El Potro Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Richmond Hill

We have been regulars ( at least once a week) at this restaurant. I like the food and usually the service. We eat there at least once a week and also order take out. Tonight, around 8pm we walked in, stood by the wait to be seated sign. The restaurant was not busy at all. As I was standing in front of the sign my husband decided he needed to use the restroom. I waited and waited, between 10-12munutes and servers were walking around, looked at me and ignored me. I stood there until I saw my husband coming back from the bathroom and thought “well, I guess they’re going to ignore me so I’ll have to seat myself. My husband came and sat down with me. Over 5 minutes later a (new I think) waiter came to the table and said who told you you could sit here?” Astonished, I looked at him and said we sat here because no one would seat us. He then proceeded to say well, you can’t seat yourself and be here you have to do what the sign says. And let me add, he was not pleasant. He wanted us to get up and go back to the sign!!!! He never once offered to sit us somewhere else either! It’s like we were bad kids and, literally, being scolded! I explained why I sat myself (and in a nearly empty restaurant) and he repeated what he had said again. I guess he wanted us to get back up and stand by the sign again. My husband and I were in shock that someone would do this to a good customer in the restaurant. It was more important to have a customer stand by a sign than have a happy customer. Then I asked for the manager and he argued with me about that and said the manager will say the same thing. I had to ask 4 times. When the night manager came he said we shouldn’t have sat down we should have waited by the the sign. I said “ I did and no one came and finally after 10-12 minutes I sat down.” He said “ oh no, only 2 minutes, only 2 minutes”. I said “you’re calling me a liar!” He said “ onyx 2 minutes, oh no, only 2 minutes”. I told him how could it be 2 minutes when I had stood near the sign, my husband went to the rest room and then I sat down as he was coming back! He just kept saying “oh no, only 2 minutes, you needed to stay by the sign and let someone seat you, you can’t seat yourself”! Also, he never once offered to seat us anywhere else he only wanted to argue about the amount of time. Now, maybe I’m crazy, but isn’t it more important to have a happy customer than worry about how long someone stood by the wait to be seated sign? I was absolutely flabbergasted that he, technically, called me a liar. My husband said “let’s leave we don’t need to be treated like this” and the night manager could have cared less. How terribly insulting and rude they were. One star because if the terrible treatment we were given. UPDATE: we finally decided to try it again, service has improved tremendously, food is still great. We will go back. We noticed some new servers...

Worst experience I have ever had at an el Potro. Figured this would be a safe place to eat while travelling as we often go to el Potro chain restaurants. Walked in and greeted by a sign that said wait to be seated. So I waited and waited...concerned no one knew I was there since the front of the restaurant is blocked off by walls creating a somewhat hidden waiting area. After waiting 4-5 minutes someone finally came around to tell us to wait some more even though there were plenty of tables available. Once we were seated we were brought our drinks and chips. We had to wait on our server for a bit before ordering the Nachos Supreme with beef. It took about 15 minutes for it to arrive and it was terrible. It was warm, not hot and the queso was so runny it looked like milk and made our chips soggy. When we tilted the plate up all the "cheese" pooled together at the bottom of the plate. I asked the waitress to have it remade. A few minutes later she asked if we wanted the queso on the side. We told her we wanted it made the way it is always made, with the cheese on it, and not watery. She didn't seem to understand and told us she had never eaten the queso before so she didnt know if it was right or wrong. A few minutes later the manager came out. We explained again that the queso was a milky consistency and not creamy like queso should be. He said that was how queso is. I said it was watery like milk and he just wasn't understanding. I picked up my drink and said it was runny like water and he got defensive and said it isn't made with water. To which i gave up. I could not think of any other ways to describe the queso....milk, milky consistency, runny, watery, not creamy, not thick, made chips soggy. He tried to say it was the steam tables that made it like that and there was nothing he could do. He never acknowledged it was watery or not properly made. He brought us a new plate and said he pulled some from the refrigerator and microwaved it. The queso was still watery and the food was not hot...tasted worse than the first time. The waitress brought our check and took the food off but charged for our cokes $6 anf never gave us refills. When we asked for coke to go we were told they ran out of cups even though we could see them next to the soda machine and watched people walk out with them at that very moment. Bad experience, not consistent with othe El Potro chain...

Disappointing First Visit – Poor Service and Food Quality

This was my first time visiting this restaurant, and unfortunately, the experience was very disappointing from the moment we walked in.

Despite the restaurant being nearly empty—only two tables were occupied—the staff seemed irritated and unwelcoming. There was no greeting or friendly atmosphere. As we were seated, one staff member dropped off chips and salsa without a word and walked away. Then, a young blonde server approached us without any introduction, immediately asking, “Are you ready to order?” Her tone was abrupt and impatient. When we politely asked for a few more minutes, her response felt clearly annoyed.

We ordered the enchiladas and birria tacos, both of which were extremely disappointing. The enchiladas lacked flavor, the tortillas were hard, and the chicken was tough and rubbery. The birria tacos were excessively salty and the tortillas were soggy. The only redeeming item was the beans.

When the server returned, I explained that the tacos were far too salty and not enjoyable. Her response was dismissive—she said, “Well yeah, that’s how it’s supposed to be.” When I replied that I didn’t like it, she reluctantly asked if I wanted something else. I declined and asked if it could be removed from the bill. She responded, “It probably won’t be taken off your bill, but you might get a discount. Do you want me to ask my manager?” Her tone throughout the interaction remained curt and unprofessional.

Eventually, the manager did remove the item, but between the poor service and disappointing food, this was not an experience I would repeat. I do not recommend this restaurant based on the lack of hospitality and food quality. If you do decide to visit, I would suggest avoiding the server we encountered, as her attitude greatly contributed to the...