Lira's Restaurant

You know when you find your benchmark upon which you judge other things.  For Mexican, Lira's has been the one place that most other restaurants fall short of in my standards.  I grew up in Torrington and only came to this place once in blue moon, but whenever I did it was exciting!  I couldn't wait to get a hot plate of their delicious enchiladas.  I occasionally ordered their tacos and burritos, but their enchiladas were caliente amor!  

As I've grown up and been to a hundred different Mexican restaurants, I could never forget those delicious meals and the sort of sinful satisfaction it gave me as I cleaned my plate.  I've come to understand that their style of Mexican may not be considered "authentic" Mexican, maybe more like Tex-Mex; however, style guidelines may not always matter when it comes to just getting something deliciously made.

I remember times when it would be busy and you might have to wait for a table, which sometimes (depending on how hungry we were) we would go find someplace else.  What else can someone say when a family owned Restaurant like this is too busy?  They have a good thing going and I don't see that changing anytime real soon.

If you like Mexican food and you're driving through Lingle... keep driving!

I recently moved to the panhandle area and, knowing there is no decent Mexican food between Scottsbluff and Torrington, I trusted Yelpers' reviews and drove twenty miles to Lingle to try this place. Womp womp.

I would compare Lira's to some of the lower-end chain Mexican food restaurants, but honestly I've had better food in some of those joints. Lira's menu is very limited. Selections consist of tacos, enchiladas and burritos made with ground beef and an assortment of ground beef-filled nonsense "smothered" in an unspecified sauce.  

I jumped in head first and tried the combination plate, which included a tostada, enchilada, taco and beans. The beans were exceptional; it was clear that they employ copious amounts of lard, which I'm certain will have me running to the toilet in short order. Regrettably, that is where Lira's peaked. Their overuse of flavorless ground beef highlighted a lack of the authenticity I had expected after reading the reviews. The enchilada was merely a glorified burrito; the ground beef and fried flour tortilla taco was bland and unappetizing.

Disappointed to find Lira's closed on Sunday evening.