Mexican Sugar — Restaurant in Houston

The atmosphere was very lively & the decor was beautiful from the second you walk in. I made reservations online & we got there a little after 5 pm on a Wednesday. It was not very busy at the time, but by the time we left, the upstairs area was getting pretty full, so I do recommend making a reservation if you go later in the evening. The parking garage is $15 for 2hrs, but the restaurant does have a promo code by their front door that comps the fee, so that was awesome. Our waiter, Z, was super friendly & did a great job of checking in on us. He has fantastic customer service and gave a cute little fun fact about the restaurant since it was our first time there. It didn't take very long at all for our food to come out as it was not very busy. I ordered the queso Blanco for our appetizer and though it was really good, it didn't take very long for it to start to clump & solidify, so that was didssappointing but it was pretty cold upstairs. I loved the crispy chips and the salsa is definitely one of a kind & has a great taste. I was not the biggest fan of the drink I got, La Catrina, it definitely seemed like it would be more of a sweeter fruity drink, but unfortunately it was not & had an aftertaste that reminded me of OFF bug spray 😅. My mom's strawberry Margarita was pretty good as margaritas typically are, but I wouldn't say that it was any different or better than any other mexican restaurant. She said she enjoyed her chicken enchiladas, and she loved the black beans. But neither of us were a fan of the cilantro lime rice. It was fine, just not our personal preference. I got the shrimp and elote tacos, and they were very good. The shrimp is very fresh and crispy, but I do wish there was either an additional sauce or an additional creamy element to it because at times it did seem a little dry even with the mayo/salsa. We did take some tres leches to go and ate it the next day. It was VERY delicious & honestly, my favorite part of the entire meal. I was surprised that there was toasted coconut on it, and thought I am not a fan of coconut it definitely added to the flavor & gave a nice added texture. The only critique I have is that the cakes were not completely soaked. There were some dry spots in the middle, but there was enough milk in our container to soak those areas. The only real thing we did not like about our experience was trying to leave. It took a total of 20 minutes after we finished eating to just to get our dessert to go, pay the bill, & finally walk out. I know this bc I had my GPS open to head to another event & the time just kept adding up. In that time after we packed up our entrees, our waiter did have to attend to 2 other tables that had just gotten seated. And it did seem like one had multiple questions, so I do completly understand the holdup on us actually being able to pay, but even after that we still had to sit and wait. I have no clue what the process is back there in the kitchen, but I personally feel like it shouldn't take any more than 3-5 minutes to put some cake in a container, throw it in a bag & bring it out. If we had not already paid for it, I honestly would have I said to forget about it just to get going. Overall it was a nice experience to try something new, but we both agreed that it would not be a restaurant we would go out of the way to come back to (We live about 45min away & the drive to get there was less...

Mexican Sugar is a new restaurant that I added while it was still being built last restaurant week. So I had to come check it out. Unfortunately, this is not a place I can recommend or visit again.

The short and sweet of it all;

The food: there was nothing that stood out to any of us, worth mentioning. Basic flavors.

The service: Terrible!!! From the waiting for our reservations, approached 4 employees 45 mins past our reservation with our party. To 45 mins for a drink, zero refills (requested 3 times), to never receiving one couples plate (over an hour) after everyone had already finished their meals!

The inside: I myself am not a fan myself of this trendy restaurant culture, where they turn up the music and attempt to make it a club atmosphere. If someone has a large party, we are attempting to converse and not dance while eating. No one should lose their voice while attempting to talk to a person 2 seats down. Offer options if this is your goal after hours. (Like sit people back on the 1st floor)

We were jammed packed, where no one was able to move without bumping another table on the 2nd floor.

Full details:

From start to finish, this place has a long way to go.

Checked in 30 mins before our reservation, by our set time we had more than our half party needed to proceed. They now closed the 1st floor, and directed us to the 2nd floor. Waited at the bar on the second floor to be found for our reservations. 30 mins past. Nothing. Went down stairs to tell the hostess, yet again. 15 mins past, Nothing! We then proceeded to find different 2 other employees on the 2nd floor who eventually got us a table another 10 mins later.

That's 1.5 Hours to be seated with a party reservation.

We finally get seated, and we had little to no space. In order for 1 person to leave (restroom) all of us had to get up to allow them by. That's how close we all were to one another. Respecting the people behind you, beside you, and those your passing.

Our waiter finally comes and we eventually place our drink & food orders. One of the party members ordered a Smoked whiskey (I believe), another party member admired the presentation. So naturally ordered one for themselves. 45 mins later drink eventually arrives.

During this time I requested a refill of water, waiter refills a portion of the table on the other side and leaves. Got his attention later on, requested a refill again. He acknowledged, yet never came. Third attempt, finally received water. Another 15-20 mins during this request.

Our food finally comes, but only for some of us. Here's a great example of how slow the service is. Everyone who received their food was finished with their plate before the waiter returned.

The couple who didn't receive their food, when the waiter returned, requested that the items be removed since it wasn't received. He quickly added he would take care of it and get it to them. (They weren't charged for it, but we did have to wait again) From the time we received our food, to the time they got their missing order was 1 Hour!

We were there for more than 4 hours due to all these struggles.

They need better management up front and in the back. This place is a shit show and you've been warned.

How was your experience? Not going to even ask what was your favorite, because we...

Nut allergies: No concerns with most brunch items if not all. The servers were good with noting allergies on the electronic ordering.

Parking is in the garage nearby for 2 hours with validation code from the restaurant (they've got a QR code at the door, so no need to pay at the garage).

We were seated a few minutes early for a 2PM brunch reservation with no issues. The restaurant is deceivingly massive upstairs so I'm surprised there's that much of a wait.

Time to Appetizer: 9 Minutes Time to Brunch Entrees: 16 Minutes

The complimentary chips and salsa were served within five minutes and came out hot. The salsa was decently flavorful (4/5) and the chips were surprisingly light but firm (4.5/5). They're fried in soybean oil which is a bit different.

For our table of four, we each got a brunch entree and shared two plates. We left completely stuffed. I can usually tuck away a good amount of food, but I even took home some leftovers on my quesadilla!

Aperitivo - Ceviche (4.5/5): This does not show up on their online menu, but it is listed as an appetizer. I was worried about splitting a ceviche 4 ways since the portions are smaller at other places, but wow! This did not disappoint! The plate was just enough for a few bites for each person and it was quite a good amount of fish. The fish quality was average but the size of the dish and nice vegetable/citrus garnish made it a wonderful start to a brunch. Suggest eating alone or with some chips. Brunch Hamburguesa & Egg (4/5): I sampled my friend's hamburger and it was solid! They burn the inside of the bun for a little variance in texture. It's quite a hefty burger and very flavorful. (Me) Brunch Quesadilla (4.5/5): Whoa. HUGE! I was shocked at how large the quesadilla was. I dare say it's the best value brunch item if you don't mind the carbs. It was delicious with guacamole and a hint of the complimentary salsa. I thought it could use a little salt or seasoning with the ingredients but overall, it was great. Steak & Eggs (4/5): I sampled my friend's Steak and Eggs and the steak is wonderfully seasoned. Would recommend for a more protein-heavy meal. Dessert: Cajeta French Toast (3.5/5): Funnily enough, we got exactly four pieces which was perfect for one piece each to end the meal. I don't think I could have had more than one, as it was quite sweet. This wasn't listed as a dessert, but it definitely qualified for one in my head. The crème anglaise was a light egg custard feeling, almost like condensed milk topping that was quite nice.

One bad part to the meals was the potato hash for brunch. The potatoes were generally soggy and quite flavorless. I would highly recommend swapping potatoes for the fresh fruit with tajin seasoning.

Service was very attentive - Steven was a great waiter who always kept an eye out for what we needed.

Overall, nice brunch spot, make a...