La Bamba Mexican Kitchen — Restaurant in Beach Haven

One of the worst service experiences I've ever had. I don't usually bother leaving negative reviews but below was our experience:

A group of us (4 total) went here for dinner back in late August and most of us decided to order burritos but each had different additions. Friend #1 ordered a Vegetarian Burrito; Friend #2 ordered a Chicken Burrito; Friend #3 ordered a Vegetarian Entree; Friend #4 (ME) ordered a Steak Burrito.

Our orders are taken and 2/4 burritos came out shortly after, with the other two orders coming out shortly. The two friends began eating their burritos and one of them decided to split "his" burrito with another friend. Shortly, "my" burrito comes out and after the waitress walks away my friend notices after his third bite that his burrito is NOT VEGETARIAN. He was served my steak burrito by mistake, and the other friend who he split it with was also vegetarian.

So we politely inform the waitress that there was a mistake and that they gave my vegetarian friend my burrito that has meat inside and that he ate it. No reaction whatsoever, not even a quick "I'm sorry about that", nothing. Then, I explain that it was my order they already started to eat and the burrito she just served me was not what I ordered/paid for.

Her reply to me was "...mm well we can't just give you a free burrito." I said that no one was asking for a free burrito, I am asking for you to give me the burrito I had ordered WITH steak and paid more money for since my friends ate part of it.

The waitress's next reply FLOORED me... she said "Well can't you just cut with a knife the portions your friends ate of your burrito?"

We all looked at each other in shock and I told her that I would not do that and to even suggest that at a restaurant people paid to get food is DISGUSTING. A friend asked for a manager and she claimed that they were not there and continued to blame the kitchen instead of taking responsibility for her mistake/actions.

The waitress takes away the burrito and within 5 minutes, I allegedly received my "steak" burrito...it was vegetarian AGAIN.

The waitress comes back to ask how everything turned out, and proceeded to say "aha are we not talking to me right now?". We all ignored the comment and said to her that once again I did not get the burrito I ordered. She was in disbelief and insinuated I was not being truthful, I proceeded to turn the plate around and show her that there was no meat inside. I told her that at this point to forget about it because we needed to finish up and leave.

When the bill comes, they still CHARGED me the extra 6 dollars for the steak burrito I never got. LOL ...

We bring it to their attention and at this point the waitress finally says she's sorry (for the bill mishap) and drags out one of the crew from the kitchen to offer an explanation.

Overall, the food was a decent experience. However, the service we experienced there was so horrific it truly took away any positive light from this place.

For those who bothered to read this, my advice would be to eat here if you must, but proceed...

The food was very good. There are no complaints on quality of food. The waitress was very kind and knew a lot about the menu. The big con for me is the price. Yes, they give you a big portion if you order an entree. Almost too much food? But there are other things on the menu that pricing-wise, it just doesn’t make sense. The waitress asked if we wanted to start out with chips and salsa, in other Mexican restaurants those are complimentary but here they are $7. Drinks are not refillable and they’re $6/drink for something like lemonade. This place would do well to have a soda machine instead of serving things from the bottle because it was a bit confusing for us that there was no option on the menu for tap water or a refillable drink. When we realized our drinks weren’t refillable, we asked for water and it came in bottles. For a beach town that’s largely focused on environmental impact, this was also confusing and feels wasteful. With the amount of food you’re getting, one lemonade isn’t going to cut but we’re also not going to pay $6 a refill. For my husband and I to get chips & queso, two entrees and empanadas it was almost a $120 meal with tip. I think if we were to go back, we probably would stick to tacos and fajitas and not their main entrees… just not really...

If I could give this place 20 stars, I would! My wife and I stopped in for lunch and were absolutely blown away. She ordered the chicken quesadillas, I had the fish tacos, and together we shared the beef empanadas. Every single bite was off-the-charts delicious—the kind of food that makes you stop mid-conversation just to say wow. The portions were generous, the flavors were bold and authentic, and even the salsa was unforgettable.

We also had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Valentine, who is one of the most personable and genuine people you’ll ever meet. He took the time to connect with us, and it’s clear he pours his heart into this restaurant. We sat outside, enjoyed some people-watching, and honestly couldn’t have asked for a more perfect afternoon.

La Bamba is hands down one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever had. If you’re anywhere nearby, do yourself a favor and go—you’ll...