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    El Mar Mexican Restaurant

    3.8 (82 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    El Mar Mexican Restaurant Photos

    EL MAR MEXICAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - El Mar Mexican Restaurant

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    Quesadilla
    Crystal M.

    They messed up my 7-year-old's order. We asked for a cheese quesadilla with no meat. The waitress asked, "Just cheese?" I confirmed, "Yes, just cheese. My daughter is picky and doesn't want anything else on her quesadilla." Her quesadilla was stuffed full of shredded chicken with a glop of guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes. I'm giving two stars instead of one, because the inside of the restaurant was nice and clean appearing.

    Front of building
    Zelda H.

    Excellent, authentic Mexican food. Specialty is seafood and they do a wonderful job. I can't spell a lot of the dishes, but the ones in a mortar are just amazing. Fish tacos are made with cod, not tilapia. Friendly service and reasonable prices. Don't bother with the standard burgers or fish and chips at the beach. Go here for real food made with love.

    Paloma
    Tiffany O.

    As a restaurant in Long Beach, this is 4 stars for me because of their hours and menu, but outside Long Beach, it's more like 3 stars for the quality when compared to other Mexican and non-Mexican restaurants with the same items. We came here twice during our stay in Long Beach because El Mar was always open and has a lot of options to choose from. Their menu is huge and even includes American / western food items like burgers, fish and chips, hot dogs, chicken strips, breakfast, etc. We got enchiladas on the first day. There's nothing too special or bad about them, except the portions (enchiladas, rice, beans, and side veggies - basically everything) are smaller than some other Mexican restaurants I've been to. The quality / taste was mediocre, so I wouldn't order those again. The next day, we got the flautas, which were much better and even bigger / more in quantity than the enchiladas (just less rice, beans, and salad). It also came with guacamole for no extra charge. I also appreciated that the staff was always willing to refill our chips and salsa. Plus, on the second day, they offered us a green salsa that was very tasty. Their red salsa isn't too bad either, since I would drink it. However, the drinks weren't that strong alcohol-wise (paloma and cadillac margarita), but that's standard for most Mexican restaurants or any restaurants in general. I also didn't pay attention to their special menu items above the cash register (which I regret), so next time I would want to try the birria ramen, quesa-birria, etc.

    #15 Big Burrito with Carne Asada
    Lex H.

    We ordered to go inside the restaurant and only waited about 10 minutes for our food! I got the Quesa-Birria, which was pretty solid and good. My boyfriend got the big burrito and he said it was good. Small lil restaurant in long beach and it's pretty good!

    Tommy W.

    The drinks were its only saving grace. The pork chop we ordered as dry as bones. I think pork jerky is juicer. Carne asada tacos were tough and dry as well. Lenuga tacos were tender but flavorless. Also the service was slow and inattentive. If you're looking for crappy Mexican food in a small touristy town, then this is the place for you. Otherwise, there are many restaurants in the area you can have a better meal at. Certainly many restaurants could clear the low hurdle left by this establishment.

    Carne asada and a side of tamale
    Ha T.

    This is some of the best carne asada I ever had. The steak is tender and well-seasoned, with just right ratio of fat to meat. So many places overcook carne asada to point of beef jerky. Theirs is spot on. The tamale has good flavors and texture. The seafood cocktail is refreshing with plenty of avocado and plump shrimps. The fish taco is perfectly cooked and nice and crispy on the outside. It just needs a little more seasoning. They do seem to have a problem with washing dishes. Our sodas came in cans, not glasses. We also get plastic utensils that are not good for cutting into steaks. Other than that, dinner is pretty enjoyable.

    Monterey Camarones. Crunchy, overcooked bacon and shrimp.
    Michael H.

    We gave El Mar a shot. Really wanted to enjoy it. But the food just wasn't that great. I'll start with positives: The $10 margarita was a good pour. You can tell there's actually tequila in there. The refried beans were pretty good. The beef chimichanga was good; real meat, seasoned well, crispy. But everything else was sub-par. The enchilada on one of our plates seemed to be drenched in a sauce that could best be described as Tomato Soup. The rice was rice, nothing special. I had the butter-filled, bacon-wrapped shrimp. The were slightly overcooked, too crunchy. So that was disappointing. The other thing that was just... weird: One of our combo plates was wrong. Before we started to eat, we called the waitress over. She had delivered our meal to a table next to us, and their meal to us. They realized it too, so our waitress just 'swapped' the two plates between the tables. Wth I don't think we'll be back.

    Menu
    Raelene G.

    NEW OWNERS The food here is the best Mexican food around. We go down the Baja annually and El Mar is exactly like one of the places we love in Vincente Guerrero. Try 3 of their tacos Al Pastor or Carne Asada. Delicious!!!

    Delicious Enchiladas Suizas

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    22 days ago

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    4 months ago

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    7 months ago

    Great food and friendly staff. My wife and I went today for lunch and it was so good , I think this is our new go to Mexican restaurant

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

    The food is always spot on and its true authentic Mexican food. not frozen cheap meat that you'll find at most white owned restaurants

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    1 year ago

    Had huevos rancheros for lunch. It was good. Would come back again. Good portions and friendly waitress.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Pretty solid spot to grab a bite. Chips and salsa are above average. Beef fajitas are my go to! Best Mexican in LB.

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    2 years ago

    I had the seafood burrito in red sauce. OMG, it's so good! Shrimp in every bite! Definitely will go again. DS, Ocean Park, WA 4.95 stars

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Best Mexican restaurant on peninsula!! Great food. Awesome service and ambience!! Carne Asada Tacos are to die for!!

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    Castaway's Seafood Grille - Mozzarella sticks

    Castaway's Seafood Grille

    3.9(873 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    We were walking down the street along the main drag of town, looking for a nice place to eat. We…read morefound Castaways and it was packed. The host told us the wait would be 20-30 mins, so we put our names in and kept walking, exploring the street until it was time to return. They're pretty quick bussing tables to turn over guests in order to seat new ones. The waitress took our order fairly quickly and we sat back, listen to the live musician and waited for the food. The price was higher than we'd like, but honestly it was about the same as every other restaurant in the town. The food came in a timely manner and was good. Restrooms were also clean and tended too, even with this large of a crowd. This is going to be one of the local restaurants we want to return to in the future. I kind of understand why they're so busy now!

    My wife and I came in for my birthday dinner. Was excited to order a full crab meal. steak and clam…read morechowder. We ordered drinks (coke and beer) and after 15-20 minutes we had no one come to our table. Never got our drinks or the chance to order food. The guy who walked in behind us had his drink, appetizer and main course served to him. We had to call the waiter to us and ask him what is going on. He said he got the entire restaurant dumped on him even though there were multiple waiters running around. We personally saw him at the fountain machine and he did not bother to bring us a coke. And people that came in after us were being served. We left after that. Service-0 stars Food-unknown Ambience-2

    Photos
    Castaway's Seafood Grille - Cold beer, Football, Hot seafood, good service, I'll be back..!!

    Cold beer, Football, Hot seafood, good service, I'll be back..!!

    Castaway's Seafood Grille - Clam strips

    Clam strips

    Castaway's Seafood Grille - Rose water lemon drop

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    Rose water lemon drop

    Taco Wok - Burrito

    Taco Wok

    4.6(7 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Small little walk in spot with a pretty small menu. Not many choices, and kind of lacking full…read moremeal choices. The day we visited they were out of stuff to make dragon bowls. While looking over the menu of items that we could order (tacos, burrito) it was noted that prices are pretty high. Some of the tacos seemed interested and we wanted to try, but didnt want to pay $8 for one taco. We opted for a few of the chicken and pork tacos ($4/ea) and a burrito ($18). We were handed a buzzer to take with us for the wait. Once the food was ready, we were buzzed. We were thanked for our patience. The wait was approximately 35 minutes. The burrito was more long than it was wide. It was served cut in half--so approximately the size of two of the small frozen burritos you would buy at the grocery store. It was kind of like something that someone with cooking skills could make at home. So pretty homestyle, IMO. I did like the cheese crust to seal the burrito, that was creative and gave it something you wouldn't normally find and a little extra flavor and personality. The tacos were good. The food wasn't bad, just think it was expensive for what it was. Would also be better if you could have a taco plate with rice and beans for a more well rounded meal. Two chicken tacos are $8, so I think some rice and beans with it would be reasonable. I hope to see an expansion of the menu in the future--or at least all of the menu available. Overall rating 3.5

    Taco Wok is the name. Think about that. And here comes your Korean BBQ Taco! This is no fast food…read moretaco shop. It is a small, made-to-order restaurant and has seating for 4 people. The owner and chef, Indus, carefully crafts and prepares every single tasty item. Made to order. Tip: call your order in. You'll know about how long it will take and you give the chef time to custom make your order.

    Photos
    Taco Wok - Tacos

    Tacos

    Taco Wok - Outside

    Outside

    Taco Wok - Buzzer

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    Buzzer

    Lost Roo - (6/18/25)

    Lost Roo

    4.2(870 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    We placed a to go order, it was ready about 15 minutes after placing it. We ordered beef bulgogi,…read moreFried chicken, Spicy Ahi tuna tower and onion rings. Everything was amazing. We planned our beach trip around when this restaurant would be open as we love this restaurant so much. We will be back. :)

    Unfortunately - and it pains me to write this, but - the Lost Roo has lost its luster…read more Maybe they were having a bad night tonight. We arrived before 5:00 pm, and it took a while to even put an order in. Even though we were sitting in the bar and there were a LOT of servers/bussers/etc. We ordered the Mushroom burger, the Chicken Bacon Guac burger and the Prime Rib Dip. Let's start with the pros - the Chicken Bacon Guac burger was pretty good! But the Prime Rib Dip had something like shredded meat on it, not sliced meat. So, when you dipped it in the Au jus, chunks of meet fell into the Au jus. Be ready to fish them out with a fork! The Mushroom burger was an exceptionally thin burger. Our server asked how we wanted it cooked. But it didn't matter. A burger that thin was coming out well done, no matter what. It had mushrooms on it, but not many at all. And we ordered the Cajun Tater Tots. Tonight, it was just like someone cooked tater tots, then shook some seasoning on them, and maybe the lid fell off the seasoning? They were drenched in some kind of Cajun-adjacent spice. We had recently been telling visiting guests that the Lost Roo was the one consistent, reasonably priced restaurant on the peninsula. We're going to have to stop telling people that now. Sadly, it'll be a while before we go back.

    Photos
    Lost Roo
    Lost Roo
    Lost Roo - Lamb Burger & tots (6/18/25)

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    Lamb Burger & tots (6/18/25)

    El Mar Mexican Restaurant - mexican - Updated September 2026

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