El Viejo Mexico

El Viejo Mexico was the worst restaurant experience I've ever had. Allow me to share.

A short while back, I had a craving for Mexican food. I used to work as a cook in a Mexican restaurant (Tortilla Flats in Aarhus) and therefore would have Mexican for my dinner a few times a week. Needless to say, this did get tiresome after a while, but it has left me suffering from occasional cravings. This was one of those cravings. I asked Twitter if there was a good Mexican restaurant in Copenhagen, and El Viejo Mexico was recommended. Super. So I made an event on Facebook and made it a free-for-all. 18 soon signed up, so I made a reservation at El Viejo Mexico. Within an hour, I received a phone call explaining that when we were so many, I'd have to preorder. Sure, I understood - we did the same thing at Tortilla Flats. I was then told that if someone cancelled on the day, I'd still have to pay 300 kroner. Okay, little strict, but whatever - I was sure that people would know if they couldn't make it down to El Viejo Mexico with more than a days notice.

I managed to get all the orders in, which are below (this is important - bear with me);

• 1 x grillede kæmpe rejer
• 2 x poppers
• 1 x chicken wings
• 1 x mexicansk rejecocktai
• 1 x nachos con salsa
• 2 x chicken fajitas
• 1 x menu 1
• 3 x burrito med oksekød
• 3 x vegetar enchiladas
• 1 x pollo picante
• 1 x menu 2
• 1 x menu 2 med kun oksekød
• 1 x beef enchiladas
• 1 x husets salat 
• 1 x chimichanga med kylling
• 1 x burrito med kylling
• 1 x chicken enchiladas

El Viejo Mexico told me that the Menu 1 was only for two people, so I switched it to a Menu 2 (starter, main and dessert combo). This was confirmed. So now the order contained 3 Menu 2s (you can check out the original Word doc. I sent here - El Viejo Mexico).

Someone then cancelled. I wrote to El Viejo Mexico, but didn't get a reply, so emailed again asking for confirmation as I wanted to avoid paying the 300 kroner. They confirmed. So that was minus one Menu 2 - we're back to two Menu 2s.

Are we clear? I was. El Viejo Mexico said they were. Good.

Then one more cancelled on the day - the chicken burrito. I emailed in the hope that it'd be OK. I never heard anything back, but apparently it was OK (as the chef was only too happy to point out). So, just to confirm, the orders are as above, but minus a chicken burrito, and one Menu 2. In other words - two Menu 2s.

So what went wrong?

We arrived at 7pm, our drinks arrived at 7.45pm. Our food at 8.30pm.

The portions were outrageously small for what you pay. It tasted fine - absolutely mediocre - but for 74 kroner I expected more than 4 'honey and chilli marinated chicken wings' (marinated my arse. They're straight from a frozen bag), and don't get me started on the 79 kroner poppers (the same variety we used at Tortilla Flats).

The burritos, tyipcally one of the largest dishes in a Mexican, was about the same size as fat packet of cigarettes.

We weren't told that water was 15 kroner a jug. Not great so far. 

I had accidently left out a burrito in my order, so I apologised, and it was made. Then a mystery Menu 2 appeared. No one ordered this - I was the only one doing the ordering. I went to speak to the cook who snapped that he didn't have time to read my emails, and besides, he'd already made an extra burrito, whereupon he swivelled on his feet and marched back in to the kitchen. 

OK. Yes, you made an extra burrito, and I am so, so, so terribly sorry I forgot it, but let's face it; tortilla, beans, beef, sauce, cheese, fold it up, in the oven - hardly a time-consuming task. Given that there were no walk-ins, and only 8 max other customers in the restaurant, I don't think we caused the cook too much grief. 

It was abundantly clear that this Menu 2 wasn't going anywhere, so I said to just put it on the table and someone would eat it - we'd sort this mess out the next day once I could check the emails and my receipt. In hindsight, I shouldn't have. I should have refused to have it at the table, never mind how large a hissyfit the cook might throw.

By the end of the meal our bill came to 5346 kroner - and included the extra Menu 2 (excuse the scribbles - we had to work out what we each owed);

The next day, I checked my order - two Menu 2s. I forwarded on the order again, and asked for a refund. Somehow, 'Sina'  (the person I emailed with - presumably the owner) got very confused and kept talking about the extra burrito and the chicken burrito that was cancelled. I'm not sure where those come in, but the fact is that we ordered two Menu 2s, and paid for 3. 

If you'd like to see all the emails, check it out here - El Viejo Mexico.

I've yet to receive a single apology for the tardiness of our drinks, our food, the way I was spoken to, or for the fact that they charged us 279 kroner too much. Never mind a refund.

I can't get over the fact that our bill was over five thousand kroner, and they won't even refund 279 for a meal we didn't order. 

I don't know what to do now. I have no doubt that I could take this up with Ankenævnet given the fact that I have the original order emails and the receipt, and get my money back from them - and maybe even some more. But what stops me? My conscious. My bloody conscious. I can't prove that no-one ordered an extra Menu 2, as they claim we did, and if that's not enough, I find it hard to take these things up with the authorities as I feel petty (not as petty as withholding 279 kroner out of 5346 kroner, but still). God damn it. 

So I've just decided to give them bad reviews online where I can, on Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, and rant a bit here. I can hope that someone will read it and decide not to go there (essentially - you'll get much more for your money elsewhere). 

Incidentally, I did a quick Google just now and found this reply from Sina referencing another complaint on Aok.dk;

Af Sina Bolghari 03/03/08, 13:52

kommentar til den nederste klage!

Desværre kan man ikke udelukke konkurrenternes beskidte tricks idag. Det var så tydeligt at vedkommende var helt ude af sig selv. At finde en speciel skrue i maden som bliver tilberedt frisk og under masser af lys, lyder ret underligt. Fajitas der var bestilt blev lavet på grillen. Skruen blev først opdaget da portionen var næsten færdig, bilig trick, men jeg tilbød alligevel at vi kunne lave en ny portion, selvom jeg var ret forbavset over skruens tilstedeværelset. Det hele, både gæstens opførsel og signalementerne var mistænkeligt. Jeg beklagede personligt og samtidig informerede gæsten om at jeg aldrig havde hørt eller set lignende i de sidste 8 år. Jeg tilbød en ny portion på husets regning og tog gæsten med i køkkenet og viste ham hvor vi tilberedte maden. Han kunne hellere ikke se hvordan en skrue kunne havne i maden og blev selv pinlig tilpas. Hvis jeg selv fik en skrue i min mad, ville jeg give besked med det samme og ikke vente til jeg havde spist op. Og at bede om en ekstra portion, lyder det endnu værre! Jeg fik ham til at forstå at sådan noget dirty tricks laver man ikke idag.

Og til sidst, en sådanne speciel skrue på 12 cm med et specielt skruehoved, har vi ikke i hele restauranten. Jeg synes I skulle skamme jer! Der findes desværre stadig folk der nyder at få en gratis middag i dag.

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I can't help but wonder where Sine learnt customer service? Let's say that the customer did plant the screw. Isn't it better to apologise, give the extra meal, and leave the customer happy? Or should accusations be made, and then bitched about online afterwards? I don't know about you, but I think that a good reputation is worth more important than a meal. Come to think of it, I'd say a good reputation is worth more than 279 kroner. Apparently El Viejo Mexico think very differently.

Maybe I should take it up with the authorites, maybe I shouldn't. I probably won't because I'm nice. I don't mean that in a 'holier-than-thou' kind of way, but just in a 'there-are-more-important-things' kind of way. I can live without the 279 kroner. I can live with it because I know I'll never go back there, and I will tell everyone and anyone who asks about El Viejo Mexico that they would be far, far better off going elsewhere. 

I'm dying to see if they find this post, and if they do, what they'll say, because surely an argument and accusation is better than an apology, right Sina?