La Condesa — Restaurant in El Paso

I’m not one to write reviews however I’m so mad with yesterdays dining experience. It took us 1 hour to get seated when we had a RESERVATION. The place was packed and we were all standing at the bar hoping to get sat at a table that was originally supposed to be our table but there was indeed people sitting at it. I understand places get busy but to have a party of 10 come in and then have us all stand around the bar for an hour with nowhere to sit is beyond ridiculous. You guys need to tell people you’re booked and take care of you reservations. Second, was the music it was way to loud none of us could hear anything we were saying, the poor server was definitely having issues hearing us. Third the service our server was really nice but to overwhelm your employees like that and not care is ridiculous. The bartenders were completely backed up and it wasn’t even their fault because this establishment completely overpacked their restaurant and overwhelmed their staff. I can’t even be mad at the slow service or the staff because the fact that they can’t even hear their tables and on top of it are completely overwhelmed because there was way to many people compared to servers. We made sure to tip our server well because we felt horrible for her. That’s not a way to treat your staff. Lastly, the food was not on point at all, not only were there multiple changes made to our plates due to kitchen shortages but the staff didn’t even tell us what we ordered was going to be completely different. The salmon appetizer i ordered that came out was warm and wasn’t even safe to eat. The calamari had literally no salt or seasoning on it. The chicharrones were undercooked. We got the shrimp wrapped entree and it wasn’t even what was described to us when they brought it out and it wasn’t good at all. We actually had to take the Arrachera back to the kitchen because it was burnt and they served it with breakfast potatoes and smothered it with sauce. We told them not even to remake it for us at it came out well done and we ordered it medium rare. Obviously the kitchen staff was overwhelmed too. From the food to the service this place needs some serious help, with how expensive it is you guys gotta get it together because you just lost 11 people that will...

Walking in we were greeted by a super friendly hostess. We had a reservation, but arrived late and she told us not to worry that she would sit us as soon as a table opened up. Considering how busy they were I thought that was really nice of her. The ambience is fun and the music is maybe a tad too loud for a restaurant, so if you’re looking for a romantic environment this is not the place. This is more of a friends night out to pregame before going to the bars or just to have fun. The drinks we ordered were all very well prepared and we thoroughly enjoyed them and would have had more if our waitress Kimberly would have come by to check on us more often. She never refilled our waters and only came to the table to take our initial drink order, our food order, and then we had to hunt her down for our bill. For the food we had the chicharrón with guacamole, it was different and pretty damn good. Some said the portion was tiny, but I found the portion to be just right. For food we had the Ribeye tacos which were good flavor wise and the toppings were just right. But I don’t know $28 for 3 tacos is a little steep in my opinion. My husband had La Condesa Shrimp which he loved and I must say were actually unique and very delicious. The batter they use I have never seen used on shrimp and they were battered to perfection. My friend’s husband had The Cubano which he said was good, but he did say it had a lot of fat on it. Which I did warn him about because it is not shredded pork, it’s pork belly. Maybe they should change that considering I have seen several complaints about that. But to their defense it does say it on the menu that it is pork belly. Overall I would recommend this place I had a really good time and left satisfied. The only thing is my throat was a little sore from yelling across the table so maybe they should consider lowering the volume on the music just a little, and maybe train the servers to check up on their tables more often. We could have easily ordered 3 rounds of drinks during our time there. But check it out and don’t let the bad reviews deter you, judge...

I was excited to try this place out. We went on Saturday night as walk-ins because they don't take reservations. We couldn't find the host or hostess. There is no station to report to when you arrive. Another patron who was waiting told me that I had to hunt down the hostess because they aren't anywhere to be found. Once I found her, the wait list time I was quoted was "45 minutes to an hour". They don't have a reservation system yet so they took my name down on a piece of paper.

After 45 minutes of waiting, two chairs were cleared at the bar so we sat down to order some drinks. We had a Paloma a Oaxacan Old Fashioned. The drinks were okay at best. It was hard to have a commination because there was a saxophone player and the music was too loud. No one was even clapping after each song so it was apparent to me that people didn't really care for that nor were they listening.

As we had our drinks, I asked one of the hostess how much longer our wait time was and she said they had 6 parties ahead of me. After waiting another 30 minutes, I asked again and she said there were still 4 parties ahead. At that time we decided to leave. We found out that apparently four cooks called in that day. Yikes! It appears they may have to work harder on hiring more qualified and dependent staff. As we wasted our time waiting, we noticed about 6 different couples turning away and leaving the moment they walked in and spoke to the hostess. They were the smart ones.

The environment is not what I expected. This is basically Malolam part 2. Same people, different location. The music was abnoxiously loud. Is it a restaurant or a bar? I wish I could have tried out their food but it looks like I will not be going back to this place unless they get their act together and straighten up their service. Go at your own risk but be prepared to wait...