Jonathan R.
Yelp
This was a disappointment. I love the location downtown, and have never had a bad experience there. This location, however, leaves a little to be desired. I understand that they have only just opened, and there is a lot of room for improvement.
The physical space is marvellous. The deck in the back with access to the bar is wonderful, and I can see many tequila laden nights being spent there. The dining room's decor and ambiance, are similarly nice, but the seating plan is going to cause management some headaches. There are more than a couple of community tables, which I personally do not mind, but I can see some customers objecting to that. The placement of their two-top tables is not good. They are shoe horned in amongst the four tops at catty wambas angles, and will be very snug when things are busy.
My service was tepid at best, While the server was extremely nice, I did not get the sense that he knew what he was doing. We had some miscommunication about getting chips and salse for the table, as well as a couple of the menu items. I am sure that he will grow into the job.
The food was what really sent me over the edge. With Santi's opening, there are now 4 Mexcian restaurants in West Ashley within about a mile and a half of one another. With that type of competition, one must really be on top of one's game, which alas, they are not. The chips, while home made, were thick and tasteless. The salsa, however, was very nice with a nice hint of cilantro. For my meal, I ordered the combo number 2. It was dreadful. The food was bland, lukewarm, and crowded onto the plate. I could not tell the taco from the chile from the enchilada. The chile exuded an unusual amount of water, which is usually a tell tale sign that something is being thawed from frozen The presentation was colorless. Overall, it felt as if the kitchen really wasn't into making an effort, which is a shame.
Considering this company has two other locations which are quite good, I imagine someone from upper management will see or hear about this spotty opening, and make some changes. I don't want to pan the restaurant since I know they can do better, but I cannot recommend the food at this time. Go sit on the deck and drink up a storm.