Mi Pueblito Restaurante Las Cruces

I HAD ONE OF THE BEST BATHED BURRITO PLATES I'VE EVER HAD AT MI PUEBLITO IN NOVEMBER 2015...BUT THIS PLACE IS KNOWN FOR ITS INCONSISTENCY. 

Review is updated through FEBRUARY 2017.......
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(Ranked 18TH on the 2017 Mr. Sensitive list of Mexican food restaurants in the Las Cruces area.)

Ignore the April 2014 reviewer who states the food here is "bland." That is probably the most ridiculous and misleading statement I've ever read on this site. The food at Mi Pueblito is anything but bland. 

February 2017....stopped in for lunch. The restaurant was clean and bright inside. Ambiance about a "B."  BUT THE PLACE IS RATHER SMALL AND IF IT GETS BUSY YOU CAN FEEL CROWDED. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SPIFFY OR POSH PLACE IN WHICH TO DINE......THIS ISN'T IT. 

The service by a pleasant young woman was casual but just fine. Rate it a "B."  The food took about twelve to fifteen minutes to reach my table. 

The chips were good and the salsa really hot.....but a little lacking in flavor. Rate the salsa a "B" .......meaning good but not great. I ordered a chimichanga plate. The massive chimichanga came with a bowl of rice, a little bowl of sour cream, and a little bowl of guacamole to use on the typical side salad. The guacamole was creamy and fairly good. Not the best but not bad. Rate the guac a solid "B."  The refried beans were typical....nothing too special but not bad. The huge chimi had a little crispiness to it. The beef chuncks and a little potato inside were fairly good. The green chile sauce was a little anemic to tell the truth and I did not care for the yellow cheese over the top. (They could have used some delicious white Mexican cheese???) Overall, rate the chimichanga meal a "B" to "B+."  It was a good meal (and very filling) but not an exceptional one.  

Again, I have had excellent chile sauces here but Mi Pueblito always surprises you with some inconsistency.

Mr. Sensitive stopped in at Mi Pueblito for lunch in November 2015. I ordered the BURRITO PLATE. It came with two bathed or smothered burritos....one red chile and one green. Refried beans, rice, and the customary bit of salad accompanied the burritos. The chips were just ok. The salsa had some heat and flavor but it didn't seem to be as good as I had previously experienced at this bistro. Rate the salsa this day a B. The rice was very good; fluffy with a nice flavor. The refried beans were very good also. Both burritos had some diced potato in them....perfectly par-boiled. The meat in each was tender and super-flavorful. The CHILE SAUCES WERE EXCELLENT. THESE WERE TWO OF THE BEST CHILE CON CARNE SMOTHERED BURRITOS I'VE BEEN SERVED. Perfectly prepared. Perfectly seasoned. RATE THEM BOTH AN "A" FOR EXCELLENT. The burrito plate as a whole...this day...excellent....delicious. mucho flavor. 

(However, I went back in December to see if they could maintain this level of excellence. They could not. The burritos were not as good as those I experienced in November. They seemed too gummy or pasty because I believe they spent too much time in their microwave. Not good. These December burritos rated a "B+....quite good but not excellent. THIS KIND OF INCONSISTENCY MI PUEBLITO IS KNOWN FOR!) 

On the down side: the restaurant was a little busy and one waitress was left there to handle the entire place. She tried, but she was too busy to follow up. That's often the way they roll in this place. I don't blame her. Also.....this place is known for getting the food out of the kitchen slowly. TODAY IT TOOK 27 MINUTES TO GET MY FOOD AFTER ORDERING. NOT ACCEPTABLE. Because of the slow service and the crowding I  cannot rate this restaurant any higher than 18TH for the overall dining experience. When they are on top of their game with the food.....this could be a top ten Mexican place in town otherwise. (On the positive side it did appear that they had some new tables and chairs in the restaurant. With a fresher coat of pain the ambiance was ok. 

Original review follows:   
This is a nice little New Mexican food bistro,but there are some drawbacks. Mi Pueblito's first negative is a lack of parking. Beware the cramped parking lot in front. Its second negative is that it is a little cramped inside. There are a few comfortable booths and about six to eight tables. In July 2013 I noticed that some of the booths have tears in the upholstery with tape covering them. (AS OF 2015 THEY HAVE REPLACED THE OLD CHAIRS AND TABLES WITH SOME NICER NEWER ONES.) But, it appears reasonably clean and orderly. Rate the ambiance a B-. (I WOULD SAY WITH THE NEW FURNITURE IN 2015 IT NOW RATES A "B.") 

It is best to get there at an off hour, say around 10:30 to 11:00 am or 3:00 pm as the café can get get uncomfortably busy and there is usually just one waitress on duty.

The service at Mi Pueblito I have always found to be friendly and adequate. You seat yourself and you walk to the counter to pay your bill. A waitress will take your order and bring your food to the table. You will generally get a follow-up. (Or....maybe not.) Rate the service about a B-. THE SERVICE IS O.K. BUT CERTAINLY NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT. On a recent visit the waitress had her baby girl there sitting on the front counter where some customers eat and pick up their takeout orders. Surely this cannot impress most diners. But, this tells you a little something about how this place is run. 

The food served here is essentially New Mexican cuisine. They do offer menudo, posole, and aguas frescas. The chips are very good and THE WARMED SALSA IS ONE OF THE BETTER SALSAS IN TOWN...HIGH ON FLAVOR AND HEAT! I would rate Mi Pueblito's salsa in the top five or six in the area. Rate it an A. IT IS SOMEWHAT UNIQUE. (In 2015 the salsa I experienced was not quite as good....just ok.)   

The combo plates are pretty good and their big chimichanga stuffed with chile con carne is very good. The rice I have been served with my chimichangas has been quite flavorful and fluffy....one of the better rice preparations around these parts. But, the guacamole served with my chimis (November 2011and again in July 2013) was almost tasteless! Not very good. The rice rates a B+ but the guacamole only a C. When I don't finish guacamole you know it isn't very good.

The chile con carne at Mi Pueblito is fairly good but not among the better chile around town. The green has some potato in it but not the red. I would argue that the green rates only a B and the taste is not too special. The green chile in my most recent chimichangas has been just ok......not having enough pieces of chile pepper and not as much flavor as it should have had. The red is quite good.....rate it a B+.

The breakfast burritos are quite good also, but my favorite in this restaurant has been their carne adovada. It is one of the best in town. (However...in November 2011 the carne adovada I was served, although it had a lot of juicy pork, did not seem to have much flavor as far as the red chile sauce went. And there wasn't much sauce in the burrito. Rate the carne adovada burrito this day only a B-.)

This kind of INCONSISTENCY is what keeps me from placing Mi Pueblito among the best Mexican restaurants in town.

Other offerings....such as their tampiqueno steak are mediocre. The food, while generally above average to very good, gives me some concern because of the inconsistency. But, rate the food generally a B to B plus overall. THIS REMAINS A NICE LITTLE CAFE TO GET YOUR FILL OF THE BASIC NEW MEX CUISINE. But, at the end of the day......the food is good but not upper echelon.

Out of five stars....rate this little bistro around THREE-AND-THREE-QUARTER STARS (3.75). It is an above average bistro for New Mex cuisine, but not anything special. Inconsistency is the major problem. (THE BURRITOS I EXPERIENCED IN 2015 WERE "EXCELLENT."  WHEN MI PUEBLITO IS ON TOP OF THEIR GAME THE FOOD HERE IS REALLY GOOD! BUT, THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. 

If this restaurant would only pay attention to all the little things it really could be a "must go to" place.

BOTTOM LINE: WILL I RETURN TO DINE HERE? I WILL NOW AND THEN. I STILL THINK ABOUT THOSE BATHED BURRITOS!