Ladino — Restaurant in San Antonio

I've been a chef for more than 20 years. I work as a food writer, recipe developer and tester for some well-known brands and online media outlets. I run my own recipe site. I've worked in foodservice since the age of 13, so, for the majority of my life. I lead with all of that to emphasize the fact that I'm not easily impressed by food, and rarely do visits to restaurants leave me giddy. Walking up, Ladino has the vibe of a Mediterranean taverna. The aesthetic reminded me of a mix between Scandinavian meets Tribal. Modern, but ethnic. I don't go out to look at the decor, though. The hostess attempted to seat us at a table that was adjacent to the only walkway from the door to the dining room. This being a dinner with a colleague/friends, our partners were meeting for the first time, we didn't want to run the risk of not being able to enjoy their company. I asked the hostess if we could get a less-busy table. She walked us back out to the stand (outside) and back in to a table that was even busier. I called over someone who looked to be a GM and asked if we could take the table that was off in a corner. At first, he said there's no way. He came back, said he moved a few things around, and seated us at the table. Our friends were a little late because Austin traffic sucks, but when they arrived, we opted to do the chef's tasting menu for $60pp, which allows you a variety of dishes selected from the menu so I definitely recommend trying it if it's your first visit. The highlights from the evening's meal were the spicy feta, the kibbeh nayeh, the lamb belly ribs, charcoal beets, and almond and olive oil cake (with campari-grapefruit sorbet). Misses (for me) were the hummus (too bitter), citrus salad (just didn't impress me for lack of balance), and shishbarak (bordered on tepid so the dumpling was too firm). The spicy feta melted ever-so-slightly into the very warm pita bread it was served with. Simple, yet addicting. The kibbeh nayeh is a traditional Levantine kibbeh, which is raw meat combined with bulgur and spices. This version was served with a walnut and olive relish instead of a traditional green onions or green peppers. I can write a whole love letter about the lamb belly ribs. They were fork-tender, so very well seasoned I ended up licking my fingers (something I despise) and served on a bed of tzatziki and assorted greens. The mizuna greens in the salad blend has a peppery, wasabi-like finish that cut through the gaminess of the lamb and elevated the creaminess of the tzatziki. My dear, sweet lord in heaven, the combination was so perfect, I 'bout swooned. The charcoal beets are roasted until sweet, then served with za'atar (a lemony-herby seasoning blend), sweet date molasses and on a bed of yogurt or thick kefir (not quite sure). Perfect on all fronts. Finally, the almond olive oil cake was a not-to-sweet ending. The cake crumb was tender, not over-mixed, and delicately flavored from the floral olive oil. The campari-grapefruit sorbet had a drizzle of olive oil and it was one of the few times someone's got that preparation spot-on (in my opinion). I haven't been moved like that in a while and it was a pleasant surprise for me. We will definitely go back with our children after requesting the corner table or a booth. I think this might become a regular date night spot, as well. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but when meeting new friends, I prefer to be present in the moment. Next...

UPDATE 8/17: I recently came back to Ladino after my last visit didn’t go quite as planned. The Service Manager, Steven Rickhoff, personally invited me to return so they could make it right—and I’m so glad I did. This time I brought my parents, and we had the most amazing experience!

Shortly after we were seated, the manager, Barbara, stopped by to personally welcome us. She truly is the sweetest person and set such a warm tone for the evening. Our server, Morgan, was equally wonderful—she was friendly, attentive, and made sure everything was taken care of.

From start to finish, every dish was prepared perfectly—we didn’t have a single bad bite. As we were leaving, Barbara came by again to thank us for dining with them. My parents hadn’t been to Ladino in quite some time, but they were blown away and are already planning their next visit—as am I.

I’ve been to Ladino before and have always enjoyed the food, but my experience last Friday night left my friends and I disappointed enough to reconsider returning.

Our server, Jamar, was consistently short and dismissive — giving one or two-word answers and an overall attitude that made us feel unwelcome. At the start of our meal, he insisted we place our entire order at once because it would be “coursed out.” This was new to me, and it came across as unnecessarily pushy, especially since my friends were first-time guests.

As for me personally, I had reached out via OpenTable the night before to confirm I could substitute the labneh and bulgur on the saffron chicken entrée for roasted vegetables due to my gluten sensitivity. The restaurant confirmed it wouldn’t be an issue and told me to simply let my server know. When I asked Jamar for the substitution, he flatly said, “We can’t do substitutions.” When I explained that I had confirmed with someone earlier, his exact response was, “Well, you were told wrong.” When I got up to use the restroom, he stopped me to say, “I’m sorry, ma’am, turns out we can do the substitution.” While I appreciated the correction, this could have been handled far more professionally by checking with management before shutting it down so abruptly.

The rest of the meal continued with curt service, and when the check arrived, it was dropped on the table without a word. No offer to split the check (which would have been reasonable to ask at a higher-end restaurant). A couple of my friends asked for a box for their leftovers, but they were put into the same bag without labels — they ordered the same thing, so this made it impossible to tell whose was whose.

The food, as always, was delicious, but the service left a lasting negative impression. I had even requested in advance to be seated with Johnathan but he, sadly, is no longer there. The lady I spoke to said she would put us with someone like him... Jamar is the polar opposite in terms of warmth and hospitality. Sadly, I doubt my friends will return, and I’m...

Unfortunately this is going to be a no. The first time I came here.. the food was great. We had one server who was great… midway through service he said hed be going home for the night and that someone else would take over. We didn’t see this server for 20 minutes. We were also brought our last dish without silverware and a round of drinks was ordered and forgotten. The first server came back to our table and said “just kidding I’m actually not off,” and continued service. I expect that from a Chili’s.. not a restaurant with a Michelin Star stamp at their host stand (this is not a Michelin star restaurant). Because the food was very good and it was only the service holding the place back, I’ve been back 3 times since to sit at the bar and order light snacks which has been pleasant.

Tonight though… I arrived and was greeted at the host stand.. I indicated I’d like to go up to the bar and her response was “you’ll have to have that conversation with her.” She then pointed at a very kind girl who immediately escorted me upstairs. It was over 90 degrees upstairs and I indicated I felt nauseous and would like to move to a spot with air conditioning downstairs. I was told there was no other spot.. fair if it were true. I had my food boxed up because it was too uncomfortable to eat and ordered a cold cocktail. Minutes later, another pair of Guests were moved downstairs and minutes after that the older hostess came up and told the bartender that it would be light upstairs because she sat them downstairs. When I paid and left I noticed at least 6 tables empty and open downstairs. I asked the older hostess why I wasn’t given the opportunity to be put in the ac especially after indicating I felt nauseous. She was rude and responded that everyone was sitting outside… all I could do was stare blankly between her and the other available tables in the restaurant. I thought frequenting the bar here was the hack to a good experience but I’m sick of making excuses for this place. Take down the Michelin star.. it’s disrespectful.. crum your tables.. provide silverware.. and if your guest can’t eat their food because they are so uncomfortable.. move them to a table with ac no matter how inconvenient it is for you to carry their one plate of food down the stairs for them. As someone who works in sales My most asked question of customers is “where should we eat?” This place has earned its spot on the “do not waste your time” list.

Ps. An hour at Ladino produced more sweat than I’ve ever produced an hour on the...