Celebrated my birthday here and had an awesome experience. Our waiter Brian and manager Maria were super attentive, even when we were a ground of nine. I had the Tinga Flautas, perfectly crunchy, moist inside and full of flavor. We also tried the birria grilled cheese and the buñuelos with ice cream and that was just okay. Happy hour is solid- the $15 mimosa pitcher was enough for at least 4 people, and they offer guava and other juice options. The ambiance is really nice too, we had a table with a beach view, which must be gorgeous at sunset. They have couches that face the beach, it's definitely a nice spot to, imagine lounging on the couch with a drink in hand. Overall great service and vibes. I'll definitely e back! read more

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The Baseline: For a Mexican restaurant the flavors of the food must make use of the prime Mexican ingredients (corn, beans, chiles, rice, cheese, and meats), preparation of sauces/salsas, the meal portion size must make me feel full, and feeling of the restaurant must give me the feeling of a Mexican restaurant. Food: It was hit or miss on the items we ordered. Drinks: Watermelon Margarita (5 star) came with a chunk of watermelon and it was tasty. The Chain Smoker (4 star) was Smokey but I should have swirled it to get all the smoke infused. Starters: Great complimentary chips and salsa (5 star). The Guacamole was very tasty but there was not a lot of it with the order (4 star). The Corn ribs were really good with a nice BBQ sauce (5 star). Mains: The Chile Relleno Burrito with birria was substantial and filling but I was adding salsa to get the flavor boost (4 star). The Cal Mex Fries with pork belly were "bag fries" but had good toppings (3 star). There is a happy hour Monday to Thursday and I think I will come back to try that. Service: Good service for a week night and we had a very nice waitress. They do a service surcharge that you can ask to have removed and they let you know up front about it. Atmosphere: Well designed restaurant decor and the views are top notch (even at night). You can have Tex-Mex on the beach. Win-win. Bathroom was serviced and clean. read more

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A dear friend of mine was in town and staying in Redondo. She didn't have a car, so I made the trek to see her. Cal Mex was the place. A charming little spot right on the beach. A delightful gentleman greeted me and escorted us to a table with a relaxing view of the ocean. Lily was our server, and she was lovely. We started with cocktails - a Watermelon Margarita for me and Cucumber Jalapeño for my friend. Each was refreshing and tasty. We shared the Spicy Cauliflower & Veggie Empanadas. Both dishes were flavorful and exceptionally good. The Spicy Cauliflower was on a bed of sweet potato puree & quinoa and topped with crispy potato threads. It wasn't very spicy, but it was tasty. The pastry of the Veggie Empanadas was crispy. Inside was a delicious mixture of mushroom-adobado & a gruyere cheese blend. We also enjoyed the complimentary chips & salsa. It was a nice, relaxing evening and we had a wonderful time catching up. Even though I'm not a fan of long drives. I'd come back here. Parking was easy & convenient because the lot is nearby. $2 per hour. read more

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I had always wanted to try this place! We finally came in on a Wednesday afternoon, the place was kind of empty, only two families were there. It's a big restaurant, they have big seating outside too. We sat inside because it was chilly. I love the lounge seating that they have with a beautiful view of the beach. It's perfect for a date with a friend or your partner, just some drinks and appetizers! I got the pulpo borracho and I thought I was going to love it. $20something for it, and was it worth it? No. I did not like the taste. I do not recommend that one!! It's not savory at all!!! My daughter got the tinga tacos and she actually ate them all, she really liked them and she's a very picky eater. My son got the cal mex burger and liked it. Their chips are freshly made and their salsa is good too!! Overall, not sure I'll be back. Also, I do not like the fact they do not have variety of non alcoholic drinks!!! Was gonna give them 3 stars but giving them 4 because they have amazing customer service! Their hosts are very friendly and welcoming, every person that works here that we encountered greeted us in a very friendly professional manner! read more

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I've only included the consommé, beet salad and tinga flautas in my photos but also had the cauliflower and the tinga empanadas. Both flautas and empanadas were so delicious (moist & gooey inside and delicately crispy outside) and the beet salad was very bright and tangy. I've had the cauliflower before and enjoyed it but not quite so much this time. My fiancé however really enjoyed what I had left of it so overall a 10 out of 10 for food. I thought the price for the side of consommé seemed a little high but at the same time, other items were lower in price than I would've expected. It's a great location taking the place of Barney's Beanery and the decor is pretty cool. read more

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The ocean views alone impressed me. What a perfect place to have dinner. Superb service and ambient decor. The food came out fast and we loved every dish. We enjoyed and shared habanero beans which weren't spicy at all. Also tried the avocado hummus.Unique dish that's surprisingly tasty.our favorite appetizer was the queso plancha. So good. Had to have it twice. For dinner we got their camarones mojo.Full of seasoning and flavors. Only wish they had been deveined and without the heads. Nonetheless we finished and enjoyed them. The watermelon margaritas are a must. Perfectly balanced to end the night. Don't sleep on their mimosa bucket.Great deal for a bottle of champagne and orange juice. Had to have tacos before we left so we shared a pork belly taco and a shrimp taco. Hands down the pork belly taco was so good. A must try.Will definitely be coming back. read more

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The location is great. The view is great and their service is also good, however I did not like what came out of their kitchen. The roasted cauliflower was only 40% roasted at best. The burrito was room temperature- maybe a little warm at best - typically I expect freshly made food to be hot. Nothing inside was hot. The guacamole made table side was amateurish. The grilled corn rib was good! I would not go again. read more

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I came in with a couple of other friends. We didn't know where to sit so who I assume is the manager was nice and showed us around. Food was great! Definitely recommend the birria fries and octopus tacos- it was super soft and didn't taste too much like octopus if you feel it'll be overbearing. Staff was incredibly kind and patient as we had them come back a few times. But definitely recommend! read more

Cal Mex Cantina - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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My first time here last night. The interior design in here is enjoyable. I like the creativity with the zig zag giant rocks sofas and comfy cultural throw pillows. Very natural and relaxing vibe. Have to give 5 stars customer service to very polite and helpful Carolina and of course Simon giving great customer service and great food recommendations. Ordered quite a lot lol. 3 drinks, 3 tacos, a dish I forgot what it's called but been told it's the closest to enchiladas, and banana cake flan was amazingly delicious. I can have many more of those lol. Will definitely be back. read more

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The view is amazing. Our service was also really good. We were on a beach walk and decided to stop and grab a drink on the patio. They had 15$ bottles for mimosas. We enjoyed the view so much that we stayed for happy hour. I only tried the spicy Califlower but it was really good. We will be back for sure when we are in the area. I love that the patio is dog friendly. read more

Cal Mex Cantina - View from our seats on the patio. - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Good food and the service was good our waiter was friendly we were there celebrating my friends birthday, the food came out a lil slow even though the restaurant wasn't crowded. We sat outside with a view of the ocean and the noise of the crowd from all the other places around. Which I'm not saying was a bad thing because we barely noticed it from our own conversations. read more

Cal Mex Cantina - CAMARONES MOJO CAMARONES MOJO - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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We loved our visit to Cal Mex. The food was great The view was awesome. We ordered the breakfast Burrito, chilaquiles and french toast. The food was great. The service was fine. We enjoyed the champagne. We would recommend the restaurant to anyone. My family will be back. read more

Service was really great. We were seated promptly and drinks came out fast. The Cadillac margarita was generously sized. My husband had the watermelon margarita. Both were buzz worthy. My husband had the Cal Mex burger which came with waffle cut French fries. Tasty but didn't look so great on the plate. I had the pulpo borracho which came in a spicy chipotle type heavy red sauce with potatoes and pineapple. I thought the heavy sauce overpowered the few pieces of octopus which were cooked really well. We also had the Brussels and pork belly that were ok. They were a little too tangy but the Brussels and the pork belly were cooked well. We would try it again for the ambiance which was so nice and the service which was fast and friendly. read more

Cal Mex Cantina - Pulpo borracho - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Excellent food and service with a spectacular view! This was my first visit here and definitely not my last. I had a chicken taco and it was to-die-for. My taste buds were in heaven. I can't begin to describe how much I enjoyed the chicken taco. It was just the right amount of flavors and, while, it was creamy (from the sauce), it did not make for a mushy taco. Admittedly, I was turned off by the price of one taco ($10), but honestly, I'm a big eater and it filled me up. I didn't even try the chips they gratuitously serve with salsa. Give it a go for sure! Oh, by the way, the server said that the best taco on the menu is the shrimp taco and then the steak taco. Well, if the chicken taco was amazing.I can only imagine what the other two taste like like. read more

Cal Mex Cantina - Menu - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

I came to the Redondo Pier and noticed the sign for Cal Mex Cantina and decided to venture for their happy hour. It was Tuesday so they also have as part of their offering, tacos for Taco Tuesday. I tried their Vampira taco which was very delicious- a slow cooked beef and a blanco cheese that was pressed into the tortilla. It was about an 8inch tortilla, not that big but substantial. 1 taco $8. They also offered a limited draft beer menu along with some cocktails. Since it was mid afternoon, it was not busy and the bartender/wait staff person was very cordial and helpful. The decor is very nice and the view overlooking Redondo Beach is beautiful. From what I understand, they allow dogs on their outdoor patio. I'll be coming back with our pup! read more

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This place sucks. The server in the front will asks you to go to another restaurant if no one else is in there. I really actually wanted to eat here to be discouraged by the server. Then while no one is in there, they still do not try to help you at all to come into their restaurant and encourage you to go to other restaurants which is bad for business. It's sad to have a serve that tries to promote other businesses. Pathetic! Makes me never wanna come back here again!! read more

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The taco might be the biggest scam in all of California. Im not from around here so I dont know how things are usually priced, but this tiny single Vamprio taco being $12 was genuinely crazy. It just came out on that tiny little plate and I was actually shocked. Like bro. What are we doing here? Not only that there was an automatic 4% surcharge for something about the government. Idk. Im not sure if thats common around here but that is just crazy. Just pay your workers a reasonable wage then. Dont put that burden on the customer. All the pricing aside. The food was actually quite tasty. Just not for the price. So unless they make some changes to the pricing, I wouldnt recommend it. read more

Cal Mex Cantina - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Food and service were amazing! We got shrimp aguachiles and birria sandwich. Super delish. And of course, the killer beach view can't be beaten. read more

Cal Mex Cantina - Dessert! - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Service is slow!!! We ordered one taco!!!! One!!!! 30 minutes to get it - $11 EACH btw! And it came with three strands of meat! It was not busy at all ! So to see the service and the food the way it came was disappointing ! read more

Cal Mex Cantina - $11 taco! What is this crap? - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Had an amazing time at CalMex Cantina! The ambiance was lively, the happy hour drinks were top-notch, and the service was quick and enthusiastic--huge shoutout to Lily for making us feel so welcome and keeping things flowing smoothly. The real standout, though? The aguachiles. Perfectly curated shrimp swimming in a bold, spicy-sour sauce that hit all the right notes. The thinly sliced jicama on the side added the perfect crisp contrast--refreshing and light, but full of flavor. I'd come back just for that dish alone! Only reason it's not a full 5 stars is I wish I had room to try more on the menu--but that just means I'll be back soon. read more

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Food was so good! We sat by the window with a great view!!! We had beers and appetizers. The pork belly tacos were amazing!!!! We had a great time listening to music and enjoying the view!! read more

Cal Mex Cantina - Beer and a great view - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Very good food and drinks and fantastic Happy Hour and Taco Tuesday specials. Super nice and efficient staff. The best ocean view! Choose inside or outside seating. You'll love it! read more

What happened. Really enjoyed this restaurant, but I popped by a week ago and all the lights were out and Yelp! says it's permanently closed. read more

$18 for one small taco? That's wild. The portions are tiny, and you definitely don't leave feeling full -- more like wondering where the rest of your meal went. For the price, the value just isn't there. The only thing that saved this from being a 1-star review was the view, which is nice. But let's be real -- you can get the same view elsewhere without paying nearly $20 for a single bite. Disappointing overall. read more

Customer Service is amazing from beginning to end. The food is full of mouth watering flavor! The salsa is packed with fresh ingredients and just enough spice. I had the tacos and they are savory & great and MAN drinks hit the spot. Along with the beach view!?!! Can't beat the visit today. Soo beautiful & satisfying. i would add a photo but it was too great it's gone.....added the photo any way but just know it's great i ate everything. read more

Cal Mex Cantina - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

We found a small hair in our chips and let's just say it didn't look like it came off someone's head. We were told it was part of the corn that makes the chip which was not true at all. The service was not that great and the hamburger tasted like rubber and when we told them about the hamburger they didn't say anything which is kind of surprising after finding a questionable hair in our chips. Plus when you get the bill they highlight a 30% tip and underneath it in small font it says "other". I miss when it was Barney's Beanery will never go back there again read more

Nice place! A hidden gem right at the front of the wharf. Imagine going during happy hour, sitting on a couch, watching the water and maybe the sunset. Or if its not cold, going out to the patio, sitting my the rail and taking in the view of Redondo Beach and PV. Drinks were awesome to include the El Hombre Grande margarita cause I gotta get that cause of the name! I got the jalapeño version which was not overly spicy and just right! Happy hour taco was $8 and only comes with one taco, so just be aware but the tacos were delicious! read more

This review is strictly for Simon. My husband and I came to have lunch on a day that appeared to be slow and understaffed. Simon did his best, with little to no help, trying to make up for a lack of support. He was awesome! Thank you Simon! read more

Drinks and food are always good here. Mexican Mule and Tinga Flautas. Annette gives great service. Will definitely be back! Can't beat the view either. read more

Hi... we were so excited to have our favorite gobernador tacos yesterday at cal-mex but very disappointed when the restaurant was Closed! So i checked your website and found out it's permanently closed!! We love coming here on Tuesdays after our walk at the pier but unfortunately you are now closed!! So sad read more

This is our 3rd time coming here. What a beautiful ambiance the restaurant has. The restaurant is on the redondo beach pier overlooking the ocean. Staff is always very friendly, helpful and accommodating. Everything we've ordered has been good, drinks are good as well. Recommend trying it out! read more

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Wandered into Cal Mex exploring Redondo Beach Pier. It appeared to have a decent view of the water and yes, it sure does. The ambiance is very modern with a throwback to a Spanish cantina. It's open airy with touches of industrialism. I can get down with this vibe and we did. Yes you can be seated along the railing with unobstructed views of the beach. We opted for the indoor sofa arrangement. The ambiance is on par with restaurants in Gaslamp, Waikiki or LA. Shout out to the servers as they kept us appraised of our seating status. They were very kind and hospitable. I opted for the birria grilled cheese. Just get it. It'll make your life better by doing so. At least it did mine as it'll be ordered gain when I return. read more

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Waiters were amazing! Food taste a bit bland. I'm beyond surprised how over priced the tacos are. $15.00 for 1 taco that had 3 small pieces of meat is offensive to me! read more

Ambiance and vibe were great! Situated on a boardwalk overlooking Redondo beach. Staff were attentive and friendly, but a $12 taco . The taco was good, but not worth $12 read more

Cal Mex Cantina - CALMEX FRIES, TINGA FLAUTAS, VAMPIRO TACO - Gastropubs Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Im very unfortunate that I came here... I was expecting a great time & expecting great service... I didn't receive any of that. I got seated waited 30 mins to get a waiter to come give me and my bestie water ... the table that came after us got better service they got chips and salsa we didn't receive any of that . I also ordered ceviche and got no limes, no chips or tostadas - what the heck? The host said she would come back and wipe our table and never did, she let us sit at a table for over 20 minutes. Overall the service was not great, the server was not tentative - never once did he ask if we needed anything and the food was mediocre and overpriced. Never coming back. read more

100% recommend!! Food, service, and ambience are amazing!! Brayan was supper attentive and made sure our experience was 10/10. Looking forward to coming back soon!! read more

Wow! Went there last night for the first time and we had the best time! I believe it was Sandra the manger who was so warm and kind! Our server was such a sweetheart and great service! We found out you can bring your dog on the condition they're well behaved!! We'll be back on a consistent basis because of that plus the food service and beautiful ambiance! Thanks again ! read more

Came here for Father's Day. Good view of the beach and boardwalk, nice ambiance inside the restaurant & nice staff! read more

Went here for a friend's birthday that happened to land on Easter Sunday. It was a great time! What I liked most was first the amazing view! I live in Long Beach and have been a bit biased when it comes waterfront activities and dining because I'm so used to what's near me. But this place's view was gorgeous, the food was great as well and the drinks were fun. My friend got the mimosa bucket to share, very fit for a birthday girl! The service was decent. We may have gotten the new guy, but it was fine. All in all, I will definitely be back. I'm planning to go at sunset which I can only imagine is breathtaking. Also, parking is paid ahead in the lot and I was able to add more time from my phone which was nice! read more

These positive reviews have to be fake! Have to be! I truly can't imagine why anyone would like the food here. The chips tasted like gasoline, all the food came out cold, tasteless, and disgusting. My boyfriend and I agreed that we think this is the worst restaurant we have ever eaten at. They have a big sign outside with balloons saying that they recently opened with stairs that take you to the restaurant with a pretty ocean view. The ambience is the only positive thing I can say about this place. I would never ever recommend this restaurant to eat. I felt like I was being poisoned. read more

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