Babe Restaurant — Restaurant in West Hartford

I visited Babe Restaurant and Hookah Lounge on January 11 to celebrate my sister’s birthday and had a terrible experience. We made reservations and were one of the first groups to arrive. Once seated, we immediately ordered drinks and appetizers, and inquired about the "Get Me Lit" birthday package. Our server had no idea what we were talking about and repeatedly asked us to clarify which package we wanted. After showing her the flyer, she finally understood.

The package included a cocktail, hookah, birthday sign with LED lights, and a bottle of champagne. The appetizer portions were very small; there were five of us, and we ordered two orders of loaded chips and empanadas. We were told we had to wait until 8 PM to order our entrées, which was fine at the time as we enjoyed our drinks and even ordered a second round plus another hookah. Around 9 PM, when we tried to order our entrées, we were informed that the chef was not in.

There was no communication from our server about the chef's absence during our entire time there. When we asked for water, she only brought enough for some of us and promised to return with more, but never did. At this point, we were all upset, especially the birthday girl. We didn't receive the champagne or the birthday sign, so we asked for the check. Only then did they rush out the rest of the package with little enthusiasm. They didn't light the sparkler on the cake and gave it to the wrong person.

We decided to pay with one Amex card, but our server took 30 minutes to return it. This was unacceptable, especially since they made us pay immediately for the hookah refill using a mobile point of sale. The entire situation was less than ideal. Based on the reviews, it seems we were not the only ones with issues that night. Unfortunately, this place turned out to be just another clickbait Instagram restaurant with horrible service. The decor, featuring generic flower walls and LED signs, was not enough to make up for the poor experience or the 40 minute...

I really wanted to be impressed by Babe after seeing reel after reel about it on Instagram and discussing it with friends. It's small, and was kind of easy to miss if not for my GPS - but that's okay. There is a small parking lot to the side of it, shared with the other restaurants. When my party of 3 arrived, we had to wait like 3 minutes for the doors to be opened, as it said they opened at 5 (despite patrons already being seated inside for drinks). We were moved around twice to different tables. Again - it's okay. It happens. But, things didn't really get better after that. We only ordered chips and guacamole and two shrimp tacos. No exaggeration, it took about an hour for our food to get to us. Then we were told, after the fact, that the chef would appreicate it if we'd order tacos in an order of three, not individual ones. There weren't many vegetarian options on the menu, so my vegetarian friend ordered a side of mac and cheese...which also took a very long time to come out. What was even more dissapointing after the wait was that the food was mediocre. Not to mention, the menu was pretty much all American food, despite being touted as a Latin/Carribean/American fusion. I was starving, however, so I did order more shrimp tacos because the sauce wasn't terrible. The cocktails were pretty good - I will give them points for those. The aesthetic was cute enough. One saving grace: our waitress Jennifer - who mentioned several times it was her second day - was very sweet and personable. But, overall, I was dissatisfied with my whole experience and am sad that I played into the hype on social media. I probably won't dine here again or recommend...

Newer Mexican restaurant so gave it a try. Started with some drinks which were good and strong. Asked for a spicy margarita (not on the menu) and the waitress was more than happy to oblige. To start we recieved chips and salsa. I think this is a personal preference more than good or bad, but the salsa was on the thicker sweet side. Still good.

We also ordered the guacamole. It was very good. Smooth and very flavourful. I would go back for the guacamole alone.

We also ordered two entrees. The aracherra steak and the pulpo. I'm taking this from my friend because I dont eat octopus, she ordered it with the spicy sauce and it was very spicy. It was not overcooked, but she wished it had been grilled. Overall, not bad.

I had the steak arrachera. Perfectly spiced. Served a charred jalapeño, rice and refried beans. Delicious. As a side note, the refried beans were very thin? Almost liquid, if that makes a difference. Was not offered a choice of black beans.

For dessert we were offered flan and churros and took both. The flan had a smooth texture. Not quite that of a traditional flan, but not as thick as cheese cake. No caramel sauce at the base, but didn't really need any. Also the churros were served warm with strawberry ice cream. An interesting combination as it is usually served with vanilla, but it was still tasty. The churros were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Just the right mix. Would order those again.

Just to try also ordered one chorizo taco. Delicious!!

Overall, a good dinner and would go back. Be prepared, the menu is limited, but the offerings are well prepared with a knowledgeable and...