Burrito Bar & Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

This has been by far the worst experience I have ever dealt with. Decided to visit this place since I would always drive by. Looked like the ideal place to celebrate my 30th birthday. Little did I know that my experience would turn out to be embarrassing and overall very unpleasant. My husband and I were excited about dining in the outdoor seating they had, but came across a very sunny, and hot day. We were very indecisive about sitting with the sun hitting us directly so we immediately asked the server if would be possible to sit inside rather then outside. As we were walking to be sat inside we came across a table which had a little bit of shade so we asked if sitting their would be an option so server did not hesitate to sit us there. We reviewed the menu and were really looking forward to placing our order after almost 10-15 minutes of being seated, a young lady approach us demanding us to give up our table because she needed it for a larger party. We inform her that we asked if sitting here would be option and server did not hesitate so we assume it was not an issue. She did not care to follow up with the server her demeanor was very unacceptable and overall unprofessional. We felt humiliated and treated as if were not good enough to be their customers. In no time during her approach was she apologetic nor sympathetic or courteous towards us so me and my husband looked at each other and realize that it would be best for us to leave since we felt very uncomfortable. No one cared to stop us from leaving which really confirm to us that we were not welcome. Leaving like that left me very unease so I decided to call the restaurant to inform the manager about our very unpleasant experience and it happen to be he who answered my call, so I explained to him What happen but then came to realize since I was still outside it would be best if I spoke with in person. The manager introduced himself as Greg and I continue to explain to him how unease this situation had left us, he emphasized that the server had made a terrible mistake by sitting us there and how he would immediately take action and reprimand him for the error he had made. He apologize about the situation but in no time showed any sympathy for the bad experience were put through. He came across as he was trying to find the valid justification as why we were demanded to give up our table. It was very unprofessional that the host had the audacity to jump in the conversation that the manager and I were having to give her two sense about the situation it just went to show how well trained the staff is. My expectations for this place were high and it was very unfortunate that they could not meet them. It was a very special 30th birthday celebration that was ruined to their lack of professionalism. I would definitely not recommend this place to anyone because they lack in customer service but overall sympathy for their...

From the outside looking in, Burrito Bar has looked like a great place to go to in all the years I've passed by on my way from other restaurants. Walking in, it looks cute, with a few areas conducive to smaller, casual drinks/appetizers, but once we came into contact with the staff, particularly the manager, Jennifer, I was seriously disappointed. Actually, I was disgusted, and the service wasn't that great - AT ALL.

Three of us arrived ahead of the other three in our group (including the birthday girl) and were told we couldn't be seated until all six of us was there, and we were fine to wait in the area with lounge area.

Not once were we asked if we'd like to order cocktails or appetizers, which was fine, I guess, because in this economy, what restaurant actually wants customers to BUY something? Ah, I digress.

So, our fourth and fifth persons arrived, and we asked the first person who came by if we could sit at the table, because during this 20 minute wait, the only people occupying the table we were to sit at was a mother with her child's diapered bottom on the tabletop (which I later sanitized since no one came to wipe it down) - not even a paying customer.

The person whom we asked allowed us to sit down, and no sooner had we all settled in, did Jennifer come running over and say "I told you that you couldn't be seated until your sixth person was here" and we told her she was finding parking, but Jennifer persisted in telling us that we basically "tricked" the other person into letting us sit and that the other girl wouldn't argue with us. We didn't even put up a fight! We asked the woman once, and she let us sit down, it wasn't like we were trying to pull a fast one, sheesh! I can't believe that this Jennifer person is a manager with her awful attitude, accusing customers of misbehaving, when it's a damn seat, and not even being friendly, one bit. It wasn't even a crazy busy night, sure, you couldn't sit outdoors but there were plenty of seats indoors.

I realize some restaurants have policies and yes, they have to enforce them, but when you have a group of customers whom have been patient and nice (up until you give them an attitude), then you have to learn how to treat people properly. So yes, this has been a criticism of the service we received at Burrito Bar, particularly the attitude of Jennifer, but let me tell you, the food isn't great either. Our server was nice, but inattentive, so not nice enough to make me come back, EVER....not even if you paid me.

By the way, our sixth person arrived no more than 5 minutes after we were seated!

Don't waste your time or money here - they clearly do not care about the customer, their food, or...

My review may be a little biased considering I’m an executive chef and restaurant consultant but it is what it is.

The 2 stars are ONLY for the waitress that served my table, because although I hated my experience here, she genuinely was nice and attempted to assist in anyway she could. However, by the second horrible drink, I was completely over it and just wanted to leave.

Party of 2 seated near the window immediately upon entering. The chairs are ripped and cracked and I had to exchange one with the other because the first chair I sat in was shaky. We ordered drinks which came promptly and while my sister enjoyed her drink, I ordered a mojito that was horrible. The drink itself looked great but literally tasted like carbonated liquor and water.

Word of advice would be to muddle both the fresh lime AND mint and then add 1 Oz of lime juice after muddling in order to make sure the actual flavors of a mojito comes through. Adding about 1 Oz of simple syrup also balances the acidity and carbonation of what should be club soda added at the end.

The frozen margarita was also tasteless and watered down, so it stayed untouched after 2 sips.

The wings had absolutely no flavor except for the slightest glaze of buffalo sauce. Again, the other person I was with seemed fine. However, for me after 2 wings, I was insanely nervous about what would come out for the entree.

The food eventually came out and while it wasn’t bad, it surely wasn’t great.

If you’re just looking for cheap happy hour drinks, I guess this is the place for you? I’m not sure. However, I’ll never return.

I wish this business much success.

UPDATE:

Also, to the owner, please don't feel the need to come and attempt to defend the foolishness by exclaiming how long you've been in business. Have you seen your Yelp reviews? Regardless of how long you've been in business, there are many people on that platform who clearly have had a horrible experience. As a consultant, I can assure you that your business desperately needs a revamp. Times have changed and evolved since 1991 and you would want your business to as well. Based on the reviews on Yelp, the feedback OBVIOUSLY isn't as overwhelmingly positive as you claim. While I appreciate the offer to return, I won’t. This is actually my third time at this establishment and it’s getting worse.

Nonetheless, I still wish you much more success on...