Costa Fresh Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Calgary

Summary - Food was good, however the staff was rude, argumentative and unaccommodating and spoke about us amongst themselves in Spanish right in front of us - very unprofessional.

Writing this review as I had an almost identical experience to reviewer KJ at the 130th location.

We went in to order dinner for my wife and I and 2 kids. One of my daughters likes to have a little rice and beans on the kids quesadilla, which has never been a problem before as they usually just provide a little less of rice/beans on the side, however at this location the guy serving us seemed to think this was a crazy request.

He indicated we might not get any sides, but since what was put on the quesadilla was only a small portion of what a side would be, we didn't think this would be a problem. After making the quesadilla he asked his co-worker if he should put any sides, he was told no. When my wife pointed out that we only got a fraction of rice/beans on the quesadilla that we would have gotten on the side, we were told too bad, any amount of extra toppings prevented us from getting any side. If this was made clear, I would have ordered a cheese quesadilla with sides and put the rice/beans on myself, however at this point it was too late.

I asked if we could pay extra to get my daughter her sides, and the employees indicated to me that they would charge $2.50-3.00 each for extra rice and beans, which together was more than the kid's quesadilla meal in the first place.

In frustration I indicated that they could take the rice/beans from my enchilada order and give it to my daughter, then they passed my order down without adding any lettuce/pico but did give us my rice/beans side in a container that I then gave to my daughter. I had to ask for my enchiladas to be unpacked so I could get lettuce/pico. The guy serving us also did not seem to want to take my wife's order, she had to prompt again for him to serve her.

The entire time this was going on, the employees were whispering in Spanish amongst themselves. My 10 year old daughter who was with us, and attends Spanish school, indicated they were making disparaging remarks about us and our order.

This is maybe one of the most rude, unimpressive experiences I have had at any restaurant or fast food location and I certainly won't be back to this location, and not sure if I will be back to any Costa...

I ordered a meal with two drinks, only to find out after I paid that they were out of Horchata, which was the only drink I actually wanted. I asked for a refund for the drinks since I didn’t want anything else. They said they “processed” the refund and gave me a receipt, but they never asked me to re-tap my card or confirm anything on the terminal. When I asked about it, they told me it would show up in 1 to 2 business days and that it was “up to Interac, not us.”

I’ve never experienced a refund process like that in a retail setting, so I was understandably caught off guard. Then they asked me to pay again for the food without the drinks, even though the refund hadn’t shown up yet. I told them I didn’t feel comfortable being charged again without any confirmation that the refund went through, and they didn’t really have anything to say. The staff didn’t seem to fully understand their own system, which didn’t help.

Maybe this is how their refund process works, but if it’s that different from what most people are used to, there should be clearer explanations and more reassurance from staff. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that I felt uneasy with how it played out. It wasn’t a good experience, and while I might try Costa Vida again, I’ll probably skip...

Excellent Mexican style restaurant ! The food is delicious, the sauces are AMAZING, and the fresh tortillas make it so much better then their competitors.

However, I feel like their portion size is down. I come here once a week/two weeks and I noticed these past few times I get lots of beans and rice, but little protein. If I'm paying $15 for a burrito I want more then 3/4 of a scoop of protein. And paying for extra protein only works when you show up. If you get delivery they give regular portion but charge extra. Also, their staff sometimes comes off as rude it's really hit or miss. I find the girls working there are very kind but the men just seem disgruntled being there.

Regardless, I will keep coming back for the time being.

EDIT: The staff have become unbearable . The food is still good. But every staff member except for a few ladies needs serious customer service training. Or understand if they hate their minimum wage job then maybe get educated & find another one.

Also, the price. What use to be a decent deal for $14-15 is now $17 and protein portions are...