Mitla Cafe

Decided to try Mitla today for brunch instead of El Torito. Great choice on our part. Never knew this place had brunch but from now on I will be coming here. Of course the area might not be what people are use to but the food was great! There was the usual omelette bar along with a station for pancakes and French toast, biscuits and gravy, beans, rice, enchiladas, menudo, posole, chips and salsa fresh tortillas and other great food. The best thing was the customer service we recieved. It’s was great, the waitresses were very attentive and helpful being it was our first time.

This has never happened to us before and I was really quite shocked and hurt to finally understand that the poor service was because we were white. This was our first time coming to this restaurant and I had heard good things about it and the Unilocal reviews were mostly good so we decided to try it for lunch last Sunday. We came in and sat ourselves and after awhile a man came by with menu’s and then took our order which was the Chile Rellano plate and two chicken taco’s and two ice tea’s. the food was dropped off and it was really good but the waiter never came back to check and never refilled the glasses and I think he would have left the dirty dishes on the table if we had not stacked them. We waited and waited for a check but even though it was not busy he did not come around until twenty minutes later, All the other tables were taken care of and they received very nice service but then they were not white and I guess here that matters. It’s a ugly thing to be treated with so much disrespect and when we left my husband said never again will we come back here and I agree this was a bad experience and we won’t be treated like this again.

I haven’t been here in awhile and it was way better in the past. I ordered a shredded beef with no beans and the bring a burrito with beans. The waitress was nice and corrected it. One of the kids ordered a kids plate that comes with ice cream and they brought the cheap ice cream cup u can get in a pack of 12 from the grocery store. The food was a little bland and the water I received is straight from the sink. But that is becoming the norm in restaurant business these days. They may have had another cook back in the day because the food was better. I don’t know if I will be back anytime soon. The menu and prices have also changed. Not a good move.

Awful service and mediocre food. Do not waste your time/​money. This place ruined my night.

This place doesn’t look like a restaurant on the outside but don’t let it fool you. The food is really good. I ordered the taco salad with chicken. Chicken was fresh and flavorful. Nice little place

My experience was not extraordinary nor was it awful. The chips, salsa, and salad need some serious work. The chips were almost chewy. The salsa bland and watery. The salad was drenched in dressing and basically just consisted of lettuce. I ordered the ‘Irene’s Special’ which was average. Overall, the place seems quite over-​priced for the quality of food. Maybe they are charging you to experience a piece of history.

I’ve been coming to Mitlas for over 20 years. It is the best and most authentic Mexican food in the I.E. I’ve tried nearly everything on the menu and it’s all delicious. However, I always go for the Huevos Rancheros! Absolutely the best! I’m craving it as I write this, maybe i’ll stop by for dinner!

First time here and very impressed! The food is delicious and the service is absolutely amazing served us really fast and checked on our table alot to make sure we had everything we needed and provided a great experience I will definitely coming back.

The best mexican food ever (except for mi mamas cooking, of course). I had a cup of menudo and ½ order of chorizo and eggs. It comes with fresh refried beans and homemade crispy fries. The service is always excellent. The homemade corn tortillas are soft and warm. Till I’m in town again…

Best Mexican food in town. Not only that, they also have a banquet room you can rent out for weddings, quinceañera, you name it. I had my wedding here & the service was AMAZING, the food was delicious (shredded beef, chicken, salad, beans, rice, tortillas, chips & salsa buffet style). They were such a great help. The security & bartenders included. I would totally recommend this place to anyone. We received so many compliments & Damian (reservation coordinator) was so helpful. Thanks Mitla for making our wedding complete! P. s they do an awesome champagne brunch buffet style on Sundays in case you are curious on their complete menu & options. One of the BEST brunches (menudo, pazole, enchiladas, omelet bar, homemade French toast/​biscuits n gravy/​tortillas/​pancakes, chorizo, sausage, nopales, bacon, beans, rice, and soooooo much more.

Had a lovely breakfast here, but again, everything is coated with lard. What’s up with that? Everything, including the chips, every single item on the menu contains lard, according to the waitress, the day I came here for breakfast. The only things she could recommend were the beef soup/​caldo with corn tortillas, which was very good, but not very breakfasty. The friends I was with loved their breakfasts & mentioned how delicious the freshly made french fries are here. Probably won’t come back as there is little I can eat.

Cool Lil Spot. Busy as all Hell on the Weekends. despite it being so busy, servers did not rush my family and I at all. Very polite staff. very clean. Nice bit of local «Mexican Americana» Trademark. lol! The food was pretty good. Not the best I’ve had. But then Again. I’m very critical of Mexican food places, being Mexican and having a mother who cooks so good, other Mexican Moms are placing their orders. Lol! But I digress. Definitely worth checking out. Good Times, Good Stuff. Good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. bring the whole family.

Everything tasted so great, got a cheeseburger that tasted like it had real cheese and not the processed stuff. Friendly staff, would deff come back (:

I came here for the first time a few months ago with my 4 yr-​old Son, and ordered a taco, enchilada plate. The shredded-​beef taco was pretty good, the cheese enchilada was better, but the beans and rice were the bomb!
My Son just wanted French Fries, so I obliged him as long as he ate some chicken taco. My picky little eater actually ate and liked the taco. I sampled his fries and they are real good, as far as fries go.
They give you one free serving of Chips & Salsa. The chips are thin, and taste good. The salsa is just ok, not enough spice.
My Wife tells we that her parents used to take her here every now and then when she was little. She didn’t like it because of the heavy enchilada/​chipotle/​adobo sauce they use. I told our waiter this, and he said he was the same way about this place when he was a kid. A lot of the food here is an acquired taste apparently. Lucky me, because I acquired the taste immediately.
I came in with my older Son for lunch today. Ordered the Menudo Ive heard so much about. Niki H. you are smoking rocks for saying this menudo was bad! THIS MENUDO IS THE BOMB! It isn’t complicated, with 20 different spices and overwhelming flavors. Its simple, but its also simply amazing! A mountain of tripe forms an island surrounded by an Orange sea of Menudo goodness. BETTER than the menudo at the place that rhymes with «cola». Some of the best in town!
My Son had the Pork Chili Verde. It was alright, but the meat was kind of hard and smelled like tuna fish. Nothing on the plate was «verde» at all. It was just ok.
The beans and rice here amazing! As are the homemade tortillas, SUPER good!
Iced Tea is good, but make sure you get Lemon.
The service has been great, and quite welcoming and engaging.
Bathrooms are clean enough. Ill be back.

This place has some amazing food, but the service is pathetic. I’ve been to mitla’s 3 times now, I always get the huevos rancheros which is delicious (but come with French fries instead of rice, which is weird) and the taste is amazing. The service there is a joke though. Each time I’ve been it has taken a minimum of 15 minutes just to get our drinks, and 20 for a refill (if they feel like giving you one). There are servers all over the floor, but somehow none of them seem to be doing much except coming out of the kitchen every 10 minutes or so. Between my two friends and I we waited 45 minutes just for the albondigas and another twenty for our lunch. The staff constantly forgets to put orders in, will tell you your food is on the way, and after realizing it’s been an hour, fail to talk to you or refill until the food is in hand. All the female servers have horrible attitudes no matter how slow or busy, which sucks.
Avoid this place or get it to go.

Always a nice experience, warm staff great environment, good food. Great Sunday brunch! :-)

I ordered a deep fried burrito and it was amazing!
Also ordered French fries with cheese and sauce, amazing!

I’m thoroughly annoyed that I’ve only found out about this storied restaurant in the heart of SB this week. I’m told Mitla has only been around for 75 years and owned by the same family. Jesus, all this time I’ve eaten mediocre Mexican food in the area when I could have come here and had awesome Huevos Rancheros and Chile Relleno! Arghhhh. Oh Well, now that I’ve discovered this gem I will certainly make up for lost time. I will tell everybody I know about this awesome mexican delight.

If you find yourself in Southern California you should definitely stop by. If not plan a trip. Located on Historic Route 66 this place is a gem. I have been coming here for years and only have good things to say. If your new to the place I recommend the Peggy’s Special. When you find out how much you like it and you return try Irene’s Special.
Free parking in a private lot just around the corner.

Was craving Mexican food and a friend suggested Mitla café. From the outside it doesn’t look like much, its in the ghetto. There’s a sign when you walk in that says ‘seat yourself’. I was concerned that it would take a while to notice us but it didn’t. The place was a little less than half full.
Our server was prompt and after we ordered the food came quickly. I ordered the Chile relleno. The rice and beans are a’ la carte. I have never seen that at a Mexican restaurant… And the combination plates don’t come with rice and beans either. The flavor of my Chile was really good! I’m very picky about Chile rellenos and this one was good. I did order a side of rice and beans and they were ok. I will come here again. Food was good and so was the service.