The Mining Company - San Marcos, California

B

This was our first time visiting since they opened the new location, and wow what an upgrade. The place is big and a lot brighter than the old location. The service was great all around, but our server Santiago was amazing. He was attentive, polite, and served us with a smile. The food took a while to come out, but we didn't mind as it was during a busy dinner rush. Santiago kept getting us drink refills and checking in and giving us updates on our food. We had some complimentary sourdough rolls and butter to start. The sampler came out and it had a little bit of everything, but my favorite was the loaded potato skins. The tequila lime pasta was good. Although the penne was a bit overcooked, the shrimp was cooked beautifully. My husband ordered the tri tip dinner with fries and said the tri tip was cooked a perfect medium rare. We will be back to try more of the menu.

Christina D.

The meat was pretty good. I had the rotisserie turkey. The sides are pretty small and the veggies were not very flavorful. Nice place to eat with bigger parties. The atmosphere is fun and inviting. You can make reservations for larger groups, but there was no wait to get a seat if you walked in on a Saturday afternoon. Our service wasn't very good though.

TC F.

I surprised mom with an outing to The Mining Company Steakhouse and Saloon in San Marcos. Driving by numerous times and smelling the aroma was too much one day and we had to stop in. No regrets!

I ordered a steak of course because this carnivore knows good food when she smells it! Mom went a little more simple with the all-you-can-eat salad bar option. The steak was delicious and prepared perfectly to medium as I requested. The house salad that came with it was delicious, but I could see it was a small comparison to that super duper salad bar mom selected. That bar has the usual lettuce and toppings any other salad bar would have, but they also have hard boiled eggs, broccoli, grilled corn, diced ham cubes, cottage cheese, fruit section, diced pineapple for that cottage cheese, and so much more. There is every dressing you could hope to choose from and the salad bar runs the length of a long wall. Pick up a plate and get started. So much to choose from you could make a meal out of that alone and leave stuffed!

Management has the good graces of Karla (with a K) who served us. She made sure we understood our options and was attentive without being overbearing. There when we needed her and gave us our space as well. Perfect blend of attention and eating in peace. The decor is cute all around and they had a room to the side where a large party was taking place, but not disruptive at all. The layout was well planned. We will definitely be returning again and again. Give Karla a well deserved commendation, she certainly has earned it! Seriously, she is an asset to this establishment and a shining example of what good service looks like in action.

John N.

The price was really reasonable and the food was good. Watch your bill closely though. We were there during happy hour and were told dishes on a specific list was discounted. After we left. At least 3 of our orders were charged at full price. I took one star off for that.

David B.

Don't waste your time. We stopped in, in spite of mixed reviews, for something we could share and a drink. We sat at the bar and ordered the variety plate. Everything deep fried was WAY over cooked. Chicken wings were hard as a rock. And we constantly had to ask the bartender for items like water, silverware, and napkins. We did order a couple of mixed drinks that didn't go over well either. It is obvious they just want to pour beer all night and gossip with the locals.
There are dozens of other restaurants in the area to spend your money at.

Jimmy J.

Our server Kenna was fantastic. If you do end up going out to dinner please ask for her because she is an angel. We had a big family with us and some unruly childrens and I didn't face her a bit.

The fish and chips are okay I would have expected some bigger pieces of fish. The ribeye steak was pretty good and so was the salmon.

Great fries and onion rings.

I enjoyed the miners lager beer. It's light and the price is right.

I do miss the old place and the atmosphere it had. Now it just looks like a souped up Applebee's.

Arty A. M. J.

Love the salad bar. Great service. We always have a great time and a great meal here. Service is great as well.

Bruce M.

The food (teriyaki kabob and sea bass) were tasty and tender; delicious. The mud pie hit the spot. The service was excellent and Karla took great care of us. The booth we were in was cramped and challenging to enter and exit.