An excellent, clean, and quaint place. They serve awesome huevos rancheros! (They seem to open at 11am though.) Having lived in San Diego, I agree that this IS generally authentic. The cooks seem to care, and to use fresh ingredients. read more

My wife and I have driven by this place for years and this afternoon we finally stopped in. My wife ordered chicken with mole and I had pork with mole. Both dishes were excellent. Maybe one of the best mole sauces I have ever tasted. I get the impression the cooks love what they are doing and it comes out in the flavors. read more

Esperanza is a solid choice for a good place to eat in South Bend. It's not a fancy Mexican restaurant, and it's not a delectable taqueria. It's just a really humble sit-down restaurant that serves some pretty good food. A lot of people I knew from Notre Dame didn't like this place, and I think that had to do with the fact that many of these people were from Texas and expected Texas-style Mexican food. Being from Southern California, I found the food pretty familiar, although it wasn't exactly like anything in L.A. The service can be ridiculously slow depending on how crowded the place is and how many people are working, but the prices are great, and the food is solidly good. read more

The food is very good, the prices are very reasonable. They weren't that busy and our drinks weren't refilled as often as we had hoped and my date had a lot left out that we paid for. The staff was courteous and friendly. It feels very authentic and homey. This should be a 3 star review butttt, the queso blanco dip was the best I've had in 10 years. Must buy, very affordable with complementary homemade corn tortilla chips. Homemade salsa wasn't bad either. read more

Not impressed. It had been a few years since I had eaten here so my parents and I went on a Sunday around 4pm. The owner served us, she dropped half of our food off and said "I'll be right back", then walked directly over to a booth that appeared to be her friends/family members and talked with them for a few minutes before she mozied on into the kitchen to get the rest of our food. My dad began eating his food with his hands because he had no silverware. She then came to clear our plates while eating an apple that was in her hand. That was it for me. I got shrimp fajitas and there was a great portion of shrimp and the grilled peppers were great. Beans and rice were bland and it came with microscopic dollop of sour cream and guacamole. Not many vegetarian options on the menu at all. The food I can get over but the service I cannot. Won't be back. read more

This is my long time favorite Mexican restaurant in South Bend. The food is authentic, and always delightful. The portions are generous and made to order if you ask. Don't miss the special board on the way in, as it often has items not on the regular menu. The prices are very reasonable, and the staff is fun. The service is also authentic and traditional, and can be slow at times. Don't let that fool you, it's worth the wait. I am not a foodie, but I like food, and the food at La Esperanza is good. read more

Not great but then again I wouldn't refuse to go back. Nothing is luring me back for dinner, but it somewhat satisfied a craving that myself and friends had for Mexican while in South Bend for work. I didn't try it, but the Margarita was undrinkable by a co-worker (who isn't afraid of cocktails). He quickly switched to beer. The owner seemed very nice and was very attentive / friendly compared to our "assigned" waiter. I'm not rushing to go back but haven't found anywhere in South Bend to meet our Mexican cravings (yet)... I will tell you that while the chips were greasy, the salsa was delicious. :) read more

2 1/2 Stars The place has decent chips and salsa and the food wasn't offensive. If I am weighting my vote for South Bend Mexican food then this is a 3 1/2 or 4 star place because it is certainly better than most in the Bend, but not anything like you'll find in the Southwest. read more

You know the old saying. If you meet a nice Mexican restaurant, marry it, move to Florida with it and enjoy a fairly nice upper middle class life together. It's time you should meet the Mexican restaurant of your dreams read more

Pretty average mexican food, serviceis always friendly. I recommend the carnitas. They offer some decent drink specials. read more

For our area, this is a pretty good Mexican restaurant. Some menu items are better than others I've come to find out. I will probably never order the chile relleno there again. It was like it was two days old and microwaved like leftovers, completely deflated and soggy with no taste. It was the special one night so I thought I would try it. I do love their quesadillas, but it's not like that dish could really be screwed up. Their fajitas were pretty darn good. I like the way the meat is marinated and the veggies are firm but tender. I think my favorite part about this place is their salsa and their margaritas. Their salsa just has this really nice spicy flavor. It's a lot spicier than most Mexican places I've been to. Their margarita are very fairly price and you get a big glass. You might want to share it because it packs a punch. I usually get it on the rocks. I don't know if it's made fresh or with a mix, but I think I can taste real lime juice. I really like the waitstaff too. They are nice and attentive. Sometimes they get swamped and service is not as quick but that's okay. I like the owner a lot, he always stops by his patron's tables and ask them how everything is. I'll go back from time to time. read more

I wanted to like this place. Heck, I wanted to love this place because I could walk here from my house. It wasn't love at bite but I thought maybe it would get better. We started with the nachos, they were loaded but there were so many cold things that it instantly made the cheese cold. The chips didn't seem home made either. We got the nachos with beef and it was a weird texture, a little like wet paper. I ordered the chimichanga, with beef. Hue regrets. After the wet paper beef on the nachos, I was dreading it before it came out. This time everything was really hot and fresh but that didn't make up for the taste. I didn't finish my meal because it just wasn't sitting right. Later that night, everything came back up. It was horrible. My husband got a burrito with chicken that he was at least able to finish. It looked pretty ok, the tortilla didn't look like it had been warmed before they filled it and to me that's an important part of making a burrito. He felt fine until the next morning and it came back with a vengeance. Our waiter was nice. He's was young and swamped. I believe the owner seated us and I didn't like him. He was a little pushy and loud. The restaurant was really decorated but almost over the top. Things didn't really match and it wasn't cohesive. I honestly couldn't even tell you if they sold booze, that might have made it a little more enjoyable. After this experience we will not be walking from our house to grab dinner and we will not be encouraging anyone we know to eat here. read more

Best mexican restaurant in SouthBend. Clean and great service. Food is tasty and delicious! read more

La Esperanza - Mexican Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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Love the food and the servers. You can even get beautiful handmade dresses in this great Mexican restaurant. read more

La Esperanza - This is the best Mexican food in South Bend. When I miss Texas this is my go to place. - Mexican Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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Stopped here based on recommendations my other reviews for my first time. The food was good. Good portions, good flavor, and enough in proportions. Service was ok typical for any Mexican restaurant. Had the chicken fajitas, very tasty, only complaint is I had to order sour cream, pico, and sauces separate. The champ of the hour is the salsa. It has a kick and was great with crispy chips. All in all 3.8 out of 5 for me. I'll come again. read more

This is a favorite place for me and my boyfriend. We might have a different experience there than most people, since my boyfriend is Mexican and always chats in Spanish with the waitstaff and owners - he seems to know them all. Even so, they're always accommodating with any special requests and I'm always very happy with their food. Last time I was there I had a gordita with chorizo and nopales (cactus). It was so good, I ordered a second! I was so stuffed! I really like their flan, as well. As one of the other reviewers comments as well, this is a great place to come with friends if you want to chat. I'm often looking for places to go right after working out - I have to find restaurants where it's ok for a bunch of sweaty people in gym clothes to all show up together, but which aren't sketchy or fast food. This is one of the places that really works. It's casual, but cozy and there's never loud music, so you can talk to each other easily. read more

I have eaten here a dozen times. I always order the same thing - choriqueso. I get it served in a totally different way each time. The last time when I was super explicit about what i wanted - chips with cheese and chorizo - they brought out something else entirely different and then argued with me about what it was. I will never eat here again. read more

Back when I was growing up in South Bend the only Mexican restaurants were Hacienda and Taco Bell. In a recent trip to visit family I discovered this wonderful mom and pop restaurant. The food was authentic, super fresh and tasty! The service was friendly and the owner even came around to greet us. I will be back for sure! read more

Amazing food, amazing and friendly staff and wow what an awesome selection of food variety. The chips and salsa are the best in town. Truly authentic Mexican restaurant. I really Can't wait to go back!! read more

Best Mexican food in South Bend, and they'll be happy to add spices to make it more authentic if you ask. I discovered this place during Senior Week of my final semester at Notre Dame, and was both ecstatic and crushed. Ecstatic because there actually was a good Mexican restaurant, and crushed because I didn't know about it essentially the whole time I was there. read more

The food here is really good. I especially enjoy the Mexican style burrito. Service is good to a point. They're great about seating you, taking your order, and bringing your food. Sadly, they've forgotten about us more than once when it came time for the check. This is not a deal breaker for me and I recommend La Esperanza without hesitation. read more

My food was good. My girlfriend's was not. The service sucked. Waited 15 mins for a water refill.

Great selection on their menu and good seafood options. Love their horchata and find their food to be pretty authentic.

Cold food and terrible service. We won't ever be back. There are lots of great options in the Mishawaka and South Bend area. This is definitely not one of them! We are so disappointed! read more

We ate there Saturday, September 12. I ordered a combination platter, cheese chili rellano and American taco with rice and beans. Queso blanco with chorizo as an appetizer, and my husband ordered the steak fajita burrito. We really like the food, but the service was not good. This is not the first time our service was slow. Our drink order didn't come out soon enough considering the chips and salsa was about gone. Once our meal arrived she checked back right away, but never refilled the drinks. We had to go up to the register for the bill. This was the first time I tipped only 10% and that was too generous. It had been awhile since our last meal and it will be awhile before we return. They need better wait staff. read more

Solid place for Mexican if you are like me and got transplanted to the Upper Midwest from a more Southern locale closer to the border. Their salsa tends to be a bit on the spicy side but not too bad. The staples are all good and the prices are reasonable. read more

Very friendly. Authentic Mexican food for an affordable meal. Great for a simple night out.

Go here if you want insanely good food for you and your friends and your family. Unbelievable enchiladas and tbh their whole menu is absolutely Rico (Delicious) read more

I have been coming since they opened they doors and am a huge fan. Food is always good and service is ecellent. Try the mole, Bistec Mexicana, Bitec Ranchero and the fish is very good. read more

Very friendly Staff. Great service. Good food at decent prices. Loved the Salsa. My BF loved the steak Fajitas. My Carne Asada was ok but a bit bland. Rice and Beans were good. Kid enjoyed their kids meal options. Would come here again if we were passing through. :) read more

Horrible service, never coming back. Waited so long, never got any chip refills, never asked us for drinks other than water. Don't go

this is a decent mexican restaurant. entrees are excellent and well priced. queso dip is ok at best. it is really good as an "add on" for fajitas or carnitas - not so good for just chips. salsa is good. chips go between awesome and terrible. no in between. read more

Not what I expected from a Mexican food place , meat was tough no season , cold. Not worth the price!

Food is very good. Service on the other hand is the worst! Tried it twice in case the first time was a fluke; sadly it wasnt. We were the only other table and waited forever for queso. I got up to ask for it again and the lady was rude. Someone walked in to ask for a donation, she came up front to talk to her while continuing to make us wait. Obviously they dont need our business. El Maguey in Elkhart is worth the extra drive and the food is better. Never again here. read more

I discovered this hidden gem a few years ago and boy was I missing out before that. Hacienda seems like a joke compared to this place. Everything they have is delicious and fresh but the nachos are absolutely amazing! That being said, get the nachos often! read more

Good, not great. Decent place to go when you need a Mexican food fix. Ordered the tamal meal and the two "tamales" were...teeny. They were maybe four inches long, two inches wide. They looked like they'd once been one tamale which got torn in two. Rice was okay, beans tasted off. Meh. read more

Somehow, every time I've gone here, I've thought: "This time, it will be different. This time, I'll have a good meal." I had the same attitude last Tuesday, when I went in for lunch. As always, I was a bit let down. I had a pork mole dish, but the pork was dry and bland, and the mole didn't seem like the mole I've had before. It was also a bit too thick and pasty. So it was a repeat experience of every other time. Passable food, but nothing really great. read more

Delicious food. We arrived and were immediately seated. Chips and salsa were quickly placed on our table. The salsa tasted fresh and light with medium heat. I ordered the chicken enchiladas and they were delicious. Tender chicken and delicious enchilada sauce. The food was not overly cheesy, greasy, or salty. Nice atmosphere. I'd return again. read more

I really want to like this place. It's a local restaurant close to the house with a wide variety of reasonably-priced menu items. I tried the place once last year and thought I would give it another try last week. I figure any place can have an off night, so I will usually give places a second chance. On the first visit, we had fish tacos and the seafood burrito. Both were fairly bland, our waitress was slow, and getting a drink refill took an extraordinary amount of time. When the waitress was around, she was pleasant and friendly enough, but just didn't seem particularly motivated that night. The restaurant was roughly halfway full that night. On the second visit, we had the carnitas en chipotle (shredded pork with chipotle sauce) and the carne asada. The carne asada was probably the best of the four dishes I've sampled there. It had a bit of tasty seasoning, but could have used a bit more. The pulled pork fell apart as slow-cooked pork does, but it had a hint of dryness about it as well. It was almost as if it had been reheated or left in a crockpot for a day or two too long. The chipotle sauce did have a small amount of kick to it, but overall, it was too sweet. Our waitress (different one) was very pleasant but also very slow and she never offered drink refills for our soda or water. The restaurant was only about 20% full and they seemed to have several staff on duty, so I'm not sure what the delays were. My husband and I thought the best way to describe this place was "mediocre at best." Again, we really want to like the place, but it's fallen short twice. Neither of us are particularly fussy eaters and are pretty easy to please when it comes to food, but unfortunately, La Esperanza doesn't meet our expectations. read more

Very good. Had chicken chimichangas, everything fresh and delicious. Ask for the hot sauce if you dare...I always do. read more

La Esperanza - Chips and all 4 of their dips appetizer....yum! - Mexican Near Me - South Bend, Indiana