La Jaiba Mexican Seafood Grill (North Park) — Restaurant in McAllen

We recently visited La Jaiba and had a generally positive experience, though it was marked by a few peculiar points.

On the upside, arriving to find the restaurant empty meant we were seated immediately. The service started promptly, and we appreciated the complimentary shrimp broth offered as a starter – a nice touch.

The food was definitely a highlight. We ordered the pescadillas, which were essentially delicious fried corn tortilla quesadillas filled with fish, and we really enjoyed them. We also shared the "barrow shrimp" (a flavorful broth top with cheese) and found it very satisfying. While they were out of some selections from the draft beer list, we appreciated that the waiters informed us of this right away.

However, there was one significant downside that made our visit uncomfortable. A pair of worn shoes were sitting on the empty table directly next to ours for the duration of our meal. When we asked the staff about them, they mentioned they belonged to an employee but made no move to remove them, despite our implicit request and obvious discomfort. Seeing discarded footwear next to where we were eating was quite off-putting and frankly, baffling. The shoes were still there when we left.

Overall, La Jaiba served up some genuinely tasty food, particularly the pescadillas and the broth. The initial service was prompt and the complimentary starter was welcome. However, the bizarre and unresolved situation with the shoes left on the adjacent table significantly detracted from the atmosphere and overall experience. Because of that strange lapse in maintaining a proper dining environment, we're hesitant about whether we would return, despite enjoying...

I went to try out the new restaurant and was disappointed. It took a while to be seated, even though it was kind of empty. We ordered the Fish and Shrimp plate, which came with fries or rice, and we also ordered a side dish of Onion Rings. The food didn't have any flavor, it had no taste, I don't know what kind of seasoning they use, but they need to find another one. They brought us a side salad, and it looked like they didn't want to give you any, you could see through the plate. I took my 3-year-old granddaughter to the bathroom and there were two doors but they were only labeled "Bathroom". I asked the waitress, which one is the women's bathroom, and she said, You can use either, they are for both women and men, I was in shock. I took my granddaughter in one of them, the seat was up, there was urine on the floor, I took my granddaughter out of there. It's discussing going into a restroom and it's like that, and expect female customers to use it. Overall, I will not be going back to that restaurant, food doesn't taste like anything, bathrooms need to be designated Male or Female,...

Wanted to try this new location out and what a disappointment,we went in about 730 this evening there was 2 families at the host stand waiting to get sat we were the 3rd family and a fourth family came in after I stood and watched2 servers a bartender and I'm assuming a manager cracked under pressure. First and foremost not being acknowledged or being told they will be right with us shows no hospitality whatsoever I get it's a new location but why not be prepared and properly staffed being that this location is a busy area and lots to do around so of course we left after 20 min of just standing there watching the servers overwhelm themselves with what was sat which in my eyes wasn't busy at all with the biggest table being a 7 top ridiculous you lost the 3 of 4 families that were waiting to get sat instead we went next door to a taqueria and we're amazed and blown away at how fast the speed of service...