Mezcla Cocina Y Cantina — Restaurant in Chattanooga

Ordinarily, this is our favorite go-to Mexican restaurants in Chattanooga. There are quite a few to select, all good. This has been our standard. The food is excellent. The last few times have been a different experience. A month ago, the server forgot to put our order in and we waited over an hour for our food. Nothing was comped, nor did we ask for it. The second time (last week) we had the same server. Service and food were excellent except that she added a 22% tip that is automatic for tables with guests of 6 or more. We paid it, thinking this was a new standard, and even added to it. We learned later that she was mistaken. I don't know if it was on purpose. We'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

Last night, we took our guests (out-of-town family) to Mezcla as we did last year when they visited. This time, the food and drinks took a long time to arrive. We waited nearly an hour again. The dinner crowd had cleared out so we weren't sure why this was the case. The plates came out 10 minutes apart: our guests' dinners were cold, while ours was hot. We told the young woman who delivered the cold food (long hair, glasses), and she actually rolled her eyes at us. When our server, Jordan, checked on us, we told him. He immediately apologized and offered to see if he could get part of our meal comped. We said that wasn't necessary, but that we would like to see the manager. Because we love(d) Mezcla and want it to thrive, we wanted to relay our concerns. Jordan returned back and said that the manager offered to reheat their dinners and give us a free dessert. But he was not coming out to talk to us. His name is Junior.

Jordan is an excellent server. Our complaint is not with him, nor even with the bartender that took over 30 minutes plus us inquiring as to the whereabouts of our guests' drinks. It was clear that there was only one bartender. Our disappointment and disgust is with the lack of professionalism and disregard of Junior, the manager last night-so much so that we are prompted to write this cautionary review. The food is excellent, the vibe is great, but the management has much to improve. We hope the...

So, let me start by saying I really wanted to like this place. It’s in a weird location from a parking standpoint but not usually an issue for me as I typically Uber when I go out; then I can enjoy drinks without worrying about the drive home. I wasn’t going to leave a review but after talking to a friend who had a similar experience, I thought it would be worthwhile to try and give some honest feedback. We went to eat dinner and get drink a few Saturdays ago and sat at the bar as we typically do when going out. We ordered an appetizer and couple of drinks which brought us to the first issue. There menu has a typo / pricing issue. And no, it’s not even about having the money to pay for it. “TOSTADAS DE CAMARONES” tostadas, the plural form of tostada would indicate there would be more than one, however that’s not the case. Only one tostada came out with 4 shrimp on it. We were surprised by this but decided to stay and try some other items on the menu. We ordered one each of all the tacos that were available that evening as they were sold out of the oyster mushroom tacos. The Camaron taco($4.50 @ full price) came out with three shrimp compared to the 4 on “tostada” appetizer($11.00); from a food cost standpoint, this has zero logic behind the menu pricing. The second issue which my friend experienced as well while he was there at a different time was getting a second drink. It appears their bar is split up into sections like servers typically are. This creates an issue when two other employees behind the bar in addition to what I think was the manager walk by an empty drink glass and don’t ask if you would like another. My friends experience went as far as someone came by and picked up his empty glass but didn’t ask the simple question about a potential refill. For these two reasons, I wont be back. It’s sad as I said, I really wanted to like the new place. It’s a nice location with the potential for...

Do NOT go here for lunch. We have been multiple times in the evening. It was my favorite restaurant of its kind in Chattanooga. 100% of the reason why is the Carne en su jugo. Fantastic. Went yesterday (Tuesday, March 18) at 12:15pm. Paid to park as there is no free parking there, and it was an absolute disaster. 55 minutes in and still no food. The restaurant was not half full. I asked about our food. I was told we were behind a "big party." First, this party arrived 10 minutes after us. Second, this "big" party was 6 people. I was also informed at that point that there were only 2 bowls of Carne en su jugo remaining and the big party ordered both so it was not available. After 55 minutes, I'm told for the first time it's all gone. I asked to speak with the manager on duty. I was told that there was no manager on duty until 2pm. They told me the manager would call me upon arrival so I left my number. Big surprise : no call. They brought my bill for the salsas and items we purchased primarily to be enjoyed with our entrees and that were sitting on the table. So, a full hour after arrival, we got essentially nothing but a bill for $28. Here's the point -- unless you have 3 hours on your hands at lunch, and don't care whether a manager is present, do not go to weekday lunch at Mezcla. Supper is a different story. Each time we have been delighted with everything -- and particularly that soup!!! But skip the lunch. You'll be...