Authentic Mexican food is hard to find in Middle Tennessee. Generally speaking, most Mexican restaurants in the area present small variations on a pretty standard menu. This being said, one must filter through the duds and find a place that provides a good atmosphere and decent drink prices to accompany their generic menu items.
La Loma Mexican Restaurant stands out vaguely among the many other similar Mexican restaurants in the Hendersonville area. Located on E. Main Street, across from the Publix complex, its interior, though slightly dark, is welcoming and seating is usually available immediately despite how crowded it may seem from the parking lot.
Though not outstanding, I have eaten here on several occasions, both for lunch and dinner with little to complain about. The food is what you would expect: tacos, enchiladas, burritos and the like, though their salsa is much better than most, lacking the underlying taste of crushed, canned tomatoes with all the heat and none of the good onion and cilantro flavor present in La Loma’s salsa. If it’s not prepared fresh, it tastes like it is, so kudos to them on that.
As with most Mexican restaurants, the food is delivered in a timely fashion with the expected warning of, “Hot plate, hot plate!” I generally order something fairly basic, based on previous experience that, veering too far into the margins is usually a mistake when eating Mexican food in Hendersonville.
Stick with the basic combination items or fajitas, and you will get exactly what you expect. Honestly, when it comes down to it, this is what you want from your neighborhood Mexican restaurant, decent food at a good price, served quickly and with plenty of cerveza and margaritas to wash it down, a good casual environment to enjoy conversation and drinks with family and friends.
La Loma is not going to satisfy any sort of craving for unique and overtly authentic Mexican fare, but it is tasty and consistent with fair prices and decent service, sometimes depending on the mood of the server, based on past experience.
You will not be over or underwhelmed. It’s pretty much what one would expect but, on average, is a head above the rest when exploring that multitude of Mexican restaurants which have popped up in the Hendersonville area in the past 10 years.
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