Review La Reina - Guelph

If you want amazing margaritas and tacos come here but don’t expect to be filled up. The portions are very small for the price. 14$ for two little (but delicious tacos). Perfect for those small eaters. We have tried every taco and every margarita here and never been disappointed.

High prices for small portions of well presented, but cold, poor quality food. Wait staff, who outnumbered guests, very disengaged and inattentive. My wife and I were quite excited to find out there was a place to get tacos and not have to drive to Toronto or Hamilton. Unfortunately, we were quite disappointed with the service and food we received at La Reina a few weeks ago. The reason why I'd avoid coming back is that all of these concerns below can be easily addressed if I had been able to speak to the staff to let them know that this was happening and fix the dishes. I am not one to return dishes to the kitchen unless absolutely necessary, and I was hoping that someone would come and ask us how our meal was going. I am really not picky and not hard to please, and understand that there are staffing issues, new kitchen rotations, and bad days. Unfortunately, between the two hostesses at front of house, the three waitstaff there was a 15-20 minute gap between receiving the food and me giving up, walking to the hostess and paying the bill so we can leave. One was still being trained by another in the back which was understandable, but the other one on her phone beside the bar and serving intermittently for the entirety of our visit was less so. I understand and believe in breaks and busy nights, but that kind of behaviour when a customer is trying to flag down a server while there are only 3-4 small tables combined patio + inside with 4 or 5 staff members around is ridiculous. The guacamole was served with cold chicharones/pork rinds and cold, oily chips. I believe that the oil is a good sign that these chips were once freshly made in house, but they were stone cold and a little bit soggy. Guacamole was ok (more on the acidic and mushy/homogenous side if you enjoy that), with a sprinkling of Tajin on top. The tacos we ordered, the brisket and al pastor specifically, were terrible. They were small, cold tortilla with no second tortilla underneath, and the meat was overcooked to oblivion. The presentation was very good, but upon taking the first bite, the taco was cold and the meat was dry. I understand the process of a proper roast and carve taco can be a bit dry at times, but this was a completely different level of negligence, thinly veiled by sauce and toppings. Not crispy, but dry and stringy. The shrimp taco was the only one that was edible, but be warned that it is on the heavier side with rich sauces and cheese. Having paid much more and much less for tacos, I can certainly attest to the Brisket and Al Pastor I ate being the worst value in all of my travels. Better than a Taco Bell Taco, but even at taco tuesday prices, I would not say it was worth it. I really hope that this restaurant can take this feedback and improve! I would love to see this restaurant become a decent establishment, worthy of the Toronto pricing they feature on the menus.

Very good. Mexican restaurants are pretty common now, so I have a level of expectation when visiting one. The drinks are great. Solid margaritas, tad to sweet. Food, flavourable and good portions.. nothing unique about the food, but does the job. Got the short ribs, great flavor, not a tender as I would like. Fish taco spot on, not so much for the shrimp. Nice vibe, good drinks....would go back.

I really had an amazing time in La Reina, their tacos are tasty and they were so nice to made palomas at our request. Thank you so much for welcoming after my move♥️

This place deserves a much higher rating than it has! I would say the pollo loco burrito is the best burrito I've ever had and I've been too many spots across North America known for burritos. Their spicy shrimp tacos are the best tacos I've ever had in my life. Perfect bites and tons of flavour coming from every angle. The burnt habanero salsa is unreal and the little death hot sauce is a perfect accommodation for a spicy taco! Their tequila and mezcal lists are well rounded! The servers are hospitable and full of fun conversation! I definitely recommend coming here if you actually know what Mexican food should be like! I would say best restaurant in Guelph bar none! Outstanding work La Reina, keep it up! Picture is the brisket tacos and they mean business!

The pastor and the guac were ok, but it's definitely not authentic Mexican food. I had a chuckle when the staff corrected my prononciation (I'm Mexican). It's a bit overpriced for what it is, the portions are generally small. The decor of the restaurant is interesting. Overall, it's ok.

Good food but GET READY to wait! Waited for an hour to get food. I understand restaurants can get busy, but this one wasn't and even then you should be able to serve the food sooner. It was nice sitting on the patio outside. Great vibe, just get on with the food!!!

Went on a Friday evening, was quite busy. Excellent and fast service the entire time. The burrito was a little soggy but it was delicious, the menu was diverse and to the point. Avacado salsa was great, in pics shown below is the beef taco and burrito and chips. Would eat here again.

I read the reviews before coming here and went in with expectations of a pricier meal, with small portions. I have been to Mexico and been surrounded by Mexicans for almost 3 decades. I also cook...a lot, and have learned many techniques. I also spent a long time in hospitality. Most North Americans have no idea what real Mexican cuisine is. It has been destroyed here with fast food versions of Tex Mex cuisine. Full of fat, salt and cheap cuts of filler food. This is authentic beautiful Mexican food. Labour intensive - making tortilla the right way takes time... Slow cooking meat on the bone in Chilis and seasonings so that it falls off the bone in beautiful juicy morsels takes time. The salsas have that amazing smoky undercurrent that can only be found in authentic Mexican food. Making mole requires a skill in itself. Most of us also think flour tortilla is part of Mexican cuisine.. it is NOT. A proper corn tortilla hits your stomach hard .. and sits longer. You do not need to eat as much in volume in corn tortilla as you do with wraps. The waitress was lovely and explained how the menu work. This place serves family style. So you order an entrada ... Then a ceviche or tostada, .. or a taco each. Then a main... Perfectly shared between two... Along with a drink. If you think you are still hungry... Wait 20 minutes for those corn tortillas to hit your stomach.. The glasses are the thick rimmed glasses that one gets in Mexico. The dishes are rustic, and the decor is beautiful... Very Mexican... Can hardly wait to tell my Mexican friends about this place.

My favorite authentic Mexican restaurant is La Cantina in Toronto. I was super excited to have ceviche and Mexican Style corn. Unfortunately I got a very small portion of dry ceviche with 5 pork rinds and corn isn't even on the menu. Portion wise La Cantina is similar comparing tacos but they have 3 tacos for $15 at La Cantina or $6 each. I'm a little shocked that they don't have this option and gets very pricey if you want to try different tacos. I was rather upset that are appetizer did not come before our meal. And we each had to wait a long while for each of our meals to come out. By the time one of my friends was done her meal the last person was getting theirs. We left a third of our 30$ pitcher of sangria because the restaurant was hotter inside than outside and we didn't have an option for air conditioning. After working outside all day I did not want to have to do deal with flies buzzing around or the heat.

I really, realllllyyy wanted to love La Reina. I was so excited about an authentic Mexican restaurant in Guelph. My fiancé and I eat out regularly and as a chef and a food lover we are always on the hunt for exceptional restaurants. However, I was pretty disappointed and I’m not the type to usually leave a poor review. Let me start by saying it’s absolutely beautiful!! The decor is stunning right down to the plates and glasses. That being said, the customers are certainly paying for it. My fiancé and I spent almost $70 including tip and were not at all full when we left. We got 2 drinks, and shared 4 tacos and added a tostada thinking it might be bigger than the tacos because it was $11. The tostada was unfortunately the same size as a taco (as typical but I assumed differently based on the price), the tacos were each normal sized but at $6.50 a pop for a couple pieces of pork and a tortilla the pricing honestly needs to be re-evaluated. For $40 in food we each got to eat the equivalent of 2.5 tacos. We should have walked away full for that price but we felt like we had a snack (and I don’t require portion sizes to be big! I enjoy fine dining where portions are often small but usually you get value for your money in those cases). Note to other customers, if it’s not winter, don’t order anything on tap! They dont refrigerate their kegs so everything is warm. Honorable mention goes to the manager who was nice and let us exchange our drinks. Just a tip for the restaurant.... if you guys need to charge that much for your food to make up for the cost of the decor you should at least offer free guacamole/salsa and chips like every other Mexican restaurant so your customers can actually walk away full after spending $70+. It would have changed my view at least a little. Unfortunately I won’t be back unless something changes :(

Popped in for a late night dinner and I left full, happy and excited for my future visit. Right away I was greeted by smiling staff and had my pick of seat. As soon as I sat, my server was smiling and came over and got me my drinks (Thanks for the killer service Diane!). I started off with the guacamole and chips which was super fresh and full of flavour. I opted to try the pork tacos after my server suggested it and than snuck in a chicken one too! The portion size for the tacos was just what I needed for dinner. App & tacos were timed perfectly! I was not disappointed in any of my choices. Ended my meal with the churros that were perfectly cooked and paired with delicious sauces! Right from beginning to end the service, the food and the atmosphere was excellent! Looking forward to a reservation I have on Tuesday! �� Cheers to LaReina!

Food was really good. Yes portions were small, but it’s great because you can try a lot of different items. Service was a bit slow, but it’s opening week so it’s to be expected. Atmosphere was great, love the decor. Items may be priced slightly high for the portion size. I would totally come back and I would recommend to others. I love that Guelph has an authentic Mexican restaurant.

Really nicely renovated space. Outstanding authentic food. Price and portions are more than on par with competitors in Toronto or Hamilton. Great selection on the menu for apps and mains. Thank you for having Elora on tap! Hostess was super friendly and attentive, service was excellent and quick. Truly delicious and authentic experience. All of the *s

I highly recommend the Taco Vaya, it was incredibly flavourful. For margs I suggest the Pineapple Express; it has a salt rim that has a bit of a smokey flavour. They seem to stray away from straw use, which I appreciate. The service was a little slow, but this is to be expected on their first night open to the public. I would say they're doing a great job so far. Very knowledgable staff.

I was there tonight and the atmosphere was fantastic second only to the incredible professionalism of the service. A man actually proposed to a woman and she said yes. From my table of one I’ve never realized the unchangeable certainty of my loneliness, every tear of joy from the beautiful couple representing eons of pain to come. Highly recommend the pastor taco, it was delicious. Will come again.

Stale store bought tortillas and bland beyond belief guacamole and a watery drink started my dining experience, so I ended it there. The server was the only smiling person I encountered in the place, but she would quickly disappear as soon as she deposited something on the table. Still, she was the brightest part of La Reina and I tipped her accordingly because she "isn't responsible for what comes out of the kitchen and from the bar". The interior has all the warmth of an upscale dentist's reception area and lacks any sound baffling materials, so bring your earplugs if you go. I really wanted La Reina to be an asset to the downtown dining scene, but until the kitchen can produce real Mexican cuisine (come on -- you don't even make your own tortillas?!) and the bar can serve tasty drinks, and the loud, clattery ambience is addressed, my advice is to steer clear.

The food was great with some really interesting options. My only issue was that the portions were pretty small compared to the prices, especially when the items were described to us as being more focused on sharing between a table. An order of 4 appetizers was not really that much for 5 people to share, and the price quickly went up before any kind of mains were ordered.

I have waited a very long time to visit. Atmosphere was stunning, drinks were phenomenal. I will rate the food once the full menu is available. What was available was delicious, but I didn't expect that the full menu wasn't available. Understandable seeing the crazy busy opening. Staff was extremely friendly and we look forward to our next visit

I went there on July 20 with two friends. We had a reservation and were seated promptly. However, our server was MIA for most of the evening. We asked another employee to have her come, as we were ready to order. She never came. We had to ask a second person to have her come over. The food was good, but didn't blow me away. My main complaint (apart from the slow service) was that the music was way too loud. I could barely hear my friends across the table. I'll probably go back to give them one more try, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

Really good food but unfortunately the portion size are way too small and overpriced. I also agree with the Menu comment quite confusing. Sandwiches need more meat and cheese ...

Just back from dinner and drinks. Absolutely LOVED it! My friend and I ordered a bunch of things from the menu to share and we loved all of them! Portion sizes were perfect. Just enough but not excessive. Atmosphere was great! Had such a great vibe. Cocktails were next level, highly recommend the Pineapple Express. Service was also exceptional. Already planning my next visit!

Te staff was kind, helpful, friendly and knowledgeable! Everything was served timely. My waitress checked in with me frequently without hovering. The food was absolutely amazingly delicious! The atmosphere is friendly, welcoming and generally “warm” The decor is classy, tasteful and a great reflection of the establishment itself. I mean overall the only disappointment I faced was the fact they don’t currently serve horchata which would have paired so beautifully with my lunch.

A little pricey but all of the food is authentic and excellent. Would highly recommend the Tacos!!! ���