Cafe Silvestre — Restaurant in West Valley City

The demographic eating at the restaurant had us trepidatious from the start that the dishes were going to be mild and under-seasoned to fit a certain pallette, and we were right.

Atmosphere 7/10 The establishment was clean, and it was nicely decorated. I loved the disco balls! It seemed to be an ode to the 70s when the restaurant was first established. When we sat in the booth, the seats were extremely low. I made the comment that I felt like a kid sitting and might need a booster seat (😆), and the people at the table next to us started laughing and said that's exactly why they moved to a table.

Service 5/10 The staff was nice and friendly, however, they were extremely understaffed. I only saw 3 people in the front-end of the restaurant the entire time we were there. This affected our refills and pre-bussing the table, and few other things not worth complaining too much about. Everyone just seemed a bit scattered but still doing their best. It's one of those situations where you feel bad about asking for things because the staff is overwhelmed. I think if there had been 3 more people, everything would've been more smooth. The food came out at a reasonable time, even though my entree came out to the table almost 5 minutes before my partner's. If we didn't have our appetizers, it would've been an uncomfortable wait. They made a mistake with my order and fixed it, also providing 50% off of the affected dish. One huge issue that really needs to be changed is the payment process. We were told to scan the QR code on the bill, download the app, sign in as a guest and then scan the credit/debit card. This felt totally unnecessary and pretty annoying.

Food 5/10 The food was underwhelming. I had high hopes based on the reviews from Google, but maybe they were too high. We ordered the following:

Elote fries - I think this was a creative concept. It needed more zest, and spice, a bit less salt and maybe even less cheese, or a different type of cheese. The fries seemed like they were slightly burned or the oil was just past the need to be changed. Still decent enough and I ate a fair amount. If I had like 2-3 strong margaritas, this would hit the spot.

Taquitos de papa (potato and cheese) - crispy and plenty of fresh lettuce, tomatos, and avocado sauce. The only feedback I have on this is it needed more filling. They felt half full, but still tasty.

Poblano enchiladas - this was probably the best thing we ordered. I am vegetarian so I asked them to sub out the chicken with mushrooms. They brought out my enchiladas with chicken anyway. I notified them of the mistake and they fixed it, no issue. I think the sauce had the right flavors (I personally would've liked a little more spice) but the mushrooms were cooked well enough and everything was seasoned nicely. I think the portion was perfect.

Chile relleno burrito - not too bad. My partner ordered this and I only had one bite. He described it as "under seasoned". I honestly feel like all Chile rellenos are under seasoned and bland, so I wasn't surprised by his assessment. It was mostly underwhelming and the texture was slightly mushy, but again, that's the entire flavor profile of a Chile relleno.

Black beans and 'spanish' rice - absolutely terrible and lacked any sort of flavor or seasoning. Highly do NOT recommend. I took the black beans home so I can season them and eat them later because they tasted exactly like canned black beans without any extra steps from the can to the pot.

'Hot' salsa - definitely not hot. At all. Sad :(

For perspective, we are big foodies. We are also vegetarians (many years now), so if a restaurant can do a good job with their veggie options, they can probably do everything else right. I am a big fan of Blue Iguana and Gallo Loco (right across from Cafe Silvestre) because their flavors and spice are on point. Unfortunately, Utah's Mexican cuisine is lacking big time but, what can we expect when half the population can't...

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food that's served piping hot and fresh, look no further than Cafe Silvestres. This local gem is the only place in the valley where you can find food that's so good, it'll make you feel like you're in Mexico.

From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by the warm and inviting atmosphere. The restaurant has recently been renovated, giving it a cozy and charming feel. The staff is friendly and attentive, and they're always happy to help you choose the perfect dish.

The menu at Cafe Silvestres features a wide variety of classic Mexican dishes, all made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. My personal favorites are the Enchilada Suizas and the Chile Verde Burrito. The enchiladas are amazing with a tomatillo sauce I believe. The chile verde burrito is delicious!

No meal at Cafe Silvestres is complete without a margarita. The house margaritas are perfectly balanced and refreshing. They're the perfect way to wind down and enjoy the rest of the day.

If you're looking for a delicious and authentic Mexican meal in a cozy and inviting atmosphere, Cafe Silvestres is the place for you. You won't be disappointed!

Here are some specific things that make Cafe Silvestres stand out:

The food is always hot and fresh. This is something that I've noticed at many other Mexican restaurants, but Cafe Silvestres is the only place where the food is consistently piping hot. The flavors are authentic and full of flavor. The food at Cafe Silvestres tastes like it's been made with love by a Mexican grandmother. The service is always amazing. The staff is friendly, attentive, and always happy to help you. The margaritas are amazing. The house margaritas are perfectly balanced and refreshing. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting. The restaurant has recently been renovated, and it's now even more charming than before. Overall, Cafe Silvestres is the best Mexican restaurant in the valley. If you're looking for a delicious and authentic meal, I highly recommend...

My wife and I decided to come to this restaurant honestly because La Fountain was closed. Cafe Silvestre closed at nine and we arrived at about 8:25. We had a wonderful waitress, I believe her name was Whitney (blonde hair). She gave excellent service and not once did she rush us. Now the rest of the staff was a different story. There was a male waiter, probably a teen and, if not, he sure acted like one. The moment we get seated he loudly said "We close at 9 right?" and then "we Close in 20" all getting louder and saying it loud enough for us to hear. He was being extremely passive aggressive and would have respected him much more if he would have out right asked us to hurry. But instead he kept being passive aggressively loud, watching us, clearly wanting us to leave. I got the impression this is his first job. Then, a manager , definitely older than the waiter , also being rude and passive aggressive. Figured she'd be more professional than that. All the while, my wife and I are trying to be speedy because we understand staying late at work is never fun. We asked for the check as soon as our food came out and paid as soon as they brought it to us. I even ate too fast to fully enjoy it. Although I didn't sign the check yet, because at that point I didn't know what to leave as a tip. So the manager loudly asks "have they paid yet?" And our waitress confirmed that we did. That's when the manager walked by, without a word, looked at the check and walked away with a loud" we cant leave until they sign." This sucked because the food was actually really good but we were unable to enjoy it without the constant rude remarks. We ended up leaving by 9:05. Walked right past the manager and she completely ignored us. Service, aside from our waitress, was a JOKE. I was honestly aghast at the whole thing. I get it, people have bad days sometimes. But in this case it was a team effort on their part. I don't anticipate coming back...