This place is truly "authentic " in all sense of the word! Salsas both red and green are full of flavor and heat. Our waitress was very courteous and prompt with our order. As we ate our meal, Rafaela the owner came greeted us and checked to see if we needed anything else. Reasonable prices and huge portions! Definitely will come back again! read more

I would give this place a 0 stars if it had the option ! AVOID THIS RESTAURANT!! I forgot 2 personal items and called within 5 mins to let them know and they told me on the phone that they would have it so I can pick it up the next day and drove 26 mins to pick up my personal items just for them to say " we lost it " " we do not know where it went " ??? Like what is the world is that ...! Also I was leaving when the restaurant was closing so no other person could've took my personal items besides the Female severs !!! HORRIBLE PLACE , NEVER IN MY LIFE I WILL BE COMING HERE ! If u decide to go their please keep ur wallet / purse locked with ur hands . I swear I can not trust this place never again !! read more

Owner's daughter is so unprofessional. Instead of fixing an inconvenience she made it worse. No wonder no one wants to stay to work for them. The way she talks to her employees and to a paying customer, it's so terrible. Everything started with the waitress. I asked her what this food has inside (since in their menu there's no description) & she answered "I don't know". I'm like okay. 2nd thing, I asked for three drinks. She only brought out two. 3rd thing, I saw everyone getting chips but we didn't get any (I had to get up and ask for both). Okay cool. 4th when we asked for our bill it was taking more than 15 minutes. **Let me tell you they're was 3 waitresses working in a restaurant that wasn't full.** When I got to the cashier, the owner's daughter already had a moody face and was talking rudely to her employees. I still proceed to ask nicely for my bill. She said "we ran out of paper so I can't give you the bill or your receipt" and I answered "O'well" She then had the nerve to get rowdy with me and said that if I'm in a hurry to next time get up & come pay up in the front. (Which that's the reason I was up here at the cashier, to get the bill.) I tried to explain the bad experience I had and she didn't care. She said, "you can tell my mother". ALL SHE HAD TO DO IS COMMUNICATE AND TRAIN HER EMPLOYEES RIGHT. SO WE COULD PREVENT ALL THIS BAD EXPERIENCE. COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY TO EVERYTHING. I REALLY feel bad for the employees and like the rest of the reviews mention, I can confirm the service is super slow, unorganized, and terrible management/owner. The gorditas are not great and the carne is so dry. I am going to say the 7 mares are good. ****ATTACHED IS THE PICTURE OF THE OWNER'S DAUGHTER (THE LADY THAT DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO RUN A PROFESSIONAL RESTAURANT) read more

Rafaela's Restaurant - Owner's daughter. - Mexican Near Me - Vista, California

We're a family of five and we all have different likes and dislikes so, as you can imagine, it's super hard to agree on a place to eat that everyone likes. We don't have that problem here! We all have a favorite at Rafaela's. My husband loves the garlic fish filet and micheladas. Our daughter loves the beef enchiladas, our two sons are always excited to order the carne asada burritos, rice and beans and horchata. It's always a toss up for me between the filete a la plancha and the seafood stuffed fish. The Aguas frescas are great too. I like the chia con limón drink. Everyone's absolute favorite are the FRESH HANDMADE CORN TORTILLAS - DELICIOUS!! Besides having awesome tasting food, having fresh handmade tortillas, sets them apart from other places. This has been our go-to place for Mexican food for the past few years since they first opened. I absolutely recommend Rafaela's. read more

Food- 4/5 Tasty food, good portion size, plating looked just like the picture in the menu Cleanliness-5/5 Tables and floor were clean, table setting was clean and organized Atmosphere/Decor-5/5 TVs and music were on, it was bigger inside than we thought. There are tables and booths available to sit. Customer service-1/5 The waitress who helped us did not seem like she wanted to be there. She was young, inexperienced and needed better communication. It is unfortunate that our interactions with her outweighed any positive experience we may have had tonight. We will not be returning to this restaurant for the reasons listed below. *The waitress asked us if we spoke Spanish and when we said no she kind of rolled her eyes and walked away (very judgemental). When she returned and asked a question, my husband responded in Spanish and she replied "I thought you didn't speak Spanish?" *She walked away from our table multiple times mid-sentence, trailing off so we couldn't hear her *We finished our meal and looked around to find we were the last ones in the restaurant at 8:30pm. Instead of checking in with us or bringing our bill she started stacking the chairs on all the tables (they close at 9pm) *Instead of asking if we were ready for the bill she said "so I'm guessing you want to pay now?" *We were charged a service charge of $2.09! When I asked why, she said they got a new machine and now it charges of fee. I told her I wished she would have told us so we could have decided to pay cash. She replied "you should have asked" read more

Rafaela's Restaurant - $2.09 service charge?! - Mexican Near Me - Vista, California

Food 4/5, Service 2/5 Service was very slow. Food was decent though. I came here for dinner because it had all 5 star reviews. I'm not sure if they just had an off night or what but it took about 5 min before we got drinks and another 15 after that before we had any chips and salsa. The salsa container was tiny and no one ever checked to see if we had run out (which we did in about 90 seconds. The food took another 25-30 minutes after we ordered it, and they brought it out to us in 5 minute intervals with two of us watching the first person's food get cold, then the last person watching both of our food get cold, and then finally eating. I'd give this place ok marks for food but the service brought it down considerably. The salsa, what little there was, was incredible. Sadly I won't be back though. read more

My wife and I were looking for a place to have breakfast this morning (I was craving menudo). We passed by this place and my wife noticed that there was only one table dining. She said could it be any good? I told her only one way to find out. WOW am I glad we had brunch here. This place is AWESOME! The food is fresh & delicious, the customer service is great, the place is clean and did I mention the food is amazing! Plus they make the best homemade corn tortillas My wife wants to come back and have the seafood molcajete. I want to come back and try everything else I told my wife we have a new favorite mexican restaurant. The waitress said they have only been open 2 years. I wish I had come here 2 years ago Our waitress Angelica was great and very attentive In the words of The Terminator "I'll be back". read more

This restaurant is listed on door dash, but when the dasher responded they were closed. huge waste of time.

Awesome house salsa. Chicken enchiladas are the best. My husband got the chicken burrito and was making all those sounds for this the best ever burrito! Go here, you will not be sorry! read more

Rafaela's Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Vista, California

Great family run restaurant. Molcajete is my favorite. They are so generous on the portion. Price is super reasonable. I will be back again and again. read more

It taste like home food!!! They take time for preparing the food but it's worth it! Definitely recommend this restaurant- R6 Family read more

Rafaela's Restaurant - Seafood Soup they've 3 different options, we choose( shrimp & octopus) - Mexican Near Me - Vista, California

Today me and my wife went to Rafaelas for dinner. When we got there we noticed that there were alot of people there. But that's not bad. It's good cause it means that the restaurant is good. Right away the waitress came and took our drink order. I had a "Negra Modelo"beer. My wife ordered a "Michelada" with Corona. I ordered the "Bistec ranchero." My wife ordered the "Chile relleno." Our food arrived and I noticed that the tortillas looked really soft. My Bistec ranchero came in strips of steak in some type of red sauce. So I got a tortilla and I put some pieces of steak in my tortilla. The tacos that I made were delicious. Me and my wife both mentioned how good the tortillas were. My wife enjoyed her Chile relleno. When we were done eating, we asked for the check. When the waitress returned I asked her, "where do you guys get your tortillas?" She said, "We Make them here" I wasn't a bit surprised cause they tasted like homemade tortillas!! Well I give "Rafaelas" 5 stars for their service and excellent food!! Oh I forgot to tell you, I met Rafaela the owner. Totally nice lady!! read more

Food is authentic as well as delicious. The mole Is really really good. The shrimp cocktails are Excellent. The wait is a little long but it's well worth it. If your local give this place a shot. I think you will be glad you did. read more

Wow! Mole is super flavorful. Servings are large and everything tasted distinct and delicious. Salsa is fantastic! Very clean. Finally a great and reasonable place for Mexican Food in Vista. Thank you. read more

Food is mediocre at best.... Step into this "authentic Mexican Restaurant" because it reminded me of my parents when they use to have a restaurant quiet similar to this one in San Diego. I like and support businesses that are family owned. Nostalgia roamed through my mind and was quiet excited to try it. Place was empty but looked real nice and clean. Me and my brother played it safe ordered some typical Carne Asada Fries (I know I know not authentic) to say the least. We keep eating them as I'm typing this and all we are eating is just papa zero to little one tea spoon of guacamole like really? And small portion meal idk if this is typical since I'm new to Vista County. But down south this would be considered "half order" lol and should be illegal all jokes aside taste was good but was disappointed in portion little meat no guacamole all for a whooping $22. And the girl who ranged is up was quiet rude and looked liked she didn't wanna work. The lady in te kitchen was nice and gave us a warm smile. Probably will not go back. read more

Best breakfast burrito I've had for a long time! I can't wait to order again and try more things!

On Saturday evening(03/16/19)around 5-6pm my mother had an unpleasent experience. She ordered to have ordered a "Gordita con chicharron on salsa verde dine in.Theey gave her a fully toasted chicharron shoved into the gordita, the problem was really how the watress handled it. She made claims that my mother had ordered it wrong even though its the only thing she orders. The waitress also claimed my mom got the restaurant wrong and she ordered it wrong. If this is a family restaurant i would assume you would treat customers and guests with family like kindness. We will no longer be dining at your "Family" Restaurant. read more

The gorditas I ordered from here tasted just like the ones I had in my mother's hometown in Mexico. I was pleasantly surprised. I also ordered a michelada which was tasty as well. My family and I will be going back for sure. read more

Nice place, excellent customer service and delicious mexican food... I love this place.

New go to. Wife loves fajitas, and this place is the bomb. Family run, especially when mom is cooking the food is excellent and always thoughtfully prepared and displayed. They could have a decent bar/real margarita, draft beer, and a slightly warmed interior, but none of that is enough to ding a star. If you are picking up, make sure you call ahead or be prepared to wait a long time. A little off the beaten track, but great food. Go! read more

Was told credit card machine was down and they proceeded to run the card three times. After I paid for my meal in cash.

Six of us walked in for dinner last night. Six different dishes six amazing reviews. We were served by Joanna who told us her grandmother was the owner/chef. Rafaela came out to meet us and we had the chance to thank her for the best Mexican meal we have ever had in Vista. Try it, you will not regret it! read more

Excellent service and really good food. Caldo de mariscos and their flan!(everything delicious)

Hidden jewel. Very clean. Meals are well-prepared. I just had a burrito and chips for lunch. The meat was tender and tasted great. Their charred tomato salsa is excellent. Reasonably priced. read more

Food is so delicious! I have an allergy to cilantro so they made me fresh guacamole without cilantro for my meal. Now that's great customer service!! Comfy atomosphere. Definitely would recommend eating here. read more

This is going to be my Go To place for good Mexican food. My food was delicious, the salsa good but a little spicy, but Im a gringa. The menu has many choices, including breakfast There is a small bar where beer can be served while watching TV. The restaurant is clean and neat and you can see into the spotless kitchen. Give Rafaela's Restaurant a try you will not be disappointed. read more

What a great find. Live down the street and found my new favorite spot. Came in on Saturday with my boyfriend and we loved every minute of it from the drinks to the food. He order a michelado and chicken enchiladas..... so bomb!!! The chicken was so juicy and had a burst of flavor. Sauce was delicious and mouth watering. I had the chili reno and wow so amazing!!! The sauce the chefs made was delightful. It was like a creamy jalapeño sauce with just the perfect amount of heat and everything was so tasty and made to perfection. Will DEFINITELY be back with friends. read more

This place is delicious! Great atmosphere and very friendly service. Ordering will go a little smoother if you know Spanish, but the employees are very friendly and patient with those who don't. I ordered the chicken burrito based on another review on yelp and so good. Hubby ordered the California burrito and he was not disappointed either. If you are looking for some great Mexican food, check this one out! read more

New place you need to try.I took my family and everyone was very happy with their meals. The portians are good and the food and service was excellent.coming back to try the menudo. Rafaelas steak is of the hook a must and the enchiladas also. We ended up all trying food from each other's plates and not one complaint. read more

This place is spacious and clean. It's family run and you can tell they take great pride in what they serve. The salsa is super yummy. The service was great. Our server came to apologize that her grandmother didn't come and ask how our food was since she doesn't speak English. That is awesome. read more

This food is truly amazing!! Me and my family eat here at least once a week. However since I work real close me and my co-workers eat here at least 4 times a week.. It's really hard to find a REAL Mexican food these day's, it takes a little while to get your food, but when it's served your time will have been well spent!! Me and my wife haven't had one bad thing!!! Please take the time to visit this place... read more