If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time you know that I enjoy Mexican food. More recently my wife and I have been on a quest for a solid Mexican restaurant close to our new home in Hyde Park. While this wouldn’t fall in the nearby category, La Mexicana in Newport does fall into the solid Mexican restaurant category.

Complimentary Chips and Salsa

La Mexicana was recommended to us by multiple people and we finally found the time to give it a try a couple of weekends ago. We arrived at the unassuming and plainly decorated restaurant just before noon on a Sunday. Immediately chips and salsa were delivered to our table and I noticed a sign across the room stating that the first round was free but any refills would cost us. The chips were fairly standard, but the salsa was delicious! It was refreshing to have a spicy green tomatillo salsa instead of the typical bland red.

Mexican Coke

Whenever I find Mexican Coke on the menu I almost always have to order one. I don’t often drink soft drinks but I make an exception for the sweet taste of Coke make with real cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Yum!

Torta

For lunch my wife decided to really mix it up and ordered the Mexican sandwich known as a torta. Similar to most items on the menu, you have your choice of twenty, yes twenty, different meat and vegetarian fillings. She went with the pollo, grilled chicken marinated in adobo sauce. The torta is served with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and mayonnaise. The sandwich looked so good upon its arrival that I agreed to split halves with her. It tasted just as delicious as it looks and sounds. I was pleasantly surprised by this and would definitely consider ordering it again.

Flag Burrito

I decided to try the flag burrito after a recommendation from a friend. She was right on with this recommendation as the burrito was excellent. I also ordered it stuffed with grilled marinated chicken. Also inside were plenty of rice, beans, lettuce, and tomatoes. It was then covered in both red and green sauces and a few streaks of sour cream. It was a gigantic burrito but we managed to eat every last bit. My wife and I both preferred the green sauce, but both were good. I know at the beginning of the review I said La Mexicana was a solid choice, but it went beyond that is already my favorite Mexican restaurant in the city.