Come here if there's a big sports event. Lots of TVs and indoor/outdoor bar. We loved this spot! We were there during a non busy time so service was quick and attentive. I will return or not to a Mexican food restaurant based on their tortilla chips - we'll return for sure! Great chips, delicious margarita, good bar ambience, the carnitas fajitas, crispy potato taco . We'll be back for breakfast tomorrow... read more

Cali Costa - Margarita and chips! - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

First time customer and the food was amazing! We went on Taco Tuesday and the tacos both tasty and authentic - definitely would recommend!

Ok this place is amazing in every single aspect! I wish I could give more than 5 stars! The food is amazing and the service is unbeatable. The sweet girl that helped us was so kind, patient ( I had two kids with me), friendly, and helpful. It's casual and relaxing here. I could go on and on about how amazing it is here, but do yourself a favor and go eat here! read more

Food was excellent! Service by Sarah was amazing. Ask for her next time , she is so great!!!!

Ive lived across the road from this place for almost 20 years. It's changed hands in recent years. Cool little vibe walking in. It's got an open air feel, not too big, service was great and friendly but the entire cook staff needs to be replaced. We live in the southwest 1 hour from the Mexico border. You're telling me you couldn't find someone between LA and San Diego that could properly make Mexican food? My wife and children ordered the carne asada tacos. Presentation was nice, the meat had no flavor at all. It didn't have any seasoning and was overpowered by the salsa that was so spicy my daughters struggled to eat it and it was just spicy, no flavor other than heat.... Bland and too spicy... I ordered a 3 taco plate with all Birria tacos. The meat inside was bland and lacked flavor. The consume was not consume. We make Birria at home... what I got to dip my gross, soggy tacos in was the sludge you discard when you are making the consume. Again no flavor. The tortilla is usually dipped in the fat from the cook process and has a nice red color, these tacos looked sad and kind of spotty or dirty. The only good thing that came to the table was the chips and the French fries we ordered as a table side to share. The server was very nice and apologetic, she got a good tip for her hospitality... my tip to the restaurant, take your kitchen staff on a field trip to literally any other Mexican restaurant within a 20 mi radius so they can learn how food is supposed to taste. We will not be returning ever, but hope they take this review for what it is and make the necessary changes. read more

Stopped by this place for some lunch and wasn't disappointed! Owner and staff were great. Loves the beachy vibe and atmosphere

The vibe is out of this world great place I was going to keep ordering the the seltzer water with the lime , I also order the fish taco amazing read more

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Went there for happy hour. 2 days 1st day was on taco Tuesday ordered that. That was good like the carnitas and the shrimp The best the next day had the happy hour. 3 crispy tacos for $7. Great deal then I got the brazed short rib tacos. Those were delicious. I highly recommend those. read more

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Cali Costa is a local favorite. Great Mexican food. Monday burger special! Outdoor patio and attentive service. Breakfast on weekends.

Great food, ambiance, happy hour, and live music on some nights! Loved the Barbacoa tacos and Cadillac margarita! read more

Cali Costa - Margarita, Cadillac margarita, happy hour - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

We really enjoyed eating here. We dropped in for lunch. The interior was a bit different from the prior establishment but the bar and patio had the same comfy feel. We noticed the piano and since we enjoyed the food so much we will be back. Happy hour looks fantastic. The service was great as well. Super friendly home style welcoming staff! read more

Cali Costa - Crispy tacos combo & Bria ramen - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

Miami, The owner, is the bomb! First class service, exceptional food, and an amazing happy hour Additionally, Nino, as first class as well, professional, courteous, and as always, makes one heck of a beverage! read more

TACO TUESDAY, ALL DAY! - Served from open to close. Street tacos (Two for $5) Cali Costa Margarita ($6) House Tequila Shots ($6) Mexican Bottle/Draft ($5) Photo - https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=FwB3_ilSjDIxX-ZsxxyHTQ&userid=O6EBodP3Fgu_n67efSKnBQ I mention that Taco Tuesday is served ALL DAY because I've been to places that start Taco Tuesday at noon or as late as 4:30pm... 'But if you're going to offer it that late in the day, just call it "Happy Hour" or "Half-day Taco Tuesday"? Personally, I've never been a huge Taco Tuesday kind've guy but my good friend, VH, always sends me the weekly text, "Happy Taco Tuesday", along with a photo of a taco and margarita. So, I thought I'd play along and see what I could find from one of our local eateries. I've been seeing Cali Costa pop up regularly on my yelp* feed and thought, it would be a great one to start my taco eating excursion on... 'And glad I did! I arrived just before 11am as the restaurant was going through the last details preparing to open for the day. (M-F; 11am-9pm) I had just finished another n'ucken f'uts, early morning 2am shift and was looking forward to trying this new, popular, Dana Point restaurant. First thing I noticed was the fun, open air vibe Cali Costa has; great colors, decor and not the drab, cookie cutter, standard commercial type restaurant. I thought, this is "fun" and refreshing from your average dining spot. Cool. As I walked in, I was greeted by Josh; owner/operator. He was behind the bar prepping the register and station for opening. As mentioned earlier, I arrived before the 11am opening time. Josh told me the kitchen was not yet ready to receive orders and it would be about 15 minutes. Perfect; great time to snap off a few photos and take a look around the very cool, chill restaurant. The more I looked around the place, the more I liked it! As I walked around taking pictures of the baby grand piano in the front bar area to the spacious patio dining area, I was also greeted by another gentleman, Steven. He introduced himself as the "Resident Greeter," and Josh's father; great guy. At the time, Steven was installing a housing for an outdoor, television projector for game day. (i.e. - Sunday Football) I finally grabbed a seat at a bar stool on the outdoor patio, opposite the open air bar that was shared with the inside area. When I say this place is open and airy, it really is. Josh mentioned again that the kitchen was almost ready. I reassured him that I was in no rush and was just enjoying the chill restaurant spot. Plus it was nice to sit down and take a moment after busting my okole all morning @ work. However, in the meantime, I'll enjoy these complimentary chips and salsa. I generally do not drink this early in the day but as the ol' saying goes, "What the hell?!" Round 1 (Carnitas & shrimp tacos) Round 2 (Steak & al pastor tacos) I was heading over to my friend, BG's place just around the corner afterward. She was going to meet me for lunch but had a 11:30am conference call; so I took her an order to go... Two each of every taco on the Taco Tuesday menu. (They're street tacos; not very large.) Steak x2 Carnitas x2 Chicken x2 Al pastor x2 Fish x2 Shrimp x2 Veggi x2 Black bean x2 So, as I waited for my to-go order... Okay, just one more margarita. Word to the wise; do not drop your to-go order of yummy tacos... 'Twice! After a few choice, colorful words to myself about how graceful I am; what I ended up with was an AMAZING taco salad with EVERYTHING on it. - Dropped not tossed. (Less any actual real salad; romaine, spring mix, baby spinach, etc.) When delivering the bag o' tacos to BG, I told her it was an off-menu item, the "Twice Dropped Taco Tuesday Tortilla Salad", and then quickly retreated to my car and left. Despite the failed battle against gravity with the taco salad, it was a good day. Just say that shortly after arriving home, it was time for a siesta. It wasn't a planned nap, took my shoes off, sat down on the living room sofa... 'Next thing I discover is me waking up a couple hours later. Support your local businesses, especially when they are as cool and chill like this one; Cali Costa for the win! A big mahalo to Bruddah Josh & Steven for the welcoming vibes and aloha! At times, I find places in South OC that have a tinge of pretentiousness, stuffed shirts with a good dose of uptightness that taint the overall experience... This is NOT that place. As we say in Hawai'i, "E Komo mai!" - "Welcome; come inside!" A phrase you hear & see often on the aina. It's a greeting that generally is given when inviting someone into your home. Bruddah, it felt exactly like that... 'No shortage of Aloha here. I wish Cali Costa all the best in becoming one of THE top spots to go for good family fun, ono kine grinds or a place to cruise with friends and simply talk story. A hui hou! Bruddah DJ Food: 5 Ambiance: 5+ Service: 5+ Value: 5 *See additional uploaded photos read more

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This place is right on PCH and easily missed during the day, but it first caught my eye at night while driving by. I noticed their outdoor patio with heat lamps and string lights. It made me want to give it a try so I did so on a recent Taco Tuesday and I was pleasantly surprised. We sat ourselves at their bar on the patio and it's a cozy nook. It wasn't that busy but most people were seated at regular tables. There are a bunch of TV's all around which is not my cup of tea but for those sports fans this is the perfect place. We were happily attended to by a sweet young bartender. She looked fresh out of highschool, but she can make a mean mezcal Old Fashioned! Usually these cantina style restaurants have sub-par cocktails and resort to syrupy sweet and sour mixes etc., but not here - everything is fresh! Additionally their $4 happy hour tacos were pretty tasty and more authentic to street style tacos. For example their carne asada taco had cilantro and onions as a topping with a dash of cojita - no shredded yellow cheese or ice berg lettuce fluff here. My husband and my favorite taco though was the Al pastor! We also tried their fish taco, carnitas and barbacoa - no complaints with any of them. Service was also attentive and super helpful...but man, that Oaxacan Old Fashioned was chef's kiss! read more

Not good... for being a Mexican restaurant you should know how to make a good margarita and they were not good. The service was just OK. I had to bus my own table. I had my baby at the table who reaches and grabbed for everything, and there was tons of empty glasses and dishes, and I had to literally get up and bus my own table and take all the dirty plates and dishes to the bar. That's not OK! food was mediocre. I will not be back. read more

Great for any sporting event. Good is great and service is super friendly. Nothing fancy which I say as a compliment a great Sunday funday spot read more

Food was awesome. I had the chimichanga shrimp and short rib. It was to die for. The sauce was deadly! Huge! A larger side of guacamole and pico would have been nice though since it was so big. My daughter's order came out wrong though, and she had to re order, my drink came out wrong and I had to re order. It took over 15 minutes to get my knife which I had to ask for twice, and they forgot my daughter's drink. I think they were under staffed but they were not busy so no excuses. This was our first time here. I'll try here again, hopefully next time they'll get it right. read more

We've tried this place so many times and are always disappointed. Just went back last week. Same thing. Don't know if it's the manager or the owner, but this guy that's usually there is very unwelcoming. Staff changes consistently and the drinks are weak. Vibe is just off. Better options around town. read more

Love Cali Costa!! Best menu for any time of day. The happy hour tacos are yummy & the corn & soups too. Actually, everything is good & the outdoor patio is cozy & relaxing. read more

Went last night for the first time and really enjoyed it. Food was very tasty, and I usually am boring and order tacos, but last night got the Carnitas burrito. My friend ordered a chili relleno appetizer, and Short Rib enchiladas. Can't wait to try weekend brunch. Oh, and the Deep Fried ice cream was nice with a strawberry drizzle. Total for 4 drinks, appetizer, two entrees, and dessert was 85.00. Our server Bailey, checked on us often which was nice. Very casual, relaxed place and will definitely be back soon. read more

Cali Costa - Cali Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

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As a Dana Point resident for over three decades, my admiration for Mexican food runs deep, and I've always been grateful for the culinary delights it offers. For years, I frequented taco surf, a beloved Mexican restaurant in town. However, with the recent ownership change almost 4 years to Cali Costa, now known as Cali Costa, with, beautiful young couple ,I'm pleasantly surprised by the seamless transition and the expanded menu options. The dedication to great customer service from both the owner and bartenders all the waitresses and waiter only adds to the appeal. Without hesitation, I'd recommend cali Costa to all, including my Hollywood acquaintances, for an authentic taste of Mexican cuisine in Dana Point, California. don't forget that my favorite sports European football in American football always on on their TV.. read more

Cali Costa - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

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COLBY was amazing! Great customer service and great place to watch football. Salsa was good. The breakfast carnita tacos were delicious. Had to write a review just because of Colby. He was so nice and so cool and great at his job! read more

If I could give 0 I would. Food was very bland, I didn't even finish my food. The service was awful too, maybe because me and my boyfriend were Hispanic, but our waitress today (05/25/25) completely ignored us. She really only was nice to the white people there. This is the worst service I've ever had. read more

Was just there. Told nothing available by a female server who was rude. Usually a friendly place but not tonight. The owner was a bit curt as well. Surprising . read more

WARNING - Head chef seen in the men's bathroom stall and then exiting WITHOUT washing his hands. We notified the manager immediately upon witnessing this. No remediation was offered such as a discounted or comped meal. Do not eat here. Major sanitary concerns and poor restaurant managers. read more

Food so good I almost told the staff I loved them ‼ Me and my family came on a Monday night and it there was quite a bit of people but not packed at all. There was one waitress handling all of the tables and she was so quick and attentive! I've been to a lot of restaurants where it feels like the staff forgets you and this place was nothing like that! I didn't get her name but she was blonde and really nice. The restaurant itself is very cozy and nicely built. My family ordered a couple things and they all came out pretty fast! They have chips and salsa and the chips were so good and crunchy with the perfect amount of salt on them! First, we ordered the elote corn bowl and cheese and potato taquitos for appetizers. My family ATE IT UP it was so good I wanted to order more corn just because I loved it so much! We also got the fish tacos and let me tell you the mango salsa they put on top is to die for!! The mangoes they used were perfectly ripe and is probably one of the best things I've ever tried! The mahi mahi plate was also so good and so beautifully presented. My dad tried the chicken tortilla soup I think and I didn't try it but looked scrumptious. Overall, such a satisfying dinner and we were happy with everything we ordered. Bookmarking place and definitely coming back here the next time my family stays in Laguna! Amazing food and great service! Five stars! read more

I really wanted to love this place but it really was nothing special. It's a bar with outdoor/patio eating. Staff are friendly and the food is good. My husband and daughter both ordered the chicken fajita burrito and agreed it was good but not the best burrito they'd ever had. I ordered the fajita veggie tacos on flour tortillas with no cheese or sour cream. I got the fajita veggie tacos on corn tortillas with cheese and sour cream. They were good - but not at all what I'd ordered. We took our food to go so I wasn't keen on returning to the restaurant to have them fix my meal. I may try it again but there are lots of Mexican restaurants in the area competing for my attention. You gotta get it right the first time. read more

They really have a wonderful happy hour here! Service was really good, they are very attentive. The food was ready quickly, the drinks were tasty and everything very well priced. Plenty of seating both inside and out and they have a parking lot which makes it extremely easy. We enjoyed the tacos as well as the chips and salsa and all margaritas were great too. Wonderful option in the area! read more

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Fresh, delicious and colorful salad with a huge piece of Mahi Mahi, perfect with an ice cold bucket of beer! Great service, nice comfortable ambiance read more

The food was excellent, and they brought complimentary salsa and chips. The salsa was very tasty. We sat outdoors, and they promptly turned on the heater when we requested. There is a parking lot, which is great. The staff was friendly, and their service was very good. read more

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Went to Cali Costa after a farmers market in Dana Point. There was amazing decor and painting here, it was beautiful. The chairs inside are really heavy though. There's an bar area and an outside area that's covered. Everywhere is dog friendly, even inside which was nice. The drinks were good, I asked for a spicy marg and they were able to make it, even though it wasn't on the menu. The tacos were delicious and we decided to get the combo plate. Was a great pick with the shrimp and fish tacos! read more

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Good food. Bartender was friendly. Nice spot indoor and outdoor seating. Lots of tvs.

The food was absolutely delicious, service was fantastic and the restraunt is clean and well kept - thank you Cali Costa !

I've been here several times prior and had mediocre and decent experiences. This latest visit will be my last. The food is decent however, the service is horrible. The girl working seemed like she did want to be there at all, her personality was lackluster at best. She got not only my drink order wrong but my food also. I ordered directly off the menu, no changes or substitutions. She brought my margarita with no salt like I asked for so I mentioned it and she brought it back with salt. Once I finished I noticed a small pile of salt at the bottom which I have never seen any time I've ever ordered a margarita from anywhere. Not to mention it looked like table salt almost as if it was intentional. I ordered the Taco surf shrimp tacos and she brought the Cali shrimp tacos. Not a big deal, I ate them and didn't say anything. It wasn't busy so I just don't see the lack of personality, job detail. The salt at the bottom of the glass was the icing on the cake for me :/ There are too many taco shops to go to with better service. Ending on a positive note I do like the pet friendly patio. read more

We live in Dana Point and have been to Cali Costa a number of times. I have also watched NFL games (The Browns) there on Sunday mornings in the fall. The Lantern Steak Burrito is my favorite, and it comes with a killer sauce. My wife had the Taco and Chili Relleno dinner - see the photo. She thought it was outstanding. The owner always says hello and checks in with us, which is a much appreciated good thing. Cali Costa offers some good draft beers and makes some excellent margaritas. I recommend this restaurant highly. read more

Cali Costa - Taco & Relleno - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

Taco Tuesday! Amazing tacos! 22oz happy hour well drinks. Excellent food! New Horchata Margarita read more

Cali Costa - New on the menu! Horchata margarita! Omg so amazing - Mexican Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Not only does Cali Costa have the ambience with their indoor-outdoor seating but the staff treats everyone like family.. Kaycee ,if I spelled her name right,, was so sweet and so knowledgeable of the menu and threat at recommending exactly what we were looking for. You can tell she really enjoys her job.. the owner, Josh is a hands on owner, running food and drinks and checking on customers. Which is so refreshing to see an owner interacting and taking pride in his business. The wings were lightly breaded and the homemade wing sauce was just spicy enough but full of flavor. SO many TVs for football and great brunch & football specials,... hands down a 10/10 !! Definitely coming back! Cheers to you guys for making our Sunday football day awesome! read more

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A sports bar specializing primarily in Mexican food. Indoor seating, and a good sized outdoor patio which is street facing. The setup is actually pretty nice, felt very open with plenty of tv's. The food is mediocre Mexican food. I tried the chicken verde tacos along with the shrimp enchiladas plate. I would definitely say the shrimp enchiladas were the winner of the night with pretty good flavoring. Salsa, Beans, rice, and tacos were pretty bland. Enjoyed the prickly pear drink. The drink was sweet, and the salted (tajin) rim was a nice touch. The fake flower was cute as well. Service was just BAD. Our waitress never came to check on us, never offered us water, took forever to take our order, we asked her multiple times to turn on the heater, and she did not. Eventually someone came out and changed the propane with an almost empty tank that lasted 2 minutes. Overall, very unhappy with the service, though to her credit, she was nice and got our order right. read more

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I feel like I've been sleeping on this place...We used to go to Taco Surf all the time but when it changed owners for some reason It lost it's appeal. I decided to put aside my negative attitude and give Cali Costa a try, the tacos were unreal, crispy beef and carnitas, miles ahead of most of the other mexican places in the area, I feel like I've been missing out. I've been twice now and had a great experience both times, I'm really confused why this place doesn't seem busy whenever I drive by, I think more people need to give it a try. read more

We were out for our traditional Christmas Day bike ride and stopped here to grab some late lunch. Lots of people were there, some with their dogs hanging on the patio. Our group ordered the Doheny burrito, a shrimp taco, a short rib crispy taco/chile relleno combo, and some drinks. The food was so good, beautiful presentation, super tasty. Their chips and salsa were great. The service was also great. We will definitely be back. read more