Salsalito Cantina — Restaurant in San Antonio

It's been a while since I've been here, so it was disappointing all around. It was very busy and they must've been short on staff as it took a while to even get our drink order (we had enough time to look the entire menu over and knew what we wanted by the time the waiter showed up) so that started things off poorly. The food was so-so; not really hot, the flavor was off on several orders (we each had something diff and couldn't figure out the "interesting" taste. There were problems with our orders which were corrected quickly. It was my mother's birthday and so I asked if they did anything special - they said they did a large scoop of icecream with choc sauce (and sang happy birthday) but what I wasn't expecting was for them to charge us for that! We went to dinner at J. Prime for my father's b-day and they served up a huge piece of confetti cake - FREE! Plus, they scoop the icecream ahead of time and put it in the freezer, so when you get it - it's HARD! Huh? It took FOREVER for us to eat it because of that. Not good.

Mind you, this wasn't about the cost; it's just the principle. Not only that, but after we ate, our server didn't even ask if we wanted dessert!? He gave us the bill and walked away. (This was before asking about b-day stuff). Plus, they have a dessert tray and wanted us to walk over to it?? Finally here brought it over like they're supposed to - so we can see what they have since they don't have a dessert menu. My parents are elderly and need assistance walking - so getting up to look at dessert was not an option.

So, the place was clean; it was extremely busy; short on staff; food wasn't really hot and had an interesting "off" taste, and oh.. the napkins smelled bad.

I don't think it was worth what we paid for a party of 4 and we won't be going back. I can get much better tasting food and better, friendlier service at other Mexican...

To whom it may concern,

I’m writing to express my disappointment regarding a recent experience I had at your establishment with my son. What started as an enjoyable outing quickly turned negative due to how the payment process and communication were handled.

When it came time to pay, I provided my card, but the magnetic strip is worn. I informed the staff that the chip or tap features should be used instead. I was told those functions were not working. I then tried to pay for a photo taken of me and my son, but the scanner used by your staff wasn’t recognized by my bank. I understand that sometimes technical issues happen, so I did not push the photo purchase further.

However, things became uncomfortable when the manager insisted he needed the card numbers. I keep a protective sticker over the numbers for security reasons, but offered to provide the numbers using a photo of my card. He declined, stating he didn’t want to take me to the back to process the payment. At this point, I began to feel uneasy about the situation, as it seemed like a red flag for potential fraud.

I called my wife to bring cash, and we paid that way. Afterward, I asked to see the chip or tap reader, and was shown a terminal meant for staff use that clearly did not support either function. When I questioned this, I was told, "That’s not my problem."

Not only was the service dismissive and unhelpful, but your team also still has the photo of me and my son, which I was never able to pay for due to your system issues and refusal to accept a secure alternative.

I hope this message prompts you to evaluate how your team handles sensitive situations and payment options in the future. I'd appreciate it if someone could follow up with me directly and help return or allow me to purchase the...

We came here early (10 a.m.) The manager/owner greeted us and was super friendlly. We were the only ones in the restaurant. She said they open at 8 a.m. for breakfast. We opted for the Parrillada for two. When asked, she told us we could substitute the shrimp (camarones) for extra fajita. The restaurant was so close to being 4 stars, but just seemed to miss the mark. The building and atmosphere were nice, but the tables were covered with a cheap looking vinyl tablecloth. Then, the lower ceiling was black near the vents and peeling but had a nice tin roof relief. Such unrealized potential. The bathroom was clean and every effort was made to make it smell nice, but the methods like urinal mats and air fresheners cheapened the feel. The fajita was marinated in soy sauce and pineapple juice making it very juicy but a little sweet for my personal palate. I prefer my fajita more on the salty side. The ribs had a good BBQ sauce, but were dry on 1 end. This made me think that they were yesterday's ribs re-heated. It is kina hard to make ribs for 10 a.m. The borracho beans were perfect with lots of flavor, lots of bacon, and just the right amount of pica. The Guacamole was smooth and fresh. The chips and Salsa were spot on. The chips are kept In an air-free warmer keeping them fresh. And lastly, the cloth napkins are ok for your lap, but there should be no hesitation for restraunts to offer quality paper napkins for your mouth and hands! I was very disappointed that they served little tissue bar napkins. The price point here demands a quality napkin. Overall, the meal was pleasant, but the true potential of the restaurant had...