The restaurant has a nice ambiance and some good items on the menu, however, there are some things that fell short. First, it's important to note that if you have young children with you, this is NOT the place to come. We had my son with us and they had no high chairs available at all. I haven't come across this issue in other restaurants and was a bit surprised by this. The majority of other diners around us had small children as well who could've all benefited from a high chair. The options for young children are also limited and very overpriced (the options are basically just a burger or a grilled cheese and no side). While I don't think they need an extensive kids menu, I felt the price should have been a little more reasonable or at least included a side. If you do not have young children this may be a bit of a better restaurant but I felt that for the price it left a bit to be desired. While my burger was absolutely delicious (the Three Stars), my husband's bison burger was not nearly as good which is a shame for a burger that is $30 and merely comes with a pickle on the side. If a burger is going to cost $30 on its own it should be an amazing burger. The service was fine. Nothing I'd go out of my way to rave about or complain about in that area. My suggestion to the manager or owner is to get some high chairs as this is a safety issue and increases liability (choking risk goes up and it's also a fall risk). We will not be returning because of this and I'm certain this will be a deterring factor for other families. With this new extension of Los Rios, it has attracted many young families and this is a big bulk of business to not accommodate to and to ultimately lose. read more

Food was amazing, truly exceptional. Service was amazing, too. Honestly, my only star ding was because they don't have high chairs which is just lame. The river street market place is so heavily catered towards families so it doesn't make sense to me if they are trying to not be family friendly by not offering high chairs. Great food but maybe wrong location if the ambience is supposed to be no kids haha. read more

Finca - Beef tallow fries. Yum! - Wine Bars Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

We came in to try this place we end up with the butternut squash and the three Starz hamburger. The butternut squash was labor less and the Resource hamburger I would give it a three out of five we tried to place but we won't be coming back. read more

Just had lunch at Finca in SJC Here is what we ordered. Harris Ranch Beef Tallow Fries - $13 Kennebec Potatoes, Trio of Sauces Grilled Broccolini - $17 Pistachio Pesto, Preserved Meyer Lemon Aioli, Walnut Crunch Three Stars Burger - $25 8oz. Patty, Farmers Market Mushrooms, Valley Ford Farm Highway 1 Cheese, Porcini Aioli, Onion Demi, Fig Jam, Brioche-Milk Bun Vaquero Burger - $24 8oz. Patty, Chorizo Queso Fundido, Lettuce, Avocado, Spiced Potato Bun The Coop Sandwich $27 Grilled Adobo Chicken, Finca Bacon, Apple-Pear Spread, Peach Hot-Honey Glaze, Southern Slaw, Potato Roll This is what we thought Ambiance was nice. We sat on the patio that overlooks the center of River Street Market Place. Seats were comfortable & spaced out nicely. The weather was perfect. There is inside dining if you prefer. Food was delicious. Fresh farmers market ingredients. Wood grilled with a bit of Mexican influence. Every thing we had fantastic with the exception of the pickle, that was served with the burgers & sandwich. It flavor was not balanced the ACV was overpowering. Service was friendly & knowledgeable. Our server was Amanda. She helped us navigate the menu & suggestions three of our five dishes. Birch the GM stopped by the table & asked how we were doing. Definitely made us feel welcome. Finca offers a selection of California wines, Tequila and Mezcal flights as well as beer and specialty cocktails. Highly recommend this place. I look forward to my next visit. read more

Food was terrific! The cowboy burger was delicious with pulled pork covering a burger. A lot of farm to table vegetables options and the cesar salad is a must have. They do not take reservations so expect a wait for dinner but you can cruise in for lunch during the week easily. Great indoor and outdoor seating with a cowboy vibe. Been there twice already. read more

There's a new spot in town, Finca, tucked into a shiny new plaza with a patio that whispers promises of good times and warm conversations around fire pits. My wife and I decided to give it a shot, lured by the aesthetic charm and the confident claim of a wood-fired kitchen. We were seated outside by a hostess with a personality as warm as the fire pits--things were looking up. This could be fun, I thought. But then, we opened the menu. Confusion set in. They're singing the praises of their wood-fired prowess, but the menu? Five burgers, a plate of ribs, and a skirt steak--prices that suggest they believe they're the best in town. Flip it over, and you've got three salads and what feels like an afterthought of grilled vegetables. Half the menu is sides. Where's the soul? Where's the creativity? I went for the half-pound burger--$22, a la carte--and added fries for another $12. Yep, $34 for burger and fries. My wife, seduced by the promise of "tri-colored greens," ended up with a cabbage-heavy salad so light on dressing it could've been mistaken for a dry run. Add chicken, and she's staring down the barrel of another $30 plate. Then came the wine. The list was full of foreign names, which isn't a problem--we know our varietals and regions. But when you ask your server for guidance and get a blank stare in return, you know you're on your own. The Tempranillo was earthy and balanced--no complaints there. But the Cab Franc my wife ordered? Green, peppery, thin. This was no Cab Franc. Maybe a young Merlot. Maybe something else entirely. When we questioned the server, he doubled down, insisting it was a Cab Franc without so much as a second look. I even gave him an out--maybe it was a mix-up, no big deal. But nope, he stuck to his guns. At this point, we were done. The wine was wrong, the food was overpriced, and the vibe had gone from promising to painful. And to cap it off, we sat there for 15 minutes after finishing, waiting for the server to bring us the check while he avoided us like the plague. In the end, here's the truth: Finca is a case of style over substance. A patio can only carry you so far when the menu is uninspired, the service is indifferent, and the prices are laughably out of step with reality. I'll throw the hostess a bonus star for the charm, but the rest? A hard, unforgiving one-star experience. read more

Well.....top shelf food and service! Absolutely fabulous! Love Everything we've had here with many, many dinners! Enjoy!

Had a delicious meal tonight thanks to Damian's suggestions! He was on point with the food and tequila pairings. We had the wedge salad with delicious homemade ranch and the Osso buco for dinner, Fantastic! We will for sure come back and can't wait to try the burgers. read more

Food was first rate. Server was well informed and helpful. Restaurant was a bit loud and tables were quite close together. read more

Outstanding food and service. Finally an amazing place to eat fresh, creative, well thought out food in So. OC. Sincere compliments to the chef. read more

I visited a week ago. The porchetta sandwich was decent, and the Brussels sprouts were also okay. Others enjoyed the French fries, but I found them under-seasoned. The Tepache punch was great! The wedge salad plate was a bit small. The outdoor seating had a lovely ambiance. However, they didn't have any high chairs, making it more suited for adults, which is fine. Service was good for lunch, and the wait time was minimal. read more

Great family style shared dishes - loved the mix of flavors, everything prepared fresh.

The River Street Marketplace is amazing and just what South OC needs! Finca is a fabulous addition to the shopping complex and founded by the former owner of Brick in San Clemente. It's a farm to table experience with roasted veggies, smoked meats and craft cocktails. The restaurant has a cool, open and warm vibe with nice seating inside with views of the bar and kitchen. The decor is contemporary, yet rustic. The outside patio offers great seating with heaters that take the chill off on a cold night. I visited twice in two days; once for lunch with a friend and the next night when we brought our husbands back. They were like us and shocked by how incredible the entire complex is. The food was tasty and infused with smoke flavors. On our first visit, we shared the Caesar salad, steak fries served with three homemade sauces (ketchup, ranch and pineapple) and the three star burger loaded with mushrooms, caramelized onions and cheese. We loved it all, but agreed the burger could use a little salt. We tried the techape (sp?) punch and margarita where the presentation was 100%, but my drink was a little sweet for my liking. (I'm picky.) I told the waiter and he was great; he brought me a glass of sauv blanc instead. (Service was top-notch!) When we returned for dinner the next night, we went early to put our name in (they don't take reservations), and sat outside. We ordered the broccolini served with a pesto dip and fries. Yum! My friend ordered the Caesar salad with steak, my husband had the Vaquero burger with queso and chorizo and our friend had the Finca burger with bacon. I was so full that I nibbled on my hubby's burger. We enjoyed the craft drinks and wine outside and had a lovely evening! read more

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First time here , was greeted by Amanda (made me a drink as well) was served by Lexie , also amazing , we are definitely coming back , especially for the service read more

The burger is amazing. I am not a regular meat eater but this burger was really worth straying from my usual vegetarian meals. The patio is large and there is enough room to walk between the tables. The service was quick and proficient. Be sure to let the server know how you would like the burger cooked. The first time was a bit rare for me. The second time I went I ordered it medium plus and it was perfect. We also ordered the fries extra crispy and they were spot on. Do yourself a favor and try this place out. read more

My wife and I had a very good dinner. We kept it simple: we ordered a Three Stars burger and Heirloom beans. Both were excellent. The burger was massive: 8 oz patty of very high quality meat (you really can taste the difference); lots of mushrooms --- they were spilling off the burger onto the plate; cheese; porcini aioli; onion demi; fig jam --- all on a brioche bun. My wife and I split it and really enjoyed it. (The waiter brought ketchup when we asked for it.) The pickle that was served with the dish was also excellent. The Heirloom beans was a huge dish of beans, mushrooms, leeks, roasted garlic yogurt, cherry tomato confit, spiced broth with sourdough bread on the side. It was really good although I would have liked a bit more seasoning to it. Our waiter was friendly and helpful. The restaurant was full with a buzzy ambiance. The one thing to be aware of is that the menu is limited but what they prepare they prepare very well. read more

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We went to Finca for dinner and had an awesome experience. The owner was very friendly, greeted us with a warm welcome and shared with us some information about where he sources their ingredients locally. The food was amazing, the roasted chicken had a ton of flavor and was perfectly cooked. The cocktails were delicious too. I'd highly recommend this restaurant, we will be back! read more

This was our first time in this restaurant. The food was amazing. Fresh and beautifully seasoned. The wine and the history behind it was amazing. Birch the Manager was a sweetheart and so welcoming. We really appreciated that our server, Cesar, suggested that my wife may be ordering too much. He suggested that we share a first course. He was spot on. We so appreciated that. This place is a jewel of a restaurant. We give this place our highest recommendation. read more

Was so looking forward to the opening of Finca at the new River Street Market Place in San Juan Capistrano and was not disappointed. Everything that my dinning partner and I had was so good. Flavorful, well prepared, quality ingredients, great service and a super nice setting. We dinned inside as it was a little chilly and started our dinner with cocktails of tequila inspired drinks. We started our dinner with a wedge salad, followed by orders of Japanese eggplant tapenade, grilled broccolini, fries and a burger. Everything was a delight for the tastebuds. Our server was knowledgeable on the items on the menu and made some nice suggestions. For a restaurant that had just opened up it was run smoothly. The only glitch in the evening was that as it was open just a few days they ran out of some food items. I am so looking forward to going back and trying the rest of the "Farmer" menu and the St.Louis Ribs. read more

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Had lunch here today service was very slow. The food was average. Some of the combinations of ingredients just did not execute properly. For instance The tomato base with the carrots didn't make sense. We were sat inside. The ventilation is very poor. The whole place is smoky and I came home smelling like Mesquite wood fire. I would rate this restaurant a 3.6 out of 10. read more

First I want to begin by saying... These are the best burgers ( I've tried them all ) I've ever had. The beef tallow fries are amazing and the sauce tray is a great addition! All the severs are professional and embody the meaning of hospitality! Last night I was on a mommy daughter date and Shane was our server. He did an exceptional job. He paid attention to details, was very attentive and accommodating! My daughter loved her buffalo burger and I'm obsessed with the smash burger. Don't sleep on this establishment, they are killing it! read more

WOW! The French fries (in beef tallow) were amazing and the main reason to keep coming back. Served hot and tastes great ...best fries I have ever had. Served with three sauces. Burgers were big and messy but expensive. Service was super. read more

My rating is mostly towards the service, because a lot of other things can be fixed easily but having a not friendly staff is not the best. I was a server in college, so I sympathize with the hustle, but this was blatantly bad service paired with overpriced sub par food. A lethal combo. We visited Finca for the first time last night, party of 2, and we were seated just after 7. Our waiter didn't greet us for about 15 minutes, finally when he did take our order we started with cocktails (which were not good) and the grilled artichoke. The artichoke was actually great, we got the artichoke just before 7:30pm, very quick. Our issue was we didn't get our two burgers and side of fries ordered until after 8:40. 1 hour between appetizer and entree is insane. Especially for the prices this restaurant is charging. Not only this our waiter never once checked in on us, or acknowledged how long our food was taking. At 8:15 we asked him for an update and he said it would be out in a few minutes. We waited 10 minutes before politely asking to cancel the order because truthfully we'd rather go to in n out at that point and we were starving. Our waiter went to the back to cancel our order and also alert the manager of the situation (which should've been done way earlier). 5 minutes later as we're waiting for our bill, our fries come out. The manager then comes to our table and says he'll cancel the burgers (which still were not ready) and just charge us for the food we didn't cancel. At this point, no one offered to box the fries as they had JUST come out after we cancelled them. Why would we stay to eat the fries that had just come out after we cancelled the whole order to go get food somewhere else???? When the waiter brought out the bill he had charged us for the fries too. When I questioned it, he immediately got defensive and rude. They then told us that actually our burgers were ready and did the right thing by removing our burgers from the bill, but not without treating us with so much attitude. Mind you, they were not busy... so there was no excuse for A) that long of a wait on burgers and B) our waiter to not check on us at all to let us know there's going to be a wait We were not the only table this was an issue for, and if our waiter had been attentive and addressed the issue ahead of time he would not have had the amount of issues he did have that night. The manager told us they had issues in the kitchen all night regarding timing, if that was the case your servers need to check in with their tables and not disappear for an hour and hope nobody notices the issues in the kitchen. Every table around us was angry and the waiter was rude to each of the tables when they voiced any of their concerns. I saw him talk down to an elderly woman and tell her they were out of artichokes for the night. The kicker is the elderly woman was seated before us and had put her order in way before me, and I got my artichoke 10 minutes after she was told they were out of artichokes. She was flabbergasted. Overall: The food was overpriced and nothing to rave about, the drinks were watered down, and the service was awful. A lot of training needs to happen for this restaurant to get better. read more

The food is amazing and we have always had great service. Sometimes the smoke coming off the grill can be a little much if you are sitting inside. The staff was very helpful and had no problem with moving us to an outside table read more

Oh Finca, I wanted to love you, but that was not the case. The ambience was pretty and the cocktails good but on my end that was it - they should take reservations-the wait and checkin process was very messy and unorganized. And the Brussels sprouts , burger and fries I got were mediocre and nothing to come back for. I was holding out for a much better experience since my sister said that it was the best burger she had ever tasted. I definitely do not agree with her. read more

By far my favorite burger all time with the absolute best service. I have never experienced such great customer service like I did at Finca. So thank for our waiter Lexie and the GM, Birch. 10000/10 RECOMMEND!!! read more

Food was amazing! Great burger and fun drinks!! Not a kid friendly place and don't think they want to be. No high chairs, kids menu, etc. save yourself the embarrassment and dont bring your kids! read more

The ambiance was promising, warm, sunny day, perfectly shaded. The service...absolutely atrocious! Even the manger on duty was lacking. We waited all over 30 minutes to "sample wines" before buying a bottle. The one we sampled was lacking to say the least. The manager said only 1 of our choices could be tried as it was only sold by the bottle. The server came to the table (and he was so disengaged and unfriendly), we ordered food and asked for the wine we had not sampled. Then the server said "oh we don't have that wine!" The manager came by and said the same thing! What?!!! If this place doesn't survive, it won't be because of the food(which we never tried), but because of the POOR service and even worse management! Needless to say, we got up and left, went to Five Vines and enjoyed the rest of our day. read more

UCLA BRUINS!!!! FINCA IS OWNED BY A BRUIN! Food is creative and delicious! Service is super informative and friendly! Outdoor or indoor in SJC....8 CLAP!!! read more

Love the vibe of this whole Riverwalk area. We were fans of the chef's prior restaurant Brick so we were excited to finally try this place. All the produce is fresh and locally sourced and everything is cooked over woodfire. You can smell the campfire smell when you walk into the restaurant. The proteins are high quality. Service was fantastic. We ordered the Osso Buco and the Woodfired Chicken. It is not often that we thoroughly enjoy a chicken dish. I mean..it's chicken, so often it is the "healthy" choice. It was so yummy! I enjoyed it immensely and am super excited to enjoy my leftovers. My husband finished all of the Osso Buco. It was a pork shank with a chili verde sauce served with tortillas. So good! Jeff our server was great and everyone we encountered were friendly and helpful. We can't wait to go back again. read more

The Finca burger with bacon was one of the best burgers I've ever had! We can't wait to go back!

My wife and I were huge fans of Brick in San Clemente and were heartbroken when it closed. Imagine our excitement when we discovered that the chef and staff have opened a new spot--Finca at the River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano! Finca is absolutely fantastic. The farm-to-table food is excellent, and the staff couldn't have been more welcoming. We shared everything and loved every bite: the broccolini appetizer, the Finca Burger, and the best fries. The atmosphere is amazing, too. We sat on their beautiful patio next to the fire, which made for such a cozy and enjoyable evening. We're so happy the team from Brick is back with this new venture--it's everything we loved and more. Can't wait to come back! read more

Had lunch there today, my first visit. Enjoyed the shaded patio seating. Service was friendly and efficient. Management was attentive. Enjoyed the food. My spaghetti squash dish was a surprise in a good way, very creative and delicious. Will definitely return. A find. read more

Food, service, and ambience Amazing! Best place for dinner so far in this area, just moved here 6 months ago! LA restaurant locally. Can't wait to go back and try more read more

Finca - Cauliflower, roasted amazing - Wine Bars Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

Right when we walked in we were greeted with a genuine welcome. You can tell the staff all enjoys working here! Artfully crafted drinks. The house watermelon margarita is AMAZING. Food is all cooked on a wood grill (I love the smell of wood ovens). Great staff, great food, and nice outdoor patio! read more

I have been here many times and it is consistently ***** .. 6 stars if possible. Excellent. Menu changes with season.. Chef owner is very friendly and sometimes gives history of meal. A place to try if near San Juan Cap... read more

Service was terrible!!! We ordered drinks and finally got them 20 minutes later after asking several servers to check. Ordered our food and nothing arrived together. Food was tasty but way overpriced. When we asked the manager regarding our order she was very rude. Our fries arrived after we were finished eating. I doubt this place will survive when there are so many better options. read more

So we have been trying out all the little restaurants down in River Street in SJC. Last night at Finca. They have a great patio, unfortunately they would only seat us inside. (A little warm and stuffy, but nicely decorated) the food delivery was janky. Ordered the zucchini blossoms as an app. Delicious and recommend! They brought us a second order. Some kitchen confusion. We ordered a salad and a burger to split. Offered and ordered Medium. Server told us has favorite burger with amazing bacon, so we ordered that. Unfortunately for us, he MEANT you need to ADD bacon. So not understanding his description, no bacon for us. Burger was delivered before the salad, and it was cooked well done. Pretty dry. Salad was good although we had to ask for it. As a side note, three more parties came in after us and were seated on the patio. Hmm... anyway, would love to try this place again as we want to like it. Last night was not an awesome experience unfortunately. And for $158 bucks for an app, one salad and one burger and FF seems steep for the quality. (Did I say the Zucchini blossoms were amazing!?) we also had two glasses of wine which added to that bill, so closer to $100 for food. We'll get back one day to give them another swing. Hopefully for a better experience. read more

Finca - Interesting little bar. - Wine Bars Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California

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First time dining at Finca. We had great service and atmosphere is terrific. Enjoyed the burger and wedge salad. We'll be back.

I have been watching for the opening of Finca with great expectations as I had dined at their old location Brick in San Clemente. I went planning to have dinner and a drink as I had studied the menu for a month before they opened. They were not that busy - I was seated on the patio. After waiting for 20 minutes for my drink I decided to pay and leave. Service should be perfect when you are charging $40 for a drink and burger. It was a disappointment. read more

Finca - Receipt for cocktail - Wine Bars Near Me - San Juan Capistrano, California