Baby Acapulco Restaurant — Restaurant in Austin

I took an out-of-town friend to dinner at this location last night and am embarrassed that I did. My friend was staying at a nearby hotel and was hungry from a day of travel. Since the location was convenient and my last memory of Baby A's was great, I thought it would be a solid place. I was sorely wrong.

We arrived around 8pm and it was Friday night. Initially, I was surprised that the restaurant was not busy - about 3/4 of the restaurant was empty. I figured it must be due to Friday night high school football or other school events. We were seated in a rotunda area near a lively party, which was okay.

Our waitress, Akari, was great - attentive and helpful. We started with a Dos XX bottle for me and a Tropical Flight of four margarita flavors for my friend, which were half melted when they arrived at our table. We were only 20 steps away from the bar, so not sure why they were melted. Chips and hot salsa were great. The salsa was spicy and very good. Tortilla chips were fresh.

For dinner, my friend ordered the Stuffed Avocado with Mexican Rice and Refried Beans. She took her first bite, a mixture of the rice with the refried beans, and bit down on some hard pieces of either small rocks, calcium deposits, or bone fragments. She removed four small pieces and placed them in a napkin. We examined them with our cell flashlight and really couldn't figure out what they were, other than small, gray, rock-like pieces. Our waitress, Akari, was shocked and let the manager know. The manager arrived at our table, looked at the pieces, and said they were part of the Mexican rice. No apologies or offer to replace the meal - so my friend asked him to replace the meal.

I ordered the Enchiladas Verde with chicken and they were okay. Mexican rice and refried beans did not contain any foreign objects, but I only had a couple bites. The cooked chicken in the enchiladas were not completely shredded and had some large pieces in it. The tortilla used in the enchilada was gummy in consistency and tasted like flour rather than corn. My Dos XX was cold and good - can't mess up bottled beer.

I did use the women's restroom and it was disgusting. Not clean for a near-empty restaurant. Lots of broken hardware like the door and wall decor, a soap dispenser, toilet paper holder. A very tired and dirty decor that probably dates back to the day the building was completed. Someone told me once that if a restaurant's bathroom is unkempt, you shouldn't eat there because it means the rest of the place, particularly the kitchen, is probably just as dismal. I should have visited the women's restroom before we ordered our food.

Our waitress, Akari, and my Dos XX bottle were great. The manager should have been more attentive, maybe even shocked that a patron discovered an inedible object in their meal, and offered to replace and/or comp the meal and apologize - to which he didn't do any of it.

I will not visit this place again. It was great back in the day during the 80s-90s, but no longer.

It would be worth the time and money to drive down to 183 and Duval and eat at Chuy's or exit 360/Great Hills Trail and go to Manuel's on...

June 1, 2024 On this visit the food and the service by our ne waitress was really good. JP had his regular shrimp Enchiladas plate, and I tried something different. I tried the Carne Guisada plate and substituted the Mexican rice for a salad instead, and it was very delicious.😋 The only drawback and complaint we have is this: the Stonelake BA location seems to be falling apart in some areas, because the AC vent above our booth dropped condensation on JP's seat while we were dining, and I asked for a towel to be placed next to him. After we were seated at this booth, even our neighbors warned 'the wait staff' and us that that's exactly why they were no longer sitting in the booth we were given. We would've moved, but as we looked around the restaurant, the open and occupied booths in the circular dining area had the same issue, accept their vents were located above the actual tables, and our particular was located above the actual seat. Plus, when we walked in, there were several wood planks that had been removed and laying in front of a large hole in the wall at the customers entrance. Thank God! it dripped at the beginning and end, but not during our meal. Nevertheless, this should be UNACCEPTABLE.

BA, Listen, when I, your repeat customer, say, "Baby A's chips are outstanding, and better than all restaurants in the Austin Metroplex." My husband and I don't expect that to change on our next visit, April 25, 2024. Please check your chips daily before setting a clump of chips on your customer's table. See the picture.

The Enchiladas Verde Veggie, mushrooms, or shrimp are still our go-to plates. Even though the Howard Lane location has been indefinitely closed, it's still possible to enjoy the ambiance, music, and food at the Stonelake Arboretum location. We suggest they DECREASE the s🧂lt as much as possible to keep us returning for more deliciousness.

FYI: N🚫 restaurant in the Austin Metroplex can beat Baby A's chips and salsa. Just...

I've been to Baby A's before, so I knew to keep my expectations low. I was looking for a place to meet some friends outside and have a couple of drinks. The Stonelake location deck is very large, so I knew I wouldn't have a problem finding a table. Well, it was colder than expected when the sun went down so we sat near the partially enclosed fire pit which still had nice airflow and felt safe, even though the area didn't look that clean (trash on floor, cobwebs, un-bused tables, etc). I could sense problems when the server came by to ask for our drink orders and we asked if they served cocktails - the server responded with, "what's a cocktail?". I am not making this up. Trying to keep it simple, I've never had a Mexican martini, so I asked what was in it. Of course, she didn't know! Ouch! Drinks arrived, and the server did not actually pour the martini for us, she just handed us the shaker and our glass and walked away. The evening didn't get much better from there - the band was way too loud, no opportunity for conversation anywhere outside. The guy at the table next to us mentioned to his server that he just saw a rat climbing in the outdoor rafters in the fire pit area. His server's response was to laugh say something like "yeah I've seen them out here myself..." We asked to be seated inside to get away from the band, but our server said all the tables inside were taken. I walked inside and found at least 5 empty 4 top tables for our party of 4. Cheese quesadillas tasted like they had been microwaved and we had to ask for silverware.

Hey, this placed was crowded on a Friday night, the margaritas were everywhere and folks looked like they were enjoying themselves, so what do I know?

If anyone were to ever ask me for a Baby A's recommendation, I'd have to respond with a simple: "You can do so...