Alma — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

August 10, 2024 - My family and I decided to visit the downtown area to take in the outdoor sites and find a spot to eat. We walked up to Alma Mexicana. We have fancied quite a few mexican restaurants, from the south, east to the west. We opted to sit outside to enjoy the sun and breezy, not to mention, we had our dog MAX (Terrier) with us. As we sat on the patio no one was seated at this time but us. a few minutes after we sat down, a couple came and sat to our left. Another few more minutes passed and another couple came with a blonde lab was seated to our right.

The waiter came and bought menus to the couple on the left and took there order bought them drink and chips and salsa. Then afterwards another waiter came out to service the couple with the blonde lab on the right. As we sat there and waited, I was somewhat disturbed because I had made contact with both waiters but neither came to check to see if we needed anything.

The waiter finally came and noticed we didn't have menus but one paper menu. We order drinks and the waiter messed that up, We ordered 4 drinks in to-go cups and he bought back 3 in take out cups and 1 in a regular cup. After the waiter knew we were not satisfied he had a woman to come out and take payment for the drinks. I mentioned to her that we were not treated well and she apologized but even my grand daughter it wasn't genuine. Mainly because she didn't address the issue.

And I didn't mention, we are African Americans and those that were paid attention were White Folks. There is a reason I mentioned this last is because I want you have this experience with me without race being an issue.

As the Dining Experience Consultant, this gives me the opportunity to rate the customer service experience. 0 - Never was greeted when we entered 0 - No waitlist or reservation but never escorted to our table 0 - We seated our selfs (One couple was seated) by waiter, the other couple seated themselves but was serviced immediately after we were sitting awhile) 1 - Requested a paper menu when we entered 0 - At this point, I only rate customer service experience RATING IS 1

Here are some tips to Management based on my experience: Proactive Engagement As a Dining Experience Consultant, it’s important to stress the significance of immediate engagement with all customers. From the moment they are seated, they should be acknowledged and attended to, regardless of how busy the staff may be. This sets a positive tone and ensures no one feels overlooked. Consistent Service Standards Waitstaff should be trained to follow a consistent protocol for all guests. Whether it’s offering menus, taking orders, or delivering drinks, the process should be uniform across the board to avoid any perception of bias or neglect. Attention to Detail Accuracy in order-taking is crucial. If the customer requests something specific, like drinks in to-go cups, it should be executed precisely. A small mistake can negatively impact the overall dining experience. Practice hospitality and sympathy for patrons who felt there...

There are not too many perfect things on this earth, but once upon a time, Alma Mexicana was one of them. If you have visited me in Winston-Salem, chances are I have dragged you here for dinner. I have insisted you order the Las Chuletas along with their classic Alma Margarita.

Before the pandemic, this was the first place everyone would agree to go to celebrate over margaritas and bottles of wine. It was a place you could take well-traveled friends who also enjoyed excellent service and good food. From the moment our crew arrived we were pampered and treated like royalty. The service was professional, friendly, and unobtrusive which is exactly what you want. The food was well worth writing home about which again is exactly what you want. Wow. What flavor, what presentation, what a delight. This is no longer true.

The truth stings, but it's a new year, which means it's time for new resolutions. I hope the owners read this: we all want the old Alma Mexicana back, please.

We don't want to order our food at the counter. For two, dining at Alma Mexicana can easily be $100+ ...so take our order at our table, thanks. And please for the love of good tequila, check on tables throughout the dining experience. Also, why the hell are we drinking margaritas out of plastic cups? And eating with plastic forks and knives? The food was too salty and tasted as if it had sat under a heat lamp for most of the weekend. Yikes.

To be fair, dining scenes across America were hit particularly hard during the pandemic. Winston-Salem lost a serious chunk of dining muscle and for many of them, their fate on the other side of this is uncertain. Yes, we lost talent and flavors and menus that we will never see again. But we also lost a social fabric and a place to be. Restaurants and corner spots like Alma gave us a way to come together.

I've held off writing a review for over a year now, hoping it was just a phase. But it's been far too long since I've had a good dining experience at Alma. And it needs to change. For the community and for Alma—I want to see the old Alma back and see it be a...

I had previously reviewed Alma as a three star after visiting them shortly after opening (the old review is below for reference). I am SO happy to report that we had a truly five-star experience from start to finish last night at Alma. There was a film screening in Bailey Park that we attended, and then dropped by Alma for a drink and a few late-night snacks. Servers were gracious and kind. Michael helped us, made our drinks (he remembered an old favorite that I liked that was no longer on the menu) and the atmosphere was perfect. On top of everything else, the team in BOH made us green chile enchiladas which were our favorite, even though they were't currently on the menu rotation. They jumped on the opportunity to wow us, we didn't even ask, and it made for a wonderful night for both of us. They've made tweaks to the menu including certain pricing on cocktails and I think have done an excellent job making adjustments along the way. Yay Team Alma, we will be back!

Old Review: Team needs time to mature for a seamless experience. Many service hiccups, we were seated at end of the bar to the left as we didn’t have reservations. Will make reservations next time. Our view was directly into the back of house, which ruined the otherwise really cool vibe of the place for us. We watched staff deal with a couple of issues when the ticket machine went down, watched people mop and empty trash in front of us. Again, the place is beautiful and the staff was nice, maybe even a small curtain to cover the glaring light and workspace in back might help. Cocktails are small and a little pricey, a margarita is $12 and maybe 4oz? I also had the Darcia, it was excellent. I liked both cocktails, and it’s clear they’re going for “craft cocktail” prices but it doesn’t work in every instance. We had the snapper and the lamb chops to share. Lamb was delicious, snapper was flavorless. For two people who shared two small plates and a couple of cocktails, we were in around $100 with tip. I’m pulling for this place and am sure they will continue to improve! Look forward to...