La Altena in Chattanooga

I'm not gonna say it's the *only* Mexican place I'd recommend in town, but it's always the first. The food here is amazing, staff are really cool and friendly, and prices are more than fair. This location also has a GREAT porch to chill out on, which are some of both my first and best Chattanooga memories, right after moving here. I think they have the best Happy Hour or any Mexican place in town by far. And the margaritas are well worth it even when it's not Happy Hour 😁

Pass on this place. Lousy food all around. Couldn’t even get guacamole right. Lousy service too. Corona no excuse for bad food or service. We know good Mexican food and this is not it...

Prices great. Carnitas yummy. Everything fresh. Good salsa.

The food wasn't correct and didn't taste right

Service was fast and attentive. We received our meal before we even finished our first basket of chips! The prices are good and the staff are all very friendly.

Great food paired with fast service. A fun atmosphere with good deals as well. Only thing keeping this from 5 stars is that chips beyond the first order are $0.99. Will be visiting again!

Excellent food and service.

Good Mexican food. Small restaurant downtown Chattanooga with big family feel.

WOW!Fast and friendly service. I mean FAST! Ordered the 3 enchiladas with beef. Really good. Guacamole is fresh and delicious too. Fantastic experience.

Food is always amazing, staff is always friendly. I've eaten here too many times to count. It's my absolute favorite authentic mexican restaurant.

The cheese dip here is to die for! Staff are friendly and very attentive to your needs. Atmosphere is cozy and intimate. Food is delicious. I would highly recommend.

Late Altena doesn't look like much from the outside, but come during happy hour and enjoy the best 'house' margaritas I've had. The service was great and the food was great for the price.

Great little hole in the wall, authentic family restaurant.

Authentic Mexican food. 10 out of 10. If I lived nearby that would eat here several times a week.

Something for everyone. I'm a gluten-free vegan and I left here full! The guacamole is chunky and delicious.

Great food and friendly service.

I used to drive to Laredo,Tx. frequently, and always enjoyed a true Mexican dinner while there.This food reminds me of being there, and the only difference,is the drive.

Very nice place,very reasonable price and very nice staff.Awesome food!!! We will be back

Great authentic Mexican restaurant. Friends introduced us to it and are now hooked! Staff and food both equally great!

Great food great service great prices

We enjoyed our supper and the drinks. Service was good too

...CLOSED UNTIL AUGUST 10th...Great food, good atmosphere, nice servers (previous visits)

My favorite Mexican food in Chattanooga! The service is crazy fast, and the food is delicious and affordable. Make sure to get an order of the chips and queso.

This is the most amazing Mexican restaurant ever!! My husband and I have been coming here for years and the food and service and atmosphere are always amazing!! You have to try the George’s soup it was created special for my husband! Great prices and high quality!! Come visit them soon!!

Great Tacos, margaritas, and service!

Beans taste burnt, kinda over priced but the margaritas were good & the atmosphere was ok !

Most Mexican places are fairly generic. They're a bit better, some unique item and a good signature salsa.

Great food! Ordered the small chicken chimichanga and it was delicious. Vegetables are very fresh. Received food after 5 minuets of ordering. Salsa is fantastic, not too watery but not too chunky. My only con would be they need to update decor to look cleaner but doesn’t effect overall experience.

Service is great food served quicker than other mexican places

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Chattanooga. Great service and food.

Wonderful Mexican food and quick service. The salsa could have a bit more flavor, but otherwise a great restaurant.

We are regulars here. Great food and service. The servers are attentive, quick and always very friendly. The food comes out hot quick and delicious. A perfect fix for any Mexican food craving. They also have take out, alcohol available for take out with food orders. Good portions and the food always comes out VERY quickly. Great happy hour specials on beers, margaritas and palomas.

Best Mexican food in town. everybody who works there is very nice as well. 10/10 service

Wonderful experience. Authentic Mexican food east of the Mississippi River.

Great food and service! Their flan is delicious too!

Typical Mexican food. Place just seemed cramped and dirty especially the bathrooms. I won't go back.

Amazing Mexican food with big portions and very inexpensive too! The place is a bit dirty and run down but it is a classic "hole in the wall" restaurant. I had a shrimp dish and it was lovely. Next time I will get the shrimp fajitas. Our friend ordered a chicken and beef dish but the beef was hard and over cooked. Everything else was great. The staff was friendly!

Skip the fancy upscale new age restaurants and treat yourself here! The portions were enormous, cheap, and delicious, and the service was very quick. If you're hungry, this is the place to go!

We absolutely loved La Alteña! We are on vacation from Texas, where we have a Mexican food restaurant on every corner, so when we got a craving for it while in Chattanooga and found there were only 3 restaurants available, we looked for the one that locals frequent. La Alteña doesn't look like much from the outside, which solidified our decision to eat there, but was so very welcoming and the food was delicious! We saw many locals come through and talk to Tito like they're old friends. He spent a great deal of time at our table ensuring we were comfortable, the food was to our expectations, and our kids didn't need anything. He and his wife were the only ones in the place, holding it down on their own during this pandemic. They followed social distancing guidelines with seating their customers, wore face coverings the entire time, and she cleaned those tables with PASSION! 🤣 This is definitely on our must-do list when we come back through Chattanooga.

Always enjoy go wvery time we're in Chattanooga

Staff was super nice!

I wish I could find a high quality authentic Mexican spot back home. Best chile rellenos I've ever had.

Best Mexican in the city. Authentic grub, awesome margaritas. Ten out of ten would chow again!

Great food and the staff was super friendly. Definitely going again!

Good food and drinks.

great food and service! best carnitias around.

Absolutely wonderful. The employee's were freaking awesome and the food was truly delicious. Best Mexican joint I've been to in the Chattanooga area. Can't wait to go back.

So glad to be back living in the South Side so I can eat here several times a week.

Happy hour has awesome deals on beer, and the food is amazing, good portions, good prices. Will go again!

Usually this place is very good. But lately I have noticed that the online menu is lacking multiple items. Also sometimes my order will be slightly burnt, but the food is delicious, and well made. Some reviews seem completely made up! Anyways it is truly a diamond in the ruff.