Suce a nice place with great staff and even greater food! Tried different dishes with our friends, including the bone marrow with queso, and they were all delicious! Looks great inside, small bar, and they have some tables outside too under a canopy. The Rajas peppers were delish, we got them with Queso Fundido and then another plate to share! Katrina was really nice and helpful, we'll definitely come back! read more

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Food was good. Drinks were a little weak. Service was kind of slow for how busy they were. One star because my I noticed my bill was about $50 more than what I signed for when I looked at my credit card statement. I went back a few days later to ask about it and they couldn't find record of my order. I was told to leave my info and a manager would get back to me. Never happened. read more

Great food, great happy hour, great service! We stopped by for a quick bite during a school event and loved this place. The sushi was really good and they boast a great taco Tuesday. Cuisine is a mix of SW/American lots of fish. Drinks were tasty and clever. Our waiter was absolutely fantastic with his recommendations. Across the street from the FBI building, good people watching in an up and coming Santa Ana neighborhood. We will definitely be back! read more

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Came here to celebrate my birthday. Place was really good. I got the enchiladas plate and a few drinks . The only downside to this was I came during an annual celebration of the Tamales festival during my visit. This caused a few delays and a few mistakes on our visit. Some food was never placed and some people didn't get to eat. read more

Located in DTSA, parking is a few blocks off and is street paid parking. I think there's ramp access and restrooms available. Indoor, outdoor, high top, and bar seating. Beautiful, dimlit decor, not very noisy. We reserved ahead via Open table for the PC restaurant week menu and it held card deposit for the experience. Normal reservation does not require card hold. They checked reservation but did not help us celebrate our anniversary. The restaurant week menu was $50 for 4 courses. I had the tostada de tinga, tamal de pollo con mole, Pescado a La Perla con Rajas de Chile Poblano, arroz con leche. My boyfriend tried the patatas bravas, uchepo, vegetable chile relleno, flan. Everything tasted fine, nothing to write home about. The patatas, pescado, flan were the best dishes. We also tried a couple of their , which are decent and not strong (can be a good thing). We went in 3 minutes before the happy hour ended so our waitress kindly offered us the drinks as hh prices! Service was fast and friendly. Overall, a fun date night place. read more

Food was good!! I loved that they had the trio enchiladas which gave me the opportunity to try a little of everything. I thought rice & beans came as a complimentary thing but no. I had to pay for them and the price was high for the amount received. Overall the prices here are pretty pricey, so expect to spend money. The service was a little slow, it gets packed so it's understandable. I love their mariachi, it kept the ambience upbeat. read more

Perla - Trio de Enchiladas - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Ok, if you are going say that you close at Midnight, than you need to close at Midnight. Don't close earlier so that when people want to eat late at night and look up your establishment and it says midnight and the time is 10 minutes to Eleven, don't tell potential customers you are closed. No stars for principle!!!!!! read more

First time here and highly recommended! Located right in the heart of downtown Santa Ana, this place has it all. It's fairly small on the inside so be sure to make a reservation ahead of time to ensure you get a table (via OpenTable). Parking: street parking/paid parking. We got lucky and found metered parking on the street. It's usually a hassle in any downtown city. Atmosphere: Very cute! Equipped with a large patio on the outside with some string lights. Since we happened to be there on a Friday evening, there was a saxophone musician playing. The service was great. Our table ordered a variety of mixed drinks and they all tasted really good. Not over the top sweet or too strong. I ordered grilled shrimp tacos which came with 3. It was filling enough for me, however, a couple of other dishes came out pretty small. read more

Food was absolutely delicious. Service was amazing. We had a large party and were able to manage all of us well. 10/10 would recommend. read more

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Loved the service and food , already planning my next visit !! Thank you I'll be back read more

Perla - Asada Salad 10/10 - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Authentic Flavors, Lobster Tacos and Delicious Margaritas! Mariachi's in the background with a large outdoor eating area, Perla reminds me if the old Acapulco and Mazatlan eateries from when I was a kid. These old cities captured flavors from various areas of Mexico as they were destinations for all from around Mexico and the world. Perla captured unique Mexican flavors with personal spins, likely from family recipes. The lobster tacos encapsulated this concept. ~Lobster Tacos-5 Stars Served on a decadent plate of color and appetizing scents, this dish puts the dime-a-dozen Mexican eateries in the area to shame. Quality ingredients accompany lobster that is to die for in a soft corn tortilla. Lightly roasted corn and a shell of freshly prepared beans ride shotgun and nicely accents three of the best lobster tacos I have had in the United States. The strawberry margarita suggested by the hostess was both delicious and pared nicely with the dish. I would order this over and over again. Pancakes ordered by the little one were also abundant with unique flavors and fresh berries to boot. Perla's outdoor eating area is something they need to keep even after Covid. Tables were separated but everyone still was able to smile and sing. Clapping and laughter were the background for the very nice and upbeat Mariachis. Yup, they even played a 20 year old song I requested! Great Food, People and Truly Authentic Flavors of Mexico makes this "Perl" as Good as it Gets! read more

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Daniel is the best! Best serve ever i recommend. The food was amazing the chilaquiles were so good and spicy

This place is the cutest place ever ! The service is marvelous and the chilaquiles were fire ! 10/10 forsure guys !

Such a great place to have brunch at! Daniel is such a great hostess thank you for such great service!

Food was ok, but the weirdest thing was they did not have water? They asked if we wanted still or sparkling, to which we asked if they just had tap water. They responded no and that we had to buy water - $9 for a Saratoga bottle for the 2 of us. Not worth coming back IMO. Entrees are all easily over $25 and the lunch specials are small. read more

Service: We arrived at our valentines dinner at our appointment time. We sat there for about 20 minutes until our waitress finally came prior to that Karina asked us if we've been helped yet and she went looking for our waitress who ended up being Vanessa. She was surprised when we wanted to place our order after waiting so long. Every time we ordered something with her she didn't care to look at what I was talking about she thought she was right about everything. She had an attitude and everything took forever for her to bring. We ordered drinks and she brought them after our food to go and everything had been given to us when everyone else around us was getting their drinks right away. It's valentine's a special dinner so a 20% gratuity fee was applied automatically when she was undeserving of that amount. Food: The food was decent besides the tortillas on the enchiladas feeling like they were t ever cooked. My husband's Long Island seemed to not have alcohol added to it. I'm a bit disappointed since I wanted to go her for so long and it didn't turn out how I anticipated. However I noticed that the manager he does go around making sure everyone is ok etc read more

The kind of food that makes you regret having to go anywhere else. Staffed by helpful and charismatic servers who made our experience excellent. Hidden jewel in Santa Ana read more

Vibes were not there I waited an hour to get mariachi but they never sang they didn't even have music playing on the speakers. Food was mid. Sunday ruined. read more

Popped in here for lunch and it was darned good. I was in DTSA and thought that this would be a good option with a buddy. I had the fist tacos and he had the chicken. I also had a cocktail because, well, I am me. The cocktail was really tasty, with Mezcal, tequila and grapefruit (bitters perhaps?). It was alcohol forward but not overpowering, though those giant ice cubes do tend to take up a lot of real estate in the glass. The fish tacos were really good. They melt cheese onto the tortilla inside the taco, so there is an almost creamy texture. It pairs well with the fried white fish. There are 3 tacos in an order, and it is ample. The chicken taco (we tried one of each other's order) was also good, but I thought the fish was better. The chicken would have benefitted from something other than just protein in the taco, and it also would have been tasty with the fried cheese lining the tortilla. The salsa served with the chips on the table was also nice and tasty. read more

Perla - Fish tacos - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Small drink menu but open bar and the La Niña was the best drink they have! You must get it. It has a kick though and my lips were on fire but it was delicious. The flautas, the corn, and the shrimp enchiladas are a must have. There was also a live band and they were amazing. One gentlemen played the Sax and I love the sax. read more

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Checked this place out for the wife's bday dinner. Looks like they have a lot of outdoor seating regardless of COVID. There is also a 2 hour free parking structure directly behind the building, which is key, since downtown parking is always a headache. Service was friendly, but slow. I'd argue a bit on the pricey side. Smaller quantities, but I'm sure the ingredients are premium. You decide if it's worth it. Lastly, there was live music on a Saturday night, which was a nice touch! Specialty cocktails hit the spot. Guac and chips for app. No free chips like a lot of restaurants in this category, unfortunately. We also split the fish tacos and ahi tostada. Dessert was stuffed churro sticks with ice cream. Not even sure it was on the menu, but ask for it! Everything we tried was delicious, but the bill was basically $100 after tax and tip for just the two of us. That didn't sit too well with me, but I loved everything else about this place! read more

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Perla is such an amazing restaurant! Great food, great drinks and a relaxed environment. They even have live music on Friday nights! The staff was extremely friendly and attentive to our party, even making sure they played the game for us on TV. They offer a good amount of dishes on their menu, which made it hard for us to decide what we wanted. We ended up ordering: Enchiladas de mole: $18 Pulpo a la parrilla: $23 Enchiladas de langosta: Market Price Fajitas Mixtas: $24 Their food was delicious! I really enjoyed my grilled octopus dish. The mangos and cherry tomatoes on top of the octopus really worked well together. This dish also came with rice and beans. Prices for the dishes are a bit on the higher end for the amount of food you get, but the quality of the food makes it worth it. They also have a good selection of cocktails! The cocktails were refreshing and delicious with prices ranging from $13. Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Perla and I can't wait to come back to try more dishes and cocktails! read more

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The food here was very delicious. The flautas , queso fundido and tacos were full of flavor and fresh. The whole place had a very authentic feel to it. The service was okay. The server was sufficient with the service but they gave the table right next to us extra attention and enthusiasm. Could run some people the wrong way. Also the flights weren't as strong as the separate drink of the same thing but a great way to figure out what you like before ordering read more

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I would rate a 0!!! And do NOT come here! If possible! Horrible service! Over 30 minute wait must for chips never received our chevice! They cleaned our table and charged me for a drink when it as the servers fault he did NOT let me take my drink after he cleaned the table when I moved seats! DO NOT COME HERE! Will not be coming ever again! read more

My neighbor and I visited last evening and had a delicious meal! The server was as bright and cheery as could be.......that started us on the right foot, then the house Margarita came and brightened our evening. We enjoyed their Enchiladas filled with shrimp covered in a wonderful sauce. I had the Chile Relleno filled also with shrimp.......mucho gusto. Also with a wonderful sauce. The mark of a great Mexican restaurant is the quality of the Chile Rellano........and this one hit every mark. A pleasant atmosphere added to our meal treat. We will come back soon. read more

Great little Mexican cuisine place in Santa Ana. One of a handful of good restaurants in Santa Ana. Great atmosphere, service was excellent and the food overall was able to match. We also had the lemon tart and churros for dessert... Both really good. A little bit pricey, but probably not really out of line For today. Would definitely go back! read more

Perla - Green chicken enchiladas Suizas - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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my best friends just got married and we came here for lunch after. amazing service - drinks and food were really good and the place itself was really chill. shoutout to all the employees - thank you! read more

Definitely the Best place for brunch . All the dishes I order were so delicious. Server provide Excellent service the whole time. Live mariachi was Very nice and pleasant . nice atmosphere. I would say way favorite out of the whole experience was the coffee. High-quality . Come check this place out. read more

We love this place. Food , service and ambiance all incredible. They often accommodate fairly large party's for us! Don't miss the El Ray cocktail. All the enchiladas are amazing. Shrimp Chile relleno! Salmon tacos wow, who would have thought! read more

It's a small location with indoor and outdoor seating across the street from cafe cultura. Everything served on the Mexican tapas menu is incredible. We came as a party of 2 for the mariachi brunch, the only upset was that we were rushed as they had timed seating. Had we been told at the entrance, we would have gotten different drinks instead of bottomless. Service and attentiveness was great, main entrées are a little pricey but the quality and presentation of the dishes were superb. Now that I'm aware of what to expect here, I will be returning! read more

Perla - Bottomless mimosas - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Came here to celebrate my coworker's birthday! It's located in Downtown Santa Ana, with a parking structure right behind the restaurant. The first two hour is free which is a huge plus. The atmosphere is very lively with a live mariachi band. We ordered appetizers, specialties items, and entrees. They also offer bottomless mimosas for $25 per person. For my order, I got their enchiladas de mole ($28) with rice and beans ($6) and their mimosa flight ($25). Their mole was so good but portions for rice and beans were little. Prices are pretty steep for Mexican food but the service was attentive. read more

Perla - Enchiladas De Mole & Mimosa Flight - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

NOT WORTH IT!!!! I would not come back again, we came to celebrate my grandmas birthday. Mind you, we aren't picky people. But the food was bad, chicken was so dry. We ate it and didn't complain because we didn't want to be those people. I asked for my refills 4 times and didn't get it until way later..... to top it off they did a 20% service fee.... $30 for a party of 6. For what??? lol they left a jar of water on the tables... I ended up walking at taking to the waitress before I left and told her I didn't know it was a 20% tip. And that the chicken was dry I barley got my refills.... It was a joke. She just said "ohhh ok" and continued on to her day. Do not give you business to these people. read more

It's a Friday afternoon, mom, sister and I decide it's 'Fun Girls Friday' and arrive at La Perla. We order some drinks and appetizers which were delivered promptly and were scrumptious! I had the Jamaica Margarita that quickly became my drink of the day favorite. Mind you this was suppose to be a late lunch that turned into dinner and then some. As our original server parted ways, she introduced us to our new server Sam. She quickly became my favorite server of all time. She's friendly and charismatic, made us feel right at home. She was knowledgeable as we asked questions about the menu and drinks, offered some suggestions and she was spot on. Loved how genuine our interaction was, especially when she found out it was my sister's birthday the next day. She arranged for the live music duo to sing happy birthday to her and brought out a slice of cheesecake. Sam truly added an extra special touch to an amazing day! She deserves all the accolades as she is a true gem to find at Perla! read more

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Had a great time dining here for the first time. Drinks were great (Jamaica margarita and la cometa) and the food was even better! I enjoyed the halibut ceviche because it was fresh and light, but my favorite was the cheesy, creamy lobster enchiladas. It was an experience. I highly recommend Perla! read more

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The service was fantastic, the host was incredibly welcoming, and the overall experience was spectacular. The food was delicious as well.

Todo muy lindo but the brunch guacamole is literally a baby size. I laughed when I saw the little ass molcajete for 17 dollars I thought it was a joke. read more

Amazing Sunday brunch spot in DTSA! Lots of options to choose from and bottomless mimosas too. Service was top notch and the food was amazing. We shared everything. My favorite was the queso fundido but make sure to eat it before the cheese gardens! They have a mariachi band that plays too! Definitely come for the food and stay for the service and experience! read more

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Esquite - I expected more for this appetizer. You will get the flavor of roasted corn but everything else was lacking. I couldn't really taste the cheese or chili powder. Chicken Tortilla Soup - Nice for a cold evening. Nothing unique on this dish but thats not a bad thing. If you're wanting traditional this is a pretty close match. Short Rib Tacos - These were pretty good. While you'll get two salsas, these really pair well with the green salsa. Chile Relleno - Presentation was fantastic on this one, however, I was disappointed. The chipotle sauce was so overpowering that this dish did not taste like a chile relleno. This was more shrimp and chipotle sauce. While the food was not what I had hoped for, this place does have great drinks and a nice ambiance. FYI both cocktails were fantastic! Mariposa Traiconera - this is link a martini Jamaica - this one like a margarita read more

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Perla..... a must try oh my goodness . From the server's, Bartender's to the house special drinks and the amazing food. THE BEST Mezcal drink I have had (El Ocaso) the amazing queso fundido with rajas, corn and chorizo. The best house made red salsa you will ever have at any spot. Not to mention the Prime Arrachera Plate wow.We have only been here twice and they blew us away both visits. Thank you so much Perla we will see you soon. Vincent & Candace P.S. we would pick Perla over Javier's any day read more

Perla - El Ocaso....best mezcal drink of all time! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Came here for a special event for Donuts y Tortas. It was absolutely amazing!! The food is to die for. 100% recommended! read more

Perla - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California