La Cocina Mexican Restaurant #9 — Restaurant in Durham

I'm not sure what anyone is rating highly about this place.

Let's just start with the basics: Queso. Apparently they make their 'queso' with American 'cheese'. What self respecting Mexican slops fake cheese product into some heat and calls it queso? At least Frito Lays has the decency to jar up melted cheddar cheese.

Next, the "salsa". Which was literally a can of tomato sauce, put into ramekins to be delivered to your table. Not one single piece of tomato in sight. Not one grain of garlic powder, onion powder. They can't even be bothered to use powdered spices to flavor this "salsa". Let alone salt. I can understand all the geniuses complaining about cilantro making somewhere leave cilantro out of their salsa, but uh, yeah... Salsa's basic requirements are tomatoes, garlic, and onions.

The least you all could do is pretend to care even remotely to the meaning of the word, and add $0.50 of Garlic powder and $0.50 of Onion powder into that gallon can of Tomato sauce you cracked open and moved into a different container.

Next, let's talk about the "SUPER HOT PLAAAATE". That means that Chef Mike 'prepared' your food. Who knows when that food was actually cooked, earlier in the day? Earlier in the week? Last month? It wasn't cooked after you ordered it, because these geniuses just threw it on a plate and stuck it in the microwave for 60+ seconds.

Any restaurant you go to that brings out "HOT PLATES!!!!!", refuse the food, politely pay for your drinks, whatever you ate, and leave. Because that "restaurant" is barely one step above buying frozen food and heating it up in the microwave yourself at home.

Everyone, this was a table of 9+ people, hated, and I mean, could not find even one redeeming thing about each plate ordered. Everything about the food was gross.

I don't expect 5 star $50 plate dining from the $10 a plate local Mexican joint. I don't care what your prices are, or where you are, the "salsa" was an absolute joke and disrespectful to call it such. To make queso with American "cheese product" just takes the cake. These people do not care, at all, about the food they are providing to you, for the money you are providing to them.

Take your money...

I ordered a To-Go order from La Cocina in Morrisville. I specifically ordered a chicken and shrimp quesadilla. Got home, the quesadilla ONLY has shrimp on it. While in route back to the restaurant I called over the phone & explained to them what had happened. During the phone call I had no attitude, I was very straight to the point. Being that this hasn’t been the first time this has happened I expressed that I would like a refund since I was inconvenienced. Whichever employee I was on the phone with said “Ok” and we got off the phone. Upon me entering I was greeted by the “Manager”. I had the shrimp quesadillas in my hand and asked do you want these back & immediately she answered “Uhh Yeah!” (Very unprofessional). So then she tells me I won’t be getting my money back because I ordered shrimp quesadillas. I again explained to her I ordered chicken and shrimp. Again & I use this word “MANAGER” loosely because her customer service is VERY POOR which showed me she knows nothing about running a business. She began to try & argue with me about what I ordered. By this time I highly annoyed & angered. I’m a customer of her business, no excuse me, of a business SHE WORKS FOR & she’s at the front of the business trying to argue with me. After me telling her the issue wasn’t even up for debate she told me I could get a “discount”. As she types on her calculator with an attitude to do simple math to figure out what half of $13 was. Needless to say I WILL NOT be returning back to this poorly ran establishment by Christoli (SC). At the end of the day I am a paying customer and also a business owner not worker unlike her. If you inconvenience a customer you should do whatever to make it right without trying to argue. I would advise whoever is the head of this business over Christoli to get her some type of training before they lose out on many other customers...

Horrible manager. We had our food come out wrong and were told by the manager on duty they would replace our meal for free on our next visit. This was my first visit, so we decided to go back one week later on my birthday. Our server apparently didn't want us and we had a new server come finish us off after our original one dissappeared. Her loss because the new one got a banging tip. So when we were getting our bill situated, the manager took off $2 off a $60 check, that should have only been half that bc of the alcohol. Then after saying something, he said he can't change the check after it already been discounted, still complained bc that was not the agreement that we verified with him when walking in. So after that, he took off $4 more. I work in the industry, and will never go back here. The cheese dip is cold, the margaritas are too syrupy, and the management is too scared to confront guest, bc instead of talking to me, he his in the back. So if you want good mexican food, I suggest you drive two miles further to San Jose. They actually give a damn about their...