By Taylor Rexrode
Guest Reviewer
In Central Texas, it’s easy to find a Tex-Mex restaurant. Anywhere you turn, neon signs and taco trucks beckon you to sit down for South-of-the-Border cuisine.
La Fiesta is no exception to this unwritten rule.
But, with a long family history of high quality food and superb customer service, La Fiesta stands above the rest as a “must eat” restaurant.
Located on the corner of Franklin and Valley Mills Drive, La Fiesta has been serving Wacoans fresh Tex-Mex for nearly 50 years. Sam Castillo, Sr. opened the family business in 1963, bringing one-of-a-kind family recipes and unrivaled quality service to the community.
Since I have lived in Texas for most of my life and consider myself to be a Tex-Mex junkie, I had to visit this Waco legend.
I walked in for a Sunday lunch with friends and realized that this was not an On the Border or Chuy’s.
The first thing I saw was a wall of crosses adjacent to the bar, reminding guests of the importance of family and values within the establishment.
The hostess smiled at me in welcome, seating me in a booth next to Diego Rivera artwork. Rustic chandeliers cast a warm glow on families sitting down for an after-church meal together.
Our waitress was kind and knowledgeable, recommending to me her favorite dish, the enchiladas a La Fiesta. She mentioned it was popular with La Fiesta regulars and I saw it was decently priced, so I took a chance.
Our food arrived very quickly, steaming on hot plates. My enchiladas were filled with juicy fajita meat and drizzled in homemade queso. For a person that loves a lot of spice, I was surprised at how much I liked these barely mild enchiladas.
The real heat was in the side of charro beans, cooked with onions, cilantro, tomatoes and bacon.
The second side was a sweet, toasted corn cake that was incredibly moist and a good contrast to the heat of the beans.
My only complaint would be that the food was so delicious that I could not stop eating it.
With the Castillo family’s attention to detail and fresh dishes, it’s no wonder that La Fiesta has remained Waco’s favorite Tex-Mex restaurant for more than a decade.
