Buenos Aires Grill

03/12/07

Worst service I've ever had in a restaurant

by josheee at Citysearch

Attended a birthday party at the Buenos Aires Grill this weekend. The invitation advertised delicious meats and Tango dancing, so I was looking quite forward to it. Unfortunately, the terrible service made the evening less than perfect and most of the guests left with a bad impression that had little to do with the food.

When we arrived, we were immediately seated by our hostess at the tables we had reserved for our party. So far so good. The rest of the party came in over the next 30 minutes, a few tried ordering drinks (which never came). The same waiter who wasn't bringing back the drinks people ordered also failed to bring menus after being asked 4 or 5 times. We sat for over an hour before ever being able to order and with nothing to drink. Not even our water glasses were refilled (which made eating the tasty salsa and bread a bad idea).

Fed-up (and hungry), I went up to the front and asked another waiter to help us. 10 minutes later, we finally got menus and a new waitress. People re-ordered drinks and she slowly but surely brought them. Most importantly, we were finally able to order food.

During the next hour, we waited for our meal and enjoyed the two tango dancers twirling around the extremely cramped restaurant. One danced with the birthday girl, which she enjoyed. We made jokes about the bad service with fellow patrons at the next table who wanted to pay their bill and leave but couldn't find their waiter either.

The food arrived and was good. Even though we wanted some, no one at the table was brave enough to order coffee or dessert (nearly 3 hours into the evening, we feared we'd be there all night if we ordered it) so we asked for the bill. Delivering the check took another 35 minutes and when it arrived, it had to be sent back because of errors.

Overall, the food was good, but I don't think I'd be willing to endure the service again to get another plate of it. Avoid this place unless you've got endless patience.

• Pros: Many steak choices, fair prices,
• Cons: Absolutely horrible service, cramped seating, loud music, LONG waits....

01/12/07

Wonderful Staff

by porterconstruction at Citysearch

Buenos Aires Grill was a great atmosphere for a great meal. Please accept our thanks for the wonderful meals and service we received for our office holiday dinner. Alberto, Donaldo and the rest of the Staff were wonderful.

01/06/07

Great time, great food at the holidays

by will33 at Citysearch

The firefighters in Lynnwood had a great experience at the Buenos Aires Grill. It was delightful and unforgettable. My steak was so tender that I cut it with my fork. The sauce that they make is so good, I've never had something like that in my life. The desserts were delicious and they have the best mohitos in town! The service was also great, we had a large party and the servers always paid attention to our needs and the manager went out of his way to provide us the room and the tango dancers. His knowledge of wine was fantastic and amazing. He always had a smile and was very friendly. The atmosphere was classy and comfortable. I would recommend this for large or small parties. I can't wait to go back again.

• Pros: Friendly atmosphere, good service

07/16/06

Slipping, no longer quite so "Excellent and authentic!"

by tangotraveller at Citysearch

This is an update to an earlier review. Tonights meal was definitely below par, steak cold, had to ask multiple times for wine for my companion and for glasses of water. Steak no longer served on a hot bed of coals, and prices have increased. I'm now at the point where I would have to give a neutral recommendation. Following is my earlier review from a few months ago, now a little out of date:

I have to admit to being a fan of this restaurant. I've been to Argentina many times and these guys really have the feeling of Argentina right down to the smells of meat cooking and to the Tango music and dancing. That said, the service can be uneven, and it is definitely latin style. My suggestion would be to order either the Entrana (skirt steak) or the Asado de Tira (ribs) as being my favorite choices. The mojitos are very good and they have a decent selection of red wines by the glass. One busy nights, service can be slow. Many restaurants go through cycles, and at the moment, this one has new owners and is doing well. If you arrive and it is really crowded, figure that it may take awhile for you food to be cooked.

• Pros: Great atmosphere, tango on Fri and Sat., authentic Argentine feel
• Cons: Slow uneven service

07/05/05

OK but will not return

by mjoeroy at Citysearch

We went early so we didn't see any dancers. The salads where good and the meat flavorful for the most part. The restaurant was extremely hot which made our experience uncomfortable. They said they had air conditioning but we couldn't feel it at all. We had the sampler and the short ribs were the best. Overall it was good but not memorable and no flavor that we would crave and say "I'm craving such and such a dish". We have a few restaurants that we feel that way about in Seattle, this one is not one of them.

• Pros: nice size salads
• Cons: really hot inside

06/04/05

Good food, great ambience, TERRIBLE staff

by seattlechk at Citysearch

We have been to Buenos Aires Grill twice in the last two years. Both times the service was abysmal. The servers go MIA after the dinners are served, we had to request the check both times, and didn't receive them until an hour after our plates were cleared. The hostesses appear to feel seating people is their lowest priority. The food is good, the ambience and people-watching are fantastic, but do not go there with high expectations related to service. The owner is lucky the place has such a unique feel; with service of this low caliber, the restaurant would otherwise go out of business.

• Pros: Food, Dancers, Ambience
• Cons: Staff attitude

03/22/04

We were told to "HURRY"

by jamie2002 at Citysearch

My friends and I made reservations at the grill for 6:30. Throughout our entire dinner, we were reminded several times that we only had two hours before they had to clear the table for the next reservation. I have never been in a situation where I have been rushed to finish ordering or complete the meal. Other than being rushed, the food and the atmosphere were great. And get late reservations rather than early reservations.

10/09/03

Disappointing

by hullabalu at Citysearch

I was surprised to read all the good reviews on here, considering the disappointing experience I had. Mediocre steak (some just plain tough and chewy), cold vegetables on the mixed grill, bland papas fritas, and, while we had good service at the beginning, it petered out once we'd been served. We never saw our waiter again until the end, and had to beg numerous staff to allow us to order dessert, and finally just to bring our bill. I would not go back again - many ethnic dining experiences around the Seattle area surpass this one, with a far lower tab at the end.

• Pros: Good Mojitos, Friendly staff
• Cons: Poor service, Overpriced for qualit

03/08/03

Just Okay

by matt_chan at Citysearch

We didn't get the service that was stated in the editorial review, but it was a Saturday night, so I guess you can cut them some slack. No bread...no dipping sauces...not a lot of food. I thought the idea was that they would keep brining you meat...but I guess that only happens if you actually have a waiter.

• Pros: Tasty food, Good drinks, Interesting atmospher
• Cons: Service, Service, Service

03/03/03

Bad Timing...maybe next time

by Darren704 at Citysearch

Interesting place.. good drinks and cuts of beef, short on service and seasonings for the great cuts of beef. The back room for dining needs to go. The tango dancers and atmosphere is what drew us here. We were in the back room and that went out the window and the dinner experience turned into a service nightmare. Overall I rated it a 6 because of the variables.

• Pros: Great Desserts, Good Drinks
• Cons: Slow Service, Long Duration, Noisy