Casa Magdalena — Restaurant in Santa Marta

TERRIBLE SERVICE. I recently picked this restaurant to celebrate my birthday with friends, but it didn’t turn out as expected. While the place had a decent vibe and the food was alright, I encountered some letdowns caused by the restaurant itself.

To start with, we waited an uncomfortably long time for a server to come and take care of us. It got to the point where we had to stand up and ask for help ourselves.

The trouble continued when we ordered their “corozo” juices. Boy, were they terrible! They tasted like rotten fruit—completely disgusting. We let our server know, and she said they realized now what the problem was and that they would fix it and bring us new ones. The server returned with a single replacement juice and asked us to taste it, seeking our approval. Regrettably, the substitute juice was excessively sweet, with an overwhelming sugar content that completely masked any natural fruit flavor. I told her to leave this one and requested the cancellation of the remaining three juices, only to be informed that they had already been prepared. It was perplexing to have been offered a taste test when there was no alternative option available.

What added to our dissatisfaction was the server’s attitude following our complaint. Rather than addressing the problem with empathy, it seemed as if we were being held accountable for the unpleasant juice. It left a sour taste in our mouths, quite literally.

To make matters worse, when my mother attempted to organize a surprise birthday celebration for me, the servers displayed a lack of interest in assisting her. They neglected her requests and failed to acknowledge my special day Yet, magically, ten minutes later, we saw them singing and cheering for another table’s birthday celebration. Talk about feeling neglected and unimportant!

Overall, this restaurant had the potential to be great, but the terrible customer service left us with no intentions of...

We had a good time at Casa Magdalena. Food was lovely, the tostadas were incredible but in general everything was tasty and nicely presented. The cocktails I thought were really good, especially Poesía (to die for!). The only issue was that every cocktail came at a very different time and they all took too long. Someone may want to review how these talented bartenders are working. Service was very cold and average. The waitress could have been more attentive, didn’t even want to serve the water. When I asked for dessert she only brought one menu, for a table of 7 people ,and when I asked “could you bring more menus?” She said “meh, but there’s just 4 desserts to choose from.” This doesn’t make any sense (???) The salon area was also freeeeeeezing. Finally, it was an especial birthday celebration and even if I asked for a candle on the dessert a couple of times when booking and on whatsapp, they did not (of course). When I mentioned this to the waitress she just said “well, we didn't know”. Isn’t that the point of making a note on the reservation? In general I think this could be 5 starts because food is delicious and the venue is beautiful but service is a let down and they need more...

Awesome dining experience. This place was recommended by several people and the service and food were up to good standards. We were a large group of 11 people and tried several different appetizers and dishes. With the exception of one of us, we all had good praises for the way food was prepared and presented. As appetizers we tried the Tuna Ceviche (the Coconut / Lulo juice gave it a different dimension), Grilled Octopus (our favorite) and Mushroomn Croquettes (gone in 2 seconds). For mains, I had the chance to try the Steak Au Poivre, Pork Bondiola and the Squash Risotto, all of them well prepared, flavorful and good portions. Cocktails and desserts (Tiramisu served on an old coffee maker!) were also sensational. Lastly, kudos to Esneider, our waiter, as he was super attentive and managed a large table in an...