La Carnita — Restaurant in Toronto

On August 26, 2024, at approximately 3:30, I arrived at the restaurant with a friend. We have been buying drinks, food and hanging out.

At approximately 7:40hrs, a staff member informed us that we would have to leave due to a time exceeded which was not mentioned at all nor published in the restaurant or website of the establishment. Why were we not told about the 2-hour limit, when we arrived and after we exceeded the time limit that the staff claimed?

We continually bought drinks and were not a disturbance to other patrons or staff members. We continued to treat the establishment as a safe place and purchased drinks. We had a server JEFF and he could've informed us about the time limit but no one has told us about it.

An Asian male server arrived and informed us that we would have to leave and we had asked why?, but he claimed that we had passed a two-hour limit that the restaurant does not post about nor it's on the website. As an establishment, it should be notified to customers that there is a time restriction on how long you can be there.

I requested to speak to a manager, a Caucasian female, with brunette hair, 5’7, and tattoos; stated that we had exceeded our time limit and she continued to state that due to AGCO there was a disturbance there was no disturbance nor a nuisance to the establishment nor the staff. The manager claimed that other people were waiting for the table but there were three tables available and told us that we had to leave without a reason besides that we passed a two-hour limit.

We sat at the restaurant at 3:30 and were there for 7:40 pm. Why were not told about it at 5:30 pm? Why is it not mentioned by staff, posted in the establishment or website?

My friend and I were the only brown people that were in the establishment and we both felt discriminated against and harassed. We felt that the establishment had failed to present a friendly and safe place for a restaurant to hang out or even have drinks.

I advised the manager that we were purchasing the drinks but stated that we would have to leave without a valid reason besides a two-hour limit that was not informed or posted about the restaurant. We would've stayed and still have a good time, but felt rushed to leave immediately. Great food but poor customer service and representation of a bar that relies on customer happiness.

If you want to hang out and enjoy your time with your friends/families. This is not the place to be. Save your money, and time and go somewhere else. The food is great, but if you can't enjoy being at a restaurant while purchasing drinks then why be there?

How can you enjoy a night out with friends and family without being told to leave while you're purchasing drinks?

The manager failed to represent a professional manner and was quickly angry about questioning her actions. Immature, liar and should not be a manager nor an employee at the...

This review is strictly based on the end of the evening. We were celebrating a birthday party for one of our friends. Everything went well for the meal, the food was delicious. The portions are all singles, so everyone ordered 3 or 4 tacos and each table shared an order of the Tortilla and Gucamole. I had 2 of the weekly special tacos, battered rockfish and 1 of the fried chicken. If the tacos were not so delicious I would've given up the 3rd as they were quiet filling. We shared a pitcher of Margaritas and everyone had the Saturday special drinks with Corona or Negra. They were unfortunately sold out of the churros so we had to have the Tres Leche and the Popsicles. Everything tasted delicious from the drinks to the food. The problems came at the end of the meal. My friend had booked the reservation and nobody had told us on advance of the 2 hour seating limit. It is written in smaller print on the menu but that was not the issue. We were approached a gentleman demanded that we leave the table. We were confused as to if this gentleman was a staff member or a random patron. He then continued to say that this was his table and they could not order anything until we left. We told the patron that if the management had a problem with us they would approach us directly. At that point the friend who booked the reservation spoke with the manager and server. We were then formally told about the 2 hour limit and was told that they specifically told the waiting patrons that we were taking too long. I completely understand and agree with a time limit due to the size restrictions however they brought us the bill 20 minutes after the 2 hour limit had expired and then the server did not return for another 10 minutes after dropping off the bill (they do not split group bills). If someone was waiting for the seats I would have expected the restaurant to be more proactive in helping expedite our departure.

Food 9/10 Drinks 8/10 Environment 8/10

Again, the poor star rating is due to management not handling this situation effectively. This is not a place I would recommend for parties or...

I usually write reviews only for places I enjoy, but I felt compelled to comment on my recent experience at this restaurant due to my disappointment.

This is the least authentic Mexican restaurant we have ever tried. For our appetizer, we ordered nachos with three “salsas.” The nachos were oddly dusted with Cajun seasoning, which is not a Mexican flavor. Plain salted nachos would have been preferable. One of the salsas, labeled as a “bean” sauce, also had an overpowering Cajun taste. The “salsa fresca” or pico de gallo lacked any flavor—missing lime juice, cilantro, salt, and overall character. It was a sad rendition of salsa fresca. The only redeeming aspect was the guacamole, which was fresh and flavorful.

For the main course, we ordered “carne asada,” “chorizo,” and “pork” tacos. Unfortunately, they were all underwhelming, lacking the authentic Mexican taste. The most disappointing part was the tortillas. They didn’t resemble traditional corn tortillas and were served cold, as if they had been taken straight from the fridge. Typically, tortillas are seared or cooked in some way before serving, which was not the case here.

Overall, this restaurant failed to deliver on its promise of authentic Mexican cuisine.

We shared our feedback with our server, who mentioned that other customers had expressed similar sentiments. As a restaurant owner, it’s crucial to ensure that the dishes match the expectations set by their names and descriptions. Although the server mentioned that the restaurant isn’t purely Mexican, the use of Cajun seasoning suggests a Caribbean influence. However, the restaurant’s name, menu items, and overall ambiance suggest a Mexican theme.

A more accurate description might be “Fusion Mexican-Caribbean Cantina,” but even then, the flavors fell short. I hope they take this feedback constructively and improve. I would be willing to give it another chance if they make...