24 Hours To Hell And Back - La Serenata Update

Tonight on 24 Hours To Hell and Back, Gordon Ramsay is in Los Angeles, California  to try to save La Serenata di Garibaldo.  La Serenata is a family-owned Mexican restaurant owned by the Rodriguez family.  Marco, who is currently in charge of La Sernata, has exhausted himself trying to keep the restaurant alive.  While Gordon Ramsay is there it seems that everybody working there has given up and one of the main issues at the restaurant is the service.


Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for La Serenata di Garibaldo since 24 Hours To Hell and Back and Gordon Ramsay made all of the changes to the restaurant (note - all reviews are post-makeover).

Positive Reviews:

• "This place is awesome and the Gordon Ramsay Renovation only serves to enhance an already awesome menu. Greatest burritos ever and my personal favorite grilled chicken molcajete. An LA don't miss!"
• "Great service, delicious authentic Mexican food. The mole is the best - I don't even bother ordering it anywhere else as I know I will be disappointed. The rice is tasty and always fluffy. The refried beans are a delicacy. I sampled a new item on menu, Barbacoa, it was cooked to perfection. I work in East LA but no other restaurant comes close! No wonder this is my favorite Mexican restaurant."
• "I went back for another lunch. I love Chile Rellenos and this one did not disappoint. I had a spicy sauce which I have never tasted before. Marco, the owner was there and spent some time with me at my table. The waitress was very sweet and attentive......Needless to say- my taste buds were very satisfied. It should be busier because the food is so tasty. I am sure they will make you a custom order and I would listen to Marco- he knows his stuff. Overall- Excellent....!!"
• "I was hesitant to try this place due to so many mixed reviews but I'm so glad we did. My boyfriend and I were very satisfied with our food and drinks and the service was great. We were served by the owner and he was a delight as was the rest of the staff. Very kind, attentive and made great suggestions. We were able to talk to him further about how his father had owned the restaurant before him and about their latest remodel. We live nearby and will definitely be back on the regular! "
• "The food here is actually really great! Everything we tried was full of flavor. Super clean restaurant and the wait staff is very friendly. Feels like an authentic Mexican restaurant. "
• "Hands down amazing and beyond delicious restaurant! I am a huge fan of MOLE. This restaurant makes everything from scratch and when I mean everything I mean like you feel as if you're in Mexico eating your abuelitas cooking. I would truly recommend this place to anyone that walks in. "

Negative Reviews:

• "Very bad service the food runner was more attentive than the server the food not good at all don't waste your time going to this place if your look for authentic Mexican food."
• "The "salsa" that came with chips resembled an enchilada sauce, watery and not spicy. None of this bothered me as much as the owners son Marco, berating our waitress over keeping the front door closed. Nobody wants to hear that when you're paying high prices, eating mediocre food, and trying to unwind."
• "Kinda pricey and service was very slow, considering my friend and I were only two of four customers in there when we first arrived. Mind you, by the time we left, there may have been about eight people in there total. We were just trying to kill time before our movie next door, and that we did as my friend eventually had to walk up to the bar to pay our bill"

*Reviews from Yelp

Other News and Links:

• The 24 Hours to Hell and Back makeover was done around October 2017. (Link)
• Here is the La Serenata de Garibaldi website and Facebook page which doesn't post much.
• Their website boasts, "NEWLY RENOVATED BY GORDON RAMSAY "TO HELL AND BACK" NEW INSPIRED MENU !!"
• The founder of La Serenata Jose Rodriguez passed away in November 2010. (Link)
• La Serenata had multiple locations in the past.  A Santa Monica location closed in 2011 and their original location in Boyle Heights closed in January 2017 after 32 years in business. (Link)
• La Serenata was featured on the Food Network series Food Nation with Bobby Flay.  (Link)
• La Serenata has a 3.5 out of 5 star rating on Yelp (newer reviews are more favorable), 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor and 3.5 out of 5 on Google.
• Owner Marco responds to a lot of the reviews on Yelp and Google.

Conclusion:

The reviews for La Sernata after the 24 Hours to Hell and Back makeover by Gordon Ramsay are mostly positive and have certainly improved since the makeover.  People seem to love the food and staff, but there are also still a few negative comments about service.

*To see how the restaurants from 24 Hours To Hell and Back are doing, visit the 24 Hours To Hell and Back Updates Page. Also, if you are interested in the restaurants from Kitchen Nightmares, visit the Kitchen Nightmares Updates Page.