Margarita Island - Ormond Beach — Restaurant in Ormond Beach

This is an interesting Tex Mex style restaurant, had high reviews so tried it out yesterday!

Let me start by saying that living in Texas for twelve years has made me a real Mexican food restaurant snob , I own it! This is probably a 3.7/5 review.

The atmosphere is really cute. We were seated right away. We sat in the high top bar area with high top tables and festive looking seats, the problem with their seating is they are made for the size of a child. They are quite tiny, literally, not too much longer than a foot in length for the seat. We found that by the time we left our backs hurt- because the seats are so tiny , we had to rest our feet on neighboring chairs to keep our balance to stay seated! Ask for a booth if you go!

The bar is decorated with really neat limited edition bottles of different liquers, and the staff looked so happy to see us! In fact, I would have to say the shining star of this restaurant is its service by the staff- greeted right away, seated right away and our order taken right away. A+ on customer service.

After seated, they bring ipads for you to scroll through to see your order. It's a little different but I did like how every single menu item had a picture attached, giving you a great idea of what you are ordering, plus a very good description of what's on the plate.

I'm familiar with Mexican foods, so I knew what most everything on the menu was- but I did notice there were quite a few items- that if you were not aware of what the food items were- you would have to ask a server. There may have been an explanation on the menu , but I didn't readily see it. However, again, pictures went a long ways here!

Our wait staff brought our typical Tex Mex Tortilla chips and salsa that had good, mild flavor and although I like a spicier salsa, it was mild enough that typical guests would likely enjoy it.

We ordered the queso white cheese and it was absolutely, SO delicious. I forgot to ask them what type of cheese they use but it was by far the hit of the entire meal. A++

We both ordered the chimichanga plate.The plates came fairly quick, they were hot and the serving size was absolutely huge.The plate included the chimichanga , spanish rice , fried beans , some pico de gallo , sour cream and guacamole.

The guacamole was clearly freshly made and also perfect with a great flavor, not too salty- just a hit. A+

The Spanish Rice was probably some of the best that I have had- surprisingly wonderful flavor seasoned. A+

I intensely disliked the refried beans, I've no idea what they do to them but i couldn't eat them. They were so weird tasting- literally probably the worst I've ever had :( They had some strange flavor and were not Pinto beans or if they were, they were mixed with something else that just tasted so weird to me. I love a good refried bean and of course prefer it to be cooked with lard, but most restaurants typically don't do that, especially Tex Mex- but everyone agreed, they were just not good in flavor. I don't even know what they tasted like, but I wouldn't order them again. F/fail.

The Chimicanga was okay, it was huge, clearly fresh +deep fried, and a large portion. Inside had very, very good flavored chicken- but the problem was it was very dry. Most good Chimichangas that have a spectacular flavor and consistency have something to pull everything together on the inside but this was merely chunks of well flavored chicken with nothing to hold it together so it came off as extremely dry. I wouldn't order it again but I will say that when I put some queso and sour cream on it- that did moisten it enough to be somewhat enjoyable. C+

Overall I'm glad we tried this place out. Would I take a 30 minute drive up to take someone there again? No.

If in the area, the queso and guacamole and the staff are all A+ though! I'd possibly try it again but I wouldn't make a special...

In summary, I likely will not be back.

We tried this restaurant recently. We were greeted at the door, and sat immediately. It was not busy at 1pm on a weekday. Our first impression was good! It looked really nice in there! The 3 of us were sat at our table, given menus, and the host took away 2 appetizer plates and 2 sets of silverware. Leaving us only with 2, for the 3 of us. We sat there for about 20 minutes without anyone coming over. The wife finally got up to go to the bathroom, and I told her to stop at the bar and grab us some drinks, quite loudly. Its then when another server came over and asked if anyone had been over to us yet. He was pleasant, charismatic, and attentive. However, he was not our waiter. He took our drink order, delivered them, and then took our food order upon return. Everything was moving along nicely at this point. About 5 minutes later, our waitress came over to take our food order. We informed her that it had already been taken care of. We didn't see her again for a while after that. A food runner had brought our appetizer over. Nice presention, we got the nachos. And they tastes pretty good. But it wasn't long before our meals had come, and we're not able to finish the appetizer. So, we sent it away so we could work on our meals. At this point, our waitress was coming over too frequently, also annoying. Where was she in the beginning? Oh well. We all finished our meals while being asked how everything was every couple of minutes. But almost wanted to get out of there because at this point, the experience there was no longer enjoyable. So, we got our check, still tipped 20% (thinking everyone has off days), and left. But, I dont think we will...

We were excited to try Margarita Island in Ormond Beach, but unfortunately had a pretty upsetting experience. While eating the complimentary chips and salsa, a long piece of metal suddenly floated to the top. We had already eaten some before noticing it. Thankfully we didn't swallow it, but it could've been dangerous, resulting in an ER visit or worse.

Our server was kind and apologetic, but the manager's response felt dismissive. After some back and forth (wanted to take $1.70 off our entire bill for the mistakes and foreign objects in our meal) he handed us $20 bill, but it didn't feel like he took it seriously. I am certified with Serv Safe to be a restaurant manager, and I was astounded at how rude and inconsiderate the manager was. Their refund policy states on the website "At Margarita Island, we don't offer refunds based on taste preferences but will gladly address issues such as incorrect or undercooked orders, or those containing foreign objects." but obviously is incorrect. Also, I ordered a chicken burrito and was surprised to find peas, carrots, and corn inside--none of which were listed on the menu. I felt like a toddler being secretly fed vegetables. Not ideal, especially for anyone with food sensitivities. Sadly, we won't ever be back, and the Florida Department of Health was notified. I wish there was a better restaurant addition to that plaza, but unfortunately, we're stuck with looking at this place. Be careful choosing to come here and check your food...