Calaveras Mexican Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Ohio

In short- just another Mexican restaurant.

We went around 5:30 on a Friday evening. The place wasn't super packed but it wasn't dead. There were 2 large groups (6-10ppl) and probably 6 other tables.

The food... Pretty run of the mill Mexican food for the area, not bad but nothing that makes them stand out. Pricing was reasonable.

The service... The waitress was friendly enough but the kitchen was very slow. We waited nearly 40 minutes for 2 plates. I assume the large groups accounted for some delay but there were 2 tables seated after us that were eating before us.

The atmosphere... Pure chaos. Horribly loud acoustics in the dining room area. They need something on the walls/ceiling to help dampen the noise. There was no background music, just lots of noise. Clanging of silverware, chairs scraping the floor, patrons conversations that were growing louder and louder to be heard over the table next to them. It was almost industrial feeling.

I think our poor experience tonight was due in part to the 2 large groups. The one group had a screaming baby, a school aged child that was running around like a menace and 2 older folks that were having a tough time hearing thus practically yelling at the rest of their table, while the other adults and the childrens parents were drinking and carrying on as if it was completely normal for such disaster.

The other large group had obviously been overserved and were quite intoxicated and rowdy. They were still being served when we left.

We actually boxed our food up to take home as soon as it arrived to the table due to the overwhelming environment we were stuck in for so long.

We have a 3 visit rule for everywhere we go before we decide if we like them or not. This was visit 1 of 3... hopefully the next time is better but it's definitely going to be a while before...

My husband ordered a tall beer which was served in a frosted mug. As we were munching on chips and salsa, he lifted the mug to take a sip, and the bottom fell out, splashing beer all over our laps, the table, the booth seat, my purse, our shoes, and the floor. We immediately asked for towels to clean up the mess, which we did ourselves. Luckily, we live close by, so my husband went home to change clothes because he was soaked. We changed tables (there were 4 in our party), ordered, and my husband returned in time to eat his meal. Meanwhile, staff seated another party at the table we vacated, without cleaning the beer-soaked floor. The owner finally came to our table and chuckled that this wasn't the first time a mug had been defective. However, he offered us nothing to compensate for the complete disruption of our meal. Not my husband's meal being comped, not a free dessert, not a discount coupon for our next visit, nothing! He acted like it was a grand gesture not to charge us for the original beer! We said we would think twice about returning to this restaurant. He said "Good, I don't want customers like you anyway."...

I recommend the nachos Carbone because it's amazing and a great price! I would take cash with you because they're charging you fees on credit and debit cards! They are violating Ohio state law when they don't post it, and I questioned it, and the girl said oh it's right here, but it's hidden behind something else at the register. If they're going to charge a fee for using credit or debit cards, it's supposed to be openly posted by the front door where everyone can see it! If these companies are that cheap, then at least have the balls to post it, instead of trying to sneak it in, just to make a little extra money, and save yourself a little extra money! It seems like you're busy enough that you shouldn't have to nickel and dime your customers! I hate sneaky companies that are a...