Luisa’s Mexican Grill
41 N. Broadway
Geneva, Ohio 44041
440-466-3327
I was told by a co-worker months ago that there was this great "authentic" Mexican restaurant in Geneva by the name of Luisa’s. How exciting I thought, another real Mexican restaurant within 20 minutes of my house. Little did I know that Luisa’s was about as authentically Mexican as my big Irish self.
Jason, Amanda and I drove out to Luisa’s a few weeks back and that trip made the fourth time we attempted to eat there. The other three times Luisa’s was closed, but Luisa makes the rules and you’ll eat when she wants you to eat! Lucky for us (or not, depending on how you look at it) that day Luisa had the grill fired up.
We were seated after waiting a while by a very grumpy girl with no teeth. Ok, she might have had teeth, but she never smiled once so I’m guessing here. She brought us some homemade tortilla chips and three fresh salsas. The only one worth noting was the tomatillo salsa verde, it was superb. The tortilla chips were nothing special and they have some weird dust on them. I guess the thought was that they would be tastier with the Mexican Magic Dust, but honestly, the ones without the dust were better.
I ordered the Nachos with Beans and Chorizo ($5.59) as well as a traditional steak taco ($1.50) to test the level of authenticity at Luisa’s. By that time though, I’d pretty much thrown out any small hope I once had of getting authentic Mexican food. The kitchen of Luisa’s was clearly visible from our table and there were no Hispanic people to be found. The lady cooking our food was a middle-aged white lady with curly blond hair. Not a good sign.
The food was eventually dumped on our table by our pathetic excuse for a waitress after quite a long wait. My taco was served with the traditional toppings of onions and cilantro, even the steak tasted pretty good. However, the taco was only served with one tortilla. One tortilla does not equal authentic!
The chorizo nachos were a complete catastrophe. They were so bad. It was mostly beans and chips, but the beans were all loose, making every chip soggy. It was pretty much inedible and I couldn’t even stomach half of it. You’ll notice that I haven’t mentioned anything about the chorizo, that’s because it was virtually non-existent. I’ve found more chorizo between my fat-rolls after a night of eating tacos naked while lying on the couch watching reruns of Boy Meets World. You are welcome for that mental image.
Luisa’s was a disgrace to our neighbors to the South and their vibrant culinary heritage. I can guarantee you that I will never eat at Luisa’s again, it was such a disappointment. Especially with all the hoopla about "Authentic Mexican" food. It very well might be the most authentic Mexican restaurant in Geneva, but that’s just because they don’t have a Taco Bell.
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August 21st, 2007 at 6:24 am
Hello there. I’m taking the kids to the Botanical Garden tomorrow so I stopped by here looking for a kid friendly but delicious place to have lunch downtown.
As I was scanning, I found this review. How accurate you are! I too, had heard a lot of hype about how authentic and delicious Luisas was. Like you, I tried on several occasions to see for myself, only to be met by the red and white CLOSED sign on the door. Finally, one night, I was able to place a to-go order. I waited at the bar while I watched the blond haired owner cook my food in the very tiny kitchen that mostly consisted of a deep fryer and a blender (where they make batches upon batches of the tomatillo salsa.) Being that the cooking area was so small, it took about an hour, I kid you not, for my family of 4 meal to be completed.
“This better be as good as ‘they’ say” I thought to myself.
I have to say, I was extremely disappointed by the bland chimchanga. I can’t remember now what else we ordered but I agree with everything you said here. I had to make sure I wasn’t at my own blog, reading my own review. I’m surprised that this place has the nerve to stake its claim as an authentic Mexican restaurant in a heavily Mexican-populated area. I’m equally surprised it’s still in business.
Anyway, nice review! Do you have any suggestions for a cool place to have lunch tomorrow for my foodie friends and I where we can reasonably expect our 4 kids, ages 3-8, to somewhat behave and enjoy the food and atmosphere. I know, it’s a large request but any suggestions are appreciated!
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September 24th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Wow! At first I was appalled at Mark´s comments about Luisa´s Mexican Grill until I read his other comments on other restaurants. Whew! I think Mark needs to lose some weight and find a woman who can cook for him to his specs. Then he wouldn´t have to worry about losing chorizo between his fat-rolls while eating tacos naked laying on the couch alone!
My husband and I eat weekly at Luisa´s and we love it. My husband has been in the USA only two years and in his 46 years of living in Mexico, has never eaten a burrito, chimichanga, nachos or fajitas. This food is not traditional Mexican. Do your homework Mark and go to http://www.foodtimeline.org and educate yourself on the subject before you think you know it all. Oh, by the way, I would never buy packaged chorizo. It´s nasty. Fresh is the way to go. We never have a difficult time finding Luisa´s open. The hours are posted clearly on the front window. Maybe they are odd hours, but they suit Luisa`s schedule just fine. By the way, Luisa is 2 1/2 years old and is bi-lingual and knows that mui bueno is correctly spelled muy bueno. She also knows what horchata is. It´s the rice water that you just recently figured out what it was. Two tortillas don´t constitute authentic. It´s a personal preference. I guess you would prefer two tortillas for the carbs and I´m sure you enjoyed the free sour cream on the tacos at the Latin Cornier (now closed). This was the Latin Corner`s way of Americanizing their food to satisfy stupid Americans like you who drench everything in sour cream. Again, calories!
Apparently you cannnot tell the difference between Mexican people and Puerto Rican people. If you could, you would notice that Geneva is predominantly Puerto Rican. Do your homework! On the other hand, stay the hell out of Geneva. By the way, that blond, white lady cooking started her business by refurbishing an old camping trailor into a concession trailor and sold authentic Mexican food at the hispanic soccer games, Latin Festivals and now has her own restaurant. We have been following her and her food for years. Yes, sometimes it takes awhile to get our food, but at least we know it was cooked for us fresh instead of sitting in a steam table all day. It is always worth the wait. Oh, and by the way, the guacamole is to die for. It is made to order and served in the avacado shell. We understand all these details take time. You should be there when they are sorting beans looking for rocks before they cook them or hand mashing the beans as they are being re-fried. I`d rather see this than outsourcing their work by purchasing everything in a bag, can or box. I bet you think quesadillas are a Mexican Pizza. You have been Taco Bell-ized and don´t even know it. We will continue to patronize her restaurant and refer people whenever we can. It is the best Mexican food we have found unless we go to Mexico. Good luck to you. I hope you find happiness and inner peace.
[Reply]
September 25th, 2007 at 10:16 am
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