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    Great Mex

    3.8 (420 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Great Mex Takeout or Delivery

    Great Mex Photos

    Business Info

    GREAT MEX ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Great Mex

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    Asada Nachos
    Drew B.

    Great Mex - Costa Mesa (2360 Newport Blvd) Rating: (4/5) If you're in the Costa Mesa area and craving nachos that go beyond the ordinary, Great Mex on Newport Blvd delivers a satisfying experience with a few standout features and some areas for improvement. TL;DR: Great Mex in Costa Mesa serves up solid carne asada nachos with epic layering--toppings are found under the chips, not just on top, which is a rare and welcome touch for takeout. The portion size is generous for the price, and the chips stay crisp. Only downside? The cheese blend is basic--no queso Oaxaca, cotija, or queso blanco--and the asada could use a bit more volume. Still, a satisfying 4/5 experience for nacho lovers. The Nachos: A Layered Delight Ordering the carne asada nachos to-go, I was pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful construction of the dish. Unlike many establishments where toppings are merely sprinkled atop a mound of chips, Great Mex takes the extra step to layer ingredients throughout. This approach ensures that every chip is coated with flavor, preventing the all-too-common scenario of flavorless chips lurking beneath the surface. The chips themselves were sturdy and held up well under the weight of the toppings, maintaining their crunch without becoming soggy. The carne asada was seasoned adequately, providing a savory and slightly smoky flavor that complemented the other ingredients. However, the portion of asada felt modest. A more generous serving would have elevated the dish, offering a more balanced ratio between meat and chips. Cheese: A Missed Opportunity One notable shortcoming was the cheese component. The nachos featured a standard melted cheese blend, which, while serviceable, lacked the depth and authenticity that could have been achieved with the inclusion of queso Oaxaca, cotija, or a rich queso blanco. These cheeses would have added a creamy texture and a more robust flavor profile, enhancing the overall experience. Portion Size and Value Great Mex offers generous portions at a reasonable price point. The serving size of the nachos was ample, making it a great option for sharing or for those with a hearty appetite. The value for money is commendable, especially considering the quality and quantity of the food provided. Final Thoughts Great Mex's carne asada nachos stand out for their thoughtful layering and generous portions. While the dish excels in construction and offers good value, it falls slightly short in the cheese department and could benefit from a more substantial serving of asada. Nonetheless, for those seeking a satisfying and well-assembled plate of nachos in Costa Mesa, Great Mex is a solid choice. Pros: Thoughtful layering of toppings ensures flavor in every bite. Generous portion size offers good value. Chips maintain crunch and integrity. Cons: Cheese lacks depth; inclusion of authentic Mexican cheeses would enhance flavor. Carne asada portion could be more generous. --- Overall Rating: 4/5 Note: This review is based on a takeout experience. Dining in may offer a different experience.

    Jeannette I.

    Perhaps other items are better on this menu .. but the shrimp ceviche was old and tasteless. I couldn't imagine why it be ok to serve a rotten avocado. I took one bite and decided to leave. Not the best vibe either

    Carnitas and al pastor tacos with chips.
    Michael V.

    Good tacos with lots of protein options. I love the al pastor and carnitas occasionally adding a chicken to mix it up. I normally order the soft tacos. Delicious salsa bar options. The roasted Chipotle always makes its' way onto my tacos. The red salsas are fantastic and pair perfectly with the fresh tortilla chips. Great Mex was one of my dad's favorite places for tacos. The original location in Balboa right by the pier. The food is the same at the Costa Mesa location and I don't have to fight the peninsula traffic. The major downside to this location is that the parking lot has tiny spaces and very few spots so parking is always a challenge. But the tacos are well worth the effort. Beer on tap and bottles available. The Balboa location has margaritas, I'm not sure about the Costa Mesa restaurant. Taco Tuesday is a big hit and the prices are very reasonable. Service is always very friendly in my experience. Cheerful register attendants take your order and give you your drinks. Find a seat and they'll bring your food to the table. Outdoor seating is available in Costa Mesa, Balboa has big windows that face the sidewalk which are open in nice weather. They offer catering services which I haven't tried but am confident would be quality considering everything else that I have had at Great Mex. Family friendly restaurants where you will see diners of ages 2 to 82. Often with several generations of families enjoying meals together.

    Great Mex Grill
    Sanjeev K.

    This family business restaurant is the best taco place ever!! My personal favorite is the fish taco!

    Breakfast Burrito. So yum!!
    Michael S.

    Okay here we go!!! Swung by this place on our way out of town after visiting some of the most amazing Yelpers that I've ever met (you know who you are ;)). Anyway - super solid little taqueria! I really just wanted a breakfast burrito, cuz that's basically the only thing that anyone ever need. Tasted fantastic, but as my girl Chella pointed out, "does it come with all the meats?" And noooooo!! No they do not. Mann must choose only one protein :( Man, don't you remember when all the meat used to flow like the rivers of Babylon? Now that everything sucks, the meats only flow like the Colorado River (it's bad). I say this for you. I don't really care, cuz I'm supposed to be vegetarian, so I'm chillin' ^________^

    Couldn't even get the pic...so good.
    Tim L.

    Hidden gem. Great people, food and ambiance. Not to big, not too expensive. Plenty of choices to tru

    Carne Asada Wet Burrito
    Jenny L.

    Good and inexpensive mexican cuisine in a casual atmosphere. Waves of folks coming in for a great meal. Parking lot is a but small tho.

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    1 month ago

    Best fast food Mexican place around. Absolutely delicious. Quick and wonderful. Parking is a challenge.

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    5 months ago

    I love the food and service here. I'm a regular on Taco Tuesdays. Crispy shredded beef tacos are my go to fav.

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    10 months ago

    Best place for Friday tacos and beer. Tuesday as well but Friday is funday and beer is yummy on a Friday

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    1 year ago

    Costa Mesa on Wilson is always so efficient ! Great food great service. Horrible parking ugh.

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    1 year ago

    Great tacos and great prices. Excellent servuce. Always very nice workers and all seem very welcoming!

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    Page 1 of 11

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    Playa Mesa - A house favorite: Taco Combination with our Spicy Cucmber Margarita

    Playa Mesa

    4.4(3.4k reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$
    Takes reservations
    Happy hour specials

    What a great find. I had not eaten at this place before, but it came highly recommended from a…read morefriend of mine so I thought hey I'm going to check this out. I am so glad I did, especially since it was happy hour. The place definitely has a great vibe to it. Plenty of seating throughout the restaurant. I recommend sitting at the bar as that's where all the action happens. You definitely want to make sure you get there for happy hour and Taco Tuesday especially, $10 Margaritas $4 tacos and these are not cheap tacos. These are like serious tacos that will fill you up. Their salsa is great, not super spicy and makes great for munching while you're talking with friends. The margaritas are definitely strong, which is nice, as some places tend to water them down for happy hour. I would say that this is a great choice to go check out and have a taco or two or three or four. I had the carne asada, the carnitas, and the pastor, every single one of them was perfect and the salsa that they came with was out of this world. Bottom line? This is a great place for Taco Tuesday as well as just a hangout and have a drink after work. Whenever I am in Costa Mesa. I am definitely coming here again.

    This was a huge disappointment on Mothers Day. We made reservations for 4 and asked for a basic…read moredetached table. When we arrived, we were shocked to see they were going to squeeze us into someone else's table filled with people that could not comfortably seat four additional people next to them . Horrified we requested what we originally booked and they said NOTHING accept they were REALLY BUSY and pointed us to the outdoor fire pits with no proper chairs or seating just a firepit to put a child to sit in front of. At this point zero management came to address this and zero servers as we asked for one . We were completely ignored . We were so hungry we just sat down desperate and starving. There was no omlette bar. (I was told on the phone there was an omlette bar before booking ) No sauces to go with any food. Dried up scrambled eggs and just a few dishes to choose from this 'buffet'. The ONLY salad dressings they had (2) were super sweet (no ranch) nothing . No flavor . Their non meat dishes were just one horrible dried up bean and grain pattie obviously frozen out of a box even an animal would never eat . It was that bad . Their 'replacement ' for almost zero dishes was a pancake ststion obviously to cut costs even more . The food was horrible . When you anticipate a special Mother's Day brunch that is horribly overpriced and get this in return its so disappointing and apalling .We were prepared to walk out after our bad news of no proper seating and terrible start but by then obviously we couldn't just go to another brunch on Mother's Day . Plus our other two guests were parking with a child so we were stuck. This was our only option or nothing. Its unbelievabke how am estsblishment can treat people like this especially on a soecial day like Mother's Day amd can command their pricing with no proper and safe seating for 4 with safe and healthy distancing with a fire pit as a SEAT. No apologies , no manager , nothing . just a terrible high bill, very little options and poor food quality . At best we should get a refund as this was false advertising and did not get a table for up to 4 . What an awful Mother's Day Brunch . We go out to eat EVERYWHERE around here but can't believe sonething like this can exist . So sad . This part of the day was ruined .

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    Playa Mesa - Margarita flights!

    Margarita flights!

    Playa Mesa
    Playa Mesa - Weekend Brunch served Sat - Sun, 9am-2pm.

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    Weekend Brunch served Sat - Sun, 9am-2pm.

    Mercado Gonzalez - Carne Asada Burrito and Tortilla Chips

    Mercado Gonzalez

    4.3(1k reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    The Menudo from the Birrieria La Menuderia place inside Mercado Gonzalez is so good!…read more They always sell out before noon, so come early in the morning! They offer the rojo (red) and blanco (white) versions of Menudo. I love that it comes with a lot of meat and fresh tortillas to eat it with. There is so much flavor in the soup. They went up in price ($17.99) as of 2026, and although I think it's pretty pricey, if you're already shopping here and have a craving for menudo, I think it's worth splurging. People who work here are always super nice and friendly - I just love coming to this place for my menudo fix!

    Our building had a catered event from them, and it was well received overall with a successful…read moreconclusion after some initial challenges. I will use mostly my names for what I tried: "ELEPHANT EAR" BREAD: -- light beige color -- very sweet -- honey taste very pronounced and sticky texture -- great with hot Mexican chocolate or hot coffee with no sugar to offset the sweet RATING = A- "PINKIE LA RUE" (aka Polvorone Rojas): -- semi-crumbly texture -- buttery shortbread -- large size -- dusted w/white table sugar on top which I scraped off to reduce the sweet -- medium sweet or tad more -- not dry nor moist -- very nice tasting, especially w/milk or hot coffee RATING = A "RHINO HORN" bread: -- has some color variance with light brown -- semi-firm texture -- lightly sweet -- best for dipping in hot Mexican chocolate or hot coffee; not ideal to eat plain -- not buttery -- I am not a big "dipper" of cookies or bread into coffee so this is not of much interest to me -- it's okay RATING = B- CUCUMBER/LIME AQUA FRESCA: -- I poured into my water bottle and added half water to get the sweet down. Way too sweet for my palate but nice once I got the ratio right. -- up to medium sweet initially RATING = A- PINEAPPLE/SPINACH AQUA FRESCA: -- above medium sweet but expected for pineapple -- the pineapple defeated anything rough about the spinach for me which was a good thing...not chalky tongue syndrome RATING = B+ WATERMELON AQUA FRESCA: -- medium towards high sweet -- I did 50/50 with water again to get it right -- tasted pretty close to fresh watermelon juice when I did that RATING = A

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    Mercado Gonzalez - Great packaged foods, snacks and Mexican candy.

    Great packaged foods, snacks and Mexican candy.

    Mercado Gonzalez - Time to eat churros

    Time to eat churros

    Mercado Gonzalez - Menu As of 6/8/25

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    Menu As of 6/8/25

    Descanso - Lobster Enchiladas

    Descanso

    4.1(1.8k reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$

    We LOVED our Mother's Day brunch at Descanso. We made reservations and were seated quickly. They…read morehad bottomless mimosas and a special Mother's Day menu. Food- 10/10. We ordered the bottomless mimosas, watermelon spicy marg, churro pancakes, and the shredded beef chilaquiles. All were amazing! The churro pancakes were soooooooo yummy. Crispy and fluffy. Service- 10000/10. Manny was amazinggg! He was working so hard serving so many tables at once and he did a great job. He was so kind, positive, and had great recommendations. He always made sure we had everything we needed. The gals at the front were also so kind and helpful. Everyone there was great! Environment- 10/10. It was a beautiful day so we sat out on the patio. They had table umbrellas which were super nice to block the sun. They also had a DJ's (I think there were 3 taking turns) that were all great! The inside is very clean and nicely decorated! Next time we wanna try sitting at the grill :) Extras- Lots of parking as it's in a shopping center. The prices for us were a little on the higher end, but the food and service are fantastic! Perfect place for celebrations and authentic food :)

    How did I not know about Descanso's taco game sooner?…read more Came here on a Tuesday during lunch and got the mahi mahi taco and birria taco. Both were amazing! The mahi mahi taco was so innovative. I loved the slaw on top and the surprise of the peanuts. The birria taco is on another level. The short rib was melting in my mouth, and paired with the consume... chefs kiss. On Tuesdays they also have an amazing Taco Tuesday deal with 6 street tacos for $22. That's a steal! Definitely need to come back more hungry to try that out.

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    Descanso - Dining Room

    Dining Room

    Descanso - Carne Asada Skillet

    Carne Asada Skillet

    Descanso - Short Rib Estofado

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    Short Rib Estofado

    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina

    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina

    4.4(2.2k reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    This is my favorite Mexican Restaurant. Our server Roberto provided awesome service. We live in the…read moreInland Empire but we make sure we have lunch at Acapulco every time we are in Orange County. Great food and great service.

    LOVE this place for GREAT, FRESH, Coastal, Mexican food!…read moreThis location in Costa Mesa in particular, has been updated (new paint, new chairs, new lighting, etc.) and they have updated their menu with even MORE, Seafood items! They make GREAT Guacamole, customized at table side to your specs and their FRESH Chips, Tortillas and Salsa's are homemade in the restaurant. Husband LOVES their Pomegranate Margherita's and I can't get enough of their Enchilada's (Cheese, Chicken) and their Crunchy Taco's (Shredded Beef is my Fave!). Add in that their FRESH, Side Salads are AMAZING along with their new menu items - including Seafood combo's and there is no where else to go in OC for better Mexican food! Our INCREDIBLE Server, Hector (He IS the Acapulco restaurant - always upbeat and advising us about their new menu items!) and their FANTASTIC Chef Hector and all of the other Servers and Cooks there, make this a casual, yet special date-night restaurant! P.S. We've also tried their EXCEPTIONAL, Sunday Buffet and literally had to almost be wheeled out of there, there were SO MANY DIFFERENT, AUTHENTIC foods to choose from and sample! VERY nice to find this level of a PERFECT MEXICAN restaurant - with HIGH QUALITY FOOD INGREDIENTS, nearby! Can't wait to go back!

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    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina
    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina
    Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina - Make your own omelette. Veggies and chorizo.

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    Make your own omelette. Veggies and chorizo.

    Great Mex - mexican - Updated May 2026

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