The Original Blue Cantina — Restaurant in City of Mount Vernon

Want to start by saying that the food here is great. Very delicious and cooked well.... However the employees have very nasty attitudes & seems to only like to serve their kind, which I found to be quite racist, even though you're also a paying customer.

My husband went in and ordered a medium rice & peas with fried chicken w/ stew chicken gravy ($14). (Extra gravy) which most people usually ask for. He was told by the woman that took his order they no longer serve extra gravy on any sized foods. They used to but there was a charge for it. Now according to her, they just don't serve it at all. He accepted it, paid and stepped away so she may serve the next customer. A gentleman of same origin as the cashier, ordered and also requested Extra gravy....he was told "no problem" , even though she literally just told my husband they don't serve extra gravy.....Very petty if you asked me... With that being said, we will not be spending our money at a business that clearly has no interest in treating all of their customer's the same. That's quite disappointing because their food is pretty good even though it's over priced. They want the food and they want the money 🤷🏻‍♀️. Don't recommend unless you like spending your money for trashy customer service & being lied to...

This restaurant was recommended to me by a friend that leaves nearby. Since getting that recommendation I've visited several times to try there oxtails, curried goat and garlic shrimp. So far EVERYTHING I have tried has been delicious down to the rice and peas. I really can't say what was best so I would say they were all equally delicious and flavorful. But I can say the oxtails are some of the best I've gotten from a restaurant in a longtime. Unfortunately there are many Caribbean restaurants that make sub par rice and peas but serve you mounds of it with each dish. The rice and peas is so good that I have heard some people order only that. My only issue is that they don't offer more of an option for vegetables to accompany your meal. When you ask for vegetables they give you a coleslaw. The coleslaw is delicious but not exactly vegetables. But overall anything you order here will satisfy...

The food here has always been outstanding, but I’ve noticed the quality slipping recently. Service is also consistently slow, which makes dining less enjoyable. I understand that restaurant work can be demanding, but staff should still maintain a sense of urgency and attentiveness to the overall flow of business.

The atmosphere is another concern. The space feels far too small for the size of the clientele, and it can come across as cutting corners rather than investing in customer comfort. Additionally, there has never been a customer appreciation event, which would go a long way toward building loyalty.

Lastly, the rising prices are difficult to justify without improvements in service, space, and customer engagement. I truly believe this restaurant has great potential, but to keep customers coming back, it needs to focus more on professionalism,...