El Molcajetes — Restaurant in Palmetto

I recently visited this restaurant for the first time since moving from Arkansas, as I've been looking for a decent Mexican restaurant, and my experience was extremely disappointing. I arrived around 10:15 a.m. and waited for service with no acknowledgment from the staff for what felt like forever. By 10:30, another customer walked in and was immediately served a to-go order. After handing off that order, the waitress went back into the kitchen and didn’t acknowledge me for another five minutes. I hope she just didn't see me, but I was literally sitting in a direct view of the kitchen door windows. She then pretended she hadn't seen me.

Before all of this, I had been waiting so long that I even opened the door twice to ring the bell, hoping someone would realize I was there. It truly felt like I was being ignored on purpose.

When the waitress finally approached my table—nearly twenty minutes after I arrived—I politely mentioned that I had been waiting and that someone who arrived after me had already been served. Rather than apologizing, she seemed irritated and handed me a menu, took my drink order, and brought over chips and salsa. The salsa dish was only about a quarter cup, easily the smallest serving I’ve ever seen.

Later, I asked for a salsa refill, and was told there would be an extra charge—something I’ve never encountered at a Mexican restaurant. Another customer overheard this as they walked in, and asked me if the salsa wasn't complimentary, to which I replied that I was just told a refill would be an upcharge, and they decided to leave, which meant the restaurant lost a potential patron on the spot. (NOT my intention, honest).

When my meal arrived, I asked if charging for salsa refills was standard in Florida, because I’ve never encountered that back in Arkansas. She insisted it was their policy not to offer refills, then claimed that as of “just yesterday,” drink prices had also risen to $4.50. It felt like I was being upcharged or singled out, though I can’t say for sure. I paid $4.50 for a sweet tea. I couldn't believe it.

Despite this off-putting experience, I remained polite throughout, finished my 2 chalupas, paid $20 and still left a tip. I've been a waitress before, so I understand food service can be hard. I'm always a tipper. However, I doubt I’ll return, given the poor treatment and lack of basic courtesy. If you expect timely service and the usual complimentary chips and salsa refills common to many Mexican restaurants, you might find this place as...

If I could leave 0 stars I would. I came in today with my boyfriend and sister to see about the specials plainly displayed on the window. It said " tortas at 1 dollar on Mondays". As we came in the woman with the white shirt, red tips in her hair, whom I assumed was in charge screamed " SIT WHEREVER YOU WANT" Right there and then we should have turned away. But anxious to give it a shot we stayed. I inquired about the special to which she said " we dont sell tortas for a dollar on Mondays, the writing goes from left to right, can't you read?" I was shocked at the comment. I had to go to the bathroom and dismissed this comment. While I was in the bathroom she approached my sister. She asked if we were going to eat there, my sister said I dont know, as we weren't sure if we would take to go. The lady groaned and rolled her eyes and walked off. I came out and tried to order the food. The lady was so rude as we tried to order our food, saying " WHATS THE OTHER TORTA" I felt like we weren't welcomed there. We ordered the 7 mariscos, and 4 tortas. Two of the tortas were stated to be plain, with cheese and the other two were with everything. When the food came out she threw the food on the table and said." La comida!" When we got to the car the soup had spilled but not from us holding it wrong. The top melted off and we got burned. It's been the worst dining experience we have ever had. The tortas were horrible. Dont order here. We came back to ask for a manager or the number and the same lady was so rude to us. We didn't come back for money, we came back because we felt robbed of service. We went the night before and we were so pleased with the food and service. Everyone was friendly and courteous and attentive. We paid quite a hefty amount, but it didn't matter. We went back because we felt were were treated as less than a guest. Things escalated to the point that she threw insults at us and we threw them back at her. I dont care how bad of a day you have, there is no reason to be so rude and disrespectful. Keep in mind when you are in customer service, you get a lot of people from all walks of life. You are the change, the difference on how the...

I was painting an office in this plaza over the last couple of weeks and stopped into this joint for lunch. The food was absolutely delicious. Their chips and salsa were so good. I was very excited to find they had lengua (beef tongue) on the menu and it did not disappoint. It was cooked and seasoned perfectly. And the tortillas?! I could have had a meal of those alone. They are made to order from scratch. I know it’s a simple flour tortilla, but whatever that sweet lady making them in the kitchen did was nothing shy of perfect. They were hot, soft, and flavorful. If you order something that doesn’t come with tortillas, order some anyway. They’re worth it. Another big win for this restaurant is the cups. They are huge. As someone who drinks a lot of liquids while eating, I appreciate this so much. I was never in need of a refill. The staff was super friendly and the service was great. I will warn that the lunch hour was crazy busy. I went at noon and by 12:10 there wasn’t a table available. And it looked that busy every day I was working up there. This is one of those restaurants I would always stop at if I were in the area. I’ll probably even drive up there for lunch just so my wife can experience it, too. If you’re in the area, stop in and support this local and...