This is the true mexican cuisine. From North to South of Mexico.
Their food is fantastic and the portions are gigantic for the price. We always take some home and it is still good food when reheated.
Chips and dips are the best ones in all the area and service has always been superkind to me.
The only downside is the decor. Lack of windows and decorations makes it seem rather dull. But in all honesty I'm always just paying attention to the good food and good Tecate imported beer.
It pains me to give a 1 star review, but I left this place with a bad stomach ache and straight to buy some ginger ale.
The restaurant is very colorful (walls painted very brightly in different shades) but it still feels cavernous since there are absolutely no windows. I asked the waitress a few questions about the menu and while she was nice she had no idea what most of items I asked where. Â For example, "what is a tostaguac" what answered with a big question mark, and even "what is a chalupa". The complimentary salsa and chips had a nice presentation but did not taste great - the salsa had a strange aftertaste.
We ended up ordering the "sopa de albondigas" (meatball soup) and sides of Spanish rice and beans. So all my commentary is on these foods. Â The soup basically tasted like tomatoes had been boiled in water for a while and disintegrated in the water to make the soup, and then some meatballs (half rice half meat) were thrown in. Â It was also pretty sour.
The plate that the rice and beans came in was hot but all the food in it was lukewarm at best. The refried beans was really sour. I don't know what makes beans taste  that sour, but I'm guessing they must have been cooked a week ago and then microwaved when I asked for them. The Spanish rice was bland and almost cold.
We both sent our rice and beans back and unfortunately ate the soup. Â The waitress said that they would make us a new plate of rice and beans but it took a few minutes and by then I was already getting a stomach ache (maybe because of the sour beans? the sour soup? who knows.) We decided to not wait for them and get the check. They didn't charge us for our sides, only the soups.
I have been here twice now and have had a mixed experience both times. First thing, the salsa and queso dip are both great. I really like it, unfortunately the last time I went both baskets of chips we got had a handful of good chips on top and then 3/4 of it was tiny broken pieces. But the ones that were usable were hot and delicious. This last time the waitress was very friendly and very attentive. She did a really great job.
First visit I order cheese enchiladas. I had to send them back because they were cold in the middle. Once I received hot ones (which they replaced quickly and were apologetic about) I didn't enjoy them because they were made with mozzarella. After looking over the menu I discovered quite a few entrees have mozzarella in them which I cannot understand at all. However, the menu did not specify that the enchiladas were made with it so I didn't know what I was getting into. Plus the red sauce on top didn't taste like a traditional enchilada sauce; it tasted more like tomato sauce so my enchiladas ended up tasting more like pizza than traditional enchiladas. This was not what I was expecting or wanted. The rice served with it was tasty though.
Second visit I steered away from anything with mozzarella in the description and made sure to ask the waitress if an item didn't specify. I suggest you do the same. Â This time I ordered the shrimp chimichanga. Unfortunately they brought me a shrimp quesadilla but quickly and apologetically brought me the correct order. It was delicious, I would definitely suggest the chimichanga (there's no mozzarella in it). The shrimp was flavorful and the fried tortilla exterior was nice and crispy and not at all greasy. I will definitely go back for this meal, the salsa, and cheese dip.
Overall even though there are no windows in the place which is a bit depressing, the service was really friendly which I appreciate, and the food ended up being really good on my second visit. I wish they would omit mozzarella (yes I'm mentioning it again) from their recipes because it does not make sense at all why they wouldn't use Monterey Jack or another traditional cheese over it. Hopefully they will at least substitute for you if you ask. They made a few mistake but fixed them quickly and without giving me a hard time about it so it didn't bother me at all. It's a new restaurant and they are still smoothing out the seams. I would definitely give this place a try. We have some really good Mexican restaurants in this town so they have some living up to do but I will definitely go back to Tomates.
We tried Tomates for the first time tonight. Really great service and good food! Everything was delicious, from the chips and salsa to all of our entrees. Burrito, chili relleno, steak fajita and chicken poblano. I can't wait to go back and try something else! This business is going to do well in downtown Lafayette!
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