Cabos Cantina Taco & Tequila Bar — Restaurant in Fort Myers

We really wanted to love it, and it takes a lot for me to write a bad review. Normally we would just decide not to go back and move along. But this was just beyond. We waited forever for a waitress. By the time she came we went ahead and ordered everything together. Drinks (two sodas, two bar drinks), food (4 plates in total), and asked for a side of queso for the chips. We then waited over 30 min for just the sodas. Over 40 minutes for the margarita and other bar drink. Food came out about 10 min later. She could see we were frustrated easily, but never an apology or effort in service. We never the side for queso, so I asked it be taken off our ticket (which she did without problem). Again, no apology. Main dishes, you could tell the food had been sitting. Everything was cold and top layer of food in bowls discolored/dried out. Tastless/bland. Tortias were hard on edges and broke down the middle when you pick them up. Pork was sooo dry. Steak was chewy. Lime and cilantro rice means a small piece to garnish btw. There's nothing actually in it but plain rice. Waitress was not coming back to check on us at all, so we tried to work thru it, but it was too awful. About 30 min after waiting yet again, I was able to have someone flag her down. At this point, I'm just done with it all. Sent all four plates practically full for pickup, and I asked for a check. Again, she obviously saw we were unhappy and yet did not try to say anything at all. She just took plates and brought a check.

During all of this experiance, we watched people around us served promptly. Even some by the same server. While waiting for bar drinks, we saw bartenders standing around. There were empty tables. This was not because they were busy and experiencing a "rush". This was simply carelessness...

Lively.

The whole place was very energetic. I went there on Friday the 13th to grab a drink and some guac. The place was poppin’ with people. Luckily, the last seat at the bar was open!

The bartenders, the host, the servers…. Everyone was moving! The bar continued to swap out patrons as people finished their bevs and proceeded to tables. Although engrossed with patrons, all the service members exuded friendliness, all while cracking jokes, & setting the tone for a Friday of revelry. Drinks and food were presented timely, and guests were not looking around with the “serve me already” face, but smiles.

The drink menu is quite extensive, as you would imagine for a place that has “tequila bar” in the title. A Mezcal Berry Margarita was amazing he starter. Don’t let my description fool you into thinking the drink was weak, it in fact was fairly stiff, but it was balanced well and went down facilely. I now take credit at parties for a drink I discovered that night, the Pineapple Paloma. I’m not a fruity-drink kinda gal, but this hit the middle of the road between refreshing and sharp. I recommend it with a salty food, because it’s very refreshing.

The guac I ordered to go, because I had no business being there… I had food in my hotel room already. Despite the fact I did not plan to indulge in anything past the guacamole… I spotted the avocado fries….. game over!! Ordered!! No regrets here because it’s going to be hard to return to Fort Myers, and go somewhere else for munchies. Lightly crusted, rich avocado with a sauce I can only assume has crack as the main ingredient prevented order remorse.

I recommend this spot for drinks, food, and pregaming...

I paused a minute before I posted this review, because this place has long been a favorite spot downtown.

It was never fancy, but last night was a dramatic miss on so many levels, I thought management should know.

It was not a busy night, and it seemed like there was plenty of staff.

First, we sat a booth (we requested) but I had to find napkins to wipe the seats (wet and food crumbs).

After sitting we noticed napkins on the floor under our table, in the aisle between tables, at the bar…. Staff just kept walking past the mess on the floor until we mentioned it to the manager who asked someone to pick up the one next to our table (not the others).

Then the chips and salsa came but the salsa was thin like soup (unusual). I mentioned it to our waitress and she said “Sorry, but someone made it wrong, it’s been like that all week.” It seems obvious to me that if a chef makes something that turns out wrong, they would remake it, not serve it.

Then the margaritas came, my wife thinks they are smaller glasses than we used to get, and mine tasted like no alcohol.

Then our nachos arrived. They came out quickly, the cheese was melted but the whole dish was cold. I'm not sure how that is even possible.

The manager offered to remake it, but at this point we chose to go eat somewhere else. We paid for the drinks and left.

We have been to Cabos Cantina many times, I have never seen this manager before. I can say there was enough staff, but they spent a lot of time chatting at the host desk.

I don’t expect gourmet at this restaurant, but since you can literally get Mexican food across the street, I’d expect better food and cleanliness...