I was grossly disappointed with the food and the fact they nickel and dime you for everything. Fried jalapeños were a $1 each. Extra tortillas were a $1 each. The salad and drinks were good. The rest of the food mediocre and extremely salty. Not worth the money. read more

Mario was a great server! It was our first time here and he really made us feel comfortable. So thank you for that! The food was really good just like the vibes as well! Drinks hit the spot too , Paloma and guava-mente ! Definitely will be coming back! Highly recommend this place! read more

Our brunch experience was AMAZING!! You gotta get their tiered Patron margarita tower - it's truly standout! We were so impressed with the ambiance and service as well. Extremely attentive. And the food lived up to the hype too. Steak chilaquiles and chicken enchiladas came out piping hot and full of flavor, and we ended our meal with the best tres leches cake my friend and I have ever had. We literally had to sit back and bask in the glory of that dish. WE WILL 100% BE BACK! read more

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First time visiting this establishment, went on Mother's Day. Three of us, my daughter and sister showed up at 5:45, no reservations, although I tried calling but only got "leave a message". There were just a few people also waiting. We got sat down in less than 10 minutes and were asked if we had reservations, I said no. Food was so-so (I've had better),their cocktails were tasty. I asked for the bill, received it along with POS device, when tip came up the tip amount showed I think 3-7%, I thought this was strange so I used "custom" and entered 20%. It wasn't until I paid when my daughter pointed out that a 20% "large group" charge was already added to the bill ! How is three people a large group, or was this a penalty surcharge because we didn't have reservations? In any event I think this is highly DECEPTIVE since at no time were we informed a 20% large group charge was going to be added!! Needless to say, we will never return, there are plenty of restaurants with good food without deceptive practices. read more

Great spot, good ambience, and great food! Laz was our server and he was great from the start, great recommendations and treated us so kindly. Forgot to take pics of all our food but got birthday ice cream and churros! I'd come back again! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Birthday ice cream and churros! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Laz was our server , and took care of us for brunch on Sunday . I'd like to come back for dinner and try the octopus . On Sunday a dj was playing a mix of music , definitely lifts up the ambiance. read more

Palenque Kitchen - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The single star is for the host. The service was subpar at best. Our waiter brought us the wrong drinks to start and didn't know what was available in the kitchen as they did not have most of what we wanted to order. He didn't say anything to start off, would have been good to know this information before moving down the menu asking if the next thing was available. The Riverside location definitely set the bar for the chain. The starter (Agua Chile) was terrible, so bitter, granted I know what agua Chile and ceviche should taste like. We requested a basket of chips and took almost 10 mins to get it to our table, at this point we had cups and plates that needed to be picked up and had to request for the waiter to pick up. Mind you it was a slow evening, as there were only 2 groups of 4 and a couple aside of our group of 6. After our food arrived, out of everything we ordered which included steak, the chicken salads were the one that arrived 10 mins after the rest of the order. Salads! Took that long. This was by far the worst food and service, at least the host was welcoming. read more

Please Sauce sauce sauce. Ordered the dorado tacos and they were good just needed more sauce.

Review from 8/24 My bosses from out of town wanted to go out to dinner for some Mexican and I was finally getting my "excuse" to try this place out. It did not disappoint and everyone was happy with their meal and drinks. Please see the images of all the deliciousness. I can speak for the shrimp enchiladas, they were so tasty and cheese was gooey just chef's kiss. Now the drinks were amazing. This we all shared taste (haha) so I can say the tequila old fashion (not pictured, forgot) tamarindo Negroni was my favorite and the the server suggested some sweet coffee based martinis, superb! Service, ambiance was nice and quiet which allowed us to catch-up and enjoy each others company. Will definitely be back! Thanks for the great experience, the fellas from Scotland, NY and Utah were super impressed!!! read more

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High end Mexican food with high prices. EXCELLENT ITEMS - House Margarita (homemade sour mix; goes down smooth) - Guacamole (nice and light but includes pine nuts) - Salmon Al Pastor (ask for it under done; phenomenal) - Asada Steak (tender and flavor; nice crispy potatoes) - Kid's Meal (tender sliced chicken, flavorful refried beans, light rice) - Tres Leches cake (nice and moist) GOOD ITEMS - Chips and Salsa (seems like roasted dark tomatoes) - Quesa Birria Tacos (tender beef) MEH ITEMS - Queso Fundido (very stringy, not creamy) - Lobster Enchilada (fishy) - Palenque pound cake (dry) read more

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I had high expectations since the reviews were overall really good here. I came here for brunch with a friend on a Saturday and were able to get seated right away. Service: 3/10 Food: 7/10 Ambience: 10/10 Food was decent and the decor/ ambiance is really cute and current but my main problem was the service. There were two servers with a total of 3 tables including myself and my friend. We ordered chilaquiles with chicken and steak and eggs, we asked our server to cook the steak two ways, one steak rare and the other piece medium well... after waiting over 40 minutes we got delivered an order of chilaquiles with steak and a side of eggs?!? We were so confused and the server obviously didn't hear us correctly and asked us if we want to put another in for the steak & eggs.. not wanting to wait another 40 minutes we declined. We had to ask for the order of chicken on the side as we originally wanted that on the chilaquiles. Sauces you have to pay extras, chips and salsa are not complimentary.. the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth and the server never once took ownership of his mistake nor tried to resolve it or make our experience better.. because of this, I give this place two stars. Overrated is my opinion, what a letdown. read more

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Came here for the first time, arranged Bday brunch with my gf's. Wow! Had an amazing time! The music was great, ambience was very chilled and fun. Sunday Funday! Food was so good. We ordered tacos, ceviche, guacamole, pozole, and drinks. All did not disappoint. Will definitely be back cuz our server, Mario was awesome. So friendly and accommodating. Thank you for the a 1st great experience. read more

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After much consideration, I decided to book my birthday dinner here. Party of 17. At first I was hesitant due to the bad reviews but the man helping me reserve over the phone was nice and I wanted to give them a chance. I've never been to this place before. For the dinner, it honestly had a good aesthetic but food was just ok and overpriced, took long, and most importantly what was upsetting was the ridiculous charge from the restaurant. We brought our own cake and asked them to keep it in the fridge while we ate; something normal people do and restaurants kindly accommodate. They said they could keep it no problem, but later on, halfway through our meal they said they would charge us for it. I've never in my life been charged by a restaurant to hold it, it was absolutely ridiculous. And not only was it a simple charge. They charged a fee per person!!! So after having a high bill, bringing in a party of 17, with entrees and drinks, a mandatory 20% gratuity, which is higher than some of the other options upon my decision, they added a ridiculous over $50 charge for keeping our desert. There was no additional work on their end. No need for plates, setup, cleanup of the desert, etc. and that just really shows they really just want to find ways to take your money. At the end of it, with time still within my reservation it felt they were rushing us out and wanted us to go. Overall disappointing experience and I will never come again nor recommend Palenque. Very dissatisfied by the choice and wish I had gone with a better restaurant who appreciates customers and large parties that give them business. Think twice before booking a party. Thanks! read more

Palenque was great! Laz our host and server was excellent. It was our first time eating here and he was very welcoming and made sure our visit was up to par. The food was also very delicious. We would definitely be coming back again. read more

Laz gave us amazing service! Food was fantastic and the vibes inside were really refreshing.

I really wanted to like this place. I felt the staff was really kind and somewhat attentive but unfortunately these traits do not always mean efficient. There was not a host so it took a while to be seated, and we had to dig into the menu to be notified about Taco Tuesday. Considering the loungey ambiance and high prices, I expected more. Wanted to celebrate my hubbys bday here and while they were accommodating, it did not feel special. There is no dessert or offering for birthdays at this restaurant. The tacos were discounted based on Taco Tuesday and while they were larger than usual tacos and tasty, they took a long time to be made. I also did not notice much difference in taste as opposed to other restaurants which offer lower prices and faster service. They have palenque margaritas which are $10 on discount and the regular margaritas are $17. Very steep prices for what you get. My husband ordered the mole which was good - had a large serving and unique taste. I think the space was really nice, food was good, and the staff was friendly but feel there is room for improvement in many areas. read more

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The food and cocktails are amazing here! Started off a Friday night out here for dinner and this was exactly the spot to do that at. The bartenders were super helpful in deciding between drinks. This would be a perfect place for a birthday dinner or starting off your night out with a fun dinner. read more

Palenque Kitchen - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Manager Daniel: 5 stars, A+++ Thank you for the laughs sir! Drinks are great, food even better! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

What a great place with a fun atmosphere! Food was wonderful and tasted great! One of the best guacamole I've had in a while. Daniel the manager made sure everyone was taken care of. Will be back again for sure! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Guacamole - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Overall I'm very happy with my experience! The wait staff were able to accommodate my large group at the last minute on a busy night and were flexible with seating options as well. They were courteous and attentive as came by several times to check in on us. The decor was great as well and really established a fun and trendy vibe that would serve well for various events! This night in particular they were celebrating a birthday and a bachelorette party, for example. I feel that the food was a weakness, however. Our group ordered the salmon and enchiladas; enchiladas are arguably one of the most frequently ordered food items, so the expectation is that restaurants should absolutely "nail it". However, the enchiladas were quite plain and lacking in the flavor complexity that some of the other items on the menu seemed to offer. For example, the salmon was incredible! I'd love to give them 5 stars, but the basics have to be handled with as much attention as the more niche dishes and this definitely was not the case here. Lastly, the sides (rice and beans) were lukewarm to cold, which seemed quite odd. read more

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Other than it being so aesthetically pleasing inside, my experience was overall great. Salad was delicious. Drinks were tasty and we left more than satisfied. Shoutout to Daniel the GM he went out of his way to make sure we had the best experience. Our waiter Ivan was very attentive and gave the best recommendations. Will def be back maybe for brunch. Overall 9/10 read more

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Food and service was fine until end when evening was ruined by the racist rude manager Miguel Baeza who rudely confronted my wife saying we had stayed too long. Interestingly we had ordered all our courses on time and ate them as they were served to us. If the restaurant takes too long to get out dishes it's not the customer's fault. The other interesting point was that there was a table of white diners next to us who had been there longer than us but weren't told that they had stayed too long. Clearly there is no understanding of hospitality nor cordiality by Miguel who was literally the rudest person I've ever met managing any restaurant. Never ever going back and will make sure we share our deplorable experience with all our extended Orange County friends. read more

Ambience is great! Yummy food and drinks! Came for a girls night and it didn't disappoint.

We are from out of town, visiting in Riverside, and went to Yelp to pick a restaurant. We chose palenque kitchen based on stars and reviews. I had trouble checking the menu on the website . Unfortunately, after waiting 45 minutes for our reservation, we discovered that the restaurant only had a brunch menu on Sunday with four main dish items, with eggs or chicken --chilaquiles, hueva rancheras, burrito with chorizo, or French toast, none of which really appealed to our party of 11. When we asked, they did offer chicken or steak fajitas off the menu so I think almost everyone in our party chose those items. And the fajitas were OK, but I thought the chicken was better than the steak. My main problem with this restaurant was the extremely loud high energy music. We had to shout at each other to be heard. By the time I left, I had a headache. It was amazing to me that anyone would want to eat in that environment on a Sunday afternoon. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant on a Sunday unless you're ready to party and enjoy the attractive colorful cocktails, (our group didn't have any ) and high energy music. As a plus, The server was nice and accommodating. read more

Pretty quiet on a Wednesday night but I still enjoy the ambiance. I like the seating and decor. Casual yet sophisticated. Service was great. Cocktails: margarita sampler is great is you can't decide. I enjoyed the WATERMELON the most. The OCTOPUS appetizer was delicious. I wish it was just grilled but it it was also lightly fried yet not greasy at all. Very tender and the dipping sauce is a must! The BRUSSELS SPROUTS on the side were also delicious. The BIRRIA was amazing! I highly recommend added the onion and lime. I'd pass on the herbs. The dish comes with rice and beans. The BEANS are amazing. Slightly spicy, silky smooth, and full of flavor. So many more things I'd like to try! read more

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Great food and atmosphere. Came here in on a Sunday to celebrate my friend' Bday and had a great time. Music was on point! Vibe was great! Def would come back again. read more

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Pros: beautiful decor, live DJ (Older gentlemen; most of the time he was busy watching the tv that was above his setup. Depending on who walks in, he changed the genre and volume LOUD) Party of 2 arrived for Brunch on Sunday (12pm). On arrival we were asked if we had reservations. Which we did not, but they seated us immediately even without. The place was DEAD. We spent almost 2 hrs there and only 3 tables were occupied, including ours. Brunch menu was very limited and basic. I asked our server what was the difference between the breakfast ($25 without beans & rice) and dinner enchiladas plate out of curiosity only to get breakfast it's just red sauce, but dinner it's either green or red and we can add shrimp or lobster. Potato lack flavor, no seasoning. Cons: Service, prices. Took forever to get our drinks (15 mins). Initially Ordered 1 alcoholic drink and 1 Jamaica (no refills). Waited another 15mins to get our food. Asked for 2 more Jamaica waited another 15mins for non alcoholic beverages. Received the bill ($97! 2 plates of food, 3 agua fresca, 1 margarita) and was charged $5 extra for the chilaquiles to add chicken. On the menu it says to select either chicken or steak with NO additional. Asked the waiter and she said there is an additional charge but once we showed the menu and showing the difference of the enchiladas saying extra $5 to ADD chicken and chilaquiles ($24 WITH chicken or steak) she had an attitude. She went to speak with a short gentlemen who we assume is the manager, he looked over and had an attitude. Did not come to our table, waited an additional 30 mins to pay for our server to come with the "discount". She attended to the other tables around us and didn't even look our way. Dropped off the receipt and left. Did not apologize or acknowledge the changes she made, she dropped it and left. Will not be returning. Highly disappointed. Bad service, overpriced for quality of food. read more

Palenque Kitchen - Charged extra $5 for chicken thats INCLUDED w/Chilaquiles - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Food and service was all great! Mario our server was exceptional! I had the beef birra and husband had the cheese enchiladas both were really good. We also had two of the patron margarita trees and they were both made with the perfect amount of alchohol volume, just like we like it. We ended our date night with a shot of Arete reposado and a shot of Fulano tequila! Wow, we had a great night out! This was our second date night at Palenque and both were amazing experiences. Sorry didn't take pics of food to post. read more

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I found out about this place on Instagram through OCFeed and am so glad I made it out tonight! Our waiter Mario gave us great service and accommodated my food allergies. The guacamole and margarita sampler were beautifully presented and a great starter. Then I had the carnitas which I could make my own tacos with using their tasty homemade tortillas and house made pickles . Altogether a great meal with cozy ambience, excellent food and service. Will definitely return again to check out their brunch or Happy Hour! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Carnitas - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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This place was a surprise find! We were initially looking for vegetarian place but ended up here instead. I wish I took better pictures but the mood lighting was not fit for documenting in pictures but in taste. Everything was delicious. Starting from their fresh fried tortilla chips and salsa, you know and you can taste that EVERYTHING is made from scratch. Short of growing their own tomatoes, it's so rustic and delicious. The vegan ancestral bowl was so damn good. The Spanish rice with kale, roasted almonds, sautéed kale.. amongst others like roasted sweet potatoes. Dude. I need this for a coma breakfast. The Poblano salad was a fun surprise. It looked like a cross between a bed of greens with heavy overcast of fluffy thin Parmesano vapor and webby netting made of freshly grated cheese. The salad dressing was creamy but with a hint of citrus. Just the perfect balance. I do really want it in my diet. The guac was huge. Not to mention so yummy with the pico de galleo sauce and homemade tortilla chips. No thanks Tostidos, step aside! The flavors are balanced well and chunks of visible tomato instead of being drowned in it. Lastly, got to try the churro. And that was something different and so interesting. This churros was not fried nor are they in the same shape as what you would expect. But baked like a cookie-bread top. Talk about delicious. Make sure you try this with vanilla ice cream. It is worth it. The candied pecans. Oh my god. Kill me now. Servers are all fantastic and the place is beautifully decorated. Will be back for sure. read more

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The vibe was fun with Mexican music! The food was great, the dessert wasn't as good as it was expected! Overall worth trying read more

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Food? Delicious Drinks? Exceptional Service ? Top tier Music and vibes ? Chefs kiss Honestly it was a 10/10. Would definitely come back for a girls night. read more

Looks great inside! Have been here for brunch a few times. Have had the burrito, chilaquiles, and patron tree. Laz last helped today. Great service by him. Very nice. Definitely recommend this place. And ask for Laz read more

Laz was a magnificent server he was professional, nice, and respectful to our table and including others as well. The food was also delicious. Because of your guys hard work, we are sure to come back again!Thank you so much! read more

Saw this new restaurant on TikTok and decided to give it a visit. The restaurant is very spacious and so vibey. Amazing atmosphere with all of your favorite Spanish hits playing all night long. Felt a bit like Miami vibes. Parking: Located in a small plaza with just a strip of parking spots. Service 2/5: Our server was not attentive nor friendly. I had to flag him down a few times just to add drinks or items to our order. Also, the restaurant was quite dead for a Saturday and drinks took 15 minutes plus each time. I think better service can definitely amp this place up. Also, he messed up a drink that we had ordered, said he would take it off the bill but when we double checked, it was charged. We had to flag him down again to fix it. Food: - Augachile 2/5: Just ok. The shrimp was super chewy. Also, the dish was very bland and not citrusy enough. It isn't your typical green sauce either. Flavorless is the word to describe this dish. - Ceviche De Atun: I had asked to order this item but the server mentioned it was not on the menu tonight.. weird. So I opted for the ceviche instead. - Ceviche 4/5: Flavors and texture were all there! Only con was the fish or seafood tasted a bit too cooked for my liking. - Poblano Caesar 5/5: This salad was stacked with dressing and toppings. Tasted very fresh. Definitely what you would expect from a Caesar but better. - Chicken Enchiladas w/ Green Sauce 4/5: Chicken was super tender and juicy. This dish did not lack in flavor. It was however a bit salty. - Camarones A LA Diabla 1/5: I do not recommend this dish. It was so salty. Also, there was nothing on the dish that stood out. It came with rice, six shrimps, and two pieces of squash. Not worth a $31 dollar dish. - Carne Asada 5/5: This was the best dish of the night! The meat was so tender - almost couldn't tell that it was carne asada. Homemade tortillas hit the spot. I wish it came with a lime or some type of salsa since we made ours into tacos. Tres Leches 1/5: First off, this looked nothing like the photo on the menu. The phone showed a soaked cake slice with blueberries and lemon. When the cake showed up, it was covered in raspberry dust and whip cream. Way too dry to be a tres leches. It tasted like a white fruit cake. Very disappointed. Overall, because the atmosphere is so fun I would probably come back for a few drinks and some appetizers. Maybe give it one more shot. Hoping the service will get better. read more

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We went to celebrate my friend's birthday. We went on a Friday and we loved the atmosphere they had a DJ playing awesome music. For appetizer we got the pulpo with brussel sprouts and it was nice and crispy. The margarita sampler drinks are delicious. And their patron tower was great as well. The service was excellent. read more

Palenque Kitchen - Margarita Sampler with Pulpo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Take this with the caveat that we came at 9pm at the end of dinner hourm The waiter was great as was the staff! The freshly made food was average although the portions were minimal for the price and preparation (I ordered the fajitas) However: The chips were old, the rice was old, the beans were runny, and the cocktails are rather over priced not well balanced and parking is difficult. It's not a bad place but I wouldn't go out of my way. read more

This is such a great and beautiful place, our server Edwin took care of us. They were kind enough to go All out for our birthday with some bomb Ice cream. I urge you to check this place out. read more

Came for Valentine's Day, the service was terrible from the start. They were unorganized with the reservations and lagged immensely to sit someone down. Completely ignoring reservations and sitting people based of how "likable" they seemed. They took forever to offer us drinks, THEN took forever to bring them. Food took over an hour to even get the first course. Time between each course was about a 30 minutes. With our steaks being stiff and dry. We came in 20 minutes before our reservation time and left 3 hours later. Terrible service. Terrible food. We see no excuse for the holiday to be treated this terribly because by the hour, the restaurant was empty and workers were lounging around. Based off our surroundings, we were not the only people disappointed with the service. We know the people aside us were able to get a refund, thankfully for them. read more

Guacamole was pretty good but I'm not that into the seeds that were in it. I can't stop thinking about the pan con queso, I wish I could eat that all day and not explode it's so delicious. The service was pretty good and the vibes were nice. My only complaint is their prices are a bit on the high side, my soda was $6 which is a bit excessive. Regardless, I will be back for the queso fundido! read more

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