Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Costa Mesa

    3.0 (12 reviews)

    Costa Mesa Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Costa Mesa

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    a dining area with people sitting at tables
    Rubén L.

    It pains me to give this location of Costa Messa 3 stars. I've been going to the original location and never had a problem. I always get the same thing, a botana platter. This location's fajitas tasted as if they were baked in an oven and not grilled. The presentation was pretty nice; a bed of romaine leaf lettuce on the bottom of the platter with the fajitas on top mixed in with onions and peppers. Then on the other side of the platter had the melted cheese and bean tostadas. Again, it looked nice but I was disappointed with the flavor of the meat. It might have been grilled but it tasted to me like it was cooked in an oven. I'm not ruling out Costa Messa, I'm just going to stick to the original location next time.

    a plate of food on a table

    See all

    Photo of Luis O.
    4
    94
    44

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    The best Mexican food we have had since being in the Rio Grande Valley. Delicious food and excellent service

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Gloria B.
    112
    154
    2

    4 years ago

    If you ever work here save all your pay stubs because they are not very good about verifying employment.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Drew O.
    34
    1664
    5217

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    The food was great both times we ate there. The waitstaff was a little hard to understand but the food was worth it.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Costa Mesa

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Mexican 5,666 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    El Botanero

    El Botanero

    3.8
    (27 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    We were a party of 10 that made reservations for 6pm. We all showed up and the space was nice. Lots…read moreof TV's everywhere and it had music playing. Waiter came and took our orders for drinks and we all started making our selections for food. The chips and salsa they bring out complementary are so good. We did have to wait because they were making a fresh batch but it was worth the wait. We all had a round of drinks and then put in our order for food and it was about 7pm already. Our waiter then came up to the table and asked us if we would mind moving because they had a reservation at 8pm for the area that they chose to sit us in. We were kind of annoyed by that because we had called the day before to make our reservations. We said I guess thinking it was going to be close to 8 that they would move us. Nope about 5-10 mins passed and he came by and asked us if we would mind moving already before our food came out. Considering that again we had a reservation and they knew it was a large party they should have blocked out more than just 2 hrs for us to be there. We moved and the very least they could have done for us is offer a free dessert on the house for the table but they didn't. Now I ordered the flautas which were served on a bead of beans. The menu said shredded chicken but we were told they didn't have chicken they only had beef so I ordered it. The flautes were lacking flavor and probably could have been saved by adding salt to them and the beans but they don't have that at any of the table. I did try some of my friends chicharrones and those were really good. We left around 8:15-8:20 and there was no one that showed up where we were originally sitting... so we could have just stayed where they originally sat us. We left feeling very annoyed.

    Okaaaay McAllen I see you! I came out here on a Friday night around 8pm, the place was lively, good…read moremusic on the speakers and it instantly felt like the weekend. With no reservation, I was asked to kindly take a seat in the small waiting area to clear a table. I was instantly greeted with a friendly smile and felt welcomed. I was seated within 5 minutes. I had a late lunch and wasn't super hungry. I couldn't pass up the refried beans and chips since they were wafting in my vicinity, no regrets though, the chips were on the lighter side (not super hard like a tostada) and crispy and you could taste the manteca in the beans which made me smile. Según, I had no intention on eating but I couldn't pass up the aguachile as it came to my table. Twas delightful! The only regret I had at that point was not bringing my appetite. Onto the drinks. Wanted to start off "light" and the Paloma was perfect and refreshing. Not too much on the squirt side, not amargoso (bitter) and the right amount of tequila. During the night they abruptly announced that they were running a 2 for 1 shot special along with LMFAO's "Shots" song and you almost feel obliged to order (marketing genius). I was feeling adventurous and decided not to ask what each shot entailed, but rather to go based off the name. I went with the Perla Negra and for the presentation itself it was worth ordering. All in all, this place is a MUST for your Friday night warm up. Como dice terminator: I'll be back.

    Photos
    Sitting at the bar
    Sitting at the bar
    Elotes
    Elotes
    Front facade

    See all

    Front facade
    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine

    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine

    4.8
    (45 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    Pro #1: Meat is sooooooo tender. I wish it had more seasoning ... even if it was salt nonetheless…read moreit was good! Con #1: This restaurant is not environmentally conscious. Other than the meal, everything is served on styrofoam, utensils are plastic and cups are bad fast food plastic qualify. Con # 2: I asked the waitress if they had unsweet tea and pink packet sweetener. I asked about the pink packets 3 times and she said yes. She came back with yellow packets. I asked if they had pink packets and she said no. No to her. Con # 3: There are no free refills. I ordered two unsweet teas and the girl brought me two unsweet teas with yellow packets. So I asked for a sweet teas. They charged me for three Aqua Frescas. Charged $15. Hell no. Meh. Pass on a second visit.

    Another recent discovery here in Mission, TX. This small restaurant is off the main road in a strip…read moremall and seats maybe 40-50 people. The menu is simple but offers some variety. We were served a small plate with warm, crisp tortilla chips that were sprinkled with a seasoned powder (not Tajin) that was pretty salty. I shook off the powder as it made them too salty, even for my tastes. The greenish salsa was also a little salty but VERY TASTY and had a little kick. From where we were seated I observed the cook blackening the tomatillos on a grill in the kitchen. These were the backbone of this salsa. If it weren't quite so salty I'd be raving about them. I ordered a platter with three main items - Lonches, Sincronizada and Street tacos. All three items must be filled with the same protein, so I chose Birria. Other choices include pollo, bistek, trompo and fajita. The birria was nice and juicy and well seasoned. The Lonches were larger pieces of bread than I'm accustomed to finding, especially in Progresso, where they are quite popular. They were also toasted it seemed instead of being soft and pillowy. The street tacos were excellent with toppings of red onion and cilantro. The Sincronizada was something I'd never eaten before and was a smaller version of the one they serve as a main course. It was not the traditional dish which comes with slices of ham, but it was pretty good filled with birria. Charro beans were also served if I remember correctly. I ate one of the lonches, one of the tacos (the other I gave to my son) and the Sincronizada and was stuffed; leftovers for a later meal. The wife ordered the full version of a Sincronizada filled with pollo (chicken) and wasn't able to even finish half of it. It was huge! They brought us two bottles of salsa - a green salsa and a reddish/orange salsa. Both were pretty hot by my standards and the reddish one would absolutely hurt you if you added too much. So... a word to the wise... caution advised. They were quite tasty. All in all we will come back. I particularly want to try out some of their other proteins and their fajitas.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Trompo torta $13
    Trompo torta $13
    Buena Vida Mexican Cuisine

    See all

    Costa Mesa - mexican - Updated July 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...