Botana

This place was terrible. Hostess/​waitress had no clue what they were serving. For it being a «set» menu… You should have a menu. Was never offered anything to drink… glad they had plenty of water. We had to ask what we were eating. Nothing was ever explained. At one point… We were asked… «Anything else?» Yes, how about the next course!!! When asked about certain sauces. Their response… «It’s good». That’s all the explanations you will get. The Cornish Hen… Absolutely atrocious. And wasn’t taken off our bill. Nothing is fresh… As other customers walked in, I wanted to tell them to go somewhere else. We will never return.

This was the worst experience I have ever had a restaurant. We were the only party in the place and service was very slow. The food was over cooked over seasoned and terrible. For the cost the portions were stupid small, you could justify it if it was gourmet, but it really isn’t. If it was even close to gourmet the artichoke would have been cleaned properly and there wouldn’t have been paper napkins. Avoid this place after 5 courses of terrible food my family went home 200 $ poorer and still hungry.

My family had dinner here on Valentine’s Day. The service was poor as there were only 3 people on the floor. If you’re having a «five course» meal you’re going to think that the service is top notch. Well, it wasn’t. I should have gotten a clue when we sat down at the table and there were paper napkins on the table. We were given a pitcher of water but it wasn’t poured for us. Drink orders were not taken until I asked 15 minutes later. Soup was good but not warm enough. Salad was a fruit salad, kinda weird. Appetizer was a little avocado ball, it was ok. Beef entrée was good but it came with cold pilaf and three really skinny pieces of asparagus. Tiny dessert too. Not worth $ 35. Again, service was lacking! It was cold inside too!

Foodies beware, this place is not gourmet! It was one of the most bizarre dining experiences our family has had. I give it 3 stars because we like to support local businesses, it has a homey feel, and the staff was trying so damn hard even though they had no idea what they were doing. I agree the meat was tough and some food seemed prepared out of a can or box. The kids’ pasta dishes were tasty though and had huge portions.

Be aware of this place read all reviews. We came here for Valentine’s Day with reservations and they seemed like they didn’t know. The service was terrible the waiter spilled soup on my wife and came back 10 minutes later to clean up the table. The food was cooked out of a can and the asparagus was frozen than it came to desert they said they would bring it out but never did we got our check for 75 and just paid for our 4 course /​5 course meal
Unilocalers be ware this has a lot of high reviews that are suspect.

Very unique restaurant for any community but for big bear it might as well be food from mars. Definitely nothing else comparable in the valley. Super friendly service (owner/​chef walks around and checks on costumers)
Food is always very unique and perfectly executed. Fixed menu seems like a deterrent but it has never been a disappointment. Great value as well. price is on the higher side for a regular dinner but you feast when you’re here and its perfect for a night out. I just wishbthey had full bar and it would be 6 stars.

I’m very confused on the terrible reviews I’ve read here.
i was there this weekend and there was no paper napkin in sight!
My boyfriend and I really enjoyed ourselves Sunday night. The apple soup (never heard of this in my life) was surprisingly good! Fruit salad is an odd choice for winter but the hibiscus dressing and ripe pineapple made it a beautiful palate cleanser for our appetizer to come.
Both the app and the main dish were really delicious! I even enjoyed the dessert, a tres leches. I’m Cuban and it’s been a mystery to me why I’ve never liked Tres Leches before and I think I now know why… the one at Botana is more like a cake, not mushy or watery milked down. Plus they add a delicious caramel sauce on top… we inhaled that puppy.
The service was wonderful. Very accommodating and kind waiters and servers. The chef came out and thanked us for being there… he’s apparently a new chef is what we were told. He mentioned everything is made from scratch there in the kitchen and he seemed to take great pride in what he does. It made for a lovely experience.
We’ll definitely be going back next time we’re in Big Bear

If you are ever in the Big Bear Lake area, I highly recommend enjoying a 5 course prix-​fixe dinner at Botana! It’s a Mexican-​Italian fusion restaurant and the food is perfection! Savory and the staff/​head chef are very accommodating and sweet! Tonight’s favorite «cream of apple soup”/ «Sopita de manazana.» #foodie

SCAM. Everything was canned or previously frozen. Tough, dry overcooked meat. Ridiculously small portions. Gumshoe service. The waitress had no idea what was in half the food they served. «They won’t tell me» is what she said. Clueless with wine as well. Pesto on almost everything. Cold baked potatoes served in the frickin foil like I’m at a KFC. Paper napkins? 99¢ store placemats? Hodgepodge furniture? I’m practically in tears at the thought of future patrons stumbling here by chance.
Four dinners and a bottle of Pinot noir for $ 200.
Utterly disgraceful.

HONESTLY, I am NOT understanding any of the 1 star reviews…
We have frequented this place many times since they opened in Big Bear years ago. The service and food is exceptional every time we go. My daughter is a very picky person and hardly eats some foods I make. So when she not only enjoyed the food there, but requested to have her birthday dinner there it was a pleasant surprise. To say the least the FOOD is exceptional and SERVICE is over the top.
The best thing about this place is Chef/​Owner David does his best to tweak each order with their specific request and is very conscientious of Allergies & Sensitivities. I love that every time we go it will be a new exciting dish that truly teases the pallet beyond and above any expectations!
If you find yourself in Big Bear or you are planning a trip soon, I suggest to get your reservation in and try this place!

I have no idea how this place has the 4.5 star score that it has. My 2 stars is being exceptionally generous.
Some friends and I picked this place because of its high reviews. We went on a Sunday evening at about 7pm and the restaurant was about half-​full (half-​empty??). We were seated pretty quickly, but it took quite some time to get waters and have someone tell us about the menu.
The first course, a fruit/​melon salad, was probably the best thing out of our 4 courses. It was huge and well flavored. No complaints here.
The second course was a corn-​based soup. Flavor-​wise, it was pretty good, but the temperature was lower than I’d have liked.
The third course was an artichoke heart/​onion dish with a house-​made pesto. This was pretty bland and small. It was just ok.
For the fourth course, we had 4 options. We had the pork loin with plum sauce, as well as a beef dish with a pepper arrabiata. The beef was an odd flavoring and overall pretty bland… but not as bland as the pork. Both were well proportioned and had an okay consistency, but lacked much flavor. These dishes were okay at best.
Apparently there was supposed to be a 5^th course (dessert), but that never showed up and there was no mention of it. Super.
So, for $ 35 a person, we were highly unimpressed with the food. This might have been made up for with exceptional service… but we were even more disappointed on that front.
The waiter was very pleasant, but seemed like he might be the only one really working there. We got virtually no attention between courses, and had to wait for each course itself. I have a nut allergy, so I asked about the ingredients in the soup… and waited for probably 10 or 15 minutes before I had to ask again. We spent a lot of time sitting between courses, with empty plates or glasses, waiting for the waiter to come around.
Even attempting to flag him down was an issue. I actually got flagged down by another table at one point asking for the check… it seemed most patrons were having issues getting attention from anyone, so they were even willing to settle for me despite not working there.
Coincidentally, the lady (who seemed to be working at the bar), brought us our bill before our meal was even done. We had to tell her we were waiting for our next course. When we did finally get the check at an appropriate time, it took what felt like forever for her to run our credit cards and bring them back. No idea what is going on in this place, but it was overall awful service.
My group had eaten the same food for the entire day, with the exception of some of us having the pork dish, and one having the beef. Several hours after dinner, the only person that had the beef dish got terrible food poisoning and spent the next 12 hours throwing up. While I can’t say for certain that this was as a result of this meal, my common sense and the process of elimination (no pun intended?) lead me to believe that it may be related.
TLDR; food was mediocre at best, service was terrible. Wouldn’t return and not sure why the rating is as high as it is.

I went there with my group of friends this past Saturday night, based on a friend’s recommendation. Needless to say, his experience sounded very different than ours.
The Food:
The first course soup was delicious. It started the meal off on a great note, and got everyone excited for the upcoming courses. Unfortunately, everything was a disaster after the soup. The salad was made of unripened fruit, with light seasoning. The artichokes on the third course were improperly cleaned. The meats (especially the chicken) on the fourth course were all over cooked. The fifth course (dessert) was non-​existent, as they had run out by 7:00pm, and there was no replacement. Mind you it’s a fixed price for five courses, we were served four, and still played for five courses with no discount.
The Service:
The service was terrible. The waiters had to be asked three or four times for anything before they actually brought it to us. The check took about an hour to get to our table after asking for it at least five times. When we asked whether or not a discount would be given because we were only served four courses, we were told that they would take care of us, but paid full price.
Needless to say, this is one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had. I don’t see them staying open very long if they continue down this path. Very disappointing.

The owner /​chef was constantly running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Wines on display were not available and no wine list.
While waiting to be sat, our party heard him say to people with no reservations that he could not sit them. However — a cute blonde batter her eyes at him and voila a table appeared for them… after he denied service to at least 4 parties.
Food was bland and mediocre at best. Zucchini soup was good, but the next two courses were served cold (on purpose) — but why serve up cold food when it’s 5 degrees outside?!?
Main course was total crap. I would never go back and advise others to stay away.

Terrible experience! Fake reviews??? Probably!
I was so excited to go for good food in a 4.5 star restaurant at Unilocal after skiing! We got there, it took a fee minutes for someone to get us seated.
He told us it was $ 30 per person for a 5-​course menu. We ate the soup and salad, then the plates started to go down the hill. Not standardized, poor presentation, my chicken was cold and did not taste good!
It took them so long to give us the last plate (desert), and the canole was soft, when it’s supposed to be very crunchy.
The check came and it was $ 35 dollars per person!
The restaurant is sooo cold!
We saw a lot of people coming in and then leaving!
Let’s investigate those reviews!!! Let’s bring these stars down!

All these 5 star reviews are so fake, have you read them? It’s way over the top and nobody writes like that, sounds like the owners paid for most or all of the 5 star reviews, I can smell a rat from a mile away, a half Italian & half Mexican rat. I read one review that compared this place to the Ritz-​Carlton, more like Ritz Crackers.
Microwaved, overly cooked food has no place in a restaurant environment, if I wanted a Stouffer’s meal, I would have gone to Stater Bros and picked it up for $ 4 in the freezer aisle. I mean, that’s insulting to Stouffer’s, cause it’s way better than this shit they serve up here. It is not organic, It is not homemade, It is not gluten free, it is not vegan friendly, it is nothing but canned vegetables and day old meat, my God, how can you serve this to people and expect them to just eat it, are you insane? Am I being Punk’d here? Is Ashton Kutcher going to jump out from behind the counter? This cannot be a real restaurant right? I’ve eaten better food at a gas station, and that’s the truth, a sad truth but still the truth. Try the fried chicken at Shell on the corner of Slover & Riverside in Rialto, the best you’ll ever have.
One of these days they are going to get sued for advertising a certain diet and not delivering because someone will get sick eating this half-​ass poorly re-​heated food. People are not stupid, they will figure it out and you’ll be out of business.

One of the worst experiences. My husband and I have a strong inkling that all the reviews were paid. They must have used a service to boost their restaurant.
I can’t blame any of this on the waiters as they were only two of them doing everything!!! The girl was running around with cordless phone taking calls as she was serving people and sitting them. Same goes for the guy. Terrible judgement on management side. Pay the extra buck and hire a hostess! Waited 10 minutes to get sat. It took us 20 minutes to get waters and finally explanation of how their set menu worked.
The food was just terrible!!! From their carrot soup to the horrible salad made of pineapple and bland fruit. Never tasted anything so bad. Our kids got spaghetti. We requested just butter and they put their version of tomato sauce anyway. The sauce was this this pasty «sauce» clumped up on the pasta. Needless to say we didn’t wait for our main course. We just left. Terrible service again not waiters faults and horrible food.
Don’t waste your time or money go somewhere else!!!

This beautiful place was recommended to us by a local when we tried to get a table at Sweet Basil. And so glad that she did! Upon walking in, we were warmly greeted by the owner and had a table in less than 5 minutes! The servers were attentive and sweet.
We had a five course pre five menu and it was all delicious! The menu:
Sayote soup — creamy an delicious
Fresh salad made of pineapples, jicama, melon and tomato in hibiscus dressing — my favorite part
Artichoke, mushroom, and mozzarella in pesto sauce — delicious
Rolled chicken with double mango sauce — soft and tangy
Tiramisu — complements the meal perfectly
Thought the meal, the owner checked in with us to make sure we are enjoying our meal, which we did. The service here is top notch and we felt welcome and that we belong. I believe we found our fave spot now when in Big Bear! The cost is very reasonable too. I highly recommend to check this place out when you are in the area.

Unexpectedly Amazing! The chef greeted us. No menu, just 2 choices of entrée but trust me, you’re in for a treat! Soup, fruit salad, hot appetizer, main course and dessert for $ 30/​pp.
Leave the kids at home and enjoy a lovely romantic evening.

I urge you to ignore the one star reviews. According to what we heard about this place and our experience last night, those one stars are absolutely unfair and somewhat insane. When going to a restaurant, we always take in account what they have to offer. Service is average, minus half a star. They don’t have EXACTLY what you want, minus half a star (and again, who make exactly what you want? Your mom or servant, maybe). They offer to go out of their place to please you? Add couple stars there. 1 star is Unilocal equivalence of 0 effort. This place is the polar opposite of that.
A homemade 5 course dinner for $ 30 a person is a deal too good to be true anywhere else in California. Here in Big Bear, this place is a treasure. For the same class, expect to pay no less than $ 80 in LA or San Diego. I can’t image why a person, or persons, could have the heart to write a bad review.
I believe chef David is cooking something different everyday so there’s no need to list out what we had. Our dinner went above and beyond our expectation. Chef David made sure we, among other guests there, were personally well taken care of. What we must warn you, however, is every dish is meticulously prepared according to the chef’s intention. The chef served us a Cod dish that comes with roasted wild rice. He made absolutely sure that we are aware that the rice will taste differently from what we are familiar with. My fiancé was surprised and delighted with the rice. On the other hand, we can see how some people can get upset over that. But again, isn’t trying new thing part of why we sign up to this place?
Come on in. Leave your preserved diet, your ideology about what you should or want to eat. Once you do that, you, just like us, will experience the true beauty of this place — having what you want all along without having to make a decision.
Today’s dinner special: Botana works hard, so we don’t have to.

Estuve en Botana hace un par de semanas y la experiencia fue excelente. Realmente no entiendo como hay gente que le da 1 o 2 estrellas. La comida es no sólo totalmente preparada allí partiendo de ingredientes orgánicos, sino que las combinaciones de sabores son bien pensadas y especiales. Otra cosa especial es el servicio, el Chef David, es muy amigable y explica perfectamente en que consiste la experiencia. Son 5 platos diferentes, servidos uno tras otro en una excelente combinación de sabores. Si a usted le interesa más la cantidad de cómida, que la calidad, no venga aquí. Seguramente hay restaurantes más económicos. Si no le gusta experimentar nuevos sabores y prefiere las salsas hechas en una fábrica, busque un dinner. Si quiere disfrutar de una experiencia orgánica, diferente y ser atendido por gente amigable y cordial en un ambiente sencillo y sin pretenciones, en el que lo más importante es la comida y la gente, este es su lugar.

Would have never found this place if it weren’t for Unilocal search! A restaurant practically in the middle of nowhere, without a real parking lot and so dark outside!
A very cute and little place with a bar in the front, there was this gentleman behind the bar greeted us, and set a table for the four of us. We waited for a good 5 minutes until he came back to us again. NO menu he said! They serve whatever they prepare for the evening, very interesting and adventurous, was also relieved that they make anything vegetarian and vegan too!
And the food? Was absolutely AMAZING! What flavors!!! So unique and mind blowing! Table bread with aged dipping sauce, the sauce was beyond delicious, never tasted anything like that, a bit spicy and sour, so GOOD!
Daily soups: cream spinach with sage and bean soup, they were light with enough flavors, perfect to start our meal.
Salad: greens and fruits in a half pineapple shell, I am very fond of pineapples, I sure ate lots of it, the salad dressing was very tasty too. This salad was so refreshing and yummy!
Lasagna: three with meat, one without meat. The textures were perfect, the flavors were fantastic, not too salty or too bland, it was just RIGHT! We all loved it!
Sea bass with mashed potatoes and veggies: fresh and tender fish in white sauce, perfectly balanced flavors, flavorful yet still not too heavy.
Chicken in garlic sauce: hubby is not a fan of chicken, but there was no steak option, so he had to eat what they served. Surprisingly the chicken was so tender and flavorful, he really liked it!
Our food went very well with the white wine the gentleman selected for us, the wine was dry and refreshing, I liked it a lot. I think the very friendly gentleman is the owner, cause he takes care of everything in the restaurant.
The sauces were just fantastic, so rich but not heavy at all! They made everything from scratch, nothing was from a can! WOW! I am dripping just thinking about the flavors!
Who would have thought an Italian restaurant in Big Bear could be this GOOD? I am so glad we decided to try it! The service was very slow cause they were severely understaffed, but in this case, I definitely don’t mind coming back again just for the great food!
And if you want a quiet and romantic dinner date, this is definitely the first choice in Big Bear lake!
Ps. 5 course menu for only $ 35 per person?! STEAL