Nadines Mexican Kitchen — Restaurant in Rathdrum

had a terrible experience the other night. We arrived a little before 6pm on Thursday night and it really didn't seem overly busy. we didn't wait unreasonably long before out server (wish i got her name) showed up with chips and salsa which was a huge hit with our toddler. after she returned with our drinks everything went south. we decided to order the bean and cheese app to share and placed our dinner order at the same time. hubby asked if his entree came with sour cream due to an allergy and she informed us it did not, however neglecting to inform us that the bean and cheese app is literally smothered in it.... after placing our order it took nearly 40 min before we finally got our sour cream covered app, it was brought out by another server due to our waitress having been MIA for the last 25+ min. I was starving but i felt very uncomfortable eating an app that hubby couldn't touch knowing that he was starving too so even beyond the wait it kind of ruined the whole meal. our food shows up about 10 min after the app and we tell our server that not only did we not enjoy the app we stated the allergy when we ordered it her reply of "oh sorry, i didn't think about that" really didn't quite cut it, then she vanished again before we could ask to maybe speak with a manager to try and fix it. our entrees were ok at best and i just wanted to go by the time we got them, we had already been there almost an hour and a half and it had gotten very loud with people waiting for a table (most of the tables still there were trying to find someone to give them their check or boxes and seemed to be trying to leave as well). our server was MIA again for quite some time while we waited for our check. when we finally got it we saw the app that we couldn't eat because of the allergy still on it at full price, before we could make a comment about it she was gone again and never returned. thankfully we had cash and didn't have to try and track her down again to get a card ran. I would have loved to have spoken to a manager but it seemed as though maybe there wasn't one there that night. hubby and i both work in food services so we have a lot of grace for the reasonable mishaps that happen but I feel like a lot of what went wrong was due to our servers lack of attentiveness. there is NO reason for us to spend almost 2 hours for a meal we didn't even eat half of. I also noticed that even though hard drinks seemed very popular, there was no bar tender and the servers were making all their own drinks. It seemed like most of them spent more time making the drinks then they did with their tables and i'm sure that had a negative impact on the over all experience...

We've been going to Nadine's Kitchen for awhile now! Giving a 1/5 stars for a few different reasons!

Our first few experiences with Nadine's was absolutely stellar. Amazing service, AWESOME servers, amazing food, refills on time, etc. Throughout this last year it has just gotten worse and worse! The food is very inconsistent. One time it's good and the next time it tastes completely bland and flavorless. Seems they have a different cook every time we go!

We've had the same server the last 3 times we have gone. I myself have been a server before so I understand how hard it can be sometimes! But, there's no really nice way to put that she is just awful at her job. Never gives us refills. Takes 5xs longer than it should take for ANYTHING. For example, this last visit we were sitting in the main room. I had my food already boxed up (I received the box from a busser walking by). My card was sitting on the table for 10 minutes (this is not an exaggeration). The room was extremely loud and I had a migraine...and you know what the server was doing? Rolling silverware...and chatting it up with her friends. Right where we could see her!!!Trying to hide my frustration she comes and asks if we are all done (obviously..with my card on the table and my food boxed up). Then she goes and grabs the check which takes another 5 minutes. Brings the check and sets it on the table and walks away...STILL hasn't grabbed my card. I put the card with the check and wait...and wait..and wait...she's now rolling MORE silverware. I'm not kidding you when I tell you it took at least 25 minutes just to cash out. And this experience was similar to the other 2 we had with her! She messed up our order the time before and didn't even offer to fix it. No refills that visit either.

My fiance and I ate there last night and with the server not paying attention to ANY detail, our food tasting bland, and an hour later both of us have horrible stomach aches...I'm sadly saying that I don't think we will be going back. We've given a few different chances hoping it was just a one time deal and we have been very disappointed. Maybe it would be better if we could request not to have that server again, but I don't even know her name.

A year ago this review would have been a 5/5! Since they have gotten more popular it seems to be all about the money and not about the customer experience anymore. Sorry Nadine's. We truly used...

Alright

I’m giving this place 2 stars

First impression, this place is busy, the wait times are long, not a big deal if it’s good people don’t have a problem waiting for good, but it only seats probably 30 people.

Mexican kitchen. No blended margaritas, what Mexican restaurant doesn’t have a blended margarita?

Chips and salsa, they were good, that’s why they get 2 stars

This food is not Mexican, it is food network / Pinterest Mexican food inspired by what I would suspect to be a Portland Oregon or Seattle Washington culinary school graduate

I have a degree from Le Cordon Bleu of Portland. Nadine’s Mexican Kitchen serves food that culinary school students make for their tests to get good grades with their instructors. This is not the kind of food you sell as a business.

Honestly I’ll admit I’ve made grade of food when experimenting, clearly that’s what this is, amateur at best. It is fresh, but it’s horrible non authentic flavor combinations. Their red sauce for their enchiladas is a paste you would in the industry rub on meat prior to cooking, thick and heavily seasoned, not a finishing sauce, but the chef or owners don’t realize this.

Their salsa is a roja style salsa made with canned or cooked tomato and fresh herbs and spices, good but not in the right spots or settings

They have Shepards pie and Mac n cheese on their menu, haven’t tried it but it’s probably served in a cast iron skillet out of their oven boiling hot, not something that you would want to serve at a restaurant because it has no time to rest and mellow out unless their customers enjoy sweating while eating which eating is never work so don’t make your patrons sweat.

I could go on and on, I’m not out to hurt the business, but this place is laughable and I’m sure I’ll bring up Nadine’s Mexican kitchen up in many future social...