We've been coming here for years. It's not exactly convenient to where we live but it's worth the drive. My wife and I went earlier this week and it's always good. I had the carnitas machaca. Crispy meat, large portions, tasty flour tortillas. Leftovers every time. Great service as usual. Family run business in an old house. Gotta try it if you haven't already or go back if it's been a while. read more

Went here because I was hungry, the party for my family didn't start yet so me and Mom decided to try this place overall it was very delicious. I definitely recommend this Mexican food. It's a 10 out of 10. I ordered a wet burrito and carnitas plate read more

El Farolito - Carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

See all

Really good as usual, I just wish they took reservations but I have to say, if you go on off hours you get seated pretty quick. Love everything, people, salsa and drinks! Will be back! xoxo read more

Too crowded and horrible parking situation-it's just basic Mexican food and we have given them a few chances...

Been coming to this place for yeaaars. It's authentic and delicious Mexican food. I recommend the enchiladas. Service is always good. I don't think I've heard had a rude waiter. Expect a short wait because this place is small but quite popular. read more

A truly "authentic" Mexican Restaurant. We went here with our kids' waterpolo team on a Sunday at 8:30 am. Happy to accommodate about 22 people. Friendly and hospitable. And the food!!! Awesome fresh chips and salsa. I got the Breakfast Enchiladas with red sauce. My son got Chorizo and eggs. Everyone loved their meals. read more

The local Yelpers gave this spot a high rating, after eating here I know why now! Parking is a challenge everywhere we have been in Southern California, there is public parking about a block away and it's a nice flower lined street to stroll down to this business. There is indoor and outdoor seating available, we had our service dog " Hazel" with us and she was welcomed. It's really nice to see smiling faces again. The working staff was wearing masks still. There were movable partitions between the tables. This was our first time here. We sat down and this staff is quick to bring water, chips and salsa. The hot chips were home made and the salsa had some good heat, it almost made my eyes tear up! Loved the salsa, this spot is friendly and clean. I love chorizo and eggs with flour tortillas, my wife ordered machaca and eggs with flour tortillas. We did some people watching and it was quite a diverse crowd of folks here. The waitstaff here checked on you on a regular basis, they were tipped very well. When our food came my plate of chorizo looked delicious, the chorizo was possibly locally sourced, it did not taste like the chorizo you get at a store. My wife loved her machaca, she appreciated the fresh onion and bell peppers that it was made with . We know we are at a authentic Mexican food spot when the tortillas are home made. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding, a strong 5 stars! Highly recommended read more

See all

I've been eating here for 20 yrs now and it's still my FAVORITE Mexican food restaurant. When I lived in Anaheim ( 20 yrs ago ), my neighbor introduced me to this place- and I've been hooked ever since!! I now live in Murrieta and I'll drive all the way out there just for the food- that's how GREAT it is!!! The staff is very friendly and they always provide great service, (whether I get it to go, or stay and eat there). Hands down the BEST AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD EVER!!!! read more

I've been going to this restaurant for over 30 years. Their food is great. Best salsa ever. They're expanding after covid. Opening more space. Excellent choice! By far the best Mexican food anywhere out of Orange County!! read more

Delicious food! Service was excellent! Family owned restaurant in the heart of old town Fullerton

If you know a Placentia native, you've likely heard about El Farolito. This place is like the favorite child of the city, and with good reason. Their Mexican food is solid, and I can confirm that their take out orders hold up great. I know this is a concern sometimes because there are some spots where I can't order take out because it's not the same as when you dine in. Their enchiladas come in both green or red sauce (8.5/10). I prefer the green but the red are also tasty. I've also had their chile relleno (8/10) and veggie burrito (7.5/10). Both are good, however, the veggie burrito is primarily beans and rice. I suggest asking to add a mix of onions, bell peppers, pico de gallo, and a little lettuce to add some real veggies. When you dine in, you get complimentary chips. For take out orders, you have to pay for a side a chips (10/10) but they are well WORTH IT. They are made in house and they are so tasty and crunchy. I didn't care for their salsa (4/10), I like a lot of kick for my salsa and theirs was too tomatoey (this isn't a word but I'm making it one). Parking is limited can be a bit of a challenge. There is one 15-minute parking spot right in front for take-out orders. To dine in, you may need to park a bit further from the restaurant and walk. On a Friday, I ordered food 45 minutes ahead of time and they took about a half hour to prepare. Upon arriving, there were two people in front of me and it took me the full 15 minutes to pick up; it can be rather slow so be patient. read more

Great experience and delicious authentic Mexican food. We went on a Friday for date night with some friends. My friend had a rough week and she felt she deserved a big, strong margarita and tacos! I concur!! We wanted to stay local so she recommended El Farolito. Surprisingly there was no wait but people started coming eventually. We chose the outside canopy seating which was still nice and warm. The ambiance is mom and pop like but bigger space and the service was good. Menu: I ordered the shrimp fajita plate. It was full of flavor. My favorite part were the beans and tortillas. I wanted to try a cup of their menudo but they only have it on weekends. I washed down my meal with a skinny watermelon margarita which was so balanced and refreshing. Not too sweet and the tajin rim added a nice punch of chili lime flavor (Waitress' recommendation). My husband had the red carne asada wet burrito. That had to be like 2 lbs at least and he almost ate it all! Hubby gave it two thumbs up too. He also liked his strawberry daiquiri. LOL yes he likes manly drinks. My friend ordered of course her big glass of margarita WITH extra shot of patron on the side! She had their popular enchiladas but with shrimp and verde sauce. Yum! Lastly her husband had the chicken enchiladas and foods light. Ultimately we would definitely come back and recommend. read more

Small place that we found one day. Food was good and it seems to be popular. Hope we can try it again soon. Service was good and the regular folks seemed to get more attention. read more

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo today with my wife. Our first time at El Farolito. The food was great! Service was great! We had enchiladas and carnitas, was so good!! The owner of the restaurant frequently checked on us and really made our experience special. My brother and my sisters family frequent the establishment, now I know why. The flan was Superb!! Real flan... Look forward to visiting again soon. Very, very reasonable and huge portions. Thank you!! read more

See all

best tasting authentic mexican food served with attention and smiles. enjoyed a great bloody mary, margarita, shrimp enchiladas and a combo plate with chili rellano/beef enchilada. definitely worth the trip. they're adding dining space and will celebrate 50 yrs this year. this grounds been eating here for years. they love the carne asada. read more

El Farolito - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Delicious food; yes! I absolutely have to go here when I can. If you love Mexican this is a must. They have amazing chips and salsa to start, the best entrees, my favorite before being diagnosed with celiac disease was the enchiladas but with my diagnosis I started getting chicken, cheese and rice and even that is delicious; you truly can't go wrong! They also have such a friendly staff and quick service, with amazing horchata! I totally recommend this place! read more

When I'm feeling like some top notch Mexican food, here's me go to. Parking is a challenge sometimes, but don't let that stop you from stopping in for a bite. read more

I always like to give honest reviews, as best as possible and making sure I don't hurt peoples feelings in any way, the last thing I wanna do is try and hurt a business. This place was highly recommended and arriving there I knew the recommendation was well deserved. It is beautiful outside and inside. Clean and nice with great ambiance. We were seated right away and planned on having lunch and a drink and then walking down the street to check out the shops. The menu is nice, every item looked appealing and their bio on the front page was nice and very impressive. We ordered our food which arrived promptly! I'm talking 5 minutes, it was ready. The food was perfect, 10 stars for the food! We were having a great time, I didn't order a drink but my friend did. The plate of food is huge, I couldn't finish it so once I was done I decided to finish off my horchata and let my friend finish her meal and her margarita. The waitress came and asked how service was, I said everything was great. So she proceeded to ask if I wanted a take home box for my food. Of course I replied yes thinking she would bring the box once we were done with the food and her drink (she anticipated ordering one more). A minute later she returns with the boxes and the check. My friend and I looked at each other because we felt it was unnecessary to bring us the check when she was still eating and her margarita was still full. Did it ever occur to her that maybe we wanted dessert or maybe another drink? It just seemed rude as if she didn't want our business, she totally killed our vibe. What started off as a great experience turned out sour. We packed our food, paid and left. My friend was sort of bummed, she didn't finish her margarita. She said let's get out of here now. We ended up going elsewhere to get a drink and have a good time. The food is good, service was lacking, thank you but will not be returning. Review update: Unbeknownst to me, I got a picture of the waitress who technically kicked us out after just 10 minutes. I snapped a photo of the inside because I sent it to my daughter telling her how nice the place was. See added photo I included with this review. read more

El Farolito - Our waitress and inside of restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

I was able to finally make it to El Farolito when I tell you it's a must go and try you better stop what you're doing and go the food is sp good omg I tried thee Chicken Enchiladas they are full of chicken and delicious I live in LA and drove to Placentia, CA to try there food it was really worth it I promise you read more

I stay on this neiborhood because I whend to Disneyland Walking on Monday looking for a place to eat many restaurants around here but in Monday some close we choose this place el farolito.... We seat on the patio....... WE order michelada and strawberry margarita The glass was plastic and warm no ice on my michelada the margarita look and taste like sloshi The food he order carnitas plate and i got chiles rellenos the flavors was ok..... My food waz ok They don't took the veins and seeds from my peppers The presentation not too good Staff was slow I see more coustoumers I see they like the mediocre service For both plates they just bring 3 tortillas........ read more

See all

My favorite Mexican restaurant! Food is so flavorful here! I don't even like refried beans, but El Farolito makes them so good that I am a believer of refried beans now. Portions here are generous. My hubby and I shared a Jr's Plate and chose Chile Relleno (additional $0.75) as our one-item and it comes with rice and beans. We also ordered a cup of Menudo (available weekends only). We loved everything! Every item was freshly made, well-seasoned, and priced well! Even the complimentary chips and salsa at the beginning of your meal were phenomenal! El Farolito serves up amazing Mexican food at amazing prices. The only gripe is that parking is tough... even with the extra lot down the street because this place is just so busy that there isn't enough parking. However, if you're an early bird like me, you shouldn't have too much of a problem getting parking and not having to wait in line to get in! read more

See all

My son and my granddaughter and myself just had breakfast at El Farolito on East Street I ordered the levels rancheros pretty much it was a very good experience until I started chomping on eggshells I'm not talking a little piece here are there big giant pieces of eggshell we're inside my eggs which really messed up my breakfast one of the waitresses said that she would give us a discount for that but when we got up to the checkout we were giving no discount so food is good people are very kind but eggshells I can do without in my breakfast it was a bad experience overall it ruined my breakfast read more

Their cheese Enchiladas are hands down the best anywhere on this planet. So simple, so delicious. Only downside is they have a full liquor license, but no bar. But don't sleep on those cheese Enchiladas. Chicken is not necessary. read more

Homemade chips and salsa. Nuff said. Okay there is more!! Best coffee (with cinnamon) and BOMB enchiladas.... I've yet to try anything else because of how delicious they are but I keep telling myself to try their tostada salad or something else, my go to is usually enchiladas verde so there we have it my ultimate weakness. I haven't been here since PreCovid but today I Decided to come back and YIPPEEE it was a great decision.... sooooo much room for seating, huge plus. How can someone not like authentic food?? Impossible. I can definitely call this spot one of my favorites. Whenever I'm in the area I do my best to come here, why? Because it's just that good. read more

El Farolito - Enchiladas Verdes (Green Sauce). - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Old school feel - been there forever; family owned, tasty food, chips and salsa amazing, clean bathroom s. Hopefully you don't have to wait because the place is always slammed. read more

I am a long time customer (about 20 yrs) and el farolito used to be unbeatable. Unfortunately (for them) their new servers are not a match to their tradition. Customer service has gone down. Food is still good but nothing you cannot find in almost every other corner in OC. I no longer recommend it to friends and family. read more

I come here every so often and the food is always delicious and fresh. I really love their fresh guacamole and salsa. Staff are always kind and attentive, I've never had any issues with my order. Even when they were slammed they had our order out in a very timely manner. read more

Love this place, one I'd the free remaining classic Mexican joints around. Very reasonable prices, delicious food, very friendly staff and very well run. Tacos delish Machaca con huevos - my fav Carnitas- c'mon it's carnitas :) Not exactly fine dining ambiance but if you're not snobby you'll enjoy it. Good people good food. Oh and parking is a little tight so you may have to walk a bit but it's worth it read more

Amazing authentic Mexican food and drinks. Service was top notch and the ambience was very reminiscent of the roots of Mexico.

Our Go-To Fave whenever we are in the area. Neighborhood Favorite Not super fancy but who needs fancy? I just need it to be damn good... and it is. They have since expanded .... now the little parking lot that used to be adjacent to the building is now an outdoor dining area that they have covered with what seems to be a semi-permanent tent. Menu: lot of options Pricing: incredibly reasonable Food: yummy Portion size: be hungry Drinks: beer and margaritas are always our top picks Service: they are 'on it'... quick and efficient This time I had the Chicken Tostada Salad... it was hot and I was "trying to be good". hahahaha Lots of tender chicken and fresh crispy lettuce... beans, etc... all the yummy things. Salsa and Chips are also very good so be careful not to fill up on these. I helped my mom with her shrimp enchiladas and those were quite tasty as well. Tender chunks of shrimp! I'd suggest going early... or ordering takeout. This place can get busy and 1) parking is kinda challenging in the area and 2) the wait. It's worth it but if you're Hungry you don't want to get Hangry when you should have just come earlier. read more

I was craaaaving enchiladas and this place satisfied my cravings right after my first bite! I used to go to a spot in Paramount for my enchiladas fix, but no need anymore! I got the Enchiladas Verdes and everything was perfect. Will definitely be coming back! read more

El Farolito - Enchiladas Verdes (Green Sauce). - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

The food is delicious, they serve full plates (unlike most restaurants) and the service is A+. They use earpiece to communicate to one another and it works well. Highly recommended read more

This was my first visit to this restaurant and I was pleasantly surprised. Came here with my family because I was craving some authentic carne asada nachos (not a macho nacho or nacho bel grande). As soon as we entered the establishment, I saw it was pretty crowded for 4pm on a Friday. I told my family this place must be a hidden gem. As soon as we sat down we were given complimentary chips and salsa. This squashed my cravings for nachos so I decided to go with the carne asada plate (rice, beans, flour tortillas). It was probably the best authentic Mexican dish I've had in a really long time. Everything was flavorful and cooked to perfection. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Obviously this place as long since been a staple of the community around placentia. I've always thought their prices were a little bit high but their food sure is delicious. My problem, after several recent visits is with the service. Jeff in particular. His poor attitude toward paying patrons just rub me the wrong way one too many times. read more

This is an old home style Mexican food restaurant. Old style seating in old town Placentia area. Hadn't been in Orange County in a while! Wanted some real Mexican food and it was still good! Had enough for breakfast the next morning with my tortilla from the refrigerator. read more

El Farolito - Taco Enchiladaplaye. - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

I went here for the menudo. I have to say it was very good. The menudo comes with hominy, they also sell it without if you prefer. The service was prompt and efficient. The waitresses were courteous and alert to your needs. The ambiance was an old Mexican setting, very comfortable. I enjoyed my first visit and plan to come again. The menu is only a few pages but they offer convenient optional combinations of traditional dish's that you can pick which ones you prefer, I really like that option. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Took our family for a birthday and this place rocks! Very nice server, excellent food, and supposedly tremendous Mexican coffee or some such. Been here with my men's group as well, and they can't get enough of the burritos. I like the spicy salsa (at least spicy for white people...) read more

Nice atmosphere,friendly fast servers, great food! What more you want?! Lol had a great meal. Line looked a little intimidating but moved at a good pace. 1900+ reviews can't be wrong! Thanks to Danny our server, guy is on it! When I come back this way again it's a sure stop! read more

El Farolito - Carne asada plate - Mexican Near Me - Placentia, California

Delicious food! I'm originally from LA county so finding authentic Mexican sit down restaurants can be difficult in OC. Not a fancy atmosphere but that's part of the charm. We've been here twice and servers have been a little brash but I can't take a star for that because the food is THAT good. read more

Excellent place and one of a kind but true authentic Mexican food! A must place to try and always come back