… so gross!

Dissatisfied. Mexican food for gringos. Total lack of understanding of Mexican cuisine and flavors. The margaritas had booze in them, so at least they had that going for them. Save your money and go somewhere else better, like Chipotle…

This is the best little hole in the wall spot. It totally deceives you by presentation but, the food is undeniably good for a $ 9.99 lunch buffet. Great coworker luncheon spot. I showed up at the top of the hour for the buffet and had to wait 15 minutes and guess what, it was worth it. Can somebody say Chimi-​Changa!!!

There is so much shade thrown in previous reviews. I personally love this place. I consistently do take out and I’ve brought several friends here.
I’m a big advocate of the queso, salsa, and enchilada platters. Also one of the few Mexican places that serves crab.
I’ve always received excellent service, my water is always full, and I visit enough that the servers always carry on conversation. I encourage you to try the place and see for yourself!

First, let me say this. I have never reviewed any business on Unilocal and because of this experience I decided now is the time! Woke up with a craving for Mexican food. Googled around and found this place for a lunch buffet. Close to my home and can’t go wrong on buffet! NO, never again, NO, NO, NO! Pulled into parking lot and noticed restaurant of different cuisine next door offering a lunch buffet… hum competition… but let me stick with the plan and try this place. We, tween daughter and I, walk in and greeted immediately by nice friendly waitress, possible owner. Will say she was friendly, recommended the buffet while seating us and wondered off for a bit. Note: we were the only customers in the restaurant. We looked at the menu and came up with a game plan. While making this game plan, a «chef» started putting out dished on the buffet table. It took me about 3.5 seconds to realize that nobody has been in this restaurant all day (12:00pm) and now they have decided to stock the buffet for us… felt sad when I realized that… freaking sad… But hey, I haven’t tried their food so let me not judge. Waitress pops up to deliver salsa and chips and our order, we go with recommendation of buffet for 2, order of chile con queso and basic drinks. I start attacking the salsa and… man that salsa is on point! As I’m eating the salsa like a pig, I’m watching the «chef» put more food on the buffet. Abut 15 minutes go by from entrance, salsa is dried up from me. not my starving child and ample enough time for them to prepare for the buffet… First walk through was so unimpressed! All the fixings for an excellent taco except taco meat… gasp… NO taco meat. WTF!!! OK, so I’m not getting my taco fill in today, let me think outside the box. A label of fajita chicken is next, my daughter gambles and gets that… Next, Beef??? or Chicken? I Go with beef? Next tray is… Rice and Curry… Well hell yes, not expecting curry but I always say YES to curry! Ok didn’t do it first go around… read on… Next chafing dish is rice, black beans, and I guess? pinto beans? I’m guessing again… anyway it was a darker colored rice from the curry rice and 2 offerings of beans. looked nasty and skipped that chafing dish of puke. next was a open platter of chicken quesadilla and soft taco shells. Daughter and I both get quesadilla Next is a very sad cold food area… Ranch dressing! freaking Ranch, Not sour cream, RANCH! a small hot chafing dish with what is actually in this mystery chicken meat… Pre-​cut Tyson chicken. the kind of stuff you buy at the supermarket! and I want to say onion rings and French fries were offered in that sheet pan! So that is first look at buffet… nothing but disappointment and lackluster food. Now first bite is another feeling… Diarrhea! Yes, Diarrhea is now a feeling I have. Loose bowels, poisoning yourself knowingly, thoughts of how far can I go from home until I know I’m screwed? All crossed my mind. Daughter decided n first meal, the fajitas… Looked like trouble to me so I said No! No! while she piled it on her plate, don’t judge, LIKE I SAID, salsa was great, what does she know! «MOM! it is cold» I touch the meat on her plate and sure enough… not even close to warm! Out the freezer cold! Hasn’t seen a oven cold in at least 3 days cold! I take a bite in my beef chmi spelling wrong so what should it be calledi? and that bitch is not only nasty but cold too!!! Frozen Cold in the center! I break it apart, push to center of table and go for soft Tyson chicken taco… cold, no flavor and just plain nasty. It is at this pint the queso is delivered and I realize that I have been had! Queso is fresh out of a can and not even the good stuff you find at the movie theatre when you want to pig out. Nasty Salty half warm, microwave on 50% for a minute and pray these American idiots eat it and stay quiet about our crappy food type of queso! I didn’t know you could get worse than movie nacho cheese but this place did!!! Now on to second plates for both of us… she filled her plate up with mostly edible quesadillas and a small portion of curry… I went back for my least favs… Mexican rice and beans and we both tried the curry with rice. Lets just say the second place was the cherry on top in food poisoning standards! I took one bite of the curry (note I just put curry sauce on rice and not the… vegetable or .gasp…chicken) I was scared and now know for a good reason, bubble guts!!! My child did full curry on rice and 2 seconds asked to be excused to the bathroom. When she cam back her exact words were ‘mom «we need to go home! this hurt my stomach! All in all, I paid $ 30 plus my crappy tip of $ 3 for salsa, 2 chips dipped in nasty cheese sauce, #bubbleguts #scaredpoop#

I don’t care about the décor of this place. I just wanna eat! I don’t understand why people have such expectations to see ONLY Hispanics working at Tex-​Mex places and if they don’t see that, they think it’s odd. So what? Misconceptions of society.
After doing a back and triceps work out, I decided to come here for buffet. I came right when it opened and they said in about 5 minutes, I can eat. Cool, so I ordered an unsweetened iced tea and they gave me some chips and salsa.
The chips were warm and the salsa had a kick to it. In fact the salsa was pretty tasty. I used that salsa as a dip for some of my buffet items because it was so good.
I waited a few minutes when my waiter informed me that I could go ahead and devour their mid-​sized buffet. I should have taken pictures of the buffet but I was so hungry that I forgot… There are 3 cold appetizers and 3 hot appetizers including a make-​your-​own taco with all the usual toppings you can think of then there are about 5 – 7 trays of food and each tray consists of 2 kinds. There are also 2 big open plates of quesadillas and grilled chicken with veggies. There were foods like stuffed peppers which had strong hints of alcohol in em, 4 different kinds of mini-​burritos which kinda tasted the same lol but still good and the usual rice and beans dishes. They also had a Chicken Curry but it’s nothing like the Curry we all know.
Since I came right when it opened, the food was fresh (er) and I enjoyed almost all of it. The only things I didn’t enjoy much were their desserts. Crispy bread with honey drizzled on it which didn’t taste like anything but honey and a pastry filled with fruit and drizzled with chocolate. Tasted like they made that dessert a while ago.
Now before you decide to come here for the food, know that I was starving when I came. When people are starving, anything is delicious. So if you come and the food wasn’t all that then don’t blame me! haha
Service was good because I was the only 1 there. The food was good and as I was about to leave, people started coming in. Even if La Fiesta has some low reviews, it’s not stopping others from going. I’m definitely coming back for their buffet again soon!

In my never ending quest to find just one decent mexican restaurant in Columbia, I vsited this dump. It’s not good. Décor is dated, old and greasy. Bartender/​waiter is of Indian decent, which seemed odd. Food was just awful, and not cheap. Chimichanga, rice and beans had zero flavor. No hot sauce either! But the worst are the chips and salsa. Omg, I have never tasted so much garlic in one dish! Literally took days to get its out of my mouth.
Why can’t Columbia have just one decent Mexican restaurant?

Not really Mexican food. The staff (owners? employees?) are from India. The cheese tastes like Velveeta. The margarita tastes like lime kool-​aid.

2 stars because the food is edible, and it doesn’t taste bad at all. The inside the restaurant looks nice like any normal Mexican restaurant. Now they serving buffet for lunch. I’ve been always found it to be interesting, but not really Tex-​Mex food. The staff are nice and friendly. It seem like the staff are East Indian or Hispanic…
The rice and beans are good. I like the tacos. Not worth eating at this place.

Not good. Horrible food, horrible service, sketchy clientele and not a single Latino in the place. The pico was made with chick peas, the cheese dip was canned, the refried beans were just pinto beans, and the cholula was merely red hot in cholula bottles (Seriously? We can’t even get real cholula?). My burrito was also very small, the salsa was mostly garlic, and the chip basket came to the table only half full. My server was also the bartender, which probably wouldn’t have been a big deal if the bar wasn’t on the other side of the restaurant. He came to my table twice — order and check. My conclusion: Liquor must be the only thing keeping this place running.
Other reviews say this is TexMex, it isn’t. It is just bad food parading as something familiar for the excuse to have a bar.

I was actually trying to find the Jimmy John’s off of Centre Park Dr. Saw La Fiesta there as I pulled in and thought Mexican sounded better for lunch. There was only one couple there but it was still early, 11:30 or so. It looked clean and decorated in the typical Mexican décor. I looked over the buffet which looked good but decided to get something to-​go. The waiter was very nice and offered me something to drink and chips and salsa while I waited for my Chicken Burrito to-​go. I opened the box when it came and it looked and smelled yummy. They gave me rice and beans on the side as well and the rest of the chips and salsa I was snacking on. I couldn’t get back to my office soon enough to try it!
Then it went downhill from there… the rice… okay, the beans… a little better than okay, the burrito… SOOOO disappointing! It was just meat inside… bland, unseasoned chicken meat. No peppers, no onions, no sour cream, no cheese, NOTHING… JUST Chicken MEAT. The best part was the tortilla with the sauce and cheese on top used to wrap the meat. Definitely not worth the $ 10 I paid… WILL NOT BE BACK.
There seriously can’t be any self-​respecting Mexican cooking in that kitchen.