Dining with Monkeys: La Hacienda | Restaurants

La Hacienda is in the strip mall with Buster's where El Chico used to be. There's also one in Collierville. My sister claims they have great tortilla soup. A few weeks ago, we decided to try it out. The monkeys (Satchel, 10, and Jiro, 8) ended up having a meltdown, so our whole dining experience ended on a sour note. Last week, I insisted we go back. This time we took met a couple of friends.

I hadn't been to El Chico since I was about 15, so I'm not entirely sure how much or little the interior has changed, but I love the altar in the foyer. Yes, that's cabbage.

On our first visit we sat in the dining room where they project the TV on the wall. Pretty awesome for sports action.

On this visit we sat in the room with the bar. It was much brighter and more festive. The two things I liked best about our first visit were the chips--they are very thin & crispy--and the two for one margaritas. (Both visits were on Friday nights. Not sure what the actual happy hour policy is at La Hacienda.)

Photo: Flickr user staleyg.