I'll randomly check Great Mex's reviews once in a while to see what kooky tourist is unhappy today about their apparently "not authentic" Mexican food when meanwhile, they rave about the "best Italian food" they've ever had after eating angel hair and pink sauce at Mama D's - lol. It's like you're right back at Olive Garden. Ahh the memories. Ok enough clownin' I eat here religiously at least 2x per week, and the food is always exceptional. Not to mention, the entire crew treat you like family. This is basic, fresh, well prepared and flavorful Mexican food. Nothing more, nothing less. Taco Tuesday (and Friday) is always a riot, grab the crispy fish, grab a shrimp, grab a Mexican style carne asada, some fresh chips and the toasted salsa and it's a dream. The enchilada style wet burritos are delicious, the nachos are remarkable, the breakfast burrito (get it with hash browns, bacon) is a treasure. Everything really. If you're lucky enough to live down here, Great Mex is an always delicious experience after a long day in the water, on the sand, or cruising up and down our beautiful coastline on two wheels. Shoes are optimal, the vibes are always immaculate, the food always hit the spot. Come to think of it, it's Monday night, see you mañana crew. read more

Finally a good Mexican restaurant for just good Mexican food in OC! Since moving here from LA for years ago my family had been looking for some good Mexican food but with so many fusion, high end, trendy, and mostly overpriced options out there we haven't had much luck until now! Great Mex is a family owned small restaurant in Balboa off of E. Balboa Blvd. just a block away from the ferry. The reviews were good and when we tried it out today for a quick dinner we saw why. Their burritos were no fuss and great flavor for an affordable price: bean and cheese was $6 and the Carne asada was $8 next time we would love to try the enchiladas and chile rellenos since we saw some great reviews on them. Overall it's a cool spot close to the beach, perfect for a picnic lunch and Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day loves this place, and I've been a fan so that was a nice surprise to see his signed picture on the wall! read more

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Great little stop to grab some lunch. Amazing staff, and very quick service. The bean and cheese burrito was a fan favorite with my kids!

Good solid Mexican food. We were on the way to Cabo Cantina for lunch, but saw 3 firefighters leave Great Mex with to- go bags in hand. I always take the recommendations of fire or police. They know where the good food is! They told us they definitely recommend this place, and so do we. The misses had a bowl of chicken soup, I had the bean & cheese burrito, and we shared a jalepeno & cheese tamale. All the food was tasty and reasonably priced. We also were given a basket of chips, a variety of salsas and some spicy carrots. 2 thumbs up . read more

Great Mex is the most accurate name ever. This is the food of my childhood. I associate beautiful beach days with delicious Mexican food. The service is fast, the staff is friendly and they have a huge menu. The food is full of flavor and I've tried almost everything in their menu. If you visit the beach and don't go to Great Mex, you are missing out! read more

Great Mex Grill - Shrimp Tacos Soft Taco - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Amazing food!!!Fresh produce! Wet California burrito was just insane! Highly recommend! Very friendly and helpful staff clean space. read more

Great Mex Grill - California Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Tried out this hidden gem in Balboa, was a little skeptical at first as its small and dark. No specific lighting or signage outside but had seen great reviews. Tried their bean and carne Asada burrito, they were huge and delicious. It was exactly what I wanted; simple, nothing over the top but very tasty. The decor inside is all over the place but you can tell it's a local spot, loved that it wasn't super busy when we got there but you can see there was traffic. They don't have a personal parking lot but a lot of people get carry out because it's good and the price point is great. The cashier wasn't the best and had an attitude like if he had a bad day. It don't want to knock the restaurant due to the cashier. The cook or another employee in the back was kinder and more attentive when asking for drink refill but will def come back to try more things or get a convenient meal when going to the beach or the wedge. read more

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Love this place so much. Great staff. Amazing So Cal Food. It's just the best. I'll always support this place. If you haven't tried it, do it. read more

The people here were so kind. Food was amazing--some of the best tacos I've had!! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is very clean and colorful![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Overall, very very good and a great place to stop by! read more

I'm a huge fan of chorizo burritos and I can say this one was one on the lower end. No taste which is shocking. The only reason I gave it a 2 star is because they used potatoes in it, otherwise a 1 star is well deserved. read more

food delicious, service friendly, ambiance divey. (capacity 48). had bean and cheese burrito (6.95), a 2 item combo and a modelo. total was $26. it was tuesday but missed it. all tacos are $2, shots are $4, margaritas $5. worth returning to for sure! read more

This place is awesome!! The food and portions are really good. The workers were really nice. The food came super fast and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the decor makes it feel like an authentic Mexican place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Early-ish breakfast considering much of the town is still asleep while these guys are open. I got the GM Slam and just substituted the sausage for potatoes - no need for double fatty meat. I have zero complaints. Friendly staff, clean establishment, fresh food & happy music :) thank you mucho! read more

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Great, terrific, mind boggling, jaw dropping. These are all words I'd use to describe our experience at Great Mex on Balboa Island. My group of friends recently visited Balboa to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday. We decided to splurge and did a smorgasbord of takeout from Great Mex! This meal included chips and guac, taquitos, and an assortment of tacos (mushroom, carnitas, carne asada, chicken.) The mushroom was hands down my favorite! So juicy and flavorful. The taquitos were a close second and were cut into small portions. Each was paired with a side of guac and sour cream - the perfect drunk eats. Plus Billie Joe from Green Day says he loves this place. What more confirmation could you need? Wake me up when my tacos are ready. read more

Best Mexican food around!! My family and I have been coming to this restaurant for years and always make an effort to go when we are in Newport Beach. I've never left disappointed and have tried many things on the menu. The fajitas are always a great option, usually I get the fajitas combinado-a mix of steak, chicken and shrimp. The burritos are huge, smothered in sauce and filled with just about anything. The fajita burrito and shrimp burrito are two of my favorites. The tacos are great and even the tostada salad is really great! Get anything and I promise you will leave happy!! This restaurant is very small, not the best for a huge party but then again there are 7 of us and usually we don't have to wait too long. The staff is awesome, bottomless chips are great and you will feel like you just walked into Mexico when you enter. Enjoy!! read more

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This place was so so good! Was in the area and looking for food and so happy we found this place. The food was so fresh and tasted authentic. The place was clean and the staff is very kind :) read more

Great Mex Grill - Shrimp tacos - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

First time here. It was really good for the price at the beach. My husband loved his burrito. Will be back. read more

I've been eating here for over 15 years. Please do not lose your consistency! Always the best tacos in Newport; pretty much in most of Orange County. I know people come here for the beef and chicken, but their fish and shrimp tacos are hands-down the best I've ever had! I love how generous they are with the portions. Thank you guys for always giving us the best food! You can't beat the prices on the quality, especially at such an amazing location. read more

Great Mex Grill - Kids love the food - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]It's very nice place[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] very wonderful food and so nice home made margaritas I like it))))

Great chips! That's about all I can say. Carnitas taco had gray meat- not sure what the meat was or if it even was meat. Shrimp tacos awful- 2 shrimp? Maybe a part of a third one? Everyone around me got sauces to go with their tacos so I had to go ask for them. Awful sauces. Filthy place with disgusting chair upholstery. Creepy man in there too doing weird little waves at people and employees. Like waving up by his face like a little girl. Couldn't wait to escape that place. Again, chips best we have had in the OC, which isn't saying much. read more

Great Mex Grill - Carnitas taco and shrimp taco. House margarita (not lemonade). - Mexican Near Me - Newport Beach, California

My family has been coming to this location for years. The staff has changed as of recent, and the prices have been raised exponentially. $20 for an egg cheese and bacon Breakfast burrito is insane. You could buy all the ingredients to make four of these burritos at the store and still have money left over read more

The fish burrito was delicious. The guacamole was fresh and flavorful. We had it delivered so I can't comment on the location but the food was terrific read more

Well we finally stopped in and tried this place after a couple years of just driving by and the food is actually really really good. The meat in my tacos, shredded beef and chicken were very tasty and piping hot but the taco size in my opinion are to small for the price. My wife loved her shrimp salad but it had way to much black beans and liquid. The guacamole is top notch. The salsa's are to runny and watery for my taste i like a thicker chunkier spicier salsa but im giving this place a 4 star for taste. The prices are ok except for the tiny tacos for 3.35 each. read more

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This place has the best Mexican food in Newport Beach! So good!!! Go get some tacos and sit on the beach and have a perfect day!

Great local place for tasty Mexican food. Small casual place that makes food efficiently. Order, pay & pick up food at the counter. Bus your own table. The grilled vegetable bowl is very good and also has salad vegetables mixed in. It's a good size. The mahi mahi burrito would have been better if the fish weren't so salty. The cooks just need to go way lighter on the salt so you can at least taste the fish. Carnitas burrito is good. You can make any burrito a wet burrito. One person in our dining party had the al pastor wet burrito style. The tamale entree was good too. You can ask for little containers of all the different salsas and sauces. The lime Margarita was very good but had lots of ice so it really wasn't as much beverage in the cup as it appeared at first glance. We will return but think twice about the fish next time. read more

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I am thinking this is a 3.5 star. People who run it are super sweet,fish taco was not exciting, shrimp taco terrific, chips and salsa yummy, nachos gargantuan, fries crispy and yum. Service was super fast! Thing that really upset me was my daughter's face when she saw the violent sign. A lot of her friends lost people at Borderline and it is messed up AF in this day and age to have a sign like that up. Outside of that, it was a quick, good pitstop. read more

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Great Mexican food! This trip to SoCal, we had so much Mexican food that we were done, or so we thought until we happened to run into this little restaurant very close to Newport Beach. Super busy but quick and efficient service. They have a few tables if you want to eat in the restaurant. The other option is to order to go and eat at the beach which is a 5 minute walk. Food is fresh and delicious. We ordered MahiMahi grilled tacos, Mahi-mahi burrito, Carne chimis, shrimp quesadilla, shrimp enchilada, and tamarind margarita. read more

Excellent Mexican food, especially the Chile rellenos. Light and fluffy with plenty of cheese. I liked the tamales as well and will go back for the tacos and burritos! In this day and age where food is so overpriced? I found it refreshing to get excellent food at a price I can afford. Love this place in Newport Beach. read more

How can Mexicans mess up Mexican food so bad. I had the shrimp quesadilla it was the worst I ever had the customer service was okay now it's time to hire a cook. These people were solicited to sabotage their own business they will lose business. read more

Great tacos for great price! Would definitely recommend for local flare. Come early to beat line read more

Small taco shop in a heavy tourist area. Small seating area. Counter girl was very nice and patient. She explained the menu items we were unfamiliar with. Food was typical Mexican fare, homemade chips and salsa was great. read more

Great service and amazing food is always the BEST combo! We were visiting Balboa for the day, and saw the many wonderful reviews of Great Mex. So glad for the reviews, otherwise we won't know this gem! We got the California Burrito and Carne Asada Burrito, and they are HUGE & delicious (sorry, no photos taken as we devoured the food immediately). A must have eatery when you are in town read more

Great food and cozy ambience! Service is really nice! We ordered vegetarian quesadillas and 3 item combo. All food were delicious and we enjoyed our lunch! For the price food quantity is huge! I couldn't finish my three item combo! Flavors were real nice and we left with smiling face and full tummy!!! Will be back for sure! read more

quick service, fair prices, DELICIOUS food!! will be coming back everytime we're in town!

The Great Mex is a fun spot to hit on the peninsula. The food is pretty tasty and [[HIGHLIGHT]]I love the ambiance.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service is super quick, too. Love the people working there. They're all super nice. Would recommend. read more

Awesome food, good deals, good margs. Easy order through their app. Go here 5-6 times a week when on vacation at the beach.

Tasty Mexican food that's affordable in a tourist trap area? Great Mex is a great find.. Great Mex is a hole-in-the-wall taco shop. Very small inside and is packed shoulder to shoulder. People were lined up inside placing orders during our entire stay, most everyone was taking their orders to go. That might be a good strategy for you too if you can't find a table inside. There are plenty of places to sit and eat in this general area. It's typical taco shop cuisine. Portions might be smaller (shrimp burrito was noticeably smaller), but it all tasted good. Perhaps the smaller size is better especially if you're going on a whale watching trip afterwards. Last thing you want to be doing is puking up a three pound burrito in the tour boat's "head"! Food Recommendation - Carne Asada Quesadilla. read more

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I'm just going to agree with Ryan, this place is the bomb. We had asada tacos, shrimp cocktail, and grilled mahi mahi burritos. All amazing. And their sauces are so tasty. Ignore the bad reviews from the habitual yelper and give it a try. read more

Great food, good price, awesome location, kid friendly. Perfect to finish a beach day!

Solid Mexican food on the peninsula. We always go for taco Tuesday (and taco Friday). Good selection of tacos. I tend to stick with the crunchy tacos$2.50 each, but the fish tacos are the best deal in Newport. $2.75 each. read more