I have been going to this restaurant for years and have always come away full and full of praise to heap on the food & the service. That being said, my most recent experience was in stark contrast. I don't know if something changed when they moved to the new location - just across the street from the old one - but it certainly wasn't like any of the my previous visits. This had been a favorite location to take friends and family, especially large groups - and everyone who had gone there once insisted on going back, especially my out-of-town guests.
We went to the new venue 2 weeks ago and the best part of the night was that we easily got seating for a party of 12 (we did call ahead). Everything else pretty much went downhill from there. The waiter (who seemed to be in a hurry to do God-knows-what-else) was rude and didn't even take the entire table's appetizer OR drink orders before he snatched the menus away and ran off somewhere else. His excuse was that he thought we just wanted to munch on apps but he never bothered to inquire. We had 5 kids with us and he didn't even bring water for everyone until HALF AN HOUR later! When my cousin's wife took an extra second to ask a question (it was her first time there) before placing her order, he rolled his eyes and gave an attitude. I guess he expected all orders to be ready and complete and couldn't be bothered to answer any questions or give suggestions. Then, after she placed her order, she asked if she could ""upgrade"" to a larger combo and he said he couldn't change it because the order was already in. Have you ever heard of such a thing?!? We didn't ask for anything exotic, just a bigger portion with more/different sides! I guess they were making enough money that night and didn't want to run up larger bills than absolutely needed...
When the food finally came - a little bit at a time, at that - we were all ravenous. We were very disappointed because the chicken, which had always been generously portioned, now was mostly skin and fat. Yes, it tasted like it always had but we still felt gypped. The empanadas and ceviche, however,were both good, as was the sangria. The fries, too, were plentiful, hot and tasty.
I am really hoping this was just a hiccup and the exception and not the new ""rule"". Since I had always had a good experience, I am willing to give it another shot. If this visit were notwithstanding, I would give this location a solid4 out of 5 stars.
Pros: Plenty of seating
Cons: Poor service and lowered quality of food
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