Description and review of Casa Lola, a Mexican restaurant located on 16th Street in Downtown/Midtown Sacramento.
Casa Lola held its Grand Opening in December 2025. It is located in the building previously occupied by Public House (formerly Firestone Public House). Casa Lola is the latest endeavor of the Wong Brothers, who also are behind Iron Horse Tavern, Cafeteria 15L, MIX Downtown, and Mas Taco Bar.
See related blog posts: Firestone Public House and Iron Horse Tavern and Cafeteria 15L and Mas Taco Bar
SacramentoRevealed.com – All Things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)
It was a Sunday evening, and my friend and I decided on the spur of the moment to check out the newish restaurant. We did not have reservations.
When we arrived the restaurant was busy, and there were several people who were waiting to be seated. We added our name to the wait list and took a seat near the door. Luckily, we were seated in about 15 minutes as opposed to the 30-minute wait estimate we were given. It was approximately 6:00 p.m. at the time.
Note: I found out later that if you unable to secure a reservation you can add your name to the wait list online.
Casa Lola
The interior space and exterior patios of Casa Lola were completely reimagined and redesigned. The vibrant colors throughout the space are eye-catching, as is the festive décor. The vibe is high energy.
The new restaurant layout allows for much more seating, and I noted several larger tables here and there to accommodate larger parties.
My friend and I were seated by the friendly hostess, and we were soon greeted by our server. Johnny was attentive and helpful throughout the meal. After ordering a glass of wine ($8) we ordered chips and salsa ($4.95) to munch on while we looked over the menu.
Menu
Casa Lola has a very nice variety of dishes on the menu, but in the end we both decided to order a Mixed Taco Plate (choice of two tacos (mix and match), rice, and refried or black beans).
My friend chose the Carne Asada taco (marinated grilled steak, caramelized onion, poblano pepper, Oaxaca cheese, guacamole, arbol-tomatillo salsa, cilantro) and the Carnitas taco (slow braised pork, arbol-tomatillo salsa, onion, cilantro) ($16.50).
My choices were the carne asada taco and the Baja Style Shrimp (crispy fish or shrimp, chipotle aioli, mango salsa, cabbage slaw) taco ($17). Given the choice of crispy or pan fried, I chose the pan-fried shrimp.
Review
The chips and salsa were a hit, especially with my friend who said that the very thin and crispy chips were the best she ever had! I very much enjoyed them as well.
As we chatted while waiting for our meal to be served, it appeared that all the tables were filled and/or being cleared for the next party. Staff were plentiful and all were upbeat. Over the course of our meal there were several birthdays, which were acknowledged by staff with singing, flare/sparkler-like candles, etc. This is apparently a new trend. See related blog post: Butcher and Barrel
My friend and I both enjoyed our meals. The tacos were flavorful, but our plates overall could be best described as lukewarm which was disappointing. We were hungry, however, and dug in. I did not notice until I took the first bite that my Baja-Style taco was pan-fried fish as opposed to shrimp, but it was tasty and I did not care at that point.
When requesting our bill, my friend mentioned (constructive not complaining) to our server that our food, while it had been very flavorful, had been lukewarm. He apologized and said he would inform his manager. Shortly thereafter he returned with a complementary Flan Napolitano (caramelized vanilla custard, caramel, seasonal fruit) ($9.95) for the two of us to share! A very nice gesture indeed.
To Sum Up
To sum up, overall our experience at Casa Lola was a positive one. Next time, I look forward to checking out the Casa Lola Happy Hour and the one-half price appetizers/starters.
Comments on Casa Lola?
What has been your experience at Casa Lola?
Casa Lola Snapshot:
- 1132 16th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
- (916) 446-0888
- Hours: Sunday – Thursday (11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.); Friday – Saturday (11:30 a.m. to Midnight)
- Happy Hour: Monday – Thursday (3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) (Note: no HH on show nights)
- $5 Taco Tuesday (3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.)
- Live Mariachi Music: Thursday 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.); Friday (6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.); Sunday (2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
- Outdoor Patio (covered); dog friendly
- Parking: Street & Nearby Parking Garages
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