$3 Mimosas & Birthday Brunch for 40!

So last week was my moms 60th birthday, if you read my last article (which I’m hoping you did) you know about our awesome Last Minute Dinner Party for 24 which was perfect! Well, the next day, with 24 hours to plan, my sister (very important to know lol) coordinated a surprise birthday brunch for 40 people.

First, I want to be upfront and let you guys know I will never bash a restaurant. I will always give my honest opinion when covering places and will openly answer questions about my experience, however my blog is to promote various places to visit in Cleveland and I firmly believe, like anything else in life, you can find the good in anything. Every place might not be good for large parties, some might be better for smaller intimate dinners, or just cool to hangout at the bar for drinks. Some locations might be perfect for singles, yet terrible for married people– I don’t know, I’m just saying… Every place might not be good for everything. You catch my drift? basically you go to certain places for certain things.

With that being said, I would’ve never picked this place for a large party of 40, reminder that this location was my sisters doing. It’s totally cute and in a great location in Woodmere, but I typically only come here for Mojito Mondays ($5 bucks),  or small gatherings (meaning 4-6 people) or when I want to just have spicy guacamole and drinks. Awhile back, they served bottomless mimosas which made it great for Saturday or Sunday mornings with friends, however due to state laws that changed. I will say the current $3 mimosa deal is still pretty awesome so I will totally come back for that alone. But just so you know. in the past, I never came here for the food (not sure if spicy guac counts as food), just always the drinks.

So my sister didn’t didn’t take a few important things into consideration prior to signing a contract/giving her credit card information and booking the location. I told her besides finding a cute place, you have to also consider the logistics. Of course she thought, no we’d just invite a few people, whoever wants to come will come and that will be it. Well, most places require a minimum amount be spent for large parties (which this place did for 40 people, hence the credit card requirement), sometimes a space rental fee (which gladly they didn’t) and lastly, which I hate, a set menu (which they also had). This gives you very little wiggle room to please attendees as it’s very rare everyone will like the same thing especially at a Latin Restaurant. Long story short, without confirmation that everyone was going to attend, she commits at $25 per person (not including taxes or gratuity) for a brunch buffet with the following options: Traditional Guacamole, House Smoked Salmon, Sweet Potato and Duck Hash, Scrambled Eggs, Buttermilk Pancakes, Fresh Fruit Ceviche, Smoked Bacon and Chorizo Sausage.

So I’ll be honest again, I didn’t eat anything from the buffet. Not because I didn’t want to at least try, but because the dishes didn’t stay full enough for me to get a taste. The buffet set up was 4 pans and one large platter plate and they just weren’t replenished as quickly as out 40 guests were eating. All in all, we actually received great service, the manager and staff were very accommodating and apologetic, I just don’t think they were use to parties that large. I personally ended up ordering my usual spicy guac ($4), and chicken tacos from the kids meal ($7) they were very basic and I was very pleased. I also had the pleasure of trying every mimosa they had traditional, pomegranate, watermelon basil and my favorite grapefruit!

In the end will I go back yes, but will I plan a large outing there no- this place is perfect for almost anything you can image but a large group buffet. Again, that’s just my personal opinion. You may have a totally different experience. To me, this place is a perfect “let’s have a few drinks” location, whether that be Happy Hour or Brunch and possibly if you like Latin food, this is a great meal option for a small group of friends or family. The space is totally kid friendly (adults only at the bar for those afraid of children) and they also have a patio. It’s super cute both inside and out, and right in the heart of Eton Collection. If you wake up on Saturday or Sunday and you want to have a few $3 mimosas be sure to try Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar and tell them you read about them on #CourtneyCoversCleveland!