Santiago's Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Castle Rock

I want to start this review off by saying I tried to prevent sending a negative review, with hopes that the Restaurant Manager would understand where I was coming from and make good with the situation.

We ordered a significant amount of burritos from this location last night with an order to be made and ready to go prior to 630a the next day. We definitely understand making 350+ breakfast burritos with a short turnaround is a challenge, that being said, if they didn't think they could do it - let us know! The burritos were ready to go on time, there was no question about that, and as a matter of fact, we appreciate the hard work put into it. However, let me let you know where the ship starts turning around...

When we started eating the burritos, we got feedback that this wasn't the "Santiago's brand we were used to." and the "taste was compromised." The burritos weren't filled with chili like they usually are and full of eggs, meat, potatoes, cheese, etc. The Santiago's that we are used to...

Moving on, people aren't going to put up a big stink, because the food was paid for by the company and it is free food. However; I felt compelled to let the management team at Santiago's know what was going on, just so (1) this experience wouldn't happen again (2) we would continue to go back to this location (3) let other people who order the amount of burritos we did, not have to experience this.

I decided to call the manager of the store to give her a little insight on what we experienced (the professional thing to do) and this is where the plot got THICK!

When speaking with the manager of this location (MOD 3/28/14 at 10:45a) I informed her of all of the above. I let her know very respectfully that this isn't the Santiago's brand that is consistent to the taste they brought to the Denver area. I let her know the level of satisfaction was relatively low and the masses weren't satisfied with the product. She respectfully listed to me, but apparently this didn't sit well with her b/c she told me there are about 1000+ other burritos that went out after our order and no one has complained. YES, THIS WAS HER RESPONSE! She didn't care that we just spent close to $1000 on breakfast burritos and this is something that we do for our organization on a monthly basis. This didn't matter to her... After a short conversation she said with the utmost confidence for our organization not to order from her location again. I asked for clarification, and she confirmed again, "you might want to order from a different location if you aren't satisfied with our food."

There was no effort to make good by our dissatisfaction, there wasn't an apology, there wasn't a "Hey, we sell HUNDREDS of burritos a day and we might have made a mistake." Complete arrogance, lack of care, concern, and even more so the customer experience was at a all time low.

Needless to say, we won't order our $1000 orders from Santiago's in the future. Hopefully this isn't a reflection of all of their locations, which I highly doubt, cause we have had A+ experiences from all of their locations EXCEPT this one.

Manager, who's name starts with a "K," Krissy? Katie? Katherine... I apologize for forgetting your name... my purpose of the phone call was to be able to resolve this over the phone versus having to write a thesis via Yelp. Trust me, if a simple apology over the phone was given, this wouldn't have happened.

I think we will change our orders back to Sabor Mexican Grill, they appreciate...

My spouse and I had the opportunity to dine at this esteemed establishment, Santiago's. Our previous experiences at other Santiago's locations across Colorado had consistently left us impressed. However, this particular visit was to a location we had not yet explored. During our lunch outing, we found this branch to be relatively quiet, a promising setting for a delightful meal.

I placed an order for a carnitas burrito accompanied by hot green chile, while my spouse opted for a bean and cheese burrito paired with mild green chile. As our orders were prepared and presented to us, it became evident that there were temperature issues at play. My carnitas burrito was notably warm but not piping hot. However, my spouse's experience was more disheartening, as her bean and cheese burrito contained cold beans and lukewarm green chile. At the time, she remarked that her meal was "not that hot," which I initially interpreted as a comment on the spiciness of the chile.

Our meal concluded with a sense of mild disappointment, with my wife unable to finish her burrito. Regrettably, the repercussions of this dining experience manifested themselves a full day later, as my wife fell ill, experiencing symptoms such as nausea, a severe headache, and gastrointestinal distress.

As a seasoned food critic, I recognized that such post-meal discomfort often stems from temperature mishaps. The "danger zone" for food, characterized by temperatures that promote bacterial growth, can indeed lead to foodborne illnesses. In this case, it appears that inadequately cooked or improperly reheated beans may have been the root cause of my wife's unfortunate bout of food poisoning.

Our overall sentiment, therefore, is one of disappointment. While we have held Santiago's in high regard in the past, this particular experience has left us with reservations. In the realm of food safety, adherence to protocols is paramount to ensure the health and well-being of diners. We would suggest that this specific Santiago's location undergo scrutiny from a health inspector to ensure adherence to food safety standards. It is with a measure of regret that we conclude that our longstanding culinary relationship with Santiago's has reached its denouement, and we part ways with a...

Santiago’s customer since I moved to Colorado twenty years ago. I buy their amazing green chili from the store, and often buy their food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This rating and review is specifically pointed at the Castle Rock Santiago’s on Kinner. This is the closest Santiago’s to my house, which isn’t close at all - just wanted to point that out. They often get orders wrong, even after repeating it at least twice, to the point that one day, I felt obligated to call their location and asked to speak with the branch manager—who was not in on that particular day. I was assured I would get a call back, so I left my name and number, and never did. I wanted to let the manager know just how often I go there and how often they get my order wrong.

SEPTEMBER 2020 - I asked for the three enchilada plate, plain—NO SAUCE, I said... twice—with NO veggies, only a side of rice and beans. Went to the drive thru to pick up the order, had to open a double-tied bag, and looked at every item. I will say this, I missed the mistake they had made. My bad, for sure. What I thought, at a brief glance at the drive-thru window, was a PLAIN three cheese enchilada plate was a SMOTHERED (sauce and onions only) plate with NO rice and beans. Again, this happens OFTEN. Why do I keep going? It’s the nearest one and the food tastes good. I am writing this review to hopefully make a difference in the customer service at this particular location. I rarely have any issues with the many other locations I have frequented.

MAY 2021 - Upgrading from one star to three stars. Since COVID, Santiago's seems to have made some major changes to their website, specifically online ordering. This has made ordering much more convenient! Also, the accuracy of my orders has made a significant improvement since ordering online (I used to call ahead). Will continue to provide feedback after more future visits. Stay safe!

Thanks...