Cantina 52 — Restaurant in Crystal Lake

They had us ramen burritos but not only were they terrible but the service was even worse. Walked in and waited by the front not wanting to seat ourselves even though there was no sign that said not to. A bartender/server waved at us to sit at a clean table (there were multiple dirty ones).We did. No one payed any attention to us or even brought us menus for about 15 min and then finally I went up to the bar to a server sitting and foldin napkins and talking to someone behind the bar. After saying excuse me a couple times they finally looked at me and I asked if someone could wait on us. The lady then asked me if someone had sat us. I told her someone behind the bar told us to sit. Again there was no sign saying "wait to be seated". Finally she gets up and brings us menus. Place was not big and there was maybe 3 tables sat inside and 2 outside. They knew we were there and/or just did not care. The server that took our order was clearly not in a good mood. Heard him say he wasnt supposed to even be working. Seemed fustrated, unhappy, and not friendly. Got our drinks and apps and then after waiting 30 min or more I had to flag him down to order the rest of our food. He gave me the hold on finger. At this point we had already been there like an hour an a half. Place was not busy. There was atleast 5 people we saw working and place was not even half full. We saw one couple leave because no one brought them menus or acknowledged them. One table left after getting their apps and waiting forever for someone to take the rest of their order. Our server spent most of his time chatting with the people at the bar mostly complaining about his day. It seemed very unorganized and no one was utilizing their time well. Place has potential but their food was bland and their service was the worst I have ever experienced. I work in the service industry and l understand that there are bad days but this was beyond a bad day. No sense of good custumer service or multi tasking or time management. I could say a lot more because there really were a lot of issues with this place. Hope they get it together and please add some some flavor to those...

Well... I can't say I was overly thrilled about the place. I went by former reviewers and decided to try it. A couple of things caught my attention. First, two things if your going to serve Mexican food. Always have good carne asada and burritos. Not there. Second, menu is to limited. Nibble snack stuff is one thing... Claiming Mexican food dishes is another. Menu need to be expanded. The food taste great, but not at $5.00 a taco great. That's overpriced. Make it affordable and reasonable, the masses will come. It's a great looking place and atmosphere with outside patio dining. Now, for the record... And to be clear... I have nothing for or against the LGBTQ community. That's your business and lifestyle. I personally don't find unisex bathrooms very appealing, and I'm not going to be interested in bringing people to your establishment for dinner, if your hosting a drag show. It's a hard balancing act as an owner. A parent of young kids is not going to be receptive to walking into your establishment with that going on. It's your establishment, and your choice... But, there is a fine line between being a family style type restaurant and adult entertainment. Thus, exposing someone's kids to that. Anyways, down the line... I will give ya another shot, and see if I want to come back, or bring other people or business associates. The food is great 👍, but your menu needs to be more extensive with a bigger selection or array of things to choose from... Beans and rice, carne asada, burritos... A great value and good portions for their money. Hope to see ya again soon. Good luck and take care. I only hope my honest review helps your business further succeed. Us reviewers are out here to help you, not harm you. Were your eyes and ears as consumers, pointing out things you don't see to help your business to succeed. Honest opinion reviews is what we do,...

Me, my husband and a friend of ours decided to check this restaurant because it had good reviews but we were very disappointed and we would not return back. We made a reservation for three people but when we arrived, it looked like they weren’t ready for us. All of the tables were already taken so they put us at a weird extension of the bar table, we felt very cramped and there was a massive fake plant behind my chair that was poking me in my neck and back the entire time. We ordered the shot of their house tequila that honestly had no flavor. I then ordered a margarita flight, the flavors were good but the portions size was pretty disappointing for $22. Unfortunately, the food was the most disappointing part of our night and the way our waitress handled it. When we received our entrees my friend tried to pick up his tacos and the tortillas immediately gave up and all of the continents fell onto his plate. He could not eat any of them because the tortillas were just way too soggy. We waited for our waitress for 25 minutes because she we quite busy and when we told her what happened she said “well, what do you want me to do about it?” We were shocked! You kitchen messed up and you are asking US how you should fix it? She then said she can bring him fresh tortillas so he can assemble his own tacos. So basically he paid $6 per taco and then had to basically make them himself. She did not offer any discount at all. Very disappointing, a waitress should know how to handle a complaint. On a good note, the elote/guac appetizer was fantastic, and the margaritas were very flavorful. They should’ve had another server with how busy it got, there was too much work for one person and the wait times got very long when the...