33 replies to this topic

[hensley]

14 of us ladies went there today at 2 pm. We made a reservation.

They only had Corona beer. 1 bottle of red wine was $200p waiter said if you buy the whole bottle it is 25% off, when the bill came the person asked about the discount and he said the owner said no, full price.
We ordered the $49p menu they said no it is over at 2 pm, 1 lady had a flyer that said it ended at 2:30pm so they said ok we have swordfish and tapas. 3 people ordered tapas and when they got their bill they charged them $75p he said it is because they made them special.
I ordered the seafood chowder, not that great but it was steaming hot.
Another person ordered the Seabass for $100p and the bill said $120p.

Service was very good!

Out of the 14 people only a few were thrilled so I don't think we will return. Prices are just not consistent.

[lakeheron]

14 of us ladies went there today at 2 pm. We made a reservation.

They only had Corona beer. 1 bottle of red wine was $200p waiter said if you buy the whole bottle it is 25% off, when the bill came the person asked about the discount and he said the owner said no, full price.
We ordered the $49p menu they said no it is over at 2 pm, 1 lady had a flyer that said it ended at 2:30pm so they said ok we have swordfish and tapas. 3 people ordered tapas and when they got their bill they charged them $75p he said it is because they made them special.
I ordered the seafood chowder, not that great but it was steaming hot.
Another person ordered the Seabass for $100p and the bill said $120p.

Service was very good!

Out of the 14 people only a few were thrilled so I don't think we will return. Prices are just not consistent.

That's a shame. We will watch the bill next time to make sure all is correct. We love the food too much not to return. Thanks for the info!

[Cheapo]

Out of the 14 people only a few were thrilled so I don't think we will return. Prices are just not consistent.

"not consistent"? Wow, you are a true diplomat.

[thevalerieleigh]

This is just terrible....Was the owner actually there or was someone filling in for him? He's always seemed so cooperative and accommodating for his customers. This is really bad for business....

Sorry to hear it,
Valerie

[Bisbee Gal]

Sorry you had a bad experience. We go to Tabarka fairly often and have never had a bad meal or bad service, never any negative 'issues.'

[BillinaBus]

I personally hope the OP will talk with the owners about what happened... Tabarka is one of the restaurants that I treasure here and it would be heart breaking if we lose it because of bad attitude from the staff. I believe the owners are truly customer driven and work very hard to create wonderful food and dining experiences but they need to know if their efforts are being undermined for whatever reason.

I was raised around the high end restaurant business and know that quality owners and managers welcome knowing about problems since that's the only way they can correct them. I try my best to let them know in as nice a way as possible, especially those unique and creative places here lakeside that make it so nice to live here.

[julia]

Tabarka is one of my frequent restaurants and I am always happy.However, this time my glass of wine was less than half full for $50 and my bill was totally wrong but corrected. Strange but true.

[RVGRINGO]

We've learned to avoid having wine at Tabarka and to keep a close eye on the bill; they often make 'errors', enough that we think twice before going there any more.

[lakeheron]

I am saddened to report that we ate at La Tabarka today and discovered we had been charged for two desserts when we only ordered one. We will be talking to the owners (who weren't there at lunchtime) about the situation. Something is definitely wrong there.

[Marley's Ghost]

I really like the food at Tarbaka, even though it sometimes misses the mark a bit. The last time I was there I had an outstanding calamari appetizer and the time before some grouper that was as good as any I've ever had. But getting the pricing to the advertised specials was a bit of a challenge (though to be fair to the staff, the problem was resolved in our favor) and our waitress was more cute than competent (and again for balance she was very personable and really tried to please us).

And on balance, we will continue to return on a frequent basis.

[PV Kids]

I am saddened to report that we ate at La Tabarka today and discovered we had been charged for two desserts when we only ordered one. We will be talking to the owners (who weren't there at lunchtime) about the situation. Something is definitely wrong there.

As we lived in Ajijic for 7 years before moving to PV and owning a B&B there we got to know the owners of quite a few restaurants. One owner who I will not name, explained that he uncovered a "scheme" his waiters had been running: Make out the bill in pencil and inflate it. If the customer noticed the error, apologize and correct it. If not, pocket the "overcharge" and correct it later so the owner would not notice. Probably not what you are encountering but just to give you an idea of what some people will go to to defraud you. Probably got us several times because I rarely even look at the bill except for the total in places I "trusted".

[hensley]

If I was the owner and I had a large group and only 1 other table occupied, I think I would of visited them to get any feedback.

Never happened

[Whitey]

We visited this restaurant for the first time this week. We found the waitress to be exceptional. Food was good but we felt it was overpriced for the quantity and quality. We didn't find anything wrong with the bill but when the waitress brought us our change.........she brought two $100p bills. Told us they didn't have anything smaller. So........she got what she may have been after, a large tip! Didn't think too much of it at the time but later decided it most likely was a bit of a set up.
Won't go back.

[saege007]

I was with the group of ladies, I didn't have the food, but I had a couple of drinks. I wanted a paloma, but they couldn't make one, so I had tequila and coca. The drinks were $70p each! And I could tell it wasn't good tequila either.

I won't go back.

[solajijic]

My observation has been that when a group of women go to this restaurant during lunch time its a different experience than when we go with another couple or two in the evening. Usually for we women its either too early, too late or they don't have the luncheon specials. The wine pour is skimpy, the portions are puny, the special iced tea is watered down and the bills are usually wrong. Last time we all went we pretty much decided they really didn't want our trade. What they didn't understand was that we would no longer choose Tabarka for our evening meal.

As for the $100 peso bills for tip, no way would I have left that for the tip, regardless of good or bad. Being told that there is not change for $100 in the entire restaurant or the pockets of the workers from earlier tips would result in no tip or whatever smalls I could find floating around in my wallet and the bottom of the purse. As a former waitress I know how that trick works.

[lakeheron]

Since we are a bit invested gastronomically in La Tabarka I guess we'll make a point to go there and talk to the owners about this thread. It will be interesting to see their response.

[pera]

While walking my dogs this morning I always walk by David's house. I stopped this AM and rang the doorbell and spoke with David. Told him what I had read and he said he would read your comments and was very grateful and thanked me. Hope this helps as he is a really nice guy and I hope he can turn it around.

[lakeheron]

While walking my dogs this morning I always walk by David's house. I stopped this AM and rang the doorbell and spoke with David. Told him what I had read and he said he would read your comments and was very grateful and thanked me. Hope this helps as he is a really nice guy and I hope he can turn it around.

Pera, thanks for taking the effort to talk to him. It would be sad to lose La Tabarka as so much is right about the place.

[pera]

I just returned from my daily walk with my dogs, since I was later today and since I usually walk by both David's home and the restaurant, he called to me as I was passing the restaurant. He again thanked me and said that he had read all the comments and asked me to reply on his behalf as he was not a member of this board. He feels very bad and has asked that every person who has had a bad experience and has commented to please make a reservation to have lunch on him and to discuss personally with him your experience and even your suggestions if any. He states that since he is not always there this is why he asks you to make a reservation to personally have lunch with him and he will devote all the time necessary to you.
David is a good guy and I know he is very sincere, I am not a regular customer in fact have only eaten there twice, but have gotten to know him on my daily walks. More a meat guy then fish.
Please help him our community will be better for your helping him.
Have a great Independence day!

[RVGRINGO]

I'm glad to hear that he is aware of the problem. He may need to do some 'housecleaning' with his wait staff, probably starting at the top. They may be playing games with the 'tickets' at our expense.
We'll go back someday, when we hear that the problem has been solved, as eating there was considered a special treat, for us, but twice burned ..............