Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Knoxville

Salsarita's use to have a better atmosphere than it does now. The last 2 times I have been there, I left very disappointed in the service, the food, & their new card points. The service was not bad, not good, it was just blah, the workers seemed to be miserable and didn't mind you knowing that they were. The food serving sizes has shrunk by so much, I could have sworn that it's decreased by at least half what it use to be. In fact let me rephrase that, I KNOW that they have shrunk down their sizes. You're still paying for the portion sizes that they are definitely not giving you. Its definitely overpriced now. Their card was actually good, you could actually see a savings. Now their card is ridiculous, you can't just give them your number, they look it up, then bam savings, not anymore. Now, you have to download their app, then scan your receipt or call a number. I was actually saving money there every other time I went, one week I'd pay full price, then the next time I went I'd cash in my points and save money. Now, they can't look up your number so no savings. Yes, I know everyone wants you to download their app, but most places still offer the "phone number, look up" as a backup for people who don't actually want to have a restaurant app on their phones. It seems like a lot of work and aggravation for a restaurant that is not worth their overly priced & incredible shrinking food...

We have visited this location often and used to enjoy it. However, we have had some negative experiences lately and will be avoiding this location whenever possible.

First, about two months ago we dealt with terrible customer service during the lunch hour. We ordered food for our entire family and the servers were quite rude, rushing us through and acting like it was an inconvenience for us to be there. Also, the girl running the cash register was on her cell phone and acted extremely rude and disinterested. It was so bad that my husband (who always tips generously) left nothing.

The second negative encounter was very recent. We decided to order a fiesta pack without putting in an online order first. We realized that there might be a wait because of this (although the menu doesn't say anything about ordering ahead and we have done this before with only 10-15 minutes of wait time). My husband ordered the pack and was greeted by a hostile manager who told him that they had to save the meat "for their customers" and that wait time would be an hour (!). Apparently those ordering takeout are somehow lesser "customers" than those ordering food to eat in. Needless to say, we took our business elsewhere and won't be back any time soon.

I would try the location on Emory for excellent service and managers that actually want to sell...

I’ve been a loyal Salsarita’s customer since at least 2007. It’s always been one of my family’s favorite places to eat — so much so that we never even need to look at the menu; we know exactly what we want before we walk through the door.

Unfortunately, after today, we likely won’t be coming back.

My children always order the nachos with beans, as they don’t eat meat. They enjoy piling on the fresh vegetable toppings — lettuce, pico, olives, etc. However, we were told today that the kids’ nachos now come with only three toppings total, including the protein. That means with beans as the main ingredient, they’re only allowed two more toppings — even if those are basic vegetables.

Imagine telling a child who enjoys eating fresh vegetables that they can only pick two. When I offered to pay extra for additional toppings, I was told that wasn’t allowed. This policy makes no sense, especially when a kids’ nachos meal costs $7.

In total, I spent $40 for what essentially amounted to chips and beans — and left extremely disappointed.

Thanks to this new restrictive policy, Salsarita’s has lost a customer of nearly 20 years. We used to dine here regularly and spend quite a bit each month. Sadly, it’s no...