Gloria’s is a standard Mexican restaurant with a small bar on Junction Road. If you’re on the far west side and need your fix of Mexican food, then you’ll be satisfied coming here.
In the Mexican restaurant spectrum we have in Madison, Gloria’s is most similar to a Lalo’s or a Laredo’s. You get free chips and salsa, service is fast and you can have a margarita with your meal.
I don’t often see enchilada suizas (a cream-based sauce) on menus, so I ordered the reasonably priced suizas ($8.99) here. The shrimp is grilled, and there is more of it than the hardly existent crab. Still, the seafood flavor was present. Eat this quickly, as the tortilla gets pretty soggy under the sauce.
Other specialties include chile relleno ($7.99) and tus huevos ($10.99).
Under the category of “Estillo D.F.”–and I’m not sure if that’s a misspelling of estilo, which means “style”–there’s a hodge podge of items, such as flautas and tortas. The mole poblano ($8.99) features a big hunk of tender chicken smothered in a subtle mole sauce that has a small note of spice. It’s a filling entrée for sure.
The menu said not to leave without trying the best tamale ($2.50) in town, and I’m glad I did. The exterior was very moist, and there was plenty of pork and red salsa inside so that no bite was just the masa. Oh, and the flavor was great, too.
For smaller appetites, try the gordita ($3.50). I got mine with chorizo, and it had the right amount of spices and seasoning. The shell is firm but tasty, and it’s fairly dense, especially with refried beans inside.
The rest of the menu contains lunch specials, salads and fajitas. Basically, something for everyone.
Gloria’s Mexican Restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner.
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See more photos in our Gloria’s Mexican Restaurant Flick album.
Cafe Zupas
On the other hand, I didn’t need to use the chipotle ranch with my glazed chicken chipotle salad ($5.99 half, $7.99 large). The glaze itself was slightly sweet, and it enhanced the bland chicken, which was similar to packaged chicken you find in a grocery store. The salad was otherwise a well-crafted ensemble of peppers, tortilla strips, corn, black beans, red onions, tomatoes and cheese.
