La Parrilla

the food - just OK
the service - OK
the experience - OK/weird (I ordered guacamole and chips and when I asked for salsa too - the guy told me "we dont have any salsa" - what?! at a Mexican place?)
the language barrier was a little weird too.
The restaurant - clean.
There's a lot of way better places around. I will probably give this place another shot (maybe it was an off day) but right now I'm just "meh" about it.

A bit more expensive than other Mexican restaurants in the area, but the quality is definitely better. I had a steak Milanesa torta, a lengua taco and a taco al pastor at this restaurant.

The steak milanesa was very fresh and very meaty. The chipotle pepper on the sandwich was excellent - smokey, spicy, but not overwhelming. The torta was very full without being cumbersome. Avocados were fresh, not brown at all.

The tacos were good as well. The lengua chunks were very prominent and had more texture and character compared to other lengua tacos I've had. The Al Pastor tacos were not great - there is no spit in the back that the pork is being cut from, but it was an acceptable attempt. I'd personally stick to the lengua or steak.

This restaurant also has some speciality tacos and burritos that make it a bit more unique. Those menu items are on the take out menu, not on the menu behind the register so if you want to try it be sure to pick one of them up before ordering. I did not try any of them yet so I won't comment on if they are good or not.

One suggestion to the owner; please get some real tortilla chips! The free rounds with salsa are fine for now, but fresh fried chips are really gonna bring me in often! I promise, those little things matter. Those little tortilla rounds are too salty and have a poor texture for that great salsa you make.

Pros:
- Fresh meat
- Well stuffed torta
- Meat has character
- Speciality items
- Great housemade salsas

Cons:
- More expensive than other similar restaurants (about 10% more)
- Al Pastor is not made on the spit (but other Mexican restaurants in the area are the same)
- Tortilla rounds, not traditional style chips

Overall, I'd recommend La Parrilla. My friend and I enjoyed the tortas very much. I really think it was a special touch with that chipotle pepper.

I used to love the restaurant this restaurant bought the space from. It was a pizza joint with great lunch specials. Here's hoping that La Parrilla can offer a similar quality product!

AMAZING tacos that are a great value! Love the hot sauce that comes with them. Owner is a great guy too, very passionate about the food. My new regular mexican place.