Buena Mesa has become one of my family's favorite places to eat. The food is consistently delicious, and the staff always makes us feel welcome. The owner, Ralph Verdugo, has created a great atmosphere, and it's clear that everyone takes pride in what they do. You can taste the care that goes into every meal. Elba and Fernando behind the bar are always friendly and provide outstanding service. My personal favorite is the fish tacos, they're fresh, flavorful, and the reason I keep coming back. The fries are also some of the best around, crispy, perfectly seasoned, and a great side with any meal. My kids love the fried shrimp and the cheeseburger, so there's something for everyone in the family. One of the things that really sets Buena Mesa apart is the entertainment. The live rock bands are the best and always put on a great show, making it a fun place to enjoy a meal, have a few drinks, and spend the evening with family and friends. If you're looking for a friendly neighborhood restaurant with amazing food, outstanding service, and top-notch live music, I highly recommend Buena Mesa. We'll definitely be back again and again! read more

Small casual place Located in the remodeled Marie Callender right in Florence with their own parking lot read more

See all

Not the same. Staff was friendly but the quality has diminished heavily. The seafood isn't the same, a lot of the fried food tastes frozen. Not coming back anymore. Used to visit a lot back in the days. read more

Very disappointed today with the ribeye steaks. I asked if things were the same and the waiter confirmed that they did change and yup the quality is gone. Paid less but I definitely won't be getting the steak anymore. Service was nice. read more

The good: the food tastes good, it's not OMG, but it's good. My filet mignon was ordered well done, but came out burnt lol and dry. I'll stick to my usual medium well steaks. The margarita was good, but I couldn't taste the alcohol much so it made me wonder if it had the Don Julio in it or not. But it was good! And the rice and mash potatoes are good. Filet mignon $38 Camarones a la diabla $20 Paloma $16 Jamaica $4 Andddd let me tell you about the service Don't expect to be greeted when you walk in. They will look at you and no one will greet you at all. You just stand there and look confused until someone finally tells you that you may sit wherever you'd like. IT TOOK ABOUT 10-15 min for someone to come and take our order and there were two employees who weren't doing much. The servers here are not that welcoming. Our server, however; the only male server; was helpful and welcoming. I really didn't like that I observed one of the employees, who seems to be one of the owners or managers, had 2 guests at the restaurant come in and she served them only. They obviously knew each other. At last, she started helping others, and when we walked out one of the employees who wasn't our server and charged us, had little customer service, said bye to us and the lady that had the 2 guests at the restaurant looked away and looked bothered that the other lady said bye to us. Weird!! I notice all of that and I don't feel comfortable supporting a business with employees like that. OH, and tell me why our copy of our receipt shows a DIFFERENT RESTAURANT NAME! SO WEIRD read more

Buena Mesa - Burnt Filet Mignon Steak and Camarones a la Diabla - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

Unfortunately food quality and service have gone downhill. I debated leaving this updated review but after 3+ bad experiences I felt something needs to be said. Wait staff needs major improvement not friendly or attentive they seem to avoid going to tables to check up on people not just our table. The last visits I went during slower paced times and still had bad service. If it was busy maybe I would have understood a slower less attentive response. I took many family members and friends and we hyped up the food. And every single time it just got worse and more embarrassing. The food quality especially for seafood is a health concern. I hope this restaurant makes some improvements for future customers. I sadly will not be returning. read more

AMAZING AMAZING!! I manage a dealership down the road Downey Hyundai We had a birthday event here. Food amazing!! Service excellent. Everyone super friendly Ambiance is awesome!! They make you feel at home!! Thank you!! Your friends at downey hyundai Will be back for sure. read more

Service sucks understaffed I dont know if there slow or what but nothing came out good im a foodie brought people over never ever again wrong orders some things weren't cooked right I felt bad for workers people grabbing there own chips fish tasted super old bad bad experience wouldn't recommend to no one I had it before was always good but who knows what happened owner is nice but place went to shit mc Donald would been better just saying think twice before you stop here read more

The tacos gobernador are too greasy honestly I don't recommend it plus the Service too poor only one server for the whole restaurant. I feel bad for the waitress!!! Sorry I won't come back. read more

Good food, not super expensive and friendly service. Saturday night they have DJ, so bring your dance shoes or earn plugs. read more

See all

Steaks overpriced, very disappointing the way it's cooked , mash potatoes is a crap (cold tasteless ), the owner should put his shit together and run his business Better . (Find a better cook or chef) the prices is not the problem it's quality of the food and service . To the waitress that tried to keep us happy my respects. read more

Was in the mood for seafood and drinks. Heard good things about Buena Mesa. Came in on a Saturday night. The place is lively and cozy. Nice decor and lights throughout the ceiling. Started of with a michelada and a margarita. Both were perfect. Also tried a Paloma and no complaints. For starters we shared fish ceviche. I prefer my fish diced but the flavors were good. By far my favorite was their Anaheim shrimp tacos with cheese. So delicious. My kids shared chicken nuggets and fish sticks. Don't sleep on their churros and ice cream. Very good.Our server Casandra was great. Super friendly and attentive. We will definitely be returning. read more

Buena Mesa - Strawberry Margarita - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

Didn't like any of the sushi plates Got 3, and out of those, none were good Tuesday is very slow read more

Buena Mesa - Don't recommend the roca sushi - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

Food was delicious but portions are small for the price. The service was also not good. My husband and I placed our order. His food came out but at that point the waitress let me know they had sold out of the tacos I had ordered. I placed an order for something else. My husband finished his food before mine came out. Just disappointing. Music is also played way too loud. Some people like that, just not for me. read more

Buena Mesa - This was what was served to my husband. A total of only 6 shrimp. Disappointed in presentation and portion. - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

La música está demasiado fuerte no puedes hablar, la comida regular tirando a mala no volvería, pésimo servicio por parte del personal read more

Buena Mesa - Tacos gobernador 2 Marlin Governor Tacos - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

The food was great!!!! See photos. We will definitely return for some steak. Service was awesome, as soon as we walked in we were greeted with a smile and seated. They took our order right away and served right away even though it looked like a full night. Ambiance was nice, it was full of different groups. There was a few families there celebrating graduations. read more

We love this place, food as always was delicious! The pulpo tacos were amazing and the camarones momia are not to be missed! Great place to relax and enjoy dinner with family. Our waitress Elva, was really friendly and attentive. Definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Great food amazing, great service thank you Liz Enchiladas de camarón. The green sauce was delicious, different from what I've had at other restaurants. The best read more

Buena Mesa - Shrimp Enchiladas - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

This is our go to place when we are in the mood for steak and shrimp. It is consistently good. Our server, Fernando, took good care of us. I'm glad to see that service has improved. We will be back. read more

The place is deceiving from outside....once inside you will have freshest seafood and so well seasoned. Had their octopus in Chile- yummy. Their aguachile in green sauce - delight. The oysters were not my favorite but the Torres were amazing read more

1st time coming here was 09/20/25 for a show, the workers were so kind, welcoming & attentive though it felt like crazy crowd going in & out the restaurant! Before the show I got to try their oysters and they were LOADED & SO BOMB !! Had a great first time experience with them hosting a local bands show and will definitely go back during regular hours to get some more oysters! read more

If you haven't been here, make it your next spot. Food is always on point. Yes it's busy, but it comes with the territory. Purpose a la braza is my personal favorite. read more

They are still going strong with outdoor dining. Staff is friendly and the outdoor seating was clean. We came for the family size pescado zarandeado, but they only had the filet size. The flavor was different than traditional nayarit style zarandeado. The filtet was cooked in a bed of onions and bell peppers with a lemony mustard sauce, definitely not the taste we expected. The octopus zarandeado was very good, more of a chipotle flavor, served whole. Both dishes feed 2-3 hungry people easily. We also ordered the shrimp mojo de ajo, or shrimp with a garlic sauce. It was traditional with rice and beans and the flavor was phenomenal. They didn't do too much, it was basic and delicious. Shrimp was butterflied and shell left on for flavor. We also got the sashimi mixto, a plate of raw tuna, raw shrimp and raw scallops, sashimi style with a onion, cilantro garnish all sitting in a bed of their house sauce and a avocado flower in the center. The sauce was very strange to me, it didn't know if it wanted to be Mexican or asian. It was fusion like, but missed the mark. I would not recommend this sauce with any of their raw platters. Simple lemon agua chile style sauce would have been perfect. We also ordered micheladas and they were just ok for $8/miche. I would come back for the shrimp mojo de ajo all day! read more

See all

Restaurant didn't look clean, no AC, seemed short staffed. Food was ok but will not come back. Owner there tending to his GF and friend, that is not a good look for business! Place looks run down like it's about to close down, many other better choices in Downey, go there instead! read more

Service was 5 stars, Lissette was our waitress. The tomahawk was slightly over cooked and lacked flavor. The fresh oysters were delicious. Highlight of the night was the avocado sashimi platter that came out as an appetizer. read more

See all

I give the food five stars. It's everything else that ruined it. The music was too loud. The tables were set up cafeteria style. The waitress didn't know what she was doing. And the prices are gouged out, ridiculous! We paid $300 for a Tomahawk steak, an octopus, and 8 bottles of warm beer. We couldn't hear each other. The presentation of our meal was a mess. Never again! read more

Buena Mesa - Beer - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

Jessica was a great server. Super sweet and attentive! In addition, the food was delicious. I'll for sure be coming back soon. read more

Buena Mesa - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

Food was absolutely amazing! Our waitress Jessica C was a pleasure as well. Definitely recommend the octopus. read more

Buena Mesa - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

Food is really tasty, the ambience is really good and the service (servers are really friendly!! read more

Buena Mesa - Salmon balsamico - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

This place! Omg, love love love. Food was so tasty and presented well. You could taste the quality ingredients and all the flavors they packed in each bite. Wait service was nice, friendly and attentive of anything we needed. I liked the vibe of this place, it can be comfortable for lunch and dinner, maybe even birthday celebrations or a cute date. Its not too paisa paisa or crazily over priced lol, I hate that, but you get it. We had oysters, pescado zarandeado, their steak and mojarra frita. All of it was fresh and made to order. Con decirte que hasta el arroz y los frijoles estan buenos, ya... vallan! For dessert we ordered the cheesecakes, which were okay. I would pass on those next time. read more

See all

We had high hopes after reading the reviews but none of them prepared us for the smell of a recently defiled restroom as we entered the dining area and tried to sit down. It was nauseating enough to turn us back towards the door and leave looking for alternatives to odiferous E. Coli...get somebody else to eat it. read more

They've had king crab on the menu for over a year I've gone back several times and they never have it on hand. Food is okay it's never really busy. Servers do not speak English read more

Good food, family friendly environment. Great staff went beyond to tend to our needs.

This was my third time here. And everytime I've come, the food is fantastic. I come out on comedy night, so not only for a good laugh, but good food too. I really enjoy the ambience and everyone is very helpful. The owner really stays on top of everything. This is why it's great quality. The owner is involved. I absolutely love the bacon wrapped shrimp. It's so good. And all of the seafood is delicious. Very flavorful and juicy. The ceviche is great. I asked for the fried fish garlic style and they did it for me. My friend said that this was the best garlic fried fish he's had. You cannot go wrong on any of their food. The service on the other hand could use a bit of work. The servers that I've encountered are okay. I think maybe they were just a bit overwhelmed because it gets so busy. But it's worth it. I will continue coming here and need to try alot more. read more

See all

So my friend and I planned a friends date and she suggested this restaurant. I got there first and ordered a margarita and Paloma. Both drinks were delicious! The owner (Ralph) was there that evening and spent some time at our table just chatting with us! It was such a nice change of pace to be able to actually vibe with the owner of the establishment. So much so that he ordered for us! I apologize in advance for not naming what we got, but I didn't know what he ordered for us... but let me tell you... EVERYTHING was delicious! Such a beautiful blend of flavors! I will definitely be going back because the food was amazing and the hospitality top notch! read more

See all

When entering the parking lot the restaurant is the the right. There's plenty of parking. We were seated right away and checked on often. I ordered the shrimp a la diabla. Tasty however it wasn't nearly as spicy as other plates I've tried. So this plate would be a good order for someone that wants to try the spicy shrimp. The aguachilies tho omg so good! Very tasty, spicy, flavorful, I recommended the agauchilies as they were delicious. The restaurant itself isn't too big but they do have a full bar and they did have live music which was pretty cool for a Friday night. read more

Didn't eat here. Walked in and the restaurant smelled terrible. I turned around and left. Very disappointing because I was very hungry.

The food is yummy every time I order I am just pleased with the food. The blue fin tuna I loved it

Great food with great flavor .. great place to hang out for date night and enjoy bar drinks..they have a bar and bartender mix drinks read more

Buena Mesa - Rock Tower - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

The place is good. I loved the sashimi. And the fish taco was good for $2! Taco Tuesday ‍ & the peach margarita was good. I will however note that the menu is extremely difficult to read or understand. It needs to be restructured. Our waitress was the sweetest lady and very helpful. We will return again. read more

Buena Mesa - Seafood Near Me - South Gate, California

See all