We love their mango chicken salad! Except no chicken add sweet pork yes they will gripe at you but just tell em it's what you want with the mango dressing! You won't be disappointed. Super refreshing summer salad read more

Oh my lanta! The sweet pork smothered in red sauce burrito here is AMAZING!!!! Never disappoints and for those of you who like tres leches cake!!! It's sooooo good!!!! And if you haven't tried it try it here you need it in your life like yesterday! Very nice workers too! read more

The old guy that walks around asking if he can clear your tray was rude to me because I was listening to headphones working on paperwork while eating my lunch. read more

Not thrilled with eating my food out of a tin foil pan, using plastic fork and knife, in an echo chamber dining area, trying to talk under strange pop/hip hop music. Seems that this place wants to present itself as a fast Mexican Grill. The serving - assembly line person was really quick, so that she spilled chicken chunks into the pork, or whatever, and grated cheese onto the floor. The cashier was quick to charge me a little extra for something I did not actually order or receive. Those tin pan food orders look all very much alike. Sometimes being fast is not appetizing. Maybe that would be easy to overlook if my food had been pleasant. My wife loved her sweet pork burritos with guacamole & sour cream. I had a raspberry chicken enchilada - which made me sick to my stomach. I don't know if it was the raspberry pepper sauce, or the pico de gallo, or the funny "Minute-Maid lite" beverage, or the bland parboiled rice. Or whatever. No refried beans. And no traditional tomato salsa. Really. And for all you goofy gringos out there who don't know what a real salsa is... It sure aint pico de gallo. read more

One of our favorite places to stop and get a quick bite. Jay walks around the tables taking care of every one of your needs- you're bound to have a good experience. read more

I was feeling too lazy to cook last night, so decided to phone in an order to Costa Vida. That was probably the worst decision I have made all month. I typically leave pretty positive reviews, but everything about my order was terrible. I can't speak to the service here (though it seems as though it would be negligible even if I were at the restaurant since it's line-order style) so this review is based solely on the food. I got a pork chile verde burrito with black beans. I asked for extra cilantro and jalapeños because I like those things in my burritos. I am pretty sure I got sweet pork in my burrito because the meat was cloyingly sweet. If that's what their chile verde tastes like, their food is even more disastrous than previously though. Aside from being sickly sweet, it had no character. It pretty much tasted like boiled pork tossed in simple syrup. I also got pico and lettuce on the side, which was basically some wet tomato chunks on a few strips of lettuce. My girlfriend got sweet pork enchiladas with rice, beans, and lettuce/pico. I decided to try her black beans because I was so disappointed in my burrito. They tasted like what I can only imagine boiled rabbit poo would.. only less flavorful. I think she was happier with her meal than I was with mine, but I couldn't tell due to the waves of disgust and disappointment that were drowning me. The quality of food was so low that I can't believe I had to spend real money on it. For what I got, I'd consider using monopoly money a bit pricey. Maybe it was an off night. Maybe I am spoiled because I have had good Mexican food (though calling this 'Mexican' or 'food' is kind of a stretch). Maybe it's Maybellene. Regardless, I will not be coming back. read more

I desperately want to give Costa Vida a higher score but I don't think that it would be an honest review. To start off I've been going to Costa Vida for almost 3 years now. I've tried many of the dishes and have a good idea on what I like here. The location is clean and lively. It can get loud so conversations might be difficult. TVs show b-roll of the same surfing montages. Bathrooms are generally clean. Let's get down to the actual stuff we care about. Costa Vida can either be described as Mexican or Tex mex. Both would be appropriate. The main problems is also costas strongest aspect. The sweet pork is amazing. One of the best meats I've had. The other 2 options feel dry and bland. I feel like the only meat selection is sweet pork. Most the dishes are similar. The salads give you the biggest variety in textures. After the meal costa has a bad habit of sitting in your belly like a big ball of uncomfortableness. Deserts are fine. I recommend the cinnamon tortilla. read more

"I can't help it. I love sweet pork. It feels wrong in all the right ways. Pork is savory and delicious, candy is sweet and makes you smile. And then they had a baby, and then they put that baby in a quesadilla, with cheese, and rice and beans. And then I ate it! Do you hate me? I feel bad, and my stomach feels like it's gonna burst." - Shakespeare This is such a fun place to eat with lots of mouth-watering choices. I really like the ambiance of this joint, while it is often crowded there's lots of seating and a cool waterfall glass statue thing a'ma'thing. The staff here is REAL friendly, they asked my mom and I a few times how we were, it made it feel more like a restaurant experience with how attentive they are. They have horchata which is awesome, but I wanted green tea and their green tea machine wasn't working. Sometimes they having surfing videos on the TV's. And sometimes it's not playing anything. I feel less than neutral about it... I'm not sure how to feel. Like if my Mom gave me a hug then left the room without making eye contact. It just leaves me with an off vibe, like... Did I miss something? They have great queso dip! I couldn't stop eating it! I have a problem! Or it's just really good! Or both! Anyways if you don't like pork, sweet or not, or queso... I don't know what to get here which is maybe why I gave it 4 stars personally. Then again, their mango sauce is great on a salad. Hmmm... Explore. Then call me and let me know. My number is 555-555-5555. read more

First time at Costa Vida and I'd choose this place over Chipotle any day. The salad was amazing. In particular their home-made and home-pressed tortillas that sit at the bottom of the salad made me very happy. Chipotle uses Pre made tortillas and the difference is night and day. I ordered the cilantro lime dressing and wish I would have ordered the jalapeño cilantro ranch once I tasted my sisters! They only describe it as ranch but it is much more than that. And surprisingly lower calories than the other. Fantastic lunch spot. read more

I love costa Vida. Always have and always will. It's delish and my favorite style of Mexican food. The prices have definitely been raised and it costs just as much as a sit down restaurant now. It's atleast $23 for two people (not including drinks or extras). Last time I was in, the girl put the tiniest amount of rice on my salad so I asked for some more and I got charged like $2 extra. I get it, my fault for asking but I feel I just got the regular amount. Other than that I have had pretty good experiences at this location. Always busy in there read more

Deeelicious! When you decide to finally check this place out, have ANYTHING with the sweet pulled pork. MAJOR YUM. I like the burritos (they're huge) and the salad (that my boyfriend also loves. and that's saying a lot!). They also make handmade flour and wheat tortillas right in front of you which are delectable. The workers are fast, and give you good portion sizes. The only reason I docked a star is because the food seems to be really sauce-y and not many fresh veggies :/ FYI: Students can get the special prices all the time with their student ID. read more

They allowed customers to hand two skateboards over the counter full of food and they did not change their gloves or wash their hands. Then proceeded to make the next customers order with the same gloves that had just been on the skateboard, handling money, and door handle multiple times. 4/8/22, seen around 7:30. read more

My wife turned me on to this place. I was very hesitant because she has recommended other fast food Mexican to me that I did not like at all. One that she likes a lot is Baja Fresh. I will write up a separate review on them later. But to sum up, if you like Mexican that is mostly rice and beans and very very little meat, you will like Baja Fresh. I have yet to try Qdoba Grill, which is another Mexican Fast food, but I am not expecting much there either. I also went with my wife to Chipotle Mexican Grill and was very unimpressed. All of these places use way too much rice and beans with way too little meat. This is of course how they make so much profit. Making a burrito with Rice and Beans and a couple pieces of meat in it is very low costs for them to make. So the profit margins are high. Ok, back to Costa Vida. I am a fan of this one. On a side note, I think it is pretty sad when the only decent Mexican food I can find anywhere in the Boise area comes from a Fast Food joint I am from Texas. In Texas, just about every other restaurant is Mexican, so this type of food is a staple of our diets. When I came to Idaho, I desperately craved Mexican food. I have been here 10 years now. I am still craving good Mexican food. Costa Vida as a much better menu than the other Mexican fast food places I listed. Unlike the others, they have Enchiladas, and Quesadillas. What all these places are missing are Tamales. The only reason I can think of why these places dont carry Tamales is that a good tamale is not easy to make. I had the Enchilada with Shredded beef. The beef was tender and I only had to spit out one bite of it due to gristle. So on my spit-o-meter, they get a 1. That means that I didnt have to spit out much, so they did good on this scale. The flavor of the beef was very good. I was impressed as to how much flavor there was. It was difficult to describe it. So all I will say here is that you should try it. The one thing I will say as a real negative, is that they dont have a salsa bar. They have a few bottles of hot sauce that on a shelf by the soda machine, but thats it. I dont like to use bottles that others have used. Sometimes you have to, but I try to avoid it. You just never know when someone used that bottle in ways, or in places that they should not have. When I ordered my Enchilada, the lady making it asked me what sauce I wanted on it. I told them I wanted the hot stuff. She put what they had on it in the amount that she chose to use. A huge negative in my book. I want to choose how much, or how little salsa is on, or in, my food. When I tasted the enchilada, I could taste very little heat. I am from Texas, so I like it pretty hot. Everyone likes a different heat level, so to leave this very important choice in the hands of someone that is not me, its not good. On the heat-o-meter, I give them a 3 because they said that this was their hottest one and didnt give me the choice of how much I wanted. Like I said earlier, its very sad that of all the Mexican Restaurants in Boise, its a Fast Food Mexican place that wins. I also had a taco, which was not that good. The flavor just was not there. I suspect for those that are less of a flavor junkies than I am, it will be fine. The one thing that Baja Fresh has over this place is there salsa bar. Baja Fresh has a really good Habanero/Mango Salsa that I really loved. If Costa Vida would put in a bar like this, they would be my go-to place for Mexican food. But I am continue to search for a real Mexican food restaurant that has good food. read more

This is by far the worst attempt at Mexican food I've ever tried. They literally put rice-a-roni in the burrito. They don't even have salsa, it's literally just tomatoes. The meat is chewy and I think they use pre shredded cheese because it doesn't even melt. This place shouldn't be allowed to call it's food Mexican. read more

Family favorite spot for burrito and salad. Location is very convenient (nearby my house), lots of parking, clean restaurant, always busy, very family-oriented. Sweet pork is the best choice; burrito when you are hungry, or small salad when you want to eat light. read more

Pretty great enchiladas y tacos camarones! Great service from friendly staff. Quick and easy order and food came out fresh, hot and accurate. Freshly made tortillas are hella good here... hope it was as good for you as it was for me! read more

I absolutely love costa vida but tonight i got a small sweet pork salad and i had no pork in my salad at all. i also asked for extra ranch and did not receive. my tortilla at the bottom of my salad was hard too. i did not receive an receipt either so i didn't get my points and don't know if i got charged extra for ranch i didn't receive read more

I thought I would try this because I LOVE cafe rio and heard this was close. So I went and used their coupon and let me say I will absolutely never go back to a Costa Vida. The reason being is that I've bitten into chicken that wasn't completely cooked. And that was twice!! Plus their steak isn't that good. Their portions aren't as big either. They are very similar but I would much rather go to a place that I love than to go here. read more

Holy crap, great salad in a strip mall. I got the pork salad, like most people recommended, and it was damn tasty. Huge portion in the large too, and I wasn't able to finish it. I'll be back. read more

Always clean place to eat and the food is fresh. I like the nachos and quesadilla since they are less popular

I usually go to a different location and get a shredded beef burrito, however this location doesn't make it as yummy. Their meet is always clumped together, there isn't very many beans or nearly enough sauce. Needless to say my meal is very dry. Prefer the location on S Entertainment St. read more

These guys consistently prove that Costa Vida can run with the big dogs. The service was fast and helpful along with a wonderful product. I'd take a sweet pork salad or burrito over Chipotle ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. Over rated *clap clap clapclapclap* read more

I was very disappointed today, my chicken quesadilla only had three pieces of chicken and hardly any rice and beans, only 5 fork fulls! Can't believe I wasted my money on this location read more

This location works super quickly and the line is never a problem. Food is consistently good. In comparison to cafe rio, I have always preferred costa as I like their tortillas, beans, and rice better. Overall as expected plus they have Cholula and horchata :) read more

I am from out of town and it looked tasty... honestly I was dissapointed..taste average but got the most microscopic serving ever of guac that was $1 extra wtf...even with chipotle they pile it on...I'll go to the other local place across the street from now on. read more

I absolutely love this place! Although the lines can be long, the food is worth the wait and warrants a large crowd. The steak is my favorite, but the other options are also good. The sweet tortillas are amazing ... as long as they're still warm when you eat them. read more

Dank dank and some more dank. Sweet pork burrito smothered with guac and pinco, bless up chipotle who?

I have visited this Costa Vida location several times since moving to Meridian. I've been to quite a few Costa Vida's and this location is my favorite. The store is always well kept & clean. The food is always fresh & delicious. They even have an employee walking the dining room checking in on customers too ask how the food is & if we need anything. He even asks to take your tray and empty your garbage from the table. It's a really nice touch. The reason that I only gave 4 stars is the size of The portions aren't consistent. One day you will get the correct amount of meat & the next day you get hardly any meat. Another thing that bugs me is that chips and salsa do not come with your entree. I have a family that consists of 3 teenagers & 3 adults. When we eat there it costs a minimum of $70 to feed the herd. It is a bit of a slap in the face to need to spend another $8 or so on chips. I hope this policy changes soon. read more

Costa Vida Rocks!!! Fresh great food with very nice employees!!! I had the steak tacos WOW off the charts good!! read more

This is one of our go-to dining destinations. The food always hits the spot. We used to always order the sweet pork salad but found we get more of what we like by ordering the sweet pork burrito with the small portion of salad on the side. The staff is always friendly. The manager, Tim Murray, often greets the guests. read more

Good food happy atmosphere. We had the daily special and enjoyed it however the meat portions were pretty small compared to the salad portion. One of the employees came to our table a little too often for my preference and he looked over us rather than at us when he asked if everything was ok. read more

LOVE, LOVE the food! Fresh, tasty, and large quantity (1 entree can feed 2 on date night). This place has top notch cleaning and staff policies that show when you are there! The prices are reasonable! The variety, customizing options they offer make you feel welcome to speak up for what you prefer =) They are cheaper and better in per-person Catering prices than Tucanos, Texas Road House, AND Chilis- A Taco Bar layout for under $60 that served 10 people (including 3 teenage boys)!!! However, it's better to go at off times (between 1-4) so you aren't waiting for up to 20-30 min . We tried to call in our order last time, but I couldn't understand the manager at all. So we made that trip the next day and pre-order dinner. Also, they quit serving beer and became more "kiddo" friendly, which is great for your families. The dining area has grown and can feel very crowded during the rush hours. read more

This restaurant is the Best!!! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. They are willing to work with my food sensitivities. The restaurant is clean and well maintained. I love that the food is made from scratch every single day! THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT EVER!!! read more

Had a regular sized salad, half chicken half veggies. Overall total came to 8.50. For the price and the size I would honestly not recommend. Granted I didn't get the signature sweet pork smothered burrito that Costa Vida is famous for. But for the light eaters that still want to go out with their pals, the quality was good enough. Staff was friendly, dining room clean. Baller ass shit read more

Costa Vida - Got a salad. Was bomb as fuk, chicken hella tender - Mexican Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

I have three words: sweet pork tacos. I kid you not, you will have happy food dreams about them for days after you try them. I have never had a negative experience at Costa Vida, the staff is friendly, conscientious, and quick. This is a great place to go if you need to eat gluten-free, just mention when you order and they will change gloves and make sure nothing with wheat touches your food. read more

I love costa vida, but if you order through a third party you will not get what you are expecting. Third party is EXPENSIVE and I only do it when I have to, but it sucks when you get your 20$ salad and it has half of what you receive while in store. Just a thought, even though we aren't there watching you make it, doesn't mean you can half ass it and say it's good. read more

Best Mexican food chain in my opinion. Has great burritos and other Mexican specialties. I'm giving this a 4 star because it can be inconsistent at times. read more

What a great lunch! I had the sweet pork salad, the special of the day, which made for a pleasant surprise! The help was friendly and very fast! I really enjoyed my experience there!! read more

Go here for the delicious salads. Made right in front of you, totally fresh ingredients, large portions, and soooo good. Be sure to get the Ranch style dressing and the shredded pork salad .yumm!! read more

Food is consistently good. Have options for large and small fresh made tortillas with white or wheat. Sweet pork salad is my favorite and a large portion. I just get the small with tomatillo ranch dressing on the side. Great for lunch or dinner. read more