Margaritas Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in South Carolina

I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry, anxious, or disappointed in a restaurant. Boyfriend, who rarely EVER gets mad, said he was the most anxious and infuriated he’s ever been in a restaurant. Long story short, poor service, wrong orders, and plates mis-served to one customer removed from table and served to another table (after food had been eaten!).

Full story: We have been here before, before COVID, and it was decent. We go to a Mexican place closer to our house, though it has been hit or miss lately, so we thought we’d try this place again. It was a horrible experience. It was a busy Saturday night, so we anticipated a wait on entry. There was actually a booth open, which was nice. It took a while for anyone to greet us, but our server was pleasant on arrival. She was quite helpful with the drink menu and ordering. We ordered drinks and cheese dip. Our kiddo LOVES cheese dip, and this is something that somewhat keeps him occupied until the real food comes. It took about 20 minutes for us to get our cheese dip, which we thought was a bit ridiculous for cheese dip - but they were busy. The server said “I’m sorry, yours got sent to another table.” We didn’t think much of it, thought ours went to a table and we had a later order. Then came our main dishes starting. Boyfriend’s came first - honey chipotle chicken with refried beans and rice, only it came out with black beans and rice. Ok, no biggie. He took a few bites of rice and then decided to wait for ours to come out. Another server (not ours) came up from behind our table and asked if everything was ok, said that wasn’t his dish, took it from our table, walked into the kitchen, and then walked back out and served what looked to be the very same plate to another table. 😞😳😡 (so then we wondered if we got cheese that had been in someone else’s mouth?!). Then, my plate of food was incorrect. Then our kiddo’s plate took an additional 7 minutes after we got ours, and only after we asked a second time. He’d pretty much reached his breaking point by now but did remain fairly calm through the rest of a 2-hr dinner at a Mexican restaurant!! Our server returned once to check on us, at which point I tried to tell her the mishap with the food plate, and she said she would speak to her manager. We then didn’t see her until literally the end of the night. We waited 25 full minutes for anyone to come check again, at which point we got a box and hurriedly asked for the check. 10 minutes later we finally got the check. We only saw OUR server when she delivered our check. Two hours later, we are just astonished! But hey, side note, the Texas margaritas was strong and tasty - maybe that’s how they keep people coming back!

Between slow wait times, poor service, and the absolute disrespect for food service safety/hygiene (in normal times, forget talking about COVID!), we will NOT be returning...

Save yourself the money and disappointment. Check out Frida's in Pineville instead - pretty close by and MUCH better food quality.

Seriously gone downhill in the last couple of years. Used to love this place. Now, EVERY time we order take out or delivery, we're missing at least one entree. Last night it was the ground beef nachos and Pollo Ranchero. The pollo I caught before I left, Nachos I made it home without. Wasn't worth the hastle of trying to go back and wait a second time - especially since they now have signs reinforcing the fact that they can't give refunds or exchanges for food that's been ordered. When did this become an OK practice in restaurants? Restaurants used to stand by their food and proudly replacements or re-fires for poorly executed dishes. I guess fixing all of their mistakes was costing them too much money, but I wonder what happens when your quality goes so far downhill and you refuse to try and honor any kind of solution? Probably not the best business solution. What do I know though - I didn't even bother trying to rectify issues this time. The Pollo Ranchero (that I waited on) had no cheese on it. The quasadillas were soggy. The black beans weren't close to warm and the cheese on top wasn't melted. The street corn was overcooked and mushy with bland sauce and no seasoning.

We just spent $180+ (always ordering for large group), and we'll never go back. Too many times now we've been disappointed.

IF you're desperate, and you want to gamble lol, the guac used to be good - it's the whole reason I kept going back tbh. Last night it was OK at best. Avocados weren't as fresh, felt watered down somehow, and was over seasoned. Guac shouldn't be over seasoned - you're supposed to let the avocados do the work for you.

BEWARE though, check that you receive all of your food BEFORE you leave. And absolutely NEVER order these guys through door dash or other delivery services, because you're guaranteed to be missing items then and it's like going to court to try and get them to rectify it afterwards, especially...

Please know that you will be charged for chips and salsa and if using a card to pay. We were met at the table with chips and salsa that they set down for us. We ordered four meals; one of steak and cheese tacos, two orders of shrimp tacos, and one kid's taco meal. We also ordered drinks.

Half way through the meal, we were asked if we would want more chips and salsa. We confirmed and ate our dinners. We asked for the bill and found they charged for the chips and salsa. They didn't say it would be a charge. They just put it on our table, when we first sat down, and then asked if we wanted refills without saying there was an additional charge.

Guacamole salad is on the menu as a side, but doesn't show as an upcharge, but when you get the bill, you'll see it as an up charge.

Additionally, we were charged a non-cash fee for using a card. We are all feeling the pinch from higher prices, but to arbitrarily pass on the charges for card transactions is ridiculous. This is the last time we will eat here or any Margaritas Restaurant.

The food itself was moderately okay, but barely a step above Taco Bell. The presentation was sloppy at best, and the quality of the products used was acceptable for the price. The portions were rather small, though, and not worth the amount spent on them. For being a Mexican restaurant, the flavors were fairly bland, as well, suprisingly.

The establishment itself was kept clean and free of obstructions. There were lots of people eating, so its decently popular. The men's bathroom needs to be kept up better.

Although it may be popular and some people enjoy this restaurant, I don't find it worth the cost of time or money for my patronage. There is definitely better elsewhere and they are up front about all their...