I can't tell you about the food at La Palapa because my friends and I never actually got the chance to eat there. \r
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I made a reservation for a friend's birthday at La Palapa and knowing how popular and atmospheric the restaurant is, did so well in advance. The reservations were for 6 people on a Friday night. The reservationist was polite and friendly over the phone, and noted that this reservation was for the special occasion of a birthday. \r
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We arrived promptly a few minutes before our reservation time. Because it was Friday, and the place was clearly busy, we still expected to wait a reasonable amount of time. At around 9:20 we approached the hostess to remind her that our party was complete and to ask her how much longer it would be. She told us at least 20 more minutes (40 minutes after our original reservation). By 9:45 we were still not seated, and more annoyingly, no one had told us anything more about when that might happen. I tried to approach the hostess to get more information. I could see she was busy, so I waited patiently for a few minutes in an attempt to get her attention. I could see her avoiding eye contact with me while she buzzed around, refusing to acknowledge the fact that I was obviously waiting to speak with her. I was frustrated with their lack of planning for not honoring or reservation, but was far more frustrated with the lack of communication as to why it was taking so long, or how much longer we would be kept waiting. At about 10:00 we decided we had been ignored long enough and went to a less trendy place, Paquito's, down the street where we were seated immediately. The atmosphere was definitely not as trendy and warm as La Palapa, but the food, service and prices were far better. I still wonder how long we would have been made to stand there to have actually been seated, or even spoken to. For me, no atmosphere or cuisine can make up for that standard of service.
Pros: Very nice ambience, pricey but tastey drinks
Cons: The service is negligent and snobby. The wait is long.
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