THE JAZZ SPOON CANTINA

Second visit. We scoped this place out 2 weeks before a jazz group we wanted to hear was appearing. The first visit was OK, not stellar, but OK. The second visit was a big disappointment. We had 14 people in our party at 2 different tables. The lack of organization and poor service was evident immediately. The wait staff were lovely people, but they do not work as a team, and none appear to do things with any kind of planned service. Training needed. Company policies needed. Drinks were taking over 1/2 hour. Some finally got drinks along with a burrito, all at once, maybe 40 minutes after ordering. The bar staff obviously needs training. The food is overpriced and on both occasions mine was charred... as in "burnt." I can imagine it getting away from the cook once, but not twice in a row. More training is obviously needed for kitchen staff. But the worst situation was that my friend, the one who organized this group meeting to listen to the live music, ordered a bottle of wine. He and his wife had partaken of one half the bottle when the barkeep came out and insisted he be paid for the bottle right away. My friend was really offended, but also upset because his food had never arrived. Due to this encounter, he decided he no longer wanted the food, and stood up to leave after he paid for the wine, AND even tipped the rude bartender $5, which he absolutely did not deserve. I was going to cancel my order as a show of support, but I decided to take it as carryout instead, since I felt sorry for the waitress. I paid my tab and tipped the waitress, but I explained to her what a bonehead mistake that it was to offend the customer as they did. She said it was not something she could do anything about, and I get that. But my friend will never go back and spend a lot of money or take a crowd there ever again. It was, as another in our group said, a slap in his face to not explain a policy, if there was one.... which there was not... and then infer that he might run off without paying for the bottle of wine. Perhaps that is the type of clientele who frequent The Jazz Spoon Cantina, but mybfriend is obviously a man who had come to spend time eating and enjoying the company and music, so they were quite rude to him and the rest of us. The party broke up. Won't go back. Won't recommend.

Reply: I have worked in restaurants and have dealt with large parties. Ours was not very demanding, at all. The folks in our party arrived at different times and at least 3 separate orders were placed with 2 different waitresses as we were at different tables. The first group of four or five seemed to get their food a bit quicker, but 2 orders were wrong. Reorders do mess things up, for real.

Until the wine fiasco, only one complained about the wait. She was at a table separate from the one where I sat. The rest of us were socializing and enjoying the music while awaiting our food. However, there is no excuse for the amount of time it takes to deliver a drink. 30 plus minutes? This happened on our first visit as well when there were only 3 of us. A restaurant should be serving as quickly as possible to encourage reorders in order to make money. A burrito should not take over 40 minutes for a 2 person check. Over 40 minutes for fajitas that cost 20 bucks, and then arrive burnt. I imagined that the kitchen must be understaffed, undersized or the grill is very small because only one item seemed to come out of the kitchen at a time. Another odd practice: silverware is not given until the food comes out, so no napkins available while eating salsa and chips. My first visit, the food was good, altho burnt. I am also a musician and understand the need to pay the entertainment. But the food needs to be timely and not burnt, and the customers should not be ill-treated. I am glad you reached out to my friend. He is an amazing person with a huge following and hundreds of local friends. He reviews his food and visits to restaurants DAILY as he eats out twice a day several times per week. I hope you did something to encourage him to come back.

💁🏽First time here everything was marvelous. The food was so good. The atmosphere was so spectacular. I really enjoyed myself to the fullest. and the drinks were on point 💖

So delicious and great bang for your buck. Really nice local friendly feel. Great service! Delicious, authentic. My mom was able to practice her Spanish with the server🫶🏽 Salsa was very fresh and yummy. Fresh chips would really set this place off! I will definitely be back and bring my friends:)

Stop by for a spur-of-the-moment Happy Hour! Wow, the food, drinks, and vibe were on point👌🏾 👏🏾 😍

We had garlic hot wings, steak, chicken, and pork Street tacos and street corn 🌽 😋

Absolutely authentic and delicious food. I've been to many Mexican restaurants to sample tacos and this spot is hands down the best, this spot beats every taco place by a mile. Delicious, flavorful, spicy salsa, meat that's moist, tasteful and not drenched in oil. Fresh toppings and garnishes, and they aren't stingy on the garnishes either. Fantastic elote as well, evenly seasoned on the entire cob, juicy and sweet corn. Absolutely delectable.

Great service as well, knowable, kind, and hardworking servers and staff. Music is a bit loud, but it's a Cantina and they offer seating away from the dance floor as well. Eating here was the highlight of my night. I will return.

First visit. Service was great, the drinks were very good, and the food was good. The atmosphere was much better than I expected.

Plenty of seats and on Saturdays, they have live music.

This is a hidden gem in the Forest Park area of Cincinnati. Full bar making it a great place to come for after work drinks. It's clean, relaxed atmosphere with the decor and music. Service is great and so is the food. This is a must do on the to do list. You won't be disappointed.