la macarena pupuseria & latin cafe

in decline. i used to like thisplacebefore it got popular and the staff and cook got overwhelmed. my last experience there was one of the worst of any dining experience ever. it took forever to even get water, our poor waiter was so overwhelmed by the lunch crowd, and when we finally got our food, it was cold! the owner is usually pretty nice and he's given us some free tequila shots, but i'd honestly just rather have my money back ($21 for that terrible lunch).

pura vida !!!. without doubt, the most satisfying spanish/latin meal i've had in new orleans in very long time. thisplaceis jewel- the carne asada reminds me of the one my wife and i had during our honeymoon in costa rica in monteverde. the flan the best i've ever had -anywhere. worth the wait. family run, superb service in a non pretentious setting.

very nice surprise. on a recommendation from a friend, i did not know what to expect when i went to la macarena. though i had grown up eating latin food of several influences at my friend's homes, i had never eaten pupusas before, and therefore decided to go with an open mind. my friend suggested that i bring my own alcohol, so i prepared accordingly with our staple whites.
the striking décor and vibrant artwork immediately set the tone for the evening. if color truly can influence mood, the decoration heightened our expectations for something eventful. the second thing i noticed was the intimacy we had with the kitchen. though it was on a dais above the small dining room, i could see into the kitchen with ease; which emanated the comfort of being at a friend's home and knew that what tookplacein the kitchen was for anyone to see. the platform also served as a stage for the gregarious host, manny, who monitored both the kitchen and the dining room like he was performing theatre in the round. food good or bad was worth spending an evening dining with manny again. the food was good, and the server was knowledgeable about all items on the menu and how each was prepared.
my wife, our two guests, and i ordered the traditional latin starters: yucca, plantains, and guacamole; but ventured into the featured niche cuisine for the main course. the sampler platter of pupusas, salvadoran filet, brisket, and the garlic shrimp knocked our socks off. everything was shared among us as we shared conversations with the other diners in the restaurant. overall, the value was excellent because we ate great food at a reasonable price and didn't pay for alcohol that had been marked up from retail cost. we definitely will be back. michael v

i wish it weren't so. i put thisplaceoff until my last night in town with great expectations. the reviews on here have been nothing but good. the service was very friendly. the menu looked promising. the presentation was beautiful. the food: not so much.

i grew up on latin food, and i have to say that i was very dissappointed. the fried yucca appetizer was decent. the chicharrones looked like they came out of one of those bags at the gas station marked "pork rinds," but i was willing to let that slide.

we waited a long time for our entrees, but that was entirely our fault. i had ropa vieja. my grandmother cooks it for me for special occasions since it takes so long to make. i have never found any better than abuela's, but it is fun to try. la macarena's was nothing short of awful!

my mother had the sea bass special which sounded incredible when we were told about it. i tried it and it was also awful. it came with two gulf shrimp which were beautifully displayed on top of the fish. both were overcooked and had a really indescribably bad taste.

the rice was cooked to the consistency of mush and very bland. the "fried sweet plantains," or platanos maduros were no where near ripe enough to be called such. they would have made great tostones.

finally, on a positive note, one of my brothers had the papusas. he loved them and even ordered another plate to go. but, he's a starving college student and will eat anything. i didn't try them.

consistency would make thisplacebetter. the first time i went to la macarena, the food was pretty outstanding. the sweet corn tamale was definitely my favorite. it was so moist and so sweet. the service was really good and the only downside was my watery juice drink. the second time i went things were quite different. even though we were one of two tables in this tiny restaurant, the waiter seemed to take his time in getting everything. we ordered the sweet corn tamale as an appetizer and when we got it it was noticeably smaller than the last time we ordered it. it was dry and crumbly and tasted more like wet cornmeal than a tamale. i ordered the vegetarian tortas as my entree. being a vegan i requested them to not put any cheese or dairy products on it. when i got it it was covered in a creamy looking sauce (actually kind of unappetizing). i asked the waiter what it was and he nearly rolled his eyes at me and told me "its just dressing". seriously? so i just scraped it off as best i could seeing as i wouldn't be able to get a straight answer out of him wether or not there was cream in the "dressing." overall it was okay but i would definitely hesitate before going back.

comida autentica latina. this comment is directly to "jorge". i am from ecuador... you probably don't know where that is... well is a small country between peru and colombia. so i have been eating real latin food for about 23 years(my age). i looked at your comment and i had to write something back, since i think what you said is something an ignorant person would say. i have experience with latin food so if somebody is able to critique this food it is me not you. you are probably used to eat what people in the u.s think is "latin"food but that kind of food has actually been adjusted for american people to like it. if you know about ropa vieja... well it's a native american plate ... so different countries would seasoned and cook it in different ways.. it's just like the ceviche.. there is peruvian, ecuadorian, guatemalan... and so on. your "abuela" is definitely not from salvador that is why you probably didn't like macarena's ropa vieja... because you were expecting something different. i hope you have learned something new jorge.. you will definitely wont be able to travel to different hispanic countries because for what i see you are just too closed minded... and if you do get to travel ..bring your abuela so she can cook "ropa vieja" for you. well i think that's enough for you jorge... i hope i educated you enough so you could back up your ideas next time.. there is a lot of tex-mex food places for you in town... macarena is too gourmet for you. well everyone that reads this comment, i encourage you to try the carne asada... it's just amaizing! i dunno where "manuel"(the owner) gets this meat... i guess every person has it's secrets... it's filet mignon meat.!!!!!!.. it will melt in your mouth.. also the guacamole tostadas with shrimp as an appetizer... you would go crazy! its just amazing!! i missed real latin food so much.. and i found a real latin cuisineplacejust in the corner of my house. and you cant leave thisplacewithout trying the "tres leches" or "flan" desserts. and if you have eaten too much i encourage you to take these desserts to go... you just cant leave macarena without getting them!!! by the way... last words....macarena's chef was announced the best latin chef in town... just go and try macarena's food... it will become one of those places with exotic food that you have to visit at least one time a month... read jpaz33 and brad tidwell comments... these people have visited central american countries... they know about real latin food... not like jorge... saludos desde sudamerica!

to bchimera. i think what you are doing is wrong. i believe its you the owner of this joint. why? because all these fictious 1 reviewers are you. you mean to tell me all these people have time to log onto urbanspoon and review only your place. come on!! everyone who reads these reviews want to know if its worth checking out. i fell for it and regret it. don't trash a real person's review like jorge. he is from out of town. he is a guest to this town. im not only disgusted by your trashing of his review but now of who you really are. like jorge i was excited to try your authentic fare. but all your 1 reviews are not authentic just like the food you offer there. i bet you buy your authentic pupusas from el rey distributor like all this hispanic places in town. please quit advertising your fantastic dishes in the reviews. be humble manuel, bchimera, yellowflower, rusky, weaseldew, or whatever name you decide to review with next time.


-----01 apr, 2009-----

authentic??. after reading the marvelous reviews i decided to check thisplaceout. i thought the food was going to be authentic but i was unimpressed. service and presentation good. food lacked strong flavor especially chicken in salad. serving cabbage slaw and romaine salad on same plate not good choice. yellow rice too concentrated and black beans bold and tasted like some beans got burned on bottom of pot. i don't find fruit drinks to be authentic but watered down. i think its been rated high because like stated in other reviews there is no otherplacein area with hispanic fare.

don't pay any attention to any negative reviews because thisplaceis one of those new orleans gems totally family owned and perfectly established. the papusa platters are amazing! it's definitely latin american cuisne, not too spicy but very flavorful. the papusa platter comes with 3 pockets of deliciousness, black beans, a small salad (thing), fried plantains, and some sour cream, etc. i recommend this place!

wonderfulplaceto get breakfast/brunch! tiny so can feel a bit crowded when all tables are full; there are a few tables outside. get the pupusas! doesn't matter which kind they are all good (and i mean come on, where else can you get perfect little stuffed tortilla pillows?!) i adore the americano breakfast burrito but the nola special has hot sausage and i can't refuse a nibble when my sister orders it. the agua frescas are cool and refreshing as well. to all the refried beans connoisseurs: i have no idea what kind of spices la macarena works with in the kitchen but the beans are magical.

the food is everything you could hope for. people/service also. seating is limited and theplaceis small, but take-out is available. the location isn't sexy, either (near a shopping center in a generic looking building, a little tucked away from view), otherwise i would have given theplacea 5 out of 5.

this pupusaplaceis amazing! if you are searching for something new and culturally authentic, you should make this charming restaurant your go-to place. the owner is very personable and caters to his patrons. open every morning for breakfast and brunch, but also serves a great lunch! five stars!!!!!

awful experiences despite multiple tries!. first time i went, it was with a table full of vegans since they really advertise that they have vegan food this didn't seem like a problem. they were given advance notice that we were coming and 2 of our party had even gone early to snack and do some work while they were waiting for us. when we were all there, the owner made sure to come over and tell us that everything on the vegetarian menu could be made vegan. awesome! we allplaceour orders. i couldn't pronounce my mushroom and yucca order, so i had to point it out, have the waiter say it, and then confirmed that that was what i wanted in the vegan version. after a while, everyone had their food except for me. when we ask the waiter just says he doesn't remember taking my order, i say what i wanted again, and the owner who was right there says they can't make that vegan.... okay. it was quite a bit through the meal so at this point i just ate off of our appetizers.
time two:
i was so frustrated with the first time but mistakes happen! the guac was so good! i had to try again, it must have been a fluke. i had said i was vegan and the guac comes out covered in cheese. being that it's on the vegetarian/vegan side of the menu i would think that that would be noted...when i mention it to the waitress and she asks if i would like another one, i say yes. i would like to eat what i ordered. it never comes.... i just ate my main course and my friends enjoyed the guac.
time three:
third times the charm? they can't get it wrong again! i go with my mother, we order the guac and i make sure to say no cheese. "no cheese because you're a vegan?" awesome, yep! "oh, okay, because we put egg in the guacamole too" ....weird, but so glad he caught it. he did great too, he addressed any specials that were non-vegan to my mom and the veg options to me. things seemed promising and i got my guac fix! and then my food comes out covered in cheese. when i say something to the waiter he just laughs and says "huh, yeah, guess i forgot" we were the only table there...i don't even understand.
i had to call it quits with this place. i should have known after the first time with the owner saying they could make anything on the veg options vegan and then saying otherwise there was something wrong here...

favorite brunch. thisplacehas my favorite brunch in town because the vegan and vegetarian options are just as yummy as the food for meat eaters. the huevos rancheros are the best i've ever had anywhere. my favorite is the fried yuca with chicharrones but those are normally a special menu item so if those aren't available i highly recommend the fresh guacamole & chips as an appetizer. the owner and staff are very friendly and make you feel at home. this is a spot i always suggest to friends visiting new orleans because after a long weekend of drinking and indulging in heavy fried foods its nice to have some delicious, fresh, food that is still as unique as the city.

i wanted to just hang out with the family around audubon park so we came to eat here i saw the prices and i saw that they where pricey but i was thinking hey, maybe their proportions will make up for the price. but i was wrong! ,,,,with what i paid i could have went to a betterplacelike the pupuseria across the river (divino corazon) the food is amazing and the portions leaves enough for a good lunch at work!!!! trust me do not eat at la macarena!!!!!!!

this was our first time at la macarena and we loved it!!! the guacamole was the best i've ever had anywhere. the tomale and pupusa dinner was out of this world. the black bean soup was very fresh. this sweetplacedoes not get enough praise and we can tell all the food was made with care and they love what they do. you've got to try this place!