bartaco — Restaurant in Aventura

Overall, the vibes of this place are just strange. My main reason for leaving a 2 star review is simply the lack of service and customer engagement. You don’t really have a waiter/waitress here…. A hostess walks you to your table, someone comes to explain how the ordering off your phone thing works, and shows you how to put this little card up if you need anything. Maybe I’m just crazy and I enjoy nice dining experiences, but that’s just strange to me. After that, she never came back to our table again.

The concept just isn’t for me (ordering off a QR code for a “nice” restaurant, having to put a card up to get someone’s attention, and the waiters literally make zero eye contact with you) As a guest at a restaurant, I don’t expect to have to turn around multiple times and wave my hands in the air for some service? Now, if you’re someone who doesn’t necessarily value that customer service aspect of hospitality and you’re looking for a quick bite to eat, I’m sure you’d have a decent time. The portions are also tiny… They should advertise as street tacos because they are 2-bite tacos just an FYI.

COVID negatively impacted many aspects of the hospitality industry, and dining at some restaurants isn’t the same anymore. For example, my boyfriend and I placed our orders at the same time on each of our phones (the check is merged) and his food came first, mine came about 15 minutes later with the tuna appetizer…. (Which we later returned because the fish was not fresh) While we were waiting for my food, we had to try to get someone’s attention because we ordered Mexican cokes and our food was here before our drinks. Like at this point, who are we even tipping? After 5 minutes of flagging someone down (and we did have that little card up lol) a waiter brought back 1 coke…. Really? Look at our check and see what drinks and apps we ordered. The level of detail just isn’t there. ALSO I asked for a small side of sour cream once my tacos finally arrived, and one of the waiters came back and told me that they don’t have SOUR CREAM? Isn’t this a taco place?! I found that sooo weird. He was kind enough to bring my some sort of garlic aioli.

Dirty plates sat at the bar for the entire time we were there…. The staff just seems like they are in their own world. We spent over $30 per person, we did not get any alcohol, and we left hungry.

Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like a Karen but once again, if you enjoy dining experiences, conversations, and what hospitality is all about, I would skip this place.

Alex was helpful and seemed to be the only staff/manager that was actually paying attention...

TL;DR: Frustratingly long wait time, small but flavorful tacos, good drinks, and friendly staff that’s rendered obsolete by QR codes.

I read a few Google reviews prior to dining here so I was prepared for the small “shareable” sized tacos. My companion and I arrived around 8:30 and were told that it would be a 45-60 minute wait, but the wait time would likely be shorter. So we waited… and waited. We watched as the outdoor dining area emptied so there were only two or three tables in use and the rest were empty. I assured my companion that some of the wait staff must’ve already left and they didn’t have enough staff to handle regular capacity. My companion grew annoyed, hangry, but tried to put on a brave face.

Finally, one hour later, I received a text. It was our turn. After checking in with the host several times prior to receiving the text they could tell that we weren’t in the best of moods. I was told that we’d be given free guac and chips, which was a pleasant surprise. I don’t know if they do that for everyone, but we were hungry, so who cares? The chips and guac tasted good. The guac didn’t have much flavor beyond your standard avocado but the saltiness of the chips balanced it out.

We were greeted by a gentleman who I believe was named Jonathan and I believe that Jonathan was a manager. He explained the ordering system to us and gave us a brief overview of the food and what to expect. Very much appreciated.

The tacos and drinks were great and my taste buds and belly felt satisfied by the blend of sweet and spicy food and drinks.

Here’s the negative part of my review. WHY did we have to wait an hour when you literally scan a QR code at your table to order food and drinks AND pay your bill?! Honestly they don’t even need waiters, just runners to bring food and drinks. Was it because the kitchen was short staffed at that time of the evening? Please help me understand.

bartaco, offer your customers the option of not waiting for a wait staffed table if they’re willing to do everything from their phones. The one hour wait was unnecessary. If not for this very frustrating part of our evening I’d give this...

I hope the owner does something about the manager at the Aventura location. First of all, we ordered through the phone and paid, my friend received his food no problem, however my cousin paid and never received her food. We spoke to our waiter and he opened a new tab to order the food which then came. At this point both meals were paid for. Then, as we proceeded to leave, the manager came to our table and accused us of stealing saying our old tab was open, even though the waiter opened a new one due to the first one placed on the phone did not go through on their end. Manager claimed we received an extra meal which we hadn’t paid for and that’s when I asked him to please look at the cameras because that was not the case. He made a remark on how we would not be serviced if we came back as if we were thieves. After a constant back of forth of us trying to explain how we never received my cousins first order and him asking us to leave I pulled out my wallet and even offered to pay for a meal that was never brought to our table. Apart from that, I tried to order a mojito from the waiter, which then the manager came and asked for my ID, as I presented my ID, the manager asked me for my address in which I proceeded to give him the wrong in address due to how I just recently changed it for personal reasons. I proceeded to explain why that was and even asked him to call the police so they can prove to him it was a legitimate Florida ID. He refused to serve me and was not willing to find out wether it was real or not. The manager was unwilling to work with us in any way. I asked him multiple timesto check the cameras so he can judge fairly and realize he was in the wrong, I guess his ego got in the way. Really not cool being called a thief and a liar on a night where you just want to chill and enjoy some time with family members. Bartaco food is good but they need to do better when it comes to service big time. Never seen such unprofessional behavior from a manager. Managers need to be problem solvers not...