Gran Agave — Restaurant in Florida

This is going to be long but you can get the gist in the first paragraph. There is something wrong with the kitchen staff and management doesn't seem willing to acknowledge that. The food we were served was so bad it left a foul taste for an hour after. The most egregious: rancid oil and meat that tasted like soot. The experience was embarrassing for us. It doesn't feel good to complain. It feels even worse when the manager acts like we're making it up to be difficult.

We did something we've never done-- left after one bite each.

It seems the kitchen was having a bad day. First, the tortilla chips (complimentary) had a rancid taste, as if the oil had gone bad. The manager assured us they were fresh, and didn't seem willing to understand that they can be cooked fresh but if the oil is rancid, they will taste rancid. Rancid is bad. It is bad to eat, and makes people sick. It tastes nasty. The kitchen /has/ to have someone on staff who has a passable sense of taste/smell to check these things. And if you miss it and your customers tell you, you need to fix it, not just remove the food as if they have lost the privilege of eating. The chips were taken away and we felt very uncomfortable because of the reaction we got, like we were troublemakers and Karens. When the food came out-- ground beef tacos and chicken rolled tacos, I had one bite and wanted to spit it out. I LIKE char flavour. This was not char. It was not browned meat. It was the taste of meat that had been cooked in a pan that had earlier served as a funeral pyre for part of a cow, and then not been washed. The meat /looked/ fine, but the taste was soot. I cannot even fathom how this can happen. The smell alone back there most be horrid. Kitchen staff HAS to know when they have created something that must have started a fire-- they HAVE to know you have to wash the pans afterward, right?

The manager stopped by to inquire, maybe seeing the look on my face, and I explained it tasted burnt. He seemed annoyed and exasperated with us, and insisted it was fresh. I wish I had insisted he taste it right there. It was inedible, and I do not say that lightly. It feels awful to throw out meat. I believe my companion's complaint was unseasoned chicken. We looked at each other, and mbetween the chips and scorch-flavored meat, I was done. Hers wasn't good, although I guess not as egregious.

We were not charged, and it felt embarrassing to complain twice and walk out, but as much as anything, it was the indignant attitude of the manager, who was also our waiter (unless he was being dishonest about being the manager) that made me get up. If someone is going to act offended and disbelieving when a customer has been served spoiled food, then fine, we can find food elsewhere. You can't serve customers spoiled food, and when it's THAT bad, and THAT obvious, and was THAT easy to prevent, AND you're going to act like we're lying to you for-- what purpose exactly, we didn't even eat-- then I hope the owner of the restaurant takes note, because your staff doesn't deserve second chances under those circumstances. This wasn't a mistake, it was a complete abandonment of effort or care. . Maybe everyone was just having an awful day, and if that's the case I hope your future customers will be pleased-- but you need to listen to people. The customer isn't always right, but when your ingredients are inedible, maybe /listen/ for your own sake. Because I wish someone had warned us,...

What we loved: From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is ecstatic- the place is beautifully decorated with lots of attention to detail, lots of colors, and you feel like you've taken a door into another culture. They also use hundreds of bottles in different colors, shapes and sizes to create a colorful experience. The restaurant is pretty big and has many tables inside and outside. If you want a table outside you can be seated pretty quickly but to sit inside, on a Friday night, when they have live music, the wait could be over an hour long. When we got there the wait was 45 minutes but while we were sitting there we heard them tell another family that the way it had grown to an hour and 10 minutes.

We were surprised to see some pretty wonderful prices for very decent plates of food. Considering we were having dinner and the local prices at other restaurants, their prices are excellent. The food came out pretty quickly after we ordered it- it was hot and tasted good. The Mariachi band came around playing music and were absolutely amazing entertainers, musicians and singers. We would go again.

What was "meh" about the experience:

When we got the bill for the food, price was great for a group of four but then there was this mystery service charge of 18% which was separate from a tip. Come to find out this is something charged by some restaurants to help them with other costs or employee wages.... But why not put the added cost into the menu like everyone else does And so that your patrons see exactly what they will be paying in the end? Why instead opt to give your guests a surprise fee at the end? It was an unpleasant and unwelcome surprise.... It felt sneaky- I'm just thinking of other people who count every penny in planning for a budget- this would have thrown them off.

We kept seeing that they sat other people ahead of us who had gotten there after us- come to find out they sent us a texts but we were not aware of because of the loud atmosphere. However, we were 3 ft in front of the hostess- she did not bother in calling our name to see if we were there (a due diligence) So it wasn't until we went up to the front to find out why they were sitting other people in front of us that they said "were ready for you".

Once we sat down, the waiter was alright but spoke pretty quickly and softly so we had to ask him to repeat himself a few times.

We got chips and salsa but received no plates to put these on. Our food was delivered and we had to wait to get our silverware... Just little things they could still work on wich affect...

Please do not go to this establishment if you are a BLACK PERSON & Family! My family and I came in for Lunch we were seated and no one came to our table to get drink orders or anything‼️ however my husband and I saw other waiters and waitresses visit other tables, talking to patrons, serving drinks to other tables while my family and I waited. We waited so long until I start making up excuses for them because I didn’t want to belive they hadn’t came and at least got our drinks. After about 20 min my husband broke down and asked could someone please come to our table and at least get the kids something to drink. Waitress came and said sorry I’m new, I said..Hmm you all are not crowded, and I’ve saw you serving other tables, bringing drinks and asking other table did they need anything. She kept saying sorry, I can get your drinks now, I said no (at this point with me confronting her I didn’t trust that she may have spit or did something malicious to our drinks so Insaid we don’t want drinks at this point) So I asked to speak to a manager thinking something else could be done about this… he gave a half hearted apology and a shrug of shoulders… he was so nonchalant that I asked him are you the manger or did they send you to deal with this because they didn’t want to be bothered . Because you are acting like you don’t care that we’ve sat her over 30 min now with no help, no drinks or any service.

He said we are sorry, I said but you all have been serving others and it’s not crowded in here. You have enough staff anyhow, I’m not one to use race cards at all heck I voted for Trump😳 but I feel like this is discrimination! At a Mexican restaurant of all places‼️After that my family got up and left!

Never will I...