Playa Cabana — Restaurant in Toronto

Before I go into why I gave Playa Cabana 2 stars, I'll give credit where credit is due. The service here is solid... they quickly addressed the first concerns of the inedible octopus but they also asked how my dish was when they clearly saw that I did not finish one taco of the 3 they gave. So the really nice server we got was solid. If the kitchen followed the lead of the service, you'd have a good Mexican spot... that sadly didnt happen.

On Dupont which looks more of a quiet residential street of Toronto, you'll find a packed, lively, and crowded Playa Cabana. Though you can clearly feel the vibe and sounds coming from the restaurant as you walk through the patio, you can see a buzz of activity from the young servers going between the extra squished tables filled with family or older couples that have bags of Royal Doulton crowding into the minimal walking area.

The menu is simple and easy to understand with it looking somewhat reasonably priced... It looks great on the menu till you might get in person and then question the value. Just a work of caution there. I should have tempered my expectation on Playa Cabana (even though it is ranked 4 stars) because Carmeka (Chicago yelper before me) mentioned this isnt real Mexican. After going to Chicago 4 times last year and San Diego the year before, my love for real Mexican is there and this ... isn't it... at all.

Guacamole & chips - Simple guacamole with a side of corn chips. I would say that the flavour compared to what I've had in San Diego is missing... this is far more bland but adding in some heat from the sauces kicks it up. Chips are a bit thicker than I've experienced but they're crunchy and not oily. For $9, I find it a bit expensive for the small amount but then again, avocado prices have jumped so maybe it's at the right price point. 3/5

Pulpo Taco (Octopus) 2 tacos - Oh Toronto... please do not tell me you think this is 4 star quality octopus taco. The octopus given was smaller than the length of the fork tines (about an inch or so) and completely rubber... I took a good 20 seconds with a fork and knife just trying to cut through and only got 80% of the way through. It's supposed to be tender and yet lightly charred at the last minute grilling to get that flavour ... and this wasn't it. Completely inedible. Thankfully they took off this bill. 1/5

Tacos al Pastor (Pork) - We had this rendition at El Loco Local and though I didnt love that version, I felt this one didn't match up that one. It's supposed to be tender and flavourful pork with pineapple ... the pork was ok and the pineapple was really mandarin or orange segments that tasted overly sugary and syrupy... as if they were canned or jarred. It was didnt have any balance. 2/5

Pescado Baja style Tacos (Battered Fish) - This seems like an odd comment but this fish was way too large for the taco and it was buried under way too much shredded cabbage. I guess it could look instagram pretty at that level but it made it frustrating to eat. It has zero balance and flavours werent the focus. In addition to the fish being 2 times the size of the taco shell, the batter was nearly 2 cm thick in some parts. Overall, there's no flavour. At least the fish was cooked through, not greasy, and served hot. That's the only plus. I didnt even finish one taco. 2/5

Horchata - I'm not sure if this is housemade but if it is... its has too much water and sugar. My favourite is from Chicago where its has a wonderful lingering cinnamon taste and sweetened just right. The rice is supposed to give it a creaminess instead a watery feel. This wasn't close. 2/5

Maybe we came when their kitchen staff is changing up and learning? I'm not sure but the recipes here were bland and the execution just left everything inedible. For $30 per person, we got a lot of inedible food... I'm starting to get the feel that Toronto doesnt do Mexican food well anywhere...

I booked a large group for 15 people at this location. It took two weeks of back and forth emails between two general managers (Katrina & Sandra) and it was never actually confirmed (you can only book one table of 6 online), and whenever I called in they would always insist to book through email with a general manager. They kept asking for credit card info and a form of personal info to be filled out, and to order the food ahead of time, but refused to give us a menu with prices. I do not feel comfortable sending credit card info through email so I did not send it. 2.5 hours before our reservation on the day of, I called again and let them know 15 of us were coming for sure, so it would be a good idea for them to prep, and they finally agreed to accommodate us. It was a very tight fit, but we were all family and agreed to make it work. We ordered quite a bit of food, and all in all it was quite well made. If you order Pollo al carbon tacos (grilled chicken tacos) be aware they may be spicy, so ask for them to go easy on the hot sauce. Many of their drink options are not listed on the menu, so it was hard to know what the prices were, so definitely ask (many of the servers don't know prices either, but if you insist they will find out from some one). When it came time to the bill they automatically added on a 18% gratuity for the group, before taxes, so when you pay the taxes you are not only paying taxes on the meal itself but you end up paying taxes on the gratuity which I found strange. I've worked in the restaurant industry for over a decade and have never seen it be more than 15% for large groups, not even in high end restaurants, and I have never seen the tip get taxed on top of everything. Just a heads up, no separate bills, all items are put on one bill (which I paid, and then everyone paid me for their part), however in the end we were still short $81 and we could not figure out why. I found it strange but either way I paid, and my group agreed we would figure it out later. When I went home I went over the bill again I discovered SEVERAL extra meals and menu items were added to the bill and no one had noticed at the time. I've seen this happen with large groups at other restaurants by accident, but this seemed excessive!! Very disappointed this restaurant would be so shady. I thought about going back to speak to some one, but there is no way to prove they did this after the fact, so too bad for us I guess! The service was decent, the servers seemed nice so we didn't even notice in the moment. If they had charged us properly, made the reservation process easy, and not been shady asking for an excess of personal information over email, I would have given a 4 star even though their restaurant is small and claustrophobic, because the food was not bad. If you go to this restaurant just be warned and triple check your bill so you don't get scammed. Personally, I do not...

We called in a small takeout order – just 2 tacos and 1 guacamole with chips – and were told it would take 40 minutes. Who on earth takes 40 minutes to make 2 tacos?! It’s absolutely absurd. After 50 minutes, I arrived at the restaurant to pick up my order. When I asked about it, the server didn’t even bother to check! After I asked someone else, he chatted leisurely with the kitchen and finally told me it would take another 15 to 20 minutes. No apology whatsoever, only saying "sorry" when I started to get visibly frustrated.

I explained that I had two toddlers waiting in the car and couldn’t wait much longer. Did they care? Absolutely not. He flat-out told me, “NO, we’re very busy.” Busy? The place only had about 8 tables occupied! When I asked to speak to the manager, I was floored when he said he was one – RAUL – and he was just as ignorant and dismissive. After more back-and-forth, I left to wait in the car with my kids and returned 20 minutes later. RAUL had the audacity to act surprised that I was back and then proceeded to tell me they had given my order to someone else! At that point, my frustration reached its peak.

Another server, some woman standing nearby, had the nerve to tell me to leave and even pretended to call the police, as if I was the problem. After 90 minutes of this nightmare, my order was still nowhere in sight. These rude, clueless, and completely incompetent staff made zero effort to fix the situation. In the end, I left with nothing – no food, no service, just complete disgust.

This place has the worst customer service in Toronto. The food is overpriced, and honestly, there are SO many better spots to spend your time and money. Save yourself the headache and avoid this place like the plague....