Charro — Restaurant in Olympia

I absolutely adore this place. The atmosphere is so beautiful, and the wait staff are the kindest. Shout out to Carlos, he's a treasure - Cesar is awesome too! Ive actually never had a bad wait staff experience. The inside of this place is GORGEOUS. Botanical installations, pretty lights, dark wood features - brass tables that can fit larger bodies (thank you!!). You are reminded you are in the glass blowing center of the US, with beautiful glass blown flower shaped light features. The booths are styled in a way that there is an inherent privacy - even at its max full, its designed in a way where its not visually overwhelming or too loud. The bar section has a fire that constantly goes, that is fun to look at even from afar. The prices are amazing. 6 dollars for a house margarita, 8 for a double - good strength and they come out quick! The food keeps me coming back 3-4 times a month as my little treat. Also they have an exstensive vegan menu, not just one substitute and one item, they really give dignity to the vegan dining experience.

The food comes out so quick, sometimes I ask my waiter for a few minutes with my margarita - they are never rude about that. In fact, I have always been treated so well even though I come alone and take up a whole booth in their section. I try to arrive an hour before they close atleast, but even when I am nearing close while sipping or eating, they are so courteous and you can hear them tell tables to take their time. But oh my god - the chimichanga with shredded beef is AMAZING. The meat tastes like its right out of the crockpot, slow cooked to perfection, trimmed beautifully, savory with a hint of swetness (maybe fennel?). Even the rice is delicious. The portion sizes are ridicilous (in a good way), especially considering the prices. I've been priced out of a lot of places on the westside (look at you, westside tavern), where as here you can get a double and an entree and still make it out for under 35 (with tip). I always tip 30% here, atleast - i make two edits to my meal and the order notes have ALWAYS been followed. They once made me an out of season cocktail off the menu for my birthday. Again, shout out to Carlos. Tip him extra!! Tip them all extra.

OH! and if you like pokemon go, you can hit TWO gyms from inside the restaurant - which is my absolute fave. And if you want to extend your night, you can easily walk to the movie theater from...

The good? This space is gorgeous and well-appointed.

Otherwise- so disappointing.

We went for a team lunch/retirement send-off for our boss (table of 10, and we called ahead to make them aware of our party size and the want of the fire pit table.) Specifically chose the table surrounding the gas fire pit. While the fire pit was off, when we asked for it to be turned on we were told it wasn't available due to it having a leak. But then one of our teammates went by the restaurant and the flame was on and fixed - 3 hrs later? 🤔

The waitstaff that assisted seemed bothered during the ordering process and altogether put off by serving us. And while I'm willing to play devil's advocate and perhaps they were feeling ill or just didn't want to handle such a large top, it definitely brought the overall experience down.

When we got our food, I asked for hot sauce. Now, I admit I said "No rush, but could I get some hot sauce?" It was well over 30 minutes later I had to flag down the waitstaff again to ask them for it. The reply was "I asked my manager to get it." Okay, sure, pass the buck, but doesn't speak to the fact that I still need hot sauce. I was approximately a third of the way through the entrée at this point. Why only a third? Because it needed hot sauce, the Pollo Con Crema I'd ordered was bland.

The waitstaff didn't check in until the time came for bills to be distributed, meaning when we needed a water refill one of my team had to go to the wait station and grab the water pitcher to address refills at our table.

Commentary from the team on the luncheon the next day centered around poor service regarding the "stink-eye" and "attitude" from our waitstaff.

To be honest, I'm confused. I've had great experiences here before, so I suppose it was just an off day. What I will say is that I've never been so thankful for not having the large party gratuity minimum applied to the bill. I still paid double the tax amount (my minimum for poor service - you only get nothing if you've overtly rude.) But I should point out I usually tip around 25%, and have been known to go up to 40% for excellent service. I even tipped a different waitstaff $2 for simply taking their time to take a team picture.

I might try El Sarape again sometime in the future, but it won't bin e the near future, and the team has already stated it won't be an option we'll consider for any future...

Don't expect too much disappointed! We were 😞 disappointed! Wait time: Not too bad about 15 minutes at rush hour 6:30pm. Atmosphere: well decorated front, facade, waiting area & dining area. Glass hanging lamps and iron vine adores the ceiling. Restrooms are well kept. Service: good service. Better if they can get the order right Check back with customers is being practiced. FOOD: Not as described! We were so excited about all the food in their menu and expected it to be at least a bit closer to authenticity. We ordered: Mexican Pizza ..soaked in oil, mushy and I was not able to pick up a slice. At least the edges were crispy. Pollo en Mole: described as "Boneless chicken breast covered in Mexicos most unique and complex mole poblano sauce, a dark mildly sweet rich flavored sauce." Reality check. Shredded chicken swimming in a pool of watery "mole" that tasted like a grainy sweet hot coco in a bad way. The sauce was just slapped on the plate that looked like an explosion. Unappetizing. Banderas: 3 chicken enchiladas in mole sauce. Again the same sauce, served with rice and beans. I have to put some green onions to the rice from the pizza to make the plate look better. The beer 🍺 on tap price on the menu say $6.00 for small. The bill said &8.50. Surprise??? Anyway, $75.00 was wasted. Plus the aggreviation after seeing and tasting the food. The only good part, chips and salsa. Could be different experience on different days maybe. But not coming back for sure. 2 Margaritas have better baked Mexi pizza and at least they serve what the...