Cantina Azteca — Restaurant in California

I came with a friend and she wanted to ordered happy hour 3min before it ended. The waiter made us feel like we were to late and that they werent serving happy hour no more. We insisted that there was 3 min left asked him what the problem was and he responded with checking in with the bar and yes we got our drink still on happy hour.

Then came my food, i ordered a vegetarian tacos but asked for chicken to be included in the soft tacos. When they brought it, they forgot my chicken, then they brought it in an extra plate after i reminded them. "it didnt taste the same since it was not inside the taco." After taking my first bite, it tasted like something was wrong with the tomato inside the taco. it tasted like it was spoiled or something...but i was very hungry, and tried to ignore it. On my last taco, my friend saw my face that something was wrong. finally, i told her that i think something is wrong with the tomato inside the taco. at that moment the waiter saw us or heard us and ask if everything is ok. I told him about the tacos, he took my plate and told me he will mention this to the cook. 2min later, he gave us the check with out saying anything or give me a discount. So I called the waitor back and asked him about the situation and what the cook said. The waiter said that nothing was wrong with the tomatos and that was just the sauce on it and I said, well maybe the cook should try my tomato and taste it for himself. And then the waitor said that the cook TRIED my tomato and thought nothing is wrong with that! 😰 That's it that was my last time to be there. I was just speechless...

Update, 5 years later (2024): You can read my original review below. We moved out of the area and hadn't been here in 5 years. The only thing that's changed (other than price, obviously), which was a big bummer, was that the chips and salsa bar disappeared. I confirmed with a waitress that they never brought it back after the pandemic. Fortunately there's still unlimited chips and salsa available, but you have you ask for anything other than mild, and rely on the (relatively slow) wait staff for chip refills. My rating is staying at 4 stars due to the service. Original review: We come here often. The only thing keeping this from 5 stars is the service. Usually they don't have enough waiters and we have to wait awhile to get drinks, refills, etc. On the plus side, the chips and salsa bar is fantastic, and I like that it's serve-yourself so we don't have to rely on the waiters for it. The food itself is quite good and comes in large portions... I have seen a lot of items and they all look great. I personally judge a Mexican restaurant on their burritos, which can be very hit-or-miss in some restaurants, and these don't disappoint. The mega wet burrito is huge and easily feeds me twice for only $10. The carnitas are my least favorite meat choice... I'd say marinated chicken is the best, but sometimes I...

Restaurants have to be rated on how they are handling being open during COVID-19. Pre COVID-19, this restaurant was a regular visit for my family.

Cinco de Mayo is going to be busy no matter what Mexican restaurant there is. I put in an order online that says the wait time is 25 minutes. I go to the restaurant. When I get to the restaurant, there is a line out the door. People are in line despite having online orders. No one in line seems to know what is going on. Cantina Azteca's phone line had been disconnected. There are periodically customers walking inside without going in the line. Sometimes a workers comes out to give information, but they speak so softly that their words can't he heard in the back of the line. Eventually I overhear a person in the line state that their order was rejected for the reason of "busy". By the time this information comes out, I have been in line for over an hour. I check my email and my order was updated to say "busy". Cantina Azteca staff could have easily walked out and and told the crowd that they were cancelling all orders after a specific period of time, but they didn't.

I won't be returning to Cantina Azteca and won't be placing any orders until COVID-19 is done. If the restaurant survives, I'll consider giving them...