La Sandia

Good food, good drinks, good service! Favorite item on the menu the sweet corn tamale. Always look forward to having that and the plantains.

The rice was so good! I ordered the queso fundido and it never arrived. But the server was awesome and very nice. I’d go back again.

I’ve eaten here a lot. I used to work near here and now that I’ve switched jobs, I still make a point to come back once in a while. It’s always pretty tasty, service is always good and I am glad I have a go-​to restaurant to suggest to friends when meeting up somewhere central in the metro area that is not downtown. It’s upscale altered versions of Mexican classics without the upscale price. I really like what the menu has to offer and the prices.
My only complaint is the inconsistency with the table side guacamole. During my last visit, it was bland. It could have used salt and lime juice. The trip prior to this, it was perfect! I always ask for it to be spicy and it’s usually not spicy. The flavor is hit and miss. It’s either good, fabulous or just bland as if it’s simply mashed avocados.
They also took the tacos al pastor off the menu… NOOOOO!!! Bring it back! That was my favorite!
Tip: always sub the creamy rice for the regular rice. It’s so delicious!
I plan to keep going back. I really love this place! Thanks La Sandia!

This place makes me want to move to Denver.
Great service, strong drinks (amazing flavours!!!), celiac safe, gluten free food.
I had the fajitas today and they rival the best Mexican joints in San Francisco.

The best spicy guacamole ever!!! Lupita our bartender is the best. Great service with a smile. And the spicy citrus magaritas are awesome. Highly recommended.

First time we ate there it was really good, seems like the menu was different the second time and the things I was looking forward to having were not there.
2^nd time was ok.

Went in for a post-​movie small dinner and enjoyed their great happy hour menu. The house-​infused margarita and baja tacos are excellent. Staff at the bar and kitchen were very fun. The guacamole is prepared fresh and rocks.

Came in for lunch and waited a few minutes to be seated but the place wasn’t busy at all. I wondered why we had to wait. My sister is gluten free, dairy free, and soy free. There was only two things she was able to have. Braised beef tacos and pinto beans. Everything fried is fried in soy-​based oils and rice is fried. Chicken and steak is marinated in oil based marinades as well. The braised beef tacos were not good, she didn’t eat. I felt so bad.
I had a lunch trio. The enchilada was good, beans were ok, but the rice was hard. It would get stuck to my teeth! The tinga taco wasn’t good. Had one bite and was done with it. The «Mexican tortilla soup» was NOT good at all. My brother in law gave me his chile relleno because it was too spicy for him. It’s probably the ONLY thing I recommend. It was delicious. But, I must warn that it IS a bit spicy.
I’m giving La Sandia 3 stars because the waitress was good. She provided good service. Won’t be coming back though.

Jeff and I went here for a midweek date night. The space is pretty nice, very open. We opted to sit at the bar because why break tradition right?
Lupita was our bartender and she was really friendly and fast. She started us off with a pitcher of house margaritas and table side prepared spicy guacamole. Both were great! The guac was spicy and chunky and wonderful!
For dinner I had the steak street tacos. So here’s what’s wonderful about them… they come with crispy cheese! I am a HUGE cheese addict and I love crispy cheese. I don’t know why but I do. The tacos were lined with this stuff and it was so freaking good! The refried black beans that were on the side were pretty tasty. I didn’t try the rice because it had corn in it but it looked good otherwise.
Lupita recommended the pork belly fajitas to Jeff and he jumped all over it. I had a bite and the pork belly was perfectly made. It came with habanero salsa, super hot for me but I’m kind of a wuss. From the looks of his plate at the end of the meal… Jeff really liked it too.
The food wasn’t fancy but it was good solid Mexican food. The house margs were tasty and being able to order a pitcher was a plus. Service was first rate, thanks Lupita! I’m sure we’ll be back.

I’ve actually frequented this restaurant several times and each time the experience has been different. The first time we had a very friendly and informative waitress who went as far as to offer us some deep friend grasshoppers. That added to the experience. The second time we had a gentleman who clearly shouldn’t have been in the line of service, and the third time it seemed that they had some staffing issues as only one waitress was handling the patio area. The food is always good but a little minuscule, the salsa is a home run as are the margaritas, although they too can be a bit bigger.

We are here for a second time. We really enjoy the food and service is always excellent. Our server, Resha, was awesome.

My friend and I came for happy hour. The $ 6 margaritas were good but the $ 5 AYCE guacamole is incredible! It is fresh and doesn’t have any funny tastes going on like a lot of restaurant guac does. We sat at the bar and the bartender never let our bowl get empty. I think we had 4 bowls between the two of us. I’m sure it would have been more but I was munching on the chips and salsa as well. If you’re a guacamole lover do yourself a favor and come for happy hour!

We came during the obscure hour of 2pm on a Monday, so it was understandably dead at this time. I think that the Northfield shopping center mostly gets action on the weekends anyhow. For being one of 2 tables occupied in restaurant, I thought the service was lacking. We didn’t feel like there was much attention; she never refilled waters and only came when the food and drinks were ready.
She saved face when I remembered to check in on Unilocal and got a free tableside guac. She brought that out quickly but her efforts to make a flavorful guac were very low and the flavor left a lot to be desired. We also had a BOGO from our dining out passport, which she said we could not use in combo with the other offer. We used the BOGO instead (which was technically for dinner only) and she gave us a free guac card for our next visit that will never happen.

This is a good place. I think 3.5 stars is the right rating. I’ve been here 3 times in a short amount of time. The service is friendly, warm, all around great, and the servers very knowledgeable.
The chips and salsa are good. Although I wish the salsa was a little spicier or tangier. The hanger steak tacos were absolutely wonderful. The tortilla soup is a bit thick and too tomato-​heavy. I’ve noticed the food doesn’t come to the table as warm as it could. The flan was definitely a disappointment. Very little flavor and less creativity.
The atmosphere is very cool.

Love the atmosphere. Service is great! Food is good. I recommend ordering the chicken tinga taquitos at happy hour! I also love the chips and salsa. And my favorite… the sweet corn tamale is amazing! Please order this. It is delicious!

I wish for great Mexican food in this area… Came for lunch today and really figured it out… When you are drinking it up during happy hour the drinks are good, the food is good and life is awesome.
When your stone cold sober during lunch with one light cocktail and you really want delicious food this place fails. The crispy shrimp tacos had 3 – 4 mini mini cocktail shrimp and no flavor, the beans were bland, the chili relleno on the Trio was over cooked on the crusted outside, under cooked on the almost raw chili inside and the cheese was like a firm blob. The queso fundido appetizer was like a glob of greasy rubbery cheese.
We left both wishing we would have just packed and ate leftovers from home.
I don’t think we will be back. :(

Came here for a couple of drinks and it just happened to be Taco Tuesday. You cant really expect too much with a $ 2 taco but I tried one of each and they were actually pretty good. Washed them down with a few Negra Modelos. Service was a bit slow but the menu looked good so I will have to give them another shot when I have more time for dinner.

Wow, is this restaurant horrible! Canned Spanish rice with those little peas and carrots. You know the kind. Canned pieces of rubbery chicken; Canned black beans which appear to have been run through a blender before serving, and bland (if not canned), beef chips oozing with grease.
Drinks in plastic cups?! Really? There is something about a margarita in a plastic cup which just screams — «cheap!»
There are soooo many decent Mexican restaurants in the area. La Sandia is the worst we have ever experienced. Even Del Taco and Taco Bell are better and, cost a whole lot less. La Sandia is expensive to boot.

Great happy hour prices and extended hours (4 to close), below average food.
We went in to have a full dinner, but couldn’t pass up the great happy hour deal.
Taco Tuesday where tacos and torta sliders are all 2 dollars (all other days they are $ 3 each). We tried one of each taco and torta with each of their meat choices: fish, carnitas, and chicken.
Fish was the winner, followed by the chicken. Nothing to knock your socks off, just your average street taco. The carnitas were dry and flavorless, however.
I would skip the tortas and go with the tacos. The bread we were served was half Hawaiian sweet roll and half regular white bun. Nothing close to authentic. And the bread was huge in comparison to the meat portion, giving it no balance and drowning the meat.
Lastly, the dessert. Not happy hour priced but we wanted something sweet to end the meal. Seven dollar crepes were a rip off and not worth the calories. Large crêpe with just a light drizzle of caramel sauce and a few slivers of candied orange peel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Boring, bland, and expensive. Crepes should be shown more love.
The margaritas were great and a good price too, $ 5 for happy hour. I had the prickly pear infused tequila for my margaritas. Yum!
Service was slow, unattentive, and not too knowledgeable.
I might go back and in hopes that the regular menu has more flavor and flair than the happy hour menu. And I’ll likely skip dessert.

This was my first time at the restaurant, and we went there because it was close to the movie theatre… I was pleasantly surprised at how good the place is!
The décor and ambience are good and fitting for a Mexican meal. It’s perfect for any occasion, whether going out with friends, a large group or on a date. Servers are helpful and friendly.
The variety of drinks was pretty impressive. The food menu was also large. As soon as we sat down, the server recommended their house special table guacamole, freshly prepared in front of you in a stone bowl with the server mashing avocados and mixing with tomatoes, onions, cilantro. This was no doubt my favorite dish. I ordered the Healthy Trio, which was good.
The chef also came out to greet us, which was a nice touch. The place was packed by 6:30pm on a Saturday, but still not overly noisy.
I will definitely come back again! This is now one of fav Mexcian restaurants!