"I first visited Papa Felipe's in 2019, just before the pandemic, and was impressed by their fantastic Mexican cuisine, reasonable prices, and exceptional service. The server even remembered my food allergy when I returned a few weeks later. It became the go-to spot for friends visiting from Long Island whenever they returned to New Mexico. My only complaint back then was the inadequate parking.
However, my most recent experiences have been disappointing. After a terrible visit about a year ago, I hadn’t gone back until recently, when a friend insisted on trying it. On a weekend at 1:30 PM, the restaurant was mostly empty, and the food we received was good, but not great. We waited 36 minutes for our meals, despite the place having only 11 tables occupied. I noticed that prices have increased by 30% or more since late last year, with chips and salsa now costing $1.50.
The service was still commendable, as our long-time server was attentive, but there were several major drawbacks. The bathroom was not clean, and there was a persistent unpleasant odor in the area. Additionally, the suggested tip amounts on the bill were mathematically incorrect. For instance, my total was $22.47, but the suggested tips of 18% ($4.93), 20% ($5.38), and 25% ($6.92) were all off. As a licensed high school math teacher, I can confirm that the correct amounts should have been 18% = $4.05, 20% = $4.50, and 25% = $5.63.
I feel there has been a shift in the restaurant’s atmosphere since the pandemic, leaning away from the family-friendly hospitality, quality food, and excellent service they used to offer. Instead, we now see a sluggish kitchen, smaller portions, inflated prices, and misleading tips. I'm concerned this business strategy could lead to their downfall in the coming months. It’s disheartening to see such a great restaurant decline, especially after the departure of longtime manager and chef Larry.
Fast forward to February 3, 2024, we returned to celebrate a birthday and redeem a birthday BOGO email reward. Unfortunately, the experience mirrored that of last month. While the wait staff was adequately attentive, one dish had to be returned because the ground steak, ordered well done, was severely undercooked. Additionally, when trying to use the BOGO offer, the manager insisted on physically taking my friend's cell phone to record and verify the coupon information, leaving the table for several minutes. This felt risky in today’s age of identity theft and made us very uncomfortable. Saving $12 wasn’t worth enduring that kind of treatment.
In the future, we’ll likely choose other eateries like Cervantes, Los Cuates, Bruno’s, Monroes, or Casa Benavides instead."
