Pablo's Mexican Kitchen — Restaurant in Texas

Edit 2: it’s been a couple of years, but I finally went back and sat at the bar for a quick bite and a margarita. The place was slam packed but the bartender was attentive and kept customers aware that the kitchen was backed up and orders were taking about 15 minutes longer than usual. Kudos for managing the expectations.

My drink came out quickly and I opted for an appetizer instead of a meal due to the bartender’s forewarning and it came out quickly and was tasty. EDIT: Two of the owners did reach out to me to me personally. I appreciate that they care enough about their business to get involved personally.

Terrible management decisions.

I go in with my 5 year old daughter because it's Tuesday and she wants tacos. It's 5:30pm and they are pretty busy, but no wait. That's good.

We sit and I ask for a drink menu to accompany the food menu. I see the drink menu lists happy hour as M-F, 3-6pm and has some good prices. I order a Pablo's swirl (frozen margarita with sangria). I also decide to order a cup of queso dip two of the chicken tacos from the HH appetizer menu.

After about 8 minutes, manager comes by and tells me they can't make the swirl because they don't have the sangria. No biggie, I'll just have a house frozen.

Queso come out a few minutes later and it's good. Waiter stops by to say that they made a mistake with the HH and that for future reference those prices are only good if you sit at the bar. Ok, well that sucks. It should be added to the menu.

Another 15-20 minutes go by and no tacos. They're very busy and I understand. I'm still enjoying the queso dip and my daughter likes the salsa. Our waiter then comes up and says that they haven't started my taco order. Ok. I get it. You're busy. How long? He sheepishly looks at me and says, "they're not going to make them because happy hour is only for bar".

At this point, I'm done. There is no reason to wait that long (almost 30 minutes after ordering) to tell a customer that you aren't going to put their order in because of an employee mistake. I tell him I just want my check then. He says he'll get the manager. I say I don't want the manager I just want my check so I can leave. My total is $9 ($4 queso and a $5 margarita).

Of course manager comes over after 5 minutes, saying he's sorry and he'll comp my food. I don't want charity, I wanted a meal and a good experience.

I told the manager that the difference for the tacos between the mistaken HH price and normal prices was $4. You lost a customer for life over $4 but were will to lose (comp) $9 of already delivered food. That makes no sense. Just give me my bill so I can leave. He goes to computer and brings me a receipt to show that he zeroed out my queso dip. I told him he forgot the margarita. I got my daughter and her things together and we left.

Poor service and...

I recently ordered catering for my husbands birthday, and Cinco de Mayo party. I was unsure about whether they would even be able to fulfill an order since they have such a huge turn out for Cinco de Mayo, but I sent the request anyway. Tom was so quick to respond and right away made some great suggestions about packages and options and assured me that they would be happy to provide catering for our party! From there, Tom was so incredibly helpful, from making suggestions about food, to coordinating pick up, and even discussing quality control AFTER we picked it up wanting to be sure our guests were able to enjoy the food hot and fresh as it should be. He was responsive, easy to reach and overall just very pleasant and friendly. He was fantastic to work with and I felt like he went above and beyond to make sure we were well taken care of, though I get the feeling this is his normal practice and not something put on. Before we even got the food, I was so happy with our experience because of Tom! Since I was running around trying to get set up for the party, my husband picked up the food and as we expected, the restaurant was PACKED! Luckily, Tom had prearranged for us to pick up our order from the back so we could avoid the chaos. And when I forgot to order an extra gallon of margaritas, he took care of it there on the spot. The food made it to our house nice and hot and with the disposable chafing dishes (Tom suggested and was able to track down for me) we had a beautiful, hot and delicious taco bar. The quality was perfect and every single guest commented on how delicious the food was. I even had people calling and texting asking where I ordered it because they had to to have more! I just can’t speak highly enough about our experience all around. We are so very pleased, impressed and grateful for everyone at Pablo’s that helped make our party a success! Without doubt we will be returning as guests and ordering for our events...

As a local family of over 20 years we have been visiting Pablo’s since the day they opened the doors. We started visiting when the children were toddlers and I just wanted to highlight that it has always been easy to please them, as well as ourselves. Kid friendly menu as well as a wonderful, clean environment that helps keep them entertained. Always wonderful staff interactions and the food has always been phenomenal. *A huge bonus for me is that they serve Parish Brewing’s ‘Ghost In The Machine’ on tap!!! Anyways, had to point that out. Recently my Wife and I were able to escape for a dinner together and we choose Pablo’s. *Note: at the time of this writing we are nearing the end of lockdowns and mask mandates. We appreciate businesses like Pablo’s that accommodate everyone and do not discriminate when choosing which customers they will host. I would like to highlight some wonderful staff who really made our last visit a Joy. It started with a young Lady Brionne who welcomed us and showed us to our seats. She was very friendly and engaging. Great first interaction! Our Waitress Ember was also a Joy to have. One of our plates had some specific requests and Ember not only ensured that these requests were met but made sure that we never had to wait for anything. Outstanding job and a Great attitude! We also spoke with a Manger Ryan during our visit to ensure that he was aware of our feedback. He was very fun, engaging, professional and friendly. As a business owner, I would be proud to have individuals like this representing my brand. Kudos to all the Staff that we did not see behind the scenes that helped provide a Great experience. Again, the food was amazing. Honestly, I have never had a problem with anything at Pablo’s. Don’t let the full parking lot during rush times scare you away. It is well worth it and I have never waited half as long as they tell you the wait is!! See you...