Tapas and Beer — Restaurant in Rancho Santa Margarita

The service was so awful, we ended up leaving 20 minutes after arriving without eating or even asking if we were ready. We weren't acknowledged upon entry, and after about a minute of awkwardly standing around, we decided to seat ourselves. About 10 minutes of sitting there waiting for something (anything) 2 people walk by they'll be with us shortly. We eventually get asked for drink orders and then had to ask for food menus and after giving us the menus no one followed up with us. The beer was $9 for a mediocre tasting orange crush and after casually drinking it and still not being asked for food orders or even being checked up on, we decided to leave. After complaining, their excuse was they were in the middle of a shift change. That would be fine if someone had at least told us or even looked like they were shift changing, but it appeared one waiter was chatting and drinking with a table if guests (friends?) and the other waiter was more focused on everyone else but us.

This was our first time here wanting to try it out and were extremely disappointed by the complete...

I like this little place. It’s rumored that the owner is an executive chef for a popular restaurant called Havana. I guess why that’s why the food is so good. The mixture of local bar/good food may kes the ambience and crowd a real mix every time i go. Sometimes you’ll see the Coto de Caza crowd coming in late night for some drinks before they go home to crash out in their mansions or sometimes you’ll see the locals that work at the local the restaurants may comer. It’s the only place in town that stays open till 2 AM. The service is good and the food is great. Sure spanks the hell out of every bar in the area at this level. This isn’t the Ritz Carlton or Hannah’s up the street but nonetheless The food is good and services on point. When you go there ask for Shane the bartender or Tony. There’s a charm about Tapas because you never know what you’re going to get in terms of the crowd however one things for sure Every time I’ve gone the food is been consistently good and the service has been consistently great. I like this place so much I...

I really tried to give this place a chance due to it being so close to my home but for some reason the bartender there just gave me bad vibes. He would be extremely nice and welcoming to regulars but as soon as I would politely ask for a pitcher or a menu his mood would do a complete 180. I even had to ask 3 times for a refill once while he was busy vaping.

There was also an incident where a "regular" got extremely intoxicated and needed help getting walked to his truck. One of the staff was completely aware of this and let this guy drive away just because he lived down the street. This was after my 3rd visit and I decided I was just done with the place.

There is definitely potential as the food is good and the spot is nice but the environment just didn't...