I don't give three star reviews lightly but I felt slighted by this restaurant. Don't get me wrong their food, which comes as a sister restaurant from Contramar, was absolutely delicious, but two specific occurrences during the dining experience really soured the whole experience.
I'll start with the positives: I was lucky to get a last minute reservation here on a weekend vacation after hearing that the menu is a sister copy of the much more booked out Contramar restaurant. When I arrived the ambience was perfect for the evening, dimly lit, well attended and spacious seating. I was intent on getting the grilled fish, a spectacular dish that can be portioned for 1-2 people. Their menu was brimming with other choices but I stood firm with my mission. Getting seated they asked if I wanted mineral water which I had refused initially, but they brought out a glass bottle of mineral water before I noticed and even opened and poured it before I can say otherwise. Knowing it's just a small portion of the final bill I accepted it at first. They brought out (air) fried tortillas and a salsa Verde and roja as appetizers which were delicious and a great way to sample the sauces. When the fish came out it surely lived up to it's reputation. Filetted and cooked half with a red sauce and the other half with a green sauce, it paired perfectly with the house tortillas, black beans and salsa verde y roja that were previously provided. The fish was cooked tenderly and full of flavor, definitely enjoyed greatly and I would've left the restaurant with 5 star review if it weren't for the below experiences.
Now onto bad: I didn't intend to buy alcohol at this restaurant since I was at a bar before and will be headed to another bar after. When I ordered my fish they asked if I wanted to pair with red or white wine. I politely refused explaining my situation so my waiter obliged and left it alone. Throughout the dinner other waiters came around MULTIPLE times almost demanding I take a shot (and they were insisting double) of mezcal. For the first one I thought sure in Mexico why not. No mention of whether or not it was complimentary but I thought let's go for it. Well clearly one wasn't enough because they came back 3 more times and tried to pour me a shot each time without asking. I failed to stop them the first time but the following two I had to say enough was enough. Lo and behold of course the shots weren't free, but the two shots totalled as much as my fish which was ridiculous since initially I specified I didn't want to drink and no price point was suggested.
This wasn't even the worst part, when I finished my fish I was thinking about maybe adding on dessert or ordering something else on the menu. Unclear if the head server saw my interest or just saw a selling opportunity but he came over and offered if I wanted to try their avocado seafood dish complimentary. To a point that I even repeated "truly complimentary?" to them in Spanish and English and they said yes. Of course the dish was delicious, but I was sincerely surprised to see it charged fully on my receipt. I felt like I was cheated and lied to by this server and truly soured the entire experience since I could've chosen another dish of my liking and would have happily paid the price for one of my choice, not a supposedly-complimentary appetizer.
All in all, I appreciated the quality of the food here, but the service was distrustful and leaves much room for improvement. read more