Canyon Road — Restaurant in New York

I first became familiar with Mexican food while living in Los Angeles over 40 years ago eating at Lucy's Ei Adobe (a favorite of Linda Ronstadt and her friend, then Governor Jerry Brown} and from a truck near my school. After returning to New York, I specifically sought out the few Mexican eateries that were around then such as the Cactus Cafe and Carumbas (remember the 'Ridiculous'?). Eventually, i discovered Canyon Road. What a treasure!

I have been going there for a couple of decades, and I can say that I have never been disappointed in the food, the drinks, the service, the price or the customers, whether at the tables or the bar area. Today was no exception.

From the host to the waiter and busboys, the staff were all smiles, attentive and accommodating from the moment of our arrival to the second we left. No special requests were frowned upon.

The drinks were mixed perfectly with just the right amount of salt (and cheap; it was happy hour even though it was Sunday).

Finally, from the slightly warmed chips/pureed salsa (the best anywhere, period) all the way through the appetizers (the guacamole was incredible), the entrees (the duck burrito is always so delicious it's hard for me to order any other dish) and the dessert (the flan was the perfect way to end the meal) made this one of the best dining experiences in recent memory (which is a major compliment since this was the last day of Restaurant Week and I visited five participating restaurants in the past week, some of which were 4 star establishments).

I have never written a review of any restaurant, business, professional or experience before on any site, and since I'm not a professional writer, it's probable that this review might not accurately describe one of my most enjoyable experiences, whether in a restaurant or anywhere, which was definitely enhanced by the overall atmosphere created by Canyon Road. At no time did we feel that we should feel privileged to have been allowed to eat there (this week, another restaurant told us that they may not be able to hold our reservation when we called to say we would be 5 to 10 minutes late), or that we were there long enough and therefore we should slowly get out.

Everything about Canyon Road is consistent and top shelf. Forget about the rating cap of five, this restaurant is...

Let me start by saying the food and srrvice was great. I would return for the food. However, I won't be going back.

Here is why.

I had a table for 8. It was my son's birthday. I spent well over $200.

We called several days ago and asked if we could bring a birthday cake. They said sure.

We did. After the meal, we asked for the cake and they told us it would be a $3 charge per person to have our own cake. That is a ridiculous policy to begin with.

I told the waitress that no one told us of the cost when we called. She checked with the manager and came back and said there was nothing they could do. It would be $3 per person.

She actually went back a second time and was told the same thing again

The restaurant was half empty, so no one was clamoring for the table.

Quality business people would have taken responsibility for not telling us on the phone that there was a cost and waived the cost. In addition, quality business people would realize that $200 checks don't grow on trees and would waive the cost to provide goodwill so I would return

It is a shame that a restaurant that is in competition with other restaurants nearby does not understand that an extra $20 for cake could cost them much more moving forward. Penny wise and dollar foolish

Again, I will not be returning to a place where I am not treatedproperly, when there are so many other options

I look forward to hearing from the owner to see if he/she is a better business person than the...

I hate leaving bad reviews but honestly, do NOT ORDER TAKE OUT FROM HERE.

I called canyon and was left on hold for 6 mins so I had to call back. The same lady answered when I called back and didn’t acknowledge not coming back to the call. Rude but okay. I ordered chicken fajitas w no beans and corn tortillas instead of flour.

When I went to pick it up, the same woman who answered the phone was there and took my cash when I went to pay. I assume she wanted a tip because she hesitated when I waited for my change when she handed me the bag of food. She went to the back and not only made me wait a stupid amount of time for change, but she actually peered out to see if I was still there, I assume she was hoping I left. Again, it was rude.

Now to the food - I actually threw it out after two bites, it was horrific - look at the tortillas, they are all broken. They are also flour, not corn. I tried to eat one but it was so dry it CRUMBLED.

Their fajitas only come w onions - not a single other vegetable. Onions weren’t cooked all the way and the chicken was not seasoned even in the slightest.

Their chips were not salted and drenched in grease.

The food was unfortunately not edible and lesson learned not to dine here. Hopefully the restaurant prioritizes teaching their employees that how you treat customers determines who supports your business. And hopefully if you dine here, they put more care when they...