Eat & Drink

George's Mexican Restaurant

1461 N Causeway Blvd, Mandeville, LA 70471, USA 70448

Restaurant Review

Why It's Essential

In the decade before taquerias came to the New Orleans area after Katrina, the North Shore had a better Mexican restaurant community than the South Shore did. Amplifying the standard American Tex-Mex menu, a number of family-run Mexican cafes happily piled their ground beef, melted cheese, tomato sauces, beans and rice onto platters that were as good as they were large. George's was (and still is) one of the two or three best of these.

Backstory

George Espinal and Egla Trujillo--brother and sister--opened George's in 2000, taking over a previous, not very good Mexican place in a strip mall on the Causeway Blvd. The improvement in the food was so dramatic that you almost always had to wait for a table in the first few years. They offered live music and other attractions, and set a standard that new Mexican places since then have followed.

Dining Room

A recent and welcome addition is an outdoor dining area, made to feel cool even on sweltering days by a bubbling fountain. It's still a scorcher in summer, but hey--that's how it is in Mexico, too. Inside, a long, narrow dining room is lined with big windows and cut in two by a small bar. The earthy reddish-tan colors of Mexico dominate.

For Best Results

The portions are so large that they inspire pig-out reflexes. You will have a better meal but scaling back the orders, or choosing items that can be split.

Bonus Information

Attitude 1
Environment 1
Hipness 0
Local Color 1
Service 1
Value 2
Wine 0