Campestre — Restaurant in Oaxaca

I rarely write negative reviews, but our experience here was disappointing to say the least. We had a reservation for five and were seated upstairs around 8:30 p.m. The area was so dim and dark we could barely read the menu. We asked our waiter to light the candles on the table, but he was hesitant because a fan was blowing in our direction. Fair enough - but we ended up sitting in the dark.

Not long after, a wasp started circling our table. It stung my friend as he helped his date with her chair - again, difficult to see due to the lighting. We were trying to swat it with menus. We asked our waiter for help. His response: “What do you want me to do? I won't do anything you're not already doing." We thought the wasp had left and all returned to our seats. However, unfortunately, it stung my friend’s date next. We approached our waiter again and we were surprised that he showed the same indifference.

Thankfully, Mai, another server overheard the commotion, stepped in. Without hesitation, she took off her chancla, calmly handled the wasp, and did it all with a good attitude and smile.

As for the food: several top cuts weren’t available, despite being a Saturday night - no problem. I ordered a Jamaica agua fresca - it took 20-25 minutes to arrive despite it not being that busy. My NY strip was way over-salted with no noticeable sear (isn't this supposed to be an Argentinian parillada?), and despite asking for pepper (and eventually going to the bar to ask a second time), it never arrived. I couldn’t finish my steak.

I had intended to leave Mai a 20% tip, but mistakenly put the full amount on my credit card - knowing it would likely be split among staff. Mai deserved the entire amount. She wasn't even our waiter but her professionalism and grace deserve to be recognized and rewarded - she went above and beyond. She's the reason why this place even...

I so wanted this to be good. The atmosphere is amazing, the massive grill and the friendly staff. The first warning was ordering the fish, we were told it was out and then later told would take 25-35min and we accepted. I ordered a sausage and the New York strip. The meat order went on straight away. And it was served about 15-20 min later. The fish had not come on. We asked and the fish was out on the grill. Meanwhile the sausage was raw inside, and was sent back. the New York had no flavour at all. The chimichurri was really nice though. The fish finally shows up and it’s really hot on the outside but still raw inside. We sent it back and it was put back on the grill, it shows up, and it was ok, just. Needless to say, a place that has all the potential failed tonight. Several tables sent their stuff back(steaks, sausages) The staff did however make up for it. They made good on the bill and apologised. It was just one of these nights in the kitchen and I don’t want to deter anybody from trying this place just because we had a bad night but on the same coin I can not recommend it based on...

We had just arrived and found the many other great reviews on Google for this place…trust us they all prove true. We are very picky meat eaters and often find in other places (in town and abroad) it doesn’t live up to what we could do at home. We’ve been to Argentina for an extended, nearly month long trip and trust us, this rivals that. While we chose a Sauvignon Blanc wine (not very traditional for this Malbec loving, red wine region) for dinner, it was cold, crisp and totally satisfying. We chose the Argentinian sausage and garlic shrimp as an appetizer, and the skirt steak (which I side eyed as a ribeye fan, but went with the waiters recommendation) for dinner. Everything we ordered was so delicious, melt in your mouth buttery, you would forgot you were in the taco eating country of the world. And then we went even further with a delicious crêpe filled with bananas, dolce de leche, nuts, and a delicious ice cream. Our Argentina waiter, Martin, made this experience 100 times better. Food and hospitality go hand in hand, and you’ll be treated like they’ve known you forever...