Hacienda La

If you are looking for an authentic Mexican restaurant with Hispanic wait staff, Mariachi bands, and specialty dishes like carnitas and paella--don't come here.  You will be sorely disappointed.  There is nothing authentically Mexican about this place.  If you have a cholesterol problem or don't like the sight of yellow tinged oil seeping out of the melted Colby cheese, then don't come here.

On the other hand, if you figure God invented Lipitor for just such places, then come on down to Muncie's southside.  I don't know that you are any less safe there than you are on the BSU campus with its C- safety rating.  I don't remember a single sexual assault or shooting there, but I sure do for the BSU/Village area.

Some people really, really like this restaurant. Hey, after all ... they're still here! I personally do not care for it.

For one thing - and someone else mentioned this too - I don't feel confident in assuming this location is safe. That's not the restaurant's fault; as I said, they've been here a long time and surely things have changed in the area. But to me, it is a reason not to go.

Secondly, when I have gone (in someone else's car!), I have been less than impressed with the quality of the food. One word comes to mind: greasy. I mean, fast food is greasy, but I'm talking about pools of grease on and around your enchiladas. You know how you sometimes have to "blot" a piece of pizza? This is like that, but with a sponge.

Third, I know everyone likes to bicker about what's "authentic" and what's not, especially as there seem to be three well-known Mexican restaurants in Muncie all claiming to offer authentic food. But it really doesn't seem to me that this restaurant uses a cheese common in Mexican cooking. Somehow, it doesn't melt right and it takes on a Nickelodeon-like orange hue, oozing grease in some parts and being burnt in others. I'm not sure which Mexican region's cooking style that is common to, but I believe it is a recognizable feature of the Microwave Cooking school of thought. Thanks - I can microwave stuff poorly on my own!

Two stars despite this because hey, they've kept it going for many years and obviously some people really enjoy it. Even some people in my family like it. But I personally have never gone here on my own and certainly never will.

Don't do it. Your body will hate you. And it's extremely overpriced. You'll pay twenty bucks for something that tastes like you could've microwaved it at home. Never again will I go there!