Little Mexico - Mattoon

I think the food is always really good, but when some of the staff openly complains about guests coming in “too late” within earshot during your entire meal it’s a little off putting to repeat guests. Believe me, I’m being generous. Her comments were really rude. I’d get it if I walked in 5 minutes til close, but with an hour left I didn’t that was too unreasonable. I work late and often can’t fix dinner when I get home so I stop in here to grab a quick meal and always tip well. Just didn’t sit right with me being talked about right next to me at the bar. I don’t typically even write bad reviews, but this little girl working was so off putting it really killed the vibe. Idk maybe that’s just me, but does any patron want to be made to feel that way when you frequent a business and tip well each time? Not really. I will say there are also a ton to really great people that work here that have always been so pleasant, and know me when I come in there. I guess that’s why this left experience this time left a real bad taste in my mouth. I’ll probably just skip stopping in next time.

Recommended by a local as authentic Provenance: Im from Texas, right next to Mexico! Where real Mexican food comes from. Every dish we were served here was LOADED with Oregano. I think it 's Italian fair trying to be Mexican food. The only thing mexicans put a lot of oregano in, is menudo. The beans were very dark, recooked too many times, tasted from a can no flavor. Rice was good. The service was fast and efficient but she couldn 't tell me what the sauce was made of for the enchiladas which was also full of oregano! Building itself is beautiful replica of a "city street ' in Mexico.

The decor was amazing. Cobblestone flooring to mimic a street, lamp posts, faux doors, all of it is absolutely stunning. I am absolutely enchanted with the decor.Our waiter was quick, speedy, and delightful. He got us chips and salsa within seconds of us sitting down. We never had to wait more than five minutes for anything.The prices and portions for the food were okay. The food itself was bland, but my husband is Mexican. Our standards are different than most people in our area. The place was full or nearly full the entire time we were there, so it is clearly popular.What the restaurant could improve is consistent treatment of customers. My husband and I walked in, asked to be seated, and instead were handed to menus. We asked what to do. The girl behind the counter just pointed and said, Sit wherever. I don 't care. While we were in the restaurant, three other parties were seated by the same hostess who just handed us the menus. Felt weird to us.

I don’t usually make reviews but this needs to be documented. Never in my 24 years of living have i ever experienced such an emotional rollercoaster at a Mexican restaurant. When we first walked in the atmosphere was immaculate. The best we’ve ever seen. And then the food came. When they brought the chips and salsa they brought their “house dressing” which seemed like a yum-yum style sauce which is extremely out of place…odd, yes, but it tasted alright. Then there’s the salsa itself. The salsa was excessively bitter (bad onions? so we tried all of them, and had the same issue. Both of the entrees were riddled with more bad onions (believe me, they were bad. I love onions. , a portion of one entree was made wrong and needed remade, then when i got a side of guacamole- after it was initially forgotten- it was just a goopy green mass sitting in brown liquid… we wanted to like this place so badly but ended up disappointed. The fantastic decor/ambiance paired with the bottom barrel food makes for a huge missed opportunity! Don’t fall for this hucksters crutch.

The hard shell tacos are amazing, and so is the salsa!