Terrible service and "named called 'bad' to me when they incorrectly charged everyone in a group and told me to fix it. They told me to figure it out. Even though the food was decent, they were horribly rude to our entire group. Would never recommend this place. read more

I am writing a new/updated review about La Buena Vida. This is my go-to Mexican restaurant. Their lunch specials are awesome and the Cadillac margarita is the bomb! The *best* margarita I've had since moving to Colorado last year. I adore the staff! Melissa, Lilly & Cesar are top of the list but the rest of the team is also wonderful! (I've forgotten a couple of their names). Coming from San Diego, I am pretty picky about Mexican food and margarita's. Great job on the improvements! read more

I wish I could give them a 0. I ordered pick up and this is how my food was served. They also forgot one of our plates. When I called and told them about our issue, the manager was very rude and told us that it was our fault the plates were messed up and that it's "too bad we missed a plate". We held the plates upright for the 30 second drive we had and made sure they were not leaning or turned upside down. Horrible service, horrible food and horrible customer service. read more

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The ambience was not too bad. Though there were lots of kids when I was there for lunch. Food flavor was so-so. Not typical Mexican food. The me menu said they had green chile but it really was a tomatillo sauce that was too salty. Chips were nice and warm but too thick for my taste. Salsa was a bit too watery but OK flavor. Waitress was very helpful. read more

La Buena Vida - Shredded pork burrito with black beans and rice. - Mexican Near Me - Fort Collins, Colorado

Fun place to spend National Margarita Day! Margs and chips/salsa was delicious. Service and food were both good but I wished our portions were a bit bigger. Will be back! read more

La Buena Vida - Mexican Near Me - Fort Collins, Colorado

This is our favorite place to eat in town. The food is always good and the people are great. Don't mis out on the chili verde

One of the worst experiences I've ever had in a restaurant period. From the start our server, in a terrible hurry, got our drinks mixed up and could not get it straight. One friend had to go to the bar to get her drink finally. Food was so-so. When the bill came it was such a fiasco for our group of 8, they said it was our problem to fix and got angry with us. The manager, server and who ever the other woman was, were all incredibly incompetent and rude. Never will I go there again. The food wasn't even that good. Stay away. read more

We were seated for 15 minutes before we were even acknowledged. They said they would be back to get our order and still had to wait another 5-10 minutes. Finally got our drinks and ordered food because we weren't sure how long we would have to wait for them to come back. Brought our bill without even checking on us to see if we were doing ok or wanted anything else. We still were planning to get another drink. The food was actually very good. We got the bill and they had charged us for an extra $17 meal. The place was not busy, but people were scattered all over. When we complained to the manager he said he would take what we had to say in consideration. What?? I've never complained about a place and wrote a review but it really was that bad. Sadly the food was very good but the service and manager really put a damper on our entire experience. Won't be going back! read more

If you want run-of-the-mill TexMex, this isn't the place for you. If you want to dine inside and have a conversation without shouting when the restaurant is full, this isn't the place for you. What I appreciated was the unique flavors of Michoacan, MX. I also appreciated the attentive service, even with a full restaurant. I also appreciated not being presented with a gigantic platter of food. The main drawback is the impossibility of having a conversation without shouting. Five of us got there just when the restaurant opened on a Sunday. Even before the room was full, the music was turned up too loud, and when the room filled up, it was impossible for us to hear each other. I would return if I were able to sit out on the patio but not if I have to eat inside. read more

I love this place and the vibe just kills it every time! BOGO margs and Chile rellenos y'all... don't sleep on this!!!

Great place. People were very nice and friendly. Food and margs were awesome! Will definitely be going back.

I've always been a fan of this place and usually everything is really good. Tonight I thought I'd finally try their fish (tilapia), and it was awful. We did take out so were already home by the time I tried it, but if we'd dined in I definitely would have asked for something else. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food though. Just don't get the fish! read more

I've been eating at this place for a few years. First they had a great carne asada....now it's pounded so thin it's like dried out shoe leather, must be a money thing. So fine, stopped ordering that. Last week I ordered chicken enchiladas. It came stuffed with 90% cheese and a little meat. I told my waitress that my order was wrong and they were cheese enchiladas. She nicely took my food and then returned with the plate of food after 5 minutes saying that it is "correct". I spoke to the manager who was incredibly rude and said "It's always been that way,". I've ordered it several times in the past and it was NEVER stuffed with cheese, It certainly appears he was lying but he's a new face. I looked at the menu again to see if it said cheese comes inside all the enchiladas. It does not. So done with this place and the rude management. read more

After searching for a good Mexican restaurant in Fort Collins, I have finally found one! While not the cheapest place around, the food is well worth the price. And the margaritas are delicious (2 drink max because they are made strong). So far, my favorite meals are the shrimp in chipotle crema and chicken mole. My husband and I usually sit at the bar and we love the bartenders. The rustic feel of the restaurant is also something that keeps us coming back again and again! read more

Food was not good and small portions, the music is so loud it's hard to have a conversation. Even in the men's restroom it was blasting. Waited a long time for our food, server was polite, drinks were okay, pricey for the the food and tortillas aren't even homemade. read more

Salsa was very disappointing very salty with no other flavors . Second no Horchata Mexican restaurant with out Horchata ? No crispy chilireeno ? You have to get a soft one so you decide on that . I ordered dinner portion of the carnitas had good flavor but to come with pickled onion and caned jalapeño seemed weird to me and went in used . So all in all I will not be returning. Ok I'll read more

Not bad. The restaurant itself is nice, the service is good. The food is decent, but very much different from what I'm used to (coming from another state). The prices are a little high for the portions you get. Do try to go on either ladies night or mens night and get 2 for 1 margaritas. The Cadillac Margarita will knock you off your feet. I reccomend the chile rellenos. read more

If you like Chile Rellenos of all kinds - this place has one of my faves - it's a huge roasted Poblano non-battered with killer sauce - very authentic, flavorful and satisfying. I got a single cheese relleno dinner plate that had plenty of food and cheap $9. read more

This so called "margarita bar" refused to make a margarita to my specifications. I requested that one ingredient be left out so the drink would not be so sweet and sugary. The only way they would consider making it that way was for me to upgrade to a margarita that was $6 more! In all fairness the food and service were decent. But, to be so rude as to not accommodate a very simple request with regard to my drink is enough for me not to return read more

Loved, loved, loved our dinner there! My hubby had the quail at the other location and recommended I get it and I was floored at how delicious and perfectly prepared it was. We had other great entrees as well but the quail was my favorite hands down. Good margaritas, nice ambiance! Will be going there when we return to FoCo, which is often!! read more

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Tonight I was truly disappointed. I've been coming here for years. Dry busy since ladies night. I wanted 1 enchilada, but he didn't write it down, so was charged for 2. Extra for onion? We tried to talk to a manager, but they were too busy, so I said I'd just pay i they could have taken at least $8-9 off. But, they just lost my business, and I've told many people about this place. Was not up to par tonight, very disappointed. I will be going elsewhere. Plenty of waitstaff, maybe they could write down the orders. read more

Excellent food and service. Just happened to be in the area. Looks like fresh made in house.

I'm a little disappointed. We come here almost every week or every other week. The food is pretty good but the wait service is bad. We had the same wait person the last two times. The last time it was understandable because she was busy. This time though, we got our order later than the people across from us who were just seated. I think she realized she hadn't gotten our order after she checked the computer. And the restaurant wasn't busy enough for her to forget to get our food order. It wouldn't have mattered if we weren't hungry. But I was. read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant in town. Service is always prompt and everyone is so nice. The food is always delicious and cooked to perfection. read more

I used to love this place, very good margaritas, even better on 2 of 1 nights .......but, the prices are insane. No decent meal under $17. I had carnitas the other night and not much meat, lots of beans and just blah for $17 read more

For the price, I expected much better. The tortillas were store bought, the chicken burrito was very small, the filling was black beans and chicken only. Overall the food was bland and waaaaay overpriced. We ordered the chicken burrito, and recieved a taco sized "burrito" with a little bit of beans and rice for $12. My son ordered the carnitas burrito, which was dry, and had to have half the tortilla removed, also $12. The salsa and green sauce were the only saving grace. This was a one trip restaurant. We will not be back. read more

We eat here once a week and love the service until tonight.. we ordered fajitas like we always do. The sever Carlos was absolutely the worst server ever. I was a server for 10 years and I know what to do. We got our fajitas and the beef had so much gristle you could not fn chew it. He never made a pass by which is supposed to be 2 minutes later. So when he finally came by I complained about the meat he said well you ate all the meat. Which I had several pieces on my plate that I could not fn. chew. I said you never came by to check on us and he argued with me!! That right there is bull shit. I asked to speak to a manager and his comment was he's busy. I'm like that's fn crap. What management on duty don't try and make it right ! Until tonight this was our favorite place. Except for tonight I love this place. If you ever get Carlos ask for a different server. I'm so mad rt now I could spit nails. read more

overpriced and small portions. not worth it. call me a gringo but I'll take my money to Chipotle.

Lunch 2/23/21. Had the carne asada burrito with a side of red sauce; $11 for the burrito and $1.50 extra for the red sauce (which was incredible). Nice clean place and good atmosphere. Friendly staff. The pre-meal chips and salsa were fine, you get a delicious traditional red salsa and also a guacamole dip. The burrito came with beans and rice. The burrito was fine but nothing special, just average tasting. It was very small. The beans and rice were of average taste too and also were of very, very small portions. This was a disappointment considering the price tag. 3 Stars as the quality of food is quite similar to Casa Bonita. In summary, this place is far too expensive for average Mexican food. read more

Good service and ambiance. I had the Pollo con crema, and it was okay. I'll try a seafood dish next time, since this place is billed as having michoacán style cuisine. read more

La Buena Vida - Dining area/ bar - Mexican Near Me - Fort Collins, Colorado

Best Mexican food in Fort Collins. These people take care of you in every way! The food is top-quality, I have tried close to everything on the menu and have yet to find a single thing I didn't think was delicious. The carne asada and shrimp dishes are always a knockout. Top anything with their white poblano sauce and your tastebuds will bow down to you. The service is always great, Luis is often our server and he is just the best. He makes our Buena Vida visits fun and memorable! We LOVE this place! Highly recommended. read more

I'm traveling on business and chose this place based on proximity to the hotel and the Yelp ratings. The salsa is a bit unusual, but great. Decent heat without being just peppered tomato's. The meal came out a little quick, usually giving me concern, but it was fresh. I had the Carnitas and they are excellent! Very flavorful, interesting spice mix, and not dry in the slightest. The black bean refries are my least favorite on the plate yet still enjoyable. They serve it with a pickled jalapeño & onion, coupled with a small sample of guacamole that finish this off perfectly. Portion size is good for the cost and quality overall. Refreshingly, the meal isn't drowned in cheese toppings and is listed as a GF plate. I chose a margarita for dinner and wasn't disappointed here either. While a bit expensive, it was flavorful and mixes well. None of the ingredients overpowered the other and it sat nice. Maybe a bit on the expensive side, but these aren't the Margs that you drink to get buzzed on. Great Compliment to the meal overall. read more

This is by far my favorite restaurant in Fort Collins. I travel across the country for work, and every time I'm in town, I make it a point to stop here. This is actually my second time this week. The salsa is fantastic. I personally love the habanero one. It has a great kick to it. Tonight I got the pollo ala Parilla with the house marinade and it's absolutely fantastic. The guac that comes with it is lime heavy, but it compliments everything wonderfully. The black beans that come with the meal are some of the best beans I've ever had as well. Will continue to support this place as long as I can and every time I'm in Fort Collins I will still stop here! read more

Super busy here and we know why! It's delicious and great service. The only problem is the wait. But, like most of FC these days, that's normal. Does no one cook at home anymore? With food this good, why would you. read more

My wife and I are here from AZ for our daughter's DVM graduation and saw La Buena Vida close by . Both of us had the lunch combination and muy delicioso! Staff were all very nice too. Highly recommend. read more

How can a restaurant open for lunch...but not open until 12 noon? Weird. Once inside, my enchilada was premade, almost cold, and tough. This used to be my fav Mexican restaurant but I won't be going back. Something has gone very wrong here. read more

Was a good neighborhood Mexican restaurant/bar for a time and we've been regulars, but the last three times we've gone, they've gotten our orders wrong and the food has been cold, with terrible customer service. Talked to the owner this last time to try to provide honest feedback and his incompetence was clear from the time he approached our table without even introducing himself. When I explained our situation, he didn't even offer an apology and simply asked if we'd like him to take something off of our bill. I really don't want to see this place fail but customer service is lost in the owner and his poor staff can only do so much. This is no Los Tarascos (also owned by the Caballero family) and unless they bring in new management, it's doomed to fail. Other notes - they've also started to skimp on portions, cut back the salsa from 3 flavors to 2 and they fill margarita glasses with way too much ice. Clearly something is going wrong here, it'll be closed in the next year or two at this rate. read more

I think this is my favorite Mexican restaurant in FOCO. I got their chicken tacos and they were great. They have this special cheese dip that you have to ask for which is fantastic. Salsa is sooooo yummy and everything tastes so fresh! Their margaritas are great and they have HH. Will definitely be going back! read more

So, we enjoyed eating at La Buena Vida before covid, thought we'd try their take out services. Too much bother! Would really benefit from an online menu system that allowed them to take orders and have the customer decide when to pick it up. It took me 6 calls to not get a busy signal, then, I was told I'd have to call back later if I wanted to have a specific time to pick up the food. In other words, I'd have to guess about what time I could call to get the food ready when I wanted to pick it up. Sheesh, too much bother! read more

These people were the rudest people I've ever met. They wouldn't accommodate us. We arrived at 9:15 (they close at 10:00) and she hostess said that none of the wait staff would serve us that late. 45 minutes before close. If you're not going to serve after 9:00, don't advertise that you're open until 10:00. We even called ahead to make sure! read more