When I went to see the OrchKids performance at the end of March, my group of three decided to have dinner here. I felt that arriving at 6:30 was more than enough time to be done with dinner to get across the street by 8. Boy, were we wrong. We were definitely the last table of the symphony crowd to arrive, and most tables already had their entrees. Despite this, our drinks took about 15 minutes to arrive, and our guacamole took another 20. By the time our entrees arrived, it was 7:30, and we had to wolf down our food to be able to make the show. The food was decent, but the beyond slow service was inexcusable, especially for a restaurant, that as you say, needs to cater to the symphony crowd.

Went in a Sunday afternoon and we were the only people in there. The food was very good and service was attentive (we would have been worried if it wasn't since no one else was in there). They need to advertise this location as much as possible so that more people from the neighborhood will visit. I'm sure a lot of people don't know it's there. It's really off the beaten path, so that is a disadvantage for any restaurant that's in this location. Worth going to.

The new Mari Luna definitely went through some "growing pains" in the beginning trying to cater to the Myerhoff/ Lyric pre-Theatre crowd with their regular a la Carte menu. They have since instituted a pre-Theater buffet( available only before theater events) wth I understand has alleviated any service problems and insures that their patrons can enjoy their meal without feeling rushed

Four of us went there in mid-March and had one of the most depressing experiences I've had in a restaurant in awhile. Our reservation, for 5:45--made in order to beat the theater crowd--was grudgingly made and apparently not recorded in the book. So, even though the restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived, we were seated at a table near the kitchen door with mis-matched chairs. Long wait for drink orders to be taken, guacamole came rather quickly, then there was another long wait to order, then nearly 40 minutes to get our entrees. Three of us ordered the chiles rellenos, one of us a burrito. Only the burrito was edible. Hands down,they were the worst chiles I've ever had. Very odd mushroom filling that was very bitter and thin, harsh sauce. Rice and beans came separately. We did see a lot of good looking food go by to the theater patrons, who apparently were getting the better service that night. If we hadn't been with good-sport friends and having good conversation, we would probably have left after drinks.

Aw I am really sorry to hear that this branch of the very fine Mari Luna group is not up to their standards..will definitely give them a try because I am a fan..but will wait awhile

please let us know when you do. Loyalty is a virtue.

we went back in february and had a pretty good meal, although we had the items you actually enjoyed (trio of tacos and the lamb shank). I mentioned to my girlfriend that from our table you could see into the service area, with dish racks on the floor. guess that still hasn't been addressed with a curtain or something.

i did have an amazing pork and lentil soup that was served in a mini iron couldron.

we didn't have a bad experience, but i will admit seeing how bad our dessert was then that other things on the menu might miss the mark.

still...nice to have mexican in the neighborhood.

I’m not really sure why anyone would try to eat dinner in less than two hours in a restaurant just before a large event in my neighborhood. We always give ourselves at least that much time before the symphony or opera, knowing any restaurant will not be expecting such late arrivals before an event. A number of the other patrons have learned to come earlier as well. I’m sorry you had a bad experience, and hope now that you are ‘in the know’ about how early people start to take up all of the parking and all of the tables, your next visit to the neighborhood will go more smoothly!

We like the new décor and atmosphere, which is a good fit for the neighborhood – but I agree that the music is awful. It has become a running joke with my husband and I how it must be torture to work there and hear the same awful track in the background repeating every hour or so. Yikes.

Three of us ate in the dining room the 2nd night they were open and had bewildered service as well, probably from lack of training. Another friend who dined there that evening had flawless service. Go figure.

We have since enjoyed five or six meals at the bar, since we typically visit during happy hour, and have had had terrific service from the bartender, Gary. Our orders have always arrived accurately and promptly.

Our groups have really enjoyed almost all of the food we have had, which would include:
-grilled garlic shrimp appetizer with the mango/papaya salsa
-steak quesadilla appetizer, with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo
-chicken taquito appetizer with the mango/papaya salsa
-vegetarian paella
-arroz con pollo
-carne asada tacos
-mole enchiladas
-chicken enchiladas with verde sauce
-beef enchiladas
-azteca guacamole
-guacamole with bacon and tomatoes in it – can’t recall the name
-carnitas tacos

The last two dishes on the list were the only weaknesses - not at all bad, just lacking wow factor. Everything else was top notch, and served with delicious accompaniments. The corn tortillas served with the tacos and guacamole are the best I have had outside of Texas or Mexico.

I have frequently dined at the Mari Luna Mexican Grill over the last three years or so, and the food at the new Bistro has been better than it ever was at the older location (aside from the salsa, which I do prefer at the Grill.

It did feel like a rushed opening was the cause of the slight confusion in the place. There are certainly issues right now, most of which I expect to improve with time – get the correct hours on the doors, get your website together, train your service to be consistent, use salsa dishes big enough to actually dip a chip into and please advertize your existence to our neighbors. However, the excellent food and happy hour specials are a terrific addition to the neighborhood, and especially with Abercrombie closed for a while, it is a relief to have another fabulous option for pre-symphony dining.

A little side note – I grew up in South Texas, and spent a great deal of my life visiting a large part of Mexico, from the Gulf Coast, to Larado, to Cabo. It is not at all unusual for the rice and/or beans to come in separate bowls – particularly when the beans are served a la charra (as they are at Mari Luna Bistro).

If it wasn't for the free popovers the place would be empty. Will never go back and will tell everyone who is thinking about going to forget it. That's how I really feel.