La Esquina Brasserie — Restaurant in New York

I had the most awful experience at La Esquina last night. I have been here many times before and have had a lovely time so I decided to bring my mother and father who were visiting. First off, I called to make a same day last minute reservation (maybe this is where I went wrong?)

We get there, and I ask if it is possible to use the elevator to get downstairs(I’ve seen this done before so I know it is). I was told that this wouldn’t be possible at the moment (okay fine maybe they are load in something or the elevator is temporarily out of order) we didn’t ask questions because we were hungry. My mother is 70. She ended up walking down the stairs because you didn’t seem interested in accommodating us and with my mother, going down the stairs isn’t as difficult going up. When we got downstairs, we notified the host that we would like to take the elevator up at the end of our meal and the host agreed. Then we got seated at a table that was covered in dirt/debris. I alerted the waitress to this when she initially came to ask about our water order. She ignored the filthy table and just came to the table to pour our water and poured in to dirty glasses despite me pointing out that they and our table were dirty and asking if we could be moved. She at that point tried to take our drink order and was very rude when my mother asked some questions about the menu. While she was busy switching out the filthy glasses, another waiter came over because he could see that our table was covered in dirt and offered to help. We told him that at that point we had seen enough and asked him if he could call the elevator so we could leave. My parents waited downstairs for the elevator while I went upstairs with the host because he told me that he wanted me to speak with the manager. While I was upstairs someone told my parents that they were not allowed to use the elevator because my mother was not in a wheelchair. While waiting for the elevator someone essentially pushed them up the stairs. At no point did anyone try to be accommodating to someone elderly, apologetic, or even cordial about any part of...

I was walking around during my lunch break and wanted to try a new place. So I decided to walk into The Corner Deli / La Esquina. I took a quick browse of the menu, which isn't much... only 2 pages. When I went up to order, the cashier was not friendly and was very rude. I ordered a Pescado Taco and asked if I could substitute the chipotle mayo for cilantro instead and before I could even finish my sentence, she cut me off abruptly and said "NO, WE DON'T DO ANY SUBSTITUTIONS". She said I could only request to have the chipotle mayo complete off the taco or to the side. But what kind of savage would eat a taco with no sauce? Made no sense to me. When I proceeded to pay with my card, she barked at me again "$10 MINIMUM FOR CARDS!"... this was my first time here so I wasn't aware of the minimum so I have no idea why she was so nasty about it. I actually wanted to order more food but just settled for getting one sad little the taco because the sh*tty service ruined my mood completely. Oh and she barked at me about that too: "THAT'S ALL YOUR GETTING? JUST THE ONE TACO?!"

I actually remained polite during the whole time and was not rude at all. It was Friday and I was not letting her negative energy ruin my day! Girl BYE.

I don't know if the whole staff was having a bad day or had something personal against me but look how they slapped my taco together! This is the saddest presentation I ever seen. It was bland and the fish did not have much flavor which was extremely disappointing for a $4.25 taco. Like c'mon even Taco Bell put more effort into making my tacos.

I didn't understand why the service was so bad here, it wasn't even crowded or super busy when I went in. Unfortunately I will NEVER come back here, I did not feel welcomed. I actually regret spending...

This review is only for the takeout area of this restaurant. Unfortunately I had the most humiliating experience. I don’t usually leave negative reviews/comments but I’m extremely disappointed with the outside establishment. My family and I went to eat here, being that I have kids I sat them down first and waited on the take out line. I ordered food and drinks with the intention of sitting down after and having the family eat. Unbeknownst to me you have to be seated before you order bc it’s waited tables. (I’ve been here before and prior to this I ordered and my friends sat down without a waiter) The issue wasn’t that we couldn’t sit down. I told my partner and my kids the establishments policy. I was hoping they could make an exception but was just willing to up and leave. The issue was the disrespectful waiter, a young male with a nasty attitude. He told my partner of the establishments a policy but then threatened him very loudly that if my partner and kids (my 15 year old daughter and 6 year old son) don’t get up he will cancel the order. I even tried to cancel the order after that and he denied me that. He said the food was already cooked and packed. I was instantly stunned and humiliated. The waiters behavior was unfortunate. I felt bad for my children who just wanted to sit and eat. I did ask for the manager and explained what happened. I thank the manager who was very understanding and even offered us a chance to sit and eat. I will not come back to this restaurant. The waiter was unprofessional and unnecessarily rude and aggressive. He needs training in hospitality, etiquette, some compassion and plain...