Mexicali Live

1409 Queen Anne Rd, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA

Address:	1409 Queen Anne Rd, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA
Phone:	+1 201-833-0011
Site:	mexicalilive.com
Rating:	3.7

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 7

Suzanne Delonas

I dined with a group of 5 others at Mexicali on Sunday 3/20/2016. We booked reservations at this venue to see a dance performance. Upon entering Mexicali we received the rudest greeting I think Ive ever received in a dining establishment. The hostess who was collecting door-fees was dressed in a dress that barely covered her. It seemed totally inappropriate. Despite having a reservation, our group was waiting around for over TEN MINUTES for our table. During which I was informed by the hostess (who was sipping her own Starbucks) that outside drinks were not allowed in the establishment. What a hypocrite. Our group was even asked to move closer to the front for them to do their set-up. It was like we were not even welcome. Finally we were ushered (and by ushered I mean POINTED) to our table. We then proceeded to wait forever for service in a restaurant that was minimally crowded at 3:00 PM. Looked over to see the servers and bartenders chatting behind the bar completely ignorant to their customers. We were eventually helped by Lindsey who was our server for the evening and oh god was she a nightmare. She had the hospitality skills of a refrigerator and did not seem to care about our table. She served food to the wrong heads at our table. She dropped drinks off to places where no one was sitting without even taking a moment to acknowledge us. No communication whatsoever. She did not come by to offer dessert, clear glasses or plates. She did not even offer to wrap our friends unfinished entree which had been sitting there for hours. She did not check up on our table once during the three hours we were seated. She dropped off the check at the end of the show where she affixed her 18% automatic gratuity. I am assuming this is why she got away with chatting with the bartenders all night and ignoring our table. We paid the bill but lack of hospitality and service gave us a very bad impression of this establishment. The food and show were wonderful but I would not eat here again. The disappointing service completely ruined the experience. I strongly encourage the management of Mexicali to invest in training their staff in hospitality and for others to avoid dining at Mexicali until the professionalism of the staff is improved. Save yourself a big disappointment.

ALLEN McDANIEL

!!!SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC!!! This is one of my regular hangs, mostly for music and drinks, although occasionally well get some appetizers or something. For all of the negative reviews Ive seen here, from my experience there, which is not negligible- Ill say that Ive NEVER had a bad experience there!! The acts they get there are top-flight, just last month I saw Tinsley Ellis AND Les Dudek, and they were BOTH great, altho Les blew the ROOF off the place! Also saw some youngsters who opened for Tinsley that were also pretty amazing, and an insane drummer who was funky as all get-out! And YES, the sound there is impeccable. The staff is always personable to ME, and many of the faves play there time and time again, so I dont think theyre having a bad time of it, or they wouldnt come BACK!! They rent the place out for parties, and being so close is GREAT, because I tend to avoid the ridiculous ordeal of going to the city to hear music- so thats a BIG plus for me! I see being a patron for years to come, God willing and if the crik dont rise! SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC!!

A Private User

Not only is the beer and food extremely over priced ($5 for a keystone, I could buy a 30 pack for the price of 3 beers there!) The staff is extremely unfriendly and actually get angry and sarcastic when you try to ask for specials and save yourself some money. Also I was kicked out...for dancing! The guy said I was dancing too violently and actually called it "moshing" which it most certainly wasnt, after being respectful to the employee that asked me to leave he put his hands on me which I again asked him politely not to do or I would be forced to call the police, I didnt end up calling the police but I did refuse to leave until he stopped pushing and grabbing on me. My knee and my ankle are really hurt from him pushing me, and being at work all day the next day was a total hardship for me. This place needs to be shut down immediatly! This place is awful! If you are a band, dont play here, if you are a patron, dont drink here. Not to mention the inside of the place looks dirty as if the floors hadnt been swept in years.

Richard Kearney

Different things are important to different people. Some of the reviewers here seem to regard Mexicali Live as primarily as restaurant, and they express disappointment (or worse). I see this place primarily as a music venue that (like most) also has a bar and serves food. I have no complaints about the music, the bar, the service, or the food. The food is indeed several cuts above "bar fare," and yes you are going to pay a little more than if the menu was limited to burgers and fries. On the other hand, youre not going to go broke eating here. I love live music and smaller venues, and places that are willing to book something other than cover bands are pretty rare in Bergen County. Plus, Mexicali Live could not be more convenient for me because its in my town, so anytime I can go here to see a band rather than, say, Brooklyn, Ill have to put that in the "win" column. I hope Mexicali continues to thrive and that more bands on the tour circuit come to know about it. Its a great place.

Kat K

This place seems to be having an identity crisis. They cant decide if they want to be a venue or a restaurant/bar. If I had not bought my ticket in advance, I would have just walked out as soon as I entered. As far as them being considered a venue, it is horrible as one. The stage is about the size of a tiny car. The place is more focused on the restaurant than the stage. The sound quality is the worst Ive ever experienced. They do not care about security at all; someone could bring in a knife and hurt the band members, especially since there is no barrier in front of the stage. The best part is the "no moshing" sign they have on the front door. They dont even have security guards, so Im not sure how they would even stop that. The bands playing spent more time fixing sound issues caused by this place than actually playing. Needless to say, I will not be going back here ever again.

Mark Deavult

A great music venue. Intimate enough that nuance is not lost, large enough to get the momentum of a decent crowd. The food? Well, it is a music venue first. If you do plan on dining in, you MUST call for reservations. Its not a first-come, first-seated process. The menu is listed as "Mexican Fusion", which is a nice way of saying they dont make pretensions of authenticity. Its all decent at least, but nothing on the menu would recommend a special visit for dining alone. On the plus side, there is a comprehensive beer selection, so Party On, Garth!

Ettore Fritz

Food is bad, service is terrible, waited over and hour for entree. Also as a working musician, and I was truly disgusted with my experience at Mexicali live. My band was turned away at the door because we didnt sell enough tickets in advance. We called all our friends and family, many of them on the way, and told them not come.