koki - Creative Puerto Rican Kitchen — Restaurant in Durham

Koki has two locations, and one is closed on Sundays. I called ahead to make sure the location was open and to confirm the address. They told me the address was 101 City Hall Plaza, instead of 104. That should've been my first clue not to visit this restaurant. They claim to serve authentic Puerto Rican food, but they lack the aroma of fragrant vegetables like onions, pepper, and garlic, fresh herbs, and spices used as a base in hispanic cuisine. This establishment is like an overpriced fast food joint. You can sit wherever you wish. They keep the breakfast and lunch/dinner menus mixed together at the cash register. So when you pick up the menu, it may be the wrong one for the time of day. The menu doesn't have prices listed. They do, however, have a wall board with pricing, but not all menu items are listed. You order your food at the counter either on a touchscreen or with the cashier. I ordered beef and maduros empanadas with my salad. I asked how big they were, and they showed me a sign depicting an empanada with the words "Actual Size" written beneath it. They took my name with the order, and when the food came out, the cashier/waitress went around calling out the name Michael, but my name is Michelle. So that didn't work out too well cause they couldn't find Michael. After disturbing several patrons, asking their name and what they ordered, they finally delivered my food. The empanadas were considerably smaller than the drawing they had shown me and were missing the Maduro ingredient. When I brought it to their attention, they simply said they order the empanadas in, so they can neither add nor remove ingredients or change the size. So much for the restaurant claiming authentic food. They offered no resolution. My full sized salad was half the size of any full-sized salad you would get anywhere else. Now, I'm wondering if they gave me the half sized version 🤔 by mistake. Other members of my party ordered items they weren't happy with either.. The Mofongo was sour, and no one ate it. The Chuleta Can-Can was super dry and difficult to chew. One person in my party ordered a whole Cubano sandwich, and they definitely received a half. We know this because a couple at a different table received a whole. Therefore, it was clear that the portion we received was undeniably a half, but the cashier who delivered the food insisted it was a whole. So much for honoring the patron and being a reputable and honest establishment. Oh, and even though you order the food together, it all comes out separately. There is no timing to its arrival. My food would've been cold had I waited for my whole party of seven to receive their meals. About cleanliness: The table was sticky, obviously not wiped down after each customer. I used the bathroom while waiting for my food. There's one bathroom labeled "Whichever." When I attempted to wash my hands, the faucet handle came off, and I was unable to wash my hands. I tried getting a paper towel, so the dispenser wasn't working. I brought to the attention of the cashier, and she said she said, "Yeah, I heard about that." Luckily, I had hand sanitizer gel and poured a generous amount on my hands, wiped and wiped them down with a napkin, then applied another round of sanitizer. I passed the sanitizer around my party, too. You know that sign in the bathroom that states, "Employees must wash their hands"? Well, it wasn't posted. Think about it. There is only one bathroom, and if patrons aren't able to wash their hands, they will be spreading germs throughout the self-serve and seating areas. And how do the front staff wash their hands after bathroom use and handling cash. They are the ones who bring your food to you. I do not recommend the Downtown Durham location and don't plan to visit...

Update Review: The owner Doel reached out to me regarding my bad experience. I appreciate the concern of addressing the bad experience we had. He explained the employee apparently was going through some personal issues, and said it was still not an excuse for the poor service, and I agree. Doel seems passionate about resolving this issue and Reassured me it was not due to homophobia, and I do believe him after talking to him personally. I did express maybe training their staff so other people don’t feel the same way in the future. This was my first time at spanglish and even though my experience was disappointing due to the customer service, the food is good and I do appreciate the effort from the owner.

The food is good but the customer service is poor. I went to meet some friends in the morning for breakfast. I asked if I could get a coffee to start off. 15 mins went by and no coffee, I got up and went to ask about the coffee, the guy just looked at me and didn’t even acknowledge if he heard me or not or gave a response, just started grabbing things, I placed and order of french toast, same response, had to him if he heard me or not. Employee seem irritated and was definitely showing it. My friend who had been there longer said that he treated him the same way and apparently had been giving my friend nasty looks every time. It’s like we had to beg him for him to help us. Not once did he ask if we needed anything. He just went to the back and was on an ipad. Sadly he was the only employee attending in the front. This was my first time there and most likely my last time. Employee definitely showed neglect and indifference towards my friends and me. We did not treat him badly at all and we were not being disruptive or disrespectful in anyway. I worked as a server before and understand fellow workers in the food industry, but in this case it seems he was doing...

I ordered through the lunch service that partners with work. I hadn't had Puerto Rican food in a while (many years), so I was a little nervous to try- im Mexican and my palate is very much in tune with Mexican food. I had two empanadas- beef and maduros and the other was pork-u-pineapple. They were both delicious! They came with two sauces each- a red spicy one and a white and green one that wasn't spicy. I have no idea what is in either sauces, but the spicy one complements the beef and maduros one super well and the white and green one paired perfectly with the pork one. I also ordered flan and a guava and cheese pastry. The flan was absolutely delicious and sweet but not too sweet. Here's the kicker about the guava and cheese pastry- I was really looking forward to it because I've had this pastry before outside of this restaurant and I wondered if it would be better. They ran out, so I was disappointed, how ever...this is great customer service- they replaced it with the tres leches, which costs a bit more, and sent an apology note. I've ordered from other places that do not go through the hoops to send a note and offer a replacement OR give me my money back. So yes a little sad about not getting the guava pastry, but totally content with the swap and note. So my overall experience was wonderful and this restaurant has a new fan! Highly...