El Desquite Mexican - Salinas

The food is reasonably priced, and the atmosphere is pleasant. The waitstaff are quite young and may lack some experience, but their charm makes up for it! We ordered the seafood platter, which included four different types of shrimp, steak, fries on a bed of lettuce, and a side of rice and beans. It was delicious, and we left feeling very full! While there's nothing particularly extraordinary about this place, it’s a great option for those who don’t want to travel to the east side of Salinas for Mexican cuisine. They also have live music on weekends; I was there on a Saturday for country night, and a friend who visited on Sunday enjoyed a Spanish band!

I attended a concert at this venue, but it was abruptly canceled midway through. The owner instructed security not to let anyone else in, claiming they were at capacity, even though there was clearly plenty of space available inside. To make matters worse, the police showed up and ended up arresting about 12 people, including two of my friends. Overall, it was a really disappointing experience. The staff was unprofessional, and I believe this place should be avoided.

What was particularly frustrating was when the owner's wife told my guests that the soda wouldn’t be served with ice. There were several other issues that drove me crazy. I expressed my dissatisfaction to the owner, informing him that I would not be renting from them again, nor would I recommend their establishment to others. He needs to be upfront about these details during discussions, as had I known, I would have declined the rental. Who tells guests there’s no ice included with drinks? And to make matters worse, since not all invited guests showed up, which left us with extra plates, they tried to charge me for more drinks! The owner's wife needs to be more considerate and stop being rude. How can they expect to gain customers and positive recommendations when she acted stingy and stood by the soda machine, preventing others from getting drinks just two hours before closing? Overall, the service was unacceptable, ownership was lacking, and there was no proper leadership at this establishment. This place deserves to be boycotted! By the way, the restaurant is no longer called El Desquite; it’s now Casa Del Pollo #2, while the original is located on Laurel Street, but they have the same owner!

Good food and lots of it. Reasonably priced menu, beer and wine. Very casual atmosphere, stop by anytime for a beer or a complete meal (with beer). My favorite is the fish taco, you wont be disappointed if you go to El Desquite.