Malinche Mexican Cuisine — Restaurant in Bonita Springs

Update 10/17/22 We tried it again and I can honestly say not much has changed. We tried 5:30pm on a Monday figuring we could try the food without much chance of serving issues. We walked in, one table occupied, we were promptly seated with menus —total of two occupied tables. We waited 10 minutes - no server to take our drink orders. A third table was seated and 2 minutes later their server was there to take drink orders. We waited another 5 minutes and once again got up to leave. We expressed our issue to the host and he said our server was waiting for chips. Come on! I would much rather have my drink order taken and have chips arrive with the drinks rather than sit there for 15 mins with only one then two other tables occupied without seeing a server. Complete lack of restaurant management skills. Been there twice and have not eaten. I’m 65 years old, eat out 2-3 times a week and have walked out of two other restaurants in my life. In this case two strikes and you are out.

We visited Malinche Friday Evening for dinner. I will preface this review by saying the two things we were able to sample were very flavorful, but the experience overall was very disappointing. We arrived at 6pm, house was busy – about two-thirds full. Ordered drinks which were promptly delivered. Margarita had no alcohol in it – if it was a virgin margarita, should have been explained when suggetsed by the waitress. With the drink delivery we ordered appetizers consisting of a small Guacamole and a cup of the chicken soup (Sopa Tlaxcalteca). While we were waiting for our apps I attempted to order a beer, which took me 15 minutes to actually order and another 10 minutes for the beer to be delivered. 35 minutes after ordering, our appetizers were delivered – Guacamole was very good, but only a dozen tortilla chips accompanied the Guac. My wife’s chicken soup was very tasty, except it was stone cold. The portion size on the cup of soup was also underwhelming – probably about 4 ounces. We ordered our entrees as the apps were delivered. After another 40 minutes with no signs of the entrees we paid for what we had and left. I had a bird’s eye view of the kitchen and the pass and there seemed to be a lot of confusion. As we are local and Mexican food fans, we will give them another try in about a month to see if they have worked...

1st time dining for dinner, from the moment you are seated the servers were great.. probably the best customer service I've had in the area.. started out with a pitcher of the Cadillac Margarita ( which was tasty, had enough alcohol to not taste pre-made), and was sweet enough to enjoy, as well the size could had served up to 4 people, well worth the price of $35. Appetizers were recommended and tasted fresh, delicious & hot. As one who enjoys corn the street corn dip was awesome, the empanadas tasted good as well. My entre was the Shrimp Chimichanga and the shrimp were delicious and had the black vein taken out which I appreciate. The sides of beans & rice were tasty and filling. Other entre was a grilled Rellino it was good but the Un Ahi Tuna taco with corn tortilla was the star. Delicious and could had eaten more than 1. I appreciated the servers who helped each other, preventing food from sitting if our server I believe his name was John was busy ... You don't see that often but how great to help each other out, the chips were fresh but the " mild salsa" has more heat than you expect, so be warned to sample 1st before digging in..it was definitely fresh and overall Malinche is one of if not the best for Authentic Mexican fare ..I want to return for desert's next visit as after eating you will be stuffed..and I love that there's plenty to take home and have for lunch..they definitely do not short you on food.. oh and I would add the guacamole was fresh and awesome as well..we look forward to dining in again and to the A+, 10 star ⭐ service.. fantastic..makes you feel like you've been dining there for years..keep up the delicious food and wonderful service, gracias...we...

First visit via misguided posts. Saturday lunch, staff and owner were extremely nice, restaurant was immaculate, atmosphere was very pleasant, not typical Mexican restaurant. The positives end there. Ordered a grilled salmon entree ($20) that was described as having mixed vegetables, which had pieces of bell pepper and red onion, strips of pickled vegetables, and a sauce. Portion size was two decks of cards. A stuffed pepper entree that was described as being stuffed with grilled corn, onion, rice, and grilled vegetables topped with cheese. We substituted beans for rice which the kitchen neglected to add. The “stuffing” was a cheese dip (?), a few kernels of corn, no beans as I said. The beans were later served after alerting the server, but the “entree” was nothing like it was described. Third entree was three tacos that were small grilled pieces of marinated pork, a few chunks of pineapple, lime, a small plate of rice and beans. It was served with a sauce on the side. Not exciting. ALL dishes lacked flavor and were a big disappointment. Tasteless describes each entree. A small positive were special margaritas at $8, wine at $7, beers at $5. The three meals were shared by the two of us and we both had the same opinions. Worst yet, we had to go home to eat after the visit. It’s a shame because the staff is great, but we sampled three dishes highly recommended as “signature sampling”. Will not return. The positive posts may influence you to try, but I’d make it simple and not try to get fancy with ordering...