Picante Annapolis — Restaurant in Annapolis

Whoosh. Knew it was going to be a doozy when they had to look for the 'book' to make drinks. So let's start there.

Mexican restaurant. You're going to get margaritas. That's what we got.

Wife - strawberry jalapeno margarita. Needed the book. I can only, generously say it was 1/2 oz of tequila with how quick the bottle was turned - for the staggering price of a full drink. All mixer

Got myself the classic - got poured from the frozen spinner drink dispenser. No, I don't want a frozen drink. Oh, it's the house mix all in there. Definitely all mixer. Staggering price as well for an all mixer drink.

Moved on to beer after.

Drinks 0/10

Salsa is it's own category here.

It's not complimentary - no big deal, only 3$

Tasted store bought - definitely wasn't the worst salsa I've had at a restaurant but definitely not desirable.

2/10

Food

Food, was surprisingly decent after the initial start to the night.

Wife - vegetarian fajitas. A good mix of vegetables seasoned well. She did ask for lettuce and cheese - it doesn't come with fajitas. The answer was so immediate that she didn't press further to get lettuce and cheese. But the vegetables themselves, not bad. 7/10

Me - Birria tacos. A little on the salty side especially for the consume but not bad. I'd give these a solid 6.5/10

Service - very friendly - definitely not experienced. I don't have a hate for this restaurant but I think I'll let some time pass before coming back - if they can make the test of time, it's worth it to go back and give them a second chance.

Overall 4/10. No hate - but...

I chose this restaurant because it was close to the hotel where I was staying with a group of friends and family to celebrate my daughter's 21st birthday. I'd met with the owner weeks before to ensure they could handle a large party on a busy Saturday night. To make things easier for the kitchen, we limited our menu to five entrée choices. I even brought in flower arrangements and a cake hours before the event and reiterated the time we would be there with our large party.

When we arrived, none of the tables were ready. They had just seated a four-top of midshipmen and seemed to have forgotten about our party of 20. This led to the awkward situation of asking the seated table to move, which I had to apologize for.

The service was disappointing from the start. We didn't get water until our dinner was served, despite asking multiple times, and no plates were provided for our appetizers. We tried to make the best of it, and at least the margaritas were delicious. We also had to keep asking for silverware so we could eat our food. But overall, the experience was a letdown.

As someone with years of experience in the restaurant business, I wish the owner had been more upfront about their ability to handle our group or at least checked on us. This dinner party happened months ago, but I want to share my experience so others don't make the same mistake. While the food and drinks were great, the lack of preparation and poor service ruined what should have been a memorable celebration that was a very...

Nicely decorated Mexican food restaurant right on the main strip. This isn't "Tex-Mex" that is more known to most diners but more traditional MEXICO Mexican food (you know "Tex-Mex" isn't really Mexican food the same way "Western-style Chinese" isn't really Chinese food) with a little upscale twist .....so some salmon and shrimp and mole and lots of pork/ chicken. No free chips or salsa...on the other hand, they do make their chips fresh in house (good and thicker than average but not very salty...and no salt/ pepper shakers on the table). Queso is a skillet of regular melted block cheese (thick) without seasoning or jalapenos / peppers / mix-ins. Service was overall fine, if a tiny bit on the slow side, but not particularly friendly. $15-$25 entrees of reasonable average size that were well presented with good flavors (but not particularly spicy hot) - everyone was happy with what they ordered. They do provide free water which is great as the drinks (fun unique mixes that did taste good) are very small, contain almost no alcohol, and very expensive at $10-$13 each for about 8 ounces of liquid plus ice in a 10-12 oz small cocktail glass. $7 draft beers. It is great to have a Mexican restaurant that serves something a little more authentic and different from what can easily be had elsewhere, so a nice addition to Annapolis. We had an OK meal with no particular problems and would definitely be fine going back if others wanted to visit, but we definitely won't be buying those...