Mariscos Don Camarón — Restaurant in West Columbia

I had a hard time with this review, but I decided to just tell the honest truth about everything. The restaurant was nice looking. The music was not Mexican but very loud hip hop when we came in. It's kind of confusing, but OK. There is a very large language barrier if you don't speak Spanish. There was only one person who did, so our waitress used him every time we needed something or had a question. Both our server and interpreter were VERY nice. There were 2 different menus given. My husband and I were trying to figure out what was what. Not much is explained on either menu, so if you aren't familiar with all aspects of Mexican food and ingredients, you'll need someone to explain it as we did. We ordered an appetizer and found out 35 minutes later that they no longer had the seasoning we wanted. OK, scratch the appetizer. The food came out an hour and 30 minutes after ordering. Husband had the seafood Paella, and I had the ribeye. The rice in the Paella was delicious, but the seafood was horrid. Dry, chewy, leathery EVERYTHING. It was tasted like a freezer and was extremely overcooked. We basically paid 25 bucks for rice because the seafood in the dish was inedible. The ribeye was the skinniest piece I've ever seen. No way was it 12 ounces. I ordered medium rare, and it was way overcooked. Honestly, it was probably the worst steak I've had at a restaurant. Now, the desert platter was AMAZING! It had ice cream, cinnamon churros, and strawberries with whipped cream. It was delicious! My husband had 2 margaritas, and they were very strong, so bonus points for that. He had one large and one small. I had to drive home🤣 We went on a Saturday, which was not supposed to be a Mariachi night, but we got lucky. The band started an hour into the night and took requests. That part was really fun.

Overall, the main dishes were not good - and it took a very long time, but the drinks and dessert and band were great, so we...

My husband and I have been here twice… both times has been a disaster! They charged 76.00 for 1 red snapper rice and salad. We ask where the salsa was that it was supposed to be cooked in.. they said that’s an additional 7.99. Both visits have been a lesson learned. Cooks have no idea what menu items are so basically you get it cooked with and however they feel like cooking it that day. Manager to busy socializing with the ladies to address any issues. If you have ANY complaints about food not being as you think ordered it then it always additional for that.. my question was why did it come standard with salsa on top last visit and today because it’s cooked differently the standard is extra. I am blown away at a 76.00 piece of plain grilled fish. This establishment needs better communication between customer- waitress and cook. No one speaks English so complaining is not an option. They will not try to even attempt a resolution. Needless to say we will not be...

This place is the Real Deal. My son recommended it to me after having over if their Quesadillas, which are both enormous and gorgeous. I met my sisters and Mom for lunch today. Everything is v clean, A rating. Polite, smart wait staff. Large portions. I had steak fajitas, my sister shrimp fajitas, and my other sister and mom different quesadillas (all of which looked amazing!). Everything was fresh, and absolutely delicious. Magnificent and will be returning and I hope they are here for years to come. Restrooms clean, large enough for wheelchair/walker, but no grab bar if that's a complication for your disability.

Support local business, and especially authentic family businesses, in a complicated time. Absolutely will return. I think lunch for 4 plus a kid was close to 70$, and we needed boxes to take things home. Even the rice was flavorful, and the refried beans were delicious and creamy. Do not...