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    Costa Mesa

    3.0 (12 reviews)

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    a dining area with people sitting at tables
    Rubén L.

    It pains me to give this location of Costa Messa 3 stars. I've been going to the original location and never had a problem. I always get the same thing, a botana platter. This location's fajitas tasted as if they were baked in an oven and not grilled. The presentation was pretty nice; a bed of romaine leaf lettuce on the bottom of the platter with the fajitas on top mixed in with onions and peppers. Then on the other side of the platter had the melted cheese and bean tostadas. Again, it looked nice but I was disappointed with the flavor of the meat. It might have been grilled but it tasted to me like it was cooked in an oven. I'm not ruling out Costa Messa, I'm just going to stick to the original location next time.

    a plate of food on a table

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    10 years ago

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    7 days ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The best Mexican food we have had since being in the Rio Grande Valley. Delicious food and excellent service

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    4 years ago

    If you ever work here save all your pay stubs because they are not very good about verifying employment.

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

    The food was great both times we ate there. The waitstaff was a little hard to understand but the food was worth it.

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    8 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Costa Mesa

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    El Botanero - Ribeye tacos. Not great but not bad. Would preferred traditional grilled onions.

    El Botanero

    3.8(27 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    Okaaaay McAllen I see you! I came out here on a Friday night around 8pm, the place was lively, good…read moremusic on the speakers and it instantly felt like the weekend. With no reservation, I was asked to kindly take a seat in the small waiting area to clear a table. I was instantly greeted with a friendly smile and felt welcomed. I was seated within 5 minutes. I had a late lunch and wasn't super hungry. I couldn't pass up the refried beans and chips since they were wafting in my vicinity, no regrets though, the chips were on the lighter side (not super hard like a tostada) and crispy and you could taste the manteca in the beans which made me smile. Según, I had no intention on eating but I couldn't pass up the aguachile as it came to my table. Twas delightful! The only regret I had at that point was not bringing my appetite. Onto the drinks. Wanted to start off "light" and the Paloma was perfect and refreshing. Not too much on the squirt side, not amargoso (bitter) and the right amount of tequila. During the night they abruptly announced that they were running a 2 for 1 shot special along with LMFAO's "Shots" song and you almost feel obliged to order (marketing genius). I was feeling adventurous and decided not to ask what each shot entailed, but rather to go based off the name. I went with the Perla Negra and for the presentation itself it was worth ordering. All in all, this place is a MUST for your Friday night warm up. Como dice terminator: I'll be back.

    We were a party of 10 that made reservations for 6pm. We all showed up and the space was nice. Lots…read moreof TV's everywhere and it had music playing. Waiter came and took our orders for drinks and we all started making our selections for food. The chips and salsa they bring out complementary are so good. We did have to wait because they were making a fresh batch but it was worth the wait. We all had a round of drinks and then put in our order for food and it was about 7pm already. Our waiter then came up to the table and asked us if we would mind moving because they had a reservation at 8pm for the area that they chose to sit us in. We were kind of annoyed by that because we had called the day before to make our reservations. We said I guess thinking it was going to be close to 8 that they would move us. Nope about 5-10 mins passed and he came by and asked us if we would mind moving already before our food came out. Considering that again we had a reservation and they knew it was a large party they should have blocked out more than just 2 hrs for us to be there. We moved and the very least they could have done for us is offer a free dessert on the house for the table but they didn't. Now I ordered the flautas which were served on a bead of beans. The menu said shredded chicken but we were told they didn't have chicken they only had beef so I ordered it. The flautes were lacking flavor and probably could have been saved by adding salt to them and the beans but they don't have that at any of the table. I did try some of my friends chicharrones and those were really good. We left around 8:15-8:20 and there was no one that showed up where we were originally sitting... so we could have just stayed where they originally sat us. We left feeling very annoyed.

    Photos
    El Botanero - Sitting at the bar

    Sitting at the bar

    El Botanero - Elotes

    Elotes

    El Botanero - Front facade

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    Front facade

    Palenque Grill - Camarones Laredo
Jumbo Shrimps stuffed with cheese and jalapeños wrapped in bacon, served with rice and steamed vegetables

    Palenque Grill

    3.9(183 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    What a letdown. We were shown to our table, then ignored for…read moreover 15 minutes before our waiter even acknowledged us. Strike one. We finally ordered--only to receive chicken fajitas instead of beef. Sent them back, waited again. Strike two. When the corrected order arrived? The fajitas were completely bland. No seasoning. The sweetbread--crispy on the outside, yes--but equally flavorless. And then we realized they'd forgotten the beans entirely. Those charro beans? The most tasteless I've ever had in my life. Strike three. The ambiance was nice (though overpriced for a mall spot), but the food was a shadow of what I experienced here a year ago. Such a shame--Mexican cuisine should sing with spice and care. This was a silent, disappointing echo.

    Super friendly and attentive services, delicious tasting food, and a great environment to enjoy…read morewith family and/or friends. This place is on the mid range prices for food, but the staffing and environment makes up for it. Truly enjoyed our appetizers, chorizoqueso, where the waitress mixed it up for us and served each one of us at the table on our choosing of flour or corn tortillas. Personally enjoy the corn but they're both great As the entree, went with Tacos Matamoros and they did not disappoint. On portions and taste it was great.

    Photos
    Palenque Grill - Costillas Palenque
Beef finger ribs with charro beans

    Costillas Palenque Beef finger ribs with charro beans

    Palenque Grill - Choriqueso
Melted cheese with Mexican Chorizo

    Choriqueso Melted cheese with Mexican Chorizo

    Palenque Grill - Tostada de Ceviche.
 Shrimp or fish,marinated in lime juice w/tomato, onion, cilantro, served on a corn tostada topped w/avocado

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    Tostada de Ceviche. Shrimp or fish,marinated in lime juice w/tomato, onion, cilantro, served on a corn tostada topped w/avocado

    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine - Fajita plate

    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine

    4.8(45 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    Saw the #1 ranking in Yelp and stopped in to eat for the first time. A bit out of the way in a…read morestrip mall. We were seated within a few minutes. Staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was lively. Started with the free tortilla chips and salsa. Salsa was served warm with very good flavor and a little kick to it. Ordered the Guacamole as well. Was very good with a blend of avocado, veggies and lime juice. I ordered the Buena Vida Pack, a delicious sampler. I finished every bite. My companion ordered the Governador Tacos and really enjoyed it. Total bill for two with beverage was ~$40. Be advised that they do not have alcoholic beverages. I definitely recommend.

    Pro #1: Meat is sooooooo tender. I wish it had more seasoning ... even if it was salt nonetheless…read moreit was good! Con #1: This restaurant is not environmentally conscious. Other than the meal, everything is served on styrofoam, utensils are plastic and cups are bad fast food plastic qualify. Con # 2: I asked the waitress if they had unsweet tea and pink packet sweetener. I asked about the pink packets 3 times and she said yes. She came back with yellow packets. I asked if they had pink packets and she said no. No to her. Con # 3: There are no free refills. I ordered two unsweet teas and the girl brought me two unsweet teas with yellow packets. So I asked for a sweet teas. They charged me for three Aqua Frescas. Charged $15. Hell no. Meh. Pass on a second visit.

    Photos
    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine - Inside

    Inside

    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine - Trompo torta $13

    Trompo torta $13

    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine

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    Costa Mesa - mexican - Updated May 2026

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