BelAir Cantina — Restaurant in Milwaukee

We’ve ordered from Belair 1x/week for the last 2 years. We will now be taking our business to Wauwatosa Belair. The poor customer service, slow/negligent service, deceitful promises, poor quality control, inconsistent portions, and lack of apology or attempts to resolve the issues has led us to discontinue our patronage at Downer Belair: #1: The 8 o’clock pickup time was “no longer available,” so I had to choose the next available time, 8:15. Drove 20 minutes to get the food only to be welcomed by a locked door. An employee said they had our order but it was past 8 so they couldn’t fill the order. He stated an email was sent notifying me, but this was untrue (not in inbox/spam). #2 Ordered online for ourselves and 76 year old neighbor lady. We pick up the order, got home, and they filled our elderly neighbor’s order wrong. #3 The adobo sauce lid was not all the way on and spilled all over inside the takeout bag. #4 Every time we order later in the evening the taco portions are significantly smaller and inconsistent. It’s laughable that one taco might have a good portion and another has a bite-sized filling. #5 The adobo sauce is ALWAYS clearly watered down & flavorless. We’ve eaten this stuff so many times; we know what it’s supposed to look/taste like. It’s way better at Wauwatosa Belair. Doesn’t make sense to save costs on watering down your salsa. #6 On Cinco de Mayo, I placed my takeout order early in the morning to ensure we were able to get a pickup time slot. I arrived to absolute chaos of 40 people standing outside waiting for orders. There were no safety procedures in place for high volume of people during the pandemic. Not everyone was prepared with a mask and there was no way to avoid congregating in a tiny entryway to hear orders being called from inside. It took over an hour past my pickup time for my order to be ready! I understand it was a holiday, but what didn’t make any sense was that the order pickup times are controlled and clearly only allow a certain number of orders at one pickup time. So how was this even possible for so many orders to be extremely delayed?! Absolutely ridiculous and just goes to show poor and negligent planning without regard for customers’ health. No apology was given and even though again they said they sent emails out, no one got them. I contacted Belair about these issues and they again reassured me (lies) that they would be addressed. #7 The final straw was tonight; I ordered for pickup at 7 for ourselves and my elderly neighbor (who’s used to eating dinner at 5:30). My boyfriend rushed from work to get there to pick up our order in time so it wouldn’t be cold and to get home as soon as possible with everyone’s dinner. He arrived and they informed him it wasn’t ready even after 15 minutes of waiting. They again lied and said an email was sent (NEVER any emails received about any of these delayed or cancelled orders). He waited another 10 minutes and went to check; the hostess informed him ours still wasn’t there. He checked again when the next orders came up and the hostess said she would come get him when our order was up. After more waiting he went up again and she said “what was your name again” and proceeded to pick up the bag that had been sitting on the table for the last 10 minutes after she had promised to bring the order out to him. It took 45 minutes past our order pickup time for the food to be ready! The hostess was no help at all. He watched numerous people come in and sit down and even get their food orders in that time spent waiting. What is the point of reserving a pickup time if the food isn’t going to be ready anywhere near that time?! If you make a reservation, it’s for a reason. What if we had children at home waiting to eat, somewhere to be, or if we were a delivery service picking up food?! Absolutely inexcusable service especially considering they have full control over the number of allowed orders at a designated...

RACIST AND HORRIBLE FOOD!

Been coming to Belair for years and always had a pleasant experience until my last visit!

When I first came in I was seated and when the server came with water both glasses were dirty! I then asked for clean glass and the server came back with the another dirty glass! I then opted for a bottled beverage and then we ordered. I came in for some tacos and my carnitas came out very tough, almost leather like. When I notified our server she seemed annoyed that I even told her about the issue and said very rudely “if you don’t like this then I’ll get a manager” and just grabbed the food and walked away. I was completely shocked with the lack of professionalism! About 5 minutes later the manager came over and introduced herself as Maddie and asked us what was going on. After explaining what happened she appeared frustrated and let us know that she checked everything and nothing was wrong with the cups or food. I then explained that we have been here for years and it has not been consistent in months. She then stated that we could order something else if that “didn’t do it for us” because they “batch cook” and wouldnt be able to remake the meat. I’ve worked in restaurants but the horrible customer service was not cool. Against our better judgement we ordered new food when the server finally returned and we got some carne asada and it was rock hard! At this point we just wanted to leave. As I was getting up to look for my server (she barely came to the table) I was then asked by the manager Maddie, “are you going to pay for that?” I was just absolutely stunned and disgusted. I let the “manager “ know that I indeed intended to pay but the new tacos were an issue. She then exhaled as if i was wasting her time and let me know she’d take the tacos off the check and i then walked about 3-4ft over to the table while she fixed the check. I then see my server walk over and I am not sure if they thought they were whispering but I was 2 tables away and could hear clearly. The server asked “what’s the problem now” and the manager Maddie replied “she didn’t like her new tacos” and the server stated then stated “oh well” and then Maddie says “I thought all mexicans liked tacos but some just want to get free food”. I was extremely frustrated and disappointed as the tears swelled in my eyes.I have never encountered such a blatant racial remark while in a restaurant! Me and My fiancé immediately got up and left!

I understand restaurants need help but to have basically a child as a manager and not be properly trained is ridiculous. No ability to problem solve and meet customers needs but to go so far as to make such a disrespectful and racist statement is beyond me! I guess she thought we couldn’t hear her.

I’ve met the previous manager Kyle and we have never had this happen and never experienced this issue. Hire qualified adults for leadership roles because this is the WORST experience I have ever encountered in my life!

If Belair Cantina is okay with this type of racism then I will not be back and I wish anyone of my culture sees this and...

Above and Beyond the call of duty. This is a review for event catering. Our daughter got married recently and wanted BelAir Cantina to cater. The bride and groom also wanted another table set up with pulled pork from a restaurant that makes the food but doesn't deliver or set up. I'm the MOB and this seemed like a lot of moving parts. I also wondered if tacos would be satisfying enough. Erik from BelAir's catering side of their business was SO nice and reassuring. He ALWAYS returned my calls even though I was the MOB. I was stressed out about the food from the other vendor💆🏻‍♀️. I told Erik my problem and he volunteered to help. He said he couldn't serve their food but he could set it up with sternos and stands. They followed through and did that for us.❤️ Erik was always cheerful and easy to work with. The reception was pretty far from Milwaukee at a venue that they had never worked before. The catering staff was on time, professional and hard working, even helping to clear tables while they weren't busy. They wrapped up all the leftovers neat and tidy, even the the BBQ. Now to the tacos🌮🌮🌮 OMG they were awesome! Now I know why my daughter loves BelAir! They were fabulous! Everything was fresh, cilanto, lettuce, salsas, meat, beans and corn...everything! And they were filling! I was really proud to have their food served to our guests. I just can't say enough good things about our experience with BelAir Cantina. I would hire them again in a New York minute. ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you Erik for your kindness, patience...