La Catrina — Restaurant in Kingman

I really wanted to give La Catrina a good review. I have been excited about their opening as I have eaten at the little taco wagon that sits out front a few times. Unfortuantely I was a bit disappointed with the main course.

The building is newly remodeled and the decor is very nice. It uses the La Catrina motif and thus the name (the La Catrina is a female Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) figure). Everything is new and clean

Staff is very friendly. I had multiple servers stop by my table.

Chips and salsa were served before I ordered.

I ordered the fried calamari and the chicken mole.

The calamari came out hot. Perhaps a little overcooked, but it was good. The server placed the plate on the table with a "the plate is hot," and indeed it was. It kept the calamari at the right temp while it was eaten.

However, the main dish is where I had the major problem. It did not come out on a heated plate. The rice and beans were lukewarm as well as the mole. Not only was the mole not very hot, but I was rather disappointed in that it did not resembel the picture in the menu. The menu describes the dish as "braised skinless breast in yet spicy peanut butter based sauce." In the menu the picture shows a whole chicken breast in mole sauce. What I received was chicken breast strips that were overcooked and overloaded with sauce. I could be wrong, but it didn't seem like a whole breast to me either. I felt like I got more mole sauce then I did actual chicken. Now I am a mole lover, and I know that mole is made many different ways, but this mole was very sweet and to be honest, though the menu said "in yet spicy peanut butter based sauce", I really didn't taste the peanut butter. For me this main course was a major let down.

I know that this review only reflects one main dish from many, and a judgment concerning the food shouldn't be made on just one dish. However, the fact that the calamari was served on a hot plate and the main dish was warm does seem to reflect on meal presentation overall.

I will say this, if the tacos are as good as the taco wagon's then I know that, in the least, the tacos are awesome.

I did feel the price of the food was a little high for what I got. I will probably go back, but the price alone will keep me from going back for quite a while. My entire meal cost me $35. The mole was $16.50 and the Calamari Frito was $21.99. The ice tea was $2.25 (I was never asked if I wanted a refill).

I really hope this restaraunt does well, but it may be hindered with cold plates of food and...

Service was horrible from the moment we walked in. The food was mediocre. Prices do not reflect quality, quantity, or service. The guy that finally acknowledged us was obviously upset we had a party of 8. After being seated he was the same one to take our order. Before he started I asked him to please split the check since it was 2 different families in our group. That clearly put him off again and he had bit of an attitude about it. The menus were filthy and gross to touch. Like they’ve never been wiped clean ever! We’re not talking fingerprints and smudges... they were greasy and had grimy. All 8 plus the 2 cocktail menus. The salt and pepper shakers filthy as well. The food came out fast for the other 5 that were with us. My family of three did not get our food for almost 10 minutes after theirs. The dudes excuse was it’s because it was on separate checks and the kitchen didn’t know. You’d think the shmuck would of let the cook or line in kitchen know both tickets are same table. Food was mediocre and portion sizes nothing like what is shared from other reviews or their menu. Both my son and me were shorted one taco on the fish taco plates. All 8 of us were barely given rice and beans. It’s like they were rationing it to not run out. My wife’s chimichanga was tiny and burnt. I ordered a campenchena (seafood cocktail) and it came out room temperature. I was concerned eating seafood served at room temperature but psyched my self into it and ate 1/2 of it till I got to the warm raw oysters. Just couldn’t! It was flavorless anyhow. Wasn’t served with lime nor could anyone be bothered to get me some. No amount of tapatio or salt and pepper could help it. A shame when 50% of the menu is seafood and that’s what I was served. My michelada was served in a margarita glass with watered down Clamato and full of ice to water it down more. Also served with no lime. Ever tried drinking a beer full of ice out of a heavy thick walled margarita glass? Me either till then. I can tell you it’s a disaster! The glass is clearly made to sip a blended drink with a straw not a beer! Their fish tacos were actually decent. They have the sauce recipe down perfect. Would of been awesome if we could of enjoyed the other taco we were shorted and paid $16.00 for. 2 orders of fish taco plates, 1 chimichanga plate, 1 campenchena, 2 margarita on the rocks, 1 chelada beer, all came to $106.00. This review is next morning and I...

We went here with a huge family gathering. There were 17 of us and it was all fine and dandy for the most part. At the end of our dining experience at La Catrina, I was already somewhat disappointed in the fact that the food was mediocre. The service was mediocre and the one thing that was good was the atmosphere. It’s a cute little restaurant and it’s decorated very finally it’s pretty. It’s nice little sweet a hole in the wall type of feeling like Los Angeles county hole in the wall Mexican dive, but they usually have the best food ever. This does not have the best food ever no service. The prices are extreme to say the least, and the major problem was at the end of the check. We had four separate checks and at the end of the check, they charged 18% gratitude without informing anybody that they were going to do that they didn’t ask. They just charge the gratitude and apparently this is legal because they have a small little notation somewhere on their menu that says for large groups they charge 18% gratuity mandatory. They probably would’ve received a bigger tip from all of us together if we weren’t also offended that they put 18% gratuity unquestionably without notifying or questioning us on our checks that we had to pay. I looked it up on Google and I talked to ChatGPT and you’re legally required to pay it if they have it somewhere stated or post it but it’s typically posted in the front or the Waiters or waitresses are supposed to tell you it we’re gonna charge you an 80% gratitude for this large group is that OK? And in that situation, they would’ve gotten a much larger tip from us. I was disappointed I would’ve been OK because the place was nice and the food was nothing. We could actually complain about and the service was nothing to actually complain about. It was just kind of drag. The service was drag and I’m smiling and just kind of like Maybe we were bumming them out or bothering by that being there. But either way...