The Monica - San Xavier

I'm giving The Monica 2 stars bc even tho the food was O-K, I'm very annoyed and frustrated with the management of this restaurant. The day that my partner and I came here, she did not like the meal she had. We both work in the service industry so we rarely ever complain about food at other restaurants. Unfortunately my partner did not like her meal so I very very nicely asked if we could please just be issued a refund. Although the manager reassured me that I would get my refund, I still never got my refund to this day and I'm talking about the beginning of February is when we dined here. I've called and left a message for the managers and haven't heard anything back. I will not be coming back to the Monica bc of this reason and bc we didn't find the food that great. I have celiac disease and was impressed that they had GF options, including the chicken tenders, which I ordered for myself. They were nothing great. Ive bought frozen chicken nuggets and tenders from the store that are better.

Parking: There's a paid parking garage or lot across from The Monica.

I’ve eaten here several times without issues but last night I had chicken Caesar salad, the chicken was so dry, saw dust comes to mind. If I wasn’t so hungry and in a hurry to get to our event I would’ve complained then. I asked for dressing on the side, it was already in there but whom ever brought it out did take it back and re do it, this was before I tried the chicken. My husband had a pizza that was very good.

We used to really like the Monica and recommended it to many people. Something changed and we are disappointed.On most recent visit, I ordered birria beef stew and my wife a green salad with salmon. For $16 I got a small bowl of soup. It tasted like onions cooked too hot and burned. The beef was mushy like it spent all day on high in a slow cooker. It would have been passable as a cheap side in a cafeteria. My wife's salad was lettuce with a 4oz piece of cold fish. They forgot the dressing. Again, it was a simple side salad at an entree price. Kudos to the person delivering the food for leaving if croutons when asked for no dairy.There used to be good atmosphere with comfortable chairs and fire pit tables. Now there are cold metal picnic tables. I guess you can squeeze more people.

I've been here numerous times and can't understand why anyone would rate less than 5 stars. Their happy hour menu is fantastic, the service is friendly and the ambiance is contemporary and sexy. Hopefully this place remains a staple of the downtown vibe