Plaza Mexico Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Lakeland

So far a 2 star rating. I get it, it’s a new spot, there are some kinks that need to be worked out. We came in on a Friday evening at 9:00. They told us it’d be an hour wait til we were seated. Cool, no worries. We were put on a list, gathered our info and we’d be texted as soon as it was ready. About 45 mins later we received the text that said our table was ready. Normally that means that the waitress gathers the utensils and walks us to our table that’s ready… she walked us through the crowded dining area (again, I get it, it’s dinner time on a Friday. But the walk ways were slippery, and slim) we stood there for another few minutes as another busser was cleaning up the area. My issue is that they texted us the table was ready, when in fact it wasn’t. Anyways, we’re seated and our drink orders are taken and food a few minutes after. Mind you, it is already about 10 at this time. They’re open until 11. We think okay, we still have enough time to receive our food and eat. Between 10-11. Our waitress checked on us 2x. Again, I get it, place is busy, dinner rush, closing duties.. etc. but the customer service was not on par. 11 o clock hits and food still is not received. There were only 3 other tables at this time. And the table that was seated after us got their food already and we’re almost done. Another waitress comes by to ask if we’ve order yet and we had . Our original waitress says she’s putting a rush on our food.. shouldn’t it have already been like that? Anyways… for our orders we had.. cali style burrito, aguachiles, ceviche, and 3 kids meals. Mac n cheese, and chicken strips. The Mac n cheese looked like Kraft boxed Mac n cheese, the strips were over cooked and dry. The ceviche was warm (it’s supposed to be cold) the agua Chiles didn’t have the green salsa and posted in the menu and it’s typical serving . The shrimp was undercooked and fishy tasting. And for anyone that has been to California.. their style of burrito is FAR from that. It was open ended burrito. We explained to the waitress that the ceviche was warm, the agua chile was missing the green salsa and asked for a side of extra michelada mix. All for it to be green salsa, and a small shot of Clamato. I have and currently work customer service. Sometimes communication and sincerity go a long ways. But we felt dismissed, dissatisfied, and disappointed with our first visit. I tried to go in with open expectations as it just recently opened. It’ll be a while til I return for the food.

Picture of my agua chile mixto.. (green salsa was added from the side she provided) for it being my first time eating aguachiles I was very disappointed and...

Too Long Didn’t Read:

Food was tasty, but Plaza Mexico in Lakeland disappointed us with poor service and high prices. Our server lacked menu knowledge, overcharged for queso without giving us size options, and joked about drinking faster when 2-for-1 drinks were all served at once. For $75, we expected much better. We won’t be back.

Our Experience:

We had high hopes for Plaza Mexico in Lakeland, FL, but unfortunately, our first experience was disappointing. We love supporting small, local businesses, but for the price we paid, the service and attention to detail fell far short of expectations.

We ordered chips and queso, and the server automatically brought a large size without giving us the option to choose between regular or large. When the bill came, we discovered we were charged $10.95 for a tiny bowl of cheese dip. An additional $4 charge for the large was frustrating, and the lack of communication from the server made it worse.

For drinks, we each ordered the 2-for-1 special, margaritas for my wife and beers for me. The server brought all four drinks at once. When I asked why, since my beer would get warm and the margaritas would get watered down, the server joked, “You gotta drink faster.” While funny to some, it’s lunch time, and I don’t need encouragement to drink more. Let me make that decision.

The menu was overwhelming, like a Cheesecake Factory menu with far too many options. When I asked the server about specific ingredients or allergy-related concerns, he didn’t know any details and had to go back and forth to the kitchen. This lack of knowledge is unacceptable, especially at a restaurant with these prices.

On top of that, the table had marketing materials promoting their mobile app, claiming you can earn cash back rewards and get instant $10 credit. It felt like another bait-and-switch. I downloaded the app, signed up, and after completing the lengthy registration process, I found out the rewards can only be used for online purchases made through the app—not in the restaurant. This process was misleading, frustrating, and seemed pointless, adding to the overall bad experience.

In the end, we spent way too much on a lunch that was average at best. The food was tasty, but the poor service and lack of professionalism ruined the experience. For what they charge, I expected more attention to detail and better training for their staff.

I’m sure I’ll receive the usual copy-paste come try us again apology response from the business owner, but sadly, we...

We are somewhat new to the area and was looking to try a new place. Unfortunately when you research reviews, peoples experience and taste vary a lot. We went to a few 4.5-4.9* places and the food was mediocre at best. We went midweek about and hour prior to closing and it was still, very busy . We were able to get seated quickly. The food that was passing by is smelled very yummy and the presentations were quite amazing. We chose the tableside fresh guacamole with chips and it was very good, definitely worth the $11.

I chose the Hawaiian Fajitas which was chicken, steak, and shrimp with assorted veggies and pineapple, covered in a cheese sauce and served in a hollowed out pineapple. Again the presentation was unique. While it was very good, not sure if the cheese or sauce that mixed with the pineapple was the best fit. The proteins were all cooked well and the overall portion was HUGE. I rarely take food home as I can eat lol but I was stuffed from the size of it.

My friend ordered a few ala carte items, taco, burrito and they also were of the above average in size.

Our server Javypiar was awesome, she was very attentive, considering how busy it was. She was very friendly and made sure we had everything we ordered and checked on us often. I am a huge water drinker and she made sure my glass was always refilled.

I usually don't order alcoholic beverages but several passed us that looked like a must try next time. The Pina coladas served in a coconut looked especially delicious.

The "food runners" need to have their own competition. Christian was amazing carrying these huge platters that had 7+ dinners on each serving tray that were towering above our heads , as he passed us by with all the creations from the kitchen. We were astonished how well these food runners were able to hold these giant platters of food , high above our heads, and one HANDED no less with grace.

We were very impressed overall with the food, service and atmosphere and definitely will be back!

Edit: Update 2024

Prices have increased 25-28% for a smaller portion of food. I still think the food is good but pricing makes it less of a value. Fajitas I usually order went from $22 to $28 for a smaller portion. On top of that , they are now charging $1.50 for extra tortillas. They only give you 3 initially which is not enough given the amount of food served. I understand prices go up but this is a significant jump for less food. My overall rating is now more of a...