CLT Eats – A Charlotte Restaurant Review

View from Entrance

Many years ago La Paz was THE Mexican restaurant in town to go to. This was when it was located just off Providence Road a couple blocks from the Manor Theater. Back when Nickio’s Rodeo, Riccio’s and Five Steps Down were over there too. None are there any more. A lot has changed since those days back in the mid 90′s. Sadly Five Steps Down and Nickio’s Rodeo closed. Riccio’s and La Paz moved and have managed to do fairly well.

I’ve been to the South Boulevard location of La Paz many times but it had been quite some time and I’d been meaning to get back over there and give it another go. The reason for my extended hiatus was that as much as I’d love La Paz back in the day, it isn’t nearly the same quality restaurant any more. I’d hoped to see some improvement since my last visit and the memories of what once was were flooding back . . .

A friend of mine and I headed over and parked in the cramped parking deck attached to the building they are in. It was a busy day apparently and we had to go all the way to the top to find a spot. We walked in and immediately got a seat. It was reasonably busy but far from slammed. One of the great things about any Mexican restaurant that is that when you sit down it usually doesn’t take long for chips and salsa to show up. Today wasn’t any different. The unfortunate part this time though is that the chips were mediocre and the salsa was on par with an off-brand salsa from the grocery store. It’s not terrible but it’s not good either. I noticed Jalapeno Poppers on the menu so since the chips weren’t cutting it we opted to check these out. The poppers themselves were decent although I suspect they were frozen earlier in the day but the jelly/chutney like side that came with it really helped them out. I also imagine that this stuff came from a jar but it was killer with the poppers none the less.

I deliberated hard over the menu. There were many things that sounded good but I was wary not to venture out too boldly as I was concerned I’d be disappointed. I decided to play it safe and go with the tried and true, easy to make and hard to screw up basket of tacos. My judgment was unfortunately off the mark. What I got was some tortillas with some bland ground beef with a little bit of spice spilled on it, iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese and diced unflavored tomatoes. Amazingly unfulfilling aside from keeping me from being hungry. In hindsight I think I’d been better of going with something a little bolder. This was the cheap item on the menu and they obviously cut every corner they could. There were a few quesadillas that sounded awesome. If the execution is similar to the tacos then it wouldn’t be worth the trouble. If I go back I will be more adventurous. I honestly don’t hold out a lot of hope of either going back or having a better experience but it is possible on both counts.

Service was slow and bordering on inattentive. Definitely in the below average category. Prices were above $10 for most items on the menu which is reasonable for good food, is outrageous for the quality I saw today. The atmosphere is a little cheesy (no pun intended) but nice. The outdoor dining area looks very nice but was vacant given the heat. I suspect it’s pretty noisy out there being that it’s perched on the side of the most congested part of South Boulevard.

Overall I see no reason to go back to La Paz. If I have a hankering for Mexican food I’ll go to Cantina 1511 just down East Boulevard or I’ll go to a real Mexican restaurant a few miles down South Boulevard.

Pros

• Decent Atmosphere
• Nice (although noisy) Outdoor Dining Area

Cons

• Below Par Food
• Mediocre Service
• Why go here when Cantina 1511 is just around the corner?

Rating: Not Recommended