El Volcan Taqueria — Restaurant in Salinas

Giving 2 stars because the cook that seems to be owner had good customer service.

I enjoy trying new restaurants and I’d thought I’d give this place a try since I always eat at the other restaurants in the shopping center.

(I have been to their food truck in the east side many years ago. The tacos were always good but not the salsa.)

I came in the cashier wasn’t welcoming she looked tired. I wasn’t offended but that’s the first thing I noticed. Cashiers are the frontline of a business’ presentation.

Anyways

I ordered an asada quesadilla and an horchata. Came out to $24. I didn’t hesitate to buy because I thought it would be something better than what you normally eat at a Mexican restaurant where you typically pay around $15 for a quesadilla and an agua fresca. Mind you the Mexican restaurants I go to, are where it’s a demographic on the higher end.

When they brought my food to the table I noticed it was very thin and plain. No presentation. They made it incorrectly. It had no meat nor the rest of the ingredients.

I brought it to them and they put meat on it. They brought it back and it was still missing the rest. I didn’t want to go back and forth so I ate it. Very bland taste to it, had the amount of meat two small tacos and very little cheese. I didn’t expect it to be loaded with cheese and meat but it wasn’t what I expected.

Something I wouldn’t pay more than $5 for. Looked like a kids menu quesadilla. It costed a little over $15.

The horchata has no reason to cost $7. Yes it tasted good, just like the one I make from scratch. I’ve worked in the food industry and the costs to make and serve it are no where compared to the cost they sell it for.

Also, told my friend over the phone about my experience and she responded saying she also had a similar experience as mine.

Overall experience was bad. I understand leasing rates have rose due to inflation as well as costs to build out or buy existing restaurants as well as the cost of food and labor. But that’s not an excuse for food to be over priced. That’s where marketing and presentation comes into play.

Had the experience at the restaurant been better as well as a nicely made plate with enough food and presentation it would have been worth it.

Hard to sell something overpriced when they’re not selling an experience just typical Mexican food that should range around $10-15 per person not $24+.

I might be back to give it another try and rewrite my experience at El Volcan once they rebrand or their food are up to par with...

Update ** owner says “these is absulute untrue”….of course * eye roll * I wrote this review directly after the terrible customer service was received. Mind you, my family has been coming here for YEARS! Business was willing to be conducted until the woman at the register decided to cop an attitude when she was asked why the prices on the menu aren’t adding up to what she was ringing up. There’s no way some asada fries, a burrito, and nachos ring up to $45! That’s ABSOLUTELY ridiculous and that’s ABSOLUTELY not how you do business. Have your employees get some customer service training or learn to match the prices on the menu to the register. Maybe you won’t get a bad review next time.

Be careful at this place. For one, they OVER CHARGE on your food! The prices aren’t the same as on the menu when the food is rung up. Second, the lady cashier will catch an attitude with you if you confront her about your food being over priced! Poor customer service and try to up charge you with out your knowledge....

I had a very disappointing experience. The service was poor from the start. The server seemed frustrated and kept giving us attitude, possibly because of her own mistakes. She didn't seem to know the menu at all. For example, my brother ordered a burrito with enchilada sauce, but she brought him enchiladas instead. When we asked for super nachos, she claimed they didn’t have the ingredients, even though we were given chips, asada, and veggies on our other plates. I ordered a shrimp taco bowl, but the worker acted confused, even though it was clearly listed on the menu and I had showed her what I was talking about. When I then asked for shrimp ranchero, they gave me a mix of shrimp and tilapia. Finally, my little sister ordered a ceviche tostada, and it was served raw. Throughout the meal, the server was rude, distracted, and seemed more focused on her phone than on providing good service. This experience was really...