A group of colleagues and myself had a Xmas lunch at the Mex. We were on a tight schedule time wise,and when I phoned this through with our orders,was assured that we would be eating within 10mins of been seated. This wasnt the case and we had to ask several times when our food would arrive. Our main waitress was bubbly with a great personality ,however the other girls were without a doubt grumpy and rude (even passing snide remarks) and could take some lessons from her in customer service as it was surely lacking. The food was good and tasty,not presented that great but lets not forget this isnt a 5star. Great atmosphere,and great company made for a great lunch.

Great atmosphere, attentive staff, reasonably priced and yummy food. Need I say more?

I visited this restaurant last night and didn’t like it much. The atmosphere was nice and the waitress that served us was polite and friendly, although the other staff members were rude and glarred at us. The food was disappointing, presentation and taste wise. I expected something much better. It just looked like a sloppy job by an unenthusiastic chef! I would not pay even 5 dollars for that meal and the prices are way too high for what you end up getting. I wanted to have lunch at the this restaurant on my birthday (a few months before) but was rudely told by a tall male staff member that lunch was not available till later. He did not even look at our faces when he told us that. He seemed to want to get rid of us. Overall I dont like this restaurant and will not visit again. Neither will I recommend it to anyone else. It is a great shame though, as this place has the potential to be so much more. Seriously…. get a better chef, who knows to prepare proper Mexican food and polite waiters, and this place should be booming!

The Service was great and the atmosphere fun , but the food was just average and was over priced

I read a good review for this place in my university’s student magazine (Craccum of UoA), and I was looking for a cosy restaurant with a good atmosphere to have my birthday dinner. Admittedly after reading some of the reviews on here and other websites, I was a little apprehensive about going to the Mexican Cafe but my curiosity got the better of me and we all gathered there on a blustery Monday night. Our chicken Devil’s Nachoes were good as were the beef nachoes a friend ordered, though one of the guys in our group wasn’t able to find any of the promised meat in his happy hour taco meal. The fruit margaritas were awesome (we preferred ours blended). Service-wise our waitress was very upbeat and pleasant, and remained very patient with us even though a few of us started messing up our orders after a few tequila shots lol. Even though it was a Monday night, it was completely full by six o’clock and it was a really fun experience. We’re already making plans to come back soon.

I have to share my experience so everyone will avoid this place. Mexican Cafe is as bad as it could be. I just came back from this place. Food was god awful. Worst Mexican food I’ve ever had! I’ve lived in California, so I’m used to having great Mexican Food.
The rice is… is it really rice? Was it synthetic? I don’t know!, but it tastes like nothing and it is like crispy as if it was old and warmed in the microwave.

Food is crap and overpriced. You could get better tacos and burritos from the supermarket. I was really expecting the food was going to justify the price (given the fact that it is Mexican food), and it didn’t. It was disgusting.

To top up my experience, the service was as bad as the food. The waitress was not friendly at all and felt like she wanted to get rid of us, she didn’t even smiled.

Do you want Mexican food? Go somewhere else, because this place is not worth it.

A great atmosphere and our waiter was very friendly. The food is OK and relativity cheap.

When visiting you need to remember that it is the Mexican Cafe not the French Cafe.

I don’t know what all the fuss is about with this restaurant… I was expecting great things and was thoroughly disappointed! Although the atmosphere was good, the food quality was very poor – my “crispy” nachoes were soggy, cold and flavourless. I absolutely love Mexican and couldn’t believe how much I disliked this place… Best part was the margheritas.

Pleasant food, reasonable cost. Cheap and cheerful.

I went here for lunch and the food was good but easily something you could make at home. Prices were reasonable but this is the type of place you go once to-nothing special.

With a little group we tried to get a table here and they said it would be 10 minutes. After 25 minutes we got to our table and finally managed to get a drink as it was very busy. Margaritas were fantastic! This was definitely the best part… The fajitas were okay but no better as when I make them at home for 1/6 of the price (and that what I love about going out, have something better then home cooked). When it says beef they mean mince, don’t get that confused! The worst part was the rice that was literally crispy, it must have been sitting in a saving dish for at least a few hours. Food so-so and not cheap, margaritas great! We’ll be back for a drink but not a feed…

The Mexican Cafe is one of the worst cafe / restaraunts I have ever eaten at!! Firstly the food is rubbish, it just looks as though it has been thrown in the microwave. Secondly, the service is terrible!! My partner and myself were with another friend, when it came time to pay the bill we were going to pay for it, but then decided we would split the bill. The waitress rolled her eyes at us and made some noises as though ‘it was such hard work’.

This was not acceptable! We paid good money and expected a good meal and good service. We got neither. I would not go back to the Mexican Cafe if you paid me!

Busy atmosphere, food was pleasant.

Good atmosphere and great margaritas.
However the good news stops there. One member of our group found a “curly” hair in the dip that came with the nachos. Staff apologised and offered replacement dip (no thanks?!) but no compensation was offered. A couple of free margaritas may have helped us forget the situation but obviously they were too tight for that – not good enough guys!

A great atmosphere, friendly staff and good food. Would be back again especially for the mojitos and flauta yummy!!!

We used to love this place until last Friday when the service was appalling and we found a fat cockroach crawling on the wall right next to our table and that is when we got up and left..
Without any apology the staff squashed it in front of us using a serviette.. ewww…

Thanks Mexican cafe we sure won’t be coming back again.

Organised a gathering of workmates at Mexican Cafe, based on people saying it was a good place. A very bad decision.

The service is APPALLING!!! Staff were VERY rude – one of our group ordered chicken enchiladas, and was given a vegetarian one. When she pointed this out to the waiter, she said ‘you ordered vegetarian! and was not very enthusiastic about sorting the problem. Wrong drinks were delivered, jugs of water banged on the table, no please, thank, kiss my ass, nothing.

No effort is put into the presentation of food. It is just slopped on the plate. And the food is very bland, Old El Pasco from the supermarket is more exciting!

On the positive side, when I discovered a shard of glass in my drink, it was replaced in less than 30 seconds, with no apology however.

This place could be much better, all it needs is some effort putting into customer service and presentation, and it could be a very nice place. However, in their current state, I would NOT recommend anyone dine at the Mexican Cafe. No one from our group of 10 will be dining here ever again.

Regular place we love to dine – great food, great prices, great cocktails, great music!

Very overpriced, and the food is of average home-made quality. It is a rowdy place with plenty of people simply there to drink, and if you are not keen on that kind of atmosphere, it is a fairly pointless destination. Don’t bother with this place.

I certainly hope the Manager of the Mexican Cafe is reading these reviews as this could be a fantastic restaurant/cafe/bar.

Every single time myself and my friends eat here it’s the same thing – the rice is DRY, the beans are cracked and dry, and the main is always average.

The worst part about Mexican Cafe is the service. The service is beyond appalling. I have nearly gotten into a yelling argument with staff here a few times now. They treat their customers like absolute crap – I wish I knew why they think they can get away with treating customers like this. Staff are rude, unhelpful, unfriendly. I went to pay my bill last week and the girl behind the bar said “where were you sitting” I told her, she printed out the receipt and put it on the counter. I looked at it and explained it was the wrong receipt as we had burritos and two margaritas – she rolled her eyes, heaved a huge sigh and screwed up the receipt, printed another reciept (the right one this time) and completely ignored us. Didn’t say “cash or eftpos” didn’t say “hope you enjoyed your meal, thanks for coming” – NOTHING. Totally silent. We said thanks and walked out, nothing.

That was the last straw. Myself and my friends and partner will not be going to the Mexican Cafe any more. I will personally recommend Mexicali Fresh in Newmarket – the food is great, servings are huge, much more affordable, and the staff actually like their job! And the customers! Get it together Mexican Cafe you are losing customers by the day. Something needs to be done as this could be a great place (and it probably once was).

My husband and I love Mexican food and make an effort to try every Mexican restaurant we come across. If the Mexican Cafe staff in Auckland were competing for the Worst Service Award in the country they would surely win. I’ve been a few times since 1997, sometimes against my will (hen’s party, company lunches, etc), and service has been consistently bad every time. At times staff go out of their way just to be rude. It is a great shame because the location is good, great music and the menu has a lot of potential. However at present the food is just average, not bad, just average. And the Margarita “jug” is a rip off worth investigating by the Commerce Commission. It is not a jug just a slightly bigger cup in the shape of a jug.

My husband and I were recently in Christchurch and he recommended us going to the Mexican Cafe there. After I finished rolling my eyes I asked him if he wanted to be treated like rubbish but in a different city. He convinced me to try it and we were impressed to say the least. Staff at the Mexican Cafe in Christchurch should train the staff in Auckland. It was a very busy night but Christchurch staff were very nice and told us ahead of possible delays, kept coming back to check on us and it made all the difference. Great atmosphere, same menu as in Auckland but with staff who do not hate their jobs or the people they serve. In short, if you want to go to Mexican Cafe make sure you go to the one in Christchurch.

Average price, average service, average food.

We went to the Meican Cafe today after a movie for an early dinner, after realising Mai Thai a few doors down was closed. It had been my first time dining there, and I didn’t know what to expect. We were greeted by a cheerful lady who immediately showed us to a table and gave us a complimentary bowl of corn chips to start. Good start.

The great first impression soon went away as the waitress we had seemed to push us too order really quickly. She seemed quite adamant that we hurry and we we’re hungry so we didn’t think much of it.Service here is slightly slow and very casual. We felt that the staff as they were all dressed to casually, and didnt behave very professionally. It really decreased the value of the average $20 main. We also found that everything on the menu seemed to be almost the same as everything else on the menu.

We settled on the steak and chicken enchiladas. My steak which was supposed to be medium rare came more rare than medium but i was too hungry to bother. There was also a lot of fat on it and a bit too much salsa on top. The enchiladas were quite nice, but still not amazing.

Sarah had the chocolate cake for dessert, and I just had a beer as the dessert menu didn’t really appeal to me. Once again the waitress screwed up with my enquiry about the lagers they had, and gave me an answer i completely couldn’t make sense of. The beer was good though, and the cake was very rich and chocolatey.

Back came the waitress, to hurry us away even before i had finished my beer. We got the message and asked for the bill. The price was expected for any restaurant in town, but I didnt think it was reasonable for what it was. Its a good casual place for a few drinks and a quick munch, but it doesnt suit if you want a place to relax and chat, and take your time to enjoy your meal.

Not sure if i will be heading back, not for dinner anyway.

been numerous times here for lunches and always come away happy. Ive been a couple of times at night but it was far too crowded and noisy so never been back at night.

Went Saturday evening with a group of friends (six of us). Atmosphere relaxed, with usual bustle. Service was good and food okay. For your $24 odd, you get a filling burrito, beans etc. Nothing spectacular, but I think most people usually go to the Mexican cafe for the mix of a relaxed night out with very simple food and a few drinks. Sadly,some of the drinks pricing ran pretty much contrary to the whole cheap, cheerful night out that the decor, service and menu should dictate for this resturant. Sol in a bucket, limited time special- $25 for four is not at all special. Jug of margarita, $20 and more like a coffee mug with a handle. True, it did say 490ml in small print on the menu, but how much of the 490 was ice slurry,I’m not prepared to say. I guess we could have had the local tap beer, but that kind of goes against the whole ‘mex experience’ in my book.
So, go for the okay food and the vibe, but drink your Sol at home.

The Mexican Cafe has a nice relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere about it but the quality of the food and drink lets it down.

There is a nice balcony section but all the tables there were full when we arrived. The staff asked if we wanted to be moved outside when a table became available and I was impressed when they followed up this later on.

My friend’s taco salad was nicely presented and she was pleased with it. I thought my vegetarian enchilada looked a bit limp and unexciting but it tasted ok, though nothing special. It did however seem like the salsa dip was watered down and the guacamole was so bland!

To go with our meal, we ordered a jug of pineapple margherita as it was happy hour and cost only $15. Alas we couldn’t taste the pineapple or the tequila – this too seemed to have been watered down. Most disappointing.

The food quality really didn’t meet my expectations and I’m not sure I would eat there again. It wasn’t awful but it really wasn’t good value for money either. A few more smiles from the bored looking staff might have helped too.

I went in for lunch today and ummmmmmmmm yum yum yum. An absolute experience to remember. Whats more the staff were friendly, polite, very funny and made me feel like coming back soon. Would highly recommend this restaurant. What a great way to waste a friday afternoon…. Thanks Trish…..

Terrible,absolutely terrible customer service skills… nearly every staff member was rude and looked like they just didnt want to be there at all…
A bunch of 12 or so of us friends went there for a birthday dinner tonight(so obviously spent a lot of money) and and we were all literally shocked at how rudely we were spoken to and not one of them had a smile on there face… we all left feeling really disappointed(including the birthday girl!) I notice from previous reviews most of the bad ones are about the customer service, so maybe its time they looked at this issue seriously!!!

the worst food i have ever paid money for.. dont even consider dining here. the food is dry, tasteless, and the worst part is I kept burping up the fowl taste for hours after.

This must be surely the worst place for mexican food anywhere. I really like this place for all other things i.e. drinks are good, atmosphere is mostly nice and pleasant and staff is generally friendly and helpful but the food is near inedible. I have good taste buds but 4 different mains all tasted the same; like lumpy, hot, tasteless brown sauce. And how can someone mess up rice that much. Maybe a one off experience but I couldn’t go there again until they have sorted out the kitchen.

Went to this cute little place this arvo and loved it!! the guy who took our order was very polite and relaxed.

i will be going back and will take my american friend with me as she dragged us there in the first place!

Probably the worst ‘Mexican’ food I’ve ever been served – anywhere. It was all very bland. The chicken tasted as if it had been boiled with no seasoning at all. The ‘enchilada’ was leathery. The cheese was cheddar. Chips came out of a bag. Lettuce was limp. Tomatoes were hard and pink. All in our table of four felt poorly the rest of the evening after attempting to eat here.

The service was definitely substandard for Auckland. It appeared that customers are a nuisance to be endured. It was not busy, but it was difficult to get refills.

The only way this place could be the best Mexican restaurant in the southern hemisphere is if there were no others. Fortunately, there are others and a few of them are pretty good.

Nathan

Great food, fantastic margaritas, friendly, happy service and awesome ambiance – really could you ask for more?
ooh and happy hour every day!

We had a meal here and thought it was awesome! A great atmosphere, seemed very authentic. We ordered drinks and had a complimentary snack. Meals came at a good time and were great. Can’t wait to go back when up north again.

I have been to the Mexican cafe a couple of times, and same as others that have commented on the restaurant the service has gotten worse.
The last time i went there with my bf i was very excited about going since I’m Hispanic myself and was looking forward to a nice Mexican meal. Once we got there we waited for few minutes to be seated which was alright. We ordered, i asked if i could change something from my plate and she responded no, they couldn’t since it was premade, which i found upsetting since you would expect to have a fresh meal when you are paying $20+ for a meal. My bf had to get up from the table to ask if we could get a refill on our drink since our waitress hardly ever came around to made sure if everything was OK. Both of our meals were warm to cold instead of hot. We even found it hard to find our waitress since none of them wore a standard uniform.

Once i got home i emailed the Manager to complain about the poor service that we received. i used to work at a Mexican Restaurant that holds more than 150 and may i add every meal that they did was made to order. When i finally heard back from the Manager, sadly i must say he was nice enough to call me back but he was a little bit rude. He even told me that since they do get busy they do have to make all their meals beforehand, so thats why most of the food you will receive will be cold instead of hot.

I personally will recommend a fantastic little Mexican restaurant in Parnell called Hola!! The waitresses are very friendly and all refills are free! so next time you want to try a good Mexican meal with great service i would say go there and check it our for yourself.


UPDATE:
~~~~~~~

firstly, i want to point out that i did make one small mistake on what i wrote

“that since they do get busy they do have to make all their meals beforehand, so thats why most of the food you will receive will be cold instead of hot.”


Where i made the mistake in that sentence was “so thats why most of the food you will receive will be cold instead of hot.”

The manager did not say that and i can at least be honest enough to admit that. as to the rest about making meals before hand he did say that.

Now my question to the manager is… You can come one here and correct me from my small mistake in that sentence, but what about the other stuff that i wrote. about service you didnt bother much to clear that up on here. Im not trying to trash your restaurant. Its just my point of view as we do have freedom of speech in this country.

Great food. Long waiting times.

I found this restaurant quite disturbing after i noticed a cockroach on my arm. the service was really bad and i ended up leaving the restaurant in frustration and the fact that a cockroach had been on me.

Reccomendation : Dont go to this resturant unless u like cockroaches

I’ve been here a couple of times. The first time was for dinner and I received terrible service. I phoned to make a reservation for 6 people. they don’t take reservations but they told us to arrive and we’d be seated. I thought that this was fair enough. My dinner group were coming from different areas of akl and I was one of the first to arrive. I asked for a table for 6 but the waitress told me and my friend that they couldn’t do this until other people started arriving. I was seated at a table for 2 and when the rest of the group arrived we changed tables about 3 times. This would’ve been sorted if they just gave me the table I asked for in the beginning. I went their for lunch recently, it was much better… the food was pretty average but at least they sat me where I wanted to be seated. You’d be much better going to the midnight express, which has better service and much better food.

Just as a response to the previous reviews about service:

The Mexican Cafe is a busy restaurant and on most nights has a waitlist – often up to 45mins/1hr for patrons waiting for a table. The reason behind the tables for diners only is that the bar is cantina stlye and easily accomodates those wanting to have a drink and share snacks.
With a waitlist so long, policies such as these are in place so that everyone can have a place to eat and enjoy the experience.

None of the food is “pre made and popped in the microwave” – yes some of the dishes are prepared at lunch time so some ingredients can not be taken out, but any dish can be altered to suit the spicyness the customer wants.

Although the Mex gets very busy, the wait staff are very friendly and enjoy looking after the customers.

For those that were unhappy I would definately suggest giving it another try

Great food but will agree to all the comments below regarding service. They need to look after customers more.

Good food, nice drinks but patchy service. Very hard to catch a waitperson to get refills.

Great food and really fantastic ambience.

but a little over-priced if you’re feeling hungry!