Margarita's Cocina Mexicana, Lakeland

Reviews

• JH

  Jason H

  Oct 3, 2026
  3.0
  We had kind of a strange start to our visit. The hostess tried to seat us at a dirty table, and when we asked for another table, the second one was dirty too. The manager eventually came over and wiped it down while the hostess continued putting menus and silverware on the dirty table, which was just weird. Then we found a straw wrapper mixed in with our chips. The bottom of the bowl was also mostly crushed-up chips and a pile of salt, which honestly made us wonder whether we had gotten the end of a batch or, worse, a bowl that had already been on someone else's table. Our waiter apologized and immediately brought us another bowl. Coincidentally, those chips were much fresher, weren't all broken up, and didn't have a mountain of salt at the bottom. At that point we were pretty nervous about what the food was going to be like. We also realized how much of the restaurant still felt like Ovation, which didn't exactly inspire confidence since we had stopped going there after several bad experiences. Then the food came out, and thankfully it was a completely different experience. It was presented beautifully and was honestly excellent. I ordered the chile rellenos with double rice instead of beans. The rice was perfect, and the chile rellenos were some of the best I've ever had. The food itself was easily a 5-star experience. I really hope they get the front-of-house and cleanliness issues worked out, because the kitchen absolutely delivered. Based on the food alone, I would definitely come back, but the beginning of the experience makes it hard to give the restaurant an overall 5 stars.
• JC

  Jennifer Colvin

  Sep 26, 2026
  5.0
  Customer service was perfect. Sandy the manager was amazing and Tiffany was very attentive and drinks never went dry. I recommend this place to anyone. And a huge plus flour tortillas are homemade 😋
• EE

  Emmanuel

  Sep 16, 2026
  1.0
  Terrible decision having more authentic options nearby, rice taste like box microwave pre made, beans are out of the can I know exactly what I’m talking about, atmosphere very boring and weird vibe , servers with long faces , overpriced food, menu very bad designed , chips stale and uncooked and old , the salsa I will say is the only decent thing, as a manager of very prestigious restaurant in Lakeland I will recommend the owners to hire Mexican servers and cooks with knowledge of how to prepare authentic Mexican or tex mex food for the Americans . And the most important thing a better menu with more options and drinks as well .
• SM

  shaun morris

  Sep 13, 2026
  3.0
  Food was really good as was the service, but the main reason I went to eat there was because they were a new restaurant in the area using the inkind app. I also had a coupon to use 25 off of 50 dollars spent. And was told I was not allowed to pay for the meal since it was already a deal. I then asked to see what my 60 dollar meal would be otherwise then and it was 110 so I said never-ending I will pay the 60. Then the bill came back out for 160 something, marked down to the 60 dollars, but wanted me to tip on 163? Very weird experience and only reason I won't be back which is too bad.
• MV

  Martin Viteri

  Sep 11, 2026
  1.0
  This is a brutally honest review. After having eaten at any other Mexican restaurant here in Lakeland or nearby areas in Polk county, this will be the last place you want to eat in terms of food. This place is in dire need of better ingredients and prep. It’s way way way overpriced for what it is. Stale chips. What tastes like boxed rice. And for god’s sake, at least decent cheese to begin with… not Kraft Parmesan from Walmart. I’m not trying to be mean here, instead I hope this helps this business succeed. I’ve seen too many places come and go at this location. Happy to come back if things change but as is… I wouldn’t even consider it.