Marina Cantina — Restaurant in Howick

Never have I ever been to a place and felt like we were such a burden. There was a group of us (around 12) that went in for dinner during the weekend. Firstly, I was greeted upon arrival but it was implied that I was interrupting the person who greeted me (he was the manager on shift). Once we settled in, our orders were placed and the first lot of our food arrived it was around 15min before the rest of our food arrived (mostly everyone had finished eating by this point). This would of been fine if the staff had let us know or even made an effort to communicate this to us. They had only 2 other tables throughout us being there, yet no one came to check on us throughout for more drinks or even a simple meal check. Funnily enough though, I had gotten up to speak to the group and THIS was when the manager finally decided was a good time to approach us, which interrupted the speech I was giving (we were celebrating 3 birthdays in one). We all work in hospo and we know the impact that COVID has had on our industry, if we knew it was going to be like that we would have gladly supported another business (grangers was good service next door though, this doesn't apply to them). We spent around $400 there and would have spent more if they were more hospitable. The worst part of the entire experience is that 3 of our girls were there celebrating their birthdays and to know that they didn't enjoy themselves as much because of the service makes me so angry. If there was less than 1 star then they'd be getting that rating right now. Aside from all of that, I enjoyed my chicken burrito, I can't vouch for everyone else though. Last note: when we pushed our booking back to 8pm it would have been nice to be told at that point that the kitchen would be...

Better for a lunch date of tacos or a boozy night with snacks and mates than a full dinner night out. A fun, funky Mexican place with focus on fresh flavours and a degree of authenticity - and they've recently added nachos, which they didn't use to have! WIN!

The best thing on the menu is the range of tacos - fresh, delicious, with lots of variety. However, taco means snack in Spanish, and they take that literally - these 3-bite size morsels are great, but you're going to need something else to fill you up, or bring your wallet for a taco fest!

There are a range of other options, though: a nacho plate that is very filling for one person, burritos and so on. They're not going to break the bank and are large and filling.

Great for a lunch. Great for an afternoon of tacos and sangria. Great for nachos and beer. Great if you've planned the money for a mexican banquet. But plan for it if you're planning to...

My mother and I decided we would go to Marina Cantina for my 22nd birthday a few weeks ago. Staff were not very welcoming, and had an attitude as if they did not want to serve us or be there. The group next to us were more attended to as it was one of their birthdays, which they must have made staff aware of. Good service shouldn't be based on making staff aware its your birthday, which we did not. We had to go to the front desk to order more drinks and food, and the attitude from staff was as if we were being bothersome. However, they have no problem asking you if everything is okay while your mouth is full of food. Marina Cantina used to have a very warm and friendly atmosphere, but the Mexican culture has been lost, and the staff contribute to that greatly. Their food is amazing, but would only recommend if you enjoy unprofessional and...