Mesa Fresca Kingston — Restaurant in Ontario

REVIEW UPDATE:

After posting about our lunch experience one of the managers at Mesa Fresca reached out to me and apologized for our experience. He offered us a gift card to come back and try the restaurant again.

We took him up on the offer and were back this evening with friends. The four of us had a good experience. Our meals were good and the service was great.

Based on this experience, I would recommend Mesa Fresca. The restaurant was full tonight and everyone was having a good time.

PREVIOUS REVIEW: We just left the restaurant after having lunch there. From the moment we arrived, our experience was “less than” what we had previously had at this restaurant. I’ve been there 5 times previously, and while I wouldn’t give it 5 stars all around, my previous experiences has been quite good.

The host left us standing for longer than necessary given the restaurant was not busy. When my husband asked for a high top (none were taken), his request was ignored without comment, and we were led to a booth.

Our server let us know it was Taco Tuesday and tacos were 20% off. He also let us know there was a featured taco. I asked the price and he said it would be comparable to the other taco items on the menu (so around 22.95). I ordered the taco feature and my husband ordered the lunch featured Cuban sandwich.

Both our meals were disappointing and we let the server know the issues. He did try to find a solution for my issue and I was grateful for that - I really was just letting him know the sauce used was not to my liking. We are not normally complainers but the dipping jus for my husband’s sandwich was pretty much all rendered beef fat rather than jus.

But what was truly disappointing was when we received the bill my taco meal was $21.95. When I asked about the 20% off, I was told it was already taken off. That means that the featured taco dish was fully priced at $27.44!!!

I felt like not leaving a tip, but that’s not who we are. I so want to like this restaurant, but this experience has left me truly...

Firstly I’d like to commend the quality of the food. We enjoyed three appetizers and three entrées, and everything was very good. However, there were a few issues with the service that impacted our overall experience. The timing of the entrées was a bit off. They arrived while we were still enjoying our appetizers, but this was not a major issue for us. The more significant concern was related to a special occasion we were celebrating. It was my birthday, and my husband had arranged for a surprise cake. Unfortunately, when the server brought out the cake, i was alone on the table as my husband and son were in the restroom and she left the cake with the sparkle candle lit on it, it was very awkward as there was no one with me at the table!!! This timing disrupted the surprise and the intended celebration, as my husband had planned for us to sing together. When my husband expressed his disappointment, the server responded with noticeable attitude and said she would bring the manager. While the manager was very understanding and offered to make amends, we assured her that we were fine and just wanted to express our concerns. However, the situation was further marred when the server, after the manager left, brought the check in a manner that felt abrupt and rude, which was disappointing. She asked us if we needed a machine to pay we said yes she literally came back with the machine slammed it on the table and left without even looking us in the eye it was beyond rude!!

We were left with a sense of frustration that overshadowed what had otherwise been a pleasant meal. We wanted to bring this to your attention in hopes that future guests might not encounter...

Love the food here which is why today myself and staff members were attempting to do a takeout order for lunch. We read online they don't do takeout on Fridays but the lady I talked to yesterday said we could order takeout Today (Thursday) for lunch at 11:30. At the time I told her we would be around 5 or so people, it ended up being 9 as others heard what we were doing and love the food. The lady I spoke with yesterday was super nice, super helpful and had checked with the kitchen to make sure it was okay which is why she asked me to move my original time from 12 to 11:30 which we obviously agreed too.

When one of my co workers called to place in the order, the lady she spoke to said "We'll see" and then told her they can do it once she found out it was 9. I then called to explain we spent time yesterday arranging this and was told "yeah for 5 not 9 we can't do it" and neither of us were even offered to just make our original order of 5, we were just told cant do it. On both calls, before we could really ask questions or talk about this situation, she hung up. Not sure who we called today but she was rude and not even willing to see if there were any other options for us. At least the lady yesterday took 10 minutes to ask the kitchen, ask me if we were willing to switch our times, and worked with us. The lady today just acted like she was too busy to deal with us and that there were better things to do.

Needless to say, there are now 9 people who will not come back, which is unfortunate as we love the food and dine in atmosphere when we go outside of work. This experience unfortunately has spoiled our enjoyment of...