I really hate giving bad reviews. I know the service industry is a very tough job and customers can be hard to deal with. But our evening at El Catrin was disappointing.
At first glance, it is a beautiful place to go for dinner. The outdoor patio was open already to my surprise and packed with people. They had giant heaters above each table and fire pits blazing. Very pretty scene. The interior of the restaurant is it's best feature. The decor is amazing.
We tried to make reservations weeks in advance but could only get 6:30 or 9:00. That's understandable on a Saturday at such a popular restaurant. We were seated inside close to the entrance. With people coming in constantly, it was very cold and drafty. I had to wear my coat throughout dinner.
I wanted to check in to my YELP account but couldn't because WiFi is not offered here.
Our server was very friendly and we got water, drinks and our first couple of sharing plates, chips and guac, roasted corn and mango salad. After that, I'm not sure what happened. We asked for more corn chips and one of my friends ordered a beer. After about 10 minutes, the server came to see if there was anything else we'd like. We said we were still waiting for the chips and beer. The beer arrived. But no chips. Our next couple of sharing plates came. Shrimp and lobster tacos and chicken fajitas. Still no chips so we gave up on that and asked for a dessert menu. We decided on the churros to share. Then we sat and chatted and finished our drinks and chatted a while longer. Our server came to our table and asked if we wanted any dessert. By now we are feeling like a joke was being played on us. We reminded her of our order which came a few minutes later. No apologies or acknowledgement of the oversight. I'm sorry, but we work hard at our jobs too and when we come to spend our hard-earned bucks at a higher priced restaurant, we expect a bit better.
To add to the experience, my friend used the bathroom before we left and found it dirty and out of toilet paper. That's embarrassing to me because I chose the restaurant.
I had higher expectations because I had been here before and had a great time. Maybe we just hit an off day. I'm willing to give it it another try - maybe a snack on the gorgeous patio when the weather gets nicer. Maybe.