La Fogata Restaurant

The restaurant’s décor was very nice and elegant. The service was just ok. The restaurant was not full and the server seem very busy and running around. The only good food that was order was the goat. I order the filet mignon and it was so bad I was not able to eat it. It looked like it was chopped meat put together and boiled. This quality of food should not be on a menu especially priced at $ 30!

La fogata ofrece un rico y variado menu de desayunos. Entre mis favoritos esta el combinado de machacado, huevos divorciados, la salsa de molcajete, y el menudo los fines de semana, Aparte de ser uno de mis favoritos en el Valle, le doy 4 estrellas porque han mejorado la calidad del servicio significativamente.

Will not go back. Service was terrible. Food was not what we expected. Most importantly, the floor was being mopped right next to our table while we are eating & all you could smell was fabuloso. Surely, there was a more appropriate time to clean. The mop was left resting on the empty table next to us for a few minutes.

Visited this restaurant with a large group of coworkers and customers. I loved the margaritas, the flavor is simply too good, olives are a nice touch. I tried the young goat tacos because gist seems to be house specialty. They were excellent, and the serving size was perfect. Someone in our group had the goat shoulder, but this looked to be a big piece of meat that had to wrestled with. We had outstanding service for our large group

Very nice place that would do just as well in DFW as the valley. Nice mixture of local fare (cabritto, cabrerias steak) with things like stuffed shrimp and red snapper. Piano player is versatile and enjoyable. Waiter was attentive and helpful. A great place for a special occasion. Prices a little high for everyday (although versatile menu would allow you to eat here daily for a month without repeat).

I would not recommend this place for a big event. I attended a company Christmas party where everyone had paid $ 25/​person. Our appetizers consisted, in alternating tables, one queso flamiado and one guac, pico and salsa. Our main courses were served out of order. It started with a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, a minimal amount of ranch dressing, and a slice of cucumber (they missed serving two people at my table), followed by a parrillada of a mixture of meats. We had enough time to finish eating the parrillada when the servers followed with some charro beans and refried beans for others, but failed to serve all tables. We paid $ 30 for two house margaritas that were of the same size and taste of a Cheddars $ 3.50 margarita. For its fancy look, the menu and food lack originality and were not up to par. Frankly, not a place I’d visit again.

Service is good and the place is really nice but I didn’t like the quality of the food. I came with some friends for breakfast and we all agree on this.
Even the cheese scattered on the enchiladas was horrible. It is not worth the so very high prices on their menu.

My colleagues and I visited a couple of times while on business. We went to the bar area. The ambiance is wonderful. The service is even better. The waiter was very attentive. We ordered an array of appetizers (machitos, mollejas, chorizo, etc.) for the table. We also ordered a few margaritas. By the end of the night, we got rid of Margarita and simply drank tequila (top shelf). It was so good, we returned a couple of weeks later and performed the same exercise. I highly recommend it.

Two stars for the wonderful service and atmosphere (it’s not easy to feel fancy smancy in el valle) but the food is really not very good and is so overpriced for the quality. I doubt I will ever return as it was absolutely underwhelming.

I always love this place when I’m in the valley. Great for breakfast especially.

Good food.

Food was good. Way overpriced, horrible service. Need I say more? Won’t go back for a very long time

Came here with my fiancé and i have to say i have mixed feelings about the place. When i first came here with my family a few months prior for lunch, i absolutely loved it. Great atmosphere, food and drinks. On my second visit for dinner, i have to say i was a bit disappointed. The lady at the podium (near the computer) was playing angry birds on her phone and it wasn’t on silent so i heard the game being played for about 15 mins… kind of annoying. Our waiter was a sweet older gentleman, no complaints there, he was very attentive and friendly. we had the guacamole and it was delicious along with the great tasting homemade tortilla chips and variety of salsas. We both had a chicken entrée, in my opinion could have used a bit more presentation, nonetheless for the price it was decent. Dessert was good but it felt generic/​not fresh. My last comment would have to be towards the mariachi. They were a great group and the music was great BUT… the table right next to us had them play about 10 songs which lasted the entire time of our dinner. As much as i like mariachi music, i was unable to have any kind of conversation with my fiancé which got a bit frustrating by song 5. Just saying, maybe there should be a song limit? Overall the place is beautiful with an inviting ambiance… might just want to tweak a few things to make it stellar :)

The restaurant itself is beautiful, but our dining experience was less than stellar. We had a graduation party of 12, and taking that into consideration our service was still lacking the entire meal. They struggled to keep our glasses full and provided us with very little attention. On to the food.
The one thing I would recommend this restaurant for is their offal. They offer bone marrow as well as tripas, mollejas, and machitos, which I thought were all excellent. The seafood however was just the opposite. We ordered 3 different types of seafood cocktails and they were all inedible. Two of them, «vuelva la vida» and the ceviche were extremely dark when served, which I thought was weird. I had never seen a ceviche that color, but I had also never had a «vuelva la vida» cocktail. Sure enough though, both cocktails were drowned in Worcestershire sauce. I tried to eat my «vuelva la vida» because I figured that it might just be the way its supposed to be, but it was completely off-​putting so I brought it to the server and manager’s attention. They said they would correct it and sent it back to the kitchen. They brought back a frosty glass filled with the exact amount of what was left of the cocktail (about ¾). They simply poured the remainder of the cocktail into a new glass. That just pissed me off. Luckily, they agreed to remove 2 of the cocktails from the bill.
When we finally received the bill, they had written in with pen a $ 42 gratuity that we paid without complaint. I would not return to this restaurant unless I was strongly craving offal. We tried their specialty cabrito as well and it was nothing special.

Nothing special! Its over-​priced mexican food… Went once and won’t go back!

This place looks expensive, but it’s really quite affordable! Also worth noting: their PERFECT service, good food and amiable staff. We chose to sit on the bar side, because the talented mariachi band on the other aide was quite deafening. We had a wonderful dinner experience and were very pleased. These guys seem especially suited for large groups who would especially benefit from the great prices.

I finally got around to trying this restaurant for lunch. The décor is quite elegant – the service meh. It reminds me very much of the fine restaurants we used to go to years ago in Juarez (when you could go to restaurants there!).
Unlike the other reviewer, I didn’t find it expensive. In fact, I would have expected higher prices given the décor & ambience. They have a lunch menu with most prices averaging around $ 10 more or less. The dinner menu had moderate prices as well, I think one of the pricier items was a steak for $ 38 or so, which is not expensive in a nice steakhouse.
I didn’t appreciate the server continually warning us to beware of the salsa, as it was «hot». It was not, at least to our palates. We might look like a couple of winter Texans, but trust me – we aren’t even close. I found it a little patronizing as well as annoying.
If you order a margarita, be specific and order a «good» margarita. We were serve a «margarita» in a small glass. It was not good. So I asked the waiter for a «good» margarita, and he returned with a couple of NORMAL looking margaritas. WTF?
We also had small shrimp cocktails that were not up to expectations. All that was in the salsa was diced onion, cilantro, and some avocado. Again, we were warned of the dangers of Yucateca and Cholula — OMG!!! Fortunately, the «hot» salsa was still on the table, as well as some pico, so we were able to doctor the cocktails up to edible levels.
I had the chuleton guisada. The stew was flavorful, but the meat was tough as shoe leather. I thought the point of a guisada was to cook a tough cut of meat so that it becomes meltingly tender. I was a little concerned that perhaps my dish had been made of other people’s leftover steaks, as it seemed as if it had been added to the stew fully cooked rather than simmered in the sauce.
My husband had the plata, which included a couple of greasy, yellow (!) cheese enchiladas, beans, and skirt steak. The steak was perfectly seasoned and tender.
Don’t go here looking for the usual Tex-​Mex style items, and don’t go here looking for classic Mexican dishes or much of a botana menu.
As per their name, it seems like the better items on the menu must be the grilled choices. They offer a parillada assortment for 4 and more. I wish they would offer it for two people.
I might go back, if only to try some of their steaks (freshly prepared for me only, ha!). Just bring me the «good» margarita, and don’t warn me about the salsa. I’m a big girl. I can handle it, amigo!

One of the things I desperately miss about the valley is Mexico. Sweet, sweet Mexico. Of course, now stuff’s all sideways and people are getting killed so Mexico seems less like a staycation destination and more like a death trap.
That said, sometimes you find little pieces of Mexico deep in the heart of the US. La Fogata is one of those things. This is what I mean by a real mexican restaurant. Not bullet holes in the wall… impeccable service, a cheesy dude on the piano, sizzling (and i mean sizzling) parilladas, delicious charro beans, margaritas the size of your head with multiple shots in them and queso fundido. THAT is mexico to me. A gastronomical delight with super service to boot.
Why four stars? It’s pricey to be sure. Also, it is loud as hell. We were shouting to be heard. With a few more absorbent surfaces, this place would be THE spot to take clients and fancy relatives.