Lola's Mexican Kitchen

I admit, I was excited when Lola's Mexican Kitchen opened up on Bedford. Lord knows we need more busy storefronts on our main drag. I've given the place a few opportunities to impress me, and so far, I'm really underwhelmed. Here's my take:

- Good: The vibe is festive and fun.

- Bad: The service is incredibly slow. Water refills: slow. Taking food orders: slow. Food service: slow. Book a good long window of time if you plan to check it out for dinner.

- Good: The decor is hip.

- Bad: The food is mediocre. I've paid less for better Mexican food on more than one occasion. It seems to be served without any care, and just glopped onto the plate. They tell me the chips are made on site, but every chip I've ever eaten there has been stale. The guacamole tastes like it was squirted out of a plastic sack.

- Good: The drinks aren't bad. If you're there to make your after work hours happy, it's perfectly fine.

- Bad: The service is questionable. I pulled a waiter aside and asked that they bring out a cake for my husband's birthday. I was pretty surprised when a waiter just sort of tossed it our way without any sort of fanfare. Is it too much to ask for a candle?

Hopefully, my experience isn't indicative of yours. I'd love to be proven wrong. What do you think, citizens?

Personally, I'm pinning all my Mexican food hopes on bartaco which is headed to Summer Street in the near future.