Personal Review :
I must state at the start, I have not been to La Hacienda in quite some time.
The last visit was not a memorable occasion. Having come originally from
the Southwest where one thrives on some of the best in Mexican-style food
available, La Hacienda was a real disappointment, both food and service.
The spanish rice was a dry and strange concoction we had never experienced
before and the sopapillas were like none we had ever seen (these were shaped
like poached eggs and relatively flat). The service was abominably slow and
our group became very frustrated at the delays and poor service. Friends who
attended the restaurant later had a similar, less than pleasurable, experience.
We have never returned.
The Baltimore Magazine review below refers to the restaurant as a great place to take the kids. While the restaurant might be good for kids, the neighborhood is not. Being right across the street from an adult theater with the associated grunge nearby doesn't quite fit my idea of a kid-friendly environment.
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Baltimore Magazine, "The Best of Baltimore 1997"
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
best kid-friendly restaurant
...
To regulars without kids, La Hacienda, 4840
Belair Road, 410-488-9447, is just
Baltimores best-kept secret spot for delish,
low-key nouveau Mexican meals. (We love
the grilled-vegetable burrito with black
beans.) But to in-the-know parents of small
children, this Northeast Baltimore hangout
is also a welcome venue for a no-fuss family
outing. Complementary crayons (and
sometimes a stick-on mustachio) arrive as
you are seated; a donkey statue and a
fountain offer calming diversions. Waitstaff
are uniformly kind to the little ones, yet they
also understand the importance of the
prompt margarita.