Found this place by accident. Good food, service and fair pricing. It is a place we will be returning to in the future.

I had high hopes for La Olla, but they've been moving down in stars in my opinion. First of all I think the staff is always great - friendly and efficient. There's a rude grumpy dude that sits in his perch by the front door. He leers at customers and staff and makes rude comments. I think he's the owner, but certainly not a nice welcome to the restaurant - yikes. Makes you feel guilty for coming in if it's busy. The food is just so-so, bland, and is not what I call authentic Mexican food. Like hamburger patty tacos? Prices were fair, but now have gone up drastically and no longer feels like a good value. Really wanted to make this my neighborhood place but tired of it. Can go to a dive, pay a lot less, get better food, and feel welcome. read more

Visiting the area and stopped here for lunch on our way back from the Sonoran Desert Museum. We purposefully tried several Mexican restaurants, all of which we enjoyed, but La Olla was our stand-out favorite. This is a small, comfortable space that has a local and welcoming feel. House margarita perfect, the salsa amazingly fresh, and tortillas delicious and plentiful. While they do have traditional, well-prepared entrees (I had the chicken enchiladas...the quality of meat was superb, and the sauce delicious but not overpowering), there were other super creative dishes not to overlook. My favorite part of the meal was the "Diablos Chicos" appetizer....shrimp, green onions and cheese stuffed in yellow peppers and wrapped in bacon, with amazing corn salsa, salsa crème, and anaheim crème. I'm not even sure how one would think to put all those flavors together, but it so worked and I could have licked the plate! The service provided by everyone was exceptionally friendly - professional with a touch of fun/humor that made you feel like you were dining in a friend's house. All the entrees are served with calabacitas, in addition to beans and rice. This was the only establishment that did that, and having never had them before and will just say that thanks to La Olla I now love squash! No room for the daily homemade cheesecake so will probably need to start with that when we visit again! read more

La Olla Mexican Cafe - Diablos Chicos Appetizer (Almost Gone!) - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Absolutely loved the food here. The waitress was so helpful and friendly. This is family owned business and they're vegetarian friendly as well. Make sure you save room for dessert, cheesecake of the day was black cherry white chocolate with nuts was to die for. Definitely have to come back! read more

La Olla Mexican Cafe - Dessert: cheesecake of the day - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

La Olla is a destination restaurant in the Marana, Arizona area (North of Tucson on I-10). Fabulous Salsa ! Nice balance of cilantro, onion & heat. At La Olla, don't be ordering stuff you can get at Taco Bell. Bruuuuce and WPD ordered the same menu item - Manchego Shrimp. Butterflied shrimp with Manchego Cheeze wrapped in bacon and roasted green chile, topped with chile con quest, melted Manchego and corn salsa. Served with rice, calabacitas, and a warm hand stretched flour tortilla. Now WPD did kinda steal the description from the menu, but......, this S#i+ is GOOD ! Oh, and this restaurant is Super Duper Clean. read more

La Olla Mexican Cafe - Fish Eye View of some Real Deal Mexican Food - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Excellent food. Not your typical Mexican food. La Olla does it right! Great service! Try the chile rojo and you will not be disappointed. My daughter ordered a deep-fried twinkie with jalapeno chocolate ice cream for dessert--surprisingly it was quite good! read more

Food was great! Service was not. we ate dinner and bill came to like $23.25 and I gave the waitress $30.00. Waited ten minutes and still never received my change, don't get me wrong I always tip 20% if it good service and 15% even if it's bad but it's rude too asume all the change is theirs. I had to ask for my change and she brought back a 5 and 1 and some loose change. Being she only checked on us once after receiving our food. read more

La Olla Mexican Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

This is a dynamite little restaurant. Don't drive by- stop in. The food and service is super! If I were independently wealthy I would eat here more often. This is a dynamite little restaurant. Don't drive by- stop in. The food and service is super! If I were independently wealthy I would eat here more often. read more

The best Micah cafe in the area. Never had a bad meal and service is alway excellent.

Can not think of any menu item that I have tried that I have not liked. This time tried their green Chile quesadilla and it was excellent. So much cheesy goodness, crisp and flavorful and just the right amount of kick from the chiles. They never disappoint and I highly recommend this place to anyone. read more

We stopped here on the way to Vail and it was great. Food was delicious and service was good!

It's all about the calabacitas. I'm usually not a fan of summer squash but this side is wonderful and I could totally eat it as a main entree. That's not to say that all of the other food that I have tried there is bad, it's not, it's excellent. I have tried several menu items but I would have to say that I love the chicken soft tacos, the pork carnitas and the carne asada. There aren't many unique places to eat in this area of Marana and it is nice to be able to drive a block or so and eat terrific Mexican food. The service is wonderful and the food is decently priced...plus they have pretty awesome margaritas, which make life positively wonderful. I love this place and wish that it maybe weren't so inconspicuous (I drove by it for a few months before realizing there was a restaurant there). So if you are on the Northwest side, come check out La Olla. read more

I can't say enough good things about La Olla. The staff is excellent and the food is one step above everything else in Tucson. Very mouthwatering dishes to choose from. We had a Groupon coupon and took advantage of the deal. The place is really far from us but worth making the 20 minute trip. I never saw the place so busy so I am pleased to see they are doing well. The dishes are presented on a very large platter and comes with lots of different sides. A sweet tamale pie was with my carnitas. It was incredibly good. This is my third review of La Olla so just check out the other reviews of mine. We also had the chocolate jalapeno gelato. Wow was that good. read more

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Here's a tasty Mexican food restaurant to try out for lunch! Their specials are great, quite a few lunch time selections all for only $5.95 each. My choice was two beef tacos with rice and beans. Of course you'll get tortilla chips and salsa when you sit down. It's just the right amount of food for a quick lunch. This was my first visit for the lunch special though I've been there before for dinner and always have a good time. If you're still feeling hungry and need something different you owe it to yourself to try the deep fried twinkie with jalapeno ice cream! How can you resist after reading that on the menu? I certainly couldn't. read more

The only reason I would give La Olla four stars rather than five is because I want to go back and try another dish. That's not to say that the Chilaquiles of the Day that I ordered was flawed in any way, but it definitely was different than what I expected. Although I've never eaten chilaquiles before, I know what the dish looks like. La Olla surprised me with a dish that included a cube of what looked like a chilaquiles casserole along with some astounding rice, beans and now a new favorite side of mine, calabacitas (basically squash, onions, and peppers in a sauce). This interesting take on chilaquiles was certainly good, but I can't help but feel as though I still have not really had chilaquiles. To stay on the positive though, the burrito that my wife ordered (which I sampled a bit of that night and the next day as leftovers, don't judge me!) was excellent and part of the reason I want to go back and try any number of their other dishes. What's even better about La Olla is that the restaurant itself is small and located so far down Silver Bell Road that I don't think many people are aware of it, which is perfect for anyone that just wants a nice quiet dinner out without a lot of wait or hassle. Oh, and the chips and salsa, the measure by which you should judge any Mexican restaurant, passed the test. read more

Great food for the price. This is not your same-old-same Mexican joint. The flavors are unique and pop in your mouth. Will certainly come back and will recommend to all. The appetizer, Diablo Chicos, is amazing! Yellow Anaheim pepper stuffed with shrimp, green onions and cheese before being wrapped in bacon and baked....What? Wow!! I want this dish again...now! The guacamole and salsa with the chips was good and spice about right. The Carne Seca (dried beef with seasoning/spices an dried) was great! A little salty and probably wouldn't want a full plate, the trio combo plate was perfect. Will definitely order again. The relleno is ok. I like mine more fired and cheeses. This was more egg-like. Cheese inside had good flavor, but if you like a fried relleno, go for something else in menu. The garlic shrimp taco was the bomb! Amazing taste. My dad had a different combo plate and I tried his Carne Asada taco (very good), carnita enchilada (tasty) and Manchego shrimp (awesome)! The margaritas were also done right. Best Mexican restaurant I've been to in Tucson. read more

I must first start off by saying that the food is hands down delicious!! And, the Prickly Pear Margarita is so yummy... but it's pretty small for the price (but too good to have only one). Unfortunately, my favorite meal is only served on week nights, when they offer the "Recession Buster Menu". Service is slow and not top notch. Also, I recommend skipping the order of guacamole... you get a tablespoon for $6! read more

Good Mexican food here! Good service too! They turn tables fairly quickly so if there is a wait it is typically not too bad. There are always specials on the food menu and the drink menu. This evening we made selections off both and were very happy. My Green and Red dinner was like a burrito but had two different sides- the Green side was full of pulled marinated pork and the Red side was full of pulled marinated beef. Lots of food !!! Couldn't finish it and had leftovers for my lunch the next day. read more

We have always loved the food at la olla. The service has always been slow but it was worth the wait. We have not been there since Covid so I was excited. The service was so bad our waitress never came back to see if we wanted another drink or if our food was okay until we were done she acted like we were a inconvenience for her. I work in retail so I try to be extra friendly. We will not be going back there again. read more

Loved this place! The decor was very nice, staff was very nice and efficient. The food was fabulous! A lady we met outside recommended the pork carnitas and they were out of this world good! Husband had a taco and thought it was great! read more

Super little place in the NW corner of Tucson on the Marana line. Best salsa & chips and lunch specials! read more

La Olla Mexican Cafe - Love La Olla for lunch or dinner. Their salsa & chips are the BEST! You can't beat the price of lunch specials just over $5. - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I had the chili relleno off the lunch menu. Food was good. I felt that it was skimmy for the $7.50 price. Would consider going again just not when I was hungry. Service seemed slow considering there were not so many people at 11:30 when they opened. read more

I had a combination plate with a chile relleno, garlic shrimp taco, carne seca, beans, rice, and calabacitas. Every item on the plate was tasty. I have no clue why this place is getting negative reviews! read more

La Olla Mexican Cafe - Red chili chimi. All burritos and chimichangas come enchilada style! - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Always great food. Terrible customer service for delivery. Was treated terribly by staff in dealing with an order that we waited over an hour for do to an issue with Uber eats. I understand that they are two separate companies but they did nothing to care about the customer. We used to eat here regularly and will no longer support this establishment. Best of luck. read more

Great Mexican restaurant we stopped at as we were traveling from Tucson to Phoenix. The salad, chips, salsa and especially the carne asada were exceptionally good. I highly recommend this place. read more

Honestly this is my favorite Mexican food restaurant in Tucson and I have lived here my whole life. I have been coming to this restaurant for about seven years now and I usually get the same plate the number 6 is amazing read more

Craving a Chili Relleno and tonight's meal did not disappoint. The chips and salsa was delicious. An added perk to the meal is the calabacitas, which hit the spot. Service was great. The food was tasty. A hidden gem! We will be back! read more

Two words: ENCHILADA STACK. I haven't had Mexican food that delicious in a long time. We also ordered a taco salad which was also fantastic. There were only 2 waitresses for a full restaurant but they were friendly and kept the service up to par. read more

La Olla Mexican Cafe - Taco Salad! - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

My very favorite restaurant and it's right in the neighborhood! The staff is so friendly and give excellent service and the food is amazing! Always fresh and delicious!! read more

My boyfriend and I love coming to this tucked away Mexican restaurant! Great food and nice waitresses too!

Very good food, especially the cheese crisp and quesadilla appetizers. We liked the atmosphere, as well the friendly staff. The house margarita was good but not great. read more

Really tasty, and reasonably priced. We've tried the fish tacos and Sonora dogs and both were excellent.

Not sure why this place has four stars . The food is bad. Really bad. I ordered three different dishes all awful. The enchilada stack, the regular enchiladas, the Beans and rice are shockingly unacceptable. The chili con carne rijo taste like burnt chemical. All three dishes cost a little over $40.00 . read more

Family run restaurant that makes everything in house including their chips and salsa. They have the best carne seca that I've ever had. The waitstaff is friendly and the service is great. I will be back soon. read more

The gentleman at the front was extremely rude and provided little help. For me, the quality of food never outweighs a poor customer service experience so I don't plan to return. read more

The first thing I do when I move to a new town is hunt for the best Mexican food. La Olla didn't disappoint - amazing food, great staff and atmosphere and great drinks. This local spot is definitely worth sharing with my friends and family!! read more

My wife and I eat here often. Nice little place, love the atmosphere and the décor. The food is always piping hot and delicious! My wife enjoys the house margarita. We have come for lunch and dinner many times and the experience is always great! read more

My family adores this place! They are consistently excellent! I believe we have tried just about everything on the menu and keep coming back for more. The servers are very friendly & always welcoming. I feel right at home here. My only wish for them is to expand into the business next door so they could have more seating. It is next to impossible to get a table on Friday or Saturday night! We are so lucky to have this business in our community. read more

The service is always excellent. The food is just ok. The owner is down right rude and has a chip on his shoulder. We will not be back for a very long time if ever. I'd rather spend my money where it's appreciated. read more

I ordered the shrimp for dinner and it was delish. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is authentic and homey. Prices are fair and reasonable. Would recommend this restaurant. read more