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    Quixote

    4.0 (686 reviews)
    PriceyMexican
    Open 12:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Quixote Photos

    QUIXOTE ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Quixote

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    Reviews With Photos

    Crab corn doughnut
    Corinne M.

    Go early for privacy, decor definitely Gothic dark almost hard to see, but eyes will adjust. It's is shared plate type place , but still able to fulfill one person appetite per plate. So could be budget friendly, or can be not budget friendly and try the menu which I recommend! The signature meal of this chef was a crab doughnut, which I disagree of being the best but still good ...memelita was by far tops !!!!! Then masa fried chicken tacos 2nd but ALL was amazing !!! Can't miss this . Decor was absolutely gorgeous and romantic but also BFF romantic gothic yet... church like to me . Don't miss this spot

    Masa fried chicken taco
    Jessie A.

    Loved it here. Things to note 1. Parking is bad so plan accordingly and be prepared to walk a block or 2 to get to the restaurant 2. It is very dark in here. I had to take photos in night mode so it looks a lot brighter than it actually is. If you are going with someone older or who has trouble seeing in the dark, they are not gonna see anything lol 3. I heard reservations were required months out but i went in the same day. It was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend around lunch time but they took walk ins left and right so maybe just dinner is what needs to be booked in advance? The decor was immaculate and everything that came out was delicious and it came out very fast. It is connected to the Lafayette hotel which has the jungle room, bowling alley, pool and multiple bars. You can easily spend the day here. Mmmm not if you have kids though. 10/10 recommend

    Grill Fish
    Denise K.

    First time visiting Quixote. We stopped by to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Loved the dark, idyllic vibe of the restaurant. Our server was attentive at first, but later in the evening it became difficult to find her when we needed things like water refills. We ordered the Oaxacan fondue, ribs, grilled fish, and chicken tacos. The stars of the meal were definitely the Oaxacan fondue and the ribs -- both were flavorful. Unfortunately, the grilled fish was a disappointment and didn't live up to the rest of the dishes.

    Michelle V.

    This place is so cool for celebrating special occasions We celebrated our anniversary and they gave us a candle with our names on it!! So sweet The interior is so cool - very gothic medieval vibes inside!! We tried a couple of items but specifically LOVED the squash blossom and the crab donut and the duck memelita! The fried chicken tacos were pretty good as well Personally I did not love the fondue - comes with corn tortillas on the side - it's not my favorite style Drinks were great - I tried the guava Paloma and liked it a lot but wish it was a bit more sweet more guava flavor

    Menu of the night, changes regularly
    Cindy P.

    Very trendy, friendly, evocative dining experience! It's located inside the Lafayette Hotel, but there's also an outside entrance to the restaurant. Beware there's only street parking, no valet service (unless you're a hotel guest), so that can present a challenge. Reservations a MUST on weekends, especially with a group. Now for the food reviews. Everything we ordered was delicious from the squash blossom and smashed tuna tartare appetizers to the El Festin platter (made for groups) . Since the main dining area is kept dark for the dramatic gothic effect, it's tricky to rely on your sense of sight for the presentation of each of the dish. The highlight for me was the chili garlic shrimp tacos. So full of flavor! The only drawback is that many of their dishes are made with nuts. So if you have a nut allergy, which one of us in our group did, the menu was limiting. Overall, it's an incredible place for first timers and out-of- towners. I might return for a special celebration, but not repeatedly. Once is good enough experience, especially with so many other special dining options in our fine city.

    Kathryn W.

    Love the gothic vibe of the restaurant. Reminds me of dark magic fantasy school. Got tuna tartare, crab dish and lamb as entree. Food was pretty delicious and had some unique veggies that I've never had before. Overall a unique experience but the service was a bit lacking. Our waiter kept forgetting our request and didn't really check up on us

    Alexa D.

    Walking in, the dim lighting immediately pulls you into a whole different world--the vibes and decor are super immersive and unique. I ordered the Chamoy BBQ Costillitas and they were absolutely mouthwatering--definitely worth every penny, and the portion was huge. Meanwhile, my friend got the shrimp tacos... and let's just say we couldn't help but laugh at how small they looked. The drinks were just okay, nothing too memorable. But the atmosphere made it a great spot for conversation, and the staff were incredibly friendly and informative when it came to the menu. One thing that did stand out (in not the best way) was the smell in the back room. It wasn't necessarily bad or dirty, just very strong and kind of overwhelming unpleasant smell as soon as you walk in, something I personally didn't love. Overall, it's a really cool spot with great vibes and standout dishes, just with a few small things to keep in mind.

    Campechana
    Karyn T.

    I really really wanted to like this place, I had been so excited to check out Quixote for my friends birthday so saying that I was just underwhelmed hurts my heart. Here's the good, the decor is immaculate, the stained glass the candelabras the baroque design concept was beautiful and our server Jesse was kind and checked in on us as often as he could. For drinks I ordered the motomami, I love mezcal and this drank read off really tasty. When it arrived I was like oh, this is the drink? For how ostentatious the decor and vibes are you would think the drinks would be presented a little nicer and not just in a coup that was spilled on me by another server. The drink was just fine, it's tasty but again it was okay. The food, could have been a whole lot better, for our side we ordered the guacamole with chicarron, campechana, masa fried chicken tacos and chilli garlic shrimp tacos. When the guacamole came out, I laughed, it was guacamole in a cute little molcajete with fried pork rinds sprinkled with tajin. Um, okay. I thought it would be a similar to fried pork belly, like I'm used to and have had at other Mexican restaurants. To charge an additional $5 for 8 pieces of Mission chicharrones is laughable. I ordered the shrimp tacos for myself, question, were the shrimps poached in water, because there was no flavor and taco itself was overly dressed in a greasy flavor lacking sauce, no finesse on the plating it was just sloppy. If you're wanting to upcharge you should at least do a better job plating your foods. I didn't try my friends chicken tacos but she felt like it was under seasoned and she needed to scoop the guac from our starter to add a little flavor. The campechana to us was tasty, the octopus was really tender opposed to the pulpo our other friend shared which was chewy. It's so confusing because the consistency with everything is just so off. Overall, I would not come back, although the decor is just beautiful it doesn't match or exceed the expectations for it's food.

    This was a personalized candle given to the birthday girl!!!
    Veronica L.

    Thou this place is pricey, it is worth every penny. Drink and all food are made with delicious ingredients. Everything we had we enjoyed. Staff were attentive and very courteous. Such a great experience. The vibe of restaurant was incredible and so unique! Loved all the decor!

    Drinks
    Katy H.

    The place was gorgeous, they had different rooms and the inside was a little smaller than expected but it was still super nice. I made reservations in advanced for 830PM, I arrived early like they requested and I still waited 15 mins after reservation time to be sat, so not including my early arrival time. Then we sat at our table and I wish I had taken photos but every glass was dirty, like had some black pieces, maybe it was food or dirt off some other dishes from the dishwasher? I'm not sure but when I told my server she was visibly annoyed, she brought over new glasses and 2/5 were still dirty but I didn't want to tell her as you could tell she was irritated. Then the food arrived and the food honestly wasn't anything to boast over, we got the fried chicken tacos, they're fried in masa but it was a lot of masa, then we had ordered the chili shrimp tacos? They were good but honestly could've been spicier. Then we got the memelita which was pretty good, probably my favorite dish out of them all. The drinks were not good, they were all very bitter, couldn't taste the alcohol which is fine but the juice/mix added to them wasn't very great. Then someone at the table ordered wine and the wine glass was dirty, we just didn't even want to bother so we picked the two pieces out the glass. I however did like the machatata but my table was not a fan lol. We then ordered desert, one being pastel de Diablo and it did not taste anything like the description and when we looked at yelp photos it looked completely different lol. I had then ordered fritters but never got them. For my bday I did get a free desert which was probably the best tasting thing all night. Service wise wasn't great, we pretty much only got checked on if an item we ordered was brought out and only if that item was brought out by our server so I'd say over our whole stay maybe we got checked up on twice. Overall I'd say there are a lot better aesthetically pleasing and delicious places to go to if you're visiting San Diego or if you live there and are thinking of trying. Parking wise I don't think there's a lot but the restaurants right next to the Lafayette if that gives you any answer to the parking situation lol.

    ilI was looking forward to this place but was a bit disappointed. I tried their other restaurant "Leila" and this one doesn't compare. The parking is horrible but it is San Diego. The food was average. We tried their guacamole which was a bit salty/sour---too much lime. The pulpo was good but whatever they placed under it was not good; I think it was some sort of smashed lentils. The queso fundido was alright. Their old fashioned drink was good, my wife didn't like the one with Guava, both were overpriced in my opinion. The inside was nice and the waiter was hospitable; I guess he also works at Leila's.

    Corn crab doughnut. Comes in a super cool rock bowl too.
    Camille H.

    The ambiance is amazing! It feels like you're in hell/a gothic castle in the best way possible. The food is expensive but really good so I thought it was totally worth it. We made reservations and got in right on time and got our food and drinks pretty quickly. The crudite that we ordered with the guacamole was incredible! It had such a good flavor. And there was so much delicious guacamole. I also got the Corn crab doughnut which was pretty good and comes in a super cool rock bowl.

    Elizabeth M.

    There was some confusion with the reservation, so we ended up just having late night desserts and drinks here. The bartender was super nice. The decor is a Neo Gothic style with dramatic red lighting. We ordered the flan and the chocolate cake. The flan was a bit rubbery, and the chocolate cake was quite dense, so neither was my favorite.

    The room where our group was seated

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    Quixote Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Quixote

    Is quixoto still serving food?

    Is there outdoor sitting to bring dogs?

    No it's an indoors only restaurant

    Is there easy parking?

    Street parking and most of it is metered.

    Are reservations always needed or can we go directly to the bar?

    You can go directly to the bar but reservations are needed usually for a table.

    Are kids allowed at the restaurant?

    I didn't see any kids there, but it's also very much a dark bar vibe, I wouldn't take a kid in there imo.

    Has anyone inquired about corkage policy for Quixote?

    I brought a bottle of champagne $30

    Do they serve wine there? If so is there a big selection of by the glass? Can't find it on any of the menus posted on Yelp. Thanks in advance.

    Quixote is an authentic Mexican food restaurant. They have beers and about 10 cocktails. Not really a wine place. But I'm sure they have some.

    View All 10 Questions

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    Coasterra

    Coasterra

    4.0
    (4.1k reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$$

    Wow! If you're looking for a beautiful view of San Diego skyline and Coronado Island this is the…read moreplace. It's always a great place to stop before or after going to the airport because it's that close. We originally went there for an early dinner, but happened to meet the happy hour time frame (3:30-5:30). They have a wonderful array of drinks and appetizers to choose from. The most expensive being $11.00. Each appetizer is enough for two people. A man at the bar asked me if I wanted some of his guacamole dip because he could finish it all. He looked like that was his dinner meal too. I declined, since I was favoring the ceviche and chicken tinga tostadas. Both tasted delicious. I heard the bacon wrapped jalapeño were good but not gf. So I didn't try them. The views from our table were spectacular. They had many GF options listed on their menu. Our waiter, Jared, (so helpful and attentive), told me which items are more gluten sensitive and which ones were gluten free. The drinks were tasty and refreshing too. Definitely a place I'll be going back to with family and friends

    An Unforgettable Birthday Celebration!…read more I took my husband here for his birthday this past Monday, and the entire experience was absolutely incredible from start to finish. First, the location and the views are simply stunning. It set the perfect backdrop for a celebratory evening. But what really elevated the vibe was the music! The playlist was so on point that I literally found myself dancing in my seat to every single song. It created such a fun, lively energy. I also have to give a massive shoutout to our waiter, who was incredibly attentive, warm, and anticipated our every need. The entire staff went above and beyond to make my husband feel so wonderfully celebrated. From a sweet little "Happy Birthday" sign to a surprise dessert at the end of the meal, every detail was thoughtful and perfectly executed. This place is truly incredible. We will absolutely be back!

    Photos
    Skyline & bay views
    Skyline & bay views
    View from patio
    View from patio
    Main dining room

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    Main dining room
    Oscars Mexican Seafood

    Oscars Mexican Seafood

    4.2
    (2.2k reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    I can't wait to go again!! Oscar's was amazing, best seafood tacos I've tried…read more The restaurant is a bit small and had limited seating, so we ended up eating outside, but it was a beautiful day. I tried the tacos especial (fish, shrimp, scallops) and grilled octopus and they were both amazing! I would get 2 tacos or 3 if you're really hungry.

    Fish tacos are a San Diego staple, and Oscars is said to be the best restaurant for them…read more Grilled Fish Taco: Best of the meal. The fish was grilled to tender, paired with smooth avocado puree and fresh salsa--a rich and satisfying bite. But! The biggest surprise is the tortilla--it was on the softer side, yet surprisingly chewy. Smoked Fish Taco: A classic and San Diego signature dish. The fish was shredded into small pieces, giving it a smoky flavor and a slightly dry texture. The taste was nice, but you don't really feel the meat in bites, so it was slightly less impressive. Fish Ceviche: Marinated in lemon juice, the proteins denatured, making the fish appear white and fully cooked, but it still had a firm, raw texture. Completely different from other raw fish ceviche I've had. But! Incredibly tangy!!! The first bite was so tangy it was almost painful; it was only after being served as tapas with tostadas that I gradually got used to it. Lemon juice, tomato, and onion--it was easy to imagine the refreshing taste, while the rich aroma of avocado nicely balanced the harshness. Shrimp Ceviche: The shrimp appeared to be cooked; they weren't large but were quite fresh, with firm and tender meat. See above for other details. The restaurant is located in a small food court, with very limited parking and seating. It may be inconvenient for groups of four or more to dine in.

    Photos
    Inside | IG:@socalsnomnoms
    Inside | IG:@socalsnomnoms
    Battered Fish Taco
    Battered Fish Taco
    Fish Ceviche

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    Fish Ceviche
    California Burritos

    California Burritos

    4.3
    (1.4k reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $$

    Overview: very quick and friendly service, yummy California Burrito according to my bf…read more ---- We placed an order through the phone for a California Burrito ($13.90) and a Fish Taco ($5.50) and they said it would be ready in 5 minutes! We left right away to pick up the food and sure enough it was ready waiting for our arrival. One quick drive back home to dig in and the aroma was so enticing. California Burritos is very apt for their name, my bf rates it a 10/10. As a California Burrito connoisseur, he liked the addition of sour cream in it and said the flavors were delicious. He topped it with their green salsa for a little bit of a freshness to cut through the richness and fattiness of the meat and fries in the burrito. He didn't care for the fish taco that much and rated it a 4/10 but said the restaurant overall was a 10/10, as he thought there was too much lettuce and tomato throwing off the ratio of the taco. I, on the other hand, am a huge fan of veggies and liked the ample amount they provided. ---- There's a couple benches outside in front of the shop and seating at booth tables inside as well. It's a bit smaller to sit inside, I recommend sitting outside to enjoy the fresh air and the sunset is beautiful. ---- Overall: if you're in the mood for California Burritos come to the place rightly named California Burritos!

    They do things a little different at this place. The California had guacamole and sour cream. Makes…read moreit more like a carne asada burrito adding fries. That said, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this burrito. It's large, filling, but their sauce had an almost artificial red color to it. Despite the weird look of the sauce, it had decent spice, wasn't overwhelming but wasn't weak either. Parking is very difficult here, and seating is limited. It's a small tack shop style place, made more for to-go orders. Service was fast and friendly. Their horchata is where they really lose a star, it's from a fountain and tastes like it, watered down artificial flavor. However you don't come here for the drinks, you come here for the large tasty California Burritos, hence the name. They've definitely won me over and I'll be back when in the area. That's this critic's review, until next time, I'll be eating.

    Photos
    California Burritos
    Sausage, Eggs, Cheese, and Potatoes Burrito
    Sausage, Eggs, Cheese, and Potatoes Burrito
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    Quixote - mexican - Updated July 2026

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