Food is amazing you guys!!!! I was so surprised and the quantity is HUGE! Please don't change that. We went there for breakfast bc it was included with the Baywood Bed & Breakfast and we wish we were staying longer to have either lunch or dinner. You will not regret it! Try it. read more

I have mixed feelings about this resturant because everyone i ever talk to loves it, but I dont think its all that great, the food is just average to me. The one exception is the Pozole soup, trulry in I love with this soup. It comes with tortillas, salsa, chopped onions, and cabbage. The other positive about this resturant is the environment. It has a fire place and over looks the bay. It would work as a nice date place without breaking the bank ...but its also not exceptionaly cheap either. read more

Everything tasted very fresh starting with their homemade chips and salsa. I started with albondigas soup that was piping hot and very flavorful, followed by a very generous plate of tasty chicken fajitas with warm, fresh corn tortillas. My sister ordered the chicken sopes and hasn't stopped raving about them. Next time I will try not to fill up on chips so I will have more room for my dinner. I would actually give this place 4 1/2 stars if I could because the server was wonderful. Very kind. Can't wait to go back.... read more

Excellent food and customer service! My husband and I ate here and were more than pleased with everything. I had a Chili Verde burrito, and it was HUGE! I was only able to get through 1/3. My husband had a shrimp burrito and he loved it! (Also only able to eat less than half!) Chips were hot and fresh, and salsa was very flavorful. We will definitely be back when visiting from out of town. read more

This place has amazing food! Even the takeout is amazing and has so much flavor! I would definitely reccomend ordering there!

The other day I wanted to try out some other Mexican restaurants, so I looked at menus and reviews online. I decided on making a lunch trip to Los Osos. We went to La Palapa and were not disappointed. Since they did not have any pork al pastor, I decided to go for the carne asada. Instead of street tacos, I went with a burro. Why do they call them this rather than burrito? Once it arrived, it became obvious. If a burrito is a small burro, imagine a burrito and take away the diminutive. The thing was ginormous! They have black beans as an option. It also comes with a delicious tomatillo salsa. The house red salsa is also super flavorful. It was one of the best burritos I've ever had. My husband got the shredded chicken version and felt the same. We will definitely be back. read more

My husband and I enjoyed having lunch today. We will be back. The chicken enchiladas and the tamale was fab. The homemade fresh tortillas were excellent. The waiter was friendly. A great place for lunch. read more

We stayed at the Back Bay Inn while in town for a family gathering, and decided to try this place - as others have noted it's right across the street. I ordered chicken mole, and I was very impressed with the flavor. Very complex and inviting, with enough chicken to make it worthwhile. The handmade tortillas were an excellent addition, and the rice and beans were pretty standard but a fine accompaniment. Two of my fellow-diners had the chile verde dinner and were equally impressed. I tasted their dish and it was also very good. Dad ordered a combination plate with a beef taco and cheese enchilada, and my step-mom got the chicken tortilla soup and they seemed to like their dinners as well. This place was a very pleasant surprise overall. Great food, friendly service and reasonable prices! Here's a link to the menu: http://www.menuclub.com/californiarestaurantguide/losososrestaurants/lapalaparestaurant-225989.php read more

Terrific, authentic Mexican food of the sort that used to require a 45 minute drive to Guadalupe. At this point I've eaten nearly the entire menu, and it's uniformly excellent. My highlight is the chile verde- a spectacular, citrus-y delight whether enjoyed in enchiladas, a burrito, or as part of Oscar's Chile Verde. They serve by far the best table salsa in the area (second place goes to the otherwise completely forgettable Pepe Delgado's)- the temptation to 'fill up on chips' can be nearly overwhelming, as I'm not barbarian enough to simply tip the bowl down my gullet. Their salads are surprisingly excellent- a detail lost on too many restaurants, let alone Mexican ones. Other menu highlights are the Gorditas & the Sopes, both delightful and probably not what you expect. I'm generally a lunch patron and the service is always attentive and pleasant, whether you get Jose or Litzy. It's a happy coincidence that one of my favorite local restaurants for service and ambiance also makes the best Mexican food around. read more

I live 2 blocks from La Palapa and eat there frequently. I haven't tried everything on the menu yet but what I have tried is always fresh and delicious. I moved here 2 years ago from the central valley where we have Mexican restaurants on just about every block. I was worried that I was going to have a hard time finding a really good Mex place in this little village. I feel so lucky to live so close to one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever eaten in. I take all my visitors from the valley here for a meal and they are never disappointed. I can't think of anything they don't do better than every other Mexican restaurant I have tried. My favorites are their chile rellenos (yummy sauce), anything with carnitas or carne asada (or ask them to smother a relleno with carnitas or asada - it's not on the menu but they'll make anything you ask for and this is a killer combination -- I love the way they brown the meat before serving, making it all crispy and hot. Their soups are something special too. And the shrimp enchiladas are to die for. Jose and his sisters (it's family owned and operated) Dahlia and the lovely and vivacious Litzy are the best servers anywhere. They bend over backward to make you happy. Their prices are very reasonable considering this is Mexican cuisine at its finest. And how come the other reviewers didn't mention the gorgeous view of the bay from the dining room? It's such a wonderful dining experience I can't recommend it highly enough. Tell them Jimmy sent you and you'll get the VIP treatment. read more

Where to start with La Palapa. Yes, the service is laid back and the only music is music coming out of the kitchen, but the food is without a doubt the best I have had on the Central Coast. The. Best. I do not mess around when it comes to Mexican food and Jose and his team produce flavorful and addicting dishes that keep me coming back for more. I am vegan and they are always accommodating! Their veggie burrito is amazing... but honestly, I could eat rice and beans and their fresh tortillas all day long and be happy. Be patient and enjoy the awesome views - the food is the BEST! read more

I went here for dinner with some friends. There was only one waiter and the dining room was full. He was friendly, but had too many tables to adequately serve. As for the food, some of my fellow diners loved their food, but I was disappointed. I ordered a combination of a pork tamale with a ground beef enchilada. I made a point of asking for "all rice and no beans, please". I even repeated myself to be sure our waiter got the order correctly. When my entrée arrived, I had a shredded beef enchilada and both rice and beans. The pork tamale was quite tasty and moist. I thought about sending back my entrée to be corrected, but it was clear the kitchen was slammed too, so said nothing. I'd be willing to try La Palapa again when I'm visiting Los Osos as my friend really likes them. read more

This place is by the far the BEST Mexican restaurant I've been to, quite possibly because I celebrated my 30th birthday here with my boyfriend or because we just got engaged that night. But all in all, I loved EVERYTHING about this place. The server was incredibly sweet and very attentive. The chips and salsa were fresh. Our orders (we got camarones con ajo and mojarra frita) were fresh and delicious. Rice and beans were also the best I've had. What shocked me was their corn tortillas. Never in my life have I ever had the best tortillas til I came here! And I've been to Mexico and San Diego, practically everywhere for Mexican food. The strawberry margarita was really good and refreshing as well. All in all the service and the food was impeccable. The decor was very beautiful and I just loved everything about this place. When I come back to Morro Bay I will definitely come back here. I absolutely loved this place! Our total came out to be $50 and every penny was worth it! read more

La Palapa - Mojarra frita - Seafood Near Me - Los Osos, California

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Having just moved to Los Osos in January, we were looking for a solid go to restaurant. We now go to La Palapa twice a week on average and love the place. The variety of the menu is really good, and we love their homemade soups, Albondagas and Pazole. They also have a senior menu at great prices with a wide selection. However, what we like most is the fact that regulars are treated like family. Jose and his sister Monica are pleasant and great hosts, and the bartender/server, Jason, is also a great guy. In addition, during the winter months, the restaurant hosts the beer on the pier concert series. La Palapa is simply a great neighborhood cafe. read more

I went to Mare Blu at this address, hoping for a really good experience; it's our first anniversary. No Mare Blu. Palapa was at that address, so reviewing Yelp and the 4 stars given by others, we took a chance. The menu seemed a bit steep ($$) for Sunday, no brunch offered, just the regular fare) and even just before noon, we could not order from the breakfast menu. Dang. Fairly pricey for a lunch, but we ordered from the dinner menu anyway. There were two other tables occupied at the time. Service was okay; there was a 20-something woman who was obviously very new at waiting tables. Wait 'til people are pausing a sentence before asking "how is everything?". The chips and salsa were excellent, although the salsa tasted as if it may have been reclaimed, there was some raw and some cooked tomato pieces in it. My chili relleno plate came with a very dark green UNSEEDED chili- possibly partially cooked the night before? It was covered in a very tasty red sauce with a little heat to it as a saving grace. My wife ordered the "fresh tilapia" which had been scored on both sides and dropped into a deep fryer for too long. Whether this was inexperience or an attempt at disguising a not-so-fresh fish is up for grabs. My wife has experience with fresh tilapia, and she told me this wasn't fresh. Beans: very good but not outstanding. Rice: Overly dry, "how many days can we get out of this batch" reheating. Disappointing. Wife's soup was excellent, a chicken pozole (hominy) that was flavorful and good. Overall, the experience was on the wrong side of luke warm, and we will wait for the next great occupant of that restaurant address. If Palapa can salvage the good parts of the menu and get off the tony price horse, they have a shot at making it, otherwise, they may survive by selling to the tourists, but only by the skin of their tilapia, if yesterday was any indication. Warning: the water (tap) in Baywood Park is among the worst I have ever experienced. So do not come thirsty, and do not order tap-water-mixed beverages (like tea)! read more

Excellent service and the food is fantastic. Had the special burrito with chicken. It was huge and delicious!!!! Salsa is very good and chips are thin and warm. Perfect! Glad you guys are back open for sit down. You did a great job with the take out this past year and we really appreciate it!!! read more

The food is really good here just a little pricey. We always have to order to go because the wait inside is absolutely ridiculous. My friends and I waited 1 hour just for our order to be taken!! And almost another hour for our food to come out. They live out of town and they were headed home which is why we didnt leave after waiting awhile and nothing near by they wanted to eat. read more

I was torn between 2 and 3 star rating based on our only visit there. On the plus side, the have a very extensive menu with several seafood options, plus, the wait staff is very cheery and friendly, plus they actually offer beers that are something other than the traditional Mexican restaurant offerings of Corona/Bohemia/Modelo/Bud/Coors/Miller. They have a decent selection of craft brews including some of the local central coast ones. Also, the place is clean and appears to be well maintained, although I did not check out the restrooms. The pozole soup was pretty good/not bad. On the negative side, the service is incredibly slow; one person taking orders, serving, and bussing 7 tables with 2 to 6 people each. We waited forever for everything (silverware, napkins, placing orders, getting the check). My shrimp enchilada was OK, but I have had better and although the plate was very hot the food was lukewarm (ewwww!). The beans and rice served as sides were completely unremarkable. However my wife thought her chili relleno and beef enchilada combo was pretty good, although not a clear winner compared to other examples served elsewhere. I went with three stars because while I would not order the same dish again, I would be tempted to try something else on the menu, but only if I have a LOT of time to wait. read more

On the good side, they have ample wine pours and large beers, good chips and salsa, and friendly service. The appetizer platter of nachos and taquitos was okay and the tamale and enchiladas were good.On the other hand the refried beans seem like they are pureed and very bland. Overall, I've had better Mexican food, but it's a pleasant place, and maybe I should have gone for the mole, which seems to be other Yelpers' recommendation. read more

A palapa is one of the big palm frond umbrellas, my mother told me. It's also the name of this tasty Mexican restaurant. It was super convenient for our party of 22, across the way from our b'n'b, and the restaurant had a separate semi-private room for our party. I had a combo plate with a chili relleno and an enchilada. I ate the enchilada and half the rice and beans then I could eat no more. If you ask, you can get black beans with your combo instead of refried. I also had a lime margarita with salt. Pretty good overall, this is not the town or restaurant to visit if your are in any kind of hurry, we were a huge group too. Thank you! read more

Love the food.... its EXCELLENT, BUT the service needs work.... they just dont have enough staff to handle dinner service. The owner is super friendly but they just need like 3 more of him in there. They really need a separate hostess to do seating and can also do bussing as well in this place while the waittresses can focus on orders (and doing them in order). We had to wait an hour to get our food and we saw other parties coming in sitting getting orders out while we were waiting, plus they said they had a big party come in so it will take our order longer (oh great.. bummer since it was just 3 of us). SO, be aware that while the food is awesome you may be here a while.... that sort of killed the experience for us :( read more

La Palapa serves excellent Mexican food. The carnitas was amazing. The tortillas homemade. And the beans were authentic. Plus, they are friendly, efficient and welcoming. read more

Best Mexican food on the Central Coast. I had La Palapa Cater my son's first birthday and it was terrific. Their tamales, rice and mole are just like Grandma B used to make. My work has their annual holiday party at La Palapa and every year and they treat us like kings. My go to dish for lunch is the two item combo.....I get the two soft chicken tacos with a side of mole sauce. The posole and albondigas soups are soothing on a cool day. La Palapa's home made horchata is "mejor" ans served in a huge mug. I'm usually a heavy tipper when I eat out and these guys definitely earn it. Watch the dealsaver emails for $20 of food for $10 and score huge. read more

Super friendly here! And lots of food Huge Wet burrito and sopa dish complete dinner had to be served on two plates. Sunday night was pleasant dinner to end weekend Waitress help take order in Spanish for my son class assignment I tried to post pic of food but can't get Yelp yo go to my library read more

My husband and I ate here 3 times on a recent visit to Morro Bay. Jose was our server each time and he was wonderful. On our first visit, on evening, we went in not realizing they had been closed for almost an hour. Jose said he'd prepare us a meal to go and had it ready for us in less than ten minutes! The atmosphere is cheery, there's a beautiful fireplace, and the service and food were great! read more

Ordered nachos and 2 burritos over the phone after referencing the website where no prices were listed, and the price of the order once I arrived for the pickup was $57.00!!! We weren't told the total when ordering and didn't think to ask cuz I was expecting normal prices for the food (e.g., $7/burrito). When ordering, my wife asked to have rice withheld from her burrito and the woman we spoke with when ordering proposed getting a vegetarian burrito with chicken instead (which we opted for). This ended up being an overly expensive extra $5 cost to an already overly expensive burrito. None of the food we ordered was good enough to cost as much as it did, and the vegetables in the veggie burrito seemed steamed and there just seemed to be more beans, lettuce, guac, and sour cream than vegetables. Granted, the burritos and nachos were huge (larger than any delux burrito I've ordered) but I don't need two-meals worth of food for dinner and burrito leftovers are no good the following day...no microwave can fix that. Only reason I'm giving two stars is because we called an complained and were reimbursed for the vegetarian burrito w/ chicken once we returned it. I have to note though, that upon returning the burrito they argued that next time we order from them we can ask about the total cost. I stated that we have never paid close to $15-$20 for a burrito so we didn't think to ask, and they argued that price is typical for a burrito and asked where I normally get Mexican food. It's okay I know many places where I can get a $7 burrito, so I'll just go those places next time. If you're still reading, the other thing that bothered me was that I had a crazy day of traveling 6 hours with a kid and a baby prior to this, and I actually would have just refused to pay for the meal initially had I not had some decency in me and a hungry body and wife and kid at home. My wife ended up not eating anything else because we were from out of town and didn't have any other food with us, and she felt sick after eating what little of the burrito she did. So cheers, hope this review was helpful. read more

This is the very best home made Mexican food you are going to find on the Central Coast! Once you sit down, you will get chunky, slightly spicy salsa to go with some tortilla chips while you are looking at the menu. There are a lot of great choices. We usually come for the best posole in the area but I decided on the chile relleno which was very large with LOTS of hot, melted cheese. My husband had the taquitos and both of us were very happy with our meals and the sides, rice and beans of course. There are a good number of vegetarian choices and many seafood dishes. Don't be in a rush here - everything is made to order - almost as if you are in someone's home. So, when in Baywood (Los Osos) don't wait in line for food when you can sit down at La Palapa and have the best Mexican experience ever! We can't wait to go back!! read more

Ok...I'm from the Fresno area...arguably the heart of California Mexican food. There is literally a taco truck or Mexican restaurant on every block in the Central Valley. That being said, I've had tons of Mexican food; and La Palapa is probably top 5. The Mexican quesadilla was awesome, basically 3 hard shell tacos with potatoes, beans and cheese. The salsa was mild/medium heat and very addicting. Chips were fresh and very good. My wife and I had the Green Posole and it was possibly the best soup I've ever had from a restaurant. , Better than any other menudo, sopa de res, albondigas, etc I've ordered from a restaurant. Carnitas taco was nice and crispy meat. I know it's remedial, but the rice and beans were on point, crazy how many places screw those up. I actually can't wait to come back. The owners were very nice and welcoming. Also, the water tasted like it was bottled, so clean. Only thing screwed up is the hours posted are not the same on the door. read more

My family and I eat at La Palapa almost every week. It is indeed the best Mexican food on the Central Coast. The people are fantastic and make the experience tasty and friendly. Service can be slow at times but this is Los Osos! Chill. Enjoy. read more

Chips and salsa here are delicious! And the soda comes in enormous glass jars. We had carnitas sopes, very tasty. The green salad was not great, wish we'd gotten soup instead. Service was fine. We didn't get any knives because they were all dirty, apparently. I would come back. read more

When a Jersey girl can make better Mexican food than a Mexican place.. someone's in trouble:) We had awful food- bland, no flavor - over abundance of rice and crappy refried beans- gross! If you like bland, crap food- please eat here! Only good thing was the tamarindo. read more

The food was phenomenal and our server, Monica, managed to bring everything in a timely manner and with a great attitude despite being the only server in a super packed restaurant! I will definitely eat here again next time I'm in SLO. read more

Took a friend and our kids to lunch there on Sunday. I swear our waitress had short term memory loss. She would remember about half the things we asked for, and then we'd proceed to re-ask for the others. It went like this throughout the lunch. We waited about 15 minutes for water, although the chips and salsa came to the table quickly. Hard to eat a bunch of chips and salsa with no liquids to wash it down. Had to order the hibiscus drink twice to get it to the table, and the hot chocolate three times. There did not seem to be rhyme or reason or any sort of order to the service. I think they need to get that nailed down in order to help the flow. On to the food: I ordered the tostado. It was just ok, and the flour shell tasted as though it was fried in old, spoiled oil. The ground beef was underseasoned. The veggies were good though! My friend had the cheese enchilada. She liked it ok. My 8 year old wanted a ground beef taco alacarte. What came was literally a soft corn tortilla with some ground beef dumped in it. No beans, cheese, rice, in it. A different waitress came by and asked if we wanted a side of beans and cheese, which was very nice! My friend's daughter ordered a taco plate. What inexplicably came instead was a huge burrito. Oh well, it was edible. All in all, I can't say I recommend this place, either for the food (mediocre) or the service (scattered and disorganized, albeit friendly.) read more

Slow service, the margaritas were watered down! And they charge their customers extra chips and salsa! Disappointed! read more

We stayed at the Bed and Breakfast next door and, as part of our room rate, received complimentary breakfast tickets for La Palapa. As SoCal residents, we were shocked to discover that our all-time favorite Mexican Breakfast is actually all the way up in the central coast! La Palapa, you make my toes curl! Ask for homemade hot sauce, it pulls the whole experience together. Chilaquiles are crisp and hot and oh-so great. read more

Excellent food, Great service and Excellent atmosphere. If you are in Los Osos you have to try this place.

Jose is a talented chef and I have heard about him from other chef I have a lot of respect for. And for years he has told me about this family run operation. And tonight 1400 miles from home I got to try this young chefs creation. He hit it out of the park. Everyone's taste will very but this young man will just add higher marks his family has already set. read more

We arrived at the inn across the street a little late around 9:20pm or so. We had also missed dinner while traveling there. As we looked around at the few restaurants in this area we saw people still sitting in this one. We ventured over and went inside, after first noting the great reviews on yelp. Once we were in the entry way waiting to be seated the waiter informed us that they actually closed at 9pm. We were hungry and bummed. We next asked what place was still open to eat in the area. His response was a big frown. He then said if we chose something from the menu quickly we could take it to go. We were thrilled!!! I opted for their chicken pozole. Oh my goodness, I've eaten a lot of pozole but this one was so different, fresh and yummy! it has a green broth (cilantro based, I think) and had shredded pieces of chicken and hominy in it. I was in heaven once the onions and fresh cabbage topped it. It was still piping hot too! Their chips and salsa were delicious hit the spot as well. They set us up with forks and napkins too! I tried the man's taquitos and they were yummy too. Overall, we loved the food but were so thankful for the excellent above and beyond service we received! read more

Stopped by because we were camping by the ocean and wanted some good Mexican Food. This seems pretty authentic when you walk in because they decorate the restaurant with spanish influences. They also serve you chips and salsa as well while you were waiting. The service however is pretty mediocre. We came pretty early so it was still empty but still had to wait to get water, wait to get chips, wait to get our order. And when our orders came out, the waitress mixed up people's orders and didn't know who ordered what. I got the chile verde dinner which is served with corn or flour tortilla. Served with the pork is the chile verde sauce, mexican rice, refried/baked beans, corn, sour cream, quacamole, lettuce, and salso. Quite a bit of food, I wasn't able to finish it all. The meat portions in the dish are pretty chucky, thick, and kind of awkward when you put it into your taco. It had a mild spicy flavor, that I kind of wish had more bite to it. The rice was okay, and everything only taste good when you mix it all together, instead of eating it individually. I didn't really like the beans but the quacamole was pretty good. Food isn't okay if you are in this part of town, but pricy for my taste. read more

Bullet points on this one: -Pozole. better than good....get some, if you don't like it, i'll pay for it. -Verde sauce. slightly better than good, you WILL like it. -Salsa (with the chips). VERY good, as are the chips. -same as above for the Guacamole (it's pronounced "Walk-uh-mo-ley" folks, please don't be total gringo's) -Palapa Burro. pretty solid, had better but it's above average, worth the 11bucks or whatever it was. -service is average, but it's a family place so i guess i can understand, typically it's the owners kids working, they've been "americanized" i guess, kinda act disinterested as they work, but i'm (sadly) almost used to that in most places nowadays. as another reviewer said, if you want cheap (but just as good), go to taco de mex in morro bay, but if you want sit down with a bay view, La Palapa is worth it. fyi, 90% chance you will bring home leftovers. read more