I've been to Las Olas twice now. All in all I'd say this restaurant is just okay. First time in i sat at the bar. There was a funky smell coming from the sink behind the bar, so after I ordered I moved to a table. I ordered shrimp cocktail and tostadas de pollo (chicken tostadas). They both came out very quickly. The shrimp cocktail was absolutely delicious. I'm not a seafood guy. But this stuff was addictive. Based in tomato and lime were a bunch of chopped up shrimp with cilantro and serano chiles on top. Corn chips are used to scoop the concoction like salsa. I couldn't stop eating it. The tostadas were ok. Not bad not great. The quest fresco was yummy. The chicken quality seemed ok. My second visit was less successful. I wanted chicken. I asked if they had chicken tacos. He showed me some plate that offered fajita of chicken so I was like "ok great I'll have fajitas if it can be chicken". What I got was beef fajita. And it was pretty gross. Not sure what meat it was. Tasted like processed dog food. I do not recommend. Refried beans were dried and crusty on top. The rice, which came with the tostadas yesterday too, tasted good but is clearly an instant rice with seasoning packet. When asked how the food was I let the server know the fajita was not good. I also ordered the veggie salad. It's an odd combination of apples, oranges, tomatoes, and greens with a mustard vinaigrette. The apples were really yummy. The rest was mediocre. On my first visit I had to go to the bar for extra chiles and my check. On my second visit I just sat at the bar and I got better service. Nice view of the ocean and the only actual restaurant on the beach on this block gives it three stars. But beware the fajita is zero stars. read more

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The previous reviews confirm the trickiness of getting the the restaurant, through the pool area. The decor is non existent, but the building is round and has a nice view. It was quiet in there, only two other customers. Service was good. And now the food, hmm average. I order the seafood combo (shrimp and fish), came with fries. No lemon wedge and the tarter sauce came in packets. read more

Las Olas Restaurant is worth a look! Location: It is next to the Peninsula Island Resort, behind a new yellow apartment building. I attached a photo with an arrow pointing to it. Appetizer: - Avocado Chipotle Shrimp Roll ($7.50) is 2 rolls, cut in 4 pieces, and loaded with shrimp in a zesty chipotle cream sauce. Excellent! - Ceviche Peninsula ($9.50) is a generous bowl of fish (or shrimp) ceviche doused with lime, tomatoes, and other fresh ingredients. A tad too much lime, but the dish is plentiful and good for a hot day with a cold beer. Entree: - Blackened Fish Tacos ($9.50) includes 4 fish tacos with grilled onions and homemade rice. The tortillas are too thin to hold together the taco, but the fish was seasoned good. - Surprise: The retried beans! They were included with the fish tacos, and by far, are the best refried beans I have eaten! Seriously, they taste as if they were charbroiled or grilled, prior to being mashed together. A fresh, grilled taste! I wish I could order a huge bowl! Drinks: - Happy Hour offers Margaritas (on the rocks) for $4. These are not small Margaritas. They are big and 2 of them will be enough. Dessert: -Flan. The best I have eaten! Thick and creamy. Perfection! Service: - Outstanding! Very attentive and friendly! Ambiance: - Clean and somewhat stark, but a nice view of the Gulf. Overall: Las Olas is a little hard to find, but if you want a nice meal with a good view of the Gulf, it's worth the trip. The prices are decent, the quality is good, and the service is excellent. read more

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This place is a little hard to get to. There was no one there which was nice. The drinks were really good. The ceviche was good. The other food was just ok. It wasn't bad. I expected the Mexican food to be better. My flautas were just taquitos with chipotle sauce and cheese on top. But they tasted good! Overall it's about as good as any other padre restaurant. Just nothing stood out. read more

I cheated on Yelp and went to Trip Advisor before my most recent visit to South Padre Island. On Trip Advisor, I read about Las Olas. It's tough to find... it's in the complex of the Peninsula Inn... so you have to go through the hotel and pool to get to this restaurant. It was clear after sitting in here, that most of their meals are served to the hotel and pool area, and not to outsiders coming in. There was only one other table in the restaurant, and they were staying at the hotel. Either way, the place is very nice. It's in a circular shaped building with windows facing the pool, and the gulf. Modern decor adorns the room. We ordered shrimp cocktail, fish tacos, and shrimp enchiladas. The entrees were simple, with just a few fresh ingredients in each. The highlight of the meal was the shrimp cocktail. Don't be fooled by the appearance. There are only two shrimp hanging on the top of the glass, but there are plenty more floating in the cocktail sauce. And the sauce was good too... different... it clearly was made with fresh squeezed oranges. The food took a little while to come out so they brought us some chips and salsa. Seriously... this was maybe the best salsa I've ever had. It was uniquely different too. It had a spice that I couldn't place. Almost Indian tasting. I loved it. If you're in the mood for some good baja style Mexican food, then give this place a whirl. It's a little upscale, and can be tough to find, but it's worth the visit. read more

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For a beach spot, in comparison with the area, this is great. We had the fish ceviche, blackened fish tacos, and the ahi tuna salad with mango vinaigrette. First, service was great and they made custom drinks perfectly. (I only like "natural" margaritas). Portions were more generous than expected. All the fish was super fresh and tasty. Nothing innovative here, but a broad menu for all, and a great spot in general especially by comparison. Thanks!!! Just don't expect more than the typical drab hotel ambiance. I don't get why they can't look like a cool spot... sterile wasn't ever "in" so who knows what goes on in the board room but the kitchen and bartender got it right. read more

This place was empty when we there..it was literally us and no one else. I don't know if it's always like that and I hope not b/c the food is good. The two salsas that they complimentary serve are great as is the guacamole. Fish tacos (which I am a huge fan of) were well seasoned. I would call ahead before you go. They are only open for lunch but one day they closed at noon. However I'm pretty sure their hours on the door said open till 3pm. read more

Incredibly nice place for dinner. Buried at the back of the Peninsula Condo/Resort. Fronts the large dunes behind the beach. It is hike from the parking lot, but we were picked up by staff in a cart. They must run regularly since our wait was minimal. The decor is simply lovely. The food was fresh and light. We had fish and shrimp tacos. Both dishes were well presented and tasted great. Drinks were super - my wife had a fresh virgin mango margarita, which most places don't seem to provide. Service was very nice and food was excellent. View is gorgeous. It is worth the discovery off the beaten path. read more

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Extremely hard to find. It's at the back of the Peninsula Island Resort, so if you are coming from the front, you walk all the way through the pool area to the round part of the building. It has a lovely view, which was all I was interested in. My husband ordered the tacos, and they looked good - street style with avocados, which he loved. My son has a thing for chicken Ceasar salad, and he loved his. I honestly can't even remember what I ate, so it must not have stood out for me. Very dead, very quiet even on a busy weekend. read more

I just had lunch here in the blackened fish tacos were amazing they are definitely authentic Mexican the owner of this property is from saltillo Mexico and they do a great job with Mexican food plus the view is spectacular just off the pool with a view of the beach it is open to the public as well read more

Las Olas - amazing beachfront view - Mexican Near Me - South Padre Island, Texas

First the positive: four people arrived 20 minutes after end of breakfast timeframe, no one else was in restaurant. At first they wouldn't let it's order breakfast but changed their mind when we asked waitress to ask the chef. Negatives: Coffee tasted like mud. Literally. read more

First we couldnt find them for 15 minutes, and they couldnt tell us they are at the hotel. My husband got tacos, they were ok, and also we got nachos and tortilla soup. Honestly...i dont think it was fresh. We didnt feel good afterwards and we are not picky about the food. read more

Ceviche could have been much better if they would have prepared with natural lime. You could taste that it was lime juice concentrate. Very satisfied with portion of guacamole. We enjoyed meal next to pool. read more

We just spent 24 hrs trying to get to South Padre en route from Chicago....we stumbled across Las Olas and found a gem. We had fish and shrimp tacos to be exceptional. The service was perfect and the view spectacular. The owners obviously take great pride in their business. read more

We showed up and there was a guy behind the bar on the phone who immediately walked back to the kitchen. There were ZERO customers in the restaurant at 7:15. After a short wait a waitress comes out as we were debating on whether the place is open. After we sat down and looked at the menu it was clear that this is not a Mexican resaurant. I was considering giving the "world famous shrimp dish a try... but they were out of shrimp. We were getting to leave and the waitress asked what we were looking for. I said enchiladas which they did not have on the menu. She said the owner just added it to the menu, that was enough bs for me so we left. read more

My family and I didn't realize that this restaurant was located inside a hotel so it took us forever lol. It's part of the peninsula hotel and the view is amazing here. Food is alright but everything about this place is about 4 stars :) service is good, view is amazing, very clean and modern inside also. Will definitely return. read more

Poor customer service, nice view..very expensive for what you get. Pińa Colada is good.

Extremely slow service. Food brought out 1 plate per person. Took 1 hour and 30 minutes for food to arrive Party of 9. First people were through eating before others got their food. Fish was raw read more

What a disappointment. We were really looking forward to eating here and I admit it deserves the 1 star for both the location and the menu sounding fairly good. However we arrived on a Sunday evening, 5:30 and there was one large group that was leaving. Otherwise the restaurant was empty. We stood about 5 mins (4 of us, including 2 young kids, so hard to miss) and were never greeted, seated, or asked to choose our seat. Finally we helped ourselves to a menu off the empty table and sat ourselves outside. We sat there for another 10 mins, and still were never acknowledged- no waitstaff, no offer for drinks, no greeting. So cut our losses and left, only to find a MUCH better experience on the island. I'm not sure how long this location has been open but they do an awful job of customer service. I definitely would not recommend this place, or ever attempt a return back. read more

This is a great place for lunch, but not easy to find as its located near the pool in Peninsula resort. It is clean and the food fresh and tasty. However, don't know what kind of business they get as we were the only part there at noon. The server spoke no English and the food took a little while to come out. The steak tacos were very good, however they did not serve the rice or avocado it was supposed to come with. When asked, they said they were out of rice. At the end of our meal, we were told that their credit card machine is not working, so we had to come up with cash. However, in south padre, where it is challenging to find a decent place to eat, this is definitely a must to visit. read more

The food is fresh and delicious! Xavier and Omar went above and beyond to ensure our food and dining experience was exceptional!!

went for lunch today, can be tough to find as others have noted but the effort was well worth it and it wasn't a big deal. just walk to the very back. the parking lot is a ways from the beachfront location of the restaurant. as others have noted there was nobody there during our visit either, but to me this is a benefit. staff was attentive and food was great. had the ceviche app along with the chips and guac, and we had entrees of ahi tunu and shrimp tacos. would go again next time in SPI. If you want a solid meal with a dynamic view and great service then give this place a try. read more

This was a great place but hard to find on a slow Thursday eve. Food and service was great. Definitely recommend the avocado chipotle shrimp roll, wish our foursome had ordered two. Blackened fish tacos were very good. Agree with other reviews that the refried beans were the best I've had. read more

Went here for the football playoffs. Probably one of the hidden treasures of South Padre. Good service, reasonable prices, and good food. We shared chicken nachos and they were really good. Definitely recommended. read more

There were three of us dining. The place is dead. We were the only ones there. 2 of the 3 dishes came with hair, and no we did not order that on the side. The food is not fresh. We are from Chicago, we can find better Mexican and seafood there. The service was poor. Don't come here or To the peninsula hotel (which las olas is connected to) seriously this is a Waste of ur money read more

What a wonderful a and perfect vacation spot. Staff was right on top of everything . Amazing food and attentive staff.

We arrived at dinnertime and there was no one else in the restaurant, with one waitress. While the view of the gulf was nice, the decor was more like a diner. They did not serve draft beer and when we asked for what kind of wine they served, the waitress lifted up an opened bottle of Zinfandel and said that was all they had. We chose water with our meal. When we opened the menu, the prices were high for this type of restaurant. We decided on the red snapper and the seared ahi tuna. It wasn't seared ahi tuna - but a tuna steak. They both tasted like they were frozen too long and were dried out. We asked for tartar sauce to cover up the dryness. Won't dine there again. read more