Grateful to have found this California Mexican food gem. This was an excellent spot to meet family for lunch half way between LA and SD. It is about1.5 miles from the 5 fwy. Extensive menu with breakfast burritos, crunchy or soft tacos, MVP burritos, salads, carne asada fries, fish tacos, enchiladas and more. Taco choices include fish, chicken, carne asada, and rib eye. Between the 8 of us we managed to get one of all the above mentioned. And we were all so hungry I forgot to take pictures of the food. The common comments were how tasty everything was including the chips, variety of salsas, and refried beans. There is plenty of comfy seating inside and out. The restroom was very clean. Easy parking. Service was great and efficient. This place seems to be a popular spot for locals including young athletes and their families after baseball. I hope you enjoy this spot as much as we did! read more

Chelas Mexican Kitchen - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Clemente, California

Omg yummy tacos! First time here as was in the area and tried it out. It was busy so that was a good sign. Even though we waited awhile to order our food, it was worth it! I got the crispy chicken tacos which comes with rice and beans. My husband got the steak crispy tacos These tacos are so good as I am writing this my mouth is watering. Just the perfect crunch, and chicken cooked just right! The green salsa is so good too, very fresh and delicious. I need to buy it and take it home! There is seating outside which was very nice in shade and just a lovely spot to grab lunch. I can't wait to come back! read more

Chelas Mexican Kitchen - Crispy chicken tacos plate - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Clemente, California

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For me this is absolutely the best taco Tuesday deal anywhere. The crispy carnitas tacos are the best I've ever had. Keep up the great service and super tasty food read more

For a place as close to the border as San Clemente you would really expect good Mexican food. When I lived there it was surprisingly slim pickings. I came back to visit and I saw that this place opened up in the Talega area and its great! Their burritos are huge and a good price to size ratio. Everything tastes great, probably best in San Clemente. I had their baja burrito, very good filling ratios. read more

Chela's is not your typical Mexican food, I'd say it's more like Mexican cuisine. It's flavorful and each dish we tried was unique in flavor profile, not the same flavor as the next dish. The staff was friendly and attentive. The seating area was comfortable, clean and vibrant. With an option to sit outside and enjoy some sun we enjoyed our meal outside. There are plenty of drink options and with their upcoming goal of adding cerveza, we look forward to returning and enjoy a great meal with a chilled cerveza on a sunny patio. We also opted to take home a bag of chips, salsa and guacamole to enjoy later. They also have a variety of salsas, so there is one for every palate. ***SAN CLEMENTE GEM - located at the corner of Pico/La Pata (Antonio), an easy drive even for those living north of SC. read more

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Delicious, friendly, great service! Cute little place with indoor and outdoor seating.

Friendly staff. Energetic indoor dining experience. Outdoor seating as well. I ordered the fish tacos and they were delicious. Good sized portions. read more

Chelas Mexican Kitchen - Seating area. - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Truly remarkable breakfast food here! The service was very good and friendly and gave you the "family run" feel. What will bring us back whenever we are near though is the food. Possibly the best Mexican breakfast meal we have ever eaten! read more

Chela's has one of the BEST Taco Tuesdays around! Tacos are 2 for $5, they are huge and delicious, along with the salsas! The restaurant is fast-casual, but funky and clean with friendly service. My son loves the carnitas burrito and hubby loves the carne asada burrito. Recommend! read more

This is an absolute gem of a place! The food portions are massive, and the quality and taste are second to none.

I love this place, but the only thing I would recommend is to have better quality beef in the tacos. Every time I go it's like 50% beef and 50% fat. Dead giveaway that it's low quality meat. At least give a second option for a better meat, I don't mind paying more. As for everything else, excellent. The chips are great, the guac is excellent, the tortillas are yummy. The rice is excellent. The food is fresh. Just the meat is lacking. The prices are reasonable. Please guys! Get some better meat and I'll be there a lot more. read more

Probably the best Mexican in San Clemente, well almost in talega but won't hold that against them. Worth stopping in especially for happy hour tacos! read more

We always love Chelas. The ribeye tacos are super amazing! Breakfast burrito, super awesome! The salsas are amazing as well! Highly recommend. read more

Placed a phone order, was told it would be 25min. Showed up 35min later only to wait another 25min for them to notice my food was sitting there on the counter the whole time. Cold food, bad service, won't be coming back. read more

Stopped in for Taco Tuesday Dinner on Aug.26 and was greeted with welcome to Chelas by Associate David working the front counter. Found David to be a very pleasant and courteous young man, placed my order and with in a couple of minutes my dinner was ready, I found the restaurant was spotless and inviting! Received 5 Star Friendly Service from everyone at the restaurant! read more

My husband and I have been going to Chelas since they opened in Talega. We love their authentic taco plates. They usually come with chips and beans. The beans are to die for! My husband gets the carnitas and I get the beef. Chelas is great for Taco Tuesdays! They also have great Breakfast Burritos! Big enough for 2 people! I am happy for them, as they plan on opening up more locations! Great local establishment and service is always kind:-) read more

Odered a chile verde carnitas burrito. it was almost entirely rice with some refried beans and a few small pieces of carnitas. Very disappointed. sed to get the same order over the last couple of years, but this is my last visit. Worse yet, two burritos cost almost $40. Complete waste of my time and money. read more

Best ever!!! I probably go here every week :) love the tacos and love the salsa and guac!! Yummy

Very good Mexican food. Small and simple atmosphere . Very pleasant staff. Prices are competitive. OVERALL, for an informal family outing, where your priority is good food at affordable prices and a casual atmosphere, this is the place to go. You would take your neighbor without hesitation but not your boss! read more

I just discovered this small place, ambiance was nice, service was great and the food was very good place is clean and friendly just a bit off the beaten path. I had their chile verde burrito and it was huge, brought half home. Definitely worth the stop. Highly recommend! Look forward to trying other menu items in near future. read more

Always packed. Great burritos and salsas. I would highly recommend it Try their taco Tuesday

We like Chelas but they have gotten our order wrong the last three times we've eaten there. Sometimes it's modifications they ignore and this time none of our burritos had cheese and we didn't get the salsa we ordered. It's frustrating and we have now learned we have to double check every order before we take it out of the restaurant. If you place an order online or pick it up, be sure to triple check your order. read more

Love businesses that are loyal to there customers and believe that customers come first! Been visiting this restaurant a few times a month, Went in on a Friday night and they had a DJ music , treats and champagne and beer to celebrate their one year anniversary. The place was very busy, the customer service outstanding, the food hot, fresh, excellent, to top it off place was very clean. Thank you to the owner for valuing us- your customer. It doesn't go unnoticed, We appreciate it as we spread the word of a great place to eat. read more

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Food was stone cold when it arrived. Like it was made ahead of time and kept in a refrigerator waiting for someone to order. read more

If you are looking for a reliable place to cater your company event, party, or get-together? This is the perfect place! Not only is the food at this restaurant amazing, but the customer service is truly unmatched. David went above and beyond... he was incredibly attentive, patient, and organized. Our order of nine bar tacos, which were picked up in four separate batches, was handled so efficiently that the entire process felt seamless and stress-free. It was one of the smoothest experiences I've ever had with catering. Highly recommend this place. you won't regret it! read more

Chelas Mexican Kitchen - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Clemente, California

Food was not even worth the try it's tasteless food . They dont even know what they were cooking. Top it off with nasty and disgusting smell coming out of the drain in the bathroom not sure where the health department is about this place???? read more

Typically a good spot, but ordered the rib eye burrito and honestly wasn't good. Cold, a lot of salad in it, and rib eye not so tasty. Typically they have good tacos and taquitos, but unfortunately unimpressed with their burrito. Kinda bummed it was cold also. read more

This place is super yummy and we will definitely come again and again. I've been twice in a week. Both times my order was incorrect but the food was still delicious. The chips and guac are really good. The guac has a bit of a kick to it. But my kid will still eat it. The kids menu taquitos are really good but the kids taco is not crunchy- so order off the regular menu if you want the crunchy taco. Still trying to order a crunchy taco - maybe next time I'll finally get it. Everyone is really sweet there and friendly and helpful. Food comes out really quick. read more

The food tasted excellent and was very healthy. I really enjoyed the grilled chicken salad.

We went to the new SC location on De Los Mares. The staff was friendly greeting us when we walked in. Food came quickly. I had the steak combo burrito with rice and beans inside. I ordered it wet and I'm glad I did. The burrito was big but mostly tortilla and rice with a little meat for $15.99. My girlfriend got the batter fried fish tacos $14.99. She said they didn't have much flavor and the fish was just whitefish. She didn't eat much of the rice or beans on the side but I tried them and again not a lot of flavor. We tried a few salsa's and they were pretty good. We'll give it one more try by ordering something different next time. read more

The food here is so good! Taco Tuesday is such a great deal. We look forward to Chelas every Tuesday. The habanero hot sauce is flavorful and delicious. The service is also wonderful. Everyone is very friendly and they're on top of it. Love Chelas!! read more

Great Food, Prompt Service. I Especially enjoy their hard shell chicken tacos & Carnitas Burritos, don't forget their Green Chili & Habanero Salsa....... read more

Food is very solid. Really good tortillas and the burritos are some of the best around. However, anything besides a burrito doesn't really feel worth the amount of money you're paying. Really expensive for lower quality Mexican food. Service is fine especially considering its order up front and the restaurant itself is cool. Not gonna be a romantic night out location but definitely gonna be picking up on the way home again. read more

Happily surprised by this gem of a place. First, staff is super friendly and helpful. Second, the food is SO GOOD! Third, the location is clean & comfy! My hubby and I went there recently after a long trip we didn't want to cook. It was late and looking like they would close soon, the next minute the line was out the door. It seems our locals agree this place is delish! Salsa, Guacamole and chips are the best. Crispy and Al pastor tacos are my favorite. read more

I had lunch at Chelas including their steak burrito and a coke for about $18. Nice decorations, friendly staff, and clean. I thought the prices were really high for what is basically a fast food Mexican restaurant. The burrito was good but relatively small for its $15 price. read more

Chelas Mexican Kitchen - Steak burrito - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Clemente, California

We ordered the rib eye tacos, two burritos, and nachos. Unfortunately, everything arrived cold and greasy. The rib eye tacos and burritos were also surprisingly sweet, which made them taste very unappetizing. Overall, it was a disappointing experience. The only positive was that the staff was friendly and the ambiance was nice. read more

This is a perfect local joint. Everything I've eaten here has been delicious. We are new to town and this is our go to Mexican spot now. Staff is very friendly too. read more

My nephew told us about Chelas a month or so ago and we decided to give it a try last night. So glad we did!! We had chile verde burritos and chips with salsa - absolutely delicious! Huge burritos, plenty to take home and enjoy for another meal or two. The chips and salsa were fresh and tasty and the service is friendly, fast and efficient. Nice selection of Mexican beers to go with our meal. We will definitely be back to try those tacos and enchiladas, they look wonderful. read more

Food is good and affordable. Great chips and salsa and taco Tuesday. Convenient to be able to order online and pick up

I'm not a Restaurant reviewer, but I know good Mexican food when I have it and this is awesome food. The servings are large and you'll always have something to take home if you're not inclined to over eat. The servers here act like they are the owners I don't think they are but they act like they are, and they seem to really care about your enjoyment and they'll do everything to recommend or help. You have a wonderful experience. Your order at the counter and you've got wonderful fish tacos amazing burritos with some very interesting combinations, incredibly good salsa, and lots of choices The food is on fire with some of your finer Mexican restaurants, but it's a casual restaurant they do a lot of takeout business If you go at a peak time, it might take a little while to get your food but it's always prepared fresh Monday, Wednesday and Friday after 3 o'clock they have amazing specials on 2 tacos. Fish tacos here are large and awesome. You also get chips. It's a good meal for six dollars. Taco Tuesday all day. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more