Babita Restaurant

06/18/08

Excellent regional and special dishes

by Hoplow at Citysearch

I have been to Babita on numerous occasions. I fancy myself as a bit of an expert when it comes to Mexican food. My wife is from Mexico and we have travelled a decent amount. The weekend jaunt to Puerto Nuevo for lobster, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Tonala, Tlaquepaque, Monterrey...most recently through Merida, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Cancun and other cities in Quintana Roo.

The dishes are all authentic with the chef's own spin on flavor. The dishes from the Yucatan are excellent. It is not easy to find most of these dishes locally. The desserts are great and the wine list is decent. My wife and I have taken many friends here with rave reviews.

The neighbor hood isn't the best, it looks small and run down from the outside. Inside is cozy and romantic. The main dining are is small but there is a larger room for big parties. The staff is mellow but attentive, reminiscent of Quintana Roo where they have a slower pace of life and enjoy every moment to the fullest. This doesn't mean the service is bad, it's a different culture coliding with ours. The prices are not bad considering that you can't get these dishes other places.

• Pros: Regional Dishes
• Cons: Neighborhood

02/28/08

Very Good Mexican Food

by milkboy33 at Citysearch

I came here for lunch and was really impressed. It's a very small family owned restaurant. I couldn't tell from the looks on the outside what to expect on the inside. It was very classy and homely. The Mexican food had a French flare with a touch of Cuban cuisine. It was a bit pricey, but worth the try. I think it's very hard to find nice, cozy, sit down time spanish restaurants around this area. I definitely recommend.

• Pros: Food, Service, Cozy Atmosphere
• Cons: Price

02/12/08

Overly priced Average Mexican Food

by snakeskin at Citysearch

First of all the place itself was not impressive at all. I went here some weeks ago because many coworkers recommended it. The place is so small. You'd think that by now they have made enough money with their over the top prices to update the location. At least clean the inside of the restaurant. I felt like I was going into my dirty neighbor's house here in east LA. The food was okay but not great. It seems like this restaurant just caters to rich people. When I went I was the only mexican person there. Everybody else was white. Que van a saber ellos de autentica comida mexicana. I felt like it was a rip off. $30 for a chili pepper with ground beef inside. I don't think so. I've had better mexican food for less than half the price! Its okay to go once to see what the big fuss is. I wouldn't go again. Then the service was bad. I kept asking one of the girls questions about the dishes and she didn't even know! She had to ask this other lady. This lady even gave us wrong information on where the dishes were from. The desserts were a joke. They were not good nor inventive. I'm not a chef and I can make better desserts than what they offered. Very dissapointed. Save your money.

• Pros: Food is okay.
• Cons: OVERLY PRICED FOR BEING MEXICAN FOOD! Dirty little place. Was expecting a more luxurious dining environment for the price you pay.