La Hacienda

Was hoping for a good Mexican food restaurant to frequent but unfortunately this will not be it. I will admit, I am slightly biased being from Texas where good Mexican food is just a given, especially when you’ve lived less than half an hour from the border. That being said, the «salsa» was bland enough for my 2 year old to eat, they don’t know how to make huevos rancheros, and the red sauce concoction they slather on everything is more similar to a chile con carne with a sour taste than a red sauce that I would expect. Refried beans were excellent though, I prefer mine with a touch of sweetness and they had just that.

Very good. The large guac was really large and full of chunks of avocado. The lunch specials were enormous.

So im in here in Fort Smith and what to eat. Well i turn to Unilocal of course. So im looking for somewhere with good food and good service. Not the kind of brick or fancy building décor the place has. Well this little joint is just that, good food and great service. I tried the Carnitas with corn tortillas and added a large guacamole. I must say yum yum. These are probably in the top 5 carnitas ive ever had. Our server was excellent and on the spot with our drinks and such the whole visit. I will be going back again while im here on business.

An overall pleasing experience.
My wife and I were just passing through Fort Scott for a night and needed a place to eat. La Hacienda offered us the convenience of being both open and within walking distance of our hotel, so that’s where we ate. Honestly I didn’t expect much, and so was surprised at how good everything was.
Service was excellent. Despite the fact that we meandered in a half hour before closing, they didn’t treat us any differently and were quite attentive. Chips/​salsa/​beans/​rice were all good-​but-​not-​great. My wife enjoyed her Chile Relleno, stuffed with chicken and cheese. For me, though, the high point were the perfectly-​cooked pork Carnitas that served as my entrée; they were probably the best Carnitas I’ve ever had.
While significant portions of the meal probably could have been better, nothing was bad and everything was at least satisfying. I’d definitely recommend the place for travelers like us looking for a relatively inexpensive but tasty meal.

Went for a family gathering. Food was great but service was a little slow. Salsa was good and plentiful at the table. The portions are huge for everything we ordered. Definitely a good value for the money.

Nice and friendly staff, quick service, and delicious quality Mexican food! It is a must have when I’m in Fort Scott.
They have all the traditional staples, but if you want something out-​of-​the-​box try one of their seafood dishes. The shrimp is always plump and juicy, so it’s a nice twist inside a taco or quesadilla!

I really don’t like giving 2-​star ratings. You have to earn a rating and if that’s a two, it’s really not likely that it was an anomaly. I don’t give grudge ratings.
The atmosphere is really just off. The building is a great older building in the city center along side boutiques and coffee houses. The long, narrow buildings are typical 19^th century wood and brick with large store front windows, exposed brick and rough hewn beams.
The interior of La Hacienda was dated and unkempt. A heavy smell of staleness hung in the air. The carpet was unclean and the furniture in disrepair. In the back of the long building, a rear dining area was cordoned off by chairs laid across the doorway to coral kids who I assume were children of the staff. Stairs leading to an upper level were cluttered with playpens and baby toys.
The staff at La Hacienda were friendly but there was a significant language barrier. We asked questions and just got a smile and a nod.
We ate a healthy amount of chips, salsa, and guac and could have been satisfied when the veggie fajitas my wife and I were going to share arrived.
They were served on the traditional fajita platter you’ve come to know — a cast iron flat skillet. The onions, peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli were a single hue of marinated brown and everything tasted about the same. It was probably overcooked.
In all, my wife and I filled up on chips, salsa, guac and wine, each had a small fajita and left the rest.