La Mexicana II

This place has turned out to be one of our regular favorites! They have a beautiful sitting area downstairs by the river. Their staff is fun and knowledgeable with authentic Mexican food. Great Margaritas too!

Saw patio seeting on way to Devil’s Lake & stopped on way home. Best Mecican we’ve found in Madison area. Carne Asada perfectly cooked & seasoned, tacos were authentic & magarita was heavenly. We’ll drive out of our way to come back!

Not sure why this is called #2 since this is clearly the only La Mexicana in the small town of Sauk City, but I digress. Mexican food in central Wisconsin is a bit of a gamble, but I felt like taking a chance and I’m sure glad I did.
I ordered the burrito suiza pollo, which is a huge burrito smothered in salsa and cheese. The chicken was tender pulled chicken and full of salsa flavor. Really, this was a great burrito and I’m now a believer.

Terrific Mexican food and groceries. Quick service that’s also very friendly. Great place for lunch or dinner. Their homemade sauces also great. Huge fan of their streak burrito for a quick, affordable lunch.

The pico de gallo with the chips was yummy and the steak burritos were yummy. My husband ordered the mini and i ordered a regular, they didn’t look any different. We ended up taking some home but that was because we ordered a dish of guacamole as well. The guacamole had tomatoes, onions and some good chunks of avocado amongst the mash. Our drink order was sodas and they were in cans. The do have a full bar so if you’d like something else, you can. There were two servers and the place was bustling. I’d go back to try more stuff!

Quick, friendly, attentive service. Full bar. Steak burrito was delicious. Authentic mexican in Sauk. I think actually we found a place we would consistently frequent here in town. So happy we tried this place. Margarita was good, a little sweet. Place could use a bit more ambiance but you can not beat the food or price.

Well, I sure am glad I used Unilocal to decide where to eat while in Sauk City recently! Of the three of us, one was a vegetarian, so the plethora of bar/​pub/​grills and American style diner/​restaurants wasn’t looking fantastic. Of all the choices, La Mexicana seemed the best bet right off the bat, and we were all pretty excited after I summarized the reviews.
The entrance may be tricky the first time around — you walk through the attached grocery to enter the restaurant and choose your own seat. The space isn’t large; groups larger than four will have to sit at different tables. It’s a really simple setup, which is completely fine by me. I made note of the ‘deli’ section at the back of the store (meats and tamales, mmm).
Service was fast and friendly. We received free homemade chips and salsa as we ordered. One of my friends had the rice water and let me taste it — YUM! I wished I’d gotten it. If it were a different day I might have gone for one of their margaritas, but this time it was just water for me. Our third got a tamarind flavored Mexican soda which was also tasty. They had quite a few Mexican soda flavors available. We ordered one plate of tacos, one meatless burrito, and I got a chicken chimichanga. Yowza! That was the best chimi I’ve had in ages! It was large enough that I had lunch for the following day. The food was fantastic and oh-​so flavorful. Everyone was happy, and the bill was reasonable.
Now I wish I wasn’t 30 minutes away from Sauk! This place beats any «Mexican» place that I’ve had in Madison. We saw three separate to-​go orders and three other groups in the time we were there, so it appears they’ve got a good business going between both sides of their venture. We saw a sign advertising their outdoor deck facing the Wisconsin River, so I definitely look forward to checking it out when the weather is nicer. If you’re in the area and tired of the same ol’ Wisconsin offerings, give this place a try.

Best Mexican food I have eaten in entire Madison area. Can not believe it’s taken me so long to review this joint. Makes me feel like i’m back in the Chi. Food is the real deal!

We came here on our way out of town for a trip and we were not disappointed. It was nice to have the full bar. The salsa was quite good, as were the chips. The meal itself was also tasty. If you are in Sauk definitely give this place a try.

Pork and steak tacos are the best. Mini burritos are anything but mini. Great service too.

$ 10 comically large slightly too sweet patron margaritas! Not sure what else needs to be said really. WE also had a quesadilla which, while being nothing particularly special was still pleasing.

Authentic Mexican food in Gringolandia? Yup.
I live near Rogers Park, so you’re not going to easily put one over on me when it comes to Mexican.
I had sopes and tacos, and they were both the real deal. Also, best lengua I’ve ever had. It was tender and moist, melt in your mouth. I even got my honey, who is firmly squicked out by that particular cut of meat, to try it, and he admitted that if I hadn’t told him it was tongue, he would have thought it was lamb.
But you don’t need to be a foodie or even particularly adventurous to eat here. The carnitas are top shelf, and the chicken is good and spicy. We didn’t try the beef, but I’m going to guess it’s just as boss as the rest of it.
Salsa was definitely home made and a full bar made for a great experience all around.
Set in the back of a small grocery just like it would be on Clark Street, I was having a hard time remembering we were in small town Wisconsin.

The food and service at la Mexicana are pretty good. But I give them 4 stars mostly because I love their chorizo. It’s made right there in their butcher shop. Amazing stuff.

I’ve been to a lot of Mexican restaurants and this one was not that great. The service was not great and the food was not that good. You’re better off driving the extra distance to Baraboo or Madison for a better Mexican restaurant.

Absolutely the best Mexican food hands down! Margaritas are the best as well! We’ve been coming here for years and nothing beats this place! Highly recommend this! Staff is great! Always attentive and very kind!

Stopped here for lunch. I had the eggs with chorizo sausage. It was great and inexpensive. It will be too spicy for some in the Midwest.
The place is clean, but plain. You walk through a small grocery store to get to the restaurant.
The service was also good.

I had a skirt steak platter here last August, but the meat was tough and, to be charitable, otherwise unexciting.
But stopped here again today, and was really, really, really delighted. The service is kind, gracious, and spot on. Had a sope with lengua, and two tacos (carne asada and al pastor).
It is about the meats. The meats were succulent. The carne asada was smoky delicious. The al pastor was rich and savory. The lengua (lengua is hard to wreck) had all that sweet fatty tonguey goodness.
And the salsa with bits of tomato and lots of onion had the most aromatic cilantro.
This was simply an epicurean delight. Each element had real quality, each accent was just right. And out there in Sauk City!
It makes me ill to take off a star for the plate last August, it really does. Flog me with a corn tortilla.

Top Three high/​low lights
1) cheap mexican food
2) really low key atmosphere, more of a quick lunch place than a dinner place
3) really good salsa
I have visited La Mexicana a few times with co-​workers when passing through the area. The atmosphere is kind of «hole in the wall» which is totally fine for a place to grab a quick lunch. The service is always a little slow but very friendly. You get free chips and some yummy salsa right when you arrive. The prices are really cheap and you get a decent amount of food. I usually get the chicken fajitas and while not the greatest fajitas I have ever had they are pretty good for the price you pay for them. Overall, good place to stop for lunch if you are coming through the area.

REAL Mexican food in Sauk City, Wisconsin. Now this might scare someone from the Midwest who has never HAD real Mexican food– but I say, «Don’t be afraid! Just try it.» If you are afraid of «spicy» then leave the salsas on the side for me.
This food is fantastic!
We have stopped here twice for lunch. NOTE– some of the early reviews do not reflect the current 2014 offerings. They DO have table service, very friendly and pleasant. they DO have a full bar and I want to try the margaritas, but not at 11:30 am. They have wine and beer too.
The chips and fresh homemade pico de gallo were gratis and also yummy; served the minute you sit down. We have had the tacos and sopes, both delicious, with a pretty presentation; not fancy, but served with care. Very authentic, with onions and cilantro.
Maybe the best guacamole in the MIdwest. super fresh and for $ 2 — a bowl that really was bigger than a «side.» We ate the whole thing.
Bonus– you do walk through a very small and clean grocery to get to the restaurant. the veges looked very fresh and inviting. the meat counter also looked great and cheap. On a recent Sunday, they were also offering take-​out carnitas (beautiful cooked pulled pork) in bulk/​by the pound; self-​serve into a take-​out container, for tacos or whatever you want to make at home. Looked awesome.
The ladies bathroom was super clean.

I had a three taco plate (2 pastors and a Chorizo) with rice and beans. $ 6! Fantastic! Add a $ 2.50 bottle of Negra Modello and, if I lived here, I’d be a regular. Good, fresh salsas with the chips, friendly service. Worth a try if you in the area. I want to go back for dinner and to pick up stuff at their butcher counter.
Great spot!