This is what Mexican restaurants in New Orleans were like before the Americanized chains took over and made even family-run Mexican places seem plastic. Eating at La Fiesta--which I have done about every three years since my first review of it in 1977--is like entering a time machine. We have come a long way. The menu is dominated by combo platters of mainstream Tex-Mex dishes, prepared in a very plain style. A few new, very Mexican dishes have been added in recent years.
This is the oldest Mexican restaurant in New Orleans, in continuous operation since 1972. The greatest changes in the offerings have occurred in the last few years, with the arrival of enough Hispanic customers that things like menudo and carne guisado are worth cooking.
An old, utilitarian building is furnished with booths the place bought from the short-lived Here's Johnny's restaurants in the 1970s. (It was a Johnny Carson theme restaurant.)
The new, more ethnically true dishes are better than I expected, but still the standout dish here is the enchiladas. The sauce is good, and they routinely make even the cheese enchiladas with grilled onions, the way everyone should.
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