Maybe I'm just a Chicago-burbs girl expecting the worst, but I was shocked at how satisfying Papa's was! I'd never been, even having visited Mena for years and years. This will absolutely be on my routine-o-restaurants in the future. I visited with three other adults and three kids. We had two servers that checked in often and even if something was forgotten, they happily would return with whatever we needed. They were patient with our loud table and the service was fast. I couldn't even understand the prices. It was something like $1.50 for a side of guacamole...say what?! It was a small side but in Chicago I'd pay $4 for it. I ordered the chimichangas, which included TWO chimichangas, and a plate overflowing with beans & rice. I loved that the chimi's were mini, instead of one huge one. Much easier for bringing home (which one of us did). Other orders included chicken enchiladas, quesadillas and steak fajitas. Everything received good reviews on the food quality. When I return to Mena, I'll absolutely be visiting Papa's again! read more

A colleague and I were passing through and both really really loving Mexican cuisine decided on Papa's. SHOULD HAVE WENT TO TACO BELL!!!!! The salsa was delivered in the tiniest condiments containers- ok, strange but ok. Chips were not stale- so ok. The salsa was red- thats as far as I go with calling this salsa. A can of Rotel would have been way better. Young kids would have liked this, I guess, very insipid. We each ordered Fajita Chicken Chimichangas, rice and beans came on the platter as well. The chicken had zero seasoning- couldn't see or taste any salt, pepper, or any seasoning mix at all, it was just boiled chicken. It even had the just boiled chicken taste- IYKYK. The chimichangas were not fried in the least- they were just rolled up tortillas, boiled chicken with no seasoning mix, no onions, no peppers, no flavor. We ordered queso on too not red sauce- thank goodness- it was the only flavor for the entire meal. The beans could have been great had they been maybe black beans- La Costena brand is a thousand times better than the bland plain canned refried beans we received. The rice was the same. We looked for corn, red seasoning flakes- none! We both said immediately- THERE ARE NO MEXICANS IN THIS KITCHEN! Wow! Can not believe this place is in business. But given the small area, lack of dining- ok. The exterior and interior were nice. The , also insipid, waitresses were sweeping, folding napkins and waitress duties. Our waitress was Virginia, friendliest one we encountered. She brought me 1 drink, wish I had known to conserve it because she never offered us more. The other wait staff looked as we smiled, but non smiled or spoke back to either of us. The young man taking our $25 was very indifferent as well. All in all- we left the restaurant and area very shocked. Most Mexican restaurants in Arkansas being sisters to Texas- are very good. We honestly have never in our lives had such poor Mexican food. read more

Papa's Mexican Cafe - Bland AF Chimichanga with its bland AF sides! - Mexican Near Me - Mena, Arkansas

If I could give ZERO stars I would. Absolutely awful experience. Took nearly 30 minutes for us to get our drink order. 1/2 of the order was a frozen margarita and it was mostly melted by the time I got it. This was after the fact that the person I was dining with had to walk up to the bar to ask for an update on our drinks and caught the person on their phone and our drinks already made... next came the fact that our food order got messed up. Took over 45 minutes between the time we sat down to receiving the food to get something in front of us. Part of the food was cold and the sour cream with the fajitas tasted like it was spoiled. That was honestly our final straw. I could hardly finish my drink, and with the food being AWFUL, we asked for the check. We walked up to the front trying to speak to the manager, mainly because the price of the food on our ticket was $5 more than what their menu showed. The manager aka the person who made our drinks in such a timely manner... said she would give us a discount. Due to the food quality. Which was a nice gesture. EXECPT FOR THE FACT THAT SHE DISCOUNTED THE UP CHARGED FOOD AND NOT THE PRICE THE MENU SHOWED. So either way we still over paid for an absolutely terrible experience. DO NOT RECOMMEND EATING HERE!!! Side note: white queso = hot milk. Had hardly and flavor and probably hardly any cheese. The salsa also tasted like store bought picante sauce. read more

Amazing Service from the moment I walked in the door! The food is so good and I loved their Halloween decorations! Really kicked off Spooky Season! read more

Papa's Mexican Cafe - What a fun place! Amazing service and great food! Glad we made the stop! - Mexican Near Me - Mena, Arkansas

Excellent service. Food was very good. The veggie quesadillas were excellent. Full of flavor. Will return read more

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Food was bland. Never had charro beans with hot dogs before. Service was good but food was meh. read more

Papa's Mexican Cafe - Never had hot dogs in charro beans before. Food was bland. Was not impressed. Service was good but food was bland - Mexican Near Me - Mena, Arkansas

Our favorite Mexican restaurant in Mena. The Chile Relleno Burrito was delicious. I enjoy their Churro Beans over refried beans. Love the new building they built. Staff are friendly and attentive. read more

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Food okay...wanna make it over the top?...not much effort...shredded cheese on your beans...a garnish of shredded lettuce...goes a long way...sorry substandard at most...spoiled...west coast Mexican food the best!!...been to Mexico also...pretty sub standard here...no effort in making it prime...all good would not eat there again... read more

Worst Mexican food in Mena Arkansas. Do not recommend if I could give zero stars I would put cheese sauce on everything even if it's not listed on the menu as a description cautious when you order. read more

Average food, we had a great server but I felt bad for him. It seemed like he couldn't take care of his customers the way he wanted to because he was paranoid of mgmt. And I guess they charge per tortilla, which is fine but kind of annoying. Just charge more for meals and get over the annoying nickel and dime stuff... it's weird. And an additional charge for paying by debit? That's called the cost of doing business. Glad I'm from Texas and have access to real Mexican food and was just passing through this area... but at the same time if it's all you've got in the town...I guess people make it work and I get that. read more

I had a wonderful meal tonight at Papa's Mexican Cafe here in Mena Arkansas. I brought my granddaughter Brittany, grandson Brandon and great-granddaughter Ellayna. The food was outstanding hot and fresh and full of flavor. The young man who waited our table was very attentive and totally outstanding if you're in this area visiting I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Papa's Mexican Cafe - Fish tacos, Spanish rice, seafood taco sauce. - Mexican Near Me - Mena, Arkansas

It's been a while but I had a memorable picture imprinted in my mind of the fine meal and friendly service I received. Couldn't wait until the next venture out. I've heard its not the impression they make on you but how you feel when you think of them. It's wonderful ! read more

This place ain't gonna make it. You can tell in the first 2 minutes if a Mexican joint is any good or not by the salsa. They brought 4 kinds and they all sucked. read more

New building, new menus, solid reliable staff, quite reasonable prices- what is there not to like? I've heard some complaints and I've looked those people in the eye and asked "Does it hurt when you try to think?" Seriously great to eat there! They've got this new kind of enclosed taco- Can't remember their name. Great stuff! read more

The food is delicious! The facility is super clean! You need to try this place when traveling to or through Mena Arkansas. We will always eat here when we come to this area! Super friendly staff... read more

The food is well presented. The staff is very good. Only thing, we are vegetarian so can't eat there any longer as found out beans have lard. If they can offer an alternative, we'll come back! Really a good establishment all in all though. read more

Excellent place in Mena Good service and quality food Friendly staff Easy to find and great for sharing with my family Salad was excellent read more

Honestly it's just not very good, bland. You can taste how poor quality everything is. It's sad really because it used to be good.

We are Texans who own a home in the Mena area. This is not the best Mexican food we enjoy in the Dallas area. We are spoiled by that. It is solid with reliable service. We have been patrons for 17 years. read more

This is a great place for a family to go and have a great time with great food, the service was so good I always had a refill and after a while they came and got our plates and let us hang out and talk. read more

Visiting from Texas, what's up with the charro beans with weiners? Is that a Arkansas thing? Service was great, food bland, we'll pass next time. read more

While passing through Mena AR we decided to check out this kitschy Mexican Restaurant. What a delight, it was everything I expected. Decorated to the nines in festive Mexican garb added to the enjoyment. A warm basket of chips and salsa were served right away as we sat down to our booth. I had the enchilada plate and even special ordered different sauces. The services was excellent and the food was delish! I recommend this conveniently located spot for yummy Tex Mex food. read more

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This is our favorite restaurant in Mena. Great food and service. Love the chips and salsa.

My wife and I were passing through town on a quiet, Sunday afternoon. We decided to grab a bite to eat and my wife was in the mood for Mexican or steak. The only steak place we found in town was jammed packed with the after-church-crowd. Papa's Mexican Cafe wasn't much better but we were about to run out of town at this point. We were seated and then we waited. A girl came by and took our drink order and then we waited. A young guy brought us a tiny bowl of salsa and chips and then we waited. And then we waited. And then we waited. Another girl brought us our drinks and then we waited. The first girl came back to take our order and then we waited. Our food arrived and then we ate. I had a chicken dish that came with rice and beans. Actually, I guess I had a rice and bean dish that came with a side of chicken. The plate was covered in rice and beans and I'm guessing that was to distract you from the fact that the piece of chicken wouldn't have qualified for a McNugget. The flavor was blah. The rice and beans tasted like they came out of a can and the chicken was nothing to write home about. Oh the bright side, you didn't have to choke down a lot of chicken to finish the dish. And then we waited. And then we waited. And then we waited. The first girl came back and asked if we wanted refills of our drinks that had been emptied before our food had arrived. And then we waited. We gave up ever seeing our waitress again so I moved to the register so I could pay us out of there. Since I didn't have a ticket, the cashier had to hunt down our waitress. And then we waited. The only real bright spot I can say about Papa's Mexican Cafe is the fact that I saved a few bucks because I didn't have to leave a tip. Let me ask a quick question about Mexican restaurants. Why are the plates always hot? Aren't each part of the dish cooked separately? Do they microwave the plates? Seriously, what's the deal with that? read more

This is one of my favorite places in town to eat. The service is friendly and prompt, and the food is always good. My two favorite dishes are the alambre and the poblano pasta. The color of the pasta is a little off putting at first but the taste is wonderful! I asked the server why it was green and I was informed that it is made with poblano peppers, hence the name poblano pasta. The alambre is another of my go-tos. It is similar to fajitas only with ham and bacon added! read more

Oh this one really takes the cake with my search for a chili relleno, west of Hot Springs, AR. This chili relleno came in a taco platter, inside a taco?!!!!! Mexican restaurants west of Hot Springs do not know or care about true Mexican dishes. I've tried everyone in Mena to no avail. I've tried them in Mt. Ida and Glenwood also. And I'm sorry to say but no Chili Rellenos were edible west of Hot Springs, folk. Pitiful excuse to call themselves a Mexican Restaurant if you ask me. No chili Relleno, No business from me, is my motto, from now on. I'm not stupid. I know what to expect and what a pablano pepper looks like and what a authentic chili relleno looks and tastes like too. And ya know, I could understand if these so called restaurants were not of Mexican origins but they are. Shame on you Mexicans who try to serve me something other than what I know a pablano pepper looks like and what a chili relleno is. read more

Walked in and seen people standing there waiting to be cashed out. So we waited. When she was almost done with them another family walked in and walked right passed us. There young son said wait what about these people we are cutting in front of them. his parents didn't care and the lady walked up to them and seated them as if we are not standing there. Then when one of us went to the restroom and another couple came in. They did ask if we are waiting to be seated and I told her I'm waiting for my man in the bathroom. The lady who works there walked up to them and seated them. Still acting as if she could not see what. WTF REALLY??? we left I won't ever try again!!! read more

I was here in Mena with a friend visiting her kinfolk I ordered the chicken breast plate, it was overcooked and very dry and very small, they probably got 5 slices out of one chicken breast. They only brought ya two soft corn tortilla's, wasn't even hot. Sorry excuse for a Mexican restaurant. read more

I rate is high for authenticity and atmosphere and great service. Good prices too. My favorite!