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

Came here on a Saturday night and I absolutely loved the ambiance! There was a DJ and it felt like a lounge. The service was great! We both loved our drinks and meals. I got the branzino and my friend got the salmon - both were lovely. Highly recommend this place for a girls night or a date night or even for a birthday dinner! read more

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

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 in for some drinks and it turned into a party Definitely recommend if you love exploring new flavors of drink combos. You'll spend some money here but we'll worth it. Most cocktails are about $16-$18 but well crafted. read more

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

Very cute spot with great Mexican food. I got the chicken enchiladas and they were delicious. read more

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

Great ambiance! Alec took great care of us. My husband has had the pulpo twice and consistently called it delicious. I tried the pollo con crema and was impressed with the tenderness and flavors. Didn't need a knife, literally fall-off-the-bone good. Broccolini has great flavor. My husband enjoyed his drinks, though we agreed that they were a little pricey (for us, that is). My Mexican Diet Coke was TINY, but I paced myself between that and sparkling water and was fine. The chips and guacamole were good too. Chips were seasoned creatively. My flour tortillas weren't memorable, but to be fair I asked for them. They weren't part of the dish originally, and there was nothing bad about them either. Was surprisingly quiet on a Wed night but they said it's pretty packed on the weekends. With the beautiful atmosphere, music, and great food, I believe it. Keep it up! We'll be back. read more

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The food, ambiance and service was amazing! I will definitely be back to this location. The drinks were delicious too! read more

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Most amazing drink, Tamarindo Margarita! Perfect combo of sweet & spicy. Not too spicy and just tastiest flavor. Shout out to Josue he is the best! read more

Palenque Kitchen - The ultimate tamarindo margarita! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

We arrived at 7 PM and the place was mostly empty, which was surprising for a Saturday night, but the staff was very attentive very nice and super helpful explained to us the different types of specialties they had including drink drinks and food. Right as we sat down, we had a fresh basket of tortilla chips and salsa that was not spicy, but it was very flavorful and tangy. Our food took a bit of time to get to us which was again surprising because there wasn't very many people there, but unless it was very good, I felt like a bit overpriced, but for the area of the ambience, I think it was a good deal. I really love how they reuse the tequila bottles for different margarita flights that was very cute! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Carnitas plate with rice, beans and handmade corn tortillas - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Laz is dope!! We are here on New Year's Eve, nice set up! 2024 out 2025 in! POW! Update: same night, Laz drifted away and they mis-advertised the vibe, better communication. 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.

Service was amazing and our server Laz was very tentative I would definitely come back ! Recommend the Pulpo was read more

Service was great food was really good drinks were soo good!! Everything was great. Very cute place for a girls brunch! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Steak and eggs - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This place is so cute! Came here for my friend's bday and it was so much fun. The food and drinks were so good. The music was perfect. The customer service was the best. Loved it!! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Patron Margarita Tree - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I loved our experience today! The food was amazing -- the tacos dorados are a must-try . Our waiter, Laz, was incredibly attentive and made the meal even better. I'd definitely recommend coming here! read more

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

Laz was so great! The food was amazing and drinks were perfect! The steak is melt in your mouth

The food, drinks and service were great! Laz and Julian provided great service! 10/10

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

My husband and I came from Vegas to celebrate our 11th anniversary to Newport Beach, and we heard of this place from our friends. Everything was delicious! They have a huge variety of drinks, which we love. Highly recommend La Paloma and Guava-Mente -- so good! I ordered the Huarache de Campo and my husband had the Zarandeado -- both were amazing. My only personal note is that I would've loved a bit more spice, but that's just me. Our server, Bella, was incredible. She definitely deserves a raise! Leaving full and happy read more

Cocktails, Awesome! Appetizers, Awesome! Entrees, Awesome! Service, out of this world! Can't recommend this place enough! read more

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

Brought my mom for an early Mother's Day dinner. The food was delicious and filling. Drinks were yummy and our waiter Laz was very attentive. 10/10 would recommend and will definitely be back. read more

Food was amazing and Laz was a great server! The ambiance on a Sunday morning is very laid back and relaxing, perfect place for enjoying time with loved ones. Definitely recommend read more

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

Food was fine service maybe could do better and ambiance was good but a killer too dark

Food was meh. Service was mediocre We waited about 30-40 min for our food to come out, only for it to be cold. Environment was lively 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

First timers here, and the experience couldn't have been better! We sat at the bar and loved every moment with our bartender and the manager who guided us through the menu! The margarita sampler is a must, as is the shrimp aguachile! For dinner, we shared the salmon and chicken enchiladas + it was a great mix of flavors. What brought us in was the beautiful decor and ambiance. Absolutely stunning design! You will have the best time! read more

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Came out here for brunch to celebrate my sis in law bday! The decor is super cute and they play Latin music. The patron towers were so cool and helped us get the party started. We ordered the guacamole and chips which were very tasty. I had the posole which was very good as well. Would def. Recommend this place read more

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

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Made a reservation for 1:30 on a Saturday and immediately got told it would take 30 minutes just for them to take our order? You can only imagine how long the food took to get served. The restaurant only had 4 other parties seated. I ordered an omelette and it came out last.. like 10 minutes after everyone else got their food. The food was fine, the decor is nice but not worth the wait or trying again. read more

The food was amazing. The manager was great and very nice. Ambiance was just perfect.

I was super excited to check out this place given the ambush of targeted ads on Instagram but was underwhelmed by the food given the price point. The drinks were really good and the ambiance and decor is fun, but given the quality of Mexican food in Orange County I would say this is average. Service was great, but I think we were there one of the first nights they opened so the place was empty. Maybe would go back for just drinks and apps. read more

Edwin was the best server! Very fun and inviting even though the restaurant was empty he had a great attitude & made my birthday very special! Also the food was great, I will be returning 10/10. read more

The food here was honestly delicious, better than Javier's and Puesto in my opinion. I would come just to get their guac and salsa. All three of my tacos were delicious though and have their own flavor. Carne asada was my favorite!!! The shrimp tacos come with chipotle aioli and some sautéed veg that were full of flavor. Carnitas were very tender, they were a bit salty for my taste but still delicious. Will come back to try their entrees. Service is great too! read more

Palenque Kitchen - Shrimp, steak, and carnitas tacos - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

We had a great experience at Palenque. I had the lobster enchiladas and my friend had the beef barbacoa--both were delicious. The cocktails were fantastic too. Laz took great care of us and made the lunch even better. We'll definitely be back. read more

The food was absolutely spectacular, we got the cheese enchiladas, chicken fajitas, and carne asada to share, it was an amazing spread! The steak was cooked perfectly and the fajitas had a great flavor! We got the red sauce with the enchiladas which had a slight spice but so flavorful and delicious. Laz was our server, he was amazing, very attentive, he had superb customer service! Definitely check This place out! read more

Great drinks and food. Our waiter Laz was on point. Service is great. Can't recommend this spot enough. Don't miss out.

Palenque in Costa Mesa is a great spot! The Chilaquiles were on point--crispy and packed with flavor. The Carne Asada steak was super tender with that perfect grilled taste. Thanks to Aletiha for recommending the amazing espresso martini--it was smooth and seriously exceptional. She was awesome--friendly and really knew the menu. Whether it's for the food, drinks, or great service, this place definitely delivers. read more

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The Palenque is on fire in Costa Mesa! If you're in the area, this spot is a must-visit. Be sure to connect with Laz, our server he was absolutely on point! From being attentive to offering great food suggestions, Laz showed that he's in the right industry. His exceptional customer service and genuine engagement made the experience unforgettable for being first timers visiting this place ! Keep up the phenomenal work, Laz! Your service is appreciated and doesn't go unnoticed. Grateful for the amazing service best regards Hortencia and Cesar ! read more