Santeria — Restaurant in San Francisco

This place has potential, but the service is lacking.

I came for happy hour. I was promptly seated outside. The menu is in the smaller side, but it has a good mix. The happy hour menu is a good value, but not great. Most items are about $2 off standard prices. The atmosphere is lively when it’s busy and the bar next door is busy. This block gets a lot of sidewalk traffic.

The food was a mix bag. The fundido was just ok. It looked good and was well plated. It’s served hot but doesn’t come with chips. I guess your suppose to use the existing chips you have. The dip itself reminded me of Rotel Dip. I’ve had fundido at other restaurants that was more complex. The tacos I had were delicious. Full of meat, vegetables, and well garnished. They not only looked great, but tasted good too. The tacos were well filled but still were manageable to eat. The salsas that came with the chips were complex and something I could eat frequently.

Now the service… ugh. The biggest thing I see is a lack of hustle and a lack of common service basics. I was a server in the past. If you come out of the back room or kitchen plan on going to more then just one table. Carry a sanitized towel with you to wipe off dirty tables and chairs. Don’t make the customer ask for chips and salsa that come free. Offer at least one water refill and don’t wait until the customers glass is empty. Offer a new cocktail before the one their drinking goes empty and all the ice melts. Suggest item menu items. Offer dessert. Turn on the heaters when it’s 50F outside. Maybe my expectations...

This has been the worst service I've experienced in a long time at a restaurant. We arrived on Cinco de Mayo around 1:40 PM and were greeted by our server, Glinda. She handed us a menu and informed us that there was a set menu for the day, restricting our choices. Despite our request for guacamole, it took three reminders before our order was finally taken.

Meanwhile, I noticed other tables receiving entrees that appeared to be breakfast food. When I asked another server about them, I was directed to scan a QR code for the menu. Upon Glinda's return, we inquired about ordering from the alternate menu, only to be rudely told that it was too late, despite never being informed about it during our 20-minute wait.

When we finally placed our entree order, Glinda was nowhere to be found. Later, I spotted her on her phone eating at a corner table. Our food arrived with missing items, and Glinda failed to rectify the situation until we had finished our meal. Her response was dismissive, offering to remove the missing items from the bill.

To make matters worse, Glinda had the audacity to rush us out, insisting that our table was needed, despite the restaurant being half empty and no one waiting in line. If you choose to dine at this restaurant and encounter Glinda as your server, I strongly recommend requesting...

TLDR; The food was pretty good, excellent vibes, and all the staff minus our waitress was great.

Went here for dinner on a Saturday night, made reservations for 6:45 but didn’t really need them. Though it was very busy by the time we left.

Two other tables seated after us were greeted and ordered before us. Had been waiting for a while when the the waitress came over and just said “yes?” No welcome or hello or anything. It was actually a bit surprising! We just ended up ordering food because we had wanted recommendations for drinks but didn’t feel comfortable asking at that point. And I still don’t know her name. We only saw her to order our food.

The rest of the staff, everyone who brought out our food and then the gentleman who helped me with the bill were very warm and helpful.

The food is quite good, especially the guac was very fresh; fish tacos excellent; birria tacos great but so heavy.

Queso fundido .. the cheese tasted a bit grainy. Ceviche was just okay nothing too special.

Overall a good meal but with so many truly excellent Mexican options, not sure we...