I've been here at least twice and I think only because someone else had decided on this place. Consistently underwhelmed by the quality of food. I had some sort of pork chop-like dish which was thin and not very tasteful. The rice and beans were similarly bland. I'm pretty sure I had a burrito from here years ago and it was also just like generic food. My compadres got mango margaritas and were trying to figure out which ones were alcoholic vs not and had a really hard time deciding... draw your own conclusions. There are plenty of better choices for Mexican food, I would try those instead. read more

Taste and ambiance was great. The only issue is lack of stuff resulting in service delays.

Love how spacious this place is. It can fit all sizes of groups which is why it's never a hassle to stop by. We always get the parrilladas combination because it feeds about 4 ppl. Order extra beans/rice per person and you'll be set for an awesome meal. The salsas do lack in flavor. The regular salsa they normally bring out is undesirable, while the requested "spicy" salsa is water down and flavorless. read more

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Not good food. Service was ok. Ambiance was nothing special Would not recommend compared to other restaurants

They've been consistently successfully making me so happy with the food they cook. I've never had an order that wasn't good!

I have a dilemma with spicy food. On one hand, spice can amplify the flavor of a dish and turn an ordinary meal into an almost religious -and sweaty- experience. On another, after eating spicy food, I usually go through three phases of discomfort: 1) sitting on a couch writhing in pain while desperately scarfing down Tums (and ignoring the recommended dosage); 2) crying on the toilet; and 3) passing out on a bed from the agony experienced from phases 1 and 2. Each time I go through these three phases the discomfort becomes progressively worse (perhaps due to age), however, somehow, my belly seems to always tell my brain not to worry. I haven't been to La Hacienda since my undergraduate days at UW-Madison, and I'm sad to read below that the quality has gotten worse. In the past, if I rolled with a hungry and rowdy crew, I could always depend a La Hacienda to fill our bellies with delicious and spicy food. Well after several years, I made my return to this restaurant while visiting some close friends in Madison (shout out to Soupy and Monica). To celebrate the occasion, we ordered horchata and asked the waitress what was her favorite dish. She gushed about the "parilladas" (which is most likely the incorrect spelling), which has an assortment of spicy or non-spicy meats (chicken, beef, and pork) grilled on a metal plate cooked above a flame. The meats are eaten with either corn or flour tortillas. For our meal, we made half of the dish spicy and ordered both types of tortillas. I have to say, this was probably one of the most memorable Mexican meals I have ever eaten. The spicy meats were full of flavor -although I can't say the same with the non-spicy meats- and I loved both types of tortillas. I couldn't stop my inner carnivore from eating this crack meat, despite knowing that my night would eventually end in doom. Even though the cinnamon and banana flavored horchata quelled some of the heat, it could not put stop my inevitable fall into spicy hell. La Hacienda's parilladas and horchata were both amazing and it made me relive some great memories I've had here in the past. At the end of the night, of course, I went through the three phases of discomfort which quickly ended my night. When I woke up the next morning, I proceeded to eat the left overs. So worth it. read more

La Hacienda - Plarradillas? I can't spell. - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Such a great deal for lunch! We stopped in the other afternoon after hitting up a weekday morning movie in Fitchburg. I had last been to La Hacienda over a decade ago, and after an aborted attempt to get a late dinner there a couple of weeks ago (the parking lot was jam packed and we couldn't get a big enough break in traffic on Park to get back across the street after seeking out other parking) we've had it on the brain. Upon entering we were quickly seated and served chips and salsa and had our drink orders taken. The salsa came in adorable tiny cups that allowed us each to dig in to our own. Our server was very sweet and attentive, and made for an even more pleasant experience than the delicious food would have on its own. They have several lunch deals that come with a soda, and both of us ended up ordering the chimichanga plate. I went with chicken, my boyfriend went with beef, and we were both really happy with our choices. The lunch portion is, from what I remember, exactly the same as the dinner portion. I had more food than I could take down in one sitting, so I was pumped to have dinner later with my second mini chimi (they opt to give you two smaller fried burritos instead of one massive one). I don't know if they've actually updated the interior a bit in the years that I haven't been, or if it just looked brighter and cheerier in the light of day, but either way it was a pleasant atmosphere for our lunchtime jaunt. read more

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This place was my childhood and I still go here to this day. Back then there used to be a lot of people and business was going great for them.. Now very few people come here which I'm honestly disappointed because the food here is very delicious! It all happened when the pandemic happened.. Anyway, This place is a well deserved 5-Star because of how amazing this place is. read more

The margaritas, pretty sure there was no tequila in them and they had an artificial taste to them. Don't bother ordering. Service was ok Wife ordered a taco salad with ground beef. The beef had absolutely no seasoning of any kind on it. I had taquitos with chicken. They were ok 5/10 but lacked chicken. The beans and rice were good 8/10 All in all I'm surprised they are still open for business. 4/10. read more

On 3/30/22 I stopped here for lunch with a friend. What a disappointment! I have had many other meals here thru the years and found the food to be OK. Today I ordered chicken tacos and received two "tacos" which contained lettuce, tomato and a lump pf chicken on a shell so wet and soggy it fell apart. No seasoning at all. My friend received a plate of soggy/wet chips with excessive cheese, lettuce and avocado slices when she ordered an appetizer. The complimentary chips were crumbled pieces out of the bottom of the bag with watered down salsa. I don't plan on ever coming back, there are too many other options available close by. The service was OK. read more

How does this place not have 5 stars?!? The food is spicy like real Mexican food should be, made to order, in perfectly-sized portions, and at extremely affordable prices. The service is friendly and ridiculously fast. The space itself is enormous and open, so there's always tables available. And they almost never close. I've lived in Houston, Texas, Jackson, Mississippi, and visited Arizona and California several times. And I've never had Mexican as good as this little joint in Madison, Wisconsin. Go here! read more

La Hacienda - Live mariachi band at La Hacienda on Cinco de Mayo - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Authentic Mexican food. I have been here several times and have not been disappointed once. Each time has been with great service and bold flavors. Even though the parking needs a little work (limited), there is plenty of seating....FREE CHIPS AND SALSA !!!! I have not done dinner here, but I have had lunch several times. I take advantage of the Lunch menu. Awesome values, great portions, and there quick. I have not had a bad meal yet. I am currently working my way down it. I am on item 12. read more

Chips salsa and water were delivered immediately! Followed by a delicious banana berry Margarita garnished with an orange. I ordered 3 mini chimichangas which came with beans rice lettuce and tomato and a lime. Perfectly garnished with a sour cream was more than enough for me ended up taking half of it home. When I asked for a to-go box the waiter jokingly said "No, you have to finish it all here. " Ten minutes later I'm still waiting for my to-go box?.?. The waiter came and apologized and brought me the to-go box. I will definitely be back this was a great experience. read more

La Hacienda - Chips, salsa and water were delivered to the table immediately! Followed by a delicious mixed berry and Banana berry maragita - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The place is large but empty. The server seemed to care less. The food was bland tasteless and dull. I could not finish my burrito . I confess I had better at Qdoba. The nachos were from a bag you can buy from a grocery store. The only thing saving it from one star is the price. Stay clear.. (this review is independent and free of influence from businesses and the "scam squad.) read more

Delicious! We came during Covid, the the restaurant was empty. The waitress seated us promptly and was very attentive. The lunch specials are amazing with good portions. I got the chicken gorditas, which I highly recommend! They were flavorful with excellent potions. My husband enjoyed his combination plate. Don't sleep on this little gem of a restaurant. We'll definitely be back! read more

Mexican food for me is usually obtained from a truck in the form of a burrito or taco. I don't often actually go to sit-down Mexican restaurants mainly because the "good stuff" was usually served on the sidewalk every other few blocks in Los Angeles. Anyway, had the shredded beef enchiladas with rice and beans. The enchiladas themselves were tasty (poured sour cream and squeezed 2 limes on it though) and I'm glad I went with the shredded beef instead of ground beef. I don't like beans, so that was never really touched. The rice was a little too dry for my liking. Didn't get a chance to taste the chimichangas my boyfriend got but he seemed to like it. Service was decent. It was a slow and empty Friday night. I'd go back again to try other things, but it wouldn't be my first choice for Mexican food. read more

La Hacienda - Chicken chimichangas and shredded beef enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

3.5 Stars. La Hacienda is a GREAT late nite joint if you're in a the mood for food that isn't from the drive through. It serves as a great convenience for larger groups and the services is AMAZING. I have dined here on several occasions and I have never had a bad experience with a server. The food overall is solid. You're started off with chips and pico de gallo ( bottomless). The Pico is possible the best pico I've tasted at a restaurant. I always ask for more. The menu is extremely large. It's hard not to find something on it that doesn't t appeal to you no matter how much of a picky eater you are. I am a fan of their taco dinner or fajitas. Both meals come with spanish rice, pinto beans ( which I do not care for and never order) and the toppings for your meal. Please be warned, guac and sour cream is extra. I am OK with the guac being extra but why pay more for sour cream that comes in a small container that is the side of a quarter? I do feel that they are being very cheap on that front. Sour Cream should come with every meal free of charge! Also, I don't care too much for their chicken so I stick with steak. Overall, the food is good. Location is good. Service is good. Their location is perfect. It's really how they are able to make money. You're near downtown and UW Madison Campus. Lots of bars around the area and they stay open very late. Winning recipe for making profit. read more

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Best Mexican restaurant on Park St. Great lunch menu. Had the chimichanga and it was wonderful. My good buddy ordered 2 tacos (thought he wanted 3) and it was plenty of food. Great place to visit with friends and co-workers. My water was ice cold. read more

Disappointed in the quality and flavor of food. I tried the chimichangas and they were okay at best. The rice was mushy and flavorless and the beans were mediocre. I also had a margarita that tasted like the store bought mix. I have had significantly better Mexican food at other locations. It was also very smokey, like there was a fire in the kitchen. Not sure I'd that's normal or not. read more

My go to place for late night dinner, and never disappoint every single time. My go to meal is the parillada combination (assortment of bbq meat) and horchata. I have to admit the horchata is one of the best I have tasted. It does not have a lot of cinnamon, and stronger milk taste. Caution that it might be too sweet for most people, and you might have to dilute it with water a little bit (it will still be good!) This place is simply amazing, and I do not think a lengthy review would serve it justice. read more

The parrillada is not as good as before. They increased the priced but lessen the amount of meat/food, its ridiculous! So it's not worth the money. We also ordered a michelada and it was horrible. They should know how to make it good. We told the waiter about it so he took the drink away but still charged me for it. WTF ‍ The place itself is not sanitary. The table we were seated at smelled like stinky restroom. We mentioned it to the waiter and he doesn't know why it smells that bad. Last but not least, the customer service is unacceptable! The waiter is not very attentive. He did not give us any napkins and I had to get my own to go box from a corner instead of the waiter bringing it to me. We will never come back to this restaurant again!! read more

Great place to get real authentic Mexican food downtown. Steak burritos and the fajitas are a must. Open late. Great staff!

Let me start by giving you some background- My uncle owns Riviera Maya in Milwaukee, and I am Latino and have lived in Mexico. I have known the owners of La Hacienda for close to 20 years, their family owns restaurants in Milwaukee, and other parts of WI as well. The food and menus are virtually identical in all of the Herrera's family restaurants. They did have some labor issues a few years back, but as near as I can tell they have fixed that. Food - It used to be the best in Madison, but the quality has steadily declined year after year as their prices continue to rise. The only two dishes I would recommend, are the Bistec Con Rajas Y Queso and the Carne Asada a la Tampiquena (order it medium or it will be overcooked). Corn tortillas people! No real Latino (just look around) eats flour tortillas that aren't homemade. Service - generally fast and friendly, though sometimes they don't seem to listen to what you are saying. You ask for the carne asada medium and it still comes out burnt. Overall - Not the best, but adequate if you know what to order. If you want good tacos and tortas check out La Concha bakery. If you want real Mexican food check out Taqueria Guadalajara. Finally, I just have to say it...not much in Madison is actual Mexican food, it's been Americanized, see laredo's, pedros, cancun, etc. In Mexico there is no such thing as a chimichanga peeps!!!! (unless you are at an all inclusive Americanized hotel, in which case you should head into town and find a hole in the wall restaurant instead) read more

I heard from my coworkers this place was very good & cheap. Well, they were partially right. I mean prices are reasonably & portions are fair. As far as the food goes, it's not all that great. Starting off with chips & salsa weren't that good. Too thin no salt and la salsa was too watered down. A coworker was very unsatisfied with his coctel de camaron. He said it tasted like they added Louisiana hot sauce. If anything, la agua de horchata was amazing, and the service was great. read more

WORST MEXICAN FOOD EVER! How is that for a title? So, one evening last week my wife and I wanted some Mexican food and while we would normally patronize some of the other places in Madison (and yes, we do like Laredo's) my wife suggested la Hacienda on park Street since she had not been there in years. Honestly, neither have I. I think I had been there once before at 2:30 AM as a drunk college student. Anything tasted good back then. Well, we got there and sat down right away and placed our orders. I go steak fajitas and my wife got a steak burrito. Ok....remember that! So while we wait we got the normal chips and salsa and wow did the salsa suck. it was a tasteless liquid....yuck and the chips were nowhere near fresh or even warm. But next came out meals... My wife burrito was tasteless and dry with nothing special about it at all. The steak inside was dry, tough, and burnt and the extra cheese she orders....wait....it had not cheese at all. She took three bites and was done My fajitas were the same. the steak was burnt, over cooked, hard and had zero flavor. The veggies on the skillet were just cut tomatoes and onions. Where are the peppers people? NO FLAVOR AT ALL! What terrible food! I am not even going to try to be funny and witty with this one because the place and food just sucked and on top of that was pricy for Mexican food as well. hell, I would have been better off going down the road to Taco Bell. At least TB has taste! read more

Firstly, their salsa isn't good at all. We eat at a lot of Mexican restaurants and have had a lot of excellent and some not so good salsa. I'd consider La Hacienda's a 1 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being excellent. It looks like they coarsely chop tomatoes, cilantro, onions and some peppers, soak them in water and scoop it into a salsa bowl. It is gross. I drink water when we go out. I drink a lot of water. There are times, especially when eating spicy food, when I go through 5 glasses of water. I waited over 15 minutes to get my water refilled. I actually drank my wife's water after about 10 minutes and then 5 minutes later, I got up to ask our waiter to fill our water glasses. To my dismay, he was eating his food at a table behind the cash registers, in plain view of customers. I asked him if we could get our water refilled and he said, "Sure." He wiped his fingers off on his napkin, came over and grabbed our glasses and refilled them. WASH YOUR HANDS! Wow...The nerve of that waiter. To eat your food, wipe your fingers off on a napkin, then grab something I am going to touch. Needless to say, this was my 2nd bad experience at La Hacienda. I wanted to like it, but that won't be possible. Fool me once, Shame on La Hacienda. Fool me twice... Well, they won't get a 3rd chance. read more

- Terrible service - below average to average quality food - large variety of options Use this as a late night last minute resort only. read more

Came here late night with a friend to order take out, almost 230am and the place was packed! While the food wasn't bad, it definitely was not as described on the menu. My "large flour tortilla" quesadilla was a six-inch tortilla folded and cut in half. And the cheese wasn't even melted. A little disappointed, but it was drunk food so whatever. Maybe I'll try it again in the day time when they aren't overwhelmed with drunk people ^_^ read more

Blechh. Clearly it's not just me - the owners need to spend some time traveling to Milwaukee and eating at a place like Riviera Maya, or even El Rey. This is just crappy food. How do you screw up pinto beans or pico de gallo? I've never eaten Mexican food with so little flavor. I asked for hot sauce, they brought me red sauce with pepper seeds in it, and it had NO flavor, and NO heat. What?? And to make this more memorable you can buy the flavorless sauce to go. I actually had to salt my food, which I never, ever do in a restaurant. And the rice tasted like it was made with old onion that had been pre-chopped and stored in the frig - you know that taste? It tastes like your old college roommate's shoes smelled. I make far better Mexican from scratch. Heck, Ortega makes better. Drive 5 more blocks and go to La Guadalajara, WAY better. read more

Very meh. I was young when I gave it 3 stars. Much better Mexican food right down the road. read more

This place's ambience is comparable to a Godfather's Pizza. Really open dining area, lots of lights on, green cushioned chairs, pretty quiet. Definitely a casual family restaurant. My friend and I sippin' margs felt a little out of place. I was definitely overdressed. HOWEVER, the food was pretty good and super cheap. Maybe a lunch sort of place? I don't think I'll be coming back. Too many other places to try. read more

I have not returned to La Hacienda since I found out they were (allegedly) taking advantage of some of their employees. Their labor issues will impact my star rating, but even without the labor issues, I don't think La Hacienda is that great. Yes, they are open late, and that is great. But I don't think their food is great, really at all. If given the option, I would take Casa de Lara over Hacienda hands down anytime. Probably even Laredo's or El Pastor. I guess one other nice thing is that they have lollipops. But that still does not win me over. read more

No frills place but food was tasty. Eat in or take out & Take out was busy. Had ground beef soft shell taco plate, came with rice & I had the black beans. In town fir medical appointment & was told about the place by the hotel. read more

We are on the hunt for a new Mexican restaurant after the Laredo's down the street closed. After a visit to La Hacienda, we will keep looking. The salsa was bland - the margaritas tasted like they came from a premixed bucket - and the food was just flavorless. Next time we'll trek a little further south on Park and go to Taqueria Guadalajara. read more

Good, authentic food, lots of it. Cheap, too. Been there twice now, got to chill outside late night with the mariachi band the first time for Cinco de Mayo while chowing. They serenaded one of the guys in our group. Awkward. Classic. The second time was for dinner. The two of us ate for around 15 bucks altogether. Portions are slightly bigger than what you would expect for the price. Not the best mexican food I've ever eaten...but good enough for me. Got to love unlimited homemade nachos and salsa, gets me every time. That alone is worth a star. Sign me up. read more

You guys. If you don't like this place, you're doing it wrong. Get the parrilladas chilanga. They will bring out a little grill and on top will be a mountain of delicious meat, cheese, and spicy sauce (spice level can be adjusted according to taste). It is AMAZING. If you like it spicy, they can actually make it spicy (not Midwestern spicy, but the real deal). I've never gotten anything else here, because I fell in love at first taste. My friend had been trying to tell me about this place for months! I never knew what he was talking about, since he kept referring to "large plates of meat." What does that mean?! But now, I'm a believer. In a town with not too many late night options, this place is open into the wee hours of the morning! Definitely a great place to grab some grub after a night out. Service can be a bit slow, especially since they are often slammed -- especially as the night wears on. The place can also accommodate large groups. Oh and finally, get yourself a pitcher of the horchata. Delish. read more

Ok - so this place is a little bit of a hidden gem. It is open until 3am every night, except for Friday and Saturday night when it is open until 4am. You read that right! The margaritas are tasty, decently priced but nothing special. I had a taco, tostada, and quesadilla. The taco and tostada had steak in/on them. The steak was tasty, fresh and hot. The topping were fresh, nothing fancy. Just the usual tomatoes, lettuce, onion, cilantro..etc... The food was flavorful but nothing new. With a taco it is really difficult to reinvent the wheel. So if you are looking for authentic Mexican then head over. The dining room is very sparse so first date place, skip it. Been dating a few months? Definitely. You go here for the awesome hours, good tacos and decent margaritas. read more

I have known of this place for a while but never had the chance to go in until recently. I must say this is the worst experience I have had in a while. Me and my friends were very disappointed in the service. We arrived and our waiter didn't even offer us drinks. We ordered our food and he didn't even ask if we wanted something to drink. He kept walking around and we sat wondering if he was going to offer us drinks. We waited for about 8-10 minutes until I asked for waters. When we did it felt like we had asked a lot of him. We ate our food quickly and left. The food was okay but I will not be going back. read more

I love this place... the atmosphere is kinda trashy but what do you expect from a place that is open until 4 am and frequented by the drinkers of madison?! The food is good... You get a ton of it at a great price... they have Mexican beer and a bunch of different types of margaritas, which are pretty good :) The servers there are also super friendly, which says a lot since I am sure that they have to deal with a lot of trash. If you are in the area and have a hankering for some Mexican, it is worth the stop read more

I went here tonight with my friends/coworkers and while we did come mainly for margaritas, we were also hungry so decided to order food initially. Our server was new and not at all knowledgeable about the food (yet didn't pretend to be either). Our drinks were delicious, but that was it. The complimentary salsa had a decent flavor, but was very watery. I ordered a simple burrito with avocado which was not bad but nothing to write home about either. My boss ordered tamales which she said were very dry and chile rellenos which I tried a little bit and they were just drenched in oil causing it to be very soggy and you could tell that the oil had not been changed in awhile. She was not too happy. There seemed to be a lot of employees yet service was very slow. I may return since they are open very late, but I will probably only get simple things like drinks and chips with guacamole. read more