El Molcajete Mexican Restaurant - Vista Lakes — Restaurant in Orlando

Had a wonderful experience with great authentic Mexican food and attentive service at El Molcajete on Thursday night! I am in awe of how delicious this Mexican food is. It was a bit pricey and the wait was a bit long, but after tasting the food and experiencing the customer service, I view this place as a treat!! I am just hoping they stay true to their authenticity and remain this way. Wayyyy too many Mexican restaurants I’ve tried are no longer good quality, and I’m sure it’s just to please the picky customers who say the wait is too long. If your food came out in 10 minutes, please… just go ahead and assume it isn’t fresh. If you are looking for fast food, please… drive a few miles up to goldenrod and eat at Taco Bell. The food here is worth the wait. The customers seated exactly next to me were so rude and STOLE alcoholic drinks and food by causing a scene and leaving without paying the bill!! The lady ate more than half of her food and they both enjoyed a few drinks, she then threw the bill basically at my baby sitting beside her and they just left! I felt so bad for the waitress and the manager on duty; however, the staff handled it professionally and continued to be attentive to all their customers. I really hope bad reviews and rumors about this place do not start to spread in the Vista Lakes community, because this is THE Mexican restaurant we have all desperately wanted for a very long time in our little shopping center.

We felt welcomed, and the food was nothing short of amazing. The food is authentic!! The masa of the tamales was so creamy, the tomatillo sauce on top was perfect, and when I asked about how they were made, the manager proudly told me it was his grandmothers recipe! Everything we ate here was wonderful and had a family recipe tied to it. It was so endearing to see how proud they are of their food. Yes, the wait was longer than we had expected, but we asked to prioritize our children’s quesadilla and they gladly did. Their food came out first, and it was also delicious. My husband’s Birria tacos were also not greasy as we have experienced at other restaurants. It was truly authentic. We then enjoyed a sangria and some churros. I am not a fan of wine or even sangria typically, but I loved this one.

Seriously, I have had a lot of exposure to Mexican food in my life. I can honestly say the only time I’ve had food this good is during home cooked meals from Mexican family friends, and sometimes those were all day cooking experiences, because good quality food takes...

Server is inattentive. The drinks took 15 minutes to get to the table in an empty restaurant. Why was the restaurant empty at 1pm on a Sunday? I’m about to tell you. The server took our order and went right on her phone instead of making the drinks. Food was very bland, the steak did not touch a grill it was definitely cooked in a microwave. Drenched in so much red sauce it was inedible. I ate a few bites and put the plate to the side being finished. My wife got the birria quesatacos which she said were ok but the consume was also bland .

The server did not check on us once, or she would have saw I hated my order. She instead only came 30 minutes into our stay to ask if we need a box to which I informed her that food is inedible and she still charged me for it.

Eventually I suppose church let out and a bunch of family members came in and repeatedly walked in and out of the kitchen, that is unsanitary and just disgusting.

Drinks were also super sweet with very little alcohol. Just nothing here to talk good about.

Left zero tip and will never recommend this place to anybody.

-reply to owner : Way to admit you don’t follow health and safety guidelines by letting children play where food is being prepared. You’re right that is not the place for me. Don Julio’s is also family owned and they don’t have nasty children playing in their kitchens. I’ll stay going...

UPDATE: The owner called me and profusely apologized (he was out of town) and said that it was all unacceptable and offered a refund. I paid cash so he offered me cash back or credit to try again. I’m a sucker for a small, local business owner who’s struggling with employees, so we gave it another go. Ordered steak chimichangas and chicken quesadillas, ready in 20 min. The food was tasty, flavored well and warm. The salsa and guacamole are pretty good too. With the customer service I received, you really can’t go wrong. Recommend if you’re feeling like Tex-Mex. Would be a great spot for a celebration get together.

Original post: Ordered take out. Advised it would be at least 40 minutes before ready. We arrived exactly 40 minutes later to a completely empty restaurant. We laughed but, ya know, whatever. We ordered taco salad and a chicken & cheese quesadilla which is really hard to mess up. The chicken quesadilla was decent but barely warm, and it didn’t come with any sauce or salsa or anything. The taco salad was completely soggy as if it had been sitting for 30 minutes, which it likely was. Sadly, won’t be returning. I read the reviews, but didn’t listen. Cute place, but the food and service is...