Salsa Mexican Caribbean Restaurant
| Address: | 6 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28801, USA |
| Phone: | +1 828-252-9805 |
| Site: | salsasnc.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 12–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
MA
Matthew Beasley
Some friends were in from out of town and wanted Mexican food, so I suggested Salsas, having enjoyed it myself several times but not having eaten there in almost 10 years. Unfortunately, its not what it used to be. The food wasnt nearly as good as I remember it being, and albeit overpriced (4 shrimp in a shrimp dish that cost $20, a chipotle salsa that tasted nothing like chipotle and had large chunks of peppers that didnt get fully pureed for $5, and a $25 tuna dish which had a weirdly unappetizing flavor/texture) it was still mostly tasty. The service, however, was the worst Ive had in recent memory and afterwards I apologized profusely to my friends for having made the suggestion to eat here in the first place. I worked in the service industry for 10 years and Im very sympathetic to what servers have to deal with. That being said, the consensus at our table was that the waitstaff at Salsas seemed generally annoyed just to be there, but our particular server was especially inept, unconcerned, and rude. Here are just a few examples which stood out in terms of truly awful service: *Our server forgot to put in an order even though there were only 10 people in the entire restaurant and when my friend asked where his food was, she became visibly annoyed as if it was his fault. *When she poured us water, she frequently spilled it in our dishes and made no apologies. She either didnt notice or didnt care. *She brought our main course before our appetizer was halfway finished and when she saw that there was no room on the table, she just handed me the dish as if to say, "You deal with it." *She started to take a side of guacamole away before it was halfway finished and when we pointed out we were still eating it, she said shed bring us some more. Well, she did bring another order back to the table but it was in a paper to-go box. This was in the middle of the meal. And on top of that, she tried to charge us for an extra order instead of the one we actually ate. After leaving very disappointed and frankly embarrassed, I read online that the owner has been arrested for physical assault several times (his step-son, a female parking attendant, and his very own wife). Yikes. There are plenty of Mexican places in Asheville with great food, great service AND at a better price.
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Andrew Downs
We went to Salsa expecting the usual fare...just a bunch of stuff with cumin and cilantro mixed in nondescript beans, meat and pasty flour slabs. Instead, we find honest-to-goodness wonderful food that deserved to be eaten for pleasure. I had Molcajetes with roasted port and my sweetie had the roasted pork relleno plate. Both were wonderful, and with unique flavor. In other words, not just generic seasoning and preparation and slap different name based on the presentation. This was legit food. We did not try any of the other meats, but if they are done with the same care and attention as the roast pork, you will enjoy. I could not identify exactly what the seasonings were, but it definitely was not a rehashing cliche mexican. Also, they must use local veggies because the items were seasonably appropriate, e.g.) winter squash, cabbage, fresh cilantro in late fall. Word of caution - HUGE portions. Only reason for two people to order two dishes is for the diversity. Plan on taking enough home for a second meal if you order an entree for yourself. Unfortunately, we were from out of town and left too much behind! This is not good Mexican. This is awesome food. Oh, yea. Service was excellent, attentive, quick and slow, based on what was appropriate, if you know what I mean.
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A Private User
We were in Asheville for a day a few weeks back and we went to Salsas, it was recommended by the hotel. Once we saw it, we thought it looked really fun. The server tried to seat us in the walkway facing the restroom so we asked to be seated somewhere else, she said well we had to sit there because its the next servers table. We said we understand but we want to sit somewhere else. She said, well the server wont make any money if she doesnt get any tables and you dont want that do you?" HOW is that our problem? Then our server was unresponsive and rude during our experience so she made NO money anyway! We was sick at our experience that we finally told the manager. She simply asked who the server was and said thanks. So here I am! The food was fine a bit too eclectic even for my California taste buds, it doesnt matter, the service was SO BAD the food could be the best ever and it couldnt even make the experience neutral.
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A Private User
My husband and I recently visited Salsas during our first visit to Asheville. We arrived a little ahead of the dinner crowd, which was good because the restaurant is not very big. Our waitress was friendly and efficient, but very busy. Our food came in about enough time to finish our pints of dos equis, and was well presented and fresh. As soon as I tasted my chicken Paquetez, I was thrilled! There were so many flavors, and layers to my dish. If I moved one thing there was another surprise underneath! After a long day in the car, and a Subway lunch, this was nirvana! If you like caribbean and Mexican food that isnt like every other Mexican restaurant, this is the place for you! We would definitely go back again! Make sure to bring a tupperware if you are doing take out! This is Asheville, so they reward you for thinking of the environment with a 10% discount.
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A Private User
We love this place and go to several time on our yearly vacation to Asheville, only wish we had it at home. The chef and menu are amazing ,he offers a blend of Caribbean flavors with the freshest ingredients. It is crowded, eclectic, uber casual and noisy, and pretty cheap for what you get. Portions are huge, never looked at the desert menu in the 30 times we have been there,The plantains are an absolute must for starters and the Mojo Beef, well that is what I am ordering for dinner tonight in about an hour, cant wait! Over the years the service and food has been great but occasionally we get an "off" meal. Nothing that doesnt keep us coming back for more and more. When friends ask us where to eat when they vacation here, this is always our top recommendation, well, and 12 bones BBQ!
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Davy Lowman
This restaurant was very disappointing. For starters, the guacamole was prepared with absolutely no lime or cilantro, and the stalest, soggiest 10 chips Ive ever had. For a drink, I ordered a Perfect Margarita. It was more soda water than anything else and not prepared with fresh limes. The worst part of the evening was the entree. I ordered the Ultimate Molcajetes platter. This $20 entree consisted of 5 miserable shrimp cooked into tight inedible balls of rubber and 4 strips of beef, shriveled into tiny little shingles. It had no taste, no spices, and no charm whatsoever. This is by far the worst restaurant Ive ever been to in Asheville, hands down. If you are in Asheville, there are MANY delightful choices in eating establishments; this is NOT one of them.
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Sarah Martin
The food was delicious. The service was terrible. We went on a Saturday night, expecting to wait, but we were immediately seated and happy to be there, as it came highly recommended. I am a super easy customer to please. We ordered our food a drink and didnt ask for anything else. But our waitress was incredibly rude. We overheard her saying another table was cheap. She never introduced herself, made eye contact, or asked if we needed anything additional. When it came time to leave, my friend held the door open for me, and a different waitress yelled maybe try closing the door?! In a very rude tone. The food was on point, but I wouldnt ever go back due to how mean the staff was.
