Southside Mexican Standoff
I was inspired by this post from Anne Thomas Soffee of Parental Rites, where she mentions Mexico restaurant as a popular destination for the family and specifically “The Boy”®. Now I want to see which of our two Mexican restaurants is most popular. Do you go for the local chain Mexico or the stand alone Cielito Lindo? Make your selection in the poll above. We lost Moe’s this year but I wouldn’t have included them in the poll because I hate it when they yell, “Welcome to Moe’s” as you walk in the door.
Mexico has the following going for it; tacos al pastor (they rock), carnita platter (rocking shredded pork) and more options. Cielito Lindo on it’s side has; better salsa, better beer selection, nicer outdoor seating, more authentic food. The menu is much smaller but in the end this cage match for me goes to Cielito Lindo.
As a side note the best authentic Mexican food that I have found in Richmond is La Milpa on Hull Street. While it is on the southside it is outside of what I consider the Hills and Heights area and thus not poll eligible. La Milpa is half market half restaurant and the food is incredible. I have also heard rumor of a taco van that is somewhere in the Manchester area that has some damn fine tacos.
Edit: This morning I found this post from Carmelized OpiNIONS of a far southside Mexican bakery, La Sabrosita on Midlothian. From the rave reviews I will have to try it out. A good empanada is a great thing.
Thanks for the ups, Richard! I should probably give Cielito Lindo another try. I’ve been a couple of times but it’s been a while. I remember the tres leches cake was really good. Mmmmm, tres leches cake. I should go tomorrow.
We love La Milpa too. My husband’s two younger brothers lived in Mexico for a couple of years and they turned us on to La Milpa as their favorite authentic spot when they came back.
As long as we’re mentioning South Side spots outside of H&H, we also like Don Jose in the shopping center at Turner & Hull.
I’ll be interested to see what else gets votes!
Never been to Don Jose will have to give it a try. Another place we like that would make my top 5 is Cafe Del Sol on broad but I heard rumor of it closing.
I love Cielto Lindo. I have taken out of town guests there and also go there for a special night out.
To me they are both very different places. Mexico is fine and we often eat lunch there, but CL is the king.
Ditto Citizen Tom…two very different places.
The folks at La Sobrosita Bakery are very friendly and they carry many traditional baked goods and groceries. If you go, check out Chicken Fiesta next door — also very friendly staff and great rotisserie chicken and sides. Don’t miss out on the beans and the fried yucca.
Every time I’ve been to Celito Lindo, I’ve been disappointed, but all of our friends RAVE about it. I’ll give it another try, anybody have suggestions for a never-fail dish?
I really like Cielito’s blackened chicken quesadilla. And their mole is good too. I really like the black bean and corn side dish they serve. It’s really savory.
Sherri: we LOVE chicken fiesta. It is the closest thing we’ve found here to the chicken we used to get up in NOVA from places like Pollo Rico. I’ve been keeping my eye on La Sobrosita Bakery, I hear that they have empanadas? Another delight we’ve not been able to locate down here easily. I often get a hankering for papusas as well. mmmm. I must be starving this morning!
Richard,
You may remember that, at one point, the western border of Virginia reached all the way to the Pacific. Using that logic, the southern border of the Hills and Heights area is North Carolina, so most of the restaurants mentioned qualify. I go for Garcia’s in Albuquerque or The Sopapailla Factory in Poquaque Pueblo.
We are recent converts to Mi Hacienda over on Midlothian. What a pleasant atmosphere, reliable cuisine and very cordial service. I was turned off Mexico once they started to charge for additional chips & salsa. Am now extremely intrigued by the bakery raves, so will stop by.
Mi Hacienda! my husband and I went on our first date there. He was nervous and drank too much sangria. There almost wasn’t a second date. Come to think of it, the second date was kind of a debacle too. How the hell did we ever make it this far? Fate. Gotta be.
I am a huge supporter of Cielito Lindo. I am vegetarian, and never dissapointed with their wonderful restaurant. My favorite dish would be the veggie quesodilla, so garlicky and delicious!
Tough call since they each have their strengths: Mexico is predictable, quick, generic but quite good. Cielito Lindo is unique, quirky, authentic, uneven service. I vote Cielito but only narrowly. And I agree with an earlier poster, my favorite local Mexican food is at Don Jose out 360 at Turner — the best of both worlds!
C-L also has fish tacos.
[...] restaurant go away and hope that a new tenant is quickly found. Cielito Lindo was the winner in our Southbank Mexican Standoff and usually seemed busy so I am curious to why they are putting it up for sale. If I hear anymore [...]