Castro's — Restaurant in New York

I've been to Castro's over a dozen times in the past 4 years, and each time, I've had the same problem: slow service. Whether ordering to go or dining in, it always takes twice as long as it should to make my order, get my food, and pay the check. On average, expect to be here for an hour minimum if you're going to eat here, even on days when the restaurant is nearly empty. The reason why I've come back in this case, is because Castro's was my go-to Mexican restaurant, and has later hours than most of the other places on Myrtle.

However, after my last experience here, I will never be coming back. I ordered the chicken fingers with fries, and when the waiter came out thirty minutes later with the food, it was the complete wrong order. He didn't apologize at all, and tried to make it seem like I was the one who messed up. He repeatedly told me I said I ordered the "Chicken Tinga" when I did not. I clearly said Chicken Fingers with fries, and the chicken tinga doesn't even include fries as an option. I ended up taking the Chicken Tinga, which was a whole $5 extra than what I wanted to order (which the waiter didn't make clear until it was time to pay the check), because everyone else had gotten their food and I was starving, and I knew I would have to wait nearly another 30 minutes to get anything else. It was also around closing time. The entire time, the waiter was extremely rude in tone and dismissive of my problem. No attempt was made to apologize or offer any kind of consolation.

This alone made my night feel pretty bad, but it was the morning after which is why I'm writing this review. The Chicken Tinga that I didn't even order was the last thing I ate before waking up to the worst headache, stomach ache, and fever of my life. I threw up several times and was completely bed-ridden the next day because THE CHICKEN WAS UNDERCOOKED APPARENTLY, WHICH GAVE ME SALMONELLA POISONING!!!!! I had to cancel all of my plan the next day and lie in bed with a high fever. I couldn't tell the chicken was undercooked because it was slathered in sauce, so I ate the whole thing. I did not have any alcohol or other meals besides the chicken tinga that night, so I know it was from Castros. I FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO DIE FROM A MEAL I DIDN'T EVEN ORDER AND WAS OVERCHARGED FOR!!!!!

This, combined with the consistent slow service, and overall MEDIOCRE and OVERPRICED food, is why I will NEVER...

This was an excellent meal n I’m a real pain in the neck to satisfy. Lots of specific detailed requests too. I’ve seen this place n used to live around the corner from it but never tried it lol. Why? Because I thought it didn’t look “authentic” enough or “legit” enough. That’s pretty lame of me n I should know better. Similar thing happened recently n I judged a book by its cover. I mean it’s not a chipotle or Taco Bell or anything like that, it just isn’t a little “dive” n that’s usually my fav.

I had Mojarra Frita which is a whole fried fish (porgy) n it’s not always great at all places. Even though it’s a relatively simple dish, it can easily be awful for sooo many reasons. Well not with these guys. RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING n possibly the best one I’ve had within 4 miles. Crazy to me bc it’s been on my radar for literally years n I coulda been enjoying it this whole time. The fish was so fresh n delicious n perfectly cooked. I mean down to a window of 30 seconds — perfection!!!! So sec either way n it wouldn’t have been “perfect”. Check out the pic...

This place is a disgrace and has THE MOST DISGUSTING CUSTOMER SERVICE! I made a seamless order only to be called back and told they no longer had the chicken i ordered. Juan( the manager) offered me a substitution of fried chicken. Not what i ordered, but fine. He then proceeds to tell me that it's going to be an extra 3 dollars! Mind you my order is almost 30 dollars. I explained to him that this isn't reasonable.. Asking me to pay extra when I'm attempting to overlook that thei didn't have what i asked for in the first place. He says it's the owner, not him. I asked to speak with the owner. He wasn't available. I asked him very plainly, "is it worth losing 30 dollars over 3?" he still REFUSED to see how ludicrous this was! He then began to tell me i "can do whatever i want." when i told him I'd be writing a review. WE'VE GOT TO START REPORTING THIS FOOLISHNESS! We are the paying customers! I'll never order from here again amd neither should you! Let's stop paying for mediocre food and piss poor...