La Casita — Restaurant in Camp Verde

Updated review, second and likely last visit.

This was our second visit because my first experience was overall positive. My expectations were higher than they should have been, it turns out.

This time, not so good. While the chips and salsa were good and timely brought out, the remaining service was slow and almost grudging.

We ordered a guacamole appetizer. It was nothing special and did not taste or look homemade. It came with no additional chips. We had to ask for more.

It took forever to get silverware and napkins. It was a constant effort to get someone's attention to do anything. They seemed understaffed and not inclined to do much about it. The place seemed not well run and not well managed.

The food finally came out and it was subpar. My burrito was runny and had very little meat or spice to it. My wife's fajitas were watery and had very little chicken, just little slivers. They came with no vegetables except thin slices of onion and a few red peppers. We had to ask for a special bowl of grated cheese to make cheese meaningful, which separately cost $2.25. The cheese that came with the dish was virtually microscopic. My wife ordered a pina collada which was more a milkshake; virtually no alcohol.

I wanted to like it. It was not in the cards. Maybe they were having a bad night, maybe they were understaffed, maybe they were overcrowded, maybe they are having turnover problems or the cooks just are unsupervised or untrained. Whatever the reason, I cannot justify a return visit.

And the prices are no bargain either with this diminished level of service and food quality.

First visit:

The food was very good. Flavorful and authentic.

There is a huge and somewhat confusing menu. The atmosphere was great. The prices were reasonable I guess, in this laughable era of hyper inflation.

The waiter was shall we say, a little too impressed with himself and not particularly patient or polite. He was not very easy to understand either. He spoke so rapidly I could hardly tell what he was saying and he seemed annoyed when asked to repeat anything.

The food was delivered promptly and hot. Very good.

I would clearly go back just for the food. I like the place.

Someone else may think the waiter was Mr. Congeniality. Maybe we caught him on...

I’ve been a customer here for the past seven years, and until recently, it’s always been one of my favorite places to dine. Unfortunately, my most recent experience with a server named Bruce was so disappointing that it may prevent us from returning.

From the moment he approached our table, Bruce spoke so quickly that I had to interrupt him just to clarify my order. I even asked him directly to slow down. The restaurant was not busy at the time, so there was no apparent reason for the rushed service, yet the experience from start to finish was chaotic, frustrating, and unprofessional.

I ordered a skinny margarita, as I usually do, but it was served in an oversized goblet—not the way it’s typically presented at this restaurant. When I told Bruce it wasn’t what I ordered, he took it away and returned within a minute—with the exact type glass. He never came back to check on us, which at that point was probably for the best. I had wanted to order another drink and specify but trying to communicate with him was incredibly difficult. When I attempted to ask about the tequila options, he abruptly tossed the tequila menu in front of me and said, “What type tequila do you want?” Out of frustration, I just said Patron Reposado. To make matters worse, my husband asked for a martini, and Bruce told him he didn’t make those—despite us having been served one at the same restaurant just a month earlier. The inconsistency was baffling. The food, as always, was excellent, but when the bill arrived, I was shocked to see I had been charged $23.81 for a margarita—more than I’ve paid at high-end establishments like the Four Seasons or Disney. (see receipt) As someone who used to work in the industry as a bartender, I understand how service should look, and this was unacceptable, especially when the restaurant wasn’t busy. Bruce’s service turned what should have been an enjoyable night out into a very disappointing experience, one we are still telling our friends about. If we do decide to return in the future, it will be with a clear request for a...

FABULOUS food. Disappointing service.

We saw reviews talking about how good the food and margaritas are. That's all we needed to know to add this restaurant to our vacation plans!! The food did not disappoint!!! Authentic, hot, delish!!!

The service wasn't up to par. Our margaritas didn't arrive until our food arrived. Apparently, they'd run out of glasses. A bit odd, but okay. However, our water wasn't brought out, and we had to ask about the status of the margaritas after 15+ minutes had gone by. The server had to ask for them to be remade because they'd been served to another table. Then, when we got them, they weren't what we'd ordered. The food arrived, but we had to ask for napkins and silverware. The server never checked with us to see if everything was okay. By the time she did come back, my meal was finished. My boyfriend asked for more tortillas - ten plus minutes later, we hadn't gotten them. At that point, we asked for our ticket. Another 10-15 minutes went by. We received the ticket and had been charged for the drinks despite them being incorrect and one of them left untouched. The other one was tried, but abandoned.

When I mentioned to the server that I was disappointed at being charged full price when the drinks were wrong and the other mishaps, she got defensive and upset. Turns out there were only two servers working and they were scrambling. This was news to me. We were sitting outside and weren't privy to this. Customer service tip - if you're swamped and struggling to get everything done, give your customers a heads-up the very first time there is an oops. Most customers will be understanding and adjust their expectations and even what they order. I'll even give a bigger tip because I get it and can appreciate how hard someone is trying (yes I still left a tip). But please don't get defensive and upset with me for not being happy when things aren't provided in a timely manner and the...