A Virginia woman said she had a night to remember when she went to eat at a Mexican restaurant and ended up eye-to-eye with a scaly, slithering creature.
Carletta Andrews visited the Patron Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in Sandston with her husband to enjoy a nice night out on April 16. However, at the end of her meal, she found a baby snake in her margarita.
“I leaned in to take a sip, and I noticed something hit me in the forehead, and I looked at my husband like, ‘What was that?’ ” Andrews told 8 News. “When I turned around, I saw the snake in my margarita.”
She also told the outlet that she saw the reptile move and wrap around her straw.
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Workers attempted to remove the snake with a stick, but to no avail. Another restaurant goer eventually grabbed the animal and took it outside.
“I left shaking, I was traumatized,” Andrews told 8 News of the incident, adding that the restaurant offered to move her to another seat, but she decided to leave instead.
Now, Andrews is worried there may be more snakes in the restaurant. “Is the mom there?” she told the outlet, highlighting how the reptile in her drink was a baby.
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The owner of Patron Mexican Restaurant and Cantina told 8 News that the snake likely entered through an air conditioning unit. He also reportedly told the outlet that no precautions were being taken to keep the incident from happening again.
8 News reviewed records from the Virginia Department of Health that revealed the restaurant had several violations during an inspection in December 2024, including mold, broken handles and a missing ceiling tile. The violations were later corrected within a week.
The Virginia-based restaurant has two locations: one in Sandston and another in Chester.
