I live right on top of a 'Mexican' restaurant and every time I go there it's due to sheer desperation for lack of good Mexican food in CNY. Every time I lament the fact I spent money to eat there... I had read that this was a good one on the 'Where Syracuse Eats' Facebook page, which can be a pit of snakes at times. I decided to bookmark it, as a 'just in case' I was ever passing through Waterloo. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when my mom and I walked in around 5:30-5:45 p.m. and not a soul was in the place. Apparently, people in Waterloo eat dinner around 6 p.m. so the place was popping as we were eating and then leaving. My mom is a vegetarian so we shared the vegetarian combo D plate. I ate the tostaguac and she had the enchilada, and we shared the rice. I normally find the rice at Mexican restaurants to be underwhelming, even at my favorite spot in Detroit. This was delicious and I ate it! (There may have been some debate on who should get the last few bites of rice!) I also ordered a side of their hot salsa. I think this was $2 but it was so good and so worth it. The regular salsa was fine but not spicy at all. Service was fast once we decided what to order. No pictures because I was too excited by an actual Mexican place within a reasonable distance from me! Skip the places in Syracuse and come to La Fiesta Brava! read more

Worst experience I've ever had. Seated given store bought chips and salsa and forgot about. No one came back to ask for a drink order or anything. We waited for over 20 minutes before we left. To their defense, they were totally overwhelmed. should've been their biggest moneymaker of the year Cinco de Mayo and they failed miserably. I'll never go back there. Was never really impressed with their food anyways this is no shape or form of authentic Mexican food. The ambience has much to be desired as well. It was a filthy dump. read more

Holy authentic food Batman!! we have been up here from Texas for about three months, and two things we've really been missing: 1. good barbecue, and 2.authentic Mexican food. Plus side, we're eating AMAZING Italian food we cannot find down south. We had tried a few places for Mexican, but, bleh. We were driving around sightseeing, and I saw this place on yelp and saw the great reviews. We were hesitant to try, but based on the reviews we had to give it a try. When we walked in and heard the employees speaking, Spanish, to each other and saw the huge selection of Jaritos, we had a modicum of hope. The menu was great and we chuckled at the pronunciation guide. (Of course I need a pronunciation guide for some of the amazing Italian food up here...mainly gnocchi! ) When they brought us our food, we were in heaven. I have been craving cheese enchiladas, and boy did they they delivered. My plate came with a crispy beef taco which was perfect...lots of wonderfully seasoned beef, great toppings and nice crispy shell. The two cheese enchiladas were wonderful, I will say the sauce was a little different than I'm used to (hard to describe, kind of a sweet tomato taste?) but it was still very good. The guacamole was PERFECT, and we asked for cilantro and onions , and they took care of us. If we were not going hiking after lunch, we would have tried one (or two) margaritas...they had a great selection; but we knew if we did we'd just want to take a nap in the truck. So if you are looking for REAL authentic Tex-mex, don't hesitate to give this place a try! read more

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we stopped by on our war from niagara fall to Ithaca (Cornell university). The food is so delicious and large, even the rice taste so good. Highly recommend to whoever coming to this small town. read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - this is the taco we ordered. Never had these delicious taco before. We are from California. - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

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NOT RECOMMENDED! The food was terrible. Nothing was made to order and was MICROWAVED! The combo Chile relleno, enchilada and taco combo all had the same canned sauce. My husband had the beef quesadilla and it wasn't a quesadilla at all. It wasn't a grilled tortilla with a cheese and beef filling, it was a small tortilla with beef inside and cheese on top. Because it came out of the microwave, the tortilla was soft and gummy read more

So glad I found this place considering there's not much to eat around here! The food tasted good but I got a little bellyache after (so did someone else I was eating with). Not saying it was because of the food but possibly. The waiter was nice, the place itself is pretty big and it follows Covid rules. read more

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Stopped for lunch and we were all impressed! Excellent food and really fast service. Plenty of available seating and nice decorations. Some music playing would have been nice, but overall a great experience. We enjoyed the pollo asada, chimichangas, and fajita burritos. read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

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Very good food. Not a very "clean" establishment by any stretch. But food portions were large and delicious . Servers were very attentive and friendly. Very affordable read more

Great Mexican food if you're looking for something GOOD to eat along I-90. Really nice people and warm atmosphere. We stop here every year now in our way through from PGH to New England. It's a few miles off the highway, but worth it! Good basic Mexican food by any standard. read more

I love this spot. Fresh, fast, authentic Mexican food. The chips and salsa is absolutely amazing. We have been coming in person for years- but most recently during Covid every 1-2 weeks. My husband loves their Pollo Asada and always gets a quart of salsa to go. I love the shrimp quesadillas-the queso they have is awesome. My daughter is a fan of the beef soft tacos. It has been so nice to have a local business keeping us fed and we absolutely love their food. read more

Excellent dinner at La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant in Waterloo, New York. We had excellent service and really great food in a nice environment. BTW, the portions are very generous too! I would definitely go back next time I'm in the area. read more

Good authentic Mexican food. We're visiting from the west and we enjoyed it. Carne asada tacos for the win. So much food and the price was more than reasonable. Employees are working fast and hard to deliver the food to the tables. read more

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Good Mexican food and the service is almost too attentive. Take-out is available, too.

We ate at La Fiesta Brava on Monday! I had a mango margarita and my sister had a strawberry margarita, sooo good . Our meals were huge and very delicious! Highly recommended! We will definitely be back! read more

Decided last minute to take a trip to the Waterloo Outlet Mall and spend most of the day there. When I arrived, I noticed I was starving so I decided to head here. I've been here a few times in the past when I would go pick up my brother from Cornell or to drop him off. We would stop by if we have the time to grab a quick lunch. I don't claim to be an expert on Mexican food, nor have I've gotten the pleasure to experience much of it. But what I can say is the food has been fantastic every single time. I find it very flavourful, and just simply delicious. The portions are generous, the staff are very kind people, and I wish they had a location closer to home that way I'd visit more often. From the tacos, the sizzling plates, and the dessert. You can't go wrong with anything here. I highly suggest if you have room after a great meal from here, you opt in for the flan. The flan here is phenomenal. read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - Guacamole, Beans, and Rice - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

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Amazing food! They have amazing nachos with queso and salsa to have before your meal. The best queso i've ever had!! I always get there quesadillas and they're the best! read more

It's a lovely please with Hard working employees and great food! I would recommend to everyone!

This place serves fresh excellent Mexican food . When you first walk in you'll have chips and salsa on your table within 3 minutes . Food is excellent and the service is excellent. Pictured is a #8 combination plate. read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

I'm big on Mexican food. If I had a choice of a date night out I would easily choose Mexican. That's why when I passed by La Fiesta Brava in Waterloo for work, I knew I had to turn around and stop for lunch. When driving by the balloons caught my eye and instantly drew me in. I'm not sure if that's the four year old in me saying,"Oh pretty colors" or what but I'm glad I listened to my juvenile inner self. Walking in with a buddy we sat ourselves down and within a minute a gentleman brought us over menus and homemade chips with salsa. After ordering a water I sank my teeth into a freshly dipped chip and swore I was in Mexico. The freshness of tomatoes in the salsa paired with the subtle spice and the saltiness of the tortilla chip was nothing short of majestic. I would compare it to the experience of riding a unicorn through the Enchanted Forest. Orders placed, I selected the El Burro Rancho. Quick turnover between order to food being brought to the table. You'll see in the pictures I've included, why I was so enthralled to eat here. A very generous amount of food for a great; let me say it again, great price. Perfectly seasoned chicken stuffed inside a tortilla with ranchero sauce and pick de gallo atop. The texture of the seared chicken against the velvety feel of the tortilla was all you could want in a meal. Rice and beans are usually my favorite parts of Mexican meals but it was replaced by this hero of a tortilla. The rice and beans both extremely flavorful provided the perfect compliment to the most delicious tortilla. And if you're looking for freshness to add balance a small salad has been garnished within the dish as well. Highly, highly, highly recommend this place. If you're passing through Waterloo for business or travel or as much of us from the Rochester region do; to shop the Outlets. Stop here! And let me know if you're experience! read more

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When we are in area we always eat there. Food is very good service a little slow because the cooks don't always understand the servers but great food read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - June 14 2019 Sara & TJ. And photographed is Jim - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

Wow! What a find and thank you yelpers! But you may have this one wrong. We had a real Mexican dish. I ordered what I thought was going to be a small burrito. My colleague order a quesadilla. Wow! When it came it covered the plate! All the fixings for under $8. This is real Mexican. Conversed with the server in Spanish and made better progress than English. That's authentic. Needless to say the meal was very tasty and excellent. I even think they made the sour cream from scratch. I have nothing bad to say about the parking (on street), ambience, server and we were the only ones there. Of course we ate lunch at 2p in a small town. Kudos to the cook and staff. Definitely will go back here since my daughter lives in Seneca Falls. read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

Love this place! The margaritas are huge!! And the queso is really good with a good serving size. The food is really good but definitely more expensive for Mexican food! read more

Always Great Food and quick service with a smile..The Steak Fajitas are the best around but all their food that I have tried is good...Dammit now I want go read more

Solely based on TAKE-OUT we got a cheese quesadilla and vegetarian tacos. All SO GOOD and super fresh Dirt cheap and good food. Hostess who answered was also super friendly. Would defiantly recommend for take out. HUGE portion and super cheap and fresh. What could be better than that. read more

This place is hole-in-the-wall awesome! The portions were huge, the service was quick and amazing, and the food was awesome. I had a combination plate and my husband had carne asada tacos. We'd go again today if we were still in town. Even the margs were huge and delish-- they even sent us home with the leftovers when we couldn't finish the large between the two of us! Fun times. The only reason for four stars instead of five is the sort of nasty surroundings and bathrooms. read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - Large margarita! - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

From Texas, I was highly impressed! Bummer: I lost my initial draft of this review: My visit was in late March 2018. But what I will say: If I STILL recall having an excellent meal there, I'm giving a Mexican restaurant in Waterloo, NY 5 stars. (Um, a Texan eating Mexican food in "Yankee-land" could've been absolutely disastrous from my perspective; this place was the choice of my hosting friend to meet another party 1/2-way). I absolutely remember the decor (awesomely Mexican), our service was excellent (yes, memorably outstanding), saw a separate bar area that had no patrons (but looked nice), and everyone enjoyed their meals (we were a party of 3). Also recall that the bathroom was located in a section shared with the attached mini-mall (meh - functional, not far, no bad memories). And, I spoke with the owner/manager to applaud our meals... To ask to speak with the owner/manager, reporting positivity... (speaks volumes). From a Texan who loves and appreciates good Mexican food, I'm giving the "thumbs up" for any "Yankees" or "skeptics" to consider trying out La Fiesta Brava! Hope your experience is as memorable as mine! read more

I never liked Mexican food till I had it at La Fiesta. I usually get a plate with beans, rice and salad. I always get take out. The food is always hot and fresh and it's very fast service. read more

Very good food Friendly employees Open dining space / イ (((ヽ ( ノ ￣Y \ | ( \ (. /) | ) ヽ ヽ ` ( ° °) _ノ / ＼ | Ｙ / / | ヽ | ﾉ ／ ＼トー仝ーイ | ミ土彡/ ) \ ° / ( \ / ) / / D / / / \ \ \ ( ( ). ) ). ) ( ). ( | | | / \ | read more

Still my favorite Mexican restaurant!! It always taste so good ! They have the best salsa, I almost asked if they would sell me some to take home ( it's that good ) ! Chips are good . I LOVE their tacos , best ever !! read more

Who knew such a gem would be located in a small town like Waterloo. My husband and I live in Syracuse but we both agreed that this place beats any of the Mexican restaurants in Syracuse. We went there for lunch today but the portions were unbelievable compared to the price(see pics below). *Fresh* nachos are given as soon as you're seated along with ice water. My husband got the chimichanga and I got the steak fajita. Both were marinated amazingly and were accompanied by authentic beans and rice. My husband said that was the best chimichanga he has ever had. read more

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Amazing. Always. Huge margs, huge portions, food is incredible, salsa is the best. Service is good and fast. Fair prices, imo. Just wanted to reiterate how much my fiance and I love coming here. read more

Awesome Mexican food!!! Done shopping at the outlets and we were so hungry. I decided to look for a place close by and found this gem. Seated right away, drinks. The salsa and chips followed. The salsa was so good and tasty, homemade. My husband ordered the prime rib and shrimp plate. I ordered the shrimp fajitas. Portions are huge!!!! Food was fresh, came out quick and tasted excellent. Service was fast and friendly. Best Mexican that we have tasted in a long time since moving here from Texas. Thank you!! We will be back every time we are this way shopping. read more

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We stopped at this restaurant for a late dinner as we were driving down from Toronto to Syracuse. Even though they were about 20 minutes from closing they took good care of us. The salsa was really good, however the chips can be improved. We had the Texas fajitas which were well seasoned. The only thing I would say is that maybe this dish needed a bit longer cooking time to further reduce the pan sauce. I wished the beef was a bit more tender, but the shrimp was perfectly cooked. All the traditional sides (e.g. rice, re-fried beans, crema, and guacamole) were really good. read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

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Found this place on a random day trip through the finger lakes on the Fourth of July My friend wanted tacos and she searched "tacos near me." Needless to say, this is where google sent us. It turned out well worth it! Great atmosphere! Friendly service! And the food was amazing!!! My only complaint is that you are so far away from my home in Binghamton. read more

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We were told by a local winery to check out the pizza place on the same block but to our pleasant surprise we found this Mexican gem of Waterloo. My family are from Queens NY- the most populous place for Mexicans outside of Mexico- and we were impressed for a small town like Waterloo. If you are looking for something different than the standard Americana style eatery then this is worth the try. After lunch there it "took" be back to Jackson Heights Queens. read more

Excellent Mexican food. Prices ok. Food made quickly. Definitely recommend. read more

Awesome! Read the reviews, had high expectations and I am happy to say they were fulfilled! I'm traveling on business and the hotel only seemed to know pizza joints and that's it! I searched on yelp and this place came up along with one other! I'm currently on a veg stint and to my surprise they have a veg section (~8 dishes) Food is generous (I struggled to finish), salsa is spicy and plenty! Will definitely try this place again when I'm back on meat! read more

La Fiesta Brava Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Waterloo, New York

I hate to complain about service; but a tad too fast?? Dudes slow down just a bit and would be a better experience, Very good food and great portion for a ridiculously low price. Chips and Salsa right away; very nice salsa with a mild bit of spice. Vege plate alternatives; got the Enchilada/burrito/tostada combo; tasty. Flan dessert was also done right! Outside looks a bit dicey; but very nice inside. Walk in, sit down, what to drink, get drink, what to eat, get food, anything else? check...go. Again guys..count one Mississippi, two Mississippi, and take a breath! read more

Food is consistently great and very quick- you can be in and out of here in 15 minutes flat! Workers are very nice and go above and beyond.

We were driving through Waterloo and needed a place for lunch and were bowled over by the quality of the food here. The place itself is unimpressive from the outside but comfortable once inside. Not only were the Tacos a la Diabla terrific, but they were accompanied by wonderful yellow rice and refried beans. Also phenomenal, Huevos con Chorizo. A real find! read more