The Grub Spouse’s mother (aka my mother-in-law), who lives in Blount County, told us she’d heard good things about a new Mexican-food restaurant that opened recently on West Broadway (U.S. 411) in Maryville. La Matraca took over the space occupied in recent years by an Irish-style pub. On a recent family visit, The Spouse and I took the MIL out for dinner to check out La Matraca’s south-of-the-border grub.
The dining room was hopping when we arrived. Aesthetically, the interior looks somewhat different from the previous tenant thanks to the installation of large black booths, which account for most of the seating options. There’s also seating at the bar on the far side of the room. Both sections of La Matraca seemed to be doing a lively trade
that evening.
The menu gave us plenty of options to choose from, starting with breakfast items available from 11 a.m. to noon. Most are based around eggs. Midday diners will also find favorably priced lunch specials and combos Mondays through Saturdays.
Otherwise, there are multiple sections representing classic Mexican-food categories, including appetizers and dips (nachos, ceviches, etc.), soups and salads, and a grouping called Sabor Autentico Mexicano. There you’ll find items like sopes, Mexican street corn and nopalazo - grilled Mexican cactus leaves with refried beans, cheese and sliced avocado.
Of course, most familiar menu favorites are on the bill of fare as well: 11 kinds of street tacos, tortas (sandwiches), soups and seafood (many of the dishes are shrimp-based) as well as a vegetarian-friendly selection. Many entrees showcase proteins like steak, seafood and pork.
As I often do, I ordered chimichangas ($10.99). La Matraca serves up two smaller chimis filled with a choice of meat (or not). I opted for ground beef in my tortillas, which would be deep-fried before getting doused in cheese sauce and served with Mexican rice, refried beans, sour cream and guacamole salad.
The Spouse ordered the quesadilla fajita (listed among a larger section of fajita dishes). For $10.99, you get a grilled flour tortilla filled with melted cheese, a choice of protein (The Spouse chose steak), onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. It’s also served with rice, beans, guacamole, lettuce, pico de gallo and sour cream.
Finally, the mother-in-law ordered the mole poblano ($12.99), found among the chicken entrees. She was excited, because she’s quite the fan of mole sauce, and not every Mexican-food establishment offers the spice-and-chocolate topping. That dish comes with rice, refried or charro beans, and tortillas on the side.
We received attention from multiple staff members, from drinks to the complimentary chips and salsa to the delivery of food. A couple of people whom I took to be the proprietors stopped by at various points to check and make sure we were being well tended to.
My only critique of the experience was that several minutes passed between the delivery of my and The Spouse’s dishes and that of my mother-in-law. But once we were all on the same menu page, everyone enjoyed their meals, and I had positive things to say about all three.
The chimichanga? Beefy, cheesy, delish. The quesadilla fajita? Lots o’ cheese and nicely grilled steak. The mole poblano? The sauce was on point, as was the chicken. The ratio of sauce to meat seemed somewhat out of balance, but that didn’t detract from anyone’s appreciation of it.
All around, I’d say La Matraca is off to a good start in Maryville. They’re not reinventing the Mexican-food wheel or anything like that, but the restaurant covers a lot of bases, it does a good job preparing what it serves, and we found the price points to be quite reasonable, with conscientious service added to the mix.
La Matraca Mexican Grill and Cantina
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3.75
Overall: 4
Address: 1720 W. Broadway Ave., Maryville
Phone: 865-233-0197
Full bar service
Kids’ menu
Department of Health score: 99
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
A full array of classic Mexican dishes - and beverages for all ages - is now being served at this new family-owned Maryville restaurante.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: New restaurant serves tasty array of classic Mexican dishes | Grub Scout
