Mission 19 Taqueria — Restaurant in Monterey

I think that one of the best things about Mission 19 Taqueria is the atmosphere. I like the modern Mexican decor and the cute sayings in the bathroom and arouund the restaurant. The taqueria is quaint and comfortable. You can eat outside if you choose. The food on the other hand, is not a do over for my son and I. I mean I do not plan to come back. My son ordered the Carne Asada Fries and I ordered a breakfast burrito with ham. it took over half and hour for our food to be served to us. We Dined in at the taqueria. I finially got up to ask if our food would be coming, the guy at the front counter (who happens to be the owner-David). David served the food to us, I complained to him about the wait. He said the food is made fresh and that is why we had to wait longer than normal. My son tried his fries. Surprisingly, they were ice cold. The carne asada was bites of gristle. Very hard to eat. My breakfast burrito, was full of the chipotle mayo which was all I can taste. The fries and my breakfast burrito was bland. Hardly any flavor. When I told David at the front counter he told me that they were lukewarm not cold and that they just came off the fryer. Good fries are hot not lukewarm or cold. He did have the cooks remake them. When he served the fries again he appologized about having to remake them.He offered me a free drink on the house and I asked for a refund for the fries. He laughed and left. He was ARROGANT when I told him I would not be back. He said he didn't care. I give the overall rating a 2 star because of the atmosphere. Otherwise it would have been -1 if that number was possible...

Went into Mission 19 on a Thurs eve and it was medium level busy. It took 45 minutes to get our food and it wasn't even warm. We paid higher prices for burritos, guacamole and chips and drinks than the typical dinner rates. We know Mexican food as my family eats it at least once a week from good authentic restaurants in Salinas and Monterey. The customer service was hurried at the cashier even though no one was in line behind us as we wanted to be sure we got what each of us liked in our burritos. Guacamole had a good amount of avocado but no salt. Have read other reviews and everyone says the same...extremely long waits for our order of meats rice and beans burritos with salsa or guac. We even asked the waitress when we would be served after 30 mins and she said very soon...we got our order 15 minutes later. And it seems the owner who is writing back to his customers reviews is rude to tell them they aren't Taco Bell and other unprofessional remarks. Also the meat in the burritos were super dry. We were headed to Mando's down the street that has never disappointed in their service and food but decided to try out a new place. Music also needs to be turned down when their own service people have to ask what their...

1 Star – If I could give zero, I would. Hands down one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had at a restaurant. We came from out of town to celebrate my son’s birthday and had been looking forward to eating here after a long, tiring day exploring Monterey. We arrived at 7:40pm — the sign and their website clearly say they close at 8pm. People were still in line ordering, so we waited our turn.

But just as we finally got to the front at 7:45pm, they suddenly told us “Sorry, we’re closed”. No apology, no attempt to explain, just completely dismissed us. Meanwhile, they had no problem serving the people ahead of us.

I was left standing there with two small, hungry children — one of them trying to enjoy his birthday — and no food. After everything, it truly felt personal. I don’t want to assume the worst, but if you’re not white, don’t expect to be treated the same. It really felt like we were being turned away for a reason that had nothing to do with closing time.

This place is unprofessional, inconsiderate, and clearly not welcoming to everyone. I will never return and I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone, especially families or anyone expecting basic...