Mezcalito's Cocina & Tequila Bar — Restaurant in Atlanta

Mezcalitos Cantina Restaurant – Good Food, Uncomfortable Service

I visited Mezcalitos Cantina Restaurant in Atlanta yesterday around 9 p.m., looking forward to enjoying a late-night Mexican meal. I had heard mixed things about the place, so I went in with an open mind. The atmosphere itself was pleasant enough — clean, moderately lit, and not too noisy. There weren’t many customers dining at the time, which made me think service would be prompt and attentive. Unfortunately, that expectation didn’t hold up.

Let’s start with the positives. The food, for the most part, was decent. I ordered street tacos, which turned out to be the highlight of the meal. They were flavorful, well-prepared, and seasoned nicely. The portion size was reasonable, and the tortillas were fresh. I also tried the cheese dip and salsa, both of which were decent — not the best I’ve had, but enjoyable enough. However, one thing immediately stood out to me: this is a Mexican restaurant, yet they do not offer complimentary chips and salsa. While I understand that some establishments have moved away from the tradition, it still felt odd and a bit disappointing, especially given how common it is in most Mexican restaurants in the area.

The real issue of the night, however, was the service. From the start, our server’s demeanor was detached, almost disinterested. While the food came out in a decent amount of time, drink refills were a completely different story. Not once did the server proactively refill drinks without us having to flag her down — and I don’t mean subtly signaling, I mean having to stare at her until she finally came over. This wasn’t due to being busy; the restaurant was not crowded at all, and she didn’t seem to be juggling a heavy workload. It felt more like we were being ignored.

Now, I’ve been reviewing restaurants for over ten years, and in that time, I’ve seen all kinds of service styles — some fantastic, some lackluster. But what happened at the end of this meal was a first for me. After I paid the bill, leaving a 10% tip (which was admittedly lower than my usual, but reflected the mediocre service we received), the server returned to the table and asked me if there was a problem because I had tipped less than the standard amount. I was stunned. This is not only unprofessional but extremely uncomfortable for the customer. I calmly explained to her that we didn’t feel the service was very good, and she simply walked away.

I left the restaurant feeling more unsettled than satisfied. While the food was decent — and in the case of the street tacos, very good — the overall experience was tainted by the service and that awkward, inappropriate confrontation about the tip. Dining out should never feel like a negotiation or interrogation.

In the end, Mezcalitos Cantina has potential in terms of food quality, but until they address the service issues and train their staff on proper customer interaction, I can’t confidently recommend it. At this point, I’m not sure if...

My family and I visited Mezcalitos Sunday night after a going to the Atlanta Zoo lantern festival because we were in the mood for tacos. When we arrive, we were told you seat yourself to which we decided to sit a two different tables so we'd have enough table space. Our waitress came over and told us to group 3 tables together, to which we didn't think much of it and agreed. She asked what we wanted for drinks, we told her as well as to how the checks were going to be split. We then proceeded with our orders by group. I ordered the elote but with no chile piquin and the chicken broth soup and asked was they any type of chile in the soup. She replied that wasn't, I said are your sure. Again she said there wasn't any. I do want to point out there was no misunderstanding as I asked her in Spanish. I went ahead and ordered both items. I ate the elote which was delicious but when I got my spoon and took the first sip, I immediately felt the spice and started feeling my throat start to close up. And my family members immediately knew when I spoke and said it had spice because my voice changed like it does when there is spice as I am allergic to it! When I'm finally able to flag down our waitress and said, "I'm not trying to be rude but there was a reason I asked you if there was any type of chile in the soup" She just looked at me and said well they put some chile de arbol in it. I just looked at her and said, "well, that was the reason I asked, I'm allergic to spice and peppers" She just looked at me with a blank look on her face. No apology, no is there anything I can do for you? NOTHING! All while I'm trying to drink as much water as I can to try and not make a scene. I just asked for the check because I wanted to leave. When she came back with it and I saw that she still charged me for the soup and had a gratuity automatically added, I called her back and said are you serious?!?! The point wasn't the amount, it was the mere fact that she completely messed up and still thought it was right to charge me for it and add the gratuity. Which we then now figured out why she had us group the tables, that gratuity is automatically added for tables of 6 and we were 8. I also would have thought a manager would have been notified of the issue but I guess never was. All I can say is, it could have become a completely different scene had not been for me just taking a small spoonful of my soup. BUT I will not be going back to this establishment. Managers, train your employees that the well being of your customers is more important than the money their trying to get in their pocket...

Food • Used the chips as the fried Tortilla and they were stale • Consisted of the wee pieces that are at the end of the bag • Meat all in one pile on the side • All the toppings are in individual piles on the plate instead of scattered about (so take a bite and might get only sour cream, or like bits of chip and cheese etc) • Turnover time of getting your food is about 10 min so quick. Those chef's in the kitchen know how to work efficiently

Salsa and Chips • Yeah, not included in the meal • 3$ for a tall small bowl and comes with 2 salsas

Waiter • Maybe I just got a bad Waiter but it did take her a hot 5 minutes to come to us the first time • Our appetizer of chips came out with our meal... • Other tables were served first with drinks and salsa even tho we were sat down first • Our waiter watches you as you tip... (the older lady, like not so hot service but she wants to make sure a tip is there)

Host • The person that asks how many peeps in your party and sits you down doesn't exist • As we were leaving there was a line out the door and no worker nearby to help those there • It did take is a while to be seated as well once we entered

Final words • As authentic as they are, I'm surprised at the shortcuts they took on some of the food • Service is a bit lacking, I think a lot of problems would be solved if there was 2-3 more staff on the floor • Idk if I'll go back • Was tempted to leave and try the BBQ down the street, a walking distance...