Ole Mexican Grill

Recommends

petwidow

Joined 2 years ago

Meaningless Reservations. This was favorite Cambridge restaurant. However, if you want a reservation beware. I requested a reservation by email and got no reply so I called the next day. I was told that my reservation would be written down but not confirmed until someone responded to my email. Days later when i didn't get the email I called to ask if I could confirm my 7:15 reservation by phone. I was assured all was fine. The next day Ole called me to confirm my reservation for 6:15. When I said it was the wrong time I was told they couldn't seat me when I wanted. If I ever want a reservation there I'll need to get it in writing.

Doesn't Recommend

JohnM12345

Joined 4 years ago

Ole is terrible!!. Hands down, the worst experience that I have had in a very long time, if not ever!!!

A group of 5 of us went there for dinner on a Tuesday evening at 7:30. It was clearly very busy, as they had opened the back room. We were seated and proceeded to have drinks and guacamole (which was excellent). However, this is where any semblance of an enjoyable evening ended.

Our main courses were brought to us after nearly an hour and a half. Of the 5, 2 were cold and 2 were overcooked to the point of being inedible. We made our server aware of the situation and simply asked to have the meals removed and for our bill (it was 9:30 and we had to work in the morning).

At this point, the manager came over and apologized, which we accepted. Most of us have been in the industry and understand that this happens. No big deal. We would have come back had the situation been resolved at this point.

After another 15 minutes, we still had not received our bill. I went to the manager and asked, again, that it be brought to the table. She informed me that she was bringing us desert, but she had failed to let us know, which left us wondering what was going on! I declined the offer and asked for the bill. The manager then, haughtily brought the bill to us. SOME OF THE MEALS HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED. At this point, I am furious!! For the third time, I ask for the meals to be removed (and now I am demanding that all food be taken off the bill, which should have been done in the first place). The manager has the audacity to tell me that she was doing me a favor by bringing us desert (which we never asked for or wanted) and taking the terrible, 1.5 hr wait dinners off the bill.

At this point, I have reached my snapping point. I tell the manager that I want the bill immediately because we no longer want to be in the building. She tells me, with a flip of her hand as she walks away, "just go." OK, fine!! I tell my group that we are just leaving. At this point, the general manager arrives and informs me that we do have to pay for our drinks and actually wants us to pay for the single correctly cooked dish. I tell him we will pay for the alcohol but want to leave ASAP. The manager actually then had the nerve to offer us a free drink in the future like we were considering ever returning!

NEVER. NEVER. NEVER WILL I, EVER, RETURN TO OLE. It was a shame because our waitress was sweet and the ineptitude of Ole clearly lies in the hands of their miserable, petulant management.

Recommends

juanhiz

Joined 4 years ago

Ole Vs Border. I went here after having been a loyal Border cafe customer for years. I had heard about it from beantownbite and it lived up to the stellar review. We tried a variety of things, mainly off of the tapas (back of the menu). I highly recommend the guac, mainly for the experience. The crowd is older, but the cool part of the older crowd.

Recommends

hardinghouseinncambrdge

Joined 4 years ago

Ole offers upscale, non-traditional Mexican cuisine with some of the freshest ingredients around.. Ole Mexican Grill offers upscale, non-traditional Mexican cuisine with some of the freshest ingredients around. Every meal is like a party in this vivid orange and yellow dining room that makes you feel like you?re south of the border. Irresistible fresh guacamole is prepared right at your table with a lava stone mortar and pestle. Wash it all down with a dazzling selection of margaritas, wines, and over 22 premium tequilas. The sophisticated appetizers are out of this world, including scallops sauteed in olive oil, chile arbol and roasted garlic; and their famous chilies rellenos - fried mild poblano peppers filled with shrimp and cheese. Then there are the enchanting main courses. Favorites include grilled marinated tuna steak with tomatillo-avocado salsa; and pan-seared wild Sea Bass with grilled orn polenta and red bell pepper-chipotle. For a fun night out with wonderful unique food, Ole Mexican Grill delivers. Ole!

Doesn't Recommend

sas19

Joined 5 years ago

Horrific staff. I can only review as much as I experienced, and unfortunately, the little I dealt with was unacceptable. I'd eaten at Ole to-go and enjoyed the small bite I had on my over to the movies, so I decided that the restaurant would be great for my 11 friends and me on my birthday. I called Ole on a Wednesday for a birthday the next Friday (over one week in advance) and they let me know that the reservation was all set, and that a manager would call me later to confirm since it was a large party. Life went on and the following Wednesday, I realized I should call since they wanted to make sure we were all going to show. I spoke to a rude hostess (who's name I should have gotten), who said that she is the only one who would have been answering the phone the previous Wednesday and went on to suggest that I never made the reservation. She said it was impossible that I called, since a party of 50 was already reserved. I said, if that was the case it would have been fine for me to have heard that ONE WEEK AGO while I still have time to make reservations. I was so angry, especially since I had never received such rude treatment in my life, without a single apology. Not to mention, this was 2 days before my birthday and I knew how impossible it would be to get s reso for a large party. All in all, the small burrito I had at Ole to-go was yummy, but the staff and experience so far at Ole makes me think twice now to ever eat there.

Recommends

TheReviewa

Joined 5 years ago

AUTHENTIC!. Very good, authentic Mexican food and some seriously good guacamole. If you are looking for REAL Mexican fare then look no further. Ole offers meals from all regions of Mexico and some native dishes as well, inspired by Mayan culture. Be sure to check out the poblano pepper and some of the fish dishes too. However, you are going pay a bit more for the authenticity. Don't expect Border Cafe prices here...

Recommends

Eric Grossman

Joined 10 years ago

One of Inman Square's liveliest restaurants buzzes with authentic Mexican colors and flavors.. The Scene
A colorful interior, upbeat soundtrack and energetic waitstaff combine to make this one of the area's most vibrant dining spots, despite its location on a quiet Inman Square side street. On most nights, a typically eclectic Cambridge crowd comes straight from work to munch on fresh chips and salsa while downing massive margaritas and pitchers of fruity sangria. Sunday brunch draws plenty of families to share plates of huevos rancheros and create-your-own quesadillas.

The Food
Mexican cuisine aficionados will notice the menu's inclusion of select dishes from the Veracruz and Oaxaca regions. The popular guacamole appetizer provides a bit of dinner theater--it's made tableside, using only fresh ingredients. Standout entrees include meltingly tender pork ribs (slow-cooked in banana leaves) and pan-seared sea bass with red bell pepper sauce. Delicate, eggy flan is usually the only dessert available.

Doesn't Recommend

Peanut77

Joined 5 years ago

Worst service I have ever experienced!. This is not the place to go for a private party. The wait-staff made it VERY clear they wanted us (group of 15) in and out ASAP. They rudely insisted we order, they removed drinks before we were finished, and threw desert menus on the table the second dinner plates were cleared. They also charge a $2.00 per person fee to cut a cake (if you bring your own cake)!!!

We were not impressed at all. The only good thing about the meal was the chile relano but the side dishes that accompanied the entre were cold. The guacamole was pretty good too.

With all that said, I will never go back and would rather NOT eat Mexican food than go to this place again. I am a true lover of Mexican food so this is dissappoiting considering how few Mexican restaurants there are in MA.

Recommends

BostonDiner08

Joined 5 years ago

Poor service. I had been wanting to try this restaurant given the rave reviews. The menu was filled with unique dishes that you typically don't find in Mexican restaurants. The food was delicious and the homemade guacamole made at the table was fantastic. The service, however, left much to be desired and would cause me not to return to this restaurant. Drinks took way too long to arrive and our server was often nowhere to be found when we wanted to order more drinks. We waited well over an hour for our food to arrive. Once the food arrived, the server would not leave us alone and hovered the entire meal removing dishes the instant our forks touched the plate. She actually had cleared all the dishes and asked us about dessert while one person in our dinner party was still eating his meal! It was very disappointing given the quality of the food, but to me the dining experience includes great service which was severely lacking here.

Recommends

chas0809

Joined 5 years ago

best mexican restaurant. Food was fabulous! Cozy atmosphere. We could not get enough of the salsa, guacomole, and the chips!!! I think this is the best salsa i've ever had! For appetizers and dinner we had the taquitos, tuna tacos, and the enchiladas and they were just as great as the chips, salsa, and guacomole! We will definitely be going back to this restaurant often! It's a little on the pricey side for Mexican food but definitely worth it.