Whitehall: Fiesta Ole Tequila House (March 2017)




My spouse and I dined at Fiesta Ole Tequila House for an early dinner on a Saturday afternoon in mid-March 2017 (but we have dined here several times previously over the years). Emmaus hosts a second Fiesta Ole location. (Until 2014, a third Bethlehem location existed.) Although both the Whitehall and Emmaus locations share the same name and owners, some differences exist (for example, the Emmaus location offers more traditional dishes than Whitehall). Fiesta Ole is open daily for lunch and dinner. You can make a reservation to dine at this location using the online Open Table reservation system or by telephone.

The Whitehall location of Fiesta Ole opened in 2010 on MacArthur Road (also called Seventh Street and Route 145) between Grape Street and Route 22, on the same side of the street as Best Buy and opposite the Lehigh Valley Mall. The restaurant space (previously occupied by Pizza Hut) contains lots of windows, so it is light and bright. Although the building shape suggests its original resident, updated décor includes terracotta tile floors, white brick walls hung with colorful Mexican masks and paintings, and interesting lighting. You can sit in one of the few booths, at a wooden table with chairs, at a high-top table with stools in the bar area, or at the small bar itself. This restaurant also contains a small waiting area in the entry next to the host stand.

Fiesta Ole offers Mexican cuisine with an upscale twist (although its menu is not as modern as other Lehigh Valley Mexican restaurants such as Torre or Mesa). As we perused the menu, our server delivered a complimentary basket of warm tortilla chips with a side of salsa for dipping. We shared the tasty shrimp nachos as an appetizer. (We like that this starter is composed of one flat layer of chips, with each chip carefully topped with shrimp and other ingredients; we prefer the flat arrangement to the usual heaping messy pile of chips and toppings found in other restaurants.) We shared two entrees: the enchiladas las suizas and one of their specialty burritos (the burrito was the winner by far!). For dessert, we shared the churros, long thin crispy pastries filled with cajeta (a thick caramel sauce similar to dulce de leche) and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. (The churros are unique from those we have eaten in other restaurants because of their length, diameter, hardness, and filling.) On certain nights of the week, the restaurant offers specials, including happy hour, Taco Tuesday, free appetizer with two entrees on Thursdays, and live music on weekends. Fiesta Ole has a full liquor license, so you can enjoy wine, beer (10+ on draft), or cocktails (including margaritas and 40+ kinds of tequila) with your meal.

We enjoyed our meal at Fiesta Ole because of its fresh homemade menu items, its attractive casual surroundings, and its good service.







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