Cuisine: Mexican
Restaurant Features: Bar, Patio, On-Site Parking,
Location: South St Paul, MN
Address: 600 S. Concord St. South St Paul, MN 55075 (651)455-6109
Hours: M-F 11am-7:30pm Sat-Sun 9am-?
Links: Google Map
Atmosphere: La Esperanza is located on So. Concord St (Hwy 156), which runs along the Mississippi River. The building itself is not very big, but they do have a very nice, open dining room with festive decorations throughout.
The bar faces the Mississippi river and there are picture windows overlooking the island. Here is the breath-taking view out of the bar windows.
There is also a patio area in the back looking down on the Mississippi. This picture was taken before they had put out the umbrellas.
Menu: Breakfast is served Saturday and Sunday and includes Huevos Rancheros, Huevos con Chorizo, Huevos Divorciados, Machaca con Huevos, Huevos ala Mexicana, New Mexico Enchiladas, 5-8Camaron Rancheros, Jamon, Queso con Chile.
Soups include Beef Caldo, Chicken Caldo, or Menudo.
Fried Tacos include Beef or Chicken. Tostadas can be ordered with beef, chicken or chorizo. Quesadillas include bean & cheese, chicken, or shredded beef. Flautas come with either beef or chicken. Enchilada plates come with either cheese & onion, chicken or beef.
Entrees are served with rice and beans and include Puerco con Chile Verde, Puerco con Chile Rojo, Carne Asada, Steak Picado, and Diced Chicken.
Price guide: Breakfast $5-8 Tacos $4.50-5.50/2 Entrees $7-10
What I ordered: Since each order of enchiladas comes with 3, I had hoped I could try one of each variety however they don't allow substitutions. I decided on the Chicken Enchiladas and they were wonderful! The enchiladas had large pieces of tender white meat chicken and just a hint of melted Mexican cheese, with a generous amount of the delicious spicy green chile enchilada sauce rolled into corn tortillas. Very flavorful! A bowl of the green chile was also served on the side. The enchiladas came with beans and rice, both of which had a nice texture but were very mild in taste. I spiced mine up with the chile and it was awesome like that!
Service: I was very surprised that on a nice Friday afternoon at lunchtime that the restaurant wasn't very busy. I pretty much had my pick of tables and chose to sit at the bar where I could enjoy the gorgeous view of the Mississippi. I ordered after asking for suggestions and was told everything was good. My food was prepared reaonably fast.
Overall Impression: Could this place with really good Mexican food and a cool view of the Mississippi still be undiscovered? I encourage you to make a visit La Esperanza, especially if you're near St Paul. Only a 5 minute drive from District del Sol. Going to have live mariachi bands all weekend during Cinco de Mayo!!
Recent Comments