La Mixteca — Restaurant in Galveston

I want to preface by saying that I hate leaving negative reviews. I know how hard small business are struggling right now and I try hard to give the benefit of the doubt. I get that sometimes stuff happens and I don't believe in bashing businesses, but what happened to me here was unacceptable.

I came here for breakfast on a weekday morning. The restaurant was completely empty, but that normally doesn't bother me. After all it was a little past peak season on a weekday. I was greeted promptly and told I could sit anywhere I like. (even though no one was up front, the moment I walked in, someone came from the kitchen to greet me right away). The waitress gave me a menu and took my drink order.

She brought my orange juice and took my order of two huevos con chorizo burritos with cheese to the kitchen. (I know, I'm a weird adult who drinks orange juice. Fun fact for those of you who might be iron deficient like me: vitamin c helps you absorb iron. )

The orange juice was fermented. I debated whether I should cancel my breakfast order and go elsewhere, however the next time I saw the waitress, she was bringing me my order. I told her about the oj, quietly as there was another table seated by then and I didn't want to cause a stir. She apologized and very quickly brought me a fresh glass, which tasted just fine.

The eggs were good. Had I known that the burritos were so big, I would have only ordered one. I couldn't taste the chorizo, but I could see it was there. I finished one burrito and half of the other. The waitress came by and asked if I would like a container to take the leftovers. I declined then told her I was all set.

Twenty minutes went by with no sign of the check. I even had my credit card out on the table. There were only five tables seated aside from myself, and two take-out orders picked up. There were two waitstaff. The other waiter asked me if I wanted more to drink. I declined and told him that I'd been waiting 20 minutes for my check and I didn't understand why the wait was so long. He said ok and went on his way.

Another ten minutes went by. I texted a family member to ask what I should do, because I felt like I was being held hostage. The waitstaff continued to ignore me. At this point I had been waiting far longer than it had taken me to order and eat. I can understand if they were busy, but five tables to two waiters is far from busy. I was about to just get up and leave, a thought that honestly horrified me but I didn't know what else to do.

Here's a little secret for those of you not in the restaurant biz. Having lots of full tables leaves a good impression on potential customers. A busy restaurant must be good, right? A once common strategy by restaurants that are struggling that thankfully now I haven't encountered in many years, especially in busy areas where people can see from the street, is to keep people seated for as long as possible to create the illusion that they are busier than they really are to draw more customers. It's a deceptive and inappropriate trick.

I was getting restless and was about to either get loud, or leave when finally, almost 40 minutes after I finished eating and told the waitress I was ready, the waiter brought me the check. I paid, left, and didn't look back.

It's a shame, because aside from the horrendous wait to pay, the experience was decent. The service initially was prompt, and the portions were good. The eggs were cooked properly (and we all know how easy it is to screw up eggs). The restaurant decor was dated but clean. The prices were reasonable. Yeah, there was some bad oj, but they apologized and fixed it immediately. That doesn't bother me much. Those things are going to happen sometimes. If they were busy, waiting for the check wouldn't have bothered me, either. Ignoring me after I said I was ready to go more than once is what ruined the whole experience. Hopefully after reading this review, they'll resolve not to do this to...

Cozy little restaurant near the sea. It is a bit hidden but well worth the search. This is not a tourist spot but a restaurant for locals! When I walked in, I immediately noticed the tacky decorations and thought "oh no, this is a texmex wanna be restaurant. The food is going to be a disaster!" However, the experience was completely different. The hostess greeted us kindly and seated our group of 5. The waitress gave us complimentary chips and salsa which were warm and flavorful. The tables were a little wobbly but that was okay. I ordered 2 egg potato and bean burritos and a side of rice and beans thinking that they would be your typical small unfilling corn tortilla burritos. I WAS WRONG. The food was GREAT!! I couldnt even finish the flour tortilla burritos due to the size. The hostess kindly gave me a to go box. The rest of my group agreed that the food was very satisfying. We were only charged $60 for everything which is a fair price. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to any one looking for a satisfying mexican breakfast without the huge lines of tourists. The site is more or less 5 minutes away...

La Mixteca is a wonderful place, it opens fairly early (M-S 7am | S 8am) so it a great place to stop for breakfast before work. The Carne Guisada is probably the most tender in Galveston and not very greasy. It is also much less expensive than other breakfast burrito places in the vicinity. The Huevos Rancheros are tasty as well with a Spicy sauce yet not overwhelmingly so. Lunch can be busy most days. However, the staff is very quick and friendly and you don't have to wait forever for your food. The enchiladas are good as well. Overall I feel this is definitely a great place to go. Either just passing through town or being a local...