Taqueria St. Marks Place — Restaurant in New York

One of the worst dining experiences I've had in New York so far. The waitress we had was rude and inattentive to us the entire night.

We had ordered chips and guac for the table to start, our main dishes were brought out before we got our appetizer. When we asked our waitress about it, she rolled her eyes and said she would check on it. I then saw her go to the computer and place the order. It's completely fine that she forgot to put it in, but the rudeness when questioned about it was unnecessary.

As a vegetarian, I usually don’t have accommodation issues at Mexican restaurants. When I asked if they were able to add black beans to the nachos instead of meat, she said they didn't have any. I then went to ask what type of beans were on the tostados and before I could she said they weren't vegetarian. Nowhere on the menu does it mention the fact that these contain meat in them. I'm assuming they're cooked in pork fat. The lack of transparency is a big problem, especially for those who avoid pork for religious reasons. I can only imagine how many people of unknowingly ordered them.

Our party was five people and they weren't able to split the bill, not an uncommon occurrence in NYC. My friend put down her card. Lo and behold, when we looked at the receipt later they had added a 20% automatic gratuity and didn't tell us. I don’t mind auto-grat for large groups, but five people is a stretch and not disclosing it is unacceptable.

Overall, poor service and a lack of transparency made this a frustrating experience. While the food was and prices were good, I would not recommend it and we will not be...

The margaritas are VERY SOLID!!! The tacos are tasty...I had the barbacoa(lamb) and pescado(fish)...my friend got the steak tacos. I thought I would like the fish the best..they were tasty...but there was so much slaw on them they fell all apart. But at least the slaw was tasty as well. The lamb tacos were pretty darn near perfect. Lovely sauce...tender meat that allowed the gamey richness of the lamb to shine through. And the radish helps to cut through all that richness. My friend thought the sauce on his tacos was way too hot though. The server recommended he get the sauce on the side and my friend thanked him and heartily took the suggestion. But the tacos came out with the sauce on them any way...and my friend felt the sauce was so hot it masked the flavor of the meat. I also arrived a little after 5pm when the place was practically empty. So I was a little taken aback when they still would not allow me to sit down because my friend was not there yet. I understand there is a policy in place. But really? When you are empty and I am only waiting on one person? Thankfully my friend showed up 5 minutes later. The atmosphere is great though. Party lights and all and great music make for a very festive feel. I would come back...it's a great bargain for what seems to be high quality ingredients and very good complimentary...

I was excited to try this place based on the reviews I read online. I left angry and disappointed. After being seated I noticed that those that came after us at tables to our left, right, and rear had all received chips and salsa and we had not. When I asked, I was told that we would get them when the drinks came to us. This was not the case. Hmm ok. Then I noticed the same thing with napkins and silverware. I also had to ask for them while others received them. When I asked, I noticed our waitress brought the napkins and silverware to the table behind us even though they came well after us and we had just asked. I was hoping that this was just some crazy oversight and not racism as we were the only people of color in the place at the time. I was getting annoyed enough to leave and probably should have, but shortly after the food arrived and the wait staff came by to check on us frequently. The check arrived and I paid in cash and they conveniently "forgot" to bring my change. I had to get up and ask for it and was met with oh we forgot sorry etc. Never will I return to this place. Too many other options in the areas that know how to...