La Cabañita Grill & Cantina — Restaurant in Bacalar

Service was terrible. Management is non-existent. They failed at providing basic customer service.

Our dessert took 30 minutes to come to our table... On top of that it still had a piece of plastic wrapping on the bottom that my wife almost choked on. We called a server over who then redirected us to another server who scratched his head in disbelief and just said one moment, took the plate and walked away without apologizing. 5 minutes later I have to gesture to him because no one at the restaurant has communicated with us what is happening. I explained to him that we just want our bill and want to leave... We don't want a replacement. He says okay and another 10 minutes passes. Another server who looks like she might be a manager blankly stares at me and gestures from 10 meters distance wondering what is wrong. I explained that my wife found a piece of plastic in her food... And she just brushes it off as if this is not a big deal. I have to ask her if she's going to charge us for the dessert item... Before she finally states that they won't charge us for the dessert... It's ridiculous that I had to ask for that to be completely honest.

To top it all off, the server brings the credit card machine and adds gratuity to the transaction (not on the paper bill in front of us) without showing us the machine. I'm going to call it as it is... FRAUD. My wife is almost done typing her pin and I just ask to confirm the total is as on the bill in front of us because a gratuity option didn't appear... The server replies that she added gratuity... I'm speechless... the staff at this restaurant require basic common sense training. An apology and waiving the cost of the tainted item are bare minimum requirements after this situation... but to try and add gratuity... that's outright disrespectful and shows that the staff at this establishment require training on how to manage mistakes.

I urge others to consider one of the many other restaurants in Bacalar before you consider this dishonest and disrespectful establishment.

....

I'm not quite sure how to reply to the restaurant's response so I am adding additional details below. I originally did not want to call out individual staff by name but since the restaurant is claiming bad faith, I feel obligated

(1) Karla, our server, was the one who added the tip/gratuity without consent. We urge you to check with your employee before posting a response.

(2) Male server (black shirt) - looked at the piece of plastic, said one moment and took the plate. 10 minutes later, nothing was said to us, so I called him over and asked what they were doing... To which, I added that we don't want a replacement, we want our bill so we can leave.

Our intention is to document our actual experience, nothing else. I urge you to look at my many reviews and recognize that I post with the intention of promoting good businesses but when I have an experience that is this bad, I feel the same obligation to share and...

Sometimes you want something more than tacos, empanadas, and beer. Welcome to La Cabañita. Here you can have a very elegant dining experience and still wear shorts and sandals. I started with a strawberry mojito. Obviously its foundation was a strawberry coulis rather than a blender. So good. Right away you are presented with a variety of corn tostadas cleverly hung as if on a clothesline accompanied by a variety of house made salsas. So good. Next came my caprese salad. The tomatoes were fresh and ripe and the cheese was firm but not gummy. Oh, and it was stacked vertically. What a beautiful presentation. So good. For an entree I had cerdo con mole. The meat was finely shredded, reformed, and finished to a crisp outer layer. The mole - rich but not cloyingly sweet - was served on the side as if to emphasize it as its own dish. Everything was beautifully presented with various sauces and grilled vegetables. Just look at that picture. So good. Have I said that yet? By the way, the service was as elegant...

The worst restaurant experience. Food was good, prices are higher for tourists. The worst thing happened at the end when I asked for the bill and said I'll pay by card. The waiter approached to me with the bill and before showing it to me he asked me if I want to add a tip. I asked him if the tip is included, but he is quite. Then I looked at the bill and realized he added a 15% tip, then I said it's included and I don't want to add more. Normally I always tip 10-15%, but in this case I realized the waiter is deliberately trying to deceive me to double tip. It's an attempt of fraud. That was the first time I've experienced something like this. I've paid amout from the bill with included 15%, but he didn't deserve any tip. I don't recommend going there. If you plan, first check carefully the bill...