Mariscos El Charco — Restaurant in Elgin

Today, I had the opportunity to revisit El Charco, following the restaurant's feedback, with the express purpose of sharing an updated review with my followers. Here's my detailed experience:

Service Efficiency: The service was unfortunately extremely slow during the visit, a concern that seems to be growing as the establishment expands. It appears that the staffing might be insufficient or in need of further training. Despite being only one of four patrons, it took an unacceptable 30 minutes to serve shrimp soup and pasta.

Cuisine Quality: El Charco is renowned for its authentic Mexican fare, but this time I was left disappointed. The shrimp soup, which previously delighted me, contained a mere six shrimps – an unexpected letdown.

Customer Focus: Our food experience was further marred by a photo shoot taking place within the restaurant. It seemed that the staff were more focused on the photography than attending to their customers, leading to dissatisfaction with the overall service.

Facility Maintenance: A disconcerting incident occurred during our meal; rainwater began to drip from either the ceiling or vent pipes, nearly landing in my soup. Such an issue raises questions about the establishment's upkeep.

Conclusion: El Charco has potential, but this visit revealed critical areas for improvement. As they continue to grow, careful planning and focus on service quality will be essential to maintain the standards expected of a reputable food venue. I hope to see these concerns addressed, but until then, I must reluctantly...

Went on a Sunday during peak dinner hours. Was seated right away, 15 minutes passed and no one waited on us until I asked the host if someone was going to take our order. The waiter came to our table and asked rudely what are you drinking? We gave him our drink order and food order all at once. Waited 15 minutes for our drinks, everyone in my party received their drinks except for me. I had to let the waiter know my drink never came out. Food came out and again everyone in my party received their food except for mine grabbed the waiters attention to let him know. Waited another 20 minutes for my food to come out, waiter came out with food didn’t bother to apologize. I received my bill and was charged for gratuity and not really sure why if it was only a party of 4. At that point I had to speak with the manager, who handled the situation pretty well. Overall pretty disappointed I won’t be returning food wasn’t all that great, it was pretty stuffy inside the restaurant and service was even worse waiter/waitresses seem like they were upset at everyone in...

Ricardo I assume the manager is amazing!!! This place had the best atmosphere drinks and food, every drink was so delicious like let me tell you it is a little dangerous! The staff is so friendly and lovely be warned you should probably know some Spanish when coming here but coming from someone who knows un very POCO Spanish lol I still had the most wonderful time and Ricardo does speak English! There was karaoke the Friday I came in they gave my friend and I a couple free shots for their birthday and it was amazing!! There was SPARKLERS Ricardo HAD A PLANE OF TEQUILA SHOTS it was seriously an AMAZING TIME! Thank you to every employee it’s such a beautiful fun and safe environment. You will feel so welcomed here and so much fun ♡ I will be definitely be back… and often.. tell Ricardo Marceline sent you ♡ and keep coming back cause there’s karaoke great people great food and drinks what more could ask for?! I will be here every weekend if I can haha thank you to all the lovely people in this establishment for making this so...