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Cecilia was our waitress and was very friendly. The food was great. The pollo asado burrito was delicious and the quesabirria taco was too! The cheese-pull on both of those was excellent!!! The table salsa was great; I saved some to put on my food and was so good that way! My mom had the surf and turf fajitas and loved them. She said it was the freshest shrimp she ever had, and the steak meat was very tender. Only suggestion would be to give the rice more flavor. I also posted this on Google.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 !
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.
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
5 months ago
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
6 days ago
Such good street tacos. The birria and shrimp are particularly good. The service was great and will 100-% go back. read more
14 days ago
Cecilia was our waitress and was very friendly. The food was great. The pollo asado burrito was delicious and the quesabirria taco was too! The cheese-pull on both of those was excellent!!! The table salsa was great; I saved some to put on my food and was so good that way! My mom had the surf and turf fajitas and loved them. She said it was the freshest shrimp she ever had, and the steak meat was very tender. Only suggestion would be to give the rice more flavor. I also posted this on Google. read more
1 month ago
2 months ago
3 months ago
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
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
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
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
4 months ago
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
6 months ago
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
3 months ago
5 months ago
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
5 months ago
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
3 months ago
7 months ago
2 years ago
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
1 year ago
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
7 months ago
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
11 months ago
11 months ago
1 year ago
9 months ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
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
11 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
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
1 year ago
6 months ago
7 months ago
7 months ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
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
1 year ago
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