La Cosecha by Mayahuel — Restaurant in Sacramento

Some disclaimers about my review... I arrived during peak lunch hours and it appeared as though they were a bit understaffed that day. Also, I did walk to this restaurant so I didn't have to deal with finding parking, but it is in downtown Sacramento so there obviously wasn't a plethora of spots available. That being said, it was still a decent place to eat but I think the experience could have easily been better.

They have both indoor and outdoor seating but inside was full when I arrived. It was a fairly beautiful day out and I had no issues with this. The atmosphere outside is very welcoming. It has a bit of a backyard patio feel as the restaurant is situated right next to a small park/outdoor event area. They have the availability to sit at a bar outside or at their tables. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the restaurant from afar to capture the ambiance of their outdoor seating so I will simply just finish by saying that it was an enjoyable setting. I was seated at one of their high tables which wasn't very comfortable in my opinion but that's the only small issue I had with where I was seated.

As far as the menu goes, they had a nice selection of entree options at fairly standard pricing for today's economy. With that said I do feel as though their "extras" and/or "sides" were a bit unreasonablely expensive. Pictures of both the front and back of their lunch menu are included.

For lunch they offered no complimentary chips and salsa or bread as some restaurants do, however I had no real issue here. I had the sizzling platter aka. Fajitas (food pic). The food was prepared in reasonable time and appeared appetizing upon arrival. The quality of their chicken was very good, very little fat, with good flavor. The bell peppers and the rest of the "grilled favorites" also tasted very good. I didn't notice anything particularly unique with the flavor of the dish, but it did taste like it was freshly prepared. The sides of rice and beans that I received and the tortillas that I received were a different story though. I will start by saying that I am not a beans person so I will not judge them, just know that they are black beans rather than brown or refried beans. Both the rice and the tortillas did not taste fresh, they both tasted as tho they had been sitting out under a hot lamp for a while. Taking in the entirety of the entree, it was overall good as the rice and tortillas didn't take too much away from the flavor of the sizzling goodness. The only other complaint I have also might be more of a personal preference as I typically enjoy either some form of cheese or sour cream with my fajitas (yes, maybe I am strange), however I didn't feel like I paying $2 for a small side of sour cream. When paying around $20 for a meal I would expect something like that to be included. The amount of food that was included with the entree was good.

The service was my biggest complaint for my experience. Yes, I granted them some grace that they were busier as I stated earlier that it was the lunch hour however, I still feel like that didn't excuse some of what transpired. Upon arrival I waited around 5 minutes to be seated without having anyone greet me before hand. There was a sign saying wait to be seated with no greeter. Once seated there were two separate occasions where servers passed me carrying water and didn't stop to offer a refill while mine was empty. Also, while my server did check in shortly after I got my meal they didn't return to check in again. Eventually I had to flag someone down to let them know that I would like a box and my check as I was sitting there finished for a while.

Overall I would give it about 3 & 1/2 stars as I wouldn't mind having the food here again but I think I will be trying other places I haven't been to first. In short good atmosphere, decent food, and not the greatest service but also not the worst. I would expect more from somewhere where you will likely be paying $15-$25 per person. One last note is that the restaurant adds on a 3% charge for "kitchen appreciation"...

Have no idea where these 5 stars are coming from! Just pass altogether as there are way better places to eat Mexican food in Sac. We went as a party of 4 around 4pm on a Saturday in the summer heat. We walked up to what looks cute and aesthetic. We waited for 5 minutes at the host booth outside for someone to greet us and figured well let's check if it's okay to sear ourselves. As soon as we opened the door the arrogant waiter said to go back outside and wait as he didn't have time to seat us yet. That should've been our sign to leave. But we waited and he came asked if we prefer inside or outside. We asked if AC was on inside and he said yes. It was hotter inside than outside so I was drippin sweat trying to enjoy dinner. We asked the waiter a few questions and he seemed bothered. Maybe because he was stressed he was the only one waiting on tables for the entire place. Luckily there weren't many people there.

Food and drinks were all below standard. I ordered the cucumber marg it was terrible. Lacked a balance of flavor to alcohol. The tequila used overpowered the cucumber. The old fashion my husband ordered was fine and my friends pineapple drink was all juice. He forgot my mom's ice tea and she asked to switch to an horchata instead since they hadn't poured it yet. My mom ordered an horchata which was bland without sweetener. The food arrived promptly so they deserve a star for the quickness from ordering to having the food out. We ordered: Chips and Salsa - good salsa very mild and expected. Queso fundido - was like velveta cheese or nacho cheese. They say 3 cheese blend but not even the chorizo can hide the fake cheese flavor. Our fault as I assumed it'd have queso Oaxaca as they quote all over their menu where the recipe is from. Guess they know better on that. 1/10 Torta de Milanesa - which was a pork chop fried. Absolutely not milanesa as a milanesa is a pork cutlet pounded thin and fried. 2/10 Enchiladas verdes with chicken - the tortilla seemed straight from the bag and warmed in the micro then a lil sauce thrown on top. They were very dry. Least they had a little spice. 3/10 Pozole rojo - least that came with a lot of meat and was standard with flavor. We asked for spicy salsa as usually you get Chile de aceite to add which it didn't come with. The waiter said he had Chile de arbol so we expected to get a salsa with heat but nope. 5/10 Combo plate with Chile relleno and tamal - this plate was served with black beans and rice. The rice was decent. Beans had zero flavor and it would've been nice to have an option for an alternative. The chile relleno and tamal were smothered in an orange sauce which drowned any flavor as it reminded me of a sauce made with a base of chef boyarde tomato. The chile relleno looked like it was made with chile poblano which is a great start but don't smother it in a horrible sauce. The tamal probably would've been good if it didn't have the sauce on it. 3/10

Lastly, the waiter's arrogance with the heat was a complete souring. I would give more stars had the customer service been great. However, never complain about customers in front of other customers. (The waiter was a short older man)

What's also with a 3% kitchen staff fee?! Since when do you not price your food to pay your staff accordingly or require the waiters to split a percentage from their tips. Especially after the waiter justifying why chips and salsa are no longer free as the work and ingredients that go into it have to be paid.

Disclosures: I am Mexican and have traveled all over Mexico. Never have I ever tried these so called authentic flavors or been so disappointed. Being an avid cook who makes food from scratch they definitely need to revisit recipes and products they're using. Too bad as I really wanted to find a new place that has great...

I'm conflicted about leaving such a low review, because I visited here once last year and enjoyed it so much that I was excited to go again after moving here. I went today and it was not at all the welcoming environment I remembered.

The food was relatively the same (I got chilaquiles and mexican hot chocolate), but I will say it's weird their price online says $12 when in person it was $16.50 (and I didn't even get meat). The chilaquiles was a nice portion, but the hot chocolate definitely just tasted like huge scoops of Abuelita with some milk. It was so good when I had it last time, but this time there was a huge unstirred layer at the bottom. I would've asked for a spoon but with the way the server behaved I was scared I'd be yelled at again.

Why the 2 star review? 90% because my server was straight up mean. Sat me down and when he brought my water he rushed me to order, no hi/hello/how are you. A couple minutes later I asked if I could swap the eggs (I had just barely ordered) and he all but scolded me?? He had actually forgotten to ask how I wanted my eggs, and I apologized multiple times when I asked for the change (and if he had said no it's too late I would've been fine with it). He was unbelievably passive aggressive and said things like "this is the last time" (it was the only time?), "I already sent it to the kitchen, you can't do this" and just all around felt hostile. Instantly ruined my whole experience and to top it off the order came out wrong (I asked for no cheese, was covered in cheese).

He also only checked on me once (because we made eye contact) while he checked on the other tables around me multiple times. I even had to ask someone else when I needed a box and when he saw I had the box he dropped the check off and left.

Here's the thing, I've been a server. I know that just because it doesn't "seem" busy doesn't mean it isn't. Maybe he was overwhelmed, short staffed, or got sat multiple tables at once. But I have NEVER let that affect how I talk with guests. I've been waist deep in the weeds and I always still made it a point to keep a pleasant atmosphere. Why else am I tipping you? (Yes I still tipped, wish I didn't) To yell at me? To ignore me?

So unprofessional and if he can't handle a busier shift then that's on him, not the customer. Do...