Diego’s Farm to Table — Restaurant in McAllen

i’ve been looking forward to try the restaurant since before they opened. they present themselves so well online and the reviews i’ve seen have been nothing short of amazing. so of course i decided to go here to celebrate a special day with my significant other. my experience here was unforgettable but in the opposite direction. here’s a play by play:

i understand it’s a popular place to have dinner but the parking was difficult to navigate and secure. we had to drive through the cramped parking lot 3 times before luckily securing a spot. we weren’t sure if we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait to be seated but we elected to sit inside. it was nice inside and they had lil table lamps. the ambiance was a bit off because of the lack of background music/noise, which would periodically come on and off throughout the dinner. we were attended to relatively quickly with the menus and the starting chips and salsa. the food menu was a bit underwhelming but the cocktails were intriguing. we finished the chips and knew what we wanted to order before they brought out the plates to eat on, so when they brought us two little plates we were confused what their purpose was. we ordered a water and they said they only have it in bottles. reluctantly i said yes thinking it would be around $1-2 for a plastic bottle. they then bring out a $6.50 glass liter bottle of spring water, which was definitely a surprise to me. i also overheard that it is the only water they have available there. my girlfriend ordered the only red wine they had by the glass and i ordered a saffron GIN tea. the servers take orders on a lil electronic notepad but they seemed confused on the orders, as they had to ask again which wine we ordered. they only offer one red wine by the glass. they also made it a point to ask if the saffron tea i wanted was the alcoholic one or the non alcoholic one. they brought us the wine, which was room temp, and a saffron tea (no gin). i had a sip and realized there was no alcohol in it. it makes sense bc they’re two nearly identical drinks, but they made it a point to ask which one i wanted and still brought the wrong one. the servers also seemed to not be familiar with the menu bc when we asked what the saffron tea was they weren’t sure or were speaking too low. they also didn’t refer to the drink by the name on the menu, rather calling it ‘the one with alcohol’. throughout the night we had several different servers ask us if we had been helped and bring us orders from other tables. this happened at least 5 times which was awkward and left us confused every time. they brought out a cocktail but it looked different than the regular saffron tea. when the server returned we asked them what it was and they said it was another cocktail (that we didn’t order). they asked us if it had any alcohol in it and i said i haven’t tried it so i wasn’t sure. they let us keep the mistaken drinks and brought out the correct one some time later. it took a while to be approached for our food order but once we ordered the food came relatively quickly. many tables that were there after us were getting their service and orders before us. we ordered the lobster roll and the lamb burger. for their burgers they have two prices, one for a small and one for a large. i got a small. when i got the burger i felt that the patty was significantly smaller than the bun, seeing that i had to get through several bites of straight up bread before getting to the meat. as someone that makes bread and loves burgers, it left me wondering why they don’t make small buns knowing they serve small sized burgers? either make regular sized AND small buns, or just serve one size patty.the burger was alright, the lobster roll was really good, and the saffron gin tea was delicious. not good enough to overcome the frustrating experience.one we were through with our meals i asked for the tab. the waitress was going over the order she was going to charge us for and it was the bill for the table next to us.

this is a two part review since google won’t let me add...

I was really looking forward to trying Diego’s. I moved here last year from WA and had been eyeing this spot ever since I got here. It has not been the easiest finding vegan/vegetarian options in the valley plus somewhere that served cocktails and allowed kids, this place is unique! We are definitely foodies who love to travel and check out new places. We unfortunately had a bad first time experience leaving us unlikely to return. Firstly we waited quite some time to be seated. There were several empty tables, it was not busy. We eventually went up to ask someone if we could take a seat and they said anywhere was fine. We chose a center visible table right in front of the call window. We then waited a long time for a menu or anyone to come to our table. My partner eventually got up and went to where the menus were and got them for us. After waiting some time again we were able to order drinks. Both drinks came out wrong, my paper plane was made with mezcal instead of bourbon whiskey and the other drink that was supposed to have mezcal didn’t. We aren’t ones to make a fuss so usually we’d just drink them but mezcal just was not good in a paper plane and the whole reason he ordered what he did was for the mezcal. Eventually they came and took both drinks and said they would remake them. My paper plane came back and was corrected and he apologized however the other drink never came. The bartender passed our table several more times with no updates. We ended up leaving having never received the other drink. Our food was okay but the lobster roll was quite small and to quote my partner was “in a Costco like hot dog bun.” We waited a long time again for any check ins, would’ve loved to check on the other drink and order more, it also felt like we had a different person helping us each time (I remember at least 4), the person who came to get us out of there and help us pay hadn’t serviced us the entire time. Just not sure what was going on but it felt overall very disorganized and frustrating for us like we were an inconvenience as...

Everything about Diego's was excellent. I enjoyed the food, drinks, service and atmosphere.

I stopped by late on a Sunday and it was busy. Thankfully, there was a table available. The young gentleman that seated me was also my server and bartender. He was very friendly and welcoming.

The outdoor seating area was cozy and inviting. The plants, decor and furniture set a warm and enlivening vibe.

I was delighted with the range of drink flavors and opted for the black rice horchata. It was a great start to my dining experience. The horchata was creamy and delicious.

I then decided to try one of their cocktails and opted for their "New Fashioned", which was incredibly tasty. The waiter explained their in-house process and even offered if for some reason I didn't like it. Luckily, I loved it.

For my meal, I opted for the Mighty Carnivore. A 9-10 oz grass-fed burger with a blend of heart, liver and kidney. When it came out, it was piping hot and intimidatingly bigger than I expected.

The burger came together really well. The sauteed tomatoes and carmelizes onions brought a delightful flavor. It was a hefty burger, but I didn't skip a bite.

Throughout the meal, the waiter, busser, manager and Diego each came to check on me and ensure I had a good experience. Their diner experience is clearly a shared priority.

After my meal, Diego was very friendly and stopped me to ask about the food and experience. I appreciates his warmth and hospitality.

It so happened that several friends unexpectedly arrived to dine as I finished my meal (I later learned they're regulars). So, I stuck around and joined them for their meal. They had a different server and she was also very friendly and attentive.

My friend ended up getting the same Carnivore burger and equally enjoyed it. While we dined and chatted, Diego invited us to try the melon mint agua fresca he had made, which was balanced and refreshing.

I will...