Hacienda Arandinas — Restaurant in Austin

No chips and salsa? Went there on I'm guessing a slow night (a Monday evening 7pm) only 2 other tables during my visit was occupied. The wait person took our order and I'm guessing forgot what was ordered. My sons kids meal was incorrect and never got his drink but definitely charged for it, my daughter's order was incorrect as we were brought an extra side that was never ordered but definitely charged for it. My wife and I ordered the same plate but were never given options that were stated on the menu and before the server left I had to actually inquire if our meals came with tortillas, which they did but I would have never known unless I asked. Which leads to why I'm leaving only 2 stars. The customer service was lacking... we were never offered chips and salsa which was initially fine until a saw a server take chips and salsa to the other two tables that were there. We had to ask someone to come over for a tea refill and in the end when it was time for the check the wait person didn't hesitate to walk back by to see if the check was ready to be picked up. Were the restaurant packed I totally would have understood and held back on my review but if I'm going to spend what I spent then to me there's no excuse for the mistakes that occurred . The 2 stars are actually for the food. The cheese enchiladas were good and the carne asada had a nice seasoned flavor to it but the sides lacked seasoning both the rice and beans and well I can't comment if the salsa was spicy or not.. if you go then you're on...

I can think of many good times we had here. We had been going ever since the place opened. Then, about a year ago, the owners changed, and everything went downhill. Suddenly, the waitstaff we liked so much all left and the new staff were not as fast or friendly. The salsa's started to be served in plastic bowls instead of the nice presentation we had become accustomed to. The food doesn't taste as good, and the margarita machine is never running. Yesterday, we agreed to give it one last try and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. We waited 30 minutes after we got there for fountain drinks, only to be told that the owner couldn't find the Pepsi box. The salsa's were not available, and the service was agonizingly slow even though there were only three tables. We told them to forget about my husband's drink and just wrap the food up. It took an hour total for one salsa one fountain drink and our two plates. When my husband complained to the owner he was met with "that's your opinion". No offer to fix anything, no trying to earn our repeat business. Safe to say we will never return. I would rather go to a less fancy Arandinas that is authentic then to give this place...

From the outside this place looks pretty far from a hacienda. However, upon opening the mirrored-glass door we are greeting by friendly staff and authentic interior Mexican muisc in the air. The old school wooden chairs, tile floor and stucco walls with original paintings of mythical Mexican subjects bring you quickly into the spirit of a frontier hacienda.

We were immediately availed with fresh warm chips along with both a spicy green and a more mild classic red sauce.

I started off with a top shelf margarita on the rocks which actually tasted amazing. After those first few sips I felt myself drifting off to one of those magical town squares in small town Mexico. Then the fresh guacamole arrived and I slipped ever deeper into the easy siesta vibes.

The food arrived in style with a classic sizzling iron skillet and amazing smells. This was classically prepared north interior Mexican fare. It was absolutely delicious. In fact, I finished the food before I finished my margarita. So we sat and enjoyed the smooth sounds of music, as if we were in an actual hacienda courtyard. Of course, a little imagination always goes a long way to enhance...