La Casa del Chivolin Mexican restaurant — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Great Food, But Poor Management Is Killing the Vibe

Update: I came back the following week and the music is not so loud any more but they still let drunk people play with the DJ system like they are in their home , they should put a sign that not customer should play with the music.

Let me start by saying this: if I were rating just the food, this would be a 10 out of 10, 5-star review — no question. The flavors are authentic, the portions are generous, and every time I eat here, I’m reminded of why I keep coming back.

But yesterday’s experience? An absolute disaster.

What should’ve been a nice meal turned into an annoying, uncomfortable mess because of a complete lack of management and control. The servers seemed far more interested in catering the " loud, drunk customers "than in taking care of everyone else in the restaurant. These customers weren’t just a little rowdy — they were obnoxious, taking over the place like it was their personal nightclub.

They were literally playing DJ getting into the restaurant computers, blasting music so loud it physically hurt my ears. It was impossible to hold a conversation or enjoy the atmosphere. And the worst part? The servers did nothing to stop it. In fact, they encouraged it — especially one young male server who decided to join the party, singing along and hanging out with the drunks like he was off the clock. Meanwhile, the rest of us paying customers were left to deal with the chaos.

I’ve always loved this place. I’m a loyal customer. But last night I seriously considered asking for my food to go and leaving (maybe to never come back). The entire experience felt more like a cheap, out-of-control bar than the family-owned restaurant I’ve supported for so long.

Management needs to step up. This kind of behavior shouldn't be allowed, and if the staff can’t recognize when the environment is turning toxic for other customers, someone in charge needs to step in. Even our server jump scared when they play the music so loud, we were almost yelling at each other (the server and us) trying to figured out what we were trying to order because she couldn't hear us.

Incredible food, disappointing leadership. If this keeps up, I won’t be back — that honestly is a shame because i could say this restaurant has the best seafood in the city

I recommended this restaurant's food, but with the bad experience, I don't recommend anyone to go there unless they want to have the same...

The food was average, but overpriced. The service was terrible. I waitressed and bartended for over 10 years, so I'm pretty flexible with servers, and I'M saying that the service was terrible. When we were there, we were one of only 4 tables in the whole restaurant (there were 4 people at each table) and there were 2 servers (so they only had 2 tables each).

I can't say specifically how long we waited for everything, because I wasn't watching the clock. But we were at the restaurant for almost 2 hours, and it wasn't because we were taking our time eating, and chatting after eating... It was because of waiting.

We waited 15 minutes for a server to even greet us, and waited a long time just for sodas (when the machine was 10ft away from us). We waited a LONG time for the food (and without the server checking in on us). After getting our food, she also didn't check on us. We had to wave at the other server to come over, and asked her for soda refills and other things.

After we were done eating, we waited a LONG time to get the check, and never got one. We went to the front to try to get a check and pay. I spent another 10 minutes waiting to pay while my husband and kids went outside (they were tired of waiting!).

When checking out, I saw how overpriced the food was, especially for the dull flavor. I didn't keep the receipt, but I believe we spent $28 for a large civeche, which we thought could feed 2 people. It ended up being as much as other restaurants sell for one person, but those other restaurants charge only $11 (such as El Beso and El Fuego). And, as I already said, the civeche was average to begin with. I didn't even bother to complain, because I just wanted to get out of there already.

So, I do NOT recommend going to this place. Go to El Beso or El Fuego. Or if you want some REALLY good food, try...

Honest Review — This is place is a real mixed bag that has its positives and negatives. Luckily the negatives should be able to be worked out.

The bad-

1. like other reviews - the service is poor. Very poor. They are disorganized / slow / disjointed / and need to come up with more servers or just have a better system. We had to get up and ask for our drinks and to order. No one was rude or mean though - so that’s a plus.

2. the chips and salsa are BAD! I believe they are the circle chips that you find at a sporting event with nacho cheese! The salsa is kinda like a too spicy ketchup but that’s just my opinion. Maybe give another option?

3. we ordered steak fajitas and the meat was a little too fatty compared to other places

The good-

1. the atmosphere was bright and fun on a Saturday night —- big mariachi band playing —- singing —-very cool - clean in there - bathroom was spotless

2. I ordered a “pot for 2” of various seafood items —— a big grilled tilapia - papas- onions - other baked fish — muscles —- shrimp —- IT WAS AWESOME!!! I wanted to eat healthy and I was able to and everything tasted great. I would strongly recommend it!

3. the prices were on par for what you get and the soda and water glasses are large (always appreciate that)

I will absolutely have a return visit for more seafood - if they improve the service and the chips - this would be an easy 5 Star review!!!

Will update...