Little Mexico: Muy decepcionante

For more than a year, fans of Little Mexico Café waited patiently for the West Side institution to reopen after a devastating fire gutted the restaurant. And since it opened a few weeks ago, patrons have literally mobbed the place. It is nearly impossible to find a seat during the height of the lunch and dinner rush.

I was one of the faithful. My family and I ate at Little Mexico often — including the night it burned. We left at about 7 p.m. that night and after tucking the children into bed, we watched the news at 11 p.m. The lead story was the Little Mexico fire. As a long-time fan of the restaurant, I was gutted. I was pleased to learn that it would be rebuilt and I watched the restaurant rise from the ashes as I drove by almost every day.

It seemed to take forever. I couldn’t wait to eat Little Mexico’s burritos, tacos and nachos. After it opened, it took about a week for me to get in since the supportive crowds filled the restaurant day after day. My friends and I finally made it in.

Unfortunately, the food didn’t live up to my lofty expectations. The salsa was watery and lacked kick. The chicken on my Nachos Fajitas ($8.99) was extremely dry. And the new main dining area, which I absolutely love from the outside, was loud and crowded making any conversation difficult. The beautiful murals are back, but the new dining area lacks the comfort and character of the old.

I chalked my disappointing first visit up to grand re-opening stress. The salsa would return to form, the pressure on the cooks would ease up and my Little Mexico would be its old self once the owners ironed out the kinks. It is not easy feeding hoards of people, I reasoned. Once the crowds thinned, it would be back to normal.

And in some ways, it is back to normal — almost too much so. The menu is exactly the same. The salsa cups are exactly the same. Everything is the same. Part of me is glad they didn’t change a thing, but part of me wishes they would have taken a few chances and added a few new dishes to the mix. They didn’t.

I returned a few weeks later with a friend. Though it was nearly 1:30 p.m. when we arrived for lunch, it was still packed. This time, the salsa was a little thicker, but it was still bland. I decided to try lunch #8 — Two Mini Wet Burritos with steak ($6.99). Again, the beef was incredibly dry. My friend ordered #6 — Two Flautas ($6.99). His turned out to be as dry as mine.

We sat in the old section in back with the chunky carved wood chairs and stained glass windows. The warm comfortable setting was much better than the new dining room. The food was just as bad the second time as it was the first.

I so wanted to believe Little Mexico could return to its old form, so I went back a third time. This time, it was so busy my lunch partner and I couldn’t get a table at all. So we headed across the street to Maggie’s Kitchen, another West Side favorite that serves traditional Mexican food. The two tostada plate was outstanding.

That’s when I realized that Little Mexico hadn’t really changed. But I sure had. I visited Maggie’s Kitchen and El Granjero (just down Bridge Street at the corner of Lane Avenue) often while Little Mexico was closed. Though I loved both of them before Little Mexico burned down, I found that I liked them a lot better than Little Mexico after it reopened.

El Granjero and Maggie’s Kitchen simply have better Mexican food than Little Mexico. Still, the mobs continue to pour into Little Mexico. Next time you are standing in line for lunch at Little Mexico, do yourself a favor: Have the hostess cross your name off the waiting list and head across or down the street to either Maggie’s Kitchen or El Granjero. As a long-time fan of Little Mexico, it pains me to say it, but when it comes to Mexican food on Bridge Street, Little Mexico comes in third.

That being said, I’m glad Little Mexico is back and I salute the owners for persevering and doing such a beautiful job of rebuilding on the same site. I’ll continue to eat there and support the family. I just hope the food begins to match my lofty expectations.

Little Mexico Café  ( Rating: out of 5 )

Where: 401 Stocking St. NW
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
Ambiance: loud in the new dining room; cozy in the old
How much will it cost you: about $7 for lunch; up to $19.95 for lobster and shrimp fajitas for dinner
Credit cards: All major
Alcohol: Yes
Reservations: Yes
Contact: 616-456-0517