Mi Cocina — Restaurant in Dallas

This place used to be awesome, but poor leadership and careless customer service has tanked this place. And the neighborhood can tell, there was no wait at 7pm on a Friday…. Yikes.

After being sat in a booth between 2 crying babies, we sat there for 10 minutes before our sever ever made an appearance. Should’ve took that as a signal and got up and left. But we stayed, finally after 10 minutes we ordered our first round of Mambos and a bowl of Queso Blanco. That also took another 10 minutes to arrive.

So 20 minutes in and we have been delivered half melted margaritas, and a bowl of lukewarm queso. Both I’m sure sat waiting on our server, and not the other way around. We finally ordered our main dishes and another round, which surprisingly came out fast, but it was probably because our server was down to just 2 tables, which should probably be her MAX.

My biggest issue is the “manager” who never once stopped by and checked on any table, except 1 table he kept hanging out at. He’d go from hanging out with that table, to briskly walking around looking busy, but never actually doing anything. The managers here used to care, and were what made this place great, this one needs to go back to the floor for a while.

Either way, there’s plenty of better options out there. El Vecino, Manny’s, E-Bar, etc… are all better options now....

Go! Eat! Visit! Socialize! This is absolutely and hands down one of the BEST Tex Mex establishments in Dallas! I took my work team out for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, and was astounded by the quality of food, location, and level of customer service. What I first noticed was the quality of service when we first entered. We had two or three staff helping us. They were grownups (not kids), and it made a huge difference! We were seated in seconds. Now, the location is something out of a magazine. The area of town is tranquil, historic, and the windows are huge and there is a lovely scenery. Third is the absolute cleanliness of this place! They have Dyson Hoover's. They are super silent and effective. Every few seconds someone is deep cleaning the area. The furniture is beautiful. The mood lighting is perfect and music is tranquil and not too loud. Our waiter (I believe his name is Daniel) was simply wonderful! We had a gang of 9 folks, but it felt as is if staff were waiting on us hand and foot. DEFINITELY VISIT this hidden gem. I was astounded that I was able to get outta there with quite a reasonable price. 5 star service with a 3 to 4...

This was the first restaurant I've visited in over a year. I'm fully vaccinated but still nervous about going out because I don't want to become a vector/host for a COVID variant. But I felt comfortable at Mi Cocina on this lovely, sunny, April spring Saturday.

The staff were fully masked at all times. Most patrons put on masks when leaving their tables. [Total side-eye to the woman who took her kids inside to use the restroom without a mask on.] The few indoor diners were spaced well apart, and the fans and the breeze kept air constantly flowing on the to-capacity patio.

The guacamole was as fresh and wonderful as I remembered. Nachos Locos, cheese enchiladas, and brisket tacos were all heavenly. The Double-Barrel Margarita was worth the price, as always.

It will take awhile for me to acclimate to shouty voices and loud music again, but I'm grateful that Mi Cocina Lakewood was doing everything right in terms of customer and employee safety. And still making awesome...