La Bamba Mexican and Spanish Restaurant — Restaurant in Plantation

I would like to start off this rating by letting you all know I am not a cheapskate. I also have worked in many restaurants during my high school and college years. My family and friends dined at this restaurant 2 times this week, but they will not get a 3rd visit from me or my friends. 1st experience was lunch. The service that day was about as lousy as you could get. Had to get up and go find our waitress 3 times and there was only one other table of customers in the entire restaurant. Ordered chicken fajitas and I will say that the food was good and plentiful. We figured the poor service was just a fluke and we liked the food well enough to return again for dinner this evening. There were 6 of us. Service was better. Originally, there were 4 of us and we were waiting for friends to arrive. The waitress took our drink order and brought 2 baskets of chips and 4 salsas. When the other couple arrived we asked if we could get another basket of chips and 2 salsas. Thats when our dining experience took a turn. The waitress informed me that she would have to charge me extra for any other chips or salsa. I explained to her that we were here for lunch just a couple of days ago with only 3 people and that the server gave us 2 baskets of chips and 4 salsas when we arrived (and that was only 3 people). I asked if I could speak to the manager. She acted reluctant to get the manager, but finally got the manager. Manager came to the table and I asked him why they were charging extra for chips and salsa and he said it was there knew policy. I explained to him that none of the other Mexican restaurants in the area charged extra for chips and salsa and he simple said that was there policy and he somehow related there knew policy was instituted since covid. I explained to him that there were plenty of other Mexican restaurants in the area and that if this was their policy I would not return to his establishment. I asked him "are you really willing to throw business away when you're already struggling" and he said "business is great and we are operating at 50% capacity". His whole demeanor was that he really didn't give a S*!!!! He finally agreed to take the extra chips and salsa off our bill and abruptly walked away from the table shaking his head. Just a few minutes later our daughter asked for a refill on her Shirley Temple and the waitress informed me that she could have plain sprite but she would have to charge extra if she got another Shirley Temple. Once again, I have not found this to be the experience at other restaurants in the area and we are frequent diners. One thing we won't be doing anymore is dining at La Bamba. La Bamba, you got your last $120 and your waitress got her last 20% tip from me. I will be frequenting your other many competitors in the area that do not try and gouge and charge petty fees for B.S. Furthermore, if I was the owner I would terminate the manager immediately because he has no people skills and a piss poor attitude. In fairness to the cooks, I will say that the food was good again, however there is no shortage of good quality restaurants in South Florida that won't try and gouge you. In addition, you don't have to feel guilty for not dining at La Bamba because their manager says "Our business is great at...

It was good. I ordered an a la carte grilled chicken taco (hard) and steak taco (soft).

I was sad that the hard taco shell wasn't the kind that looks like they just freshly cooked it (it looked more like the kind you get in a taco kit), but it was still incredible. And surprisingly stuffed. I had to crush the filling into the taco. They certainly didn't skimp on it.

It was similar with the steak taco, no way I could close it in order to take a bite. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was an extra soft taco shell hiding so I could split it in two.

My better half ordered the beef taco meal (with rice and refried beans). He got the hard taco shells that I was hoping for, but they didn't last. Halfway through his first taco, things were starting to fall apart. His second taco had no chance, the shell got so soggy that it was a race from the time it left his hand to the time it made it into his mouth. He really liked the rice. He didn't like the beans, he said it made him think of baby food. I told him they looked like refried beans always look, and that's when I learned it was his first time eating them. So I take that opinion with a grain of salt.

Chips and salsa were good, they were hot and tasted fresh. The spicy salsa was too much for him, which meant more for me - no complaints there. I like that they brought 2 non-spicy salsas so we each had our own.

Overall experience wasn't awful, Sergio was a great server. He was very on top of things.

In regards to ambience, I was surprised at how many people were there at 2pm on a Sunday - and how many of those people had crying babies. I know it's not the fault of the restaurant, or even of the parents; babies cry. But I must have heard it from 3 different directions (and we were seated by a window). No one is at fault, but it did make me eager to hurry up and leave, as I generally don't do well with loud/shrill sounds (like, I won't use a blow dryer - I may be extra sensitive, others may not even notice the kids as much).

Overall, if I was craving restaurant tacos, I'd return. They're the best I've had in a while and the service was great. But the overall experience, coupled with a 15-20 minute drive means there's a 50% chance I'd just make tacos at home.

If you're considering this place, I encourage you to...

Note: my response at the bottom to their weak response to my review.

Mediocre at best despite what the reviews said. Really disappointed. Chips are fresh, and good, but the salsa was super tomato-ey flavored. No real spices including cilantro in it. I didn’t mind it but everyone else at the table hated it. I’ve never seen people shy away from salsa like that before.

Taco meat was ground as fine as coffee grounds, and smothered in so much unmelted cheese it was unappetizing.

Guac pulverized to the consistency of sour cream except for the occasional chunk of onion. Nice fake neon-green food coloring though.

If you order a burrito, be prepared that it’s served on a plate with yellow rice, refried beans, and more neon-green guac, and the whole plate is ladled with wet, drippy melted cheese. You won’t pick it up. The burrito is wrapped in an unheated, raw tortilla that turns back into raw flour paste once the liquid cheese sauce hits it. Inside, there’s chicken which is decent, with wilted warm lettuce and 4 chunks of tomato. I ate the chicken, has a few forkfuls of rice and refried beans, and pushed the plate aside.

We won’t be back, and will head to Lime for our next taco fix.

It seems the only comment they addressed was the mention of the lack of spices in their “tomato-ey” salsa. Not that it was u flavorful. No mention of undercooked flour tortilla or goopy cheese sauce, no mention of their processed, neon green quac, no mention of how gross their food was.

Perfect canned response, much...