El Cinquenta Y Ocho

The food is good at this restaurant and very reasonable. The music got better and better, starting with some American disco, not to my taste, progressing to very good 60s by a DJ, then to a great live band playing old favorites primarily from the 60s. Lots of dancing, too.

After looking over the menu outside, the short ribs sounded luscious to me and the salmon appealed to my husband. We had our choice of seats at 6:30pm; the place was empty.We ordered the carrot soup and artichokes for appetizers, but on the menu inside, the short ribs were blocked out. As an alternative, I ordered the chicken breast, while my husband ordered the salmon. The soup was a cold soup, which was incredibly tasty. The artichokes looked delightful, but it was reported they were a lot of work for little benefit. As we were eating these, the waiter returned to say "there was a little confusion in the kitchen, they are out of chicken and salmon." Disappointed about not getting the ribs, now no chicken, I opted for a steak. My spouse went for the second fish option on the menu.I received a steak and my husband received a different steak. Where was the fish? No update as to why the substitution. Also, our bill was about 300 pesos more than it should have been even with the substitutions. We had a dance performance to get to, so we did not sent the meal back nor did we argue over the bill. English was limited with the staff and our arguing Spanish is limited. This is not a place I would recommend and wonder if they will stay in business. By the time we left at 7:45pm, we were still the only clients. With a limited menu to begin with, if they are out of half of what is on it, the outlook is not good.The service was good for what it was. We did feel for the wait staff who had to explain the shortages.

My husband and I walked to El Cinquenta y Ocho last night on the recommendation of friends and we were delighted with our meal and our experience too. We were well attended by the wait staff, something not always true in San Miguel. Gabriel, the young enthusiastic chef came out to great us and talk to us about the food. We enjoyed an appetizer of Ceviche - Shrimp with Leche de Tigre (a marinade of citrus juices, mango, chiles & pineapple), the shrimp were as fresh as possible and the ceviche itself ranks as our new top favorite in San Miguel. We then enjoyed the hamburger. Although there were other great offerings, including fresh tuna, we opted for the burger. It was great! Truffle oil, fresh arugula, sundried tomatoes, home made pancetta, and sharp cheddar. We will be going back...if you are not music en vivo lovers, we recommend that you go before 10 pm.