Coming here I was excited to try the mofongo because the food looks amazing in pictures. The theme of the restaurant is super cute and creative and it definitely resembles una casa de campo. When we first came there were two tables open and so the server who was on duty (an older woman) advised us to choose where we would like to sit. We sat down and looked at the menu. We decided on the traditional mofongo, which is the one with chicharron. We waited a really long time for our food to come. And an hour after ordering is when the server came to apologize and to tell us they were behind in the kitchen. The server was overwhelmed as she was the only server on duty and we overheard her saying “nobody is here helping me so idk what they want me to do” to the delivery guy who was getting on his bike to take an order. After this we waited about 20 more minutes and the food finally came.
This restaurant is the place to go if you love posting food videos on your Instagram. However, the food is not that great. I was excited to try the mofongo and I expected it to have a real Dominican authentic cheese sauce and/or at least topped with real cheese. But instead they use some cheap nacho cheese that can be found at your nearest 7/11. This sauce can have potential if they really cared for their guests they’d make an exquisite cheese sauce with some GEO cheese or queso de oja. From the DR with so many great cheeses and ingredients they can definitely crear something palatable.
Now let’s talk about the chicharron. No crispy skin, 90% fat, no flavor. On the menu this is described as “Dominican style” chicharron. And if you are not Dominican please don’t be fooled. This is not it. I was so disappointed ☹️
Lastly, and the most shocking thing was that they serve their natural juices in tin mugs, which in the DR are a tradition. In every Dominican household we have these and it is a nice touch to the restaurant, which has a campesino vibe to it. However, after enjoying the delicious pineapple and guanabana juice we were greeted by the rust at the bottom of the cup. ALOT of rust.
When I saw this after indulging in my delicious juice I was disgusted and I contemplated wether or not to tell the server. After going back and forth with my fiancé, I decided to do it and her reaction was appalling.
When she approached our table I signaled for her to come closer and I told her in a low voice since there were many guests around and I didn’t want to make it as if we are trying to make the place look bad. She stated and I quote “oh no mama, this is how these cups are. We just received a shipping of these cups from DR and they are all rusty, so this is how it is around here and over there.” Please be advised she was speaking quite loudly that the table behind us even commented on it to each other. Then i proceeded to tell her that once these cups rust, you should discard them and not continue to serve in them but she refused to understand that and at this point I just ask for my bill.
The entire experience here was a disaster and the server was completely unprofessional and I think she should be trained on how to handle a situation like this. She basically screamed in our faces and belittled us in front of other guests. It was honestly embarrassing. I do understand she may have been overwhelmed with all the tables she had but if she cannot handle the table she should speak up.
To the manager, I hope you take my review and look into the faults here. Being a hospitality professional I know how important it is to see reviews and learn from them in order to have your business succeed. And I am not going to lie and make up a story that is not true. If you can create a thorough training manual for your staff members, it would be a valuable addition. Also maybe, empower your employees in the kitchen to incorporate more authentic ingredients into your cheese sauce.
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