Malachela — Restaurant in Brownsville

Today I experienced Mala Chela for the first time and it was not the experience I expected. I looked up reviews online as well as on instagram and they all had good things to say about this place. Unfortunately for me, it was not the same experience.

I ordered the fish tacos and they are good but nothing out of the ordinary. The beer experience is something different and cool. The three flavor I tried were good. My issue was the service. They do not have enough people to serve all the tables they had this morning. (I asked my friend who had been there before and apparently that is always the issue) The waitress was nice but she had no clue about the menu, not paying attention to the tables (since she was probably overwhelmed). I ordered some water but they took 20 minutes for them to tell me they didn’t serve water. I was very patient and never rude to the waitress but I don't plan on being back.

I did speak to the owner because he got there once we were leaving and he was advised of why we wanted to leave and pay. He did apologize which is nice but doesn’t really change the experience. He did offer a discount for a future purchase which again it’s nice but could have offered a discount in that moment. Won’t...

Dear Owner(s) of Mala-Chela, this is a reason for one star review.

Although your beer selections are outstanding and the food is great, last night I / several people encountered a horrible experience. Loud, boisterous, obnoxious, and disruptive young people (in there early 20’s) were inside.There’s nothing wrong with it, however, a party or private party was going on because they were playing beerpongs,balloons,dices etc… while yelling and banging on the rearrange tables. It’s a party scene where you see it done at a house and not in a public restaurant/beer garden type area.Downtown Brownsville restaurants or any other wouldn’t have allowed this. It was not a pleasant sight to see nor the most lovely relaxing atmospheric experience. Your elegant place somewhat became unclass-y/undistinguished, and plain place to be. Perhaps in the latter where these kind of situation(s) occurs y’all ought to close shop for private parties or set rules and boundaries to where it is not disruptive to the other public customers who are there to relax or have conversations, or extend a different area specified for private parties only. Hope y’all...

Pretty cool little spot. Went on a Monday for a date with my wife after the movies. She really enjoyed the salad, and the baja tacos were pretty filling. The selection of brews was really good, with some local brews and other variations. What we really liked was how quaint it was. We really dont care for the loud music and crazy party vibes other places do. This place had a perfect level of music so we could talk, up to date set up, and more personal atmosphere. Was perfect for us. I'm not sure what other days might be like, but this was a Monday. 2 meals, and about 3-4 drinks each came out to about 60 bucks, not including tip, fyi. It was a little pricey overall, but it was really nice, relaxing, and perfect for conversation with loved ones. I recommend this place and know we will be back when we are back in the town of tacos...