This place is so fun and inviting! Perfect for a small party or just a treat yourself dinner. I went many times including for a birthday party and LOVED my cocktail! read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped by Tequila CJ Cantina today with a small group for a birthday dinner and left with mixed feelings. On the positive side, the food was really good. Everything we ordered came out fresh, well-seasoned, and they offer big portions. Definitely a strong point and the highlight of the visit. However, this is the third time service was less than impressive. There were long and noticeable gaps between check ins. It wasn't overly busy for a mid afternoon and they didn't seem short staffed. Also worth noting for those planning to stop by: gratuity is automatically included for parties of four or more. While that's not uncommon nowadays, it stood out more than it probably should have due to the slow service. Overall, the food was great, but the pace of service really put a damper on the experience. We ended up being there for close to two hours, largely due to the slow service. Toward the end of the meal, we also weren't offered a dessert menu, which made the experience feel a bit incomplete since again we were celebrating a birthday. It's unfortunate, because we came in wanting to support a local neighborhood spot. That said, the service challenges once again made it hard to fully enjoy the visit, and I'm not sure I'll be returning. read more

tonight a little before 8:00 PM walked in restaurant half full Peso Pluma blasting looking to have a quick dinner and drink and were turned away because you were "closing," despite your posted hours indicating you were still open. This is the second time this has happened to us after coming straight from work and planning our visit around your hours. About a year ago, we also tried to dine here and were turned away because we didn't have a reservation, and the host was unnecessarily rude about it. At this point, it's beyond frustrating. We've tried to eat here three separate times and have been turned away every time. Turning customers away an hour before closing, especially when your posted hours suggest otherwise, is unreasonable and misleading. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Hours for Tequila Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My first visit here. It's an open, spacious location. Parking could be difficult. There is a limited number of parking spaces next to the restaurant. The rest is street parking. I stopped by around lunch time. They were serving from the brunch menu. I asked if I could see the dinner menu. The waitress was nice and said, they don't usually do that but did. The fajitas are a pretty generous portion. We could've shared one order but our waitress suggested we should order separate orders. Salsa and chips came out first. Very surprised the salsa was served hot (temperature). It's the first time I have warm salsa served with chips. The chips were delicious. The warm salsa took some adjustment to get use to. It was good but I didn't love it. I asked what tequila they used for their margaritas. I was not familiar with the brand our waitress mentioned, so I asked for Lalo, G4 or something similar. Unfortunately they do not carry that type of tequila. That was a big disappointment. I still ordered a margarita and found it light, watered down for my liking. I am unsure if I would be back. read more

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Not coming back. To start with, the downloadable online menu should be updated to reflect the current high prices. $2 to make my enchiladas, 'suizas?' Come on!!! Speaking of..... I ordered the enchiladas with chicken in molé sauce, to go. It was definitely hot and fresh but tasted just 'ok.' Twice, I came across what I like to call, "feet and beaks." It was probably cartilage but large chunks. No way, Jose! And the beans were pretty gnarly, too. Crunchy, with a 'dark' oil taste; almost burnt or bitter-like. Again, I say, "No way, Jose; not coming back!" read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Chicken enchiladas, suizas w/molé - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My husband and I ate in the restaurante Piña Rellena we were satisfied. We order to go DO NOT ORDER BEEF MILANESA taste like rubber, worse milanesa in my hole life, skinny steak over breaded and hard fried. My son just ate the rice and beans I asked for corn tortilla and they gave me flour tortilla very disappointed. This was on April 17th. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is delicious! Everything is freshly made, the portions are big. The environment is the best always feels like an event is happening. Great for parties! And the prices are incredible! The only thing is the parking. And the weekends they're always very busy. read more

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Been coming here for years. Have celebrated a couple different family members birthdays here. Tonight might be the last time. First off, where did all the menu options go??? The Mezcalazo was my favorite--gone! The options are very limited now and the food, meh. Queso panela appetizer was cold. The four tortillas no longer what they used to be. Waitress forgot to bring them and when finally got them, only got two and they were hard. Looked and tasted like my 4 year old niece made them. No disrespect to my niece. service--subpar. What happened??? Is this under new mgmt/new cooks??? So disappointing. read more

Girls' Night Success! On November 3, 2023, the ladies and I had the BEST girls' night out celebrating both my birthday and Sam's -- and Tequila CJ's Cantina Grill did not disappoint! The vibe was energetic, the food was delicious, and the drinks were chef's kiss. The service was warm and welcoming, and the south side energy made the whole night even better. This is definitely a must-visit spot if you're looking for great food, great drinks, and an even better time with your favorite people. We'll absolutely be back! read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Scorpio Sisters celebrating our birthday!! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We have been coming for a few years but today ordered enchiladas wow price goes up I am good with that, but quality and quantity should not. No more portion of salad cheese or sour cream on top. I asked waitress she said sorry that is now extra. Fine put that on the menu. And now most items say MP just leave them and open CC. I see this happening mostly at Mexican restaurant's bad enough the charge for soda refills lol. And now MP guacamole. Try Burrito Jalisco 120/Cicero better food, service and prices. No music though. read more

Paper napkin wrapped silverware at $50-60 per person? NOPE. My husband and I are on the hunt for a new Mexican favorite, cuz let's face it, we are Mexican food connoseiurs! My first warning should have been having to request queso blanco on my nachos. Otherwise you get whatever yellow cheese they typically serve. Now, let's start with the GOOD. The hostesses on Friday night August 1, 2025. So sweet, polite, helpful and accommodating. The music was SO LOUD at 6pm. I asked to be moved because of this, they couldn't find a table, so they lowered the volume! Earned: ONE STAR Waitress, Yera, so polite, nice and checked on us regularly. She earned our 2nd star. completely FOOD: Well something gave me the raging doo-doos within hours. I NEVER get sick, cast iron stomach! I ordered chicken enchiladas en mole. I don't blame them entirely, I should never eat chicken made in the USA and I typically don't because chicken farming in this country is a travesty. So I split the fault of this calamity with the USDA and Tequila CJ. No veggies served. The plate of enchiladas en mole lacked presentation. No lettuce, tomatoes, avocado slices, nothing. This made for a lackluster dining experience. Very little carne asada on the 12 nachos. OMG Margarita: We were told the XL margarita was 28 oz. it was not. Further, figuring that at most a margarita would be $18 to $20 with premium tequila and 28 oz, we ordered without looking at the prices. Y'all, $31/EACH for what was MAYBE 12-14 oz drink (see photo). It was good. RATING: NO STARS because the unbelieveable price of $62 for two drinks on Archer Avenue, low rent district in Chicago cancelled that star completely. I was WONDERING why our two drinks came with FIREWORKS, cuz they were saying "GOTCHA". Also when your average cost per person is $50-60, why do I get silverware wrapped in cheap napkins instead of an actual cloth napkin and a place setting? But kudos to whoever is managing, promoting this spot cuz they are making bank. Place was packed! Good on you, just not out of my pocket again! FYI, from Google: A 28-ounce glass holds 3.5 cups of liquid. could you get even 2 cups of liquid in these glasses? I think not. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - 28 Ounce??? XL Margarita $31 EACH. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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what happen to this place it used to be amazing! To start the menu has been downsized tremendously. we went on a wednesday afternoon it was pretty empty and service was slow. i asked about the ceviche options and the waiter informed me they only had shrimp because the fish and octopus they were receiving was bad quality. i ordered the chicken enchilada verdes and to my surprise it was only a tortilla w salsa and chicken, no toppings no sour cream no nothing and they tasted very sour. to top off this not so great experience the bathrooms were all clogged and no soap to wash your hands. i was truly disappointed. read more

Tequila CJ has been a favorite of mine since before they moved to their new location, and the food has always been consistently delicious. No matter when you go, the quality and flavor never disappoint. As it gets later in the day, it can become a little loud for conversation, but honestly, the great food makes up for it. The waitresses and waiters are attentive, friendly, and do a great job keeping things moving even when it's busy. Still a solid spot that delivers great food every time. read more

This is the perfect establishment to celebrate a birthday, life event, or date spot... the ambiance, the music, the service and attention to detail were all perfect. My family ordered the Fajitas Mixtos plate (which portion was big enough to serve 2-3 people), their delicious carne en Jugo (fed me for two days), and for dessert we enjoyed their beautifully plated red velvet cake. For drinks, mother ordered margaritas and my piña colada was definitely something I'd go back for alone. It was so pretty and the orchid is real! All around great establishment and I look forward to coming back. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Piña Colada - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I ordered enchiladas with chicken. Chicken tasted very weird and like rubber . Not fresh at all. it was like black and gray. Just horrible tasting. I got so sick with diarrhea afterward. I will never go back. !! other family members have complained also. Not good anymore. Owner should monitor the cooks. seems like they are serving old meat!! read more

Probably closer to 3.5 stars when it comes to food, but the friendly and welcoming staff definitely bumped it up to 4! Tequila CJ is a super spacious Mexican space in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood. We met some friends who live in the neighborhood here to celebrate a birthday and meet their new baby. Because it is so spacious it ended up being the perfect spot for this. Like I mentioned, the staff working was really wonderful. To drink I sipped on an iced horchata which was so yummy! We started with queso and chips and salsa. The salsa was hot even for me, and I like spice! For my meal I ordered the flautas with chicken. They came out looking SO delicious and piled with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. Unfortunately the actual flavors were underwhelming, with the chicken being pretty dry and bland. The others I were with seemed to really enjoy their meal, so I'm thinking I should have just tried something different. Overall we had a good time and enjoyed the hospitality! read more

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The food was actually really good. We ordered the nachos as an appetizer. I loved how every tortilla chip was perfect. Each bite was perfectly assembled. The fajitas were also delicious. The service was pretty rushed. They have a 90 minute per table. We got there around 4 pm and it was pretty empty. However, we already felt rushed. We had just been seated and they were already asking for our order. We didn't even get a chance to check the menu. They do have live music so that would explain how they got full so fast and why there was a wait by the time we left. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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If i could put 0 stars i would. Worst experience ever and also experience for some cold food and a burger with no meat literally.! They forgot to put the burger which is hard to explain hwo that mistake was made. Also it was empty and still made my family wait for 30mins to get the worst experience and service definitely not going back and not recommending to anyone. read more

The food here is just okay, with some things being worth the money but most not so much. The rice and beans lack flavor in general, but the omelettes here are phenomenal so it kind of depends. Service can be slow - we had to wait over 15 minutes after we asked for our check to get it, and this happens quite often for whatever reason. We will be back if we're in the area but it isn't a destination. read more

Food was well made staff well trained great experience fun and exciting experiences I will be back read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Skert steak Carne Asada Tradicional - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So 5 stars because nothing was wrong. Service was great, people were kind, server was informative, knowledgeable, and helpful , he checked on us enough to be attentive and not overdoing it. Ambiance was beautiful, great space, great designs, great esthetic. All the food was good nothing was bad. I will come back again. Parking sucks read more

If I could give tequilas a 0 I would. We had a reservation made 2 weeks in advance for my father in law. At 7pm for 14 people. We received a call from the hostess at 6:15 telling us if we would consider canceling because they were not busy and wanted to close the restaurant early. My husband kindly ask why we didn't get a heads up at an earlier time? She couldn't give us an answer besides that they wanted to close early at or by 7:30pm. We hurried to get our party of 14 together to be at the restaurant by 6:30. When we arrived they sat us down with a smaller version of the menu. They told us they couldn't make chicken flautas. They only had something similar (potato enchiladas ) . We wanted a few other things listed on the menu but restricted us from ordering because they didn't have the ingredients. I felt super embarrassed for brining my family here and having them rush through the entire experience. Btw the restaurant was not empty. Lights went out at 7:20pm read more

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No food Ran out of beer Made us wait for no reason. No idea how severs work there with terrible ownership and management. read more

Como Siempre amazing food & drinks. My favorite place for Mexican food and you guys take it to another level Well done read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - El patron - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Service was extremely slow and disappointing. Nice server just left us then passed us off to someone else who vanished. The bus boy was good but we had finished plates stacked up the whole dinner No silver ware when they brought it was forks only no knives my wife's plates was served and had to wait a good few minutes for the silverware to arrive. No napkins when they brought the chips and salsa out first should have included napkins and silverware a complete set. Water came in small glasses and you only got one cup. Guy constantly coming to the table with flowers badgering me and my wife to buy some I get it but no Thank you so why not keep coming over asking while we are eating . We tried to be nice it was too much. I wasn't planning on a 2 hour lunch. It wasn't slammed in there it was moderate at best. My margarita had oranger liquor as expected and mix but I didn't taste a hint of tequila..If it did have some I didn't taste it I got the Cadillac. It came in a water glass no fancy glass and for that money it should have . Bathrooms seemed clean but needed a nice wipe down and some better ventilation it was smelly. The food was average nothing to stand outside about .I got the chicken soup it don't have potato's in it like it said it was tasty but was expecting potatoes and never got my tortillas had to asked wanted corn so they brought both corn and flour. Enchiladas are decent but small ordered double rice no beans got beans and rice. The cheeseburger was surprising good thick juicy and done perfectly but the fries were crunchy cold on the inside . The restaurant itself was clean and decorated nice . In that area there are so many places to choose from I was recommended to try it and won't be back . Maybe an off day idk but little attention to details might be something they need to work on. Hard pass for me in the future . I live in an area that has the highest concentration of Latinos outside of Mexico and expect these places to be traditional with food,service and drinks this place fell short on all the marks for the hype I received. I gave it one star because out of all the good things it had as many disappointing things so that's what it is . read more

way over priced for the quality of the food and service, two friends and myself sat at the bar had food and drinks and they added the tip to the check! really for three people! my advice.... go to any other mexican restaurant in the neighborhood! read more

Food was good and delicious and came out very fast. Has a huge projector screen to watch games. Our server was informative and very well prepared. Great food options and atmosphere. Two thumbs up for this spot! Will definitely be back for more!! read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Guisado - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

"Llevé an mis tres amigas a desayunar esta semana para celebrar sus cumpleaños. Quería darles una sorpresa pidiendo que les trajeran un pastelito (cupcake) para cantarles el 'Feliz Cumpleaños'. Antes de que los trajeran, se me ocurrió preguntarle a la mesera si tenían algún costo, ya que en la mayoría de los restaurantes suelen ser cortesía de la casa. Me dijo que me cobrarían $15 dólares por cada uno--¡o sea, $45 dólares por tres cupcakes! Me pareció un abuso. El desayuno de por sí ya era caro, y cobrar esa cantidad por un gesto de cumpleaños es un abuso. Les pedí una disculpa an mis amigas, pagué la cuenta y nos fuimos. ¡No pensamos volver jamás!" " I took my three friends out for breakfast this week to celebrate their birthdays. I wanted to surprise them by having the staff bring out a cupcake so we could sing 'Happy Birthday.' Before they brought them out, I luckily asked the waitress if there was a fee, as most restaurants provide a small birthday treat for free. She told me they would charge $15 per cupcake--that's $45 for three small cupcakes! I was shocked. The breakfast was already expensive, and charging that much for a simple birthday gesture is shameful. I apologized to my friends, paid the bill, and left. I definitely won't be coming back." read more

Three strikes & you are out! We have been following this place since Nuevo Leon in Pilsen. Come to find out ownership has changed. Quality of food and drinks has noticeably declined! My favorite were the margaritas de pepino. Now they are sweet premade syrup. The carne asada at once time tender & juicy is now low quality meat that is hard to chew. Has a reservation and waited over an hour for cold, lesser quality m food to be served after crappy margaritas. Waitress tried her best, that was the only plus. Don't waste your time & money. ¡A la tercera, fuera! Llevamos siguiendo este local desde que se llamaba Nuevo León, en Pilsen. Y resulta que ha cambiado de dueño. ¡La calidad de la comida y las bebidas ha bajado notablemente! Mis favoritas eran las margaritas de pepino. Ahora son de sirope dulce ya preparado. La carne asada, que antes era tierna y jugosa, ahora es carne de baja calidad que cuesta masticar. Tenía reserva y esperé más de una hora a que me sirvieran comida fría y de peor calidad que antes, después de unas margaritas horribles. La camarera se esforzó al máximo, eso fue lo único positivo. No pierdas tu tiempo ni tu dinero. read more

The vibes are really nice here! We came to celebrate birthdays and they gave us free shots and sombreros. The food was overall delicious too. Highly recommend their Skirt Steak platters. read more

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My food was overcooked and items were missing from my order. The manager left me on hold for over 20 minutes, just to disconnect me , then won't answer my calls. Very unprofessional! he is a total joke. tequila CJ cantina place lacks customer service and their food is going down downhill. Do not recommend. There are other better local places than this. read more

Three call attempts before reaching staff who indicated that no reservations were accepted for weekends. An hour and a half wait to be seated. Full menu not available and customers not notified during lengthy wait. One of the orders was incorrectly served. Restrooms not properly equipped (no toiletry / no hand soap). Looks like there are management changes since a previous visit ... and the changes are not going well. Overall, dissatisfactory service. read more

Great service ,Exelent food and drinks Live music on the weekend. Definitely will comeback. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Orchard - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I made reservations for a party of 4, 3 weeks in advance, once we got there we were advised to wait 5-10 minutes to have the table ready. We ended waiting about 20-30 minutes to get seated. The restaurant looks beautiful so we were expecting great food to come. Once we ordered our food we waited about 1 hour and 30 minutes for our food to come out, almost 2 hours waiting for our food to come out. In addition to that, the chips from the chips and salsa that they provide were all just crumbs, only 5 whole tortilla chips in the little bowl. After seeing about 5 or 6 times waiters sing Happy Birthday to other tables, we finally got our food. And as I mentioned before we waited almost 2 hours to get our food. Once we got our food we had high hopes, especially on a busy Saturday. Unfortunately, our food was cold once it got to the table and undercooked. Only one dish out of the 4 was hot. Very disappointed by everything. The only nice thing was how pretty the restaurant looked. The tap water was the only good consumable thing to have their. Even the drinks we had were a bit warm, I've never had such a warm Piña Colada. Under cooked chorizo, meat, and tortillas. To add, one of the dishes that was ordered wasn't complete as per the description given in the menu, it was missing and item. It is the first and very last time we will ever go over there. I do not recommend at all. Not worth the time and money. read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Undercooked chorizo and meat. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I made reservations 3 weeks in advance only to wait half an hour to get seated. It defeated the purpose of reserving in advance. They were apologetic which was appreciated, but it wasn't enough to excuse how long we had to wait for our food to be served. We waited over an hour to get served, and to make matters worse out of the four dishes served only one was served hot. One dish was so undercooked we had to motion our waitress over to have her take the dish away. The only times in which we had the opportunity to interact with our waitress without having to call her over was at the start of our visit and at the end.Overall, if you find yourself wanting to wait for mediocre, undercooked food and half assed service then this establishment would be right for you. I will most definitely not be returning. It was a waste of time and money. read more

We sat at the bar and waited 2 hours for our food. We had to keep asking to fill the chip bowl. The food we wanted they ran out of. My meal came out before the others I was with. Drinks were not good, no alcohol, so switched to beer. As soon as I got home my bank called me to advise me of possible fraud on my card. Sure enough over $400 in charges to my card to sports betting. Filed a police report on Tequila who took no responsibility. Now fighting with my bank to reverse the charges. I would never go back there. The food is not worth the wait, the drinks are not good, and can't trust the employees. It is also extremely loud in there. read more

So I've had a few issues with this restaurant in the past and while their food is good. Where this restaurant is lacking is in all the hidden charges and the Shystie of their weight staff. I went there last night with my girlfriend and her daughter. We didn't order anything to drink of alcoholic beverages and I didn't notice until I got home because I took a picture of the receipt but I was charged 3271 and the dish that I ordered was like $23 but they charged me the same price of a stake dinner. This is not the first time I've had issues with this restaurant, charging you for dishes that you technically didn't order. It should be simple you order what you order and they charge you what's on the menu versus on more than one occasion you order what's on the menu and when you get the check, it's completely different. There is a Chicago bottled water tax. They charge you for that and they give you water in a mason jar. There is an automatic gratuity added to your bill for a party of more than two people. And then they're also nitpicking at charging you for any little thing they can. They charged me one dollar because I asked for limes so that I can put it on my guacamole. They charge me two dollars for a small portion of sour cream that I asked for so that I could put on my dish. It just seems ridiculous that the restaurants charging you a premium for all these little things that it really shouldn't be an issue to ask for a lime and them have not to charge you for that, but they are. Food is good service is just OK but the restaurant having all these hidden fees and charging you for all these little things really turns me off I've ever really wanting to go there but not only that it's cheaper if you pay with cash versus it's like 4.5% of your bill if you want to pay with your card it just seems ridiculous. My bill that I paid for in cash yesterday was $163.$163.89 and when they gave me my change, it was $36 and not the $.11 that they still owed me. I'm not gonna make a big deal over $.11 but it's the principle of the fact they should give you the money that you're owed and if you look at it like this if they have 400 tables 300 tables on a given night and they're short, changing their customers all the time all those little sense add up at the end of the day, maybe a couple hundred dollars in a day a few thousand dollars over a week tens of thousand dollars over the course of a year that they're stealing from their customers that experience among other experiences I've had with similar issues like this at this particular establishment have completely turned me off of ever wanting to go there again and if you do, I suggest you take a good look at the menu and you take a good look at your bill and make sure that they're charging you properly versus read more

Tequila CJ Cantina Grill - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Used to love this place, but the last few visits have been really disappointing. The rice and beans were spoiled more than once, which is a huge concern. Hoping they fix the food quality because it was so good before. read more

I went to celebrate my birthday on Saturday for an early dinner. Was pretty busy for an early Saturday but nonetheless we were seated quickly. Once we sat we ordered an app and drinks. The server came the second time now so we can order our main course, she came back a few minutes later and mentioned they didn't have some of our dishes. We tried to ordered again and the same thing happened, she came a few minutes later and said they were out. We tried to order a fourth time and to no one's surprise, it happened again. At this point we were frustrated and ask for the check so that we can leave. Some of us didn't get to take a sip of our drinks and were told that we couldn't take them or they couldn't take it off the bill. So I asked to speak with the manager. Once the manager came he explained to us that the distributor didn't come in today and they were short on ingredients. We understand things happen and it's not their fault, the problem here was they didn't let their customers know before hand so they can decide whether they still wanted sit and dine or go somewhere else. We had ordered XL margaritas and micheladas thinking we were going to be there for a while, but that was not the case. Now we were either force to pay and leave our full drinks or try to chug XL margaritas so that we can go somewhere else because at that point we were starving. The manager didn't understand our frustration, he tried his best to remediate the situation by giving us a little discount but we still had to chug our drinks so that we can leave, and we didn't even finish them so we still paid for items we didn't get to fully enjoy. And by reading the reviews here I see this a frequent concurrence for them. I say call before hand and ask if they have everything on the menu, and hope that they're being honest. read more

zero stars 1. no water was offered 2. waiter took for ever 3. waited over 1 hr for food 4. Never ever again read more