My dinner upset my stomach. This is thanks to the almost cold dinner I had at Cocina Economica. Despite other reviews I read, my experience tonight was very disappointing. Highlights:
- poor portions that contained 50% fat and bone in the meal
- small drink for a high price
- long wait time for our dinner which arrived in stages and was not hot
- a policy not to do separate bills
- an automatic addition of 18% for a group
- bland disappointing dishes
- Surprises on the bill (nickel and diming over what comes with your meal and what is extra)
The Margarita on various pages I previously saw was in a margarita glass and looked great. What I actually got was small and disappointing. Not even in a proper glass. $12 for a tiny drink. I asked the waiter for a proper glass and to his credit, he corrected it but it is disappointing it was necessary to do so. The portion was pretty small compared to other Margaritas I have had.
The beans and rice were not served on our main plate as pictured in other reviews. They arrived on small plates with tiny portions and they were cold. Not appetizing or inspiring. I could have gotten better out of a tin from the grocery store.
My main was Res En Salsa Verde (Braised Beef) $15. It looks NOTHING like what other reviewer's pictures have been. Luke warm, full of fat and bone. Bland. The server asked how our meals were and I let him know it was bland and fatty. He just said sorry and that it was supposed to be like that. What is the point of asking if you don't take corrective action?
Others ordered the Barbacoa (Lamb) $18 and the Shrimp $?. The Shrimp got a good review. The Barbacoa was okay but not spicy. Unfortunately, an order of guacamole was ordered $9. Small portions and bland. Overall it was felt we could have done better at a fast food burrito place. Wow. That doesn't say much to me. What happened to all the good experiences I read about and some saying it was like home cooking they remember in Mexico? This was not my experience.
I might have given a slightly higher review but then came the bill. The server indicated they don't split the bill and then agreed to split it among the couples at the table. That turned out badly. People who did not drink and had a small order were given $80 bills and those who did drink and ordered appetizers got the lowest. He claimed all the bills were split evenly but they weren't so we asked for one bill and worked to figure out what we each owed ourselves. That took a long time and ruined the meal.
We also discovered extra charges for the tortillas even through we had a large table and there was only enough for six of us. He earlier indicated that each meal would come with the tortillas. There were 4 containers and 8 people so seems to me someone didn't get theirs. We had to share and then get charged for extra when we never got what we already paid for. I noticed this occurred in another review and I can confirm this happened again to us.
Sadly, I cannot recommend this place in good conscience. The interior is nice and the staff are generally friendly. I really wish I could have given a better review.
Now I await my stomach ache from cold fatty food to settle down.
Update: I reached out to the restaurant to share my concerns about my experience. To date, my concerns have gone ignored. They don't respond to customers. So much for customer service.