This is not a restaurant for anyone who wants authentic Mexican food. Good tortillas. That's about all. Food was flavorless. The molé was a little too sweet and bland. The melted cheese on my enchiladas was so tough, it wouldn't break. House margaritas were so sweet that we asked for lime juice to cut it; no lime or lemon juice available. We left half the pitcher on the table. Service was good. read more

Good tacos and great margaritas!! My coworker and I stopped in after work on a Friday they have daily specials on good and drinks.

I tried this rest. I don't have a good opinion of it. Service and waitresses are Terrible! Too dark to read menu, did Not Know this dish was TOO SPICEY To Eat! They are not helpful or courteous. They need Customer Service Training. Had to wait long for food, drinks and bill! Called manager when I got home, He Never Returned my call! read more

The ambiance of those place is super chill. Low lighting, perfect for date night. Enchiladas are amazing. Chips and salsa are good, not too spicy. I'm surprised this place only has 3 stars....that's why I'm giving it a 5. Half price margaritas...and they're big. Food is all fairly priced and they give you a big portion. read more

Pleasantly surprised how nice this restaurant is...walking up was not sure how it would be. Inside traditional Southwest decor. Customer service from the time you walked in at hostess-bar-waitress: amazing! Very attentive, polite, lots of hustle. Very large restaurant-can accommodate large parties. Prices are reasonable. Nice kids menu. Portions are large and food was hot. Good! We were happy all around. We were a party of 4 couples (8 people), drinks and food with tip split up 4 ways : $65 a couple. Not bad! We will be back! read more

went here tonight & they wouldn't serve me a margarita. I'm 22 years old had a valid ID.. spoke with a manager they said it was alright to give me a margarita & the server still refused to serve me. VERY unprofessional. the remainder of my visit there the whole staff avoided our table and just left us in the dust because they would serve a 22 year WITH an ID a margarita. straight weirdos. foods alright but customer service is not there. read more

My daughter likes this restaurant so we come here every now and again. It's American style Mexican food and the portions are big. Lots of cheese just not Mexican cheese. However, the food is hot, the servers are polite and I get to visit with O. All around, OKAY but not tempted to return. read more

when a restaurant relies on food and drink specials to bring people in, you know the food is not going to be good. Microwave fresh......mmmmmm yummy!! I'll take any local taqueria over this place any day. Typical gringo mexican food...... read more

I live in Joliet, but I seen that they added a outside area, I really like the new area outside and it was very cozy, our waiter was very quick to take our orders and the food showed up very fast and my margarita was very good. I will be going back with more people. read more

This place has great ambiance and good specials, but the food is only so-so, as is the service. I came to Joliet on business and had a fun time during Mariachi Monday- a 6 person Mariachi Band strolled around the restaurant and played both requests and songs of their own selection. The Margaritas were good, but I have definitely had better salsa. I see the other reviewer really loved the salsa-- so maybe I went on a bad day. The chips taste like Doritos. . . Basically, go there for the "special" days. read more

What a relief to find that there's a La Mex in Joliet after the Darien location closed. Tues and Thurs are 1/2 price margaritas. It's hoppin' but the service is still good. Chimichangas are crispy - extra crispy if you ask. The chimis and the service won the 3 stars. If you're a chips & salsa aficionado, or you dislike cilantro, you won't like the salsa. The steak was a bit chewy, but forgiveable. read more

Lets just say that after reading these reviews I agree with something that most people have said. My experience wasn't terrible but it was not great We get there and have a party of 8 with 2 of them being children. First thing I do notice is that this place is loud. Not anyone's fault because the place is doing business. We got sat down and the hostess was nice to us. Also the waiter was very good, which in a lot of other reviews service seemed to be a problem. The chips and salsa were good. Wish it could have been a little spicier but oh we'll it was not disgusting. We ordered the guacamole for a pre meal treat and again nothin special. It was good but not great. I ordered a burrito supreme with the fresh jalapeños in it with rice and beans. First off the Refried beans were disgusting. I could not ever eat them they were so bad. Again, the burrito was alright. It was a little flavorless but the jalapeños gave it a little taste. The rice was rice. Hard to screw that up. One problem I did have was that the food came out quick. Makes me think that it was already made which is always a disappointment. I didn't really ask anyone else what they thought but nobody really complained about it being bad or raved about it being good. The waiter was good. He had a little patience for my 4 year old son because he wanted to order himself. He also checked on us a few times throughout the meal itself and made sure all our drinks were filled. Pros Service Cons Refried beans. read more

Eh la mex. Being as to how it is on the west side of joliet it really does not have much competition. I imagine that is why it is so popular. Let me give you the good first. It is big, it has good decorations. The ambiance is great for big parties or family. It has alot of parking now the real stuff you want to hear. If you are a fan of mexican food first decide do u like authentic mexican food or a bit more americanized mexican food? The food is not bad its just not great nor spectacular. If its your first time having mexican you will love this place but if you know true mexican place this is not up to standards to satisfy my fix. Now their margaritas! Those are great. They even have specials during the week. Not an expensive place but you can find many more mexican restaurants with better more authentic food just a few miles down if you go closer to the east side of town. Only bad things i can complain about is the servers are nice but often get my order wrong. The fish tacos are not good at all. They are bland. I have been to la mex hundreds of times. Im sure ill go again if someone invites me to meet up there but never a place i would pick nor crave. Its mediocre overall. read more

Last Sunday = first time! And LAST TIME! Overpriced, bland, the place was not even half full and our waitress was borderline neglecting us. "Authentic Mexican food"?? Seriously? Yuck. And to top it off, they told us that they gave us the wrong check and they coincidently had the "correct" check at the register when we tried to pay. There were 18 of us and the second check was almost 20% more. What a joke. We quickly looked over the "correct" bill and saw that they had added extra items that we never ordered. When we questioned them on it we got "No speak English". What?? We gave her the amount that was on the first check and said if there were any problems with that to have a manager come up. She rang it up and we left. There was no doubt that the first amount was correct. In fact we thought that the total seemed high as it was. To try and take and take advantage of a large party on Mothers Day is a shame. None of us will ever return and a lot of us had never been there before. Shame on you La Mex. Good luck with your bankruptcy. read more

It's been 5 years since I first reviewed LaMex and I have to say - the quality of the food, drinks, staff, and service are still top notch. However, over the past few years there have been a few price increases that really curb the value on this place. The last price increase is the tipping point - Prices on food went up again, and margaritas are no longer half price. This is a marketing disaster, especially with restaurants about a mile away to the north and to the east offering half price margaritas at least one day a week, if not more. Half price margaritas and a dinner special used to be a great night out with friends. With prices at the level they are, LaMex has become more of a "once in a while" type place rather than a "once a week" type of place. It especially stung as we were dining at the restaurant one of the first days Margaritas were no longer half price, and the staff kept bringing them with no mention of "Hey, you know these aren't half price anymore?" - especially when we know most of the staff and the staff knows us - some even know our order without even asking! read more

Awesome Margaritas but food is lacking. I went last night with my boyfriend and both of our food was over cooked and tasteless. He had the steak fajitas and they were burned to a crisp. I have the beef flautas which had this dry shredded beef. The waitress tried to salvage my experience by offering me an order of tacos instead. The tacos were average. I had two large margaritas which were awesome. The right amount of alcohol and very refreshing. The margaritas were also half priced $4 for a large which was a plus. I would return but only for drinks. Not for dinner. read more

I came here a few weeks ago for lunch with a friend and ordered the taco salad. They have different lunch specials each day and some of them sounded really good. I wasn't blown over or overly impressed by the taste of my taco salad, but it was still decent and at only $6.50, how can you complain? My friend got the burrito special and hers looked amazing. If I ever find myself back here again, I'd probably try that next time! Service was really good and had we have been in any sort of rush, we'd have been out in less than an hour. Overall, it wasn't my fave Mexican place that I've tried, but a good spot to grab Mexican food for a lunch date. read more

I am married to a connoisseur of Mexican food and I tag along for the ride with our 3 year old who shovels food into her mouth! That being said, Mexican food is simple with complex flavors and usually is executed correctly. Here is where La Mex went wrong: 1. We were not greeted at all at the door, just asked how many and sat down. No Hello's, enjoy your food, welcome to our restaurant, NOTHING! 2. We were immediately turned off by "American favorites" included in the menu. 3. Waited over 10 mins to ask for water and not inquire if we were ready to order 4. Food was tasteless, bland and not that hot. As stated above, our daughter eats everything, and she took two bites and pushed away. She stated it was disgusting and grabbed the flour tortillas ( that were clearly store bought, and COLD). I ordered steak tacos that were bleh, and my husband ordered a house special that should have been name house catastrophe. 5. During our entire meal, no one checked on us, then we waited another 20 minutes (not exaggerating, I timed her) before she came to deliver our bill and did not ask how our meal was. She did not return in a 8 minute window so I went to the front and paid where the cashier was not present and when she arrived she was rude. I would not return to this restaurant, do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. There are other options in Joliet, and clearly this will not be on our list. read more

Been here on two occasions. Food was alright, I do however remember the drink specials are memorable! Lots of seating space, boisterous atmosphere. I recommend their Margaritas. read more

La Mex Restaurant II - La Mex Margarita - Blue Curacao special - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

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I like to go here for the 1/2 price margaritas on Tuesdays & Thursdays, so those are pretty much the only days that I go to La Mex, that being said, these are VERY busy nights there. Although we have never had to wait to be seated, the service suffers tremendously when they are so busy. You would think that they would be better staffed on nights like this, but they are not and the servers are stretched too thin which negatively impacts the service. Being a server myself, I do have sympathy for these people, but its hard to be understanding when getting a refill takes 15 mins and waiting 30 mins before our order is even taken. I have however been there on less busy nights, and the service is great, so I have come to realize that this is a pattern with understaffing. The margaritas are great (strawberry-mango is my favorite) and so is the food, it is definitely worth a go! read more

The chips are gross and I'm certain they reuse them. I ordered the Chili Verde burrito it was actually good. Margaritas subpar. Coke nasty. Lemonade good. Sangria so so. Husband had the the steak diablo something or other and he said it was ok. Won't be back. Just not for us. Just not quality ingredients. Really generic flavors. read more

La Mex Restaurant II - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Nah... food was mediocre. Service was poor. Go elsewhere and save yourself the stress

La Mex is a Mexican restaurant located on the corner of Essignton and Jefferson streets in Joliet, IL. It has been around for more than 20 years. My family and I were feeling Mexican food, so my mom made the decision to head on over. I had been there a couple of times before, so I was counting on the fact that we would have a great experience. Decor/Vibe the lighting in the restaurant is very dim which to some might be a bad thing but i think it adds to the aesthetic. There is an outside patio, I've always wanted to eat out there but it was always way too cold when we went. On some days they even have authentic mariachi bands that play. The service at la mex is exceptional, you get your food at a reasonable pace, and when your waiter/ waitress arrives with your food they always have a pleasant vibe. I usually get the steak, which I highly recommend. I have also gotten their spinach quesadillas and their spicy queso dip, and for dessert I had the fried ice cream. If you've never had fried ice cream I would definitely say it's worth the experience . The food is more on the pricey side but i think the quality of said food more than makes up for the price. Overall I think that eating at la mex is well worth it, their menu is vast so don't be afraid to try new things and I'm sure the staff will welcome you with a warm smile. If I had to rate La Mex I would give them an A+, I can't wait to come back! read more

La Mex charged an additional $152.17 to my credit card in addition to my real ticket. I have called three time and have not received a call back. Another person in our party had the same thing happen to their card. I would not give them my credit card again. Once could be a mistake but multiple people could be something else. Had to call my credit card company because they would not return my call. read more

We met some people there and had dinner I had the skirt steak and eggs it was the night that they have the mariachi band they were very good. But hard to have a conversation . I would go back but would wait for half price margaritas. read more

Fast service and good food! Not as spicy as some so I can enjoy it! I usually get enchiladas which are pretty good.

We haven't been going into the restaurant since January or February but have gotten take-out. This is my favorite Mexican food restaurant in the area by far. Love their chips and salsa ... I could eat it for days and as my meal. I usually get dinner plates ... all have been so delicious!! Highly recommend this place for good quality food! read more

Solid food and drinks, decent service. We came as a group from work. The margaritas were cheap and fairly bland, and the food was okay, but nothing too exciting. I had the mole chicken which is too sweet for my taste, but not a bad overall flavor. The spicy salsa was disappointingly mild. Service was quick, and portions were large, as expected at this kind of place. read more

Love this place! Massive burritos, good chips and salsa and HUGE strong margaritas! One marg will get you buzzing.

Had lunch here for the first time today. Very friendly, fast service. Food was good, Sangria was good. Nice atmosphere! read more

La Mex Restaurant II - Dining room - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

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You can't live in Joliet without going here most of your life. Every time I've been here I've had no issues. I always leave so happy I love this place. read more

Went to La Mex the other night with a very large group... The waiters were very annoyed that they had to accommodate all of us and complained to us about it. We were also informed that separate checks were out of the question because it would be inconvenient. We waited large amounts of time for drinks and even longer for food. The service was by all accounts, very disappointing! The food was pretty good but the bad service left a bad taste in my mouth. read more

Best, most intimate, most romantic restaurant with the best margaritas ever!!!! So many laughs, tears, magical times with family, friends, and your one true love. BEST restaurant EVER!!!!! Oh, and the food is amazing, too!!! read more

I think it's because I'm from LA. The food was just ok for the most part. The drinks were good but the salsa taste like it was purchased from a supermarket. The atmosphere was nice had a good mixture of people. read more

I have enjoyed La Mex in Pontiac while being in the area for business along with another one near Morris if I remember the town correct. I am here in Joliet for training and checked this restaurant and the food is the same great cocktails margaritas in particular. Love the fact that they have an outside patio the food was awesome. They could work on the quality of chips but I am not complaining. Would recommend this restaurant in Joliet if you are a authentic Mexican food (a little American since they do offer lettuce)fan you will love the menu and food. Service was very good every time I was here Alexandro was good...enjoy the patio. read more

This was the worst experience with Mexican food I have ever had. Although we were seated right away, the lighting was a weird orange/red glare that made it hard to read the menu at all. Our waiter was prompt but not particularly nice. We ordered some basic American Mexican dishes: chicken and cheese enchilada with mole sauce and a steak burrito. The food came out almost instantly: lukewarm and slopped all over the plate. The mole sauce was tasteless, the chicken tough, the cheese was greasy melted cheddar and the tortilla was thin and old. The steak burrito was tasteless and messy. The waiter never came back to check on us, we had to flag him down for a drink refill. The bill was over 40 dollars for these two dishes and two cokes. Taco Bell would have been better and cheaper and I don't really like Taco Bell. Save your money and never eat here. read more

2nd time going to this restaurant, 1st time was back in the spring, the service was really bad, food was average at best. Well went back today to give them another try, service was bad, food was under average. The beans were ice cold on both of our plates, waiter dropped off the food, I asked for more salsa, that never happened, and that was the last time we seen him, never came back to check on us, except to give us the check. I explained my displeasure, no reaction. Combination fajitas has 3 pieces of shrimp, and hidden over a mound of peppers an onions. There are many other great options for mexican food, I gave them 2 tries, and now moving on. read more

Food is great!! Rated 3 stars due to bee "infestation." Prior to entering, you are forewarned of the bees. But it is absolutely ridiculous - one cannot eat and swap at the same time & than you also have to try avoiding knocking down your beverage. The beehive traps are hung on the canopy where customers eat - which, of course, attracts even more bees. Hang them outside this area! read more

Okay the food was okay here I won't lie on that but I didn't like the service. Had to keep getting up to get attention to our table. Waitress we had was very ignorant and rude. Very un professional. I'm a firm believer if you eat some where you get treated as a guest with respect. Though the food was okay I'm sorry with the disrespect I received last time you'll see me there. read more

I have never had such a horrible experience before, eating take out!! I had ordered 2 taco plates and and enchilada dinner, sd of chips and salsa. When I picked it up, I asked the man if there was hot/mild sauce in the bag already, he said yes. Strike 1. Lie. Then as I get the my car, the salsa spills all over the bag and my passenger seat, because the lid wasn't on it properly. And the chips were so burnt and stale I simply threw them out and used Tostitos. Strike 2. Thanks La Mex. all this time, Im not even mad because the food is going to be delicious. Wrong!!!! I FOUND CHICKEN BONES IN MY CHICKEN TACO, not one, not two but multiple in 2 of the 3 tacos. I found 3 chicken bones in just the first bite. Absolutely disgusted, imagine biting into a boneless, TACO, and almost cracking your teeth on chicken bones. Strike 3. Now, it's not the worst thing I could find in my food but it's up there. I dont understand how someone could overlook multiple bone, while shredding or even placing the meat in each taco. Very careless, very unsanitary. I will never return here and will continue to tell my story. La Mex is the worst Mexican food restaurant in Joliet, IL. I didnt even want a refund or credit or remake or anything. I want ya'll shut down. Horrible. read more

La Mex Restaurant II - Mexican Near Me - Joliet, Illinois