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Restaurant Los Arcos, located in the tiny Tulare County town of Terra Bella, stands high above the competition, and truly lives up to it's name, which translates into "Arches." The motto of the restaurant, as posted on the tall sign outside of the restaurant, reads, "El Sabor que te Hace Sentir en Casa," which translates to "The taste that makes you feel like home" and is truly a great way to describe this fine restaurant, located in Terra Bella, CA. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's around 5:30 on late Thursday afternoon, September 12, 2019, and I've arrived at Restaurant Los Arcos, in Terra Bella, CA, with a bowl of menudo on my mind.
Photo: A hand drawn sign greets you, with many of the offerings. It's interesting the sign says that menudo and birria are available on weekends, when they're available any time the restaurant is open.
Photo: The dining room is fairly large, clean, and very spacious and open. On this late Thursday afternoon, I arrived to a mostly empty dining room.
Photo: When I entered the restaurant, I at first wondered if it was even open, as I had the dining room to myself, and nobody was at the counter. However, within a few seconds, that staff member who would be my server, Pia, invited me to site any place of my choosing.
Photo: The dinner menu is extensive, covers all bases, and offers all of your Mexican favorites, with something for every taste. I actually just glanced at the menu, as I'd already had my mind set on menudo. Note the price of the menudo, which is the least expensive soup on the menu, which rarely happens. Menudo is normally priced much higher, due to the long preparation time.
Photo: Another view of the dining room, from the rear of the room, showing the counter, the entry, and a television monitor. It was interesting to note the 2020 Democratic Presidential Debates were being watched, in Spanish, of course, and when a certain Texas presidental "wannabee" spoke in his painful Spanish, most of the customers laughed and made not-so-flattering comments.
Photo: I ordered a Corona beer, and my friendly server, Pia, brought out a basket of tortilla chips, and a small bowl of salsa. When I placed my order for a bowl of menudo, Pia laughed, and she said "I thought you had a little Mexican in you." That made me laugh as well.
Photo: When you dine at Restaurant Los Arcos, a complimentary basket of tortilla chips, and a bowl of salsa is included with your meal. The chips were fresh, lightly salted, warm and delicious, and the medium-spicy salsa was in-house made, and absolutely delicious.
Photo: Meet Pia, my friendly hostess, who brought my bowl of menudo, along with a bowl of condiments to me with a smile. Pia is somewhat "English challenged," so when I asked her if she'd prefer to speak in Spanish, she jumped at the chance. She was amazed that I could speak passable Spanish, and sat down at the table next to me and started chatting. She mentioned the few "norteameicanos" that come in the restaurant can speak even a word of it, and she asked me how I'd learned to speak it. I ran over my background of growing up in a rural part of the San Joaquin Valley, and how as a teenager, I worked at various ranches where everybody spoke Spanish, and I just picked it up.
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I'm ready to enjoy a delicious bowl of menudo on this Thursday evening. Thanks, Pia, for snapping my photo.
Photo: From the "Dinner/Plantillos" menu, I ordered a bowl of menudo, which came with a stack of fresh, in-house made corn tortillas, along with all of the usual garnishes, including dried chili peppers, diced onion, fresh cilantro, and lemon wedges. Even in a small town like Terra Bella, which has a large Hispanic community, it's rare to enjoy a bowl of menudo on a Thursday evening, but menudo is served every day at Restaurant Los Arcos. Pia told me they always have a pot of it simmering on a back burner in the kitchen, and it's one of the most popular dishes the restaurant serves. I can understand why, as I'm a lover of menudo, and this menudo is outstanding! The broth is deep red, savory, flavorful, but not really spicy, and the honeycomb tripe is cooked to perfection, and stewed in the broth. The only thing missing is hominy... but it's common for menudo not to have hominy, so I won't hold anything against Los Arcos for the small omission, although I prefer hominy in my menudo. The menudo was delicious, and made an outstanding dinner for this Thursday evening! There is nothing better to enjoy with a bowl of menudo than fresh, in-house made corn tortillas, and my tortillas arrived, hot off the tortilla press. I absolutely LOVE the smell of freshly made corn tortillas! The chips, salsa, along with a cold Corona beer rounded out this fantastic dinner. Menudo is always a treat, but it can be difficult to find on a weekday evening, unless you're dining at Restaurant Los Arcos, located in Terra Bella, CA. The menudo is amazing, the dining room is clean, basic and friendly, and Pia, and the friendly staff will treat you like family. Bring your Spanish with you, and enjoy great company and great food! Like the motto of the restaurant says, "the taste will make you feel at home..." Restaurant Los Arcos Copyright(c) 2019 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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