Olamendi's in Dana Point is one of those places that feels like a local secret once you're sitting down with a plate of great food in front of you. I had the Pollo Tomatillo, which was absolutely delicious - tender, flavorful, and nicely balanced for such a simple recipe. My friend ordered the 2-taco combo plate, and it did not disappoint. Everything tasted fresh and well prepared. The salsa had a great flavor with a nice little kick at the end that sneaks up on you in the best way. The location is a bit wonky and the parking lot is tight, but once you're there, it's worth it. The patio is surprisingly comfortable, and inside is the most eclectic collection of tchotchkes you've ever seen - it's like dining inside a little museum or a shop on Calle 16 de Septiembre in Cabo. Even if you eat on the patio, be sure to go in and take a look around. Service was friendly and attentive, and our meals were complemented perfectly with ranch waters - tequila, mineral water, and fresh lime juice. Simple, crisp, and refreshing. We'll definitely be back. read more

Olamendi's - #5 Two Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

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The service was good, and the margaritas were decent, which is why I'm giving it more than one star. Unfortunately, the food was a letdown. It had all the right ingredients, but somehow none of the flavor. Everything tasted very bland and lacked the bold, authentic seasoning you'd expect from good Mexican food. To make matters worse, I became sick with diarrhea after eating there. I can't say with absolute certainty what caused it, but the timing was concerning enough that I felt it was worth mentioning. The best way I can describe the food is that it was missing its most important ingredient--love. It looked the part, but it just didn't have the heart or flavor to make me want to come back. read more

A group of nine of us decided to visit Olamendi's in Dana Point. The patio's view is beautiful and we asked to be seated there. Although there were two large tables that could be joined, they refused. We were seated inside. Our server, Claudia, approached our table with a sour attitude. She never greeted us and coldly asked for our drink order. She brought our drinks, and proceeded to take our order. I politely asked if she would break down the bill individually, she said no. Our food was mediocre at best. I ordered a shredded beef Chimichanga which completely tasteless (and to my surprise was charged $4.00 extra for Birria which I did not order). I later discovered the Birria was the shredded beef I ordered). Everyone at the table was disappointed with the taste of the food. We visit many restaurants, especially Mexican Food; we had never encountered the added charges for the basics, i.e. chips and salsa (refills were $3.50 for each item). The carnitas were dry, the Guacamole ordinary, and the tacos were served without salsa. My friend ordered Pico de Gallo and was charged $4.00 for it. We do not recommend Olamendi's. read more

Olamendi's - Main dining room - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

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This place had so much potential but judging from the pictures on the wall, I'm guessing the peak was during the Nixon era. Started out with chips and salsa, chips were thick and stale, then ordered chips and guacamole... same stale chips, guacamole was bland, nothing remarkable about it. Coctel with shrimp was meh, and was served on a plate with water at the bottom (yech) and more stale chips. Shrimp chunks were not tasty, easily the worst coctel ever ordered. Cheese enchilada was not good, there was nothing about the food that'd make you want to come back. I get the impression that this place was once a great restaurant but time and perhaps a few ownership changes has taken its toll. For a Friday afternoon during Spring Break, you'd think it'd be bustling, but the place was about 25% full and looked to be occupied by tourists who didn't know any better. To their credit, service was great and fast, and ambience was good. For some reason there's a rack of clothing for sale right in front of the bar. Food was so bad, I didn't want to take a chance on the dessert of flan, we just wanted to leave. Such a disappointment, and I wouldn't recommend to a friend. read more

We had the vegan enchiladas with rice and beans and it was so delicious! We really appreciated all of the vegan options on the menu. The Cadillac margarita is quite tasty and so are the chips and salsa. We loved sitting on the patio with the view of the ocean .our server was friendly and the service was quick. read more

Olamendi's - Vegan enchiladas with rice and beans. Yum!! - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

Olamendi's is a great authentic Mexican restaurant. I highly recommend the enchilada dish. Although this was not my first time having Mexican food, it was the first time I tried a shrimp enchilada. I found out it is a killer dish and I regret never trying something new until today. It was our first time dining here. We were very satisfied with our meal. We tried their homemade world-famous flan dessert also. It tasted great. However, it was much sweeter than I prefer. Both the interior and exterior radiated bright colors that created a welcoming and social atmosphere. Overall, this place has excellent food, and our waiter went above and beyond! They have great indoor seating and outdoor patio dining with sunset views. read more

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What a joke. Came with the family at 8:20pm. Was told they close at 9 and won't seat us. I would never come back and support this establishment. read more

As our families were coming into town for a wedding, a group of seven of us made last-minute reservations for dinner here on a Wednesday night. The restaurant was easy to find along the coast south of Dana Point. Their relatively small parking lot had plenty of spaces available when we arrived at 530 p.m. Some street parking was also available if you come at a busier time. We were quickly seated in their decorative dining room, which had walls full of photos of famous past guests. As sunset approached, other groups were availing themselves of the outdoor tables. They serve all the favorites. Several in the group started with Margaritas, while others went for Mexican Coke or water. Chips and salsa were brought out. The red salsa was quite spicy, even though they said it wasn't. We must have been lightweights. I ordered two crispy taco combo, one chicken and one beef. Both were delicious and (temperature) hot with shells that did not break midway through eating. The side of refried beans was great with a thick cheese layer on top. I didn't care as much for the rice in the combo. My wife got their signature burrito with red and green sauce. It was huge, almost the size of her head, I think. Needless to say, she didn't finish it but did enjoy it. Some others got tacos, and someone else ordered two wet enchiladas. Everything was great. Service was awesome the entire evening, and we had a great time. read more

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I don't get it. This is solid Mexican food. You are mad because it's not dog friendly so you rate a 1 star? Really. This place is good. The view is spectacular. I thought the service was good. If you are rating this place with 1 star this says more about you than this place. read more

Olamendi's - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

Just skip it. It's not good. They have a location with not many other options in the area. Another long time lost opportunity in Capo Beach.

The server wasn't very friendly. We never received our soup with our meal. Luckily they gave us a flan for free in place of the soup. The pozole verde wasn't even green and had no flavor. None of the food had much flavor. Then while my daughter was eating her birria burrito there was a giant bay leaf left in it which made her end up getting sick later on our way home. When I showed it to the employee after my daughter found it there was no apology.We got the premium margaritas and they were very watered down and little flavor. All of the glassware was plastic and looked very tattered. Overall the food was tasteless and the service was not good. The only thing that was nice about this place was the decor and the hostess who was very kind and welcoming. The prices were high for the quality you get. I will not be returning and would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

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Olamendi's - ole! Great food and margaritas. Be sure to indulge with some chips and guac. Victor was an excellent server - friendly and professional. Nice spot in Dana Point across from the ocean. Nice place to end the day. Again I say Ole! Ole! read more

This place has the best people working for them. Amazing service. Joe was the best. We arrived (2 persons) and requested to be seated inside as it was a little chilly at 6:30 pm. There was an empty table but needed clearing. We said we could wait. Well they were extremely busy and I noticed that all the employees were busting their asses to take care of customers. We ended up waiting 20 minutes for the table to be cleared and seated. Joe (Jorge on the receipt) was amazing seated us and took drink orders immediately! Drinks arrived within minutes. The whole place was extremely busy and I was so impressed on how the staff was handling it. Food arrived in a timely manner and was very good. Joe was such a good server, you could tell he really cared about the customer. This place gets 10 stars from me. read more

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Olamendi's is an amazing place for pure, authentic Mexican cuisine. I'm stunned to see it only averages the stars it does. Our service by Joe was 10/10. The salsa has been unchanged since I was a kid, when I would frequent their Laguna Beach location. Such great memories. The views are incredible and I love the flavor of each dish. I want to come back and try more items on the menu. read more

A friend of ours gave us a bottle of the Ultra Premium Organic Tequila, 100% Agave Azul bottle for Christmas. The Tequila was fantastic!! She said if you like the Tequila, check out the restaurant in Dana Point, you'll love it. Boy, was she right!! So, we take PCH from Long Beach to Dana Point-just a beautiful oceanic scenic drive. We knew as soon as we pulled in, the place had character and a killer ocean view. Walk inside, surrounded by colorful Mexican decorations, a Trophy Tequila case, and multiple photos of Nixon visiting that same restaurant many years ago. Of course we ordered Mezcal Margaritas, shots if Mezcal, AND the Mole!! Literally, the BEST Mole you'll eat, we could taste the chocolate and ALL ~50+ ingredients... i had Enchiladas, he had the Chicken. Food was truly delicious!! Service was fantastic, from our Meatball Soup to the Churros for Dessert!! They were very attentive, and never left us lonely. Truly recommend for all those who love authentic Mexican food, great Tequila (you can buy a bottle to take home. ), and a killer ocean view!!!! read more

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Great service and location here at Olamendi's with Amazing weather today. Perfect pit stop to relax and enjoy the sunshine and ocean breeze. The main dish was carnitas de Olamendi was kinda dry and not properly seasoned right because you need the fiery mole sauce to compliment this dish. The Hibiscus drink was refreshing and delicious. They also have a vegan menu too. They also have a sweet mole sauce with 50 ingredients and all vegetarian version no meat. Beautiful atmosphere and environment with nice clean restroom available inside for disabled customers too. Lots of parking available here during non peak hours. Love the different colors of umbrellas too. Overall a wonderful alternative to the mundane things in life. Try the new and fresh approach to traditional Oaxaca Mexican cuisine here in Beautiful Dana Point right on Pacific coast highway. Enjoy the Sunshine of Love today. read more

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I would not ever eat here again. Save your money and just find any fast food Mexican drive thru. Margaritas are watered down. And the food is horrible. Salsa tastes like tomato sauce - and to top it all off our meals arrived cold. Total tourist trap. The only plus I will give this place is everybody was very nice. read more

Definitely a Mexican owned and operated and been in business a long time. The Nixon pictures made the place dated and for me a bit of turnoff. Good menu selection. Wish I had gotten the Tostadas instead of chile releno as it was sweet and taste was off. Rice was great and good salsa. After just returning from 3 months in México, I would rate this as not authentic ... more California Mexican. read more

Olamendi's - Olamendi's - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Ambiance AMAZING!!!! Food was tasteless Our waitress inattentive. I speak Spanish fluently and she wasn't getting it in Spanish or English. :/ The pozole, no flavor! Where's the green chile, where was the chicken, where was the hominy......no flavor whatsoever. I asked for a table side guacamole, they said they had it, We received a premade slimy ramekin with dingy and un flavorful guacamole. Our dad ordered the carnitas platter which comes with the pozole, but the waitress forgot the pozole. When we mentioned that she forgot it she said "well it's complimentary". I said ok well now we're done. She never checked on us. She said is there anything I can do. I said well let's just exchange the flan for the pozole. She had to get approval to make that decision. When she returned she "ok, we will do it this time" Excuse me you forgot the soup to begin with, lol. The margaritas!!!!! Yuck!!!!! They said it's their own Tequila and Mezcal,?????? They need to improve. The drink was watered down. We also ordered Cadillacs but got Fords!!!!! We ordered a birria burrito and chef forgot and left the bay leaf inside The bay leaf is very sharp and our daughter could have choked. The waitress was so out of it. My mistake is that it's been at least 15 years since I've been there. Definitely needs improvement. The best thing of all was the lovely hostess who greeted us all warmly and courteously. read more

Sunset Views and super salsa served up at Olamendi's Mexican Restaurant near Capistrano Beach since 1973. The view is priceless. The history is notable, and the staff is great. Cheerful family-run spot for Mexican classics served in colorful surroundings with a full bar. read more

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Yuk The draw must be the view. Food and margaritas just yuk. Skinny marg so tart it was undrinkable. Almost straight lime juice. Enchiladas order was wrong, ordered one chicken, one cheese, got two chicken. Green enchilada sauce too limey. With all the good Mexican food in The area I would avoid this place read more

Favorite place to eat and actually service agua frescas; food is pretty good too prefer over el adobe.

What a great place across the ocean. I stopped by there. Victor was an awesome server and I had their signature burrito with beef. Absolutely delicious. Just a word of advice to you gringos out there. The salsa is got a little bite to it so be careful highly recommend. read more

Olamendi's - #4 Burrito #4 Burrito #4 Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. The hour drive from San Diego is well worth it. The food is absolutely the best. I think they have the best tamales I ever had. My Husband had the pork burrito and he said it was delicious. Our waiter was so friendly and attentive. The inside was charming. From all of the photos of famous people that had eaten there. It truly felt like you were in a good restaurant in Mexico. It is so colorful and has Mexican art throughout. read more

When in the area, Olamendi's has been our "go to" place for years. We especially like going there after we go walking through Doheny. I personally like their beef tacos , while my wife loves their chili rellano (with a beef ). If we didn't live 18 miles away, we would be there every week. read more

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I still think about this meal from three years ago, which says a lot--and none of it good. The food arrived heavily committed to oil and completely uninterested in seasoning. A bold culinary philosophy, I suppose. The service matched the vibe. The waitress was inexplicably rude from the start, as if I'd personally disrupted her day by ordering lunch. Between the cooking and the attitude, it was a full sensory experience I do not need to revisit. Haven't been back since. read more

Sadly this place serves extremely inauthentic Mexican food. Ordered two soft taco plates. Received two hard shell taco plates. Sent back one since my kid doesn't do hard shell. Why is the chicken shredded and covered in red oily sauce? Have never had a chicken taco with shredded chicken. I kept the incorrect "birria style" tacos only for them to be falling apart because they were so soggy from the bottom. I also asked for no lettuce and cheese because who puts that on tacos and guess what? came loaded with lettuce and cheese. They said they don't do onion cilantro or salsa.... So colonized tacos I see. Rice was bland. Beans were the only good part of the meal. Everyone at the table kept adding salt and pepper to their meal due to lack of flavor. read more

Can't go wrong with Mexican food! Right next to PCH & the coast ! Friendly & fast ! read more

Olamendi's - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

Definitely the worst Mexican food in Dana Point snd I remembered why I haven't been back since 2022. :(. The fajitas are inedible and so is the presentation. I sent back my food but ate the house salad and guacamole My stomach is aching so much. I should have gone anywhere else for lunch!! read more

Olamendi's - Yuckyyyyy - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Wow!! This place has really gone down hill. They changed the menu now it's basically an overpriced Taco Bell. I ordered the chicken enchiladas and they were hard and they tasted weird. Definitely not the same quality as it was in the past. Service was good but the food not so much. Sad because I've been coming here for years. Definitely will not go back. read more

I ordered a quesadilla with carne asada meat. Honestly, I was expecting more. For $20 it was a small quesadilla with a side of rice and beans. The meat had no flavor. It was bland and not very good. The rice and beans also had no flavor. Even the guacamole was not as good as I expected. For all the 5 stars I was really hoping for better food! read more

Although this place has an outdoor patio, it is NOT AT ALL DOG FRIENDLY. If you have a dog, go two minutes down the street to Sunsets Bar and Grill. They allow well-behaved dogs on their patio, and it has a better ocean view too. read more

I've been eating here for 47 years. Best Mexican food in our area hands down. Don't believe any bad reviews. It's the best !

I am so sad to leave this review - I have been coming to Olamendi's for 40+ years. First with my parents growing up and then when I had my own family we came here all the time. I just cannot recommend this place anymore at all. I keep trying to go and have a positive experience but it just keeps getting worse and worse. I think sadly tonight was and will be our last visit. The quality of the food has gone so down hill I just can't do it anymore. The chips were so so stale to the point you couldn't even chew them. I ordered the combo with the chili relleno and the refried beans were hard and old. The sauce on chili relleno tasted like ketchup. I'm sorry Olamendi's - I tried to keep coming back for nostalgia sake but I just can't do it anymore. Obviously it's a great location and most of the staff is kind but that's all :( read more

Stayed 4 days at a timeshare we own nearby and happily, gratefully dined at Olamendi's every day. Meals were outstanding, all different,s all delicious. I ordered 3 meals with carnitas and boy did I get carnitas. GREAT service, great atmosphere, (anyone who complaimns about the Nixon-ea nostalgia at Olamendi's should ask for a short tour and history of the Nixon connection. It's unique, poignant and Western White House connected). Highly recommended. read more

Want bad food? And rude/bad service? With high prices? Make sure to visit & ask for Claudia the waitress who has 9+ 1 star reviews (search if you think I'm exaggerating ). Incredibly rude & beyond slow service. Visit Ricardo's or el adobe for some quality, great service. This place has terrible parking & some of the lowest quality food and service you can experience. read more

Chile en Nogal is gross and extremely sweet !! Food is expensive here and not good ! Meh ! Service was fine ! Just come here for beer and chips and salsa . read more

What a charming place with excellent food and beautiful views! After a whole day of flying across the continent and doing an interminable line at the car rental, we finally arrived at Dana Point and were able to relax by the beach and enjoy the beautiful day. And we noticed we were hungry and that Olamendis was almost next door We arrived shortly after 5 PM and got our choice of outdoor seating with the fresh air making everything nice. Olamendis is an iconic venue in this area. The owner knew Nixon, who lived close by, as well as a plethora of Washington insiders. Her niece narrated to us about how White House staff would come here to eat. Today, it is still a charming place. We ordered margaritas, which noticing a couple of Yelp reviews, we expected to pay $20 apiece. However, they were priced at $11-$16 per rail drinks, and the upper price was paid for organic exclusive tequila, commanding a high price, not only here but also anywhere. I ordered the mole which was was exquisite. This came with a superb albondigas soup. My spouse ordered the pork tacos with tamale which was also finger licking good. Every member of the staff was at this best. Superb experience. read more

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Food, service, and ambiance - perfection! We sat out of the patio in one of our sunny afternoon overlooking the ocean across PCH. The Chili Relleno was to die for. I added some carnitas and it was delish Our waiter was pleasant and courteous. Their horchata was fresh and just blended nicely. Overall, I definitely will come back again. read more

Ordered four tacos. Shrimp, fish, birria, chicken. Shrimp was bad quality frozen. Fish looked like slop. Chicken was dry. Birria was dry. The ingredients for the meat used is just bad quality. Do yourself a favor and skip this place. If you think this is legit Mexican food you're wrong. read more