La Venadita — Restaurant in Sacramento

I live within walking distance of this restaurant and I’ve tried it several times. The food is mediocre at best but the customer service is terrible. When I walk in I feel like the cashiers don’t care about their job or the customers. The restaurant closes at 3:00 pm on Sundays so I called around 2:30 to make sure the kitchen was still open. It was, so I walked with my dog expecting to sit on the patio. When I arrived the patio was already closed. I asked for a mojito and the huevos rancheros. I was told I couldn’t have a mojito because they weren’t making them at the moment. Every time I go in they can’t make something I ask for. I was frustrated so I got my order to go. I tried to speak to one of the cashiers (nicely, as I’m a server). She said there was no bartender on duty. I asked to speak to a manager. There was no manger but the owner was present. Wait a minute...the owner was there? Why couldn’t he make a drink in order to satisfy a customer who has already had several bad experiences? I asked to speak with him but the cashier just walked into the kitchen.

When I got home the eggs on my huevos rancheros were over-cooked - the yolks were solid. In addition, the tortilla was chewy. I will never return to this restaurant, as it’s clear the staff just doesn’t care about the customer’s experience. If you are looking for a place to go in the neighborhood I’d suggest Old Soul or Oakhaus - the food and the service is...

I enjoyed my meal here. I had two fish tacos and a carnitas one washed down with a glass of on-tap Negra Modelo. We ate on the patio which was really one of the nicest i've seen - think a larger version of the one at Tres Hermanas. Low lighting, no annoying music and oilcloth-covered tables makes the ambience quite lovely. Kevin Johnson was being interviewed on video on the next table over and apparently spends a lot of time here which adds a frisson of excitement. My wife had a chile releno which she liked but would have liked more for her $12 - and believe me, this is a woman who does not eat much! Some chips/salsa included would have been welcome - seems penny-pinching to not provide. I'll go again because the food is really yummy, with flavors that show it's not been thrown together and left under the hotplate like the usual mexican joint.

Update: Aug 2017 Love this place more and more. Went out with the kids to 'Taco Tuesday' and had a platter loaded with the fabulous Pescado (fish) tacos at $2 each. A serving of chips and (really good) salsa and we went away happy. Ambiance continues to be lovely - the outside patio is fabulous at this time of year - close your eyes and you could be in a...

I am a little torn about this place. On one hand it has an an interesting chill vibe. Big open dinning area and spacious outdoor patio. Based on the menu items and cocktails they are going for a hip upscale Mexican kind of thing. I went with three of their tacos, the "special of the day" carne asada, the vegetarian and the "vampiro". The best of the three by far was the "vampiro" which was Al Pastor with a thick flavorful tomato sauce (like a cooked salsa). Very messy but delicious bite. Unfortunately whatever flavor they put in that one taco they took away from the other two. The carne asada was just dry, tough bland steak with a bit of raw onion and cilantro. A bit of salt and or salsa would of helped this one out, but alas no was provided. Same for the vegetarian. Just bland which should be hard to do with roasted peppers, onions and mushrooms. But it was pretty boring. This place seems like it would be the place to go with friends for happy hour for a few drinks then move on elsewhere for some better food. If they can find some flavor and excitement for their food, this would be a...