The Olive Tree Group has done an amazing job deciding to open a few more branches of its delectable Mexican fare restaurant La Chicà Mexican Grill. The first one was launched in Changkat in 2021, the second one followed in Penang and, more recently, the third and fourth ones opened their doors in Bangsar and Petaling Jaya.
We’ve visited the Bangsar outlet multiple times since it opened in October 2023. Located in the row of shops and restaurants on Jalan Bangkung, the eye-catching La Chicà is a getaway straight to Mexico! We love Mexican food, trying with every bite to get close to those amazing memories we collected from our trip to Cancun many years ago: the people, music and ambience, the refreshing margaritas and variety of food, all fresh and bursting with flavours! For us, visiting La Chicà comes close to what we would like our Mexican experience to look like.
La Chicà appeals to everyone
La Chicà stands out from its neighbours. Located on the corner lot, it looks like it is the place where things are ‘happening’ and its inviting atmosphere beckons you to drop in: the Latin tunes, colourful and artistic murals with friendly servers eagerly whisking you to a table. It is a cheerful place to be, with all sorts of groups sitting down for an enjoyable meal: from families with children and colleagues having early drinks, to groups of men watching sports or the pretty ladies dressed up for a night on the town. La Chicà seems to appeal to everyone.
The menu: a wide selection of Mexican and fusion dishes, paired with refreshing Margaritas
When you sit down, you are first offered a welcome shot of their famous Margarita Slush – it is delicious and refreshing, and it comes in various flavours such as strawberry and passionfruit. This cold drink is a perfect fit with the hot weather and being not too strong, is an easy one to continuously sip from. La Chicà offers The Quatrorita drink as well, basically a tree of four Margaritas served in colourful festive glasses to set the mood. In addition to spirits, wine and other cocktails, there is a selection of non-alcoholic beverages too.
While you sip on your Margarita Slush, you can browse through their extensive menu, which is pork-free. La Chicà has many options for shareable family plates and offers vegetarian items as well: there is an extensive selection of tacos, tapas, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas and other Western dishes that are infused with Mexican flavours such as pastas, pizzas and hamburgers.
We usually start with the crispy Tortilla Chips that comes with their homemade salsa sauce, and order a bunch of our favourite tacos, which can be ordered with hard or soft shell: the Beef Brisket Aquacate De Res (beef brisket) tacos are a must, succulent and flavourful. Same goes for the Pescado Con Miel De Habanero and Pescado Con Pimiente Rojo (both are fish) tacos and the Camarones Marinados Con Aceitunas (shrimp) tacos.
We also ordered some items from the Tapas section including the Seafood Gambas Al Ajillo (garlic shrimps), and the Albondigas De Cordero (lamb meatballs in tomato sauce). Nothing to complain about the food, all is very tasty although some can be spicier than you expected. Servers are very friendly, checking on us frequently and happy to clarify the menu. As some of the dishes can have spicy sauces or ingredients in them, one better ask for children to have these removed from the dishes. My kids love the quesadillas, one opting for the Pollo Y Champinones (chicken and mushroom) and one for the vegetarian one with refried beans, sweet corn and cheese (omitting the jalapeno).
Playing with ingredients: new items
The Chef’s team loves to play with flavours and ingredients and often launches new menu items. Most recently the Birria Taco Series were presented featuring succulent lamb, oxtail, chicken, and savoury beef brisket. I tried the oxtail birria tacos and found them lacking some oomph, after which the Chef immediately did something about it – they take feedback very seriously! A few minutes later, a fresh custom-made oxtail birria taco, infused with additional sweet and smoky ingredients appeared at my table: no peep from me anymore, made to perfection and to my taste!
There is always something to celebrate!
At La Chicà, there is always an opportunity to celebrate something at any day of the week, and the various promotions reflect that: on Mondays and Tuesdays for instance, they have the meat or seafood sharing platter promotion, while Tuesdays is also Taco Day, including free flow of tacos for RM49++ only, and unlimited margaritas for a top up of RM49++. In the weekend, they offer a Grill fiesta from 12pm – 3pm.
What La Chicà Mexican Grill does well compared to the other outlets offering Mexican food is that it not only ticks off the box of a great ambiance and friendly service, but it also offers amazing drinks as well as really delicious food: the restaurant aims to give you that memorable dining experience you were hoping for!
If you’re looking for vegetarian cuisine instead, we like The Ganga Café, which is also in Bangsar!
