The Flying Pig Grill & Cantina — Restaurant in Brownsville

It’s was a scorching south texas afternoon. The hubs and I were on the expressway when I saw a sign that said, voted best burgers. We decided to take the turn around and give this little place a whirl.

As I walked in I was greeted with a blast of cool air and once my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit interior, I half expected to see Norm saddled up to the bar.

The server/bartender was sweet and very attentive.

We ordered fried pickles to start off with and they were so crispy and tangy. My hubs ordered the monster burger and boy was it amazing! It was a handcrafted all beef patty, of obvious quality. The burger was topped to his specifications of bacon Swiss cheese mushrooms and grilled onions. I had a bite and it was amazing. My hubs commented it was a huge burger and he may not able to eat it all, but of course he did. I ordered the cubano and it was fabulous. Slow cooked pork carnitas and thick cut ham. Tangy mustard and crispy pickles. It was toasted to perfection and absolutely delicious. We shared some tots and they were crispy and light, not at all greasy.

The menu is extensive and so is the cocktail menu. I stuck with my usual tanquery and tonic though. Next time I’ll order one of their amazing cocktails.

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Yikes! The weirdest and most unwelcoming experience I’ve ever had at a food establishment. We arrived on a Tuesday around 5:30pm. The counter to the left where you might see a hostess or other staff was unattended. So we continued waiting until someone approached us. We then initiated the interaction by asking if we seat ourselves and they responded with something snarky like, “that depends on you.” What does that even mean? I responded by saying, “doesn’t it depend on what’s available?” They gestured towards the tables as if to indicate “sit wherever.” We sat and waited and waited and waited some more and if it wasn’t obvious that it was our first time there when we didn’t know we seat ourselves, then how were we supposed to know that we order at the bar? If that was the case? The snarky person could have said something like “seat yourselves and when you’re ready, order at the bar.” Or if they prefer to not engage with new patrons, then put up a sign? Maybe. It doesn’t matter. We waited long enough and when no one came to our table to check on us, we left. We will not be back and we will not be recommending this place to...

When my husband and I first arrived, we were warmly greeted, and the service was exceptional. After our appetizer came, everything shifted. It was clear that a party was arriving in the other part of the restaurant. That would have been fine, but very soon the whole restaurant was consumed, a woman went behind the bar and refilled glasses of pop, and people were bringing up dirty dishes to the bar beside me. The bartender, and his other staff person, became so busy that we got “lost in the shuffle.” We find no fault with them because they were scrambling to keep up with the demand. We learned that the owners had a Wake, and these were the people from that service. That’s fine, but I would suggest that next time, close the bar for a private party. The “regular patrons” were not given the good service that your staff wants to provide, and we almost felt like we were intruding. What started out as a very enjoyable “date out,” ended very unfortunately. The burger was good, the cuban so so, and...