SALSA BRAVA URBAN KITCHEN & CANTINA — Restaurant in Laurel

We went for the soft opening to #SalsaBrava today which is in the same space as Chibal (miss you!) used to be on route 1 across from IHOP. We enjoyed our time there. The sangria was good but a little light on the booze for my taste. The coconut mojito was good but a little too sweet for me. My son got a carne asada to see is it’s anything as good as #MangosGrill, and it was very good. The cook was medium just like requested and it was flavorful. Different flavor from Mangos but good. Came with the salad that I enjoyed. I got a fajita - only type they have- with bacon wrapped shrimp, steak and chicken. The steak was good, chicken was ok but I never like chicken in restaurants. The shrimp were a little bland for me and needed some flavor as they were wrapped in bacon with Oaxaca cheese which is very mild itself and bell peppers. In my opinion the shrimp has to be seasoned better. But the cook on the shrimp and steak were good. The beans were OK and the rice was ok for me as well. We also got a aode of garlic fries and really wmjpyed them, they had actual garlic pieces on them which we like. For dessert we tried beignets and they were good though half of them was hotter than the other half which makes me think they were microwaved. Anyways, this place is definitely better than La Fogata that was in that place for a minute, but not as good as Chibal at its prime. We definitely will try them again. The service today was good, everyone was training which is understandable, but everyone was friendly and polite. I’m sure it will take a few weeks for them to get into the swing of things, but definitely...

Today, Friday, September 26, 2025, my friends and I decided to check out Salsa Brava after work for Happy Hour. It was my second visit—my first had been during a quiet weekday, so I hadn’t seen what it's like during busier times. Everything started smoothly until more Latino and Hispanic customers arrived. Since the restaurant is primarily Spanish and Latino cuisine, it wasn’t surprising to see a lively crowd. But what disappointed me was how suddenly we felt invisible. No one came to take our order or asked if we needed anything. The bartender who initially served us was moved to the floor to be a waiter, however the Bartender at the bar, refused to serve us claiming we needed to speak to the original bartender, who was now busy waiting tables but we were sitting at the bar.

When we finally caught his attention, he asked another male bartender to make my drink—unfortunately, it was the wrong order. I was willing to make it better and still drink the drink if someone gave me pineapple juice, so I asked two bartenders and a waiter for some, but they all ignored us.

It was very evident once the restaurant’s Latino/Hispanic customers arrived in larger numbers, our presence was disregarded.

Poor service, dismissiveness, and what felt like racial bias made it clear we were no longer welcome. I want to support businesses that value all their patrons and offer genuine hospitality.

To my Black and Brown friends, let's choose to uplift places that serve us with respect and quality service every time and not when it's...

Update: went recently with a group of friends on a Thursday evening and it was great. Sat at the bar with Jenny as my bartender and her service was AMAZING 10/10. She was friendly, attentive and gave great customer service. Based on this experience, I will be back. Food was great this time too, I had the wings and it they were saucy and tasty!

Visited recently to check out the scene and see if the rebrand from La Fogata was worth it. Keeping it simple: it wasn’t.

I did arrive about 30 minutes before closing, but that’s no excuse for what happened. At exactly 2 AM, a staff member (security) came to our table and, without saying much, began pulling the chairs out from under us while we were still seated (yes, this actually occurred!), literally lifting them to get us to stand up. They then repeatedly told us to “get up and get out” because they were closed. They tried to play it off as friendly, but what’s friendly about sitting at a dinner table, and having your chair pulled and lifted to get you to leave?

Never in my life have I experienced something so blatantly rude and disrespectful at a restaurant. If this is how they treat guests at closing time, the rebrand missed the mark entirely. Safe to say that we will not be returning. We didn’t even get to try any food or drinks. Very...