The BEST Chicken Mole Negro since dining in Puebla, Mexico! This place has been there in plaza palomino for as long as I recall! If you are interested in buying from Locals, this place has the charm it's ALWAYS had. The owner is a very funny person from the good ole days, and the staff works hard to keep the place up and running! The food is terrific, your patronage is ACTUALLY APPRECIATED and comes through in every bite of food! WE'VEM had MANY different meals and they don't "dumb down" anything! Authentic and yummy, and ALWAYS a pleasure! read more

La Placita Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

All you need to know about this place is the way they respond to negative feedback on their yelp... "Thank Buddha we never have to deal with you again" and they make fun of someone's accent?!? Come on! This was one of the worst meals I've ever had in my life... But luckily, it was accompanied by some of the rudest, coldest, most unprofessional service I've ever experienced! They served cola that was 100% flat and then treated us poorly for returning them... Each bowl of chips was served with a maximum of seven chips (despite us being a party of 10) The food is beyond bland. Taco Bell is honestly better than this place... The lighting is cold and sterile. Marcella, our server, started off rude and got progressively worse as the meal went on... Despite what their reply to this comment is, we were absolutely delightful. We were there to have a good time. We were there to see Marcella succeed, and everything this restaurant did worked against us! When we walked in, the man working the host stand HAD HIS FEET ON THE DESK. that shoulda been our first (disgusting) clue! Please eat "anywhere but here" when you're visiting Tucson-- it was an absolute waste of our time and money. read more

As always, our server seated us right away. Very nice lady. I had a numero tres. It's chicken and mole, cheese and sour cream, and Birrio enchiladas with rice and beans. Really good food... again. Good music and just a nice little spot. read more

See all

No bueno! Rude server! Blah. Do not waste your time or money when there are amazing mexican restaurants in Tucson with kind and cheerful staff. read more

A friend and I went here for lunch because we wanted a place where we could easily chat while enjoying some good food. She goes here frequently and it was an enjoyable time. They have a nice menu of breakfast and lunch items. I chose a chicken taco and a shredded beef one as well, both without the tortillas. They came on a plate, piled high with meat and fresh toppings. Delicious! We also got a basket of chips with salsa, complimentary. My friends ordered guacamole tacos, which aren't even in the menu. They were happy to accommodate her request. Our server was friendly and welcoming and the restaurant was cheery and clean. read more

Good food, good service, cold beer, reasonable prices. I'm always full and happy after visiting La Placita. It's never really full, compared to the other 2 restaurants in the same plaza. It's not as fancy as those 2 but for solid Mexican food you can't go wrong. read more

La Placita Cafe - Combination meal with fish taco, cheese enchilada, and green tamales - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

Good Food, good prices & service, decent selection of bottled Mexican beers, quiet enough for normal conversational volume, located in Plaza Palomino with easy access and plenty of parking read more

Needed a place to eat before an appt, and this place has good reviews. When you first walk in, it's not much to look at in the way of ambiance, but we got sat quickly and our drink orders taken. After looking at the menu, we settled on a combo plate for me and the tacos for Bobbie. Both were very good with tons of flavor. Overall, this was a good place to eat, and if we're back in the area again, we will have to remember this place. read more

Two words, Tortilla Soup. Try it!! It's definitely amazing!! This is a cool little joint tucked into the back area of Plaza Palomino. Although I've never been in for dinner, I've done lunch many times and they never disappoint. They have a variety of lunch specials with very reasonable prices. The salsa is extremely flavorful and the service is impeccable. Give this place a try, you won't be disappointed. read more

I had the Carne con Chile Verde ($13.50), which came with rice, beans and flour tortillas. It was a big plate. The food tasted good, though my Mexican-born companion wasn't impressed with her Queso Fundido. read more

Best Mexican food in Tucson. Locally owned. Good service,clean. We had a cup of chicken with rice soon just like your mother made. There did was fresh and delicious. Love this hidden jewel. read more

I had the seafood soup and my wife had combo plate 4 We both thought the food was made with love and tasted good We highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner! read more

There is nothing special or authentic about the food here. It's mostly cheap cheese, lukewarm entrées and disappointing sauces. I arrived at 1:45 and the waitress looked surprised and did not even greet me and ask if needed a table. Apparently they close at 2:00 and she was horrified at the idea of having to perhaps stick around for a few extra minutes. I had the lunch special of cheese enchiladas and a chicken taco. The chicken taco had no particular flavor and the enchiladas were lukewarm with an uninspired red sauce. For the quality of the food, even the lunch specials are over priced.The chips and salsa we're good. The restaurant is boring as far as decor. In a city like Tucson with so many excellent inexpensive Mexican authentic restaurants, there is absolutely no reason to come here. read more

See all

08.19.23 Nope. Since it has changed hands, it may be busier, but the food is no longer nearly as good (it used to be great). In fact, the food is just lame. The first bad omen was the chalkboard sign near the door that in the past or at a friendlier restaurant would have a featured menu item this time admonished patrons to let them know before ordering if the check would be split. The second was that as we ordered, I asked for the chips and salsa that in the past and as I mentioned already at friendlier restaurants (with better food and service) would have already been on the table we were told, "We don't serve them until you order " How cheap. The next was the flavorless watery "salsa." And then came the food. How can an alleged Mexican restaurant make tacos that are devoid of flavor? I don't know, but this place does. Nope. Not ever going back. There is a family owned Mexican restaurant on Campbell Ave. that is much more deserving of your business. If you have friends or family from out of state who did not grow up with Mexican food or have never had authentic Mexican food, they might like LA Placita Cafe. But if you know authentic Mexican food and love it as much as I do, don't waste your time or money here. Nope. Don't do it. read more

Waited 10 minutes to be seated even though there were only two other parties. Salsa is practically soup with no flavor or spice. Food was even more of a let down. Absolutely no flavor in the ground beef tacos and rice. Service was poor. Took forever to get a refill on drink and was not check on. Way better places in Tucson. Avoid. read more

Took my parents here on a Friday night, and was surprised to see that it was dead....I soon found out why. Our waitress seemed annoyed to be there, and did not offer a smile or any type of pleasantries. I hope she was just having a bad day, but she definitely did not make us feel welcome. The restaurant seemed dingy and out dated( used to be nice) and the food was subpar. Our margaritas were horrible. Off my list of Mexican restaurants - not going back, which is sad because I used to like this place. read more

Excellent traditional Mexican dishes with prompt friendly service. We've eaten here now four times this past year and loved each visit. The restaurant is small to medium sized and has pleasant Mexican style decor. Nothing fancy - just good down home Mexican fare prepared and served by Mexican American families. The garlic prawns I had tonight were phenomenal, especially with the cold Corona. My wife's fish tacos looked great too. I've also had the mole enchiladas and their mole is awesome. The menu has plenty of choices and you can order various kinds of alcoholic drinks. Highly recommended. read more

The website error through Google links to an apparent "out of business" page. LaPlacitaTucson.com is fully functional.

Really excellent margaritas and delicious food. The atmosphere is classic and the staff are very nice and attentive. If you're looking for something local and authentic, I would highly recommend. read more

The food is great don't ask to use the restroom if you're handicap they ask you to go out side to another one

Good food ask if they can put a handicap bar in the restroom you can go outside to another to a rest room

If it's good enough for these mice... haha. Excellent service. Nice environment. The food is borderline homemade; Abuela would approve. It's hidden in the rear of this shopping center but worth the hunt. read more

La Placita Cafe - If it's good enough for these mice... - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I have many pleasant memories of eating lunch here during my grad school years. It's a quiet little restaurant tucked away in the shopping plaza with good lunch specials and great budget friendly options. They make a mean chimichanga and burros! read more

Went to this restaurant on Monday may 15th. Sat down and no one approached table for over 10 minutes. We walked out and left Disappointed for sure since we really wanted Mexican food. I understand you were busy but at least acknowledge the table read more

Best Carne Seca in Tucson! We have tried many places. Service is very friendly and helpful. We always order from here when we come to Tucson. read more

First try of Mexican food after we moved to Tucson and La Placita did not disappoint. The red tamale was moist and flavorful and the tacos we tried (shredded beef and fish) were crispy and crunchy even after 20 mins. read more

Still one of the best kept secrets in town. Great Mexican food and the quality is consistently good. The Chicken Mole is one of their special dishes and one of the best in town. Their shrimp dishes use fresh shrimp from Guaymas, which everyone knows is where the best shrimp comes from. Their Veracruz fish dish is wonderful. I also love their salsa. I haven't had any better in town. read more

Went here while on a company trip with a bunch of co-workers. Accommodating service. It was pretty quiet on the weeknight I was there. The food was where it got really divisive. Some people loved their dishes, others were less than enthused. I personally just ordered soup, which was great. The drinks, unfortunately, were not. The mixed drinks were not sufficiently strong at all and overly sweet. If you're going to order a drink here, best stick to a neat liquor, beer, or wine. read more

Chile rellenos in the Tucson Area rated according to the Homeland Security Advisory System with three word descriptors. La Placita Café: spicy light sauce. Orange See photos. read more

La Placita Cafe - La Placita Café: spicy light sauce. Orange - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I stopped in with a friend last night for dinner. I wasn't sure what to expect, but we were both impressed. Our waiter was one of the best I've had - so nice, and friendly. Very accommodating, and even brought our to go out to us after we had left the restaurant - GREAT SERVICE! Chips were homemade , salsa was ok. I had the chicken mole - it was moist and had a flavorful sauce. The tortillas were brought in a warmer with a lid to keep them nice and warm. This is close to work for me so I'll be back! read more

My friend took me here for dinner and it was a quiet lil place, great food, amazing margarita. Closes on the earlier side, but it's all good because the food was great. Super friendly service, too. read more

On a five-day trip to Tucson, I could only talk my traveling companions into Mexican food once, so we had to make it count. I was surprised that in the Southwest it was so difficult to find a highly rated Mexican spot. It wasn't busy when we showed up at La Placita Cafe. We were greeted with tasty but unspicy salsa, heavy on the oregano. I had a house Margarita--way too sweet with no lime flavor to speak of. I asked for extra lime, and that helped. And then we waited. And waited. Authentic manana attitude is in full force here. After about 20 minutes we were able to order. I ordered their chili verde. Surprisingly it's offered with beef, not pork, and only refried beans, not whole, are available. And then we waited. And waited. See manana attitude above. Food finally arrived. Nothing special. No heat. Spectacularly mediocre. At one point my husband looked around the table of five and said, "how come I don't see any smiles?" Although no one had said anything, we were all feeling ambivalent about our meals. More manana attitude when it came time to flag down a bill. So frustrating, since this was my only shot! read more

La Placita has a great menu. We eat fish but not meant, and enjoyed the shrimp and the scallops, respectively. They were both wonderful. Contrary to another review, the salsa was excellent! Water please! I'll admit I like a thinner chip, but my girlfriend loved their thicker chips. I'm looking forward to the seafood pizza on my next trip! Tucked in the rear portion of a rather vacated Palomino Plaza, THEY ARE OPEN! read more

I'm trying chicken mole in several Tucson restaurants. At LaPlacita it was just OK. The chicken was tender but the mole sauce was bland - no zing or kick. Sides were the typical rice n' beans n'chips. I'm guessing that the customer base here is the workers at the surrounding stores who come for lunch. It's probably good for that. read more

This restaurant has the best mole in town!! I highly recommend it! I got the mole chicken breast served with rice and beans. As for appetizers, I had the traditional salsa served with chips, which was also very tasty. It had the right amount of spice not too mild, but just right. I will be back soon! read more

Aside from this place being hard to find, it's in the Plaza Palomino shopping center which is really nice! However, the service was not that great. I went for lunch today and there were 9 of us. So I get that handling a table that large is difficult. However, there were 2, count that 2 other patrons at the restaurant so I would hardly call it a lunch rush! The waitress had such an attitude where she was literally slamming the plates down in front of us. And we all ordered lunch specials, and we knew they didn't come with beans and rice but she could have "up sold" us or even asked us if we wanted anything else to go with the lunch specials since they didn't include much. I ordered the taco and 2 enchiladas plate which was decent. The 2 stars is for the food, but the service gets no stars. Don't plan on returning to this restaurant. read more

We love this little Mexican restaurant. The food is great and the menu offers a nice variety of choices at reasonable prices. It's a little hidden away but well worth seeking out.it"s a nice quiet place to enjoy a great meal. read more

Disappointed to drive all the way out for them to be closed almost an hour early. No explanation from employee just ignored us and continued to clean. read more

The food isn't good at all. The fish in the taco tasted boiled and had no flavor. The only thing that saved this place from getting one star, was the chips and salsa that we basically ate for dinner because the food was horrible. Don't come here Taco Bell can serve you better. read more

I have been here a couple of times now. The food is decent and you can always get a table right away. They have very few people who come here at lunch so it is a quiet place to have conversation. There is only one server at lunch so be prepared to wait a bit. The chips are a bit thick for my taste but the salsa is good. The cheese crisp has lots of cheese but is not as crisp as you would want. We typically have the lunch specials which are a lot of food and pretty tasty. If you are looking for a place to sit and chat and enjoy the company you are with try it out. read more