La Vida Loca is a relatively new restaurant in the Katy area, but took the location of an old favorite. After Las Rosas moved down the street, La Vida Loca had a big reputation to live up to. We heard good things about the restaurant as well.

Unfortunately, La Vida Loca’s food doesn’t seem to live up to its billing.

We had the Jalisco Twist Wrap and Fajita Beef Enchiladas. The Jalisco Twist Wrap tasted like something you would eat at Freebird’s or Chipotle, except that the meat was tougher and it lacked flavor. It also had jalapeno cream cheese in it, which is unique, but didn’t taste right.

The beef enchiladas were awful. It was the first time in my life that I found Mexican food that I couldn’t bear to eat. The beef and the tortillas were fine, but the sauce on top was brutal. It tasted more like a barbeque sauce-ketchup mixture than enchilada sauce. This did not mix well with the Mexican spices inside the enchilada. I know it’s called Tex-Mex, but using barbeque sauce on the enchiladas is taking it too far!

The sides, however, were excellent. The beans and rice were as good as anywhere, and the guacamole that comes with the meals was delicious. Overall, the ingredients seemed very fresh, which can be hard to find in Mexican restaurants.

The chips were good and crisp, not too greasy. The salsa was warm, which isn’t our favorite, but for those who like it that way, it was very good.

The atmosphere was very fun, especially out on the patio where we sat. The margaritas were delicious, and we all know that this is an important factor in choosing Mexican restaurants. There was an excellent and fun playground for the kids, although strangely enough, there didn’t seem to be a kids’ menu.

The service was friendly; albeit pretty slow, even when it’s not very busy. This seemed odd, as Mexican restaurants usually have pretty fast service.

We’re not sure what all of our friends liked so much about the food at La Vida Loca, but we may give it another try just to see if we made bad choices. Stay away from the enchiladas though!