Hacienda De Vega

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CLOSED NOW - Opens at 11:30am

“Not couples friendly”

Reviewed February 13, 2015 NEW

My husband and I went there tonight Feb, 13. We knew it would be crowded so we got there at 5:15. They have only a few tables that seat two and most are in a dark corner. The restaurant was about a quarter full so there were plenty of tables by the water. When we asked to be seated at one they said no as they expected it to be crowded later. We continued to discuss the point that they had paying customers there at the time, but they wouldn't budge. We left and had a great time at Hernandez Hideaway. Today we received this response from them verifying they do not want couples...I apologize if you felt that the explanation given to you about not releasing a table for four to you and your husband on a busy, holiday, weekend night was not to your satisfaction. We try to assign our guests to the appropriately sized tables in order to minimize the wait for other, equally important guests. Whether a guest wants to stay for 30 minutes or 3 hours, we do not rush our customers and have to manage our resources to satisfy as many guests as we can. We are very glad that you were able to find accommodations at the hideaway and hope you that you continue to enjoy their venue in the future.

I'LL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN! - Do I have to give it even one star?!



First, this is the ONLY time I have ever left a rating on Yelp.



I'm a long-time local Escondido resident and I've seen Hacienda grow into something that could be really special over many years. The food is decent, but drinks are way overpriced.



But today was different. My girlfriend and I went in, but I should have heeded the warning from all the repair work (metal grinding and pounding on the patio roof that blew off by the Santa Ana winds). But, the lunch waitress Jackie (sp) was outstanding... very very good. Suddenly, after we were finished and ready to pay, she was gone and another server arrived. He took his time about getting our check, not asking if we wanted to take our leftovers. I noticed our check had his name on it as the server and not the person who actually did the outstanding work. I inquired with the "manager" and after it was clear there was some "bro" thing going on and that supposedly our server would get her the tip, I didn't have any confidence it would get to her. So, I told them that I was leaving $0.00 tip and would be back to give her the cash directly.



After going to the restroom and watching an old guy leave without washing his hands, I find that there are no paper towels, just an air dryer. They don't have towels despite a huge waste basket by the door (of course with nothing in it because they purposefully don't have paper towels). So I ask to talk to the manager. He's working the bar and is more about getting me out of there than listening to how I can get the server who helped me paid. When I asked him why they don't have towels he told me that I could use toilet paper. With many smirks from him and his stooge servers... it's clear this place is worthless. It's lost. I hope the owner sees this or it'll continue to go downhill. I will tell everyone I know NOT to go here. It's terrible, because of a few ignorant people that should not be in the service industry. I think they used to work in a convenience store.



I WILL NEVER GO HERE AGAIN. WHAT A SHAME! MANAGER (BIG GUY) ALONG WITH THE STAFF (HE LEADS). There were many moments of truth where all could have been saved, but these "guys" don't know what they're doing! The only people that seemed to care and understand were women (the bartender and our server). Go figure, and I'm a guy. This place should fail.

The ambiance is terrific. My wife and I have been there numerous times, hoping the food had improved. Alas, it has not. When are they gonna get a cook? We drive by frequently. I think we'll keep driving until we see a sign out front "New Management and New Cook".

Beautiful landscape and romantic ambiance. Service was very slow, food not hot and servers not trained well. Food was okay, nothing to brag about. Maybe we will give them another try. It is a New Year, maybe they deserve a second chance.