Ochoa's Cafe — Restaurant in Canton

This is the first review I have ever posted. Sadly it is negative one. I have eaten at this establishment for over 10 years and at its sister locations. The food at the canton ochoas' has always been delicious in the past. I live about 40 miles from canton and my son suggested we go back to enjoy some food. I am a single father of 3 and we eat out often. On my most recent trip I had mentioned to the waitress we were not pleased with the portions concerning our nachos. We ordered beef, bean and cheese. This falls under Ochoa's Nacho Grande. You can order beef or bean only for about 6 bucks but the Grande is 9.10 cents. The waitress boldly stated that I would have to speak with "Gus" the owner. I really wasn't trying to make a problem nor looking for some kind of discount, but the nachos did not take up the entire plate as they had in the past. It appeared we had been served a half order. The owner over heard the waitress and called me out 10 feet away about my concern. I did not wish to yell across the restaurant so I approached him to speak about it. He firmly stated that they put 12 chips on a plate make the nachos and thats "just how they do it". I had only wished I had taken a picture of some of the chips, that weren't much bigger than a quarter, but my kids were starving and we finished the plate in under 2 minutes. We continued the meal and I was a bit upset with his explaining and simply being made to like it. The waitress told me she felt it was a ripoff and said she was ashamed to hand me the ticket. I was charged the entire amount for a nacho Grande and not even offered the sour cream and avocado that are supposed to come with it. I discussed it with Gus again while paying the 54 dollar ticket for me and my 3 small kids, mentioning I hadn't even received the set up since he was going to insist on billing the full amount. He simply looked at me and just said " ok". One thing is for sure, I will never return to ochoas restaurant, Mr. Gus Ramirez, and I plan to share my story about you to everyone I know in east texas. You do not appreciate your long time customers and have too much business. I hope that extra 3 bucks was...

I ordered the Pepe Plate, which came with a chili cheese enchilada, a beef crispy taco, a tamale, and a cheese enchilada smothered in queso. Flavor-wise, everything was on point. The salsa was thick, slightly spicy, and full of flavor—definitely a highlight.

That said, there were a few things that took away from the overall experience. First, my crispy taco came out on its own super hot plate—just as hot as the enchilada plate—which started melting the cheese and warming up the lettuce and tomato. Not a dealbreaker, but I prefer my taco on a room-temp plate so it stays crispy and fresh.

Service was great—my waitress and the support staff were really attentive. No complaints there.

The atmosphere, though, left a lot to be desired. It felt kind of plain, sparse, and empty—not cozy or inviting. Also, heads up: rice and beans are not included with all the enchilada plates, and there’s a disclaimer above the Tex-Mex section making that clear. Personally, when I order a Mexican combo plate, I expect the rice and beans to come with it. Having to order them separately is kind of annoying.

And lastly… the tip jar at the register that says “Tips for Cooks.” I’m sorry, but no. I don’t know what the cooks are paid, but asking customers to subsidize their wages with tips at the counter is giving broke and tacky. That’s management’s responsibility—not mine.

Overall, the food was good and the service was solid, but the lack of ambiance and weird tipping setup left a weird taste. Would I go back? Maybe—but I’d be mentally prepared for great flavor served with a side of...

We went on CInco De Mayo and they were slammed. 45 min wait. It was about 7pm when we got there and a little before 8 we were seated. They close at 8. Waiter took our order. Then brought out the queso we ordered. And then we waited and waited. Finally I’m looking around and people behind us in line we’re done and getting ready to leave. I ask the waiter about our order. He checked and Somehow it had gotten missed. He had the manager come speak with us. And he assured us it would be right out and of course apologized. It finally did come out. Minus tye beans and rice because they were out. And I had reg pinto beans on my nachos. But what the heck we are hungry so we ate. The manager came over and comp all our food and stayed his is just short handed. Since Covid he and everyone else has had trouble getting people to work. Well we left a tip for the waiter and still gave him 1/2 of our ticket. He and his staff was just overworked and short handed. No need to get to upset. Even though I did a little. It was that hangry thing. But you can bet we will go back. Everyone has off days. And with the employee shortage we all have to give businesses a break. And not complain. But instead tell them Thank you we know you are trying. And it’s to dang bad the government has made it to east for people to sit on their butts at home and not work. And a little FYI- the ones that are getting the checks, normally complain...