Batanga Mexican — Restaurant in England

Awesome hidden gem in York! Great food, cocktails & atmosphere at an amazing price.

We came here from a friends suggestion and we weren't dissapointed. We tried to get in on Friday but they were fully booked, however we prebooked for the Saturday(only 12.15 & 12.30 tables available) and we can see why it was so busy.

Batanga has 2x6 seater, 2x 4 seater and a 2 seater table(from memory, sorry if that's wrong!). So it's very cosy and there's a nice atmosphere with cool decor and music light enough for conversation but loud enough to hear well and not fade in to that chatter. Despite the small arrangement, you didn't feel cramped at all and had plenty of space to yourself.

We were seated immediately with menus and asked for our drinks orders within 5 minutes. The drinks arrived within the next 10 minutes which was nice as we were definitely 3rd in line for drinks orders. The bottles of beer/cider were very well priced at £3 for a Corona and £4 for a Rekorderlig. However, the cocktails were definitely the star of the show. At £5 for the 'cheapest' they definitely didn't skimp on the quality. There were multiple options on the £5 menu and a few more expensive options ranging from £6 up to a whopping £20 mix of multiple alcohols & mixers, I would've tried this but I'm not huge on gin and I don't think the absinthe would be a great idea at 12.30pm!

For food I ordered the Mexican chicken which came with a salsa, hot sauce and sour cream dip. The chicken was a huge serving and very well made as to be tasty but not too greasy. My girlfriend ordered the Jalapeno quesadilla which were lovely. She says 'they were very tasty, not overly spicy and a good serving size'. We added a serving of fries to share.

The staff were lovely and professional and served with a smile. They were more than happy to discuss the different cocktails and make recommendations.

We got 2 bottles, 3 cocktails, 2 meals and a portion of fries and the bill came to around £45. More than happy to tip as food, cocktails and service was 5*.

The only shame was that they'd ran out of mint and we were looking forward to a few £5 mojitos, more of a reason to come back again! Thank...

Booked a table for my girlfriend's birthday at 19:30 – we were greeted by the most blasé waiter I've ever had the misfortune of meeting, who treated us with suspicion from the outset and accused us of not having a booking ("did you book the Korean?"). After checking the bookings, and verifying that we did in fact have a booking, the waiter told us that there weren't any tables available, and that we could wait an unspecified length of time in an unspecified location for a table to become available (in the restaurant next to people's tables? Outside? Can we at least get a drink?)

The waitstaff then ignored us as we awkwardly stood in the doorway, so we left and went elsewhere. Terrible experience all round – if you're going to have a booking system, it'd be nice if you honoured it

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An edit, in response to the owner's deranged reply? If you're not put off by my review, that reply should do it:

1.) We did wait five minutes 2.) "Suspicious: Adjective – having or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something." Your waitstaff suspected that we didn't have a booking, ergo asking if we actually booked the Korean place upstairs / verifying that we had a booking 3.) I wish that was the case, but the waitstaff weren't doing anything that would suggest that they were getting a table ready – they were just chatting and laughing by the till. All your tables were occupied by people eating – it didn't seem like it'd be a 5 minute wait, as you're now suggesting 4.) The paper and crayons would've been a nice touch to be honest? An apology for forgetting our booking would've been nicer, though 3.) I did, thank you – we went to Pho and had a really nice meal. The staff there made us feel very welcome, and I'd recommend them to the next would-be Bantanga customer who's booking you forget

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An additional edit:

You know that both my review and your responses are...

When we walked in and our reservation was ‘forgot’, it went downhill from there.

The kitchen staff were just coming on shift. Not a hairnet between them.

One of them had long dark hair and tucked it in her fluffy turtleneck rather than put it up. It started to come out of her jumper before we left. She also had a smoke before her shift and I didn’t see her wash her hands or use a set of gloves.

Another member of staff had short dark curly hair, but had to keep flicking it out of his face as it was too long. He had his music headphones on around his neck whilst he was cooking.

The staff looked like they were in a college coop and didn’t really have any direction in the kitchen. It was quite sad.

The food was not Mexican. It was from a freezer. The meat was dry and over salted. The tortillas were thick, overcooked and I think double cooked. The tacos were served on a tiny rectangular slate plate where the juices were flowing off. Luckily, it didn’t get on my clothes as I caught it.

The coolest thing about Batanga is their sign. I wish it wasn’t the case, but if you’re looking for Mexican, this ain’t it.

If I wasn’t with a group, I would’ve walked out before I got the food. Absolutely do not recommend eating here.

EDIT following response from owner

As you can see from the owners many comments to people giving their realistic views - should you provide a negative review, you should expect to be met with defensiveness, accusations and even in some instances - racism.

The owner had an opportunity to take this review and learn/grow from our negative experience. Instead, he chose to attack.

If this is the caliber of management at an establishment you’re going to visit, just imagine what their food and hygiene practices...