Xaman Cafe — Restaurant in Dallas

There are essentially 2 restaurants here - Xaman, a bright coffee bar, and Ayahuasca, a candle-lit, insense-scented speakeasy style restaurant.

I really do not like giving poor reviews, and this is not meant to deter anyone from visiting. I would really like to see this place succeed. This is more of a message for ownership if they care to receive criticism to help improve. For diners tl:dr - this is a high concept, creative, and unique experience for Dallas, but service experiences apparently vary. ---‐-------------------------------------------- Our experience: I made reservations at Ayahuasca for dinner for 3 people. We had movie Tickets at Texas Theatre at 8:45, so I thought 7:00 would be plenty of time.

Upon arrival, the barrista of Xaman took us to the back behind a wooden door. 10 stars for ambiance. After being seated, it took 15 minutes for the bartender (the only staff member I saw for a while) to bring us a bottle water. I didn't mind; he was hustling. After about 10 more minutes, the barista from the front came back to take our drink order. We ordered 3 cocktails and the flautas. The flautas arrived fairly quickly (before our drinks), and they were beautifully presented and honestly delicious. After another 10 minutes, 2 of our drinks we ordered arrived by the bartender. I didn't say anything because I could tell he was overwhelmed, and I thought he was going back to get it. It never arrived. After over 30 more minutes, neither did anyone else to take our order. So after being there for at least an hour, we decided to leave. Not wanting to bother the bartender (who was still hustling), one of us went to the Xaman counter to pay for what we had received, to find the barista scrolling through her cell phone at the front counter.

To management: I really don't understand keeping the Xaman side open when you open up for dinner in the back. At the time we were there, you were dedicating a staff member (although not very attentive) to 2 tables of no more than a $40 bill each, and ignoring 7 parties in the back that would be between $150 to $300 a table. We easily would have spent $250 if we were able to have dinner and more drinks, but instead, we left with a $50 tab for 2 drinks and one appetizer. An inventive menu and ambiance will not overshadow poor service. Slow service due to being understaffed is understandable, but basically not being served because staff can't be bothered is...

We are so disappointed with the experience, we come from out of town, 4 adults and a 2yo, got checked in by the hostess at 12:36pm and sat at a 4 top with no high chair provided after 82min, 1:58pm, when our wait time was supposed to be 45min. We stayed cause we were so hungry and had waited a LONG TIME already. We ordered food while the waiter made his first appearance, and no drinks cause we had consumed while in the wait line, we got our food at 2:31pm. I tried ordering my daughter a few items that were unavailable then asked a waiter to get her a quesadilla, he offered chorizo and I asked for birria beef instead, when her quesadilla comes out it had a sunny side up egg on top we never asked for or were told it will have. Then we asked the waiter immediately to replace as she has an egg allergy, he took it back and another personnel came out telling us it would take 5min since they were making it from scratch again. By 2:50pm no quesadilla, and so I asked the waiter to put it to-go and bring us the check, he returned with it to go a few minutes after and no ticket expecting us to just tap our card on their device, then I asked for the ticket again, waiter said he would bring it after the transaction then as my husband was going through with the transaction, the waiter asked to take back the device where he made some changes that made our bill go $40 down? Why idk? We payed then later he brought the printed ticket, where prices where off from what the menu showed, again idk why or how?, tried to get his attention twice to ask about the the billing but we were ignored and he was commuting to the table next to us. My sister-in-law asked for a hot sauce for her food and was never provided, but the waiter then give me a to go sauce for my daughters quesadilla, like how? Why? Never asked for it or need it since she’s 2yo. We just got up and left as we didn’t want to be rude for the bad service. But so disappointed as we were excited to dine in and the waiter did know it was our first time there. Forgot to mention the quesadilla was ...

Review for AYAHUASCA, I wanted to love it this place, but as soon as we enter there was this smell like bathroom sewer that all the “Palo Santo” they burnt could not hide it, we order soda water “agua de piedra” to start” the waiter brought bottles but no glasses, my husband asked for glasses the waiter only brought him a glass, so I drank the plain water he served at the beginning and refilled the glass with the soda water; then order drinks, the cocktail XOCHITL SOUR was good, more on the sweet side that the sour side but good, we order the food appetizers: CHICHARRON EN SALSA VERDE and was very good and the Ceviche which was not good, the fish did not taste good nor smell good after the first bite I could not keep eating it, at that same moment the waiter comes and refills my glass with water when I realized it I stop him and tell him that my glass has soda water, then he stops and apologized and starts walking away so I tell him that now the gas water is mixed with water that I need more gas water, he goes away and when he comes back with another bottle while putting it on the table tells me, that it was my mistake to use the water glass for the soda that their policy is that those glasses are only for regular water and that’s why he got confused, as if I the costumer had to know the policy and if I the costumer that was not provided another glass for my soda water from him at the beginning was at fault, his bad attitude left me in shock and at that point I did not even wanted to bring the ceviche situation to him my husband shared the pork with me and we paid and left, by the way they don’t show you or give you an itemized check they do everything on the handheld so we could not even see what were they charging yet as I said we wanted to leave the place ASAP, on my way out I did tell the other waiter that he needed to tell the Chef to check the fish, because it smell bad, and his...