Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar

Reviews 5

AM

Amy Macabre

Lolita Cocina is the type of place I absolutely WANT to love, but find myself looking for things that arent there. The ambiance was lovely, I felt like I stepped into a Film Noir being played on Telemundo-- gorgeous brick walls, dark-but-not-too-dark lighting, and red red red galore. My companion and I were seated in a nice corner that was lit enough to see and enjoy our food, though I could see other areas with lesser lighting that might prove annoying. Service is where I was disappointed. I understand that I appear a lot younger than I am / perhaps not their usual Newburyesque clientel, but even if I were a springier chicken, I should be treated with respect. Our server paid most of her attention at other tables around us, and stopped by only briefly to check on us after we had flagged her down. At one point I had to ask for side plates as we had been presented with our food but no solo plates on which to eat things. I had asked a few questions about the differences in tequilas and was met more with shrugs and "Well that one costs X and this one costs Y" rather than the explanations I had sought. Again, I hate to blame appearance, but it definitely seemed the case, as I can think of no other reason we were so overlooked. I emphasize that our manner of dress was in standing with the restaurant, and if anything, was "dressier" than many around us. The negative aspects aside, I had a wonderful time in spite of it. The food was delightful, and the guacamole especial is a must order. Jumbo lump crap and lobster overflow from on top of expertly prepared guac-- the addition of a garlic butter drizzle truly just adds to the decadence. We shared the grilled corn (amazing!), the sticky spare ribs (pretty good but very fatty) and the duck confit tacos (some of the best tacos I have ever had). Drinks were well made but a little one note for me. The margaritas were the best of the bunch, as one would expect from a tequila oriented bar. My favorite was the spicy cucumber, as it was not overly saccharine for me. The broken heart just proved too sweet for my tastes, but the standard fruit and booze lover would enjoy it. Im a gin gal. Who asked me to review margaritas!? As for dessert, well, while everything looked amazing it is truly unnecessary. With your check you are delivered AN ENTIRE GREEN APPLE COTTON CANDY COVERED IN POP ROCKS. I melted half of it into my water glass. I have a neon green tongue and no regrets. Anyway, overall Id absolutely return, though Id hope for more attentive service.

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BR

Brant Wilkinson

All these stellar reviews, these people must not know good Mexican food. There were multiple issues when our part of 6 visited Lolitas. 1.) If foreign, they only accept passports as proof of D.O.B. Our waiter went to grab the manager "to work something out", and the manager just came to our table and told us the same thing, there was nothing to "work out". If this was the case, why werent we told of the phone when making our reservation about this policy? This forced a member of our group to have to travel back to his hotel to get his passport 2.) Chips and Salsa were only offered once we ordered our meals. For a party of 6 they brought two pitiful chip bowls with a handful of chips each in them, along with three different sauces. The sauces were good, but each person could only have 3-4 chips, we were never asked if we wanted a refill 3.) The Margaritas are OK, noting great. The description makes them seem worth the price, but they truly are nothing better than your average Chilis or TGI Friday margaritas 4.) The entrees were small, and over priced. 3 "Mini chicken quesadillas" were $11, served with a tiny dollop of sour cream and no rice and beans 5.) As i said, our waiter was extremely inattentive. I had to ask to have some water from a friends glass as it was never refilled, and plates were slow to clear the table Youd think for spending over $200 the service, food drinks would be better,. This place seems nothing more than a hip mexican restaurant, that fails on the restaurant aspect.

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LI

Liana Kolodenker

What dont I like about this place? Let me count the ways. - The decor looks like some religious sacrifices will be made in order to get food - The menu said 4 tacos and we only got three... Was later told they forgot to update the menu. - The prime beef in the taco tasted like beef chunks you buy in the discount section of the meat dept. I think cardboard would have been more chewable. - The table clothes were the 50 cent ikea ones that have been washed a gazzilion times (at least they were washed?) - All the chairs are different, In our table of 8, I dont think anyones chair was identical. - The reliance of gimmicks like sugared tequila, (one shot for table of 8) and cotton candy to hide the fact how awful the food is. Just work on your menu instead! - Its acceptable and awesome to be a dive bar, its not acceptable to look like a dive bar and charge back bay prices. I will give it a few good points which is why I bring it up to two stars instead of one. - The service was really good, even with our large party - I liked the idea of the three shot glasses with servings of ceviche, although I wasnt a fan of the flavoring they used nor the barely any pieces of fish, since it seemed to be mostly onions. -corn bread was the best I had and I usually never eat the stuff, but loved it here. - Spicey cucumber drink was yummy too. For drinks the place might be fun, for dinner save your appetite for elsewhere.

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SA

Samuel Freilich

Ive been to this place twice, once on a weeknight, once on a Friday evening. On the one hand, the place has clearly become an area favorite, judging by how crowded it was even weekday evenings. They dont take reservations except for large parties. At least quoted wait-times are sometimes vast over-estimates, but it does seem like theyre maybe a little too eager to have customers spend some extra time at the bar. Not a place to just drop in for a bite if youre immediately hungry or short on time. The food varies, but I liked most of it. I liked the pulled pork tacos a lot. Ditto for fish tacos, but found the ribeye tacos bland and heavy. The carne asada was fantastic. So was the mix of salsas that came with chips at the beginning of the meal. The spicy guacamole was great, the guacamole with pork belly a relative disappointment (still tasty). The drinks are great, but expensive even by local standards. They charge more for their cocktails than even at Eastern Standard or Drink! The palate cleanser (grapefruit sorbet with a splash of tequila) served before the meal is a nice touch. The cotton candy served after is creative, but mostly just excessive. A cool place, but maybe too cool for its own good.

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LU

Luiza Aquino

Went to Lolitas last saturday, December 12th, made a reservation in advance and all. When I got there, 2 of the people were gonna be a little late, but they were on the way, so they sat us down at the reserved table. Along the wait, a hostess sat 2 other people on part of the other table that was reserved for my 2 guests that were coming. We called her and asked her about it, explaining the situation and she was a completely b word - I only regret not getting her name so I could blast her on this review. She said that we either needed to take that table that fit 4 or we couldnt sit at all until the other 2 arrived, which made absolutely no sense. I never heard of such thing in my life, the majority of guests were present. Finally when the last 2 arrived we had to go through the pain of picking up our plates, and drinks and move to another bigger table where all of us would fit only because the hostess made a mistake and didnt bother to fix it. Im really disappointed on the services provided, the hostess had no respect whatsoever for our reservation and our party.

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