The Baja Tacos ARE AMAZING! My sister and I had the best fish tacos EVER: the fish was peefectly fried; the cabbage and salsa fesca were fresh (as were the limes); and the house made tortilla chips are perfectly salted and perfectly delicious. This was our 1st visit, but we'll be back sooner than later! The service is superb! Cecilia greeted and histef us like royalty: she is warm, friendly and professional. She explained the menu, Su-Th Specials, and the live music and dance nights! NO need to cross the border; just head to Lemon Grove. The venue is clean, well-lighted, open and has abundant (indoor and outdoor) seating. read more

El Cata - NO need to croos the border, head to Mariscos El Cata in Lemon Grove! - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

An amazing gem of a mariscos restaurant! Such a fun place to hang out with friends and love the entertainment! The staff is efficient, warm and attentive. Whenever I'm in SD I always go by for something new and creative seafood. read more

I wanted to come by and eat some good mariscos. But the food here looks like it's from the grocery store. The quality of seafood is not good. I ordered filete al mojo de ajo and received 3pieces of either tilapia or some other sort of fish (small). I returned and asked for shrimp instead. The quality is bad! Here's a picture and size of shrimp. This plate looks more like a kids meal. read more

El Cata - Shrimp al mojo de ajo - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

Delicious food, awesome ambiance and service. They have a variety of live music, depending on the night.

Service is horrible. We came to watch the game and it wasn't busy and they still took a long time to get our food out. Food wasn't good and found 2 hairs in my tacos. Carne asada fries were nasty! Meat looked like they just re heated or re fried the meat. Had to constantly remind waitress for limes and silverware. Not satisfied at all. Will not return. read more

El Cata - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

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We need to talk about the stigma that a restaurant of one nationality can't serve good food from another. We've driven by El Cata a few times on our way to Zest, and this time we stopped in. Leery of the mixed menu, I was ready to just order safe. The surprises started as soon as we walked in the door. Bright, cheery, and Latin music wafting through the building. We were greeted immediately and sat down at the bar...which was an excellent choice. Grabbed our drinks and we asked about specials. She recommended everything we ate, including 2 sushi rolls with this amazing Wasabi sauce, and we were not disappointed. Camilo, the chef checked on us a few times and made sure we were having a great experience. Nice people, good food, and a fun, upbeat environment. Highly recommend sitting at the bar if you want to meet the man behind the machine. We'll be back..heard taco Tuesday is bonkers. read more

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Service was really great! We went on a Friday at 5:30pm and caught Padres happy hour (two for one draft beer during games). Beers were cold and glasses clean! We got an order of the baja shrimp tacos as well as the fuego roll and the chef's special roll. Everything tasted super fresh and flavorful! Baja shrimp tacos are fried and two to an order. This was perfect to share! The rolls were both pretty big (bigger than usual) and the fish tasted clean and fresh! SUPER spicy though! Especially the fuego roll! Everyone working was super friendly and everything seemed very clean. I'm looking forward to returning. read more

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Went expecting a good size fried fish and got 2 extra small fish I was so disappointed after hearing the announcements of the new place that opened up I had high expectations read more

El Cata - Two very small size fish - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

Tasty shrimp cocktail and good hearted workers. Nice live music and had a lovely time with my family here.

I was excited about try this new Mexican seafood eatery, but sadly I was disappointed, and at the same time hopeful they will take the necessary steps to improve. The place is very nice inside and offers a lot of space. The location includes a bar and indoor and patio seating. The menu offers a plethora of seafood items, but I decided on the surf and turf burrito for $14.50 or essentially $15.65. At this price, I was excited for my large plump burrito filled with succulent shrimp and carne asada. Disappointedly, the burrito was under sized and lacked both shrimp and especially the beef. The meat, although tasty and tender, consisted of only a few strips here and there. There was not much to taste and enjoy. The shrimp were not only under seasoned, but also were lacking in numbers. A few more would of been good. I was quite sad at this point. The burrito did come with a lot of white rice and partially melted white cheese. The white rice was cooked well but under seasoned, and that cheese, never truly had the opportunity to melt through the burrito. The burrito also came with strangely enough, with large pieces of lettuce. I don't think they had any business in the burrito, unless they were to chop the lettuce up finely and add it with some pico. The large pieces had me scratching my head. They also put chopped tomatoes in the burrito. The didn't help much. In addition to needing a lot more meat and more shrimp, the burrito was dry inside: meaning it needed a sauce. A white sauce or chipotle aioli would suffice. Some avocado would of been a nice addition, too. Cecelia was my server and she was very nice. I explained my frustrations regarding the lack of meat and shrimp in the burrito, but not much came out of that conversation. I even opened it and showed it to her as my picture depicts. If they do not improve the surf and turf burrito, I would consider getting something else. read more

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Delicious Birria, clean, modern, cute picture opportunities and a fun birthday spot for large parties. My husband devoured the enchiladas suizas! My daughter didn't even finish the quesabirria taco because it was a huge portion! Great cheese pull and yummy ! Comfy chairs which I love. Modern and new Inside. Good specials. Saw a birthday party and the brought out a bubble gun and it was so cute! With las manannitas playing! Made for a happy atmosphere. The server said they now have sushi so we will try that next. We will be back! read more

First timer, showed up when they first opened, their working out the small details of putting the flatware on the tables. Getting past that, service and food is good. read more

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The food was savage nothing exceptional. The service was horrible as we walked in. Several servers were around the cash register and they just continue to have a personal conversation. we sat down. And we were brought some filthy menus and the server walked away as she put the menus on the table and was away for a long time when she finally came back I told her that the menu was extremely dirty and her response was "I cleaned them yesterday. It must have come from the bar." I ordered a specific drink and she brought me a completely different one. I also asked her a question about an item on the menu and she didn't seem to know anything about it. The ambience appeared to be something catering more to customers. I will definitely never go back to this place. As there were very few customers a minimum of six servers and yet she was not prompt. read more

El Cata - The bottles of salsa many of them were as you can see them open, which seem a very safe way of storing salsa. - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

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My new favorite Mariscos in San Diego! Came here with my buddies, and wanted to share the food. It's a big space, and we got a table enough for us. I noticed they had a full bar with TVs which was a plus because we wanted to watch the games. I got their version of their cocktail, the Campechana el cata. So good ! Came with 2 kinds of shrimps, octopus, and scallops. I also got the el cata taco, which came with octopus, shrimp, and steak ! My buddy got the mango augachile and he said it's one of the best he has had. We also shared sushi rolls. We got the el cata roll & chef's special roll. Very good and fresh rolls. My other buddy got the Octups plate which came with a whole octopus ! He loved it ! The restaurant was clean and the service was great which is always a plus ! Definitely coming back here ! read more

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Food is poor and super expensive and the place is so empty and the food doesn't taste good

Food was decent. Not wow but good. A bit over priced. The mug was $60 had a few raw shrimps and octopus. And the 3 slices of tuna outside of the mug. Flavor was eh... it needed something more. My husband got the arrachera plate. Pretty good seasoned well. Beans and rice were blah. Service was ok... it was Valentine's Day and seemed like they were under staffed so our food took about and hour or more to come out. And came out separate which we didn't eat together we ate at separate times. Music was good live band and tha dj after 8pm read more

El Cata - The famous el cata mug - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

I really wanted to enjoy this place, but unfortunately, the food was only a 3 out of 5. The corn Tortilla felt old. The meat to filling ratio wasn't very good. We wanted sushi, but apparently the chef on Monday wasn't available. So there was no sushi available. After having a horrible taco weI ended up going to a sushi restaurant. The place looked very nice inside and was really large. But I wasn't impressed. read more

El Cata - Fish or shrimp taco. - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

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Standard fish taco tasted good wish it had more sauce. I ordered to go. Big factor for 3 stars is the overall price. Two fish tacos were $13 that's crazy. Most items are high in price like the carne asada nachos $19 no way I will pay such a high price Service was fine food was pretty quick Ambiance not a big fan of the chairs lol read more

El Cata - Fish taco - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

I read some of the negative reviews for this place, but I wanted to try it for myself. Honestly, I thought the service was wonderful! Our server was very attentive and really cared about our experience. She engaged with us frequently and even wanted to know our opinion on aspects of the menu and the business. The tacos were delicious and fresh, which is really important when you're talking about seafood. There was a vibrancy to the environment and the live music made it feel like we were in TJ for the night. I really liked it. I will be going back! read more

Delicious ceviche, fresh and well prepared. We went for lunch and sat outside on the patio. Margarita was ok, a little too sour for my liking. But overall I would say it was pretty good. read more

I'm unsure how long this place has been open but there's no sushi yet if you're expecting mariscos and sushi. I came here to catch up with a friend and have a drinky drink. The michelada mix was pretty good. We shared some asada nachos and they could use some work. The chips tasted a bit stale. Ordered some aguachiles and it tasted like it's been made for awhile now. Pretty old. I may give this place another try since their bartender told us it's lady's night Friday and it's buy one get one. They also I believe have some themed nights im sure this place is busy during the later hours. read more

Been coming here since it opened. Nice place, chill vibe and better when they have live music. Good food selection and great happy hour! The staff is Amazing; Cecilia, Patience, Maryann and Jenny all get 5 stars! Couldn't do 5 stars for this place as there's a few things that can improve but ultimately a good place to come try for yourself. read more

Alimentos Frescos ambient familiar tiene eventos cumpleaños musica en vivo fines de semana y entre semana me parece genial

Great service, drinks, specials. We ordered sushi, which is an interesting menu item at a Mexican restaurant, but it was yummy. We will be back! read more

So far my favorite item at El Cata has been the sushi. We've tried the Baja fish tacos - tons of flavor, shrimp tacos - great spice and heat and the shrimp gobernador was packed with flavor. We visited on Valentine's Day and the restaurant was nicely decorated and there was a live band. Tons of fun! Look forward to going back. read more

El Cata - Sushi and Daou - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

I was so disappointed in this restaurant. The website makes it look unique and amazing. I loved the concept of mixing sushi and Mexican food. They advertise as a seafood restaurant. They don't serve sushi rolls. The prices for the ceviche are overpriced. I'm not convinced that they had half of what was offered on the menu. Because it was a Tuesday, the waitress encouraged us to order the Tacos. I had the Birria.......El Torito's happy hour Birria Tacos, 3 for 8.00, is way better. There were only about 10 people in the place so I can assume that the word is getting around. Will not be going back. read more

Amazing ... Excelente servicio... Comida Deliciosa... Recommend 100%. Food portion was lovely. Great customer service.

Try the shrimp ceviche and the fish tacos. Very impressed with how fresh and flavorful everything came out. The staff was friendly and attentive. Sat outside and enjoyed their outdoor seating. Happy hour 2-6pm 2 for 1 draft beers. Definitely going back. read more

The restaurant is very well decorated, great ambiance, loud music .. enjoyable. Food is a little pricey, but with inflation everything has gone up everywhere. The food is good.. we had 2 shrimp tacos and a sushi roll. Food was good.. but once again, it is pricey. read more

El Cata - Shrimp Tacos (order of 2) $10.95 - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

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Marzo 8-26,,,si pudiera dar calcification de me nos lo haria..pesimo servicio...LA komida le doy de kalifikacion 50%..el ambiente pesimo hubo una banda k en serio yo no se de donde los sakaron pesima su mucika y no se le entendia mucho al kantante..deben de tener mucho kuidadado por k hay menores de edad etre tanto borracho...borrachos kon ninos en brazos en medio del eskandalo ,,,las micheladas las sirben kon cerveza de barril muy malas..hasta k pedi una kon cerveza al lado eso se llama aprobecharse del cliente... jamas regresaremos a ese lugar y ni modo bamos de buelta al """KARINAS""" read more

Been here a few times. They just opened recently so we're excited for some good seafood. There are a few things that I'm still hoping will happen once the place is more stable. I hope they add oysters to their menu. The food portions are not as big. I had their fish tacos and they were really good. Definitely recommend! read more

Let me start by saying the establishment should be packed, the food is amazing. It's a small family owned business and I really want them to succeed. If you like sushi but with lime and Mexican influence you're going to love the tolls here. The aguachile is perfectly seasoned it's a bust of flavor in every bite. read more

The food is fresh and tasty! First time here but we will be coming back! We loved it. Fresh sea food. It's a spot to come try if you haven't already. Good eating! read more

El Cata - The octopus plate. Can I say one word? Yum! - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

Like this place very good Mexican Seafood and super fresh emphasize on "FRESH ". prices are reasonable . I have been back a few times. and hopefully will continue to do so. Minor issue can easaly be corrected with a little better management skills. Teach servers attentiveness and time management. if management don't know, hire one that can teach. Will be the reason of your success. ambiance and Food is there . Really Really Really would like to continue to Patronize this eatery. and to give it five STARS. P.S. Like your wine price not much. Get a good house wine and still sell your premium. read more

Ambiance was nice .. you can tell this would be a nice sports bar/restaurant during sports season ! I heard they have live music on the weekends, I'll be back to check that out.. Nice to see another *New restaurant in Lemon Grove read more

Best shrimp & fish tacos I've had in San Diego in a long time. Service was also amazing and vibe was on point. I'll be back for sure.

Atmosphere was alright. Looks like an Ikea showroom. Music was LOUD; table conversations were a bit of a struggle. I found myself looking for the live mariachi band in the ceiling. Food was... not the best; super overpriced. Ordered a "sparking water" and got a sprite... and a water... server definitely should not have been customer facing. read more

It just wasn't very good. Service was good and prices were fair but the food just wasn't that good

We just finished eating at El Cata and it was wonderful. Great service and the tacos governador hit the spot. We are locals in Lemon Grove and love to support our local restaurants. This is one we would like to keep! read more

I am so delighted to have this newer Mexican eatery near me in Lemon Grove! I've been their twice, and going back today. Most restaurants don't impress me. This eatery impresses me on the 3 major fronts: Food quality/quantity, service and ambiance. The first visit I had the 2 fish tacos which were excellent, and abundant. Lots of fresh tortilla chips and their salsa is awesome. 2nd visit I got their lunch special ceviche on Mondays. Likely the best ceviche I've ever had! A really big bowl, came with avocado, cucumbers, crackers, and more! I had leftovers. You cannot beat their price for ceviche, very fair--VALUE. My waitress both times was Ceci, and she is excellent, attentive, and friendly. The bar look great, they have desserts there. Atmosphere is impressive, the owners put lots of money into this place. I enjoyed a pint of Pacifico beer too, and their prices for adult beverages are very fair in today's inflationary times. Ample parking too. read more

El Cata - Tasty Cevichi! - Seafood Near Me - Lemon Grove, California