we have had food all across the country, eaten at this location before, but they have never failed…read morelike they did today. 5/16 /26 served room temperature food. Birria tacos were not fried, left hungry like I came in. asked for fried and all they did is drench everything in pure grease and slap it on a griddle till it was 1/3 of the way fried, making things worse - wife's food was pure slop - unedible due to grease - but we ended up paying over 130 for a late lunch for a family of 5 that she took literally one bite of before saying "Nope." management & server seemed to hide away despite knowing there was an issue with the food. Cups were always empty. Service and especially food is lackluster for what it is. asked for waters with our drinks, only one was given. One chip and salsa to share between the 5 of us. at least we didn't get food poisoning this time. needless to say, we will never be back. hands down worst mexican food we have ever had. cook at home, you'll thank me later. no matter how bad of a cook you are, you're still better then whoever runs this kitchen.

Everyone has always been friendly to me and my family and friends. Everything I've eaten there has…read morealways been good! My favorite Mexican restaurant!

This is our first time here, and this is a difficult review to write because the food is great but…read morethe atmosphere is greatly lacking. We absolutely love their chicken enchiladas and Chile relleno, and the tostados, rice, and beans were yummy too. The tamale could have used a little more filling and the mole' a little more depth, but all of the food surpassed our expectations by far especially for Mexican food in Columbia, TN. Now for the not so good, the dining area is not where you want to hang out. I totally understand why there are so many to go orders. ALL of the booth seats are ripped, there's way too much clutter at the entry, no one needs a gum machine, or random sports gear unless you are a sports bar or catering to kids. I would move 'every' item out, paint the entire room so it's clean, but doesn't smell of floor disinfectant, do a deep clean on the sticky tables and menus, and other table items. Then I would only move the necessary items back into the room. Ahhh a place we all want to dine. Also, while we were there a broom and dustpan were left leaning against one of the tables for an extended period of time. This is just a lack of training. Attention to detail is the key to success. This would be a five star place if it felt more inviting instead of like my spare bedroom where everything goes that I'm not quite ready to part with yet. I was a bit leery and checked their scores today.... Good news... Cocina Real 5021 Trotwood Avenue Columbia, TN Food Service Establishment Inspection May 19, 2025 Score & Grade: 97

Our first time here & the food was fantastic!They were quite busy during lunch, however, our waiter…read morewas terrific & very attentive, great service. My husband& I had the "Mexican Style" tacos with rice. Good portions & food was very flavorful. We found ourselves a New Mexican restaurant for sure!

Food was hot, fresh and made to order! The street tacos were great. My favorite was the pastor…read morepork. The meat was seasoned. The staff was friendly. Service was great. Quiet spot. The queso was delicious as well.

Delicious food! Very authentic and great ambiance! Service was very good too. Would recommendread more

What an incredible find!!! Downtown Columbia has just recently landed the BEST Mexican eatery…read more I'm a native Southern California and have had my share of yummy Mexican food. Mi Lindo Michoacana can challenge any of the best SoCal Mexican restaurants! First ... they make HOMEMADE corn tortillas!!! Each meal is platted on original adobe plates. My husband had birria tacos (tender shredded beef sprinkled with magic ), with consume (non-spicy beef broth and some fairy dust ). I had a sope (corn cake with beans, cheese, Mexican cream, lettuce, onions, and cilantro) and a mulita (2 corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, onions, and cilantro). With two different salsas to pick from, green tomatillo and avocado jalapeño. We enjoyed the fresh cucumber lemonade and seriously, OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! The servers were friendly and attentive. The music invited some swimming. The menú caters to either English or Spanish speaking patrones. We loved this place and are looking forward to COMING BACK!!!

the food was wonderful and service was excellent and it was very clean…read moreI got to say I will be back and I will be telling my family and friends about this place.

We were in the neighborhood a s decided to have a late lunch at La Chalupita. It was our first time…read morethere. Service was great, the ambiance was honest. The had a buffet but we chose to order off the menu. The food was really good. We started with the nachos, which were cooked well, crispy and not greasy. We asked for the spicy salsa along with their regular one and they were both delicious. We had the Choripollo and Chipotle Chicken. The thin sliced chicken breast was just a tiny bit over cooked, but still very enjoyable with a lot of flavor from the sauces. I'm going to count La Chalupita as one of the best Mexican places I've been to.

My food tasted old. Tried a few times and rarely fresh and sadly not consistent…read more Wanted to like it, but it needs better ingredients, simpler menu, and more consistent quality

I absolutely love the Norris grilled chicken tacos. The service is always top notch!!read more

Perfect service! Super fast, hot food, amazing drinks, and friendly staff. Highly recommend!read more

Gotta be honest... The bad reviews had me worried. I was expecting to walk into a nightmare, but…read morethat was far from the case. Upon entering the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised by a clean and well decorated dining area. The buffet looked amazing and fresh. I chose the buffet, as it looked so appealing. All of the items were hot and tasty. The quality and flavor was as good as any other Mexican restaurant in this price range, and far above most buffets. One minor complaint was that there was no Flan. The fruit, however, was fantastic. Service was professional and very friendly. The staff was pleasant and attentive.

The receptionist who acted like maybe one of the business co-owners was very rude at the start when…read morewalking in to pickup an order, she acted as if she didn't have time to deal with a customer coming in to pick up their order.

Had a fantastic experience Tuesday night with over 30 adults from my Sunday School class. Great…read morefood & it was served in a timely manner. Our servers were wonderful! Kept the water & tea glasses filled, as well as plenty of chips & salsa. Highly recommend La Fuente for your parties or special events! Thanks to the staff for a fun evening!!!!

This was the first Mexican restaurant we tried when we moved here over a year ago. It was great…read morebut something is definitely wrong now. On our visit a month ago, the service was awful, and the food was definitely off. Last night we thought we'd give it one more try...it was a disaster. It was early and there were only a few tables taken. Since the menu doesn't tell you what beer is on tap, I asked her...she couldn't answer me. The only red wine on the menu is Burgundy which my wife has had before. She didn't seem to know what that was, and I showed it to her on the menu. My beer came and she said the wine would be out shortly. Meanwhile, a table across from us was sending their food back and another table was asking where their little girl's tacos were. After being ignored for another 15 minutes, another server came to the table and said they didn't have any red wine...we gave up and walked out. Sadly, this restaurant has gone from great to awful and we will never be back again.