Squid Ink Eclectic Eats and Drinks — Restaurant in Mobile

I just had one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Tuna Poke Power Bowl. Contains (copied from the menu): Diced tuna, soy sesame sriracha dressing, over lentils, quinoa, kale, charred cauliflower, sweet potato, cucumber, craisins, crunchy gyoza. All for just $13.

I was seeking something healthy and this looked really good on paper. Frankly, I wasn't expecting it to taste exceptionally good because, well... lentils and quinoa and kale are usually great for healthy meals but not all that for scintillating taste.

I was entirely surprised! This tasted remarkable. There was nothing dry. The tuna was cooked perfectly (kind of like barely-cooked sushi) and tasted nothing like tuna fish from a can. There was plenty in the dish, too. The cauliflower, I found myself searching for because it was so good. The sweet potato and craisins added a hint of sweetness. And possibly my favorite part was barely noticed crunch from the gyoza (which I have no idea what this is).

I was there during Mardi Gras, so I sat at the bar with a co-worker. They STILL charged only $13, while many other places in the area jacked up their prices due to the amount of people there for the festivities. The person who served us epitomizes customer service. Clearly she was very busy, but she managed to squeeze in conversation with us and people next to us. And more importantly, she went above and beyond when she helped my co-worker with an issue he had with a bottle of wine he purchased. She didn't have to help. It was not her responsibility. But she just did, and for that, alone, this place is a must visit for anyone visiting downtown Mobile, AL.

Great food. (The best!) Great service. Friendly people. Highly recommend Squid Ink.

(My perspective: I travel frequently for work and I always try different places, often recommended, sometimes not. My tastes are more practical in that I generally prefer food that just tastes good and find over-priced dishes to rarely be...

Upon arrival my husband and son wait while the hostess pretends not notice them. Now, granted, our attire was casual compared to the other patrons as we were not dining inside-- but, wow....such indifference based on a PERCEIVED socio-economic discrepancy between us and the other patrons screams ignorance. Or, perhaps, this is a complete and utter misunderstanding and I have unfairly judged the situation as the poor woman suffers from some unfortunate disability that makes it virtually impossible to see the 6 foot 4 inch black man staring directly at her from 5 feet away. Eventually we get our food, my husband tips the hostess, and he brings our dinner home.

Unfortunately, this is not where the experience gets better. The restaurant staff completely failed to include my husband's meal in our order (although it was ordered and paid for). At this point, he is understandably refusing to return to relive another ordeal, so he asks me to call and just request a refund. After speaking with the lady who answered the phone, I am told that she will relay the information to her manager, and we should expect a refund in about 3-4 days. Do I have confidence that this will be done? - no, not so much.

As for a review of the food that we actually did receive: my children did like their cheeseburgers, for whatever a 7 and 9 year old's culinary criticism is worth. I ordered the shrimp scampi and was afforded a free bonus- I got to keep the little poop sacks in every little shrimp for free, yay! I know this establishment advertises as an "upscale dining experience," but if failing to devein shrimp is upscale dinning, then I fear the casual dining experience and question whether we could have ever be considered underdressed for the experience. Overall, we recommend you skip this "upscale dining" experience- save your...

I do want to start with a positive that the Tuna nachos were delicious, but I don’t think I’d necessarily call it a nacho.

That said, I was looking to have a lighter meal, and I was thrilled to see Bahn Mi on the menu. I had ordered the chicken Bahn Mi, and it was so small. For 3 dollars more I could have gotten a much bigger portion and value with a burger. If you’re gonna substitute the traditional baguette style bread for a Bahn mi but still charge the same price for the small bao that’s a bad deal. It shouldn’t be in the entree menu it’s a starter (serve 3 together ditch the fries and you have a best seller.) 3 for $10 is way more appealing than 1 for $8 with just OK fries. bad deal for its size.

Also, my server though very sweet, did not do a good job of recommending any favorites or must haves. When I ordered the Bahn Mi I wanted the dinner size (It was dinner time after all; no clarity from her. ) After I ate my Bahn Mi, I told her I was disappointed I didn’t get the dinner order; she brought me the fries I should have had the first time and charged me an extra dollar (should have been redone in POS system as dinner with the Fries.)

To top it off, a Lemonade was $4. Ok. But to charge for a lemonade refill? If this place is gonna charge for refills they need to make that more known, as well as the new credit card fee. I would have gladly paid cash had I been told.

Overall I’d still bring people here but my time was disappointing. Locals would know how to navigate the menu better. Portions vs Pricing is a problem for the menu.

My bill with tip was $35 for the nachos, single Bao Bahn mi, fries (overcharged $1) and...