The food and service are excellent. The decor is over the top gorgeous. I'm going back for my birthday because I so enjoyed my first visit. read more

Our server Jose was very attentive and nice. The drinks & food were delicious. Will definitely be coming back!

Here in Costa Mesa from Houston and immediately fell in love with Cal'o! Service from Isabela - top notch! The Ambience - beautiful with outdoor heaters and great art! On to the best part - drinks (margaritas) were amazing! Great food - the chips are perfect restaurant chips and the black bean dip and salsa - so fresh and tasty. For our appetizer - we had the ceviche - loaded with flavor. The seafood trio was amazing as was the shrimp and crab enchiladas! read more

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What a beautiful restaurant!! The food was delicious, there were 4 of us and we all loved our dishes. The chips and salsa comes with black beans so that was such a flavorful addition. Servers were engaging and helpful! I definitely recommend! read more

The ambiance was cool, the food was mediocre. My table had salads and some were way too saucy, others were so boring we felt like we could have done better at Most other Mexican places. Salmon on top of a salad is an extra $25. Wild. I'll Go back and try it again but this lunch was just meh. read more

This upscale cantina has a clubby ambiance with excellent service. The house chips, salsa and beans were so good that I almost couldn't stop eating them. All of the dishes we ordered were excellent. They even offered to cut the elote kernels off the cub. Definitely an excellent choice for a meal when at South Coast Plaza. read more

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The holidays are here and for this guy, it's time to find a venue to host the annual office Christmas party. Luckily my office is situated in the South Coast Plaza neighborhood, so there's plenty of dining choices available. I decided upon Caló because my staff requested Mexican cuisine this year. When I perused my Yelp App this new restaurant popped up. It was occupied previously by a food hall and before that, Ztejas. The dining space looked very attractive, warm lighting and earth tones, spacious, clean and modern. I booked a private dining room that could serve 20 so there was plenty of room for myself and my small team. Staff was very friendly and seated us as soon as we arrived. The cocktails were fantastic and the appetizers were wonderful! As soon as my team arrived, we ordered entrees and the festivities commenced! We had plenty of room to place our Christmas gifts on a side table and have enough room at two additional tables for holiday games, it was perfect! Entrees arrived soon after and again, so good! I enjoyed the steak fajitas and it was cooked to a beautiful medium rare just as I requested. Desserts were absolutely amaze! The flan was creamy, the tres leches cake was perfectly soaked and the churros had the best sugary crunch! I had a phenomenal holiday dinner here and my team loved it. That made the experience priceless imo I highly recommend this restaurant if you're looking to celebrate a special occasion or simply have an intimate dining experience, you won't be disappointed! Happy Eats! read more

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Jess + her perfect margarita is reason enough to come here as often as possible. But throw in the absolutely delicious Pollo Serrano and bam you've found Magic! 10/10 or higher if possible. read more

Love the vibe. Gorgeous restaurant with amazing service ALWAYS and delicious food! I enjoy coming here for birthdays, anniversary etc.

I was looking for a quick meal after seeing a musical at the Segerstrom, and Calo Kitchen was a close option that was still open. We went at 9:30 p.m., and they were able to accommodate us since they closed at 10:00 p.m. I went with a friend, and we both ordered the Calo Combination for $19. There is an option to choose one, two, or three items with your choice of salad, Mexican corn, or rice and beans for different prices: $19, $24, or $26. The options include chicken or beef enchilada, crispy beef taco, taco asado with chicken, carnitas chile relleno, or pork tamale. I decided to get the taco, and my friend got the enchilada, and the portions were so small lolol. Don't get me wrong, the food was good. The salad and taco were delicious, but for $19, expect to be a little bit full. It was basically like a snack or appetizer with tiny portions. Overall, if I am paying $25, I want to be full and have leftovers; this is not the case. Beautiful decor; they just need to step up the portion size for the Calo Combo. read more

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Nice ambience to meet up with friends. Drinks and food are consistently good. Service is nice. Location convenient

Such a cute vibe for a mall restaurant. This replaced the old Z'Tejas restaurant at South Coast Plaza. The ambience is giving, modern Mexican cuisine. I loved that there was outdoor indoor and bar seating. You can also rent out private rooms for parties/celebrations. The service at the bar was great. We were taken care of by multiple staff members. I always judge Mexican spots by their chips and salsa.. and will tell you that it didn't disappoint! It's also reserved with fried black beans. My favorite app was the potato taquitos ! They had a great twist with a little bit of spice. I definitely haven't tried anything like this. We also had the chance to try the shrimp taquitos. Wasn't able to try the entrees yet, but other the apps were great! Looking forward to trying more dishes, during my next visit. read more

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Amazing experience at this restaurant! Calo Kitchen + Tequila is located in South Coast Plaza, across from Boudin. We decided to celebrate my sister's birthday as she wanted to dine somewhere we hadn't been before. We made a reservation for Sunday lunch with our party of eight. My sister requested indoor seating, and we were pleasantly surprised to be placed in a semi-private room since no other guests were seated there while we were dining. The ambience was great with modern decor. The patio also looked inviting. The service was outstanding. Our chips were replenished frequently, and our waters were refilled without us needing to ask. The chips came with salsa and black beans. The servers were attentive in clearing our plates and utensils and ensured our table was kept clean between courses. I ordered a Blackberry Margarita and the Pork and Pineapple Tacos, both of which were delicious. We were too full to indulge in dessert, but they kindly brought ice cream with a candle for my sister's birthday. I highly recommend dining here. Parking was easy with plenty of spaces right outside. read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Pork and Pineapple Tacos - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Food was great! Sadly I forgot to take a picture of my plate and I only got a pic of my son's food. Service was absolutely outstanding! Courtney was just a doll! So polite and so welcoming! She clearly knows how to make someone feel special! Service like hers is what the world is missing. Ambience was great as well! read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I took my best friends here to celebrate a birthday, they both drove down from Fullerton on a very rainy night. We were given the best booth in the restaurant (my opinion), and Myra, the on duty Manager was wonderful! She was so kind, and accommodating from tying up my balloons, arranging the flowers on the table, and she introduced me to our server, Hillary. When my friends arrived, a few minutes late due to traffic with the rain, she escorted them to the table, wished my friend a Happy Birthday, and told them to enjoy their dinners. My BD friend is a real Mexican food connoisseur, and she was so impressed with the first rate decor, Hillary, our server, and the dish, Chicken Tostada, which she said has become hard to find on menus anymore. I had the Crab & Lobster enchiladas, which were excellent, and my other friend had the Skirt Steak Picado, which he almost licked his plate he said it was so good. I made a reservation to bring some 8 friends here for the 2nd year in a row for Valentine's Day. This is one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever gone to, and I'm not a real fan of Mexico food, so it has to be exceptional! But, it's not just the food here, it's the beautiful decor with the fire pits lit, and most important the service and accommodating manager Myra, was outstanding!!!! Thank you for making me look good for my choice tonight. read more

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We go to the LN location often but first time here. We came in on a Tuesday early evening and the place wasn't too crazily busy as on the weekends. Food was good. Service was great. So why not a 5-star review? I had the tostada chicken salad. The chicken was good; however, the salad was drowned in some kind of creamy dressing. Way too much dressing so the lettuce got all soggy. I would ask for the dressing on the side if I knew. My husband had the enchiladas. He said it was good bot the corn tortillas were kind of hard. Daughter also ordered enchiladas. She asked for one beef and one chicken and got both beef enchiladas. Her husband had the lobster enchiladas and he said they were good. read more

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ALWAYS DELICIOUS FOOD, and a great time! I've been in both locations at South Coast and Torrance. Both were awesome!

I ordered Chile Verde. It arrived very quickly, like it had been sitting in a big vat the whole time. It was spicy beyond belief. I would definitely come again. read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - The bar scene - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Calo the minute you step in the restaurant you are welcome by the staff around you. Everything is so precise, Oh the ambience but what follows just takes you to the next level, the food is so delightful and the arrays of tequilas is out of this world! Adriana our waitress un encanto! Simply Beautiful Calo you are on the top of our list. read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Fajitas - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This is a nice Mexican restaurant at South Coast Plaza. They are more upscale than the typical casual dining restaurants, yet they are family friendly and have a relaxed atmosphere with no dress code enforcement. The manager also dropped by our table to check if we're having a good experience. The food were good here. I got to try my friends' food and liked them. I remember tasting the salmon and loved how it was tender and not dry at all. The restaurant had a higher price range, but the food also had generous portions. *Seafood Trio - This included three different types of seafood dishes: - Green Shrimp & Lobster Enchilada 4.5/5 - There was a good amount of shrimps in a tasty sauce. The ingredients were sort of mixed in together so it was hard to taste the lobster. - Shrimp & Bacon Taco 3/5 - My least favorite of the three. The whole dish was oily and a bit dry. - Shrimp & Lobster Chili Relleno 4/5 - This was an nteresting dish with stuffed green chili pepper. Not a lot of shrimps though. * Fried Ice Cream 4/5 - Pretty good vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon and deep fried in a thin layer of oats. * Mexico City Cosmo 4/5 - I got this as a mocktail and it was pretty good. read more

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Came with my girlfriends to celebrate a birthday. Service was great and we started out with really yummy complimentary chips, salsa, and black bean dip (really good dip). We ordered a few cocktails and my friend that got the pina colada did not like it bc it was not blended and had too much syrup. The Smokey Caesar salad was a disappointment. It was such a small plate that barely had any greens. The Steak Fajitas were very good. Nice flavor and tender steak with delicious sides. Our server brought us extra tortillas when we ran out. At $44, it was pretty pricey, but I did enjoy it. We also had the Shrimp & Crab Enchiladas which were pretty good. We ended a nice meal with birthday cake that we brought in, and our server treated my friend to a free birthday ice cream. read more

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OMG! The absolute best! Food amazing and customer service through the roof! Dined at the bar and had the pleasure of having my favorite Calo Kitchen cocktail, La Sandia made by Sammy! Followed by my food being delivered by the manager, Juan who was extremely personable and pleasant in addition to good conversation with the host Natalie. Made my Thursday! Already a regular at the El Segundo location but my experience at this location was fantastic and I will be back sooner than they know! lol read more

Wow what an amazing restaurant! Beautiful interior with fire pits and light features! Jonathan, our waiter, was so friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable! Gave excellent, professional service throughout our entire experience. Free chips, beans, and salsa and the margs were strong and flavorful! The tampiquena de carne asada was the winner though. Holy crap the steak was the most flavorful I've ever had. Juicy, tender, and melt in your mouth. Heaven on a plate!! I've been to the Laguna niguel location too and both did not disappoint! Pricey but you get what you pay for! Phenomenal!!! read more

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I love this place, but not okay with paying $30 for a Mexican cosmo, which used to be $18 then $25 and now $30. It's outrageous! And prices of food and beverages in general have gone up as well. Too bad! I will give it a 5 star for service only. read more

One of the latest food additions to South Coast! I stopped by with two friends on a Wednesday for dinner, and it was all of our first time. It was super easy to make a reservation through Yelp, which I appreciated. It was decently packed! The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating, along with a nice bar inside of the restaurant. The booths we sat in were comfortable. Our server recommended the Clemente's enchiladas to me, which were delicious! I asked for the cream to be put on the side, since I'm lactose intolerant, but I can see how the cream would add a great sweetness and balance to the dish. Even without the cream, I really enjoyed it. Service was quick and efficient. Would definitely come back especially if I'm shopping in the mall and looking for a sit down meal! read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Clemente's enchiladas - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

"Calo delivers a true five-star dining experience. The ambiance is elegant, the food is beautifully presented and full of flavor, and the service is attentive without being intrusive. Our server, Joel, was outstanding -- knowledgeable, personable, and made us feel extra special. Every detail felt intentional, making the entire experience memorable. Perfect for a special night out or lunch date -- highly recommend!" read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Seafood Trio - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

My mom and I recommended Calo's kitchen to our loved one! We were all excited to eat because we were hangry. Our loved one recommended Javier's instead but we insisted on Calo's. I highly recommend the siete leguas tequila, blackberry margarita, potato taquitos, and short rib enchiladas:) My mom wanted to try something new and asked, "how are the spinach enchiladas?" Our server (Joey) raved about how flavorful the spinach enchiladas are and how non-vegetarians even love them! The cook took a long time preparing the spinach enchiladas and remade them twice. Joey was super apologetic and once the spinach enchiladas came out, my mom was so disappointed and said they were not seasoned. Joey completely RECTIFIED the situation by bringing out the PHENOMENAL shrimp & lobster enchilada and compensating 2 churro ice cream desserts! Thank you Calo for making our experience special! read more

Really Good Drinks. I got a black berry margarita, my friend got a strawberry one. Delicious. The food is even better! The appetizers are good too. They have really good salsa and freshly made chips. 2nd time here and the service has been good both times. Servers are personable. I love the outdoor seating. In the evenings there are heaters to keep you warm. The restrooms are clean, and the elevator has seats! Aha plenty of parking. Definitely recommend. read more

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Nicely decorated restaurant with great ambiance. A nice place for a dinner date. Our server was very attentive and took good care of us. Everything we ordered was recommended by our server. I took off a star because food was a bit pricey for what we got. - Guacamole 4 star was tasty but a tiny serving for $16 - Beef Queso Tacos 4 star also good but small and not spectacular $26 - Shrimp Taquitos 5 star because of how nice it looked and tasted pretty good. Shrimp just felt like a better deal compared to the other dishes. $21 - Short-Rib Enchiladas 4 star because it was small and looked lackluster on the plate for $29. Overall, we enjoyed it but didn't wow me. read more

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Had the opportunity to dine in, the overall aesthetic and design itself is worth coming in for a drink. Both spicy strawberry and pineapple margs were so good and you could really taste the kick which I love about jalapeño margaritas. Staff were very friendly, and portions were filling, not like other places that serve petite tacos. Was quite expensive, but it's South Coast. Worth the experience if you're planning to celebrate someone special for the night read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Strawberry jalapeño margarita - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great location, ambience, food and service. Calo Kitchen is our go to top shelf Mexican restaurant. It never disappoints top to bottom a great restaurant! Larry read more

Food is great had the steak and guacamole. Super delicious and fresh guacamole. Chips were warm but not as crispy as id like. Margarita was delicious but kinda iced up. Service was excellent. Very meticulous on refilling waters. Ambiance is festive with Latin music was playing in the background, has gently dim lighting and spacious arena making for a great Date night or friend/ family gathering. read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Mall dining elevated to a grand scale just when Malls are scaling back. Here it is. The architectural elements and design are smart, sophisticated, and dramatic if you need all that to enjoy great Mexican food. Of course you do, it's South Coast. The space is open and breezy yet with the guest's comfort in mind. It's as cool as the first morning breeze at the beach. In fact, it's like being in the prettiest part of Puerto Vallarta only without flies, thugs and Lower G. I. issues. Calo is a perfect spot to plop under a Palapa after a grueling afternoon at Bulgari and Chanel. Heaters are embedded into the ceiling with fans to waft the warmth over patrons overheated from enthusiastic eating. The place is huge and it's packed every night. A large horseshoe Bar anchors the main dining room along with a massive Fire Pit suitable for slipping your Marriage Certificate into while celebrating your recent Dissolution. That explains the crowd crowding around the Pit. Plus there is a small hidden Bar in the far reaches of the dining area. And there are a few intimate dining rooms sprinkled around the restaurant in case you're planning on proposing and taking another run at bliss with your new miss. The Bar: Duh, Tequila forward. A few shots and you'll become more forward too. Mexi-craft Beers on Draft, and Mexcal to make you skip and go naked through the Mall. A short but tight Wine List rounds out your sobriety check check list. My Cadillac Marg had Reposado plus Sweet and Sour and was fuerte como el Toro. Once I swizzled the rocket fuel lurking at the bottom of the Highball glass, the beast calmed itself and did its duty. Made feel good. If you must have a Kir Royale I bet your server can walk the Bar Tender through it with Google's help. The Staff: Trying...in a good way. Attentive knowledgeable, nice people dedicated to making your dining experience nice. Nice. So, make that trying and succeeding. Bella was lovely and totally professional. Having finished my Caddy and quickly dispatched the first basket of Chips with Salsa Fresca, and warm Frijoles Negros I re-visited the ample menu and tried not to order with my eyes which is always a recipe for an error be it dining out or online dating. Out comes the second basket of chips. (They do have salsa por la gente (read hot if you want red hot). This stuff was molecular acid that will drip through the hardwood table, your shoes and the subway tile floor on it's way to China. Be warned. Were the chips as good as Superior Market? Nope. But they are the best commercial chips the hip will like. They are. Three baskets says that's true. The Food: This kitchen can bring it. I am a sucker for a Caesar done correctly. This version was very, very good. Start here. The Smokey Caesar had chopped Romaine laced with just the right amount of serious creamy Adobo Dressing. The kitchen added halved fresh tiny Tomatoes, Bacon Bits, and Queso Fresco (that hadn't been recently recalled as I recall), Crispy Onions and Avocado made this a terrific Salad. It was Interesting and perfectly composed and balanced. Plus it kept me from ordering the Queso Fundido con Chorizo which doesn't appear on any Internist's preferred diet. Although maybe it should as sometimes you just have to say WTF. Thank you Risky Biz. The Pollo Serrano made me nervous as I thought the heat might be relentless. It wasn't. I was still reeling from the Flame Throwin' Salsa with the Chips. The Habanaro Salsa won't blister your lips, it will burn'em off. The Chicken Breast was laid to rest under a reservoir of Serrano Crema, topped with a tangle of Caramelized Onions, a charred Poblano Pepper spread eagle over more Frijoles Negros and a perfect Avocado fan. I'm a fan now. The mound of White Rice was, well, a mound of White Rice but good for some sopping so there was a purpose to it other than filling the plate. The Chicken Breast flirted with being a touch dry but it was just a quick wink. The Sauce was a generous pour and all in all this was the right choice and worth a return trip. The Pork and Pineapple Tacos with Refried Pinto Beans, Onions, Cilantro was a riff on Al Pastor. Now, you say Pineapple belongs on a Taco as much as it belongs on a Pizza. It's just wrong. But stuffing the house made Tortillas with Pork and the tart Pineapple was absolutely the right riff. A definite re-order. The Chef here can do the trick for sure and the Calo crew are not callow. So, Hal-lo, gotta go back to Calo. read more

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All three. Sophia was awesome. Loved our booth and of course the salad was Dee LISH! Not to mention the Cadillac Margaritas were also great! read more

We had a reservation, so were able to be seated quickly. We started with chips, salsa and rerefried black beans (tasty). The Calo combination plate is a good choice as you have a choice of 1,2, or 3 items along with your choice of a salad, Mexican corn on the cob or beans and rice. I went with chicken tacos. The chicken was marinated, so it was tender and grilled nicely. There was a good amount of chicken in the tacos. The refried beans and rice were good too. The prices are higher than your average Mexican restaurant, but the location and ambiance are probably the reason for the prices. It was a little noisy, so kind of hard to hear the server. The service was good. Two managers stopped by our table to thank us for dining with them. Parking was a little busy, but it was a Friday night in December at the mall sooo‍ read more

Recently tried this place out with a few friends and I'll be the first to say I don't usually eat at " fancy" Mexican restaurants because I feel they are overpriced for mediocre Mexican food. I definitely believe Mexican food can be fancy and elegant but some place get crazy with their pricing and again the food is just okay. So this place has wonderful service, beautiful location and cleanly. We ordered a few dishes and shared. I appreciate the chips , salsa and the inside of beans. The chile relleno was really good and so was the tamale. It was also served with rice and beans. The tacos were good ( a bit more meat would be appreciated) the churros dessert was great too. My friends did order 2 cocktails which they said were delicious. Overall it was all $90ish which I think is a pretty good for a delicious and filling dinner. I hope to come back and try out a few different menu items. read more

Delicious food and amazing service! Always a fun time when at Calo. Pictured is the shrimp and lobster enchiladas. There was a good amount of protein and the sauce was not too spicy. The sides complimented the dish well. read more

Caló Kitchen + Tequila - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Went here for girl's night out and the ambiance is super cute! The outdoor/indoor concept is aesthetically nice! The food was relatively good, but it did get cold fairly quick because of the outdoor concept. The drinks were good, chips and salsa was good! Perfect for girls night out or date night! read more

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We had an incredible dining experience at Calo Costa Mesa, and it was made even better by the outstanding service and hospitality from JP, the General Manager. From the moment we arrived, JP's professionalism set the tone for the evening. He sat us down right away and took the time to personally check in on our table, ensuring everything was perfect -- from our cocktails to the delicious meals. You can tell JP truly cares about every guest's experience. His attention to detail and friendly demeanor reflect the pride he takes in running this restaurant. The entire staff seemed motivated and well-coordinated, which speaks volumes about JP's leadership. The food was fantastic (veggie tacos, taco salad and margaritas), and the atmosphere was lively yet comfortable. JP and his team have created something special here. We'll definitely be back soon and will be recommending this Calo location to friends and family. read more

Great food and service. I recommend it To family and friends whenever I can and have the opportunity.