Mexican Festival — Restaurant in New York

Experience was unpleasant!

My friend was visiting from DC so I recommended this place for dinner as I've always wanted to eat there, I made a reservation 3 days before.

He stayed in a hotel in the neighbourhood and they also recommended this place to him so we were both happy to eat there.

We ordered an appetizer to share, he ordered food from the main menu while I ordered the seafood from the weekend special menu.

The guacamole was great but when the entree arrived, we were embarrassed. The seafood portion was too much for 2 people even if we were sharing, it should ideally be for 4 people or maybe 3 starving people.

The menu didn't advise that it was an extremely large portion for 1 person and our waiter didn't have the sincerity to advise us also because he obviously wanted to just sell the dish and make tips and whether we threw out the leftover was non of his business.

It was 4 large shrimps, some mussels, 4 big bowls of rice in one portion and 4 scallops, after eating what I could, I asked that they pack it in a to go container, the rice filled 3 to go containers. My friend didn't have a refrigerator in his hotel room so we would have spent money and thrown out the rest of the food if I wasn't living in NY.

This is a very bad way to make people buy large amount of food just so you can make tips. The worse thing is that the tips was already added on the bill...

IF I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE 0 star I WOULD!

This place has horrible service. When my friend & I arrived we were given the option to sit at the short tables or tall. The tall tables, we found out later, were for happy hour. By the time we found this out we were already sitting at a short table and all the tall tables were taken. Why the hostess couldn't tell us this when we arrived is beyond me.

We waited 15+ minutes for the waitress to come and take our order. My friend received her food. 10+ minutes later I received mine now that was ridiculous. What's even more ridiculous is my friend had nachos with chicken & cheese, etc. This has to be prepared and baked in the oven. I had guacamole which is made tableside. It takes about 5 mins to make but I had to wait 10+ mins after my friend got her food for the guy to come to the table to make it.

Our waitress did not check on us at all not once. I did notice that she was very choosy about who she did give good service to. If I wanted to order something else it wasn't going to happen because she paid us absolutely no mine but that's ok because when the check came I paid her tip no mine. She got ZERO$.

The food is mediocre at best. What a waste of money. Mexican food it is not. I call it FAKE MEXICAN FOOD! Don't waste your money here. This place will never have to worry about my business again. This was my first...

I love how convenient this place is. It’s not too far from where I live. It’s spacious, you’ll usually always find room to sit. I’ve been coming to this place for the past 5+ years, and this location has seen many Mexican restaurants come an go (from Mama Mexico to Maria Bonita to Mexican Festival)... I think it’s stuck for the past few years, and like it. But can’t love it all the way, I’m loyal to it, but I’ll admit I come back to it only when it’s convenient for me.

I have noticed the menu has constantly changed, and the flavor of some items and sauces has as well. The drinks are delicious, always. The staff is highly inconsistent, one day they’re the most attentive people ever, the next day they forget you exist or only go to your table to take the order and disappear the rest of the course of your meal. The manager is kind, and means well but should be a little more strict with his staff.

I do enjoy that they offer Mariachi nights, that’s not as common to find anymore and very appreciated, whenever I’ve been there when the Mariachi is playing I always have a great time.

As I said, I’m very loyal to this place and do recommend it, go with a great group and you’re sure...