The red chilequilles sauce is what it's all about. I've suggested this the last few times I ate here, but they should bottle the sauce. If and when they do, I'll be stocking up by the case. Service is also good and if you're in the mood for a drink, the spicy y flaca is a must! read more

Had a delicious brunch here with my partner. We chatted over some delicious Guava French toast that would leave us taken back at how good they were! The guava sauce and sweet toppings with hints of coconut from shavings really is yummy! Their fresh squeezed Orange juice is refreshing and a perfect compliment to the Guava French toast. Can't wait to try more of their menu. Will be returning! read more

The chilaquiles here are to die for!! I could eat them every weekend! I tried their guava French toast also which was very tasty! I can't wait to go back and try more items on their menu.. except I will probably get the chilaquiles again lol read more

Anepalco - Guava French toast - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Unique food but I thought that it was all quality and very delicious. Their margarita was very tasty and pretty solid service!

The chilaquiles are amazing ! I would recommend adding a meat of your choice I personally went with carnitas which was amazing, the portions are big, and the staff is friendly. To drink I went with a "Spicy y Flaca" which I thought was perfectly blended, it had a slight kick to it but definitely worth trying. All in all pretty good spot was not to pricy either, the chilaquiles were about 12 bucks + 3.50 for the meat, and the drink was 12 bucks. read more

Anepalco - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Had an excellent lunch! Presentation was beautiful the margarita was delicious as well as the chilaguiles. I was the only person in the restaurant at 2 PM. Service was great. Nothing to complain about on any level. I will be back read more

I thought I had written a review of Anepalco's. I've been here many times, and this place is consistently one of my favorites. I miss the mole enchiladas, but virtually every dish I've had here is excellent. I first learned about it years ago when they just had the one breakfast and lunch location on main. I had the chilaquiles. I prefer the red. Their guava french toast is wonderful too. Then, they opened the second location at ALO, and I have had many excellent meals and cocktails here. I recommend this place to every one. Everyone loves a good taqueria, but every once in a while having a lavish gourmet Mexican meal really nourishes the soul. read more

I went here a few weeks ago for brunch with a friend who was in town. I usually don't venture up North much so I used yelp to find this place! Location Tip: It is attached to Ayre's hotel, can be difficult to spot so keep that in mind. It was a Sunday and we didn't have to wait, the staff was all very friendly and took our order quickly. I went with the Chilaquiles and they were very good! The presentation of the food here is excellent as evidenced on multiple reviewers' pictures. I would recommend this place for Brunch if you are in the area! read more

We came here for brunch. We brought two coffees. We were going to sit at the bar. Order brunch food and drinks. WE WERE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE because of our coffees. No thanks. Our business will go elsewhere instead. read more

My boyfriend and I first came here about a month ago for our anniversary and we were so impressed with the food and drinks that we decided to come back along with a couple of friends for brunch. Brunch was spectacular! The tinga chicken enchiladas and calamari are out of this world! Some of the best enchiladas I've ever had (besides my mom's enchiladas lol). Everyone else in my party enjoyed their food as well. The sangria tasted fresh and if you grab a pitcher it makes about 5 drinks. Props to the kitchen staff. The food is amazing! I already can't wait to go back. read more

Thank you, Anepalco's, for being thee most delicious and exciting maraschino cherry atop my gourmet Disneyland, Anaheim ice cream sundae. The red chilaquiles, the horchata French toast, the coffee, the atmosphere, the illustrious staff... my trip would not be the same without any of these things. I love Anaheim, I love hanging with family, I love the scenery on the drive down from Chico, CA, and I love Sabrosada's shrimp burritos, but I do not--I cannot feel complete and ready to leave without paying a visit to this marvel of a fine restaurant. THANK. YOU! read more

By far my favorite Mexican brunch place! It's the time type of food I grew up on: not full of fat but full of authentic flavors. Order the guava French toast for the table... it's a must! read more

Anepalco is conveniently located in the ALO hotel. Made noon reservations with some co-workers and we were seated immediately. They are good at creating a Latin vibe as they had Spanish music playing in the background. The server Alejandro was attentive right from the get go. I ordered the truffle burger medium rare and noticed the fine print at the bottom of the menu said none of the dishes could be modified, since I was thinking of ordering avocado on my burger. Thankfully, I was thinking on my toes and got the avocado on the side. I wish I wouldn't have gone on my lunch break because we all agreed the drink menu looked good. When our food came out, the burger consisted of some of finest grass fed beef I have had. The fries that came with it were superb as well. At the end of the meal, I wasn't full (I eat a lot) and was secretly craving my friend's barbacoa tacos that came with some avocado salsa on the side. I decided to chill and tell myself I would return one day for the second chapter in this Mexican culinary tale. read more

This place was a pleasant surprise. It's attached to a hotel. The food was good. We started off with margaritas. They were a little pricey, but good. They also have Mexican beers on draft, wine and craft cocktails. We then ordered the quest fundido and green salad for starters. The queso fundido was good. We ordered their chiliquilas dinner dish. This dish is a must. It's different and very flavorful. We finished things off with their flan, which was one of the best flans i have tasted. The presentation of the food and drinks are really cool. read more

Shame on this place!! We drove an hour to eat here because of all the reviews. We arrived at 2:10 because Yelp said lunch was until 2:30pm. We called twice before going but no one answered. When we arrived there were several parties eating but they told us the kitchen was closed and wouldn't serve us. The inside smelled HORRIBLE. We will not be coming back. read more

I am not really familiar with Mexican cuisine but this one really stole my heart. The chilaquiles is so fantastic and delicious, I totally recommend it. The Guava French toasts is another yummy dish here. The service is awesome and the ambiance is cool. They open at 11 am so basically they have brunch not breakfast. read more

Anepalco - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Great spot! First x here. Reminds of a place closer to my house, w/ a twist. But food is super fresh. Cocktails fresh. I think you wait a lil extra because food n drink all being being made fresh to order. Small joint, but worth it. read more

Hostess was rude and useless. I called to request a reservation and was told we had to be present to put our name in. Arrive and told 20min wait. 20 mins later we are told 30min wait. I asked about the empty tables and first she said it was being used. When I pointed the obviously empty table she said "that's for reservations". I reminded her she had told me no reservations 40 mins earlier and she had no apology to offer. Even if the food is amazing the service left a lot to be desired. read more

Love this place. Great for breakfast or dinner. Chilaquiles best in the OC. Always the hardest choice between choosing the red or green. The perdidos that has duck and comes in a nifty blue tin just like my grandma used to cook in, literally one of the best things I had in my life. All taste. All flavor. Ambiance is very nice. Dig the decor. A favorite place amongst my family. read more

Horribly disappointed. Have eaten here as well as the restaurant on Main street many times. Tonight we were seated....and that's it. No one came by to take an order, give us water nothing. We watched the couple who came in after us be seated, get water, drink orders, bread plate, and still nothing. 4 employees walked past us, heck the couple who got served literally sat next across from us! There 4 tables, including us, in the restaurant, no one at the bar and maybe 3 tables outside, so it wasn't busy just bad service. Thanks for making it a birthday we want to forget! read more

Great presentation! So yummy! Great mix of modern and Mexican food! Loved the Horchata cheesecake!!! read more

Anepalco - Very yummy Fresa something. Very fresh and very unique. - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

See all

Modern Mexican food, different twist on traditional Mexican dishes. Came during brunch. Good service but if your starving like Marvin you may have to order a couple side dishes or appetizers The check comes in a wooden box. lol Suprise! read more

Anepalco - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Poor service and scammy price-fixe menu. Who gets a dessert at breakfast? Hopefully you, because you're paying for it anyway! Food was bomb, though. read more

Where do I even begin... I guess I'll start at the beginning... Hubby made a Mother's Day reservation here for the two of us (baby was home with my mom so we could enjoy a nice lunch date) and the restaurant called this morning to confirm and ask if we preferred indoor or outdoor seating. Since it was to be so hot today the hub told the hostess that we preferred indoor seating, twice! When we got to the restaurant the hostess basically ignored us to do something or other, even though she saw us standing there. She walks away as if we didn't exist and comes back a couple mins later asking if we had reservations. After confirming our reservations she tried to seat us outside! Um, no lady we specifically asked to be seated indoors! It's freakin 95 degrees outside and I'm pregnant so to me it feels about 120! She proceeds to lecture us about there not being a notation next to our reservation about seating preference. No apology, just straight up calling bullshit on US! Really? That's how you treat your patrons here? This hostess was young and seemed sort of flustered the entire time we were there. Maybe she's new and unaware of how to treat people, but really? We should have just left then and there, but instead we waited another 5 min or so for her to "look for a table." Even though almost half the restaurant was empty she proceeded to pretend. Who's running this place? After being seated our waiter comes by to take our drink orders and after having given our drink orders hubby proceeds to tell him that we would like to order our food as well (I was hungry!) but our waiter abruptly alerts us that he has to take another tables orders first. He turns around and asks what the other table would like and they tell him that they aren't ready to order. He turns around toward us and says, hey it's your lucky day! We give him our order and he goes to put it in the computer. After about 5 min he walks back and drops off two cups of water. We thought he would be bringing our drinks afterward, but another 5 min goes by and we still didn't get our drinks even though all the tables around us had theirs. The hub asks him where our drinks are and he gives us attitude claiming we didn't order any. Again, we should have just walked out! This is when I start to question their 4 stars... How does a 4 star rated place employ such blatantly rude people? We finally get our drinks and food, but mine had a sauce on it that I specifically asked to be left out. I've been having major heartburn and didn't want anything spicy and the sandwich I ordered came with a spicy aioli that I didn't want. Plus the salad served alongside the sandwich was warm! Who the heck likes warm salad? Our food was brought by someone else and our waiter didn't even come by to check on us. The hub had to flag him down so I could ask what sauce was on my sandwich (it was red, I assumed it was the spicy aioli I didn't want and was just trying to confirm it). He looked and said he didn't know. Shouldn't a waiter know what they serve? Anyway he tried to just grab my plate and take it back, but with the attitude already being served I feared it would come back with something else on it that I didn't want (i.e. spit etc) so I told him I'd just eat it as is. I scraped off as much sauce as I could, but it was on both buns and most of the arugula was drenched in it. Needless to say, my heartburn was kicked up a notch the rest of the afternoon. Rating just the pork belly sandwich itself : 3.5 stars and hubby's chilaquiles: 3 stars. I really wanted to give them 1 star, but the actual food was decent enough so I'm generously giving them 2. We'll never come back here. The whole time we were here everyone made us feel as though it were a privilege to be able to dine here and from the wobbly table to the rude service and average food, I beg to differ. Who wants to pay for average food and crap service when there are plenty of places with great food and great service. Never again... read more

Anepalco - Chilaquiles - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

See all

How do you make a chilaquiles fan out of a chilaquiles skeptic? You take him (me) to Anepalco. Yes, yes. You heard it correctly, I'm not a fan. They texture is never right and quite simply, there are typically much better breakfast options on the menu. With this in mind, I didn't order them. Thank goodness that someone at our table was a fan and damn, they lived up to the hype. After years of very average chilaquiles I finally get it. Done right and these suckas are delicious. Like really, really, really good. And then there was my meal. I couldn't even tell you what it was but if you see "duck" on the breakfast menu, order it. I know I just gave the chilaquiles all of the praise but that's because I was surprised, this "duck" something or another was saucey, meaty and unlike anything I've ever had. You've made a fan out of me, Anepalco! read more

New location Same amazing food Not so amazing service Located at the Ayres Hotel, this new location of Anepalco's Café is at least three times bigger than the OG location on Main Street. Since this new location is open for dinner (Other location is breakfast & lunch only) they have many new and exciting dishes available on their menu. I came here recently with a party of 11 to celebrate my birthday. Because there were so many of us I was able to sample many dishes. Below I will list some of the dishes I tried, with a brief description and what I would rate each individual dish; Sliced Ciabatta W/ Chipotle Butter (4 Stars) Queso Fundido- Queso Fresco, Roasted Tomato Sauce, Sour Cream & Sliced Ciabatta (4 Stars) Chilaquiles (5 Stars. Signature Dish) Surf & Turf Burger- Beef, Sauteed Shrimp, Red Radish, Iceberg, Chipotle Aioli & Mozzarella Cheese (4 Stars) Huitlacoche Chicken Burger- Grilled Chicken Breast, Oaxaca Cheese, White Cabbage, Iceberg, Roasted Tomatoes & Huitlacoche Aioli (3 Stars) Cotija Fries (5 Stars) Al Adobo- Coulotte Steak marinated in Chimichurri Sauce, Cambray Onions & a Side of Chilaquiles (5 Stars) Chipotle Creamy Chicken Crepe- Chicken Breast, Chipotle Cream, Mozzarella Cheese & Bacon (4 Stars) Serrano Beurre Blanc Tilapia- Sauteed Tilapia, Potato Puree, Corn Pico de Gallo, Serrano Beurre Blanc & Micro Cilantro (5 Stars) Spicy Mango Panna Cotta (5 Stars) If I was just judging Anepalco's on the food alone then I'd give this place five stars. The food here not only tastes amazing but each dish is beautifully presented (with the exception of the Huitlacoche Chicken Burger). However, since I have to rate this place on my overall dining experience I have to give Anepalco's three stars. Let me explain. My large party had reservations. Right when we arrived out table was ready and waiting. So far so good. Once we were seated it took forever for our waiter to come to our table with waters. Once the waters were delivered he disappeared again. After a few minutes he reappeared and took our drink orders. Another long wait and our drinks were brought out. Our waiter's disappearing and reappearing act went on the entire night. What really bothered me was the restaurant was dead. There were only a few other diners in the whole place so it's not like they were busy. Now I'll get to the worst part. My sister ordered her two young daughters chocolate milks. The waiter brought out two foam cups with lids and straws. Thinking it was chocolate milk my niece took a big drink out of her straw, screamed, spit out her drink and started to cry. It turned out the waiter brought both of my nieces hot chocolates. And when I say hot I meat piping HOT. First off, I've never seen a restaurant bring out hot chocolates in foam cups with lids and straws. Second, my sister ordered chocolate milks. Hot chocolate wasn't even an option on the kids menu. Of course my niece was OK but that's not the point. Then my sister ordered both her kids chicken quesadillas. They were brought out regular cheese quesadillas and it took a while before they were replaced with the proper dishes. It sadness me to give Anepalco's a three star review. The food here is fantastic. I will give them another chance and I'm sure I'll be upgrading my review after my second visit. I can't see the service being that awful again. Till then though, three stars is all Anepalco's deserves. read more

See all

I'm not sure how many check-ins I have at the original Anepalco's on Main Street, but I'm pretty sure that I was *The Duchess* for at least one week. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan. So when I heard from Chef Danny and Omar, the masterminds behind Anepalco's, that their newest Anepalco's restaurant was open for business we headed over there the very next day. Yes, I did go to both Anepalco's in one weekend which, as you can imagine, did wonders for my palate...but was severely detrimental to my Weight Watchers points. But, damn, it was worth every freakin' point. Anyone who has been to the original Anepalco's knows how incredible the breakfast and lunch menu is, so I had high expectations for dinner. Those expectations were exceeded and then some. The new location, found inside the Ayres Hotel on Chapman, is charming and romantic. The space is much larger than the original location and they also have a lovely patio area. The service was fantastic and the staff's suggestions for wine and menu items were spot on. We started with Ranchera Flatbread and Anepalco's Edamame, which were both delicious starters before our entrees. I especially loved the spicy kick of the edamame, which was tempered well by the Bear Republic Ale served in a mason jar. For entrees, we shared the Pork Tenderloin al Pastor, which was prepared to perfection and complemented beautifully with cabbage gratin. We also shared the Chipotle Chicken Crepe. Everyone knows that Anepalco's serves up some of the most delicious sweet crepes around and their savory crepes are no exception. It was a creamy, chickeny, bacony, melt-in-your mouth piece of heaven. Omar suggested a glass of LA Cetto Cabernet to go with my meal and it went perfectly with both entrees. The original Anepalco's will always be my go-to spot for breakfast/brunch and now I have the new Anepalco's as my go-to spot for a lovely night out with the husband or friends. Looking forward to my next check-in. read more

Yum. We eat here all the time for work related functions and this month I've come twice for lunch. Perdidos is tasty, excellent flavor combinations - pesto IS great on everything, I knew it. Nortena omelette was a meat & cheese savory explosion and it came with a salad, so my taste buds AND arteries got to count a win! The menu is limited, but I suppose it's better to do a few dishes well than to have a bunch of mess from which to choose. read more

The word "genius" isn't a word I use casually. You have to earn it. So when I say Chef Danny is a genius, he REALLY is in my opinion. The main allure of Anepalco's Cafe on Main Street (the original cafe) is its uniqueness of each dish he's created. For instance, the ever so popular chilaquiles is not your run of the mill chilaquiles, which is what makes it so awesome. This new Anepalco's Cafe and Chef Danny have carried that uniqueness through to this new dinner menu. We attended the soft opening (the official opening is on Monday, April 2) and is located in the Ayres Inn .Dinner was a 4 course meal: Lobster Bisque - a delicious bisque in a small coffee cup meant for sipping, perfectly flavored and not too salty, accompanied by finely diced celery, onions and carrots (I think that was it) Ayres Spring Mix Salad - spring mix with roasted Japanese style peanuts, requeson cheese (similar to ricotta cheese), jicama and a beet puree dressing. The peanuts were a great twist on the croutons' roll in a salad!! Main course: Me - Serrano Beurre Blanc Tilapia - tilapia with a potato puree, corn pico de gallo, serrano beurre blanc sauce and micro cilantro. I think the corn pico de gallo was missing from mine, but I couldn't tell and it didn't even matter, with the abundance of flavors exploding in my mouth. The cilantro was refreshing against the tilapia and potato puree. Roo - Pork Tenderloin Al Pastor - Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin marinated al pastor, pineapple puree, cilantro gremolata and this is where genius comes in...gratin cabbage!! The pork was delicious and tender and the flavoring was well balanced between the spiciness of the al pastor and sweetness of the pineapple puree. But holy cow!! I'm still trying to comprehend the idea of a gratin cabbage. Its presentation looks like your typical potato gratin, but the flavor is similar to eggplant, but not. I can't explain it, which is fine - just go try it!!! I know it's not unheard of...but it's still delicious! Dessert - Rompope Creme Brulee - more genius!!! For those not familiar with rompope, it's an eggnog-like drink, with a touch of rum. Who wouldn't like some rum in their dessert?! Every creme brulee I've had was the same consistency and flavor - BORING! And I'm not a big fan of the dessert. To give you an idea of how much I don't like it - if there was a choice between creme brulee and plain vanilla ice cream, I'd go with the ice cream. But the consistency of this creme brulee was a little denser and like a thick pudding!! The flavoring and consistency was perfect with the caramelized sugar on top! I could eat this dessert every freakin' day!! tl;dr - New Anepalco's Cafe on Chapman Avenue, serving only dinner (I think) and opening Monday, April 2. Same amazing creativity and delicousness as the original cafe, but with dinner dishes. and PS Chef Danny is a genius!! And we made reservations for Tuesday! read more

This is definitely a restaurant you have to visit! The service is exceptional and the flavors are bold! I enjoyed a borracha-rita and an order of ceviche...both amazing! The guacamole was not as fresh tasting as I expected and my husband's order of mole was a way too smoky-tasting. The decor is a little too cluttered...but besides that, our experience was 100% pleasant! read more

Anepalco - Borracharita! - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Parts of Baja have a climate similar to that of the mediterranean. Couple that with the elevation of the land and you have grapes that yield good wine from Mexico. What does all this ultimately mean? It means that I just pulled that shit out of my ass, however, after a couple of bottles of their Chenin Blanc, I was sexy as fcuk. So much so, that I ruined the Batman movie for others later on that night.. We decided that giving me diarrhea would expedite the process of bringing down my animal magnetism back down to acceptable levels. Didn't work. The roasted tomato sauce that cradles the queso fundido did the opposite, in fact. So frickin' good on their toasted bread. Al Adobo. Meat marinaded in chimichurri (wait, that shit is Argentinian, right?)sauce with a side of chilaquiles. I've eaten chilaquiles my entire life. I've eaten in the mecca of all chilaquile-dom, Puebla, Mexico. Just fuckin' with you. I made that shit up. However, I've eaten chilaquiles all over the great southern state known as Mexico. And the ones here, are nails. The steak was too. Tender medium-rare. It didn't stand a chance. The place was empty, so I contemplated the picking up my plate and licking it clean. The guys working that night were all insanely friendly. Like they were just happy to be in America. Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) kept trying to grab my attention and was forgetting her lines. She almost forgot to save Batman's ass in that one scene because she was blowing air kisses to me. Homegirl was even trying to make eye contact with me while she was hugging Christian Bale. She mouthed to me...'balls deep'. #myjeansareuncomfortable #callme read more

Anepalco's and Orange County Yelp go together hand in hand. If you are a yelper in the OC, you've either been to Anepalco's on Main St, you have it bookmarked, or you've been living in a hole. In just a few years since I first went there, I've seen yelp take their little strip mall location from just 50 reviews to currently 638. That's the power of yelp. BUT really that's the power of an amazing restaurant and yelp. My goal has been to try everything on the menu. I think I've had about 27 of the 40 some dishes they offer. Everything has been fantastic. But now Chef Danny and co. has thrown my quest a curve ball by opening a 2nd location that features a different menu and is open for dinner. When he told me about this, I was excited and wanted to come in right away. He wisely advised me to let them get things under their belt first for about a month or so. I held off as long as I could (about 3 weeks). I'm Dave G., If I'm going to do this I'm going to need my Yelp team at my side....I grabbed my conch shell and bellowed out a C#....birds flew....and a small deer raised it's head as I echoed throughout the land...."YELP TEAM ASSEMBLE!!!!" Chris D., Donna D., Steven N., Dan H., Bob T., Ruth T., and my wife and child. All there for one common purpose...to try this new Anepalco's dinner menu. We were greeted immediately by the familiar smiling faces of Chef Danny and Omar, who were very happy to point out some of their favorite new dishes on the menu. As Danny brought out a Tilapia dish, he quickly swung by the table with a grin on his face so I could take a quick peak. Yes, I'm sold, I'm having that fish. And let me tell you, that Tilapia dish is the new chilaquiles. Anepalco's fans will know what that statement means. They are so renowned for their Chilaquiles, that it's a blessing and curse. Just like a rock band who hit it so big with their very first song, they are going to have to play it over and over again forever; people can't get past those chilaquiles. In doing so, they are missing many other great dishes that chef Danny has created. Well I predict for dinner, this Tilapia will become that signature dish. It's called "Serrano Beurre Blanc Tilapia." Two beautiful pieces of pan seared Tilapia, perfectly moist inside with a seasoned crispy crust on the outside, served over a mashed potato puree. Chef Danny who is a master of sauces has infused the white wine butter sauce with all the flavor of green serrano peppers, but none of the heat. Between the fish and potato puree you will find a yellow corn pico de gallo. This combined with the fresh micro cilantro sprinkled on top adds just the right amount of crunch to offset the smooth texture of the rest of the dish. I was instructed to try to get all the flavors on the fork together in each bite and I was happy to oblige. I will say this, there wasn't one drip of sauce left on my plate, as it would be a sin to leave something that tasty. (hint save a few pieces of table bread to help out). I can't speak highly enough about this dish. It will be hard not to order this again, the next time I come back. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kodgSKUfvYkPXTTYvgOSSQ?select=VOvC87Z2vpilC9Idff6hWA#YerLR8twTfyeqv40cfpFLw I also got a chance to sample my wife's dish "Le Mexique Macaroni". Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it before she dug right in. It's a macaroni and cheese made with 3 different Mexican cheeses. The chicken breast was very flavorful and coated with herbs and an onion jus. I'm guessing that the onion jus was created with more than just chicken, perhaps bacon or maybe beef stock was used to bring a bolder saltier flavor to the chicken. This is one savory mac 'n cheese. We did bookend our meal with a Queso Fundido Appetzier and a strawberry crepe. The Queso Fundido was a different take on it and not your usual cheese dip. This was two solid blocks of melted queso fresco, sitting on top of a roasted tomato sauce. It was served with 4 toasted ciabatta slices to balance everything on. This cheese is on the mild side, so while thick, you are really getting most of the flavor from the tomato sauce here. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/kodgSKUfvYkPXTTYvgOSSQ?select=ObL06JtR47jUwgj07rEBGQ#ObL06JtR47jUwgj07rEBGQ I've had the strawberry crepe at the other location. It is filled with a sweet cream cheese, topped with strawberries, butter, and powdered sugar. What's not to like. It's my favorite sweet crepe that they do. It was Donna D's birthday the next day and they were nice enough to bring it to her as a surprise. We then shocked the restaurant with our terrible off key version of happy birthday, slightly altered by the bottles of wine that didn't pair well with singing. Between our table of 9, we ordered 6 different main courses, and everyone was happy. They plan to slowly expand the menu over time. I do hope they take their time, because I see enough on this one that peeks my interest. read more

Anepalco - The Serrano Beurre Blanc Tilapia is the new Chilaquiles - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

See all

A friend wanted to go to an eeeeeeeaaaaarrrrrllllllllyyyyyyyyy breakfast and it was my turn to pick the restaurant. I searched through Yelp for the most reviewed and is open early in the morning. Anepalco's Cafe came up at the top for my search. Mexican food would not have been first choice for breakfast. A simple tocino, egg and rice would have been fine. Since my friend loves Mexican food, we would give this a try. We had the chilaquiles and the huevos divorciados. Both dishes were both delicious but the chilaquiles was exceptionally yummy. It would best described as a round lasagna format made up of tortillas layers, red chili sauce, topped with a folded scrambled egg, and a little bit of a crunch when you bite into it. The chilaquiles was decadent that it gave me goosebumps as I enjoyed eat bite. The service was very good. A young lady provided her service with a sweet smile on her face and spoke with a soft tone. She kept my coffee cup full, never empty. Loved the coffee that I had 3 cup fulls. It was pleasant and relaxing outside that I even forget at times that I was dining in front of the restaurant where main traffic passes by. Only reasons that I did not give this a five is because of the privacy in the dining area. I would have preferred a spaced out seating. There is not even an arm length between ours and the table next to ours. Do you I really want to hear two guys talk about whether one of them should purchase a Mercedez Benz? Regardless of the table setting, the food was great. At times as I pass Main Street during my freeway morning commute, I now long for some mouth watering chilaquiles. Yummmmyyy! read more

Really good cuisine, and yet feels like you stumbled in a hole in the wall place serving "elevated" dishes. Good for folks looking for authentic Mexican food from a chef's lense. read more

My better half was noodled-out, tired of Asian cuisine in general so I had to come up with a nice sit-down dinner place that was casual enough to accept us as we were dressed without advanced reservations. I had remembered hearing about Anepalco's Cafe from my fellow Yelpers and how they had opened a second location at the Ayers Hotel across from the UCI Med Center, and how they have started to offer dinner service there in contrast to the original location on Main... The wine list seemed more extensive than the menu but we quickly settled upon a couple glasses of red Sangria http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anepalcos-cafe-orange-2?select=T-LUMSSCrEGNNH-4guAtIw#VifB4wRdHEOBMe2GDVlBhQ. The taste was mellow and sweet, full of diced apples but nothing else. I've had better red Sangria's elsewhere, but this was ok. Complementary crusty sliced bread with a small crock of chipotle butter http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anepalcos-cafe-orange-2?select=T-LUMSSCrEGNNH-4guAtIw#E35WFUXAk-IoR39ZGlDEdg along with two glasses of water was quickly brought out to our table, and we were ready to order... We shared an order of Seafood Ceviche http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anepalcos-cafe-orange-2?select=T-LUMSSCrEGNNH-4guAtIw#sCTs93Z6hjCijxa0phkbYQ as the appetizer course. It had chopped scallops, shrimp, tilapia, avocado, and cilantro in a tomato based sauce which is not a given in all ceviches. The consistency wasn't thick, but it was very hardy, chock full of bits of seafood. Fresh lime is ubiquitous but I didn't expect it in the tortilla chips too, which were laced with chili, maybe cayenne (?). I thought the lime juice in the chips was an interesting twist to kick up some ordinary chips... The Callo de Hacha http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anepalcos-cafe-orange-2?select=T-LUMSSCrEGNNH-4guAtIw#ccGV0xmfPKUZr5VQfrjT3w is one of their signature dishes, we saw a table of four order four of them, that's how popular this item is. The scallops were just sublime , lightly seared and not overcooked or rubbery at all. The grilled chorizo wafer placed on top of each scallop seemed to add a bit of textural and salty contrast, but was otherwise superfluous. I'm normally apprehensive about pan fried cornmeal polenta but once in a while I come across something special and this ancho polenta w/chipotle sauce is definitely that. It was slightly coarse but still creamy with stiff peaks, terrific when married with the sauce which also had a chile verde component. Very mild with only a hint of heat, if we only came for this dish we would be happy... Unfortunately the Cielo, Mer y Terre http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anepalcos-cafe-orange-2?select=T-LUMSSCrEGNNH-4guAtIw#rZvg7wuINTxCrh5mr6ctEw sounded a little better than the execution. It had scallops, shrimp, Spanish chorizo, jidori chicken, and a thin dry chile veloute sauce. I was sold on the risotto style rice with ham but I wouldn't call it risotto at all, more like an ordinary wet rice. Don't expect iberico or even serrano ham here, just the regular table style ham which has been grilled and shredded. A couple of green bean edamame were added for visual interest. I was looking for a hardy creamy seafood risotto but it was more like chicken gumbo, it wasn't bad, just not what I expected... We couldn't do without ordering a side of the famous Anepalco's Chilaquiles http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anepalcos-cafe-orange-2?select=T-LUMSSCrEGNNH-4guAtIw#8KmYVLqk6Ca0Z4qbs9eMwQ to see what all the hoopla was about; next time I'll pass. I describe it as a hockey puck sized mix of crushed fried tortillas and roasted peppers, and a bunch of other stuff that I don't know that outwardly looks like tuna tartar and cuts like lasagna. At first, the sauce looks like a pool of greasy Chinese chili oil; it's actually the restaurants secret recipe sauce made with roasted peppers (ancho?). Like the other sauces, there's a French influence which seems to de-empahsize heat because it isn't always about spiciness, which I appreciate. Rather, there's a rich smokiness to it which is why I thought it was a mole initially. The dusting of cojita cheese looks like ground nuts. The chilaquile was topped with avocado mousse, crema fresca, and pico de gallo like the colors of the Mexican flag. What seemed to be conspicuously absent if I'm not mistaken is the folded scrambled egg omelette crepe which I had read about; Que Huevos?!!... =P I have nothing but good things to say about the service we received. Everyone from the hostess, to the busboy, to each of our waiters were attentive, congenial, and very helpful and patient whenever we had any questions. Our glasses of water were never half empty, and the pacing of the meal was just right... I would love to come back to try more dishes, and even repeat the Seafood Ceviche and the Callo de Hacha (scallops), but I'm done with the chilaquiles... read more

See all

French Mexican huh? Sounds interesting! French food is normally fancy and expensive. Mexican food is usually more hearty and cheap. Excited to taste and experience this French Mexican cuisine. App. Grand Jete $9 Pan seared frog legs, corn pico de gallo, chipotle ranch, pepita dust -Never had frog legs prepped any other way except the Chinese way. A Mexican style did sound very intriguing. -This dish could definite look better with some more thoughts into plating. -The frog legs were properly cooked. I didn't taste the smokey taste that the server described. -The spicy seasoning was very interesting. The pepita dust did have a bit of kick of spice. Besides the aesthetics, this was a delightful little appetizer. Entrees Huachinango $18.95 Red snapper, purple cauliflower, sautéed corn, aztec jus -Very pretty looking dish. -Nice filet of flaky fish rest on a bed of purees. -Definitely not a dish that has the bold taste that you'd expect from Mexican cuisine. -The puree was interesting, but not my favorite. Overall, it was kind of bland dish. Al Adobo $18.50 8 oz all natural sirloin coulotte steak, chimichurri sauce, mini chilaquiles -This was the reason why I decided to come here. I'm a big fan of chilaquiles. The pictures looked fansinating, and I just knew that needed to try it. -I was blown away with the first bite of the chilaquiles. It's definitely not your ordinary chilaquiles. It's a French, it's mashed up, and it was EXCELLENT. Exactly how I expected a chilaquiles would taste. The flavor was authentic, even though texture was more of a Mexican mash tortilla. -Steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare. 8oz is not a big American portion, but for $18, this was bargain basement for top sirloin. The red sauce and the chimichurri worked very well to flavor the nicely cooked steak. Nice bold flavors without being overwhelming. -This dish has to be their signature dish, it's well executed, it's unique, it's delicious, and it's damn good value! Looking to pay upwards of $30 for this in trendy LA restaurants. Dessert Chili mango pana cotta. $5.75 -Imagine eating a nice freshly ripen mango with that Mexican Chili powder from the ice cream trucks. The sweet, savory, sour, spicy flavors on top of a pungent mango flavors. Now imagine that mango was creamy pana cotta. BOOM, that was this dish. Nostalgic, unique twist to an original idea, decadence. Foolish mistake to skip on this delectable dessert. Not gonna lie, was a bit suspect when there was NO ONE in the restaurant during dinner time. And it's such a pretty looking restaurant too. If you have ever been to a trend lounge/restaurant in Hollywood, this place looks exactly just like that. The service was great. Definitely something you'd expect at any fine dining establishment. read more

See all

Sweet JESUS. I don't see how anyone could be disappointed with this place. The food is INCREDIBLE. Parking is a bit rough, and the location of the restaurant makes it easy to miss. This place is reminiscent of one of those hole-in-the-wall discoveries that you decide to check out after passing it a bunch of times, only to be blown away but what you've actually discovered. I had the green Chilequiles. Not spicy, but packed full of flavor. The presentation was great, and we didn't have to wait too long to get our food. There was outdoor seating, as well. Our service was prompt and courteous, and we didn't even have to ask for refills. I'm suddenly wishing I still lived in SoCal so I could try half the menu. Very reasonable prices for some phenomenal Mexican food. A must try! read more

Mexican food cooked with French technique and flare. Its like going on a date with a beautiful French girl without the "French" attitude. - Meaning that French brings a whole new dimension to a genre of food we are all too familiar with. Added Sophistication is not only executed perfectly but it leaves you thinking about other so called "ethnic" food which can benefit from this treatment. I don't see food at Anepalco's as a Fusion per say but a showcase of a cuisine that has evolved. If you haven't been, certainly a worth a try. Happy eating - R. read more

NW corner of Chapman and State College/City Drive in the Ayres Hotel * Yelp Hotspot This location varies a little from the original location in that the size is much larger and newer and this location actually offers a dinner. I've been to the original location many many times and love their breakfast offerings and prices. To me every experience over there has been a 5 star experience. This one not so much. While I do love the creativity the chef has created; the execution of said plates didn't quite translate for me. I thought they were pretty darn good and exquistely presented, but anything but memorable. The staff here like the original are all quite nice and welcoming so that is a huge plus. I love that they offer so much seating and that the outside area at this one is wonderfully covered so one can take in the California air while still being protected from most of the sun's effects. On my last visit I had their Pork (Chop) al Pastor: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/anepalcos-cafe-orange-2#wpPB78SB7As4eT-BhnUSbA which is Pan Seared Pork marinated al pastor, Pineapple Puree, Cilantro Gremolata, Gratin Cabbage. I put chop in parentheses because normally it is the loin which is more tender and flavorful. This is the second hotel restaurant where I had to settle for the chop instead of the loin. Now I realize that I very well could have just switched entrees, but I rarely get a hankerin for pork products when dining out other than Mexican, but sometimes when I'm at a restaurant my "Spidey Senses" really start tingling for a pork dish....this was one of those nights. The chop was tougher than it would have been and the whole dish itself though beautifully presented and having a lot going on neglected to impress me enough to remember much about it or want to try it again! In fact I found the cheesy Pineapple thing that accompanied it proved far more tasty! Seating comes in the form of regular tables that are spread out enough so noone is made to feel uncomfortable. The outside tables really do not offer one much of a view, but can still prove to be quite nice. There are two parking areas at this hotel so parking isn't really too challenging. read more

See all

Service is good, and food delicious. Very nice atmosphere as well-not too uppity, yet comfortable and clean. Good place for special occasions, went here for my birthday, but I don't think they provide free dessert for that. read more