Three Roots Mexican Cocina — Restaurant in Santa Ana

We were at the mall and stopped in to get some food and a drink. We sat at the bar and were immediately struck by the weird vibe. Several people were sitting there watching a Christmas movie on the bar television blasting it at full volume and drowning out the music they were playing in the restaurant. Despite the very loud tv we were very hungry and decided to stay. The waitress eventually came over and we ordered drinks that were very watered down. She would leave to the back for 15-20 minutes at a time and we she eventually came back she kept forgetting our order. There were only two other tables in the entire restaurant so we couldn’t figure out why she kept disappearing. We ordered chips and guacamole to start but it never came. We also ordered a 4 item combo (enchilada, chile relleno, and two tacos) and she disappeared for about 10 minutes and then came back to ask us to remind her what we ordered. We told her our order again and she said they didn’t have any pastor or carnitas so we got asada tacos. About 20 minutes later our food came out and it was cold, the chile relleno was missing, and my asada taco had nothing on it except the meat (no onions, cilantro, etc). We took a bite of the enchilada, which was also cold, and it tasted like it had spaghetti sauce on it. Another 20 minutes and we got our check but she charged us for somebody else table so she had to go back and cancel and recharge us for our meal. I don’t know what is wrong with this place but it is horrible and I’m guessing it will shortly be...

I wanted to feel sorry for them as I went last Friday night at 7p and there was 1 server, I’m guessing the cook and NO other patrons and we were just a party of 4 but it still took us about 45 minutes to even order! There’s no chips and salsa that I was looking forward to, my husband ordered what was called seafood chile rejeano that was supposed to have lobster and the reason he ordered it, the rest of us ordered salads and an order of chicken flautas. after 30 minutes 2 salads came another 10 minutes my husbands order came out he noticed there was no lobster and when the undercooked looking flautas came we advised the server and she said oh there’s no lobster today, which she should have said when we ordered! Somehow a small side salad came another 20 minutes later with a different dressing that was ordered and she said we don’t have pepita dressing either! In the meantime another party of 4 was seated ordered and served and leaving when we would have liked to but the server disappeared for another 20 minutes she finally came and as we’re all standing and asked if I wanted another margarita? I said no we want the check! She brought it and my husband still tipped 20%! Also the reason we noticed how long everything was taking was because it was freezing in there! We left around 915p. To top it off I’ve had continuous stomach cramps for 2 days! I wish we could get...

Not bad, but not great either. Place was nearly empty. The Choriquezo appetizer was recommended by the waiter but it turned out to be an elastic, play doh-ish mess. Tried to dip into it with nachos and it wouldn't even get on. Didn't taste that great either. Ditch the jack and it may work. I also observed jack cheese in many of their dishes.

Had their Tampiquena Carne asada / two shrimp enchiladas / mezcal chili sauce / pico de gallo / cotija cheese / guacamole / white rice / black beans and that was good! But not $28 good. That's a high markup. I could see at most $21...if that.

My son had an asada burrito. Unfortunately it was saturated with beans. You could barely find and taste the meat.

They're going for upscale Mexican which by the taste of their food and choice of ingredients, could come off a little pretentious. I could only assume they chose this style because they used to be in Irvine and were trying to impress the south county crowd. Apparently they brought their prices with them.

It's difficult to stand apart from the competition. Santa Ana is a different demographic with tighter wallets. It might be a good idea to conduct some market research, trends, and revise that menu. Unfortunately I won't return, but I wish them...