Hacienda has been on our list for a while. We found ourselves in Itaewon and decided to drop in for lunch. The small establishment is dimly lit in a romantic hole-in-the-wall kind of way, with a comfortable little bar and mirrored walls that make it appear bigger than it is.
We could smell the guacamole as soon as we entered, and my stomach was rumbling when we got our carne asada fries. The fries themselves were ok, but the spicy sauce, guacamole, and tender beef took them up a notch.
The grilled corn was a bit on the soft side, but between the char marks and the delicious seasoning smothered all over, I could definitely put away an order of these cobs by myself. In a city with plenty of Mexican joints, it’s surprising more establishments don’t do this appetizer – it’s a tasty way to start the meal.
I’m not a huge fan of overly-sweet margaritas. Though I love a good gimick, I think the ever-popular upturned bottle version often does nothing to improve the drink, and sometimes makes it worse. Hacienda sticks with the basics – fresh lime and decent tequila go a long way to making this one of the tastier versions I’ve had in the neighborhood. The spiced berry mojito was a bit on the sweet side, but it did have lots of fruit flavor and plenty of mint. Eric said it tasted a bit like mulling spices.
The tacos, while simple, were quite tasty. The corn tortillas were fresh and Hacienda’s kitchen does a good job with the proteins. The only thing we’d change is the slaw – it was a bit too lemony and there was simply too much. It overpowered the lightly fried fish. The sauce on the pork made that taco my favorite of the two.
I’ll be adding Hacienda to my pub crawl list – it’s perfect for the kind of night where you want to drop in for an appetizer and a margarita. It’s also a great option for lunch on the weekend.
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