La Playa

Simply put– Great food. Great service. Beautiful views. Can’t beat this place.
I will agree with the other reviews that the prices were on the high side, on par or greater than my fav Mexican restaurants in Manhattan. $ 15 – 19 for quesadillas is a tad high.
Still giving 5 stars because now having gone twice I really do love the vibe and the staff.
My first visit the only server was manning all stations and had a large group w small kids aside from myself and a friend. That family had two bills– one they left under $ 5 for a $ 70tab and the other didn’t even leave enough moe y to cover their $ 80 tab?! Meanwhile he patiently attended to everyone while their kids ran around unsupervised.
My second visit was on a Saturday night and we had multiple people serving us with a pretty packed house. My fiancé had to remind one of the waitresses for an iced tea, just one reminder not several like sometimes happens, and she was so apologetic and put the tea on the house. A small gesture that shows big pride in their service, wasn’t necessary at all but it speaks volumes. So welcoming and friendly, feels like family in just 2 visits.
Despite the high prices the pride they have in their restaurant and the amazingly friendly service earn them 5 stars and a probable lifer.

Very pleasantly surprised by this offshoot of Chilangos! I arrived Monday evening with my date. There were only 4 people dining or imbibing within the establishment. Our food was wonderfully fresh. The fish tacos were perfect and crispy. The nachos were freshly baked. Our server was attentive, friendly and greeted us with a big smile. Well done!

First time here and definitely coming back, food was great service was amazing and prices are decent. I have no complaints at all. Happy I finally checked them out

Went in for a drink and was pleasantly surprised. Anette the bartender made me the best drink ever, and the food was great too. Will go back to this place!

I really enjoyed it here. I got a cilantro jalapeño guava margarita and it was really delicious and different. We had the mini chimichanga appetizer special which was banging, especially the ranchero sauce it was smothered in. My chicken tacos were also good. Unfortunately we were the only ones there at dinner time on Friday, I think the location is the issue. If I wasn’t right down the street, I wouldn’t have known about it either. Hope they survive the winter, they could do well next summer. They were super friendly and gave us free tequila shots for being first time customers!

Went here with some friends for our birthdays. Food was very good. Very friendly staff. Loved our waitress. Wish I knew her name. She was hilarious, made me feel like I was dining with family. She made up a special desert for me and my friend who’s birthday it was and put candles in them and sang to us. Overall a great experience. Would definitely go back. Can’t wait in fact.

Sadly the food was bland. Sorry, cause I like to find new places, but this is not a place I’ll be returning to. Price was a bit on the higher end. Waitress was very nice, very attentive. No major flaws but nothing spectacular.

To start off, in the 30 minutes I was there, i managed to kill 4 flies. The food was terrible and menu was lacking. For instance, they did not offer dipping cheese for the nachos we ordered. Each meal was prepared in the same manner, just wrapped in a different style such as burrito or quesadilla. On the other hand, the location is great and people are very friendly. It still did not make up for what they were missing though.

Great food, moderately priced and friendly staff. Ask for «Annette» — she’s so sweet! :)
–Visitors from Detroit

I ate here tonight and the food as ok the service was slow but the waitress was very nice– I was dissapointed though with what I got for my money– totally not worth the cost and the rice and beans side was bland– typically i would pay 8.99 for what cost $ 18.99 and the guy with me said his drinks were $ 10 a pop… so sad as I’d like to see Keansburgh gets some more businesses going but this I dont see making it not unless his prices come to a more reasonable level

Loved the avocado soup and the oyster tacos. Also was impressed with the friendliness and service. Definitely had a good first impression.

The owner of this place also owns Chilango’s in Highlands. I like Chilango’s (other than the fact that it can be a little expensive and the vegetarian options are horrible), but since they’ve done well with one restaurant, I figured the second one would be good, as well… but La Playa was so disappointing.
For Keansburg, the location is good. There aren’t any ocean views, but it is directly across from the beach parking lot. They did a nice job renovating the building and the fact that it has an outdoor deck is awesome. I also loved the bright colors and all of the windows in the dining room, but found that it was seriously lacking in décor. When we arrived, there was only one other couple there besides us. There was no host at the host stand and the entrance didn’t look like an entrance at all. Our waitress was nice, but she has clearly never had a serving job before. I’m used to silverware being rolled, but we were instead given handful of silverware and a few wrinkly napkins. I’m not sure as to whether the bartender has ever had a bartending job, either, because my margarita was absolutely horrible. I ordered a frozen strawberry margarita and I got some kind of separated, foamy pink drink. The margarita didn’t have enough tequila, clearly wasn’t made with real strawberries, and it was mixed so poorly that it had separated out before I even had my first sip. Not to mention it was served with a straw in a wine glass. Awful.
Now, on to the food. The chips and salsa were delicious and were exactly the same as the owner serves at their other restaurant. Our entrees, however, were not so tasty. Like I said, the vegetarian options at Chilango’s are not good. I was hoping for something different here, but I’m pretty sure all of the recipes and menu items are virtually identical to Chilango’s. Just because someone is vegetarian doesn’t mean they need to be served a dry, green spinach tortilla instead of a regular tortilla and that the dish needs to be stuffed with slimy spinach. I feel like they could make some great vegetarian options if they just left this kind of stuff out. Also, why are the burritos (both here and at Chilango’s) covered in what tastes like marinara sauce? I’ve never seen this at any other Mexican restaurant and find it unappetizing. After finishing our meals, the waitress said, «You ready to pay?» and took our card. She then stood waiting at our table for my fiancé to sign the receipt and give her a tip. While it came off as super rude, I didn’t really blame it on her because I don’t think she has ever had any kind of training as a server.
All in all, we REALLY wanted to like this place, but it fell short on every aspect. They’re new, so I’m sure they are still working at some kinks, but it really does need improvement. I hope they can take people’s feedback and improve because I really want this place to succeed. Keansburg needs it to and I really want it to, as well!

I was really excited when I heard La Playa was opening. I’ve never been to Chilango’s but I have heard rave reviews. Figured it was just what this town needed. Upon arriving we were greeted by very friendly staff who sat us immediately. I’ll note that the staff was absolutely wonderful the entire time.
The first thing that struck as surprising was the cost of the items on the menu. All dinners were $ 15+. Now I have no problem paying more for a meal that is absolutely delicious or provides a big portion size. However, neither of those things occurred with our meal. I ordered chicken fajitas and my wife quesadillas. The food wasn’t bad by any means — just underwhelming. My Fajitas had a ever so slight kick to them which was nice as I enjoy spicy food. It also smelled great as it sizzled on the pan in front of me. Again — no real negative to my food except $ 16 felt like highway robbery compared to what I receieved. My wife expressed the same for her Quesadillas. They weren’t bad but they certainly were not worth the price tag.
I desperately want this place to do well because a revitalization of new business will help the town. The high cost of the menu is going to keep many locals away, perhaps that is by design.