Buena Vista Mexican Restaurant & Cantina — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I am very unhappy with the service and how much we ended up paying for only 3 people eating at the Philadelphia location. We did not go out of our way to order any appetizers except the sampler platter. Then the waiter on his own asked if we wanted chips with guac (which is only customary for waiters to ask if customers want specific items if they are complementary) which we assumed came with the sampler platter. He never once told us it would be extra or that we would have to pay. He then later on asked if we wanted extra chips to "finish" our guacamole and never told us it would be extra $4.50 for chips (btw the chips were bland, thick, salted chips). And at the end to top it off we were hit by an auto 18% gratuity for a 4 person table which is illegal since nowhere on the menus nor verbally were we told that was the case for dining at this establishment. It is ridiculous we ended up paying $140 for 3 people to eat and order food without alcoholic drinks. I then tried calling the manager to see if they could help rectify this issue but then they were threatening that they have audio/video of us? Not sure what that was about but all I wanted was for our "extra" tip that we thought we were tipping like normal to be removed and for an explanation of the other issues which she did not properly give.

The food was okay at best compared to multiple other mexican restaurants. Within the sampler platter the best item was the chicken wings which I would actually recommend as they tasted really good and were cooked well. The other items all ended up tasting very similar and were just mush on the inside without distinct flavors. The burrito bowl was okay and not even up to standard in flavor as a basic Chipotle bowl. The flautas and enchiladas were okay and had no pizazz in flavor with the sauces included. The baked beans were not bad. Spanish rice was okay but kind of dry as well.

Overall on the food alone, not counting the service I still would not have gone back and would prefer to try other mexican restaurants in the area. But with the service included I would not recommend people go here with them adding on prices without informing...

Seen this place for a while and been wanting to try, so we decided to head there last week after leaving the park nearby. This place did not disappoint!

We were lucky it was a slower night (random Monday night), so we got seated immediately. Decor is typical of what I think of a cantina/similar cuisine restaurant - wooden chairs and tables, bright flags and similar decor around. They have a bar area and tvs throughout (no sound) so able to watch games that might be on. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, with our waiter automatically offering a booster seat and the option of the highchair for our little one. Now, to the best part - the food and drinks.

The food and drinks were soooo good! We got the chips and queso to share, which our little one mostly ate the chips. They were clearly homemade, right crispy, came out hot and fresh with the queso have the right level of taste and cheesiness. We got margaritas for us (passion fruit and mango) and a apple juice for her. The apple juice was actually an apple juice soda, but worked out as she seemed to really like it. The food was delicious! I ordered Chicken Enchiladas with Mole, he got the Birria Tacos and we got Chicken Quesadillas with a side of rice. She didn't eat her food but we tried a bite. Just like our entrees, it was very good. Greta portion sizes, seasoned well with balanced flavors, came out hot and fresh... So good! And the pricing wasn't bad considering everything we got.

We definitely plan to come to try more off the menu. Highly recommend...

Came here recently for a company department lunch. Walking in, I was already getting great vibes by the decorations and the ambiance. We were greeted and seated by the staff and I was actually afraid our number of people was going to spell trouble for the service, we had about 20 ppl 👥👥. Anything could have been gotten mixed up in the orders or a dish could've came out bad. But I was gleefully surprised. Granted, there wasn't enough staff to cover being timely with the food for our large group, but the dishes came out chef's kiss 💋 🤌🧑‍🍳 Perfecto. Definitely recommend the Chori-Pollo, it has a Chorizo and grilled chicken mix and has this whitish sauce with black beans and Mexican rice. I ate the whole plate, it was sabroso. Or you can try the Birria tacos, You can't go wrong with that. A lot of colleagues got that dish and all said it was very good. Another colleague ordered the Chimichanga, so it got a beauty shot for the review, and it looked good. But it just sat there while we ate because that colleague had to leave to catch a meeting. I liked the place all-in-all and I think if you want to try good Mexican food in this area, make the...