Mi Cocina — Restaurant in Fort Worth

Short version: Beautiful place, awkward start, very good food.

Long Version: This visit was quite interesting. On Easter Sunday, just after noon, I expected this place to be packed. However, we were seated immediately and there were very few occupied tables. The building is very nicely done on the outside, and there is plenty of parking. Inside, it has a very elegant feel with stone and dark wood throuout and modern lighting fixtures. There is a beautiful bar set to the side with its own seating and even a semi-private area beyond it. I noticed a completely private room to the left of the entry which looks inviting for private lunch/dinner meetings. They have effectively used a lot of glass windows to create an uncongested feel.

The thing that really struck me as a first impresssion is how we were seated and what happened next. Nothing. The entire restaurant is set up with completely blank tables, which creates a very uneasy feeling that we were there before they were open or ready for us. Not even a center piece or even salt and pepper. The Hostess placed a menus for the two of us and we just sat. It was very quiet and they did have music playing softly, but there was no real buzz or excitement. So, for 5 minutes we just sat. A lady did stop by and place a basket of chips and a couple small salsas and did say a polite 'hello'. Then, we continued to sit, without contact or even a napkin for 10 minutes. I only mention this because it was really uncomfotable. We saw a busser pass through and two waiters who pushed a few tables together for a 10 top family that was coming and ran food to the bar table. Still, just walking by and not even looking at us. Just odd.

Finally, a waiter stopped and asked if we needed something to drink. He did not introduce himself which makes an odd situation even more odd. Yes, chips & salsa with no napkins, etc was awkward and making us thirsty. We ordered the queso with beef and sodas.

Here is where it gets better. When he very quickly brought the queso he provided a utensil roll. At that time he asked about ordering. I asked for recommendations and he very estutely inquired about what I was looking for. He provided a primary and secondary recommdation. I asked about another item in comparison and he stuck with his primary as a choice, so that's what I ordered. Well done.

The menu is extensive and diverse. Quite a few options.

The food came out in a timely manner and both items we ordered were quite good and pleasantly suprising on portion size. Both of us could only eat about half. We had the Cocina Changa and the Pollo Moderno. We very much enjoyed the presentation and flavor or the food. The Moderno lets you create your own rolls with the pico/guac/ and the sauteed veggies or onion, mushroom and cabbage make for a fun and engaging experience and crafted to your own taste. The rice with the Moderno was delicious, too. The Changas (combo beef and chicken as our choice) were quite good and quite large. The chicken edged out the beef, I believe but both are quite good.

When we werew done, the waiter brought a tray with to go containers so we didn't have to ask. Then, he took our items, packaged them for us in very nice folding boxes, added a bag of fresh chips and salsa container, and placed in a very nice to-go bag (impressive and classy).

As a side note, the bathrooms were also very modern, well kept, and clean.

The buzz only picked up slightly while we were there, but still remained very quiet.

So even though I made some interesting observations because of the slightly odd experience, I will definetely return and...

Myself, my husband and 4 of my friends visited your Mi Cocina 9369 Rain Lily Trail, Fort Worth location this past Saturday, December 7th at 8pm. When I placed my order with the waitress, I let her know that I literally wanted nothing but chicken and the tortilla for my meal. When she brought me my food, it had some sort of white sauce on top of it and I let her know I needed it made again as it was not made the way I ordered it and that I was allergic to milk and could not eat the sauce that was on it. When she brought the food back, it appeared to be made correctly. I took one bite of the food and pulled a string of cheese out of my mouth. I decided to switch meals with my husband as his tacos didn’t come with anything on them and he ate what I had been given.

We asked the waitress to have a manager to come to the table and speak with us. The manager on duty came and spoke to us and we explained to him that I was allergic to milk and had special ordered twice, the second time ingesting something I was allergic to. With the waitress standing a few feet behind him in a doorway listening to the conversation, he asked us if we wanted to have her fired. Perplexed at the question, we told him no – that we just wanted them to be aware that they had just served someone with an allergy something I was allergic to and that he’d better hope I didn’t have a reaction to that food. We stated that we weren’t sure where the miscommunication happened – via the waitress or in the kitchen – but that he needed to address the situation with all parties to be sure this doesn’t happen to someone else. The manager then stated “I understand, just have a couple more mambo taxi’s and you’ll be ok”. The entire table was in SHOCK at his remarks as he walked away.

I’m not sure what to even say to you right now. I left your restaurant with a swollen lip and asthma issues – thankful that it didn’t turn into an anaphylactic reaction later in the evening (I have to carry an epi pen with me at all times due to the severity of my allergy). I want this addressed with this manager ASAP!!! His comments were BEYOND inappropriate, and quite frankly his uncaring handling of the situation could get someone else killed in the future. You are lucky I’m not taking this to the news or a lawyer at this point in time. I would like a response from you or someone in your company explaining to me how the situation was handled to ensure that no other patron of your establishments have to endure treatment like this in the future – and/or possibly end up worse,...

I am sadden to say that my favorite restaurant has gone down. The experiences I was accustomed to over the years no longer exist.

My family had dinner there last night and a few disappointing things occurred. First, the ladies restroom was completely out of soap. This is the 3rd time experiencing a soap issue at this location. One time I visited they had SoftSoap bottles in the restroom which I thought was tacky for fine dining.I would expect to see that at a fast food establishment.

Second, the tortilla chips they served while you wait for your food had a musty/ mildew smell. I informed the manager who nicely had a new batch sent over from the bar area chip dispenser. Although slightly better and less musty smelling, I figured maybe they had changed their cooking oil-

Third, As we proceeded with our food order, our very sweet waitress had a scratchy throat and coughed 3 times while taking our order. She apologized and did everything required to prevent spreading germs, like coughing into her her arms and turning away but still, it happened-

To sum my experience up, the food tasted good. I decided to stray from my typical order by adding shrimp to my nacho arcarbon which I wish I had not done. Next time I’ll stick with the chicken if I decide to go back. My son ate combo fajitas which he enjoyed and my husband ate a salad which he ate all of.

Aside from the disappointments mentioned, I wish they will stop being skimpy on the guacamole that comes with your meal. The portion is slightly above a teaspoon. We had to order a side bowl of guacamole because we love it so much and our meals just didn’t offer a substantial amount.

Lastly- I woke up with a soar throat...