We stopped into this little gem not knowing what to expect and we were extremely surprised with this place! The margaritas were fresh- made with freshly squeezed lime, it was one of the best margaritas we ever tasted! Our server was exceptional and very attentive! I ordered a cheese quesadilla and a side of rice. It was so fresh tasting and delicious. We will definitely return to this restaurant! The food was amazing! read more

Damian Restaurant - Margarita. Cute frog design on the table too - Mexican Near Me - Modesto, California

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It makes me sad that this restaurant has only 3 stars. But if I'm being honest I think I understand. It takes upkeep to make a place great. When it starts to get run down it's a downward spiral. I was there a few days ago and it had been a few months and the smell from the bathroom has gotten worse. The food is still very good. The salsa has changed, but it's good. Maybe a cheaper source. I'm giving 3 stars because of the food and great service. And because I think they can still pull it out of the dive. Please put some money into the upkeep worn carpet, smelly bathrooms and fix some of the booth seats. The staff even seemed worried because they aren't busy like they used to be. read more

All 5 stars go to Fabiola. What a rock star. When we arrived, there were no clean booths, so Fabiola, the host, grapped a rag and broom and cleaned the table and area so we could sit down. She then took our drink order. We jokingly asked her if she was the cook too. The staff is pretty old (north of 50 if I had to guess) but this young little Rock star brought a fun energy to our visit. The food was okay. Typical Mexican restaurant stuff. I'm not sure I ever had a server (a different lady) tell me that she was adding 3% since I wasn't paying with cash. That felt a little petty. I'd rather they add 3% automatically and not point it out. It felt like I was the first person to ever pay with plastic. This is a 3 star place at best, but Fabiola was such a great source of light and energy it made our visit an over all 5 star experience. They are lucky to have her and I hope they treat her accordingly. read more

Always a good experience when I go and the food is always good!! I love the fajitas and the soups the most.

I love this spot. My favorite dishes are the poblano chicken. The tampiqueno. The trio. The chile relleno. the garlic shrimp, The margaritas and all of the amazing women that work there. Its a special place for sure read more

Food was good service was ok. Just ok. I have a petpeeve when your main course comes out and you're still working on your appetizers. Second, petpeeve, everyone's food should come out at once and not one at a time. That's just me and my opinion. It's a place we have been going to on and off for a long time. We also got the coconut shrimp served on a bed of lettuce, which was actually a whole salad. The shrimp was good, and we split the salad amongst us. read more

Damian Restaurant - Shrimp, chicken and steak fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Modesto, California

This place is TERRIBLE!!! The meat tastes like it's been cooked and reheated for over a week! The service is Mediocre, and the salsa is actually ceviche tomato sauce. Expensive and definitely NOT WORTH IT!! Save your money and go across the street .Jack In The Box Tacos are better than this place! read more

The decor here is to die for. Love it. Food is really on point. Enchiladas are amazing. Will be coming back.

The food was amazing. They are wheelchair accessible which was a major bonus for my husband and I. The molcajete diabla was the best we've had by far. Shrimp/chicken/asada/ and nopales with green onions! Then the cheese was the incredible like that. The sauce was enjoyable. Just YUM! Perfectly balanced with sweet to spicy. We also got the you pick 3 with a taquito/sope/chile rellano which was really good not overly battered. The fish tank smell was a bit overwhelming when you walk in but that's is what happens with a saltwater tank. Which was why we got rid of ours. (I noticed the other reviews referring to this) with that said ,It definitely adds to the atmosphere which mimics you being on a beach. It's very clean and comfortable with A lot of character inside. Definitely will be back and worth the 35 minute drive. read more

Finally tried this place. Hard to want to try a place that people review bomb negatively for no reason. Wife and I shared an order of fajitas. I had a Modelo Chelada. Everything was great including the service. There could have been more meat than veggies though. Otherwise, it was a pretty good experience. We also had the fried ice cream! Delicious!! I'd give it 4 stars but giving it 5 because people are ridiculously critical. read more

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Not the best, but it was alright. I had two steak tacos and two chicken tacos. Not too much flavor in the chicken or home made hot sauce I was given. Rice, beans and table salsa was good. read more

Had dinner here while in town for work. It was near our hotel and seemed like a safe choice. We were pleasantly surprised to see on the specials board that a pitcher of margaritas was only $15.95 so we knew we were in the right place as soon as we walked in. My spouse got the massive burrito supreme with carnitas and green chile and he somehow managed to finish it. This thing was huge, and he said it was delicious. I had a one item combo with a beef enchilada. I had asked for shredded beef and what came was more like carne asada (definitely not ground beef) but I wasn't charged any extra so I just felt like I got upgraded. The enchilada sauce was some of the best I've ever tasted and I would have a hard time ordering anything without it if I ever get the chance to go back. I also appreciate that they serve a small bowl of beans with your chips and salsa because bean dip is always nice. The margaritas were a bit sweet but they were priced well and the pitcher made for about 5.5 drinks all together. If I'm ever in Modesto again, I would be happy to come back to this place. Also, I didn't get food pictures because I was starving and it was delicious, so it was gone before I even thought about pictures. The service was also prompt and friendly, considering we were in at 8pm on a Wednesday night. Basically, a 5 star experience all around. read more

Damian Restaurant - Prices - Mexican Near Me - Modesto, California

Absolutely delicious food, delicious piña colada, very nice staff and extremely beautiful rustic vintage inside decor. The songs they were playing were the best part! Made me feel like i was in mi mexico querido read more

Very nice place the food however didn't meet expectations and we never went back but everyone has a different taste in food I prefer Mexican authentic food this is mextex white wash read more

Food and service was great! Wonderful homemade chips and salsa! Chile Verde tender and spicy. Don't understand why people rave about it and then give it 4 stars. Just mean. Great, authentic Mexican food! Generous portions & reasonably priced! read more

This place is a huge disappointment. The service is not that of a vibrant bar and Mexican cantina. The food was slow and not worth the wait. They said they were having trouble with the tortillas in my taco but they appear to be commercially made. Zero sign of a home made tortilla. Not sure where they ran into trouble. The margarita was a weak commercially mixed drink without thought or care. Took seconds to appear without any shaking that I could observe. Also be aware you are paying their credit card processing fees. 3% they add at the end for using a card. Over all the experience was underwhelming and not worthy of tossing your money at. I wanted to like this place but it's lacking in too many areas read more

Always great food and good service. Really enjoyed the shrimp fajitas, delicious! Partner had the taco Vallarta grande. Huge taco full of shrimp and other goodies in a super crispy shell. Been here many times, even had birthday parties here, and have never been disappointed. read more

To start with the pros: very nice service and the margaritas were great. Unfortunately, everything on the menu is cooked in lard, including the chips and tortillas. I am a vegetarian, and our waitress said everything on the vegetarian menu is also cooked with lard. This should certainly be written on the menu. It is extremely unfortunate to think people with religious food restrictions have eaten here and been unaware of everything being made with pork products. Please, please indicate this on the menu. read more

We love Damian Restaurant! Great value for super yummy food! The happy hour margaritas have enticed us to come for dinner many times! We are new to Modesto and finding Damian's so quickly has been great! The Molcajete lava bowl is our favorite! Savory protein in a sauce that you want to drink, all mixed with veggies, rice, beans and tortillas with a little sour cream and pico - it's craveworthy! Service is always really friendly and fast. The staff also follows all Covid guidelines and we feel safe dining in, where we sometimes don't in other places. We will continue to come to Damian Restaurant! read more

Damian Restaurant - Molcajete! - Mexican Near Me - Modesto, California

First, I want to say the food and service I've always enjoyed. With that being said I cannot get over the disgusting sewer smell when you first walk in and/or if your sitting close enough to the entrance. It's disgusting! My husband drug me out there this evening but the smell was overtaking. We had to walk out. read more

Good service. I'm of Mexican ancestry and I can honestly say the food was authentic and delicious. Salsa good and spicy. Red enchilada sauce taste like home made. My husband and I stopped in town and were glad we tried Damian. If in the area again will definitely drop by again. read more

We had the food catered and it was so good!!! my moms celebration of life was a success and everyone was asking where the food was from. Get ready to take orders! Thank you for preparing the food and having everything ready. Much appreciated. Diane B- Modesto read more

Delicious food. Margaritas, Micheladas and more. I enjoy their chips specially the flour ones. My favorite entré is Tampico Shrimp but i always order them well cooked. They are always social and efficient. My husband and I go there often. Inside the restaurant always clean, they do take reservations for large parties I recommend call at least an hour in advance because there are certain hours it gets busy specially during dinner on Friday's and Saturdays. Hope this helps read more

Let me just start off by saying I absolutely adore Damien's. I've been going here since I was a kid. The restaurant truly is beautifully done. The service is spot on and everyone is warm and welcoming. The food is very reasonably priced and delicious. The only negative thing I could say is the salt water fish tank at the entrance that used to once be beautiful badly needs to be cleaned and maintained. It stinks, bad. I feel bad for the fishies :'( read more

Worst chicken taco's I had in my life ( no exaggeration ) .. it's like the shredded chicken was old ,dry ,super dry . The taco's were smothered in cheap sour cream which still didn't help with the dryness of chicken taco's How can you mess up chicken taco's ? YIKES .. I DO NOT RECOMMEND! read more

The food and drinks were great. Prices are amazing will definitely come back. Friendly service

Enchiladas de mole are so good! Chips salsa and beans always on point. The server is always attentive and friendly. I love the ambiance it's always nice to be in there. read more

Just found this restaurant randomly, but wow we were so impressed!! So authentic, full of flavor, and absolutely delicious! Everything we had to eat was amazing! The restaurant is really cute, clean, great portions & fair prices too. read more

Went on a date to check this place out finally, the margaritas taste like purée with no sour mix no wonder they're 3 dollars My girls fajitas were unseasoned, and the peppers were just put on the skillet hardly cooked at all Coconut shrimp is too oily Mole was bland, enchilada tortilla was burnt, and shredded chicken inside was hard and old read more

I love the garlic shrimp is why they got 3 stars. Some of the food needs to get better. The prices went up, so...we rarely go now. read more

This place really stinks as I mean odor such a sewer gas and it is very over powering to say the least. Food quality has been going down hill the last few times here and last night it was simply not good at all. I travel for work and stay nearby, but will not being going into this location ever again. Please find the cause of that smell and get it fixed. read more

Should have went to El Capitan, lesson learned. You want good hot food El Capitan is located on Carpenter rd, they don't need a fancy place just good cooks that take pride in their work. read more

Thank you to a nice local in the neighborhood that referred me to this place. This place has a huge variety of dishes on their menu to choose from.. I had the Texas taco plate w/ rice and beans for $9 and I couldn't believe the plate when it arrived at the table. Portions was huge for the price! Cocktails are good too.. Mango margarita I had during the happy hour which is daily from 3pm-8pm read more

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My son & I have dined at Damian's a few times now and each time the food has been excellent & plentiful, and the service is really good & friendly. I like the decor, because each booth is a little different. If you like traditional Mexican food - this is a great place. The only negative is that the parking lot is quite small & is sometimes difficult to navigate. BTW...They also have some amazing desserts! read more

Husband and I absolutely loved this restaurant and wll go there again in the near future. The service was excellent, atmosphere was amazing and the food was fantastic. read more

I absolutely love this place! Diablo chicken. Molcajete my favorite there! But the service is always slow. Idk why!! It has been my entire life. I just wish the service was better. My husband will not go with me because of service issues! But food is fantastic read more

I really like this restaurant. So I'm hoping the owner does not take this as somebody grinding an ax. I had lunch here about a month ago and the Carnitas was spectacular. I ordered off the lunch menu, and the portions were so large it easily could've been a lunch for two. Scale of 1 to 10--solid 9 So now I am back for dinner. I was just going to go with the Carnitas again, but I decided to explore. The three item combo plate looked good. Chili Colorado, Chile Verde and a Chile Relleno. Scale of 1-10 a solid 1. I was horrified to taste the disparity between my Carnitas lunch and this dinner. I mean the meat was tender, but this was possibly the most saltiest dish I have ever tried. I'm quite sure if I would have eaten everything on that plate, I would've consumed 10,000 mg's of salt or more. I am a cook, as well as someone that pays major attention to salt. This was inaccusable. Owners, please listen. Please take control of this, and stop killing people with criminal amounts of salt. I literally took the chunks of meat out of the sauce and wiped them off so there was no sauce. That meat was still so salty I couldn't believe it. You have a good restaurant, you have nice people, looks like you have a good local following. Stop harming their health. As I sit and think about that dish, I know for a fact a weeks worth of salt was in that one dish. Now I think you have a responsibility to assess this, and put some limits on it. I can make anything on the Mexican menu, and I don't need all that salt to do it. If I would have eaten my dinner, I would have had to go to the ER. Wish I was kidding. In the case of the Chile Relleno, I don't know what you're doing wrong, but I suspect it was the green sauce. You're also not supposed to taste so much green vegetable in this dish. The chili is supposed to be cooked to the point where it doesn't taste like raw food. Will I be back? Depends. Are you willing to admit that you need to stop being the PF Changs of Mexican food. Change your ways or add a low salt menu and yes, I would love to come back. read more

Damian Restaurant is not great, do not recommend. We went for a birthday with a party of eight. Only one person's food was enjoyable, the rest were borderline inedible. The chips were stale, the beans were hard and salty, the rice was freezing cold, the asada was charred like charcoal, and the chicken was rubbery and dry. The front of house staff was all nice and attentive, however when we brought our concerns and dissatisfaction they offered no resolutions. I don't know if it was an off-day, but it definitely dampened the birthday mood and we will not be returning. read more

If I can't say anything nice... I don't say anything at all. Bean dip was good, but practically starved to death waiting for anything and everything.... water, cocktail, napkins , utensil, food... asked too many times & kept reminding them... I just ended up going to the waitress station to get what I needed myself.., whew! I hear taco place next door is good. Cheaper for sure... read more

This place has a problem with hospitality with most of the waitresses. Every time I've come it's been the same thing. The other thing is that the food has the taste omg , you can tell it's got great flavor but sometimes they don't add what's needs to be added for example the nachos hardly had cheese so I had them send back. And guess what the waitressing had an attitude because I wanted what I paid for . I don't think I'll be coming back . Don't waste your time. read more

Damian Restaurant - ""Mexican nachos""" - Mexican Near Me - Modesto, California