Salsa Grill — Restaurant in Maryland

Last night was the worst dine in experience I have ever had at Salsa Grill; I have been patronizing this restaurant for well over 20 years I believe! I stopped by and got carry-out for my husband about a month ago and noticed a definite change in the quality of food, and the customer service of the staff, so at that point I brushed it off and convinced myself that maybe it was a bad day and the fact that it was lunch carryout, and maybe overwhelmingly busy. That experience was so impactful, that when my husband made the suggestion, of Salsa Grill for dinner last night, I was very reluctant, but optimistic and gave them another chance. Upon walking in the customer service was null and void, and this is a total change from the customary conditions that created our long-term patronage. Our appetizers came out were burnt, dry and hard! We mentioned the condition of the appetizers to the waitress, she just looked at us asking are we ready for the main course. The cup with my seltzer water was dirty with black flakes all over the inside of the drink. The main course came out, and my husband was totally disappointed; therefore, we complained again about the WHOLE experience, when the waitress brought the check, she then calls the NEW MANAGER over, Carlos is no longer managing Salsa Grill we found out at this point, and she apologized for our experience, but politely told us it was NOTHING she could do about it, and she hoped our next visit would be better! I let her know there would not be a NEXT visit, this was appalling, Carlos, nor JAY the owner would have ever allowed such treatment to go UN-remedied! Matter of fact, I gave Salsa Grill a RAVING 5 Star review 4 years ago, under my other Gmail account name, so I didn't want to edit that one, because they deserved 5 stars back then, but this time, it is unfortunate I had to give 1star because 1 star...

I came I saw and I conquered.

My coworker and I visited this restaurant as a last minute resort. She has come here before and loved it, but today was my 1st visit. 1st of all, let me tell you, the options are unlimited! There were so many variations of food items using shrimp, crab, chicken, sausage, etc. that it took me 15 minutes to pick a dish. I called my order in & went to pick it up. It was ready on time as promised. The young lady that assisted me upon arrival was very nice and expedited my visit there.

I know someone is wondering what did she order? I ordered the Paella Wrap w Chicken, Shrimp, Jalapeño Smoked Sausage, peppers, onions and rice. Believe me when I tell you each and every ingredient is experienced w this wrap. The serving size is so large, that it will take me at least 3 sittings to finish it. I only paid 15 bucks for this! I really went out on a limb & ordered a sweet tea! You will rarely hear me talk about a sweet tea in my review but it was freshly brewed and definitely a conversation piece. Not too sweet and the perfect blend.

I like the location because it has an open parking lot and it's nestled inside of a shopping center with other stores in case you want to do light shopping. There was a gentleman there, I don't know who he was but he was very nice and came from behind the counter. If I had to guess, I would say he was the owner but I am not sure. He just struck casual conversation with my coworker and I and informed us about a game night that they have often during the week and extended an invite. He shared some of the location's history by reflecting on the hangings on the wall as well as shared a few other dish options that are pretty popular there. You guys (Yelp Fam) know this is right up my alley... Great customer service is priceless to me!

If you have not visited this establishment,...

I wish I could give them more stars, the food was pretty good. . I ordered soup and salad. The soup was delish, lots and lots of shrimp and cleaned well. The salad was supposed to be Caesar chicken salad, but it was more like....a chipotle salad with parmesan thrown on. It tasted good, overly seasoned chicken on a salad isn't my cup of tea. Some people love it, I like the taste of the leaves. It was very fresh, and the cheese was good parm.

My issue is the lack of desert items. I'm a sugar fiend, and even fast food makes items to give me my fix, lol, so I expect more out of a restaurant They didn't even have churros, and I make those at home, easy. I went during the week, in the late afternoon. The ambience was alright, going to the back of the restaurant cuts out all the street noise. I don't remember if music was played there. If there was it was relatively quiet and peaceful. It would've been more comfortable if all the staff didnt sit around you while you are eating. It felt strange to have them hovering while I was having a meeting, like they were rushing us .They weren't intrusive exactly- not loud or obnoxious, just there; with their eyes on you.

There is front seating, and back seating. The back seating is where the kitchens are , but there are two entrances for the staff to reach the kitchens. I believe there were only two other tables filled with actual customers. Hard to tell with the staff sitting in the booths. The front seating is tables, all booths in the back. The restaurant is painted a ,kind of grassy neon green,which was cool. Very relaxing,...