El Mariachi — Restaurant in Ostend

As someone who enjoys trying new dining spots and supporting local businesses, I couldn't wait to give this restaurant a try. Unfortunately, I was met with an utterly disappointing experience.

Upon entering the restaurant, I found it to be less than full, with several vacant tables. Given that I was hoping to use my laptop while having dinner, I politely inquired if I could sit in one of the available spots. I was not asking for any special accommodations, merely a place to enjoy my meal while catching up on some work.

To my dismay, the owner of the restaurant responded with a level of arrogance that left me speechless. He claimed that he didn't have time to accommodate me, even though all I had done was request a table for dinner, which I assumed would be a normal occurrence at any dining establishment.

His dismissive attitude, coupled with a lack of empathy for a potential customer, quickly dashed any hopes I had of enjoying a pleasant meal at this restaurant. In this day and age, when competition in the food industry is fierce, and customer service is paramount, such behavior is unacceptable.

I regretfully cannot recommend this restaurant, and I urge fellow diners to steer clear of this establishment. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area that will treat you with the respect and courtesy you deserve, while also serving up...

During a recent visit to town, we happened upon El Mariachi. Without prior recommendations, we walked in hoping for a delightful Mexican meal, drawn in by the welcoming staff and the promise of reasonable prices.

While the staff's friendliness was undeniable and the prices more than fair, I regret to say that the food didn't meet our expectations. Being no strangers to the world of authentic Mexican cuisine, we found the flavors at El Mariachi lacking the robustness and depth typically associated with this culinary tradition. The issue seemed to stem from either a shortage of spices or a slight deviation from the traditional preparation method.

Our previous experiences with Mexican dishes - and I stress, we're speaking about genuine Mexican, not the Tex-Mex variant - have been vibrant and deeply flavored, making our visit to El Mariachi feel somewhat underwhelming in comparison.

The essence of these reviews, of course, is not to insult but to offer constructive criticism. Businesses grow from feedback, and customers are better informed from it. In this light, I hope that El Mariachi considers a review of their recipes. There is immense potential in their warm service and economical pricing, but a restaurant's heart lies in its food, and unfortunately, in this regard, El Mariachi fell short.

Looking forward to a more...

We had a pretty good experience at El Mariachi, Mexican restaurant in Oostende.

Coming in El Mariachi really felt cosy, the music and the decoration perfectly simulated the Mexican atmosphere.

We had 2 girls serving us, one was very friendly but the other one was not so friendly. Overall the staff seemed nice.

To talk about the food, we took some starters such as chicken wings, sardines and mushrooms. Starters were ok, tasty but quite expensive for the super small portion.

As a main dish, the Fajita El Mariachi was a very nice one. There was a lot of meat topped with a cheese layer. We took 4 fajitas with 4 people but after finishing we could make 2 new fajita dishes because it was so much.

If you come here, take a fajita but share it...