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    Xacalli Kitchen

    4.1 (250 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

    Xacalli Kitchen Photos

    Business Info

    XACALLI KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Upscale
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Priscilla T.

    We were actually going to the other cafe nearby but it was closed. This little plaza felt like you transported to another city. Honestly felt like a cozy town in the mountains. Parking is a small, dirt lot. Abraham was our server and bartender - he was so knowledgeable with all the food and drinks. He truly cared about the preparation, ingredients, and the presentation of each plate that he brought us. All the seafood was so good. The scallops had this squid ink on the bottom that you scoop with the freshly fried tortilla chips. Just went so well with the pickled onions. The best was the ceviche. I couldn't believe how delicious the sauce was. I would drink it. The carne asada steak was not what I expected. It was pretty chewy and wasn't medium rare. The chew was more of a medium done. Drinks were all so delicious! Will definitely come back again.

    Agua Chile Negro
    Yu L.

    Tucked away in a quiet corner of the city, this place feels more like a hidden local gem than a trendy restaurant. The atmosphere is calm, intimate, and full of character. The menu is also thoughtfully crafted -- blending modern Baja flavors with creative presentation and unique ingredients. You can really feel the chef's personality in every dish. A perfect spot for a slow dinner and good conversations.

    Huevos rancheros
    Alejandro A.

    Found this hidden gem for Mother's Day and honestly couldn't have picked a better spot. Who would've thought a place this beautiful would be tucked away in the canyon? The whole atmosphere feels warm and intimate, like you're dining in someone's home in the Yucatán. The food was incredible, and every dish came out looking just as impressive as it tasted. You can tell a lot of care goes into both the flavors and presentation. Definitely coming back. Pro tip: make a reservation. The staff is small and tight-knit, so reserving ahead of time makes the experience way smoother.

    Steak, bacon and sausage taco super super tasty and tender.

    This is a really great restaurant that highlights the various regions in Mexico. The food is simply fantastic. Today I had the two tacos with steak bacon and sausage. The sauces are great the hibiscus beverage was off the charts. I've been there many times and every time it's a home run never let down. It's decorated real nice and looks new inside. You will really enjoy it.

    Bar
    Dan J.

    Was looking forward to eating here. Had heard about it from friends and decided to check out their brunch. We got there around 10:30 on a Saturday morning. There may have been some people inside but we went straight to sit at the bar, as no one greeted us. We sat there for about 10 minutes before being greeted. A woman, who I subsequently found out to be one of the owner's, took our drink order. We then saw the bartender show up, along with the cook, who we also subsequently found out was the co-owner, and they proceed to take a shot of tequila in front of us. Only then did the bartender start working on our drink order. Was not that impressed with the food (brunch), but will give it another shot for dinner some day.

    Menu
    Em T.

    We just had dinner here on a very rainy Friday evening. The restaurant was very quiet because of the rain so despite having a reservation for a table, we chose to sit in the bar area at a high four top and it was a great atmosphere. Quiet, casual and comfortable, with not your usual greasy Mexican plates, but elevated meals with Mexican flavors but different ingredients than you would normally see. You should note that even in the rain, the roads were totally clear and this restaurant was easily accessible. What a beautiful drive up there. Next door there is a cute neighborhood market that has obviously been updated as well. You do not feel like you are just 10-15 mins outside of Lake Forest when you step out of your car here. We started with a Margarita each, made with fresh lime juice (every place should be doing this by the way instead of that horrible mixer). Delicious. Just the right amount of tart and sweet to offset the acid. Preserved citrus slices for garnish. The menu is made to be shared so keep that in mind when you see the prices. My husband and I shared everything from our 4 courses and left feeling very full and satisfied. There is a section of the menu that is entirely vegetarian (about 4 or so options), that looked great. We almost had the enchiladas from this section, but decided it would just be too much. Service was so friendly and attentive without being intrusive. We had the Caesar salad, the grilled shrimp, the lamb birria and the basque cheesecake. Everything was delicious. The Caesar salad was so good. You essentially get a half head of gem style lettuce with crushed croutons and dressing on top. A little spicy with the chile in the dressing but we loved that! The shrimp was delicious also. The little hint of fresh mint with the shrimp was a surprise and such a good match. Spicy also with sliced red jalapeño, but you can choose how much you get into that. I went all in and loved it. Lamb birria. What a lovely surprise this was. A whole braised shank served with freshly made corn tortillas, pickled onions and salsa. So satisfying. My husband loves birria tacos, I am Australian and grew up eating lamb as a staple protein so this was an amazing meeting of the worlds. So much to dip your taco into once you build it. We can't wait to show our friends this hidden gem! As a side note, we drove away and realized this might have been the Silverado Cafe we have been to many years ago? Not 100%, but we think so. So happy to have some new and exciting options to dine in OC and we'll be back.

    Chocolate mousse
    Rose M.

    The Barria dish is amazing! Most tender lamb shank ever! Really love the hongo asada as well the home made tortillas are so soft and fragrant, even better than the ones we had in Mexico. Drinks here are amazing too, last word is made with Mescal and my go to. It definitely worth the 20 min drive out from Irvine. Their kitchen closes at 7:30pm, so you need to be here before that for dinner, best way is to make reservations on open table, so you don't get turned away if the kitchen is too busy.

    Sunday Brunch at Xacalli Kitchen - delicious! We were a party of 4, so we each tried something different. The flavors and presentation were such a treat...and I loved the coffee. Other guests had specialty drinks. Met Mimi who welcomed us to her restaurant, and our server was Abraham who loved talking about the different dishes. Would definitely go back!

    Nopales, tamarindo mule, and la pasion
    Jermaine P.

    This place is such a hidden gem! The food is top notch and has tons of complexity, something you'd expect from a restaurant in the city. We ordered about 4 plates for 2 people and each plate took us on a flavor journey. The restaurant is tucked in Silverado and is beautiful to visit during sunset. Their menu is seasonal so I'm excited to come back to see what the chef has in store for us!

    Menu
    Daniel M.

    This is the best "foodie" Mexican restaurant in Orange County, and it's not even close. This restaurant has been on my radar for a while. It's located in Silverado, so a nice drive into the Santa Ana hills and mountains. The restaurant is located off a quaint road, away from the typical OC hustle. You step out of your car and feel like you are in a very different place. The restaurant itself is located surrounded by mountains and small trees. Very beautiful setting. I came here a week or so ago with my visiting parents during the workweek. We were immediately greeted by our server and were promptly provided our drinks. The cocktails here are made with good quality spirits and ingredients. The food itself was splendid. The crudo was amazing and had avocado. Really interesting take on crudo that I have never had before. The queso fundido was another amazing small plate that was quickly devoured by my table. The bone in pork chop was one of the best chops I have ever had at a restaurant. Perfectly tender with a unique aftertaste from the recado negro. Absolutely loved the pork chop. Desserts here are also of high quality. They bake their own Basque cheesecake, which has Monterrey cheese! So warm, not too sweet, perfection. I really appreciated the service here. Small town vibe, talkative, felt very personable. It made me feel at home. I have been to pretty much every "good" Mexican restaurant in Orange County. If you want a party atmosphere, then go to Javier's, and you will have good food, but you will forget about it in a week. If you want to eat the best Mexican food in Orange County, and want to have a meal that you will remember years later, then come here, and keep supporting this business. My parents were equally impressed. I would say this restaurant gives Michelin level quality of food and service, and you will feel the same way if you come here. It's better than Chaak, Gabbi, etc. I will be coming again and again.

    Kateleen C.

    Xacalli Kitchen is a hidden gem! Each dish has fresh ingredients and flavors that stands out, yet pairs well altogether. The ambience is nice for a date night or a Friday night out with friends. Our server, Zack, was attentive and gave us recommendations that we truly enjoyed. The rest of the servers were friendly and amazing as well. 10/10 would come back and recommend :)

    Margarita with spicy salt

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    3 months ago

    The ceviche was rather unremarkable, offering nothing that truly caught the palate; it was simply so-so.

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    7 months ago

    My son and daughter in law took us out for my husband 65th birthday....all I can say Amazing food, service and ambience.

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    Mamón - Philly Me Up Sandwich

    Mamón

    4.6(630 reviews)
    4.9 mi
    $$
    Vegan friendly
    Gluten-free friendly

    I ordered the Chancho en Cama sandwich (pork shoulder) and upgraded to add a side salad. We sat…read moreoutside and they brought the food to us. It was a lovely day and they had plenty of tables in the shade. The food came out pretty quickly. My sandwich was amazing! The sauce on it was just perfect. The salad complemented the sandwich nicely - I would definitely recommend adding that upgrade. The food was quite filling, too.

    It was a warm day out and it didn't feel like there was AC inside Mamon, but there was a large fan…read moreand the door was propped open. We were ready to eat after shopping nearby. It was a late lunch for us, and so the place was nearly empty with the exception of one other group. We scanned the QR code at the front counter and took a seat at a table to review the menu. It was a little difficult to navigate and some items did not have pictures. The gentleman who helped us was just friendly enough to go over some of the menu items. But after we placed our order, we never saw anyone again. We ordered the pork shoulder sandwich called Chancho en Cama. We split the sandwiches so that we could try two different kinds. We both really loved the flavor profile of the pork sandwich. I really enjoyed it and wish I had a whole sandwich of this one! We also had the Philly Me Up sandwich. This one was a miss for us, definitely. This was pretty bland and just didn't compare to the deliciousness of the pork sandwich. Our sides were good, which included french fries, and roasted cauliflower. The portions are pretty small for the price point of the food. We'd probably stop by again to try other items if we were in the area.

    Photos
    Mamón - Inside

    Inside

    Mamón - There's an Egg Involved Sandwich

    There's an Egg Involved Sandwich

    Mamón - Inside and bar view

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    Inside and bar view

    Rose Canyon Cantina & Grill - Santa Fe Egg Rolls (from Platillo De Antojitos).

    Rose Canyon Cantina & Grill

    3.6(785 reviews)
    6.7 mi
    $$

    Yesterday was our son Jack's birthday and today was his actual party with all of his friends…read more Needless to say, by dinner time we were exhausted. My wife had the great idea to go out, so after living in the area for six years, we FINALLY tried Rose Canyon Cantina. We had heard about Rose Canyon forever but for whatever reason had never made it there. We made a reservation and were told only inside was available. I knew the outside was supposed to be one of the highlights, but we were tired, hungry and took it anyway. I had the shrimp and spinach enchiladas and my wife had the carne asada platter. Both were fantastic. Our boys both had cheeseburgers and fries and were happy. What really made the night though were the people. Our server, Sam, was AWESOME. She has worked there for 13 years and you can tell. She was warm, welcoming, gave us great recommendations and honestly felt more like a friend than our server. Then there was Michael, our busser, who we found out was working only his THIRD shift. We watched multiple people go up to the owner, Melanie, to tell her how great he was. She kept saying he was her best hire ever. Again, third shift! I want to hire him! Melanie also came over to our table to make sure Jack got a sombrero and a happy birthday sundae. It was a small thing that meant a lot, especially after a long birthday weekend. Sam, Michael and Melanie made our tired family feel completely at home. They made us feel like family. Six years living here and somehow we waited until tonight to try Rose Canyon Cantina. We can't wait to go back. Next time we're sitting outside!

    I was excited to try out this "hidden gem" tucked away in the canyon, but unfortunately the…read moreexperience fell short of my expectations. I'll start with the positives. The restaurant was nice, easy to find using navigation, and plenty of parking available. The outdoor patio overlooking the waterfall and giant lighted tree overhead was absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend sitting outside if weather permits. Service was also good. Now, the reason I gave only 3 stars is because the cocktails were disappointing and food wasn't great. Nearly all of the margaritas, including the "Skinny", are made with a store-bought sweet & sour mix rather than fresh squeezed lime or a housemade version. For this place to be called a cantina and make margaritas this way is very disappointing. I ordered the Milagro Miracle Margarita, the only margarita offered without sweet & sour mix and it just was not good. It was strong, but overly sweet. My husband got a michelada, but again it's made using a bottled mixer as the base. The food was also sub-par and the portions were pretty small. I ordered a 3 taco combo so I could try the shredded beef, shredded chicken and fish. The beef was dry and tasteless, the chicken was all dark meat (my bad, I should've asked about that), and the fish was just ok but drenched in sauce. The tacos were about the size of something you'd get in the drive-thru at Del Taco, but only about HALF of the meat portion. My husband ordered a combo plate with the carne asada & bean burrito and the burrito was TINY. It looked like something from a kid's menu. Overall, flavor was lacking and I was not impressed by the food or beverage quality and preparation. If you're looking for authentic Mexican flavor, this is not the place. We probably wouldn't come here again.

    Photos
    Rose Canyon Cantina & Grill
    Rose Canyon Cantina & Grill - Bean & Cheese Nachos (from Platillo De Antojitos).

    Bean & Cheese Nachos (from Platillo De Antojitos).

    Rose Canyon Cantina & Grill - Outdoor patio area. Wednesday at 4:30 hour. House margarita. Perfect weather!

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    Outdoor patio area. Wednesday at 4:30 hour. House margarita. Perfect weather!

    La Casita Olvera - $1 Taco Tuesday  all day 11am-9pm

    La Casita Olvera

    4.0(556 reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $$

    Amazing friendly atmosphere, fish tacos are great and the $6 margaritas during happy hour, tasty…read more Israel, the proprietor made us feel very special and shared with us the history of his families restaurants. Great place to "hang out" and relax.

    honestly i usually hate parking around here because it feels like fighting Thanos just for a spot,…read morebut parking was super easy and we parked right out front with no problem at all and was free. total Tony Stark VIP treatment lol The service was excellent and very attentive as they checked in on us to refill drinks and checked how the food was. Very friendly and the staff were basically moving like Spider-Man around the tables. The food was excellent and very fresh and tasty. It was so good that we came back the next day for the Sunday brunch! We really loved the fish tacos, which were out of this world. Neck and neck with that are the Chihuahua tacos where the meat was tender, and the cheese was charred into the tortilla to give it a very wonderful flavor,, kinda like Iron Man blasted it himself to get that crust. We also tried the Carnitas tacos and a couple of others, which are also very tasty. This Sunday brunch was lovely and our favorite was the steak ranchero and the ceviche, as well as the corn cake. But basically the whole buffet was excellent,, felt like an actual feast in Asgard. We had a Diablo margarita and that was excellent! definitely hit with a kick like the Hulk tbh. One of the two days we sat outdoors, and it was lovely with plenty of space. The second day we had a nice booth and there was plenty of space and seating was very comfortable. basically as chill as hanging at the Avengers compound. Definitely five stars!

    Photos
    La Casita Olvera - $1 taco Tuesday  11am-9pm w/drink purchase  9 different meats to choose from

    $1 taco Tuesday 11am-9pm w/drink purchase 9 different meats to choose from

    La Casita Olvera - Free pancakes every Saturday and Sunday 9am-1pm fallow @La_casitaolvera

    Free pancakes every Saturday and Sunday 9am-1pm fallow @La_casitaolvera

    La Casita Olvera - $2 Coronas every Thursday all day come watch Thursday night football

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    $2 Coronas every Thursday all day come watch Thursday night football

    Islands Restaurant - Maui Burger on Gluten Free Bun

    Islands Restaurant

    3.4(364 reviews)
    5.0 mi
    $$

    I've been going here since I was a kid and have loved it each time. The servers are always…read morewelcoming and speedy. One of the best atmospheres you can get from a restaurant!

    My group and I recently came upon Island's at the Foothill Town Centre. It wasn't where we had…read morereally wanted to dine, but being that a lot of places were understandably closed, we decided to go with what was available. The space was airy and cool from the AC, a very welcomed temperature after being outside under heat and humidity. Walking in we were greeted and seated immediately by the host. Our server, Christopher, was amazing. He was prompt, checked in on us frequently, topped off beverages without even being asked. He was wonderful. The service we received from him was really good. Absolutely no issues there. What we ordered: 1) Kahlua pork tacos 3/5 - I personally didn't like the corn taco. It was heavy and flavorless. I ended up just eating the meat and veggies which was decent. Thank goodness there were three of them. 2) Malibu burger served with fries 2/5 - I didn't get a photo of this. The lighting was really bad, so pictures didn't come out right. The patty was cooked medium well instead of pink as requested. The burger was ok. It was actually a bit dry. 3) Maui burger ordered with a side of bacon. This also came with fries 2/5 - No photo due to lighting. The patty was cooked to medium well but they asked for pink. The patty and the bread were dry. The guacamole in the burger didn't taste fresh. 4) Fries that came with the burgers 1/5 - dry, tasteless, thick, kind of stale. A ton of ketchup barely helped. We were all really hungry so we chowed down fast. Didn't even realize the patties were cooked more than we preferred until we left. The service was great, but the food, was less than mediocre. I've been to Island's a handful of times in my life. Each time I have not been impressed, therefore it has never been in rotation of my places to go. This most recent visit just reminded me of that. Would I return? Likely not. The service is good, but the food needs work.

    Photos
    Islands Restaurant - Bar area

    Bar area

    Islands Restaurant - Malibu Burger

    Malibu Burger

    Islands Restaurant - Front Entrance

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    Front Entrance

    Belly of the Beast - The whole bar

    Belly of the Beast

    4.4(162 reviews)
    10.9 mi

    The absolute best speakeasies are transportive, sending the guest into an immersive state of…read moresuspended reality for a while. From the sign as you enter, through the teeth, to the throaty-red textured walls, The Belly of the Beast encases guests in the whimsical journey down the whale's gullet. Who knew getting "swallowed" would be such fun? Keeping with the throaty theme, the space inside holds a few tables. It's an intimate space with ambient lighting and cheery Hawaiian/beach music. Puppets hang here and there, as well as other thematic, decorative details. My friend and I shared a few mouthwatering apps and imbibed a few delicious concoctions. Our wonderful bartender frim "outside" even came in with us, which made our experience even more personalized. We especially appreciated the complimentary shots! Our food was delicious and plentiful for apps: spam musubi, edamame, sliders, and shishito peppers. Now this is a big deal: my friend has celiac disease. She needs to be very cautious when ordering food. She self-advocates but much relies on the knowledge of servers. Our wonderful bartender, now our server, was very diligent and knowledgeable, and double checked ingredients with the chefs. Accommodations were made. Good times rolled on! Extra heaps of thanks on that! We fully enjoyed every minute of our (generous+) 90 minute time slot here. The service was amazing, the food delicious, and the cocktails made with magic. It was worth the drive, and one I'll gladly make again at next opportunity.

    The decor and theme are amazing. I love the immersion and attention to detail. The service was…read moreoutstanding. Brodie was on his game all night with drink recommendations, food suggestions and just being a great host for our table. This was our first time to TBotB, so we're went sure what to expect, but we've been to Stowaway many times. The only knock I had with it was the selection of cocktails is limited. While I understand TBotB is it's own thing separate from Stowaway, I wish you could get some of the drinks from there. Most of the cocktails we had were good (but I'm not sure I'd order them again), but the menu had a number of drinks I won't order, they're just not my style. We missed being able to get some of our favorites from Stowaway. We ended up getting a table at Stowaway after our time was up in TBotB anyway because we were having a good time so that was fun. All in all, I think next time we'll stick with Stowaway and sitting at the bar. At least we can check TBotB off our list. It's worth checking out for sure, but for me I enjoy the more classic tiki cocktails. It's fun to venture off the beaten path once in a while.

    Photos
    Belly of the Beast - A shot of the entire speakeasy.

    A shot of the entire speakeasy.

    Belly of the Beast - Coconut shrimp

    Coconut shrimp

    Belly of the Beast - Small place inside Stowaway.. floor can get wet when it's raining

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    Small place inside Stowaway.. floor can get wet when it's raining

    Xacalli Kitchen - mexican - Updated September 2026

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