The place is absolutely a vibe! But the staff is rude. My first time there, I had a reservation for party of 20. When we arrived we didn't get seated until 30 minutes later. They had to find us chairs. Some of the chairs were fold out lawn chairs. Couple of the men staff told us, "If anyone in our party get up from the table, for more then 5 minutes, they would remove the chairs to give to other guests." My second time there - July of 2024. We had another reservation for 20. They told us they couldn't sit us until 90% of our guest were there. They will give us 15 minutes to allow them to arrive. If not, they can go ahead and sit whoever were there. AND once we get seated, the clocks start ticking! Meaning, they only give each party 90 minutes to eat in there! SHOCKER! They said, as soon as we sit down, the clock starts ticking. I asked the young guy, when did that policy come about, the lady intervened, was rude and said, "I changed it, this March" rolled her eyes and walked away. We cancelled our reservation immediately! I wouldn't recommend this place for a large party. read more

Everything was amazing ! My daughter had the best Birthday ever ! We will most definitely book again

I was there this pass Saturday with 3 of my friends. We ordered 2 Chicken Quesadillas and 2 Shrimp Fajitas. I recommended this restaurant to my friend. I even told the Manager that I was praising this place and the service was horrible. They were all soggy when they were brought out to us. We politely asked the owner and manager if they could just remake the food because none of it was edible. Management offered to reheat it on the grill which is unsanitary. I worked in food safety for 30 years so this was off-putting to hear. I asked the manager would he eat the food present and he never responded. The waiter was very nice and apologized for the inconvenience. Anyone that might have issues, be cautious with your orders because management was rude and refused to accommodate us for the trouble. I will never eat at this place AGAIN! read more

This place is horrible!!! The customer service is terrible. You make reservations and when you check in they tell you it will be 1 1/2 to 2 hour wait while they seat people that come up after you with later reservations and/or no reservations. They feel that you should not questions them about the seating reservations at all. This was racism in it pure form. The host tell you that even though the seat can only be reserved for 90 minutes but no one holds the patrons to that 90 minutes. Everyone that works there is RUDE and act as if they are giving you an experience and you should not question them or complain about nothing. They want you to beg them to be in there establishment. The place is very crowded, very smoky and very loud. One of the managers, got upset because he got bumped, confronted me a 5'3 women like I was a man and didn't think my husband and son was. showing to get upset. We decided to leave this horrible place and not give them our money. Please don't waste you time or money at this fake Miami restaurant/club environment. read more

Food and service was excellent! I celebrated my birthday and my waitress made sure that I was included in every part of the celebration. She constantly checked in on me and my party. I definitely look forward to experiencing this service again. read more

Food was good! Loved our server Paola, she was so nice and so much fun! Will definitely return

To whom it may concern, I was a guest at your restaurant, and one of your staff pushed me when I was only going to the bathroom. And claimed I pushed him when the only thing I was doing was walking around him. This is not the first time one of your staff has treated me poorly. There was another time when one of the waiters ignored any requests I had and went straight to my friend just because he was Latino. Now I think the restaurant does not welcome other cultural backgrounds. And I'm not against protesting establishments that are not accepting of others. Also, Don't order the rye bye tacos, just a disappointment. It's just some tiny piece of meat with some cheese on it. Not all that juicy and not what you are expecting at all. Also, the rib eye tacos leave an aftertaste in your mouth. Other than that, the place is excellent. This is just a preview of the ribeye tacos. Waiters or hosts will push you if you bump into them and mistreat them if they have a terrible day. The worst place have ever been to; would recommend not coming here. Drinks are overpriced. And have been there twice already, day and noticed something they only like serving Latinx people anyone else they treat with disrespect. read more

La Buena Vida - Raleigh - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We came here today for the first time at 2:35 pm we got seat fast. We left that place at almost 3 pm and no one not a single employee told us nothing, not even water. We wait and wait and nothing. Good job there. read more

Food was amazing and our server Vivian was absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend anybody is who looking for good food and good vibes.

READDDD Loved it, food and drinks were, and always are great. Only thing that bothered me was a waitress (Spanish speaking female) trying to sell us ANOTHER airplane with shots. (After we had already purchased one for $80 so there was NO deal or special"! ALSO PURCHASED 2-3 Individual drinks for each). My table did not agree on purchasing another one due to the fact that we ALL HAD TO DRIVE HOME and NOT THE PRICE.. She proceeded to comment "yall shouldn't leave your house without money" on the solemn fact that we negated them because we were being RESPONSIBLE ADULTS and NOT DRINKING AND DRIVING. SO, La Buena Vida please fix your staffs mentality and help them understand that people go to eat and have a good time, NOT get fucked up (NOT EVERYONE THAT GOES). Please work with them because The next time someone says that they're getting socked. read more

Food is amazing. Great service from Paola. David was also very kind. Thanks for our second great dinner.

1. You MUST have a reservation. You should dress nicer to fit in. 2. The music is so loud you cant hear your server, or people you are dining with. Its literally a club in there. Im in my 50's and found it to be too much to wind down. 3. Menu is expensive and difficult to read and understand. I had numerous questions for my waiter but couldnt even hear him due to the music. Food is good, not outstanding, but good. Ok portions. Presented very nicely. 4. The drinks are expensive but made exceptionally well. My Palomas were 13.00 each. 5. When checking out they do not give you a reciept... they show you the small order pad they use. So you have to really trust they didnt over charge you. Its hard to see. The other thing is that the price INCLUDES the gratuity built in. My waiter showed me another screen that looked like a tip screen, so i tipped him...NOT REALIZING the gratuity was already built in!! He got a 34.00 tip essentially. When i looked at my paper reciept i got angry, but was already home. Not cool. 6. My suggestions: lower the music so people can hear, give paper or readable reciept...and inform the customer the tip was already added in the price and work the menu to more user friendly descriptions and or pictures. 7. I may try 1 more time, but if its the same experience i would be very reluctant to recommend. Shame, because it is a cool place. Has potential. read more

We came on a Saturday night. It was busy which is great for y'all but please do not seat all patrons if you can not serve in an appropriate manner. Drinks took forever and some never even came. When food came out only one entree came with the rice and beans as notated on the menu and the meats in the tacos were all fat. Gross! When asked waitress said she'd check on it and never came back. Had to go look for her to pay the bill so we can just leave already. The drinks we never got was on there. Goodness! Not a good night there. read more

Very good time. Paola was very nice and attentive. I would come back............................................

Generally pretty good except we were given churros we didn't order after we asked for the check. And I saw the hostess pick up a cloth that had fallen on the floor and pick it up and put it back on the hostess stand. Food and service were good. I didn't realize that flautas were fried. Music was a little loud but not unbearable. We thought it was closed because door wouldn't open. Hostess came out and said there was a problem with the door. Edit: They wanted to charge $19 for churros? I said NO. We didn't ask for them. read more

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY !!! The menu was horrible, the drinks was trash. This place is definitely over rated & over hyped!

Scam artists. They added an 18 percent tip at the BAR and then don't tell you and allow you to tip twice. The food was average quality and incredibly overpriced. The cost for 2 shots and a beer was literally $60. Avoid this place at all costs. I can't imagine they'll last long since they've only been open for a month and they've ripped off most of their new customers. Amazingly horrible business decision. read more

This place is somewhere you go for good vibes, good drinks, and good food. Friday or Saturday night they have the music blasting and the drinks flowing. It was a great experience and every server and bartender was sweet. They also have a really cute aesthetic. read more

Would be fun with adults (on the younger side) but was awful with kids and my older mother. We went for Mother's Day dinner at 5:15 and it was as loud as a college night club. We left before we could even eat. read more

Wife and I popped in here recently for a very early dinner. Had heard good things about the food and another restaurant started by this group. My wife said her meal was ok but I really liked mine as it was authentic and very tasty and excited to come back and try other dishes. I brushed off reviews about low seats and loud music - though true - because didn't and still don't care that much about those things. So why a low review? Well I should have put more time into the reviews because later saw others mention this. When the bill came there's no paper bill. The waitress came with a handheld device - and without showing me numbers simply asked if I wanted to "leave a cash tip or a tip" (exact words). So, of course I said yes so she got the tip screen up and then gave me the machine. As we left I thought "that was more than I expected" but we were in a hurry so didn't think much more. Fortunately, I had entered my email address for a receipt and took a look later. They had already added an 18% tip and she failed to mention that. I'm completely convinced by the way the situation was handled - and then hearing that others recount similar experiences - that this was not a mistake or an oversight, but intentional. Management needs to nip this behavior in the bud. read more

Food was good, service was good but extremely expensive for basic Mexican. There are other places that are better for sure.

Great food! Great atmosphere! Fun! The staff is great! It's like a big party! Bring your girls!

My friend and I opted to dine in as a party of two, but we were surprised to find an 18% gratuity added to our bill because we spent over $100. Typically, gratuity is only charged for parties of 6 or more, so I'm disappointed by this experience and won't be returning. read more

The ambiance and energy of this place is great, however, that means nothing to me if the food and service are poor. Several people at my table had problems with their food. I ordered a chicken quesadilla that came out to the table wet/soggy. I asked to just take it off and then a manager was brought over to say that they don't take food off of the ticket and that they wouldn't remake the quesadilla. She offered to take my soggy quesadilla and put it back on the grill, which I absolutely would not do. Then I asked for a cup of ice and the waitress said she would have to charge me for the ice. I told her don't worry about it and asked for a to go box. When she returned, she threw the box on the table with 3 cups of ice with as much of a nice-nasty attitude as she could tolerate. I informed the manager that they would never have me as a customer again. The other person at my table did send her food back, but said she would take it home and feed it to her dog. read more

We (2 people) were charged 20% large party fee. They don't give you a printed receipt and hover while you pay and tip through a mobile device (uncomfortable and ackward). So we ended up tipping 45% without realizing it. To leave an even more bitter taste, there is no way to contact them. No phone number, website url doesn't work, Instagram link in WRAL article is dead. Couldn't make drinks other than what's on the menu. Drinks are on the small side but tasty. Cute custom pottery dinnerware. Food was not as memorable as we expected, especially for the price, but it was fine. Seemed fresh/homemade but beef in tacos was chewy. We weren't particularly in the mood for seafood, especially not crab/shrimp/scallops which seemed to be the main selection. If I recall correctly, seafood was the largest section of the menu. Otherwise not many options if you want something on the less heavy side. Most options are fried/heavy on cheese/red meat. No salads. Felt more expensive the old downtown Jose & Sons (RIP) which I always liked. read more

It was mediocre at best. There was the lights flashing and loud music. Food was tasteless and drinks were subpar.

I fell as though writing this place down as 3 stars defeats the purpose but if you don't know what you're in for you won't enjoy it. And I didn't really. The food was good the service was apathetic but they were busy I don't blame them. I was brought here for a friends birthday and wasn't anticipating the loud music and the dark room. Would I go out of my way for an establishment like this? No. Should you? Yes! I think if this is your type of space then go for it. Unfortunately it just simply isn't for me. Tread with caution. read more

I really like the vibe in here!! The food was delicious, and I appreciated how many options there were. Even though they weren't very busy, service was slow. The drinks were fire!! read more

if i could rate this 0 starts i absolutely would. we asked for them to remake the steak because it tasted like rubber and they refused to remake it and then made us pay for it. really bad experience and wouldn't recommend anyone coming here. they also move so slow for it to have been only 7 people in the building. good drinks though! read more

Wonderful food and atmosphere! Great place to go out to dinner! The drinks are also amazing!

This place is amazing! Y'all need to check it out. Good food, amazing drinks, and great vibe

This place is a great addition to Raleigh, it's fun, live, the music is great and our server was the best! The food is excellent, drinks are creative and next level. It's like going to dinner and getting a show along with it. read more

everyone was nice and our server Vivian so sweet. Great place to chill, eat and have a good tim.

My friends and I had brunch here and it was a great experience. Our waitress Patty was awesome and very attentive. Our drinks were delightful and appetizers and food came out in a timely manner. I didn't give five stars just because we couldn't pay separately. We've been here a couple times and prior to today we were able to pay our own tabs. Not a big deal but changes in like two months caught us off guard. read more

We like this place for the music. We were told the wait is 60-90 minutes. However it ended up being 3 hours. September 16th, 2023

We were looking forward to having some authentic Mexican food and the menu shows lots of interesting choices. I had read the reviews about it being too loud and it definitely was. Some people have mentioned no phone number but there is a way to chat with them which I did and made a reservation. Our table was ready when we arrived. I liked the decor and vibe of the place. We decided to leave after getting our drinks because of the noise level. I hope to return in the future hopefully with a quieter experience. I have attached photos of the menu. Yes, they add 18% which is clearly stated on the menu. read more

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Horrible experience!!! 1/10 and the 1 is only because the water was good. Waiter rushed the entire time taking our orders. We constantly asked for extra napkins and water and it was never received. It was my cousin's birthday and we all ordered drinks. The drinks never came and when we told him to forget about it, he said they were sitting at the bar waiting to be brought to the table. On top of that, we paid $80 for the airplane shot show. The shots were watered down and the show was extremely rushed. I wouldn't recommend coming here, especially for a special occasion! read more

Do not go if you are anything other than Hispanic! Service is trash and utterly disrespectful. After waiting over 2 hours of not being seated, it was very distasteful to watch the staff/management disregard the waitlist and seat only those of Hispanic descent. We left, and never even received a text saying our table was ready after being told multiple times that "we were up close to being seated". The place appeared to be a lively establishment, however there is overt discrimination. read more

I was never able to label a restaurant a 10/10 but this establishment exceeded my expectations. Our server Angie, was attentive to our needs and made sure we had a great dining experience. She was simply an amazing server. Would definitely recommend anyone who is thinking of coming, to do so, you will not be disappointed. read more

Best place to have great food and a great time! I would highly recommend for a girls night out or date night.