La Bendita Brings Authentic Mexican Cuisine To Westfield This Summer

WESTFIELD, NJ — When restaurant owners of La Bendita in Plainfield realized that Westfield was lacking in authentic Mexican cuisine, they knew they needed to expand their business and serve up some quality tacos and enchiladas to downtown Westfield.

"We're not like another Tex Mex cuisine," owner Naga "Avi" Raya said. "We bring to the table stuff that people have never seen before in this town."

The authentic Mexican restaurant, La Bendita, is coming to Westfield this summer, according to Raya who runs the restaurant, along with partners Jaime Valverde and head chef Laura Santadella.

La Bendita first opened up in May of 2021 in Plainfield, and Raya said they are aiming to open the Westfield location in late May or early June.

Raya said the restaurant is most know for their Birria tacos, which consist of marinated beef or chicken, along with onion, cilantro and melted mozzarella wrapped in a warm corn tortilla. But he said the tacos need to be eaten within 20 minutes to avoid them getting soggy.

"It's quite a unique experience," Raya said. "We've had people come from Mexico, New York and ... San Diego, the main spots where Mexican food is really good, and they've literally told us that we have the best Birria tacos they've ever eaten."

Besides the authentic cuisine, La Bendita has recently begun offering entertainment to customers, and Raya said they plan to bring this to the Westfield location, as well. The restaurant is partnering with MisterDirect to host a comedy night at the Plainfield location on May 3.

Raya said they are also hosting a social media raffle where the winner will receive free tacos for life.

"We're excited to have more events and bring people in, not just for food but also for fun," Raya said.

He added that they also plan to host live mariachi music and incorporate more events in the future.

For vegetarians, Raya said La Bendita offers several options and they plan to expand their menu to include Beyond Meat recipes and tofu recipes. He said they currently replace meat with cauliflower or pineapple for those who do not eat meat.

Besides the dine-in experience, La Bendita does takeout and delivery though third-party vendors like GrubHub and Doordash. They are also available for catering events.

The restaurant is BYOB, and Raya said customers enjoy mixing Mexican juices that are made in-house with the alcohol of their choice.

La Bendita will be located at 114-116 Quimby Street. Visit their Facebook and Instagram for more photos, as well as their LinkTree for the entire menu.

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