La Bamba, the newest Mexican restaurant in town, has created a colorful dining experience with traditional Mexican meals of burritos, tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas. The restaurant has opened on Gay Street, in the space where Primo Hoagies once stood.
Inside, the walls are painted in bold colors, yellow and lime green, and decorated with ornate bronze sun sculptures, sombreros and Mexican blankets. The booths, which were made in Mexico and shipped to West Chester, show artist renderings of nostalgic scenes such as a Mexican folk dancer or a man and his burrow. Mexican music plays softly on the speakers.
A bowl of fresh made chips was delivered to the table and the waiter knew what an Arny Palmer was, so we were off to a good start. The chips were fresh, warm and crisp. The salsa was a medium spiciness and very enjoyable. While waiting for my dish, my friend Mark strolled by with plans to order take-out and I invited him to join me for lunch.
I ordered the “Special Lunch #3,” a burrito and an enchilada with lettuce, sour cream and tomato. This was an ample portion for lunch – and for the price of $6.49. The blending of the beef, chili powder and spices was tasty. A satisfying lunch time stop.
Mark ordered the La Bamba Burrito – a burrito fajita stuffed with slices of chicken grilled with onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and mushrooms. It looked very tempting.
La Bamba’s menu actually offers a large selection of tempting Mexican meals. The menu is broken down into appetizers, lunch and dinners. There are several lunches priced at $6.49, including the “Speedy Gonzales,” which includes one taco, one enchilada and a choice of rice and beans. They have fajitas, enchiladas and quesadillas, offer steak and shrimp and several vegetarian dishes. The back of the menu includes general descriptions to help the infrequent diner differentiate the various but often similar style Mexican dishes.
After lunch, I chatted with owners Angel Leyva and Jose Garcia. The two men run the restaurant with help from their wives, Mirna and Adrianna. Angel told me he moved to West Chester after working in both California and Arkansas. Jose has worked for La Tolteca restaurants for the past fifteen years as a chef in several different locations. Angel pointed out the bold colorful detail on the booths, with “La Bamba” emblazoned across the back. He told me about the ordeal of getting the booths made and shipped from Mexico and how he and Jose painted the restaurant and labored to transform the space.
Jose pointed out some of the most popular dinners on the menu. The Guadalajara Special is a piece of carne asada, a piece of chicken breast topped with jumbo shrimp. This dish is served with guacamole salad, rice, pico de gallo and flour tortillas. Jose also recommended the Burritos La Bamba which is a choice of chicken or beef burrito cooked with tomatoes, onion, bell peppers and mushrooms and served with a green sauce cheese dip and pico de gallo and rice and beans.
La Bamba Mexican Restaurant is a BYOB and has take-out. They are located at 39 West Gay Street in West Chester and reachable by phone number is 610-344-7784.
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