Bakersfield Penn Ave — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

My review has everything to do with the experience and nothing to do with the food itself. With that being said let me start. I have a group of sister friends that celebrate each other whenever birthdays come around. Whomever birthday it is they choose where we go. This time around it was Bakersfield. She had been there previously and talked about what a great time she had. I personally was looking forward to enjoy my evening. Unfortunately that didn't happen. The waitress was horrible! We had questions about menu items which she did not wait to hear before we we're interrupted and got a summary of what she thought was our question. Others who were waiting patiently to ask her their questions were left hanging. As soon as she would answer said question she would quickly excuse herself stating she would be right back and we wouldn't see her until another 10 mins rolled on. No silverware was given to us after asking twice! One person of my party actually got up to search for someone to give us silverware! Plates we were given that had food on them from not properly cleaning them. When brought to their attention no apologies were given they just picked up the plates and left. When ordering it was stated that an ingredient should be left out of her order due to allergies. They came back with her order with only 1 out of 3 tacos with the ingredient left out. Mind you she had no time to protest because the waitress was gone as soon as food was placed on the table. Then miraculously we have another young lady helping us with our needs. She was polite and helpful but she did give us the feeling that we were being rushed. This solidified those feelings when she was speaking to another staff stating "we need to go" Yes. We heard you! You were right behind us and although I'm sure you thought because of the noise level we couldn't possibly hear you we did. Items we did not order were on our checks. It was just not a pleasant dining experience. To the point the birthday lady kept apologizing for even suggesting the place. I think I speak for my whole party in saying we'll never cross Bakersfield...

We went to Bakersfield during a busy time in Pittsburgh, there was a big convention and the restaurants in the area were all busy because of this. We had a party of 9 which I know is a bit big and inconvenient of a size party to fit at a lot of places without getting split into multiple tables. They did have a table that fit our size party but they had people at that booth, that had been there for over two hours. When we called and asked about a table they mentioned that booth and said they should be leaving any moment so about 40 minutes later we show up to the restaurant and they're still there, we wait outside for about another 45-55 minutes and then they told us we could sit at the bar. So we did for another half an hour or so while we got some drinks. And then one of the people in our party asked if they could say something to that table, who was clearly not eating or drinking anymore, just sitting around chatting. They said no but we could talk to them? Which didn't make sense to be but, it's fine, we talked to them, they were very nice and they left. Unfortunately by that time we only had about 35 minutes till the restaurant was closed, which we didn't realize meant the kitchen would close even earlier than that, so half of our table couldn't continue to order the food that they wanted through our meal. Our server was very nice and did his best to accommodate us however we needed, I know bigger parties can be complicated to handle. Overall food wise, it was okay? Everyone agreed that everything was a little too overpriced for what it was. $4.50 for a taco you could eat in two bites was a bit steep. And be aware of you get the corn side, it's very spicy. I'm glad we tried it but we won't be making a return...

My experience here was quite underwhelming. I was here early after work on a weekday and sat at the bar with my friend and ordered the grapefruit margarita. It was ok, a tad too sweet for my taste. As I looked at the menu, I had some questions about vegetarian options and asked the bartender if a certain dish was vegetarian. Our bartender that day was NOT in a good mood. He seemed annoyed that I had a question in the first place. He didn't even look at us and mumbled a response. I couldn't catch what he said, but a bit intimidated by his attitude, didn't ask him to repeat it. We ended up ordering the papas toastadas which tasted good. But by then, I needed my next drink! Uhoh.. time to get our pissed off bartenders attention again! I got the spicy margarita. Normally I love a kick to my drink but what I was served that day was undrinkably hot.. Sweet, but also really really hot. One sip had my lips, mouth and insides on fire. My friend, whose spice tolerance is much higher than mine felt the same way. We asked for water (much to our bartenders annoyance) and waited a whole 10 mins for it! By then the bar had gotten busier and I certainly didn't want to deal with the already grumpy bartenders attitude if I requested an adjustment to my drink. So, as a favor to my digestive tract, I left my entire drink untouched. Oh, we did order their two vegetarian taco options which tasted fine. But if it's tacos and awesome margaritas you're craving, I'd direct you to Täkō or Condado tacos, both of which are in the same area. Better cocktails, better tacos and the added benefit of not having to feel like you're getting on your server's nerves every time you...