Mixtli — Restaurant in San Antonio

How to not run a restaurant. This is based on management's latest response (arrange reviews by "newest") and I hope this sheds light on exactly how NOT to run a business

I cannot respond once management responds, so continue to review my new accounts as I continue to give them one stars and provide continued feedback

PALOMAR COMIDA AND CANTINA is a much better "jewel" relative to this place, with a great owner, better food, great patio/ambiance, and legit service. GO HERE INSTEAD. Not to mention Palomar is 1/10 the price

Here's the background on the cups. Your customers (me and my wife) go there on a date night (we do this once a month every month), and decide to Uber to be safe with a SINGLE drink to be consumed on the way to kick off what is expected to be a fun night. Upon arrival, there was no trash can in sight, so rather than leave the cup on the side walk, we brought it in to dispose of the cup properly so as to not litter. The host, who turned out to be a chef I believe, immediately gives a bad attitude leaving us feeling a bit confused, but so what. We just got there and are ready to enjoy dinner

The bottle of liquor they mention in #2 that was brought in was a birthday gift for one of the people at the event. It was never intended to be opened, period. It was in and remained in a box in a birthday bag. Note that this was given as a gift b/c it is the ONLY brand and type that 1 of the 6 people at the table consume, who happened to be the birthday boy. This is why we ordered MacAllen 12 for 3 of the 6 people when we first sat down at the table. This order was meant to celebrate the person we were all celebrating last night (via a birthday party). So after the first round was ordered and delivered, the restaurant ran out of MacAllen 12 after 3 of the people had a single drink. Since you all ran out, we had a full bottle (the birthday present), still boxed and asked you if we could open or give to you all to serve (and keep). You cite Texas law, and that it's illegal to open a bottle. You're awesome for knowing this, but we did not... Which is exactly why we sent someone to you (away from the table as a courtesy, so we did not ask in front of a large group) if we could open the bottle. We didn't know. You subsequently sent 2 people over to the table to tell us we could not open the bottle. Both people had a whole lot of attitude and told us this was not acceptable. In both instances, despite the lack of hospitality from a very "fine" restaurant, we conceded that we were totally good with this, and never thought again to ask. You were put off by our request, which was in no way disrespectful

You say we berated or personally attacked your staff. This is a complete fabrication. We were kind to your staff and appreciated most of the service (EXCEPT FOR THAT OF HAILEY, WHO SHOULD GET OUT OF THE SERVICE BUSINESS ALLTOGETHER, ALONG WITH HER COHORT, who I did not get her name). You, Hailey and colleague, berated a customer who just paid +$1,000 for a dinner for 6 in a way I have never seen, ever. The 4 of us who witnessed this remain in shock today. Only someone who is new or incapable would ever treat a customer like you treated us. My best guess is that the existing management we were exposed to last night was both.

Social media, and Google reviews, are a great way for us to NOT let you get away with treating customers the way you treated customers last night. From the times Hailey visited the table, she set the stage in her attitude for a confrontation at the end of the night. Again, I have never in my life, particularly at this price point, ever seen such a poor display of service. This place should be ashamed

You say we are not welcome in your restaurant, and we gladly accept. To the rest of the world, i encourage you to go elsewhere. There are many, many alternatives to spend your money. I can honestly say this is the single worst restaurant I have ever had the displeasure to walk in. DO NOT WASTE...

We went for my husbands birthday with friends. We had vegetarian and dairy allergy restrictions and were served the wrong plates 2-3 times. We luckily caught it ourselves. The manager at the time Haley was extremely rude and offputting. She made us feel like an inconvenience for ordering normal drinks at the table. Then we were told by one kind waitress to move to the bar for 30 more minutes and one more drink. Haley then decided to close early and ask us to leave. A man just kept telling us to write them an email about our terrible experience. Food quality was good but the service…and Haley specifically was insanely rude. She Seems to have little to no training in hospitality.

Unfortunately , I would not recommend this restaurant. There are so many restaurants with wonderful food, wonderful wine and alcohol selection, and wonderful staff to insure an unforgettable dining experience.

-unfortunately I cannot reply to the inaccurate post. But I am happy to do so. There was a birthday, so therefore a bottle of Scotch was gifted to my husband. It was in a bag in the box. It was never any intention to consume. The bar ran out of MacAllen 12 and did not have any replacements available. We had the bottle to ask if that was possible, after it was said no that it had to be TABC certified, we said no worries. A simple question to gift the bottle to the restaurant was asked and said no. It was all the same time. Not pressuring and trying to drink our own alcohol. Then we were greeting 5 minutes later again by a man who was rude about it. We had not even mentioned it after we asked the first time (it had been done in the Caymans when they ran out of a certain liquor- they gifted us a bottle to our room then asked us to bring it to the restaurant at the boutique hotel because they were unable to provide it until the next delivery. - or we would never have even thought of it). No one expected or pushed this more than the initial idea. As soon as it was stated that it was illegal, did not push AT ALL.

As far as berating the staff, unfortunately it was the other way around. Again, Hailey was extremely rude throughout the meal. After my friend who is strict vegetarian was served meat 2 times, I have a dairy allergy and was also served dairy, we made no issue. We figured it out and moved around our meals each time. We were asked to move to the bar from the restaurant for a nightcap for the last 30 minutes. Then we sat down and Hailey decided to close the bar and ask us to leave. My friend asked kindly if this is because we are unruly? She said no, I am just closing it early. My staff needs to go home. No one was belligerent. Then it was a very unpleasant interaction.

Messaging the owner on instagram? We want to reach out to let them know about our experience. I feel the chef and owner should know that the manager made it a terrible experience and the service was not on point. This was supposed to be a wonderful experience. It is clear that the response came from the manager.

MOST importantly, we were served meals that were against our dietary and religious restrictions, (Which someone had stated they take seriously), but apparently is untrue. Out of everything, that was the biggest issue. Second was the management with extremely rude. It is such a shame because the food and Michelin star is such a great feat and came with a lot of hard work to be overlooked by terrible...

Having lived in San Antonio for four years now, I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've only recently visited Mixtli—even more ashamed after my experience. Mixtli is tucked away in a quiet corner of Southtown, with its own (metered) parking. Finding the restaurant was easy enough, and parking is charged at the average rate of other San Antonio lots. I was given a warm, friendly welcome when I entered and led past the open kitchen to their sunken bar area to enjoy a welcome cocktail. I started with my "tester" cocktail: a classic gin Rickey. It was made perfectly, something that may seem more common than it really is. Chef Rico Torres welcomed me to his Mexican omakase-style home with a smoked oyster and broke down the current menu as it rotates seasonally. I tried my hardest to focus on his lesson, but the earthy flavor of the corn butter and fermented charanda-tepache mixture, melded with the smoke, sent my eyes rolling to the back of my skull. I gathered myself in time to be led back into the main dining room to begin my journey to the Tierra Caliente. This menu focused on the regional cuisine from Guerrero to Michoacan on Mexico's Pacific side. Each course was presented by a different staff member, which is something I appreciate as a chef and former restaurant staff member. It allows the entire cast to interact with a diner, allowing the patrons to appreciate how many people work to provide such a delightful experience. The next course was a sopa de agúcate, which was creamy and served alongside a leg of crab. Subsequent courses were the corunda– a white corn cake with a layer of koji jocoque (essentially a Mexican fermented dairy product similar to kefir), mole rosa (roasted beets with smoked hibiscus, and pomegranate) served on a tortilla to be consumed taco-style, pasta de rancho (a tortellini-esque, lemon, and requezon-filled pasta sat atop a tomato sauce), beef tongue braised until tender and served over plantain pave (layered cake) and a dollop of peanut mole, the mole de cafe was a succulent, brined boneless pork chop served with a sweet-tart apple slaw. Halfway through the meal, I ordered the Mixtli margarita, which has to rank in my top five favorite cocktails worldwide. The salted orange foam lives in my head rent-free for life. I also added the coffee service, which included a café de olla, which was exceptionally presented and easily served two people. My intermezzo was a palate-cleansing sorbet with a mirepoix of crunchy and vibrant fruits and jicama. The final course was a caramelized milk ice cream served atop popped sorghum alongside a hazelnut pirouette. Between the engaged, attentive staff, the ambiance (the quietest open kitchen I've ever experienced), the culinary ingenuity of the chefs, and the cutlery and dishes, I can't recommend Mixtli enough. They are developing and showcasing true culinary art, which is in short supply in...