POLANCO — Restaurant in Fort Worth

We had a reservation for a party of 4 at 7:30 PM. We arrived a few minutes early and were given the option to wait in the lobby or at the bar inside the restaurant. We chose the bar. We were made to take a couple of surprisingly long flights of stairs. If this were any other occasion, this could be disregarded, but we had some people in our party wearing heels to abide by the "elevated environment" noted in the dress code. We were not aware of the elevator until we were on our way out of the restaurant at the end of the night. I am sure this situation would play out negatively with guests who are older or have unseen mobility issues. Ideally, it would be considerate to offer the elevator to all guests as an option.

After making it to the top of the stairs, winded, we made our way to the back of the restaurant towards the bar. The lack of space throughout the restaurant was uncomfortable. It felt as if we were constantly weaving back and forth to avoid hitting the back of other guests' chairs, the busy waitstaff, or the plates of food being carried above our heads. We ordered drinks at the bar. The bartenders were pleasant, and the cocktails were creative and tasty. Shortly after receiving our drinks, around 7:50 PM, we were notified that our table was ready. We carried our drinks with us, back towards the front of the restaurant, carefully maneuvering our way through the crowded path trying to avoid spilling our drinks on ourselves or others.

We ordered appetizers immediately after sitting at the table which arrived around 8:30 PM. We then ordered our meals which arrived around 9:05 PM. It felt a bit excessive to have arrived for a 7:30 PM reservation and, in total, not start eating our main course until an hour and a half later. Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable on the menu items, but it was clear that she was extremely busy. Ultimately, we had to ask another waiter for our bill. It seemed like the restaurant was either overbooked or understaffed.

Food tends to be subjective, but it is important to note that our group agreed that a lot of the food, like the esquite, cesar salads, and tacos, was bland. It was also strange that such an extensive menu with many classic Mexican items would not have any chicken options. Ultimately, for the price, the food did not meet expectations.

Lastly, and my biggest gripe with this experience, was the choice and volume of the music. The music was better suited for a trendy dance club or bar and was entirely too loud. Our group had to keep leaning into the table and repeating ourselves to try to talk to one another. The tables around us also had to raise their voices which carried over to our table. We wanted to order desserts for the table to celebrate our friend's birthday, but we refused to continue to try to talk over the music.

I can only recommend Polanco if you have time to spare and are only...

We went to Polanco for a friend’s birthday! We were very excited to try a new place. The drinks and food are way over priced for what they are and the service from a management level is absolutely disgusting.

I will start with our arrival. When they offered water, they offered sparkling or still. No other option was presented. We quickly realized they were charging $10 a bottle for still water. They would bring two at a time to our table. We did ask for tap water as soon as we realized and they did accommodate. This should have been offered from the beginning though.

We ordered drinks that were priced at $18. I will acknowledge that mine come out and tasted good. Everyone else’s tasted like you had put a straw directly into the ocean. They were all different drinks. Two of them were completely not drinkable. It got worse when they attempted to correct the issue.

The food is priced around $27 and above. A hamburger with what is sold as a side of truffle fries is $31 for perspective. My friend actually ordered the Hamburguesa with truffle fries. The fries come out tossed in TAJIN. No truffle at all.

I ordered tacos that come with a Fuego sauce. I was advised it was a spicy sauce. The tacos came out with no sauce. They brought me a green sauce. When I had two bites of my last taco, the waiter sat down as a sauce in front of me and said I wanted you to at least try the real sauce.

You also have to be escorted wherever you go including the bathroom which is weird.

The music is very loud. It was so loud at one point we could not even hear our waiter.

The real kicker was when all of a sudden a guy walked by and intentionally took a video or picture of us while eating. He never paused his walk, asked permission, or anything. Just walked by and attempted to slyly record. When we said something about it, we were told he was the marketing director. The manager said he would talk to him. He went over and the guy started showing him a video. The manager and the guy laughed. The manager came over and apologized and said our drinks would be comped. He also offered us champagne which we declined. All of a sudden champagne shows up anyway. Our drinks were not comped. They comped a $15 appetizer and continued to think it was funny that we didn’t want to be recorded while eating.

I will say our waiter was apologetic. He attempted to be nice and accommodating for the most part.

Save your money. I have had better experiences at...

This place is the definition of a trendy trap. As soon as we walked in and gave the name for our reservation, we were accosted by the hostesses that informed us that they have a "very strict" dress code (I thought they were going to mention the fact that my husband had jeans on) and that we wouldn't be able to be seated due to my "flip flops". I was wearing dress slacks, a dress top & Hermès Oran sandals (I'm definitely not that person but when you are denying me entry into your restaurant, I feel the need to make a distinction between $10 Old Navy flip flops & the shoes I was wearing). They called the manager down and he offered to seat us at the bar due to our transgression. I should've walked out then but allowed him to seat us (guess he changed his mind on the way up because we were seated at a table).

What followed was a mediocre meal at best. If you're touting yourself as a "fine dining" restaurant, there are basic elements one would expect to be in place. Trained servers who are capable of explaining bar & food items in detail, trained bartenders (please see picture of my husband's drink, which was their version of a Manhattan, normally served up, but they poured over a large rock cube in a coupe glass), kitchen staff who know how to salt food appropriately & cook proteins to a desired doneness and other "fine dining" details such as bringing serving utensils for appetizers & side dishes.

Throughout the meal, I lost count of how many ladies I saw walking in with sandals of all kinds on, gladiator sandals, sandals with heels and of course, you guessed it, actual flip flops. The restaurant's Open Table site (where most people make reservations) has the dress listed as "smart casual" & no mention of a Catholic school level strictness when it comes to footwear. So, if you are into listening to loud club music while eating a mediocre meal & catching a pic of the minimalist modern aesthetic for your IG, go right ahead. Just make sure you're wearing closed toe shoes ladies 😉 If you are actually looking for a Mexican fine dining experience, might I suggest...