Restaurant Karla

Ok so instead of a blow by blow this is the nutshell: The waitress looked mad because we came in, her english wasn’t good so any questions about the menu wasn’t an option, canned drinks, there were a couple kids from the only other table in there that kept running around us and staring while we ate, my husbands was burnt, and we had to wait forever for her to even come back and check on us. There was one other family there and we honestly felt like the odd ones out, the server didn’t make us feel welcome and it was just an all around bad experiance. Service sucked, food sucked, atmosphere sucked (unless you were drinking). This place also isn’t good for kids, it feels more like a dive bar than an actual resturant. So I doubt we will be going back here again, ever.

We eat here a few times a month for lunch. Despite the other reviews it is not the best mexican food in Columbus unless the only other thing you’ve had is Taco Bell.
It does however have the best guacamole, and the casulata (sp?) is usually very good. The staff is very nice and the dining room appeals to me. Portion sizes are always large.
Delivery service is spotty, they charge for water, food comes out super slow, and perhaps the worst– inconsistency. Dish ingredients, prep style, and amount of seasoning all change from day to day as does quality and taste– guacamole aside. Again, we eat here regularly, but it isn’t hard to do better.
As always I suggest Fiesta Jalisco and Rancho Alegra but both are a hike from the west side.

Really good authentic Mexican. The chorizo there is really good, and the pastor is close, but I’ve had better elsewhere. My torta could have been a bit bigger, usually I can’t eat a whole cubana and a couple tacos, but it was easier than it should have been, attesting to both the high quality anbd small portion size. The sign is indeed a bit misleading, and I drove right by it while we were looking. Definately helps out if you speak spanish, but they tried to speak English until they realized I am fluent.

Based on the review from Alt.Eats.Columbus, I went down to check out Restaurant Karla with a curious friend. It’s a little hard to find if you don’t know to look for the old «El Huarache» sign, and there is no indication on the shopping center’s directory that they’re still there. The restaurant itself is also fairly dark towards evening.
Service was a little slow despite the restaurant being mostly empty, and I had to dust off quite a bit of my rusty Spanish to make sure the waitress understood what we wanted.
That said, the food was fantastic and authentic, particularly the spicy and creamy Queso Fundido, which was a lot lighter texture than the usual queso dip at most Mexican restaurants.
I tried the bistec ala mexicana, which was nicely beefy and with a good bit of peppers and onions to help with the flavor, but the star of the meal were a pair of tacos I ordered on impulse — one taco de buche (pork) and a taco de tripe (beef tripe). Both were flavorful and moist, and with the typical taco truck accompaniments of onion, cilantro, radish, and a slice of cucumber, they stood wonderfully on their own, with no need for the (admittedly good) salsas provided to us with the meal.
The house Horchata was nicely spiced, but a request for water lead to a bottle of water and a cup of ice being put on the table, with no refills.
Some of the most interesting looking dishes, like the Mocaljete and the Parilla, are meant to be served to groups of two or more diners, but looked absolutely fantastic — I’m planning a return trip with a few more friends to try them out!
If you’re looking for a taste of authentic Mexican food, but would prefer a chance to sit down indoors instead of hitting a taco truck, Restaurant Karla is worth the trip. It’s a little forboding when you first go in, but the food will reward you for taking the chance.

This is a huge restaurant. And I’ll bet it doesn’t get filled very often. Even with all the Mexicans in this part of town, only one other family joined me for dinner on Sunday evening. During my stay, the one waitress’s kid screamed non-​stop throughout my meal. Worst, he was in the front part of the dining room.
I ordered a couple of tacos, plus rice, beans and guacamole for dinner. I didn’t see the Al Pastor or Pollo Asado on the menu. These were just very vanilla tacos. The rice and bean portions were very small and very plain. And they didn’t have any bottled hot sauce. I had to make do with the jar they brought out with my food, which was homemade and very thin.
By contrast, the chips were very thick; much unlike I’m used to gettng elsewhere.
As for this being one of the «best in the city,» I can only add, not by a long shot. I gave them an extra star because of the good service.

As far as Mexican goes, Restaurant Karla is one of the best in the city. I’m completely spoiled on Mexican food – my husband, who grew up in California, took me to the very best places that he knew; additionally, I’ve been to Mexico several times. That having been said, aside from the Taco Nazo taco truck, this is some of the best Mexican food I’ve had since moving back to Columbus.
I, too, got the recommendation from
, and I, too, replicated their meal of molcajete and queso fundido. My husband and I ate until we burst and still had leftovers. Their chorizo is amazing, and we ended up devouring the entire dish of queso fundido.
The atmosphere is comfortable enough; it’s not fine dining, but the best food is usually, in my opinion, found in the most modest surroundings. If you love Mexican food, Restaurant Karla is definitely worth a drive from anywhere in Columbus.

I finally feel like I may have found the best Mexican in Columbus. Only time and the joyous consumption of a lot more Mexican food will tell for sure, but Restaurant Karla is certainly the front runner in my book.
Apparently this place used to be called Cenduria Karla and it was on Sullivant. Since they moved to the Broad St. location they still haven’t put up new sign and — at the time of this writing — the sign on their restaurant still reads «El Huarache,» which I assume was the restaurant that occupied their new digs before them. More accurately, the sign reads «El H ‘Arache» as the «U» has mysteriously been reduced to little more than an accent mark.
Don’t let the outward appearance turn you off, though: The food here is amazing.
For starters, they serve a variety of traditional Mexican beverages called agua frescas. I had a cinnamon one called agua de horchata and, while I have limited basis for comparison, it was fantastic. It was light and refreshing with just the right amount of cinnamon.
Next up, based on the review at
, we had the molcajete or, as we affectionately came to call it, the «meat pot.» The molcajete is a heated stone pot filled with meats and vegetables. I’m sure I’m going to miss something but the dish included chorizo, smoked ham, chicken, shrimp, onions, cactus, and jalapenos. All were excellent. It comes with a plate of fixings (pico, guacamole, beans, and rice) and homemade tortillas, too. The menu said it was for two, but we split it four ways and were satisfied.
Even though we were all full after the molcajete, we were dying to try more of what Restaurant Karla had to offer so ordered some tacos. I ordered buche and pastor. The buche was among the best I’ve had and the pastor was on par with the better taco trucks around town.
To top it all off, the service was friendly and attentive, and four of us stuffed ourselves for under $ 50 — including a couple beers and sodas.
While I’m sure you can find better examples of particular items at some of the taco trucks around town (the pastor at Los Guachos comes to mind), the menu at Restaurant Karla is considerably more extensive than anything you’d find at a truck and there’s something to be said for going to a restaurant with wait service.
If tonight was any indication, Restaurant Karla is fast going to become my favorite restaurant.