I’ve been to a couple of the Mexican restaurants in old town Placentia over my time doing food reviews, but today was my first visit to Tlaquepaque and unfortunately it will probably be my last. Mind you the food wasn’t bad, it was ok. And the service was pretty good at first, but as I got closer to that moment when I have finished eating, the wait staff went from being mildly attentive to being nowhere to be found. Which is why, what would have turned out to be a good review for another old town Placentia restaurant will now turn into me complaining about wait-staffs that feed you and forget you.
Here I was minding my own business chomping down on chips and salsa.
While waiting for my carnitas plate to arrive.
Mind you the plate of carnitas looks really good, and for the most part it was good, I’d say it was around average tasting compared to what I’ve had in the past, nothing memorable, but good enough to satisfy me (although what’s up with giving me only two small flour tortillas, that isn’t at all enough). A woman who I think may have been an owner, comes by and asks how my food is, I replying that it was good. But then all existence of service stops.
I finish my lunch at 12:15, and when I finish my meal I always make it very obvious that I’m done, putting the napkin on my plate and stacking my utensils. I’m really a good patron when I visit a restaurant, I clean up after myself to try to help the wait staff as much as I can. Minutes go by so I begin to use my phone as I wait. The restaurant is getting warmer, I think someone forgot to turn the air conditioner on! 12:30 shows on my phone and my waiter has been walking around to all the other tables he’s serving and I still haven’t received my check. Don’t worry it’s not like I have work to go back to or anything… Finally at 12:40 my waiter comes to ask if I need my check, of course I don’t I’m planning on sitting inside the 80+ degree restaurant till closing time… A couple more minutes pass and my check finally arrives, fortunate for me it was correct or I would’ve have probably been there till their Sunday brunch.
It’s small things like this that can make an overall forgettable experience at a restaurant into an unforgettable one, and I don’t mean that in a good way. Maybe you will or have had a better experience, but when 1st impressions are so lasting, you have to be on your A Game all the time.
[xrr rating=1.5/5]
Tlaquepaque Restaurant
101 W. Santa Fe Ave.
Placentia, CA 92870
