Mexican Villa South — Restaurant in Springfield

I came to this restaurant on South Campbell Ave in Springfield, MO on 10-4-19 around 2:30p.m.

I was accompanied by my girlfriend. The restaurant was not busy at all. There were only a handful of other patrons in the building.

We were seated by the hostess in a section directly across from a family. The family had kids who were making lots of noise. So, we decided to reseat ourselves in another area away from the noisy kids but not far from where she had originally sat us.

We started looking at the menu and decided what we wanted for lunch.

The hostess came back several minutes later telling us in an aggressive and stern manner that we were not allowed to sit where we had moved to because she "didn't have a server for that section". Again... the restaurant was barely occupied. I can completely understand having assigned seating if they were busy but it was essentially dead in the restaurant.

Also, directly diagonal to where we had seated ourselves was another table of patrons eating their lunch. This was in the same section where the hostess told us we could NOT sit since there was no server for that "section".

They clearly had other patrons in the same section she claimed we could not sit in. The restaurant was NOT busy in the least. Am I being led to believe that the server couldn't traipse the additional few feet to where we were sitting in order to wait on us? Is this too much of an inconvenience for paying guests??

The hostess was clearly annoyed that we had reseated ourselves and launched into a territorial tirade because we moved without informing her.

We left the restaurant and went to eat at another establishment that actually appreciated, respected and wanted our business.

I will never be back to this restaurant for as long as I live. And I will encourage others to never eat here either. The hostess actions were rude and COMPLETELY unnecessary.

Maybe this company and its employees should learn to be more accommodating towards their guests. It will create repeat business and positive word of mouth and help to expand their current clientele.

This was the worst experience I have had at a restaurant in a long time. This location has lost my business. I'm sure they won't care because they have an established "base" of customers. But if they hope to survive in the long term, they seriously need to work on their customer service and...

UPDATER REVIEW:

Previously I had given a rather middling review of my experiences. Since then, largely driven by their excellent sauces I keep finding myself craving them and coming back again and again. The also continue to have the best regular tacos I have had after visits t many other local competitors. Not just the Tacos but the tostadas as well. Even dishes I had found bland, when using the sauces given to you are a very different case. What's changed? Probably me. I have over the last year or two continued to learn to cook myself and I find myself looking at food differently, rather than just looking at a dish by itself, I look more at the flavors alongside what is provide. A bland base isn't inherently bad. Sometimes such a base can be transformed by other flavors, sauces in this case.

Outside of a different view, the service has improved drastically. The waiters and waitresses are top tier. You know the feeling, you're eating a spicy dish and conserving every last bit of of your coke or water....doesn't happen here. The moment you even get close a new drink is on the table.

While it may not be the absolute best I have ever had, it has become one of my go to's when I crave Mexican.

Due to the sum of its parts, this review is going from 3 to 5 stars.

ORIGINAL REVIEW

I've been back and forth on the Mexican Villa argument for years. It's always been a hard call. In the end. Here's the thing, Almost everything I've tried from burritos, enchiladas, and tamales, all of them are very bland. Adding sauce helps but it doesn't make then taste like what you'd expect from the dishes in question. Service is also mixed. Table servers are always great and check in frequently. On the flip side, items are consistently forgotten on the orders. The positives, the chips are really good, not overly salted an the sauces. The sauces are what keep me coming back. I've a very high tolerance to heat and their hot sauce makes me feel the burn. The mild has a nice flavor and the sweet, while not for everyone is a fun twist. Strangely, while the main dishes are bland, all of their toppings and garnishes from the lettuce, cheese, and tomato are of notable quality that's hard not to notice.

All of the locations are usually clean and very heavily themed making for a fun experience.

If there is one thing I can recommend, due to the quality toppings the tacos are honestly...

Summary at the bottom in case you don't want to read this entire review.

Looking for good Mexican food? Look somewhere else! Seriously, this is nothing close to Mexican food. This was my first time at Mexican Villa in the 20 years I’ve lived in Springfield and it will definitely be the last.

Let's start with the chips and salsa: Our chips tasted smoky and a bit on the burnt side, but not the worst thing in the world. It can actually complement good salsa at other restaurants. But this is not good salsa.

The mild salsa tastes like watered-down cough syrup and ketchup sprinkled with freeze-dried mystery "vegetables". The medium salsa was the same watered-down cough syrup but with hot sauce instead of ketchup to kick up the heat, in case you really hate your tongue.

Needless to say, waiting for your food WITHOUT chips and salsa is a better option.

The Mexican Villa experience: I ordered the chicken quesadilla and when the food came out, I was surprised at the small, kid-menu-sized portions compared to the price. The food itself was bland, lukewarm, and tasted like the ingredients AND the chicken came from a can. This is the only time I had leftovers and decided against getting a to-go box.

I decided to wash everything down with a “Villa-Rita”, (their specialty house drink) and discovered it tastes like off-the-shelf margarita mix and lemon-lime soda they squirted with tequila. Seriously? The cheapest margarita from any restaurant chain is better than this.

The only positive thing I can say about my experience is I discovered the worst Mexican restaurant in Springfield and now know to avoid it at all costs.

Summary: Don’t go here. The menu is overpriced; half of it is American food and the other half is frozen Mexican food you would find at a grocery store. Applebee’s is more authentic compared to...