Since the passing away of Poncho's years ago, many people have sat in the dark wondering when the Mexican buffet will return. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. There are only a couple of Mexican buffets out there now days, and the top honor definitely goes to El Magey.

El Magey is sort of a hidden treasure located just past the Tenseltown overpass on Siegen. This place is awesome, featuring great Mexican dishes that always taste fresh and delicious. The place stays busy with Latinos, authenticating its food. The buffet is not the biggest one in Baton Rouge by far, but on it you will find soups, salad, steak fajitas, chicken fajitas, quesadillas, and my favorite the barbecue chicken.

Today I went with just about everything. I started with a ton of barbecue chicken (did I mention how much I love this stuff), steak fajitas, quesadillas, and some Spanish rice topped with beans and cheese. I cleaned my plate and had no bad thoughts toward any of the food on it. The steak was so tender an d well seasoned. The quesadillas are always stuffed with chicken and cheese and stay fresh and soft. The rice and topping where delicious and do i even have to talk about the barbecue chicken. I want more now!

Food Rating: 5 out of 5 Cervezas

Service
The service is pretty good here. Everyone is friendly and works hard to serve you. The food stays fresh and I have never seen them run out of food that wasn't refilled in less than a couple minutes.

Service Rating: 5 out of 5 Cervezas

Atmosphere
The only slightly negative rating I can give is the atmosphere, and it snot really bad. It’s clean and open, but it doesn't have the flare that most Mexican places offer. It’s kind of quiet and boring to tell the truth. Let's fiesta it up people!

Atmosphere Rating: 3 out of 5 Cervezas


Overall: 13 Out of 15

El Magey
8290 Siegen Lane
Baton Rouge, LA 70810
(225) 769-6922

Today I took the family to try La Carreta on Government Street. We used to love going to the Hammond location when we lived in that area. The place was pack with Mardi Gras parade goers and was a little packed. This trip had its ups, but there were a lot more downs. I ordered the beef nachos with rice. It was served with a plate of tortilla chips, and covered with queso, beef, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, rice and sour cream. The nachos were great although they did go a little skimpy on the queso.

On the other side of the table, my family ordered the enchiladas and a cheeseburger with curly fries. I know when you go to a Mexican restaurant you don't think to order a cheeseburger, but honestly they have one of the best burgers I've ever had and the seasoned curly fries are amazing as well.

I got to also take a few bites of the enchiladas. i was not impressed at all. The enchilada sauce tasted cheap (like it came from a 20 cent can from the local grocery store). it really ruined the entire dish.

Food Ratings: 4 out of 5 Cervezas

Service
Now for the bad part! Once we were seated, we waited at least 15 minutes before our waitress made her first appearance. People that had came in 10-15 minutes after us had already ordered and had their drinks. On top of that we were already munching down on the chips and salsa and were dying for a drink.

After we placed the order, it took a while to get our food (granted they were packed so I'm not going to dwell on that). Once we got our food, the waitress came by only once for refills and brought my daughter her drink after waiting another 10 minutes. She came back with the drink and knocked my daughters food all over her. there were fries and ketchup everywhere. With no apologies, she walks off. After that, I paid the bill and we walked off as well, and of course without leaving a tip!

Service Rating: 0 out of 5 Cervezas

Atmosphere
LaCarreta has a great atmosphere. The restaurant is sort of classy but doesn't lack the Mexican flare and spirit. There is plenty of seating, multiple TV's, a full service bar and a great patio.

Atmosphere Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Cervezas

 
Overall: 8.5 Out of 15

LaCarreta
4065 Government St
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 334-9940
www.carretarestaurant.com

Izzo's is a popular new restaurant that has exploded in the Baton Rouge area. This "Subway of Burritos" (the way i describe it) lets the customer create a burrito they way they want it. They also offer the same concept with tacos, quesadillas, bowls, and nachos.

WARNING: Don't add too many toppings or you will explode like the burrito when they wrap it.

The burritos at Izzos are amazing. The meat in their burritos is always made fresh. They offer many toppings to go with your meat of choice as well at multiple tortilla flavors and sauces. The burritos come in 3 sizes: Regular Misdeanor, Super Felony, and Illegal.

Tonight I went with the Super Felony Steak Burrito. After eyeballing someones Illegal burrito, I wasn't even going to try. The Super Felony could literally feed 2-3 people by itself. The Illegal: order one and feed all the starving people in the Baton Rouge area. I piled on rice, refried beans, pico, cheese, mushrooms, and illegal sauce. The burrito was barely able to be wrapped and had to weigh at least five pounds.

After taking my first bite, I was in love. The burrito has such a quality taste and the combination of toppings and the steak worked so well together. This is a place I will be craving to come back to time and time again.
 
Food Rating: 5 out of 5 Cervezas

Service
The service at Izzos can be a little slow when its busy. Its your basic assembly line food service. However, the employees are nice, help you make wise decisions, and put way too much food in your burrito (awesome!).

Service Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Cervezas Up!

Atmosphere
Izzos definatly caters to the college crowd more so than any others. The place has the feel of a nice fast-food joint. Izzos also features multiple televisions for watching the game while pigging out.

Atmosphere Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Cervezas Up!


Overall: 12 Out of 15

Izzo's Illegal Burrito
6220 Corporate Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 615-8254
www.izzos.com

Today I was in the mood for some authentic Mexican food (not Taco Bell, although I do love it). Since I no longer live in the Hammond area, I don't get to eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant anymore. Earlier today, I was on a mission to find my new local favorite Mexican restaurant in the area.

I decided to give Fernando's in Denham Springs a try. I decided to try the Taco Salad (a safe and common favorite). It was plenty big enough and the prices as a whole were great.

The taco salad was presented with a large fried tortilla bowl and generously filled with beef, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes (hold the olives please). The food had an authentic taste and was pretty good. The taste stood above most others but not my favorite by far. The salsa and chips at Fernando's, I can pretty much say the same thing for.

All in all, this is a good, safe place for Mexican cuisine and the prices are excellent.
 
Food Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Cervezas

Service
The service was wonderful. They kept the chips and salsa coming and the staff works together well as a whole. Most importantly, they got my food out fast and fresh.

Service Rating: 4 out of 5 Cervezas Up!

Atmosphere
Fernando's has a cool authentic atmosphere. The adobe walls and decor make you feel like you are dining on the streets of Mexico. The back of the restaurant features a large bar and stage for karaoke and bands.

Atmosphere Rating: 4 out of 5 Cervezas Up!


Overall: 11.5 Out of 15

Fernando's Mexican Grill
1775 S Range Ave
Denham Springs, LA 70726
fernandosmexicanrestaurant.com