El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Lakewood

We hadn't been back to this location in 4 years and decided to try it again today, because we had tried the Alameda location recently and it was much improved. But unfortunately NOT this one.

The "service" was almost non-existent. It took quite awhile for them just to take the order for our drinks. The waiter who brought my hot coffee spilled it all over the creamer cups and saucer that it came on, so every time I picked it up, it dripped on the table, and even on my shirt. Every time I needed a refill, I would put the empty cup at the edge of the table, and still have to wave down a server and ask for a refill. The service was abysmal! It was like we were being purposely ignored.

It took about 20 minutes for them to take our meal order. I ordered chicken, steak and shrimp fajitas, and when they arrived, the shrimp had shells on them, despite my requesting them without shells. But the waitress said that they weren't available without the shells. ( They are at a nearby competitor that we frequent! ) But I could see why. The shells were needed to hide the size of the shrimp, which were tiny - like popcorn shrimp. I've never seen shrimp so small in ANY restaurant dish before. There were 5 or 6 of them, which MAY have added up to a mouthful of shrimp.

As I started to eat the fajitas, I noticed how salty the dish was. I ate about 10% of it and simply couldn’t eat anymore! It took about ten minutes to find someone, to complain to, about this! When I did finally get the waitress, she said that she’d get the manager, and that didn’t happen! I had to ask repeatedly, and finally get up and walk over to the waitress and tell her; “I need to see the manager right away!”. Even THAT didn’t work for awhile!

When the manager finally arrived, I told her that the dish was so salty that I couldn’t eat it. She took it to the kitchen for a few minutes, then returned and told me that she had TASTED it, and that it didn’t taste like it had any salt at ALL! What’s wrong with this picture? Well one of the first cautions of restaurant workers is that, once a dish has been on a customer’s table, they don’t taste it! Would you taste something that a customer had been EATING?! I could enumerate the ways that this would be hazardous to do! It’s JUST not done! So I could only assume that she wasn’t being truthful, and if she was being truthful, she had done something which was against all the rules of safety. And THEN she returns the plate to my table for ME to eat?!

So I told her again, that it was so salty that I couldn’t eat it, and I’d have to order something else, but that I had no intention of paying for this dish. So what does she do? She ARGUES with me! She says that I’ve already eaten it, and should pay for it. I show her the plate, and that I’ve clearly barely eaten any of it, to discover that it was too salty to possibly eat. So she argues more, and says that if I didn’t want to pay for it, how could they take my order for some other dish to replace it with?

At this point, Jennifer and I were really getting frustrated with this whole experience and asked for a check, not including the fajitas, so that we could leave, with no intention of ever coming back! But even THAT took awhile. We paid for our drinks, and Jennifer’s dish, and left, and then had to go to Village Inn to get me something to eat, as I still hadn’t eaten enough to get by with.

All in all - and I’ve never said this about any restaurant in my LIFE - we felt like we were being discriminated against, by these people. And I realize that’s a strong statement, but it’s both of our opinions, because of...

Where to start. My friend who lives in the area had to take me to this restaurant. So, growing up in Texas, I'm always down for good Mexican food. The atmosphere and decor of the restaurant were very impressive with lots of things to see bright colors. They also have a special hand carved funeral straight from Mexican, and I have seen at other Mexican restaurants that I found out where they are made. Now for my experience with this restaurant. I am have a gluten allergy, so I can not have any cross contamination or I get a reaction. This first question I ask of our server are the chips made here in a dedicated frier or out sourced? She had no clue but asked. They are made at the restaurant and deep fried in a cross contaminated friers. The chips and nachos are out for eating, which is disappointing because I love the chips, salsa, and guacamole. I did eat the guacamole by spoon but not the same. Next, I ordered my go-to, which was two cheese, Enchiladas with beans and rice. The order took a very long time to come out with very little customers. I did request the grill be scrubbed for cooking my meal, so I was ok with the long wait. Here is where things went wrong when I got my food. The beans and rice were perfect and loved it, but the two cheese Enchiladas were cold . The cheese used was not Mexican cheese, and cold Enchiladas are nasty. I politely ask our second server for another two Enchiladas that are not cold. This came old very quickly, which I was happy about, but the cheese used was nothing but a liquid runny hot mess with nothingness with a corn tortilla. Soup mess. If they actually used Mexican cheese, it wouldn't have been a big goo. I took three bites and couldn't eat anymore it was just nothing and very hot. I was running late to another appointment, so I just ate the beans and rice and left.

So, if you have a gluten allergy, I would not recommend this restaurant due to a lack of options and cold nasty or soupy Enchiladas. I would come here just for beans and rice. I will not be back.

This is my...

When i was first introduce to El Tapation, a mexican restaurant located in 3601 S Wadsworth blv, Denver CO, i though it was just the right work environment. Staff was very nice, managers seemed really understandable and polite, food was tasty and the clients were really nice. It was the best job i had encounter because not only was it good on its work environment but money wise was amazing. But as i got used to the work place i noticed the lack of management and its lack of team work and organization. Lack of management is huge as a server i can tell this location has gone down fall ever since it switch management. The manager who’s provoking this is called ,Rafael, his way of working is terrible he’s very rude to the customers, he pays more attention to the workers than customers. He has a huge lack of making a customer want to come back to dine in. I had several experience of customers going off on this manager or this manager treating them with lack of service. One time they were fixing cables that went through the ceiling and they went through a customers table, where as he was eating and dust had fallen in his food. The client immediately spoke to this man but instead of him apologizing or offering a new plate, he was stubborn and argued to the client that none of the dust had fallen into his plate. Several clients had requested the owners number to inform him of how they are being treated but this manager refuses to give anything to them. The manager has his ways of brainwashing the owner of every detail he likes or dislikes to his own benefit. Not only those he make customers feel like never coming back but as a self experience i can say i will never want to go back there and work again. I highly don't recommend the food there nor drinks they have cockroaches they tried several times to get rid of them but to the day of now they haven't. These cockroaches have been found inside of the salsa that is serve to a table when arrived. Even one was captured by a client in a menu as he looked to see...