Gustavo's Mexican Grill - Norton Commons — Restaurant in Louisville

We have been to this location twice now. We really like the vibe at Norton Commons and heard good things about Gustavo's. The first visit was just okay. The food was so-so and the service was slow, but it was a busy night. We gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried again last week. It was Derby week in Louisville, so we expected it to be busy everywhere. Apparently, it caught Gustavo's completely off guard.

We were placed on a waitlist and told it could be an hour to hour-and-a-half. Not a problem, we got on the list and went down the block for a drink at Commonwealth Tap, which we loved. We stayed about an hour and were still 24th on the waitlist at Gustavo's so decided to try another restaurant, Karem's Grill & Pub, where we were seated right away. Unfortunately, they were out of steak, which we both wanted, so we decided to wait it out at Gustavo's. More than 2 hours after our initial visit, we were finally seated.

By this time, the crowd was thinning out and there were several empty tables. It was nearly 10pm. The waiter was very nice and apologetic, but things would not get better for us. We ordered our drinks and waited nearly 20 mins for them to arrive. We ordered chips and queso for an appetizer. 10 mins later, the waiter stop by on his way to another table to let us know they were out of chips. We ordered our meals, and waited, and waited, and waited.... An hour later, I stopped the waiter and asked for the check for the drinks. We were both starving and done with this entire experience.

He said he would be right back. A few minutes later, he returned with our meals in a to-go bag and said they were on the house. This was at least some consolation. However, when we got home and opened the containers, it looked like the food was balled up in a mess and thrown in the dish. It was not good at all. We will definitely not be back...

FORMERLY FIVE STARS…This pains me. I LOVE Gustavos, especially in Norton Commons. The patio is spot on, the service (usually) is top notch, and the food is consistently high quality and predictable flavor. BUT, BUT…tonight…there was something amiss. Number one, the music was blasting through the speakers which made talking almost prohibitive. We’ve been going there for well over a year, and I don’t remember the loud patio music.

On to the dining experience: We were seated quickly as usual, chips came out as usual, but no napkins or silverware. The waiter took our drink order as usual, and then…we waited. And waited. It was not overly busy, 8:30pm. And then the drinks came out in sets. A soda and a water and margarita. And then eventually the beer made it. When the drinks came we ordered queso, and it made it in reasonable time, food ordering was pretty normal. However, again, the food came out spaced in sets. Only by a couple minutes, but still unusual.

Now, to many of you, this May all seem like whining from an unhappy person. You’d be wrong. This is meant to be a constructive criticism of an amazing restaurant and business. Each time we go to Gustavos we literally see him, Gustavo! He is dressed and working! The man has like a restaurant empire and still works the floor and is in touch with his craft and customers! Which is why I’m taking the time to write this, because he deserves it. He deserves to know there has been a slippage in what makes his establishment stand apart. And it’s all minor stuff, stuff I might expect other places, but not at Gustavos.

Gustavo, keep your place the five star restaurant of casual dining! We’ll be back for sure, the food and staff are great, but...

I love Gustavo’s Mexican Grill (Norton Commons) and have always enjoyed eating there! I’d give the food and atmosphere 5 stars. This 1 star rating is for a customer service experience. I took my wife out for our 40th anniversary, Saturday night. The restaurant was busy and I understand the situation for all restaurants during these trying times. After our lovely meal, the waiter rushed (literally, not even stopping) by our table asking “check guys?”. I then told him we wanted two desserts and pointed in the menu to the items. To our surprise, he told us “it will be at least 10 minutes my friend, I have a lot of people outside waiting on margaritas, so it will be a while.” We probably would have waited and enjoyed conversation but to flat out tell us we’d have to wait, just made us feel less important than the other party. He repeated this a couple more times. I wasn’t even sure how to respond, feeling as though I was being convinced to not bother with a dessert order. We went on and ordered dessert but shortly afterward we were bummed out at being rushed just for two desserts; we decided to request to cancel our desserts as he was entering it in. I didn’t know what to expect but he did not make effort to change the situation, simply saying “ok my friend” I still tipped him 20% because it is what is right but honestly we left the...