There are several great things about Utah when it comes to restaurants. First, if you like Mexican food, whether it is authentic or Americanized, you are in the right place. Second, thanks to the rich religious heritage, Utah is possibly the most worthy state of the term “melting pot”. This means you have got plenty of other options if Mexican just isn’t your pot of tea. Third, rather than huge metropolis areas, we are mostly made up of small to mid-size cities that are sort of strung together along the Wasatch Front. Each individual city has one or two spots that are iconic to that area. No matter how long you have lived here, I’m willing to bet that right now you can think of the one or two in your area that I am talking about.

Since I live in Springville, it is natural that I should write about the icons here. Although Brand X Burgers and Art City Trolley qualify (watch for those reviews in the future), I have never seen local loyalty quite as strong as what Springvillites (or is it Springvillians? Springvillains? I don’t know) show for La Casita. Some folks eat there once a week, on the same night every week without fail. Some probably more. In fact, a few will probably read this and get upset that I am not a La Casita veteran and want to criticize me for leaving things out. All I can say is “Hey, leave a comment buddy.”

So the big question is “Is all the local craze justified?” and actually, it probably is. The food here is pretty dang good. I usually size up a Mexican restaurant first by it’s chips and salsa. I am a chunky man (no pun intended), while others prefer the thinner stuff. There is also the issue of hot vs. mild. La Casita does a real good job of appeasing the taste buds of all their customers by offering a sort of hybrid salsa. It’s hard to explain, but it’s chunky yet thin. If you don’t like the chunks or just want something a little more mild, push them aside and just dip your chip. You will still get plenty of flavor. If you like the crunch of onions and peppers or want your salsa to bite back, then spoon it on brother.

As for the rest of the menu, I don’t know if it is authentic to Mexico or what, but when did they all start to number everything? You know, the “I’ll have the number 21, my wife will have a number 40, and why don’t we throw in a number 11 to share?” Anyway, I’ll spare you the time of reading about tacos and enchiladas as I’m sure you already have a good idea of how those taste, although I should mention these are slightly better than average. The real shining star on the menu here is the crab enchilada (I don’t remember which number it is). A lot of places have this on their menu now, but only a few can do it right. La Casita does it right. It is the perfect cross between the hotness of Latin spices and the sweetness of crab meat.

What it boils down to: Every city dotted throughout the state has their local Mexican spot that they love and pronounce “the best.” Well, they can’t all be the best, so I won’t make any claims like that about La Casita. What I will say is that despite some pretty hefty price increases lately, they seem to have at least maintained if not increased their loyal fan base. The place is at capacity almost every night, and weekends are just insane. The only explanation is that the camaraderie is as good as the food, making La Casita the Utah equivalent of Cheers. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came… Even if you are not necessarily a local, it is worth the visit just for the food.

‘Til we eat again

La Casita Mexican Restaurant

333 N. Main, Springville, UT 84663

(801)489-9543