La Kiva Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Manuel Benavides

How can service be worse here? It can't get worse than my recent experience. I asked for a glass of wine, and waited for 20 minutes before going to the bar and inquiring about my order. The server said "Oh, I forgot your order, please go to the bar." I went to the bar, got my glass, and after driniking that, went inside to pay, and the server asked if I wantd to tip. I replied "No, as you forgot my order, and after 20 minute, had to get it myself." I continued: "I need to run an errand, and will be back; we will then have a "Re-do" on the service/tip, how about that?"

"Ok" was the server's reply.

Upon my return, the same server walked by me over a dozen times, during which, I asked him three times for a glass of wine, and he ignored me completely.

I eventually went to the parking lot and filled my own glass with my own wine and enjoyed the music. The server NEVER stopped at my table, despite walking by me over a dozen times.

I should have tripped the b@stard.

La Kive can pound sand.

MY REBUTTAL: Mallory, what you typed, below, of course excuses the sever for ignoring me (please note heavy sarcasm).

The non-service was on 12/29/2023, mallory, not Christmas day.

Yes, I was early, but did not ask for service until you were open and actively taking orders outside, where I was seated, with maybe 20 others.

I asked the server for a menu, which never came. I repeatedly asked for a glass of wine, which never came, same as the menu.

My needing my credit card back (I was told by TWO employees the La Kiva never holds cards; please have your staff get their story straight), to correct an issue with AT&T, which has no bearing on La Kiva, mentioning that WAS a good attempt at obfuscation, Mallory).

All the tables around me ON THE PATIO (where you say you never serve) received service, but not me, as I must have made the server mad, earlier, by not giving him a tip for doing no work. That is pretty evident.

Your defensiveness, mallory, is also telling. What would you say to me in a private phone conversation that you won't list here?

Please take the criticism in a constructive manner, and at least consider what I've listed, and not be knee-jerk defensive, or your service will remain what it is.

16 ounces of silica...

What an interesting place. Unfortunately, the most interesting thing on the menu (crab-stuffed mushrooms) was apparently not being served anymore, along with nearly half the rest of their appetizers. They ran out of burgers at 7pm on a Monday, when they're open until midnight. My wife's menu had a slip taped to it with BBQ options that they also no longer serve. All that was left on the menu was steaks and pizzas. We ordered a pizza. Surprisingly, the pizza was pretty good, and with a homemade crust as well.

I'm rating this place 3 stars for three reasons: 1. Why is half the menu not available? Do you consider keeping mismatched unedited menus part of your charm? All it did for me is make me hungry for items that I couldn't have; 2. We asked for a beer and wine list, and we were told they don't have one. The waitress didn't even tell me any of the expansive 6 beers they had on tap. Am I supposed to ask a second question to find out what you're serving, or couldn't you assume I wanted to know that from my first question? There was a cute blurb on my menu (not covered by taped-on BBQ options) about how the restaurant used to have a cardboard sign saying "Wine options: white $6, red $6, pink $6. What was pink wine? Was it a mix of half red half white? Nobody knows;" 3. The food was kind of expensive. $21 for a pizza with cream sauce, spinach, cheese, and cajun chicken? It was good but it wasn't great. $8 for a not-large slice of cake, or $6 for a thin slice of pie? The chocolate layer cake looked good, but I could bake a whole chocolate cake for less than $8 homemade.

I wasn't expecting a world-class restaurant, but it didn't feel like the price reflected the quality of service, nor that the restaurant managers really gave a big hoot about quality of service to begin with. I felt like it had a lot higher potential for its interesting decor and...

In 40 years as a paying restaurant consumer, this place is one of a handful that stands out as having poor, perhaps the poorest, service I have seen. Waited patiently for 40 minutes for a table, and was then told I could sit at the bar, or wait "quite a bit longer". So, off to the bar I went, surrounded by thirsty patrons wedging in on either side of my chair, while others piled dirty glassware against my elbows, since no one was busing them. These stacked up for twenty minutes, while no one behind the bar said a word to me during that time. A nice couple sat down, and when the customer who stepped behind the bar to help out asked them what they would like, they told him I was there 1st, so he took my order-pizza and a DP. 40 minutes later, someone dropped a semi-cold pizza in front of me (literally). I asked the snaggle toothed bar tender to pass me a salt shaker from behind the bar, and was promptly ignored. Dr. pepper empty-no offer of refill. The hostess happened behind the bar, and I asked her for a box. Boxed up the pie (not sure why-it was not good-perhaps it was the sheer determination it require to wait for it that seemed to make it worth taking), and sat there another 15 minutes with no check. The nice couple sitting next to me had been waiting all this time for a table, so the gentleman finally went to the hostess stand, where he was told "sorry, we passed you over". Asked the bartender for change for a twenty, and was ignored again. Finally walked over to the register, got change, estimated the bill, dropped the cash on the bar, and never looked back. The couple sitting next to suggested I should walk out, but that's not how I roll. One other patron vocalized his dismay and left while I was sitting there. I've traveled to many out of the way places, but have never seen service this bad....