PUERTO ESCONDIDO KENANSVILLE NC — Restaurant in Kenansville

I wanted so badly to be able to like this place. Kenansville needs more restaurants, but my experience was not good at all. Service was very slow, we never got our drinks refilled. I ordered the Fajitas Del Mar, which is supposed to have shrimp, crab meat and scallops (for $17). When I got my plate it was shrimp and a destroyed piece of fish (tilapia). When I asked the waitress she informed me that, apparently, they were out of scallops but instead of letting me know so I could adjust my order (if needed) they just substituted with a lot cheaper alternative. Then, they let me know that they did have crab and asked if they brought me the crab (that should have been on there anyways) “would that be okay?” I agreed as to not cause a fuss because I was hungry and we were on limited time and once my toddler is done eating, then I am done eating. I let her know my disappointment with the price, especially being given alternatives that weren’t as pricey. That fell on deaf ears. When they brought the ‘crab meat’ out, it was imitation crab. In truth, I should have expected that, but I didn’t. I was brought the wrong tortillas, asked for the correct ones, they forgot them and I had to wait until someone remembered to bring those because our table wasn’t checked often to see if we were okay. Their customer service has little to be desired. My issue was not theirs, apparently. Nothing was offered or considered to correct the situation. And this is all before I tasted the food. I literally couldn’t even eat it. It wasn’t good. The salsa was flavorless, the food wasn’t seasoned much, the tortillas were hard and your couldn’t even pull them apart without ripping them. I gave up. I got a to-go box, packed up my food and will be taking it home to stick in my fridge for two days before I take it out and throw it away. I hated having to pay for a meal that I didn’t and will not eat, but you can’t win them all, I guess. My husband was very dissatisfied too but my husband and I have a rule that we at least give a new restaurant a second try. However, that will be one second trip that he will unfortunately be taking without me. Although, I’m sure he shares my lack of...

It was our first visit. They were very busy when we arrived a little past 8 pm on a Friday. Short wait time to be seated. They had a large number of menu options, including some vegetarian choices. Out food was served quickly. Not much chile heat, but my Pollo Poblano was tasty. The mole was chocolaty, but not distractingly so. My husband enjoyed his chimichanga.

Because it was Friday, there was a live mariachi band playing. We're not usually fans of mariachi bands moving around the tables, but after the deprivations of covid lockdown, we kind of enjoyed it. We didn't expect to hear them play "Baby Shark", but they did.😄

We will be back at some point, perhaps to try...

Beware — Their menu doesn’t tell you that the lunch menu price isn’t honored on Sundays. The menu doesn’t have any set days or times for the lunch menu so it’s unfair that they wait till you’ve chosen your food to inform you. We were caught off guard today when they informed us they would be charging us extra for every lunch menu item. They also played the same 5 songs on a loop and the waitress seemed bored and uninterested in her job. The food was okay but not worth the money we paid for it. I’ve been there on a Saturday before and their service was better. I don’t see myself returning...