Nostalgic lunch (for my mom and her friends) and I was happy to tag along. This place used to be my mom and her friends old stomping grounds when they went to college in Pomona (about 50 years ago) Arrived without a reservation on a Saturday afternoon, big mistake! This place was packed and for our table of 6, we had to wait about 45 minutes. Pro tip (call ahead, you'll be happy you did). But we walked around the cute town and came back with a table waiting for us. To start, I had to try the iconic salad. My mom and her friends raved about how yummy the salad was and I have a sneaking suspicion why. That bad boy is packed to the brim with so much cheese. But yes it was totally yummy. My favorite part is they bring you a whole squirt bottle of vinaigrette dressing. Yes please! I totally understand the hype. The rest of our meal was ok. We got the fajitas which were seasoned great and the tortilla soup was nice. Drinks were totally great! I got the jalapeno margarita and white peach sangria (which had a little fizz - totally appreciated) Pleased with our visit to Espiau's! But even happier I got to see mom and her friends enjoy themselves at this historical spot. read more

Espiau's - Jalapeno margarita - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

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Cute little place in the Claremont village with outdoor dining. The service was great- friendly and attentive without hovering. The food is above average with a large selection but it is on the pricier side. For the prices they charge, I would expect fancier food. We left with full bellies and light wallets. read more

Service was quick and the food was great! Wet for a friends birthday and was so excited to try the food. I got some appetizers as well and those came out quick. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Music was good and the tvs were playing the baseball game![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Very recently we had a burger and fries for dinner. It was great service in the restaurant part. We chose not to sit in the bar. The server was attentive and the food great! [[HIGHLIGHT]]We were able to watch the baseball game and even found parking nearby.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Downtown Claremont has a vibe. This spot is supposed to have great salads. I don't experience a great salad. It was basically lettuce and a ton of cheese. The house dressing is just yuck. The service was slow-refilled one of our drinks by handing me the cup over a half way instead of walking to our table. Weird right? My mom waited an exorbitant amount of time for the chicken she ordered on top of her salad. She was most of the way finished before they finally brought it to her. I'm not a fan of this place. read more

Espiau's - Salad - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

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Albondigas soup is ridiculously salty obviously I'm sitting around. The Bowl is so shallow that it only holds about 6 oz of fluid. But I assure you they charge for a bowl. I know it's been a while since the old owners owner this place but for The love of God, quit cutting every corner you can cut. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]This is an OK sports bar.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Very large patio.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Lot of screens and decent food, and drinks.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Always enjoy stopping here when I'm in the Claremont village. Good selection of food and drink. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great atmosphere with both indoor and outdoor seating, always clean and staff is always great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They open at 10 am on Sunday during football season. Special menu for football as well. Having been on a chilaquiles kick, today I tried theirs for the first time. For a $12 skillet it was loaded with chops, beans, potato, egg, crema and cilantro and was quite filling. Took half home. Great deal for breakfast. read more

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This place has been a frequent spot for the family for a long time. Our visit today was not a good one. Hostess was sweet and helpful with a large party (12) Server was passive aggressive and just not the kindest gal. When our food came out, it just wasn't good. My chile relleno tasted almost burnt, the sauce it came with was basically just the salsa they serve with chips. Beans tasted SO off and like they are canned. I honestly didn't even try the rice it looked really dry. Tortilla soup was flavorless. I've given this place a chance many times and each time i leave more disappointed than the last. :/ read more

I came here with my friend and her party for her birthday because we lost our reservation for a restaurant across the street haha. The staff was very accommodating with our party of 9 and we were able to sit almost immediately. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is honestly very big! The patio sitting has a lot of space and their inside as well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] For the menu, I will say that there is quite a variety to order from, but I wish they had other Mexican food options. I ordered the quesadilla appetizer as my meal and it wasn't too bad! Our waiter was also very kind and tended to our needs very well with our huge party - so thank you! read more

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Food was great. I got the tostada salad with carne asada and the meat was perfect. Definitely will go back and recommend. They have Mexican food and other items too. Service could have been a little better. We had to ask for more water and it wasn't crazy busy. read more

I was in the mood for a tuna melt with bacon, and I was very pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. I wasn't in the mood for fries, so I went with the potato salad which tasted pretty good as well. Service was attentive, and refills on my iced tea were quick. This is a comfortable place for both lunch and dinner, and with the summer heat coming in, there's an outside area that's covered where I've hung out to enjoy the breeze. Compared to the average ratings for this business, my experience has been above the three stars. My minus one star comes from the chips being incredibly salty, so I pass on them most of the time. Otherwise, this place is a solid local spot for me! Cheers! read more

Espiau's - Tuna melt with bacon and potato salad. - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

Food is tremendous. Service is at the highest of quality possible. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is amazing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Claremont Village, outdoor covered seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Multiple tv's and Dodgers playoff game with National League Championship in our pocket![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Jen is a great server. She's knowledgeable about the menu and is elite at paying attention and serving your needs! This place is a no brainer! You will not regret it!!!!! read more

Espiau's - Outside of Espiaus - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

I have been coming here or to the first one on Holt Avenue in Pomona since my Spanish teacher took us all here (Pomona) in 1979 as a class trip....Zero has changed! I would describe the food here as mild or gringo Mexican food. (I am a gringo so I can say it) It's all what you think Mexican food would be, in the 1970s.... Comfort food... The standouts are the signature Epius' Salad and the house made chips and salsa.... The salad is a huge bowl of shredded lettuce with a mountain of finally shredded jack cheese on top of it. That is it!! The epitome of simplicity! See the photos. They give you a bottle of vinaigrette dressing to use. You need a boatload because the cheese is a sponge. It tastes incredible! The aforementioned chips are also unique to this restaurant. They are house cut and fried using regular tortillas not the thin stuff that you normally see at Mexican restaurants. They are also covered in season salt, I mean covered. You need to dunk them in the house made salsa or else It is a salt overload. I also use the dressing from the Espius' Salad. The rest of the menu typical AmericanMexican food that needs lots a salsa for flavor. It's good. Service is usually good and mostly booths for seating. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Cool place to catch up with friends.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

To begin our visit it stared off as a waitress dropping salsa all over our clothes and table. Which we were understanding because everyone makes mistakes. We expected some kind of customer service, example, a free drink or anything. But we weren't even greeted by a manager or anything. But the visit keeps getting worse, our drinks took all of twenty minutes to come out. And no one got a refill on any of our sodas or waters. Have been going here for years and have never experienced such bad service, and I will severely reconsider going here next time. read more

So accommodating! Thank you for making it all happen for our large group! Great team! Love you! read more

My family, my family friend and I went to come eat here and I had the best burger ever. Are waiter's name Jen it's a nice waiter. I highly recommend coming here. read more

Espiau's - The food - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

Impromptu visit as our previous plans fell thru. They weren't busy at all when we initially came in (it was early), by the time we left, the majority of tables were taken with a line out the front door. The place does look kind of old and dark. Lots of different areas and rooms. Took quite a trek to get to the back bar area from the front. There were tvs in the bar area, so it's cool to get a drink and have some food while watching a game. Our waitress was cool. Service was good. Readily topped off our waters. Continually asked if we wanted more chips and salsa. Food came out quickly as well. Chips and salsa were good and unlimited!! Chips had a dusting of spices. Chips were not oily. Crunchy. But thick enough to hold a huge heap of salsa. But at the same time, it was not overly thick. I ordered their Rizo-rito, which was a chorizo burrito. It was large!! Flavors were amazing. Not overly salty. Entire thing held together as I was cutting into it. It's not extremely spicy. Moist. Overall, good vibes. And good food. read more

Espiau's - Rizo-rito - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

Simple, delicious, and exactly the kind of Tex-Mex I crave. These cheese enchiladas hit the spot with their nostalgic touch of onions and black olives. If you're a fan of that classic style, this place will likely be your favorite too. Don't skip the side salad either. It comes with a generous mound of cheese that makes it surprisingly satisfying. Service can be hit or miss, especially during lunch hours. Whether you're seated inside, at the bar, or out on the patio, it tends to be on the slower side, likely due to being a bit understaffed. That said, the food consistently delivers, and that's what keeps us coming back for over a decade. read more

Visited again and it was delicious as usual! Keri Lynn was an excellent server! Juan helped too. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great place in a quaint area.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Check it out! read more

A friend of mine had his 50th birthday party over here at this restaurant. The good parts were the Michelada and also the pomegranate Paloma. I ordered shrimp tacos, whichwere not Baja style but a better twist and the shrimp was very spicy and delicious. My wife ordered taquitos and she said it's probably one of the best taquitos she's ever had. The 2 bad things about the restaurant was that the orders took forever from the bar and also from the kitchen. The waitress was very nice and the help she had were very great too. My wife and I are going to try to come back and visit Claremont and try this place again ourselves. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Meet at the patio so it was nice and fresh and they had TV showing the NFL playoffs.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Service is horrible. The servers act like they don't want to be there (don't blame em). The food? Overpriced canned beans and bland dry meat tacos. I recommend drowning your tacos in their Pace Picante salsa, that way it's somewhat edible. read more

My family has been coming to Espiau's for 50+ years (starting in Pomona). Unfortunately, the service has declined so terribly, I won't be coming back. The hostess basically refused to seat us, saying the server was too busy, and there was nothing she could do about it, spun around and walked off. We didn't say anything to warrant her rudeness. While we were waiting for our friend to settle his bar bill, another server offered to seat us, so obviously it was just that hostess' mood. We didn't stay. This was just the most recent bad experience. read more

The salad covered with cheese was pretty awesome. This place was good - not great. I imagine like many places the food costs are high because the cost of business is high. The staff was friendly and I appreciate a place that has TouchTunes so you can end the long line of generic country music songs with some extreme heavy metal Why would anyone buy their chips "to go" they were pretty average Would I eat here again? Sure. Do I ever feel the urge to return here? Not really read more

Espiau's - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

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Drove from the west side of LA because I was longing for Espiau's. Always thrilled to have their shredded beef tacos and the salad with all the finely shredded cheese! Loved this place for years and years. Food was great as always and served with a very authentic smile. Thanks for so many years, Espiau's. Keep it up. read more

This used to be the best local place for good Mexican food. There are several new competitors in the village including Sancho's Tacos a few doors away and La Popular a couple blocks up - both overpriced. Instead of Espiau's continuing their affordable menu and comfortable atmosphere, their prices are trying to rival the other restaurants and not in a competitive way that says they appreciate and want business. The restaurant is easily over charging by $3-5 per plate but they are also now charging $9.50 for a side salad add on. Be reminded the salad consists of iceberg lettuce and shredded cheese only. The owners have changed nothing about their menu to elevate it in any way. Not that it needed to be elevated but if you're going to charge more money for plates, do something more for your customers! They also now charge "market" price for guacamole which I've never seen before and it's not like it's made table side like the lovely Elvira's offers (yet another Mexican restaurant competitor in Claremont but Elvira's is an experience worth every penny). Espiau's has been out of multiple tap beers, key ingredients for mixers, and they have a taco Tuesday special that you have to ask about because they don't advertise it or offer up the info willingly. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Even the atmosphere and service are underwhelming.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Took forever to get drinks and food even though there were maybe six total tables in the whole restaurant at the busiest point of the night. I've been frequenting Espi's for decades and it was my go-to place for all occasions including large parties or when I have people in town visiting. Now, I don't think I'll ever go back. read more

Love this place, the salad is amazing. The chips are the best around the seasoning out of this world. Definitely recommend.

The food is very good there. I have always liked it, but the service is horrible. Most of the time they only have one waitress.

Rarely come to the area and came in for a bite and to kill some time. Immediately greeted, waited upon, and served chips and salsa before I even sat down. A+ for fast and friendly service. I sat at the bar and I just wanted an appetizer so I asked for a recommendation. Bartender said she loved the nachos so I went with that and added asada. It was enough for four people. Unfortunately, it wasn't great. It was covered with refried beans, cheese, jalapeño, and asada and came with guacamole and sour cream on the side so it wasn't lacking in general ingredients but it did lack in flavor. I wouldn't order it again but would gladly try other items on the menu. read more

Espiau's - Nachos with asada were just okay. - Mexican Near Me - Claremont, California

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Little nostalgic place to eat, I liked the outdoor patio.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The chicken tortilla soup was good and spicy. The famous salad I kept hearing about was ok. Maybe it was too much type. But the staff was friendly. I'd definitely give this place another go to stay something else. read more

First, I've had the chips and salsa along with the tortilla soup and salad as take out in the past and wanted to give the restaurant a try. Sadly, our experience was disappointing. When we arrived, we were greeted by a young lady and seated quickly. We were not greeted for about at least five minutes. A few more minutes passed before we were greeted. I will say, we did get chips and salsa shortly after we were seated. Also, when we were greeted, our sever apologized for the delay. I ordered a cup of tortilla soup to start and wasn't delivered. I had to inquire about it after our food was dropped off. The chips and salsa are (5/10) not a fan of the seasoned chips. The salsa is decent and doesn't need the chips to be seasoned. We ordered: Virgin pina colada: 9/10 one of the best we've had. 1/2 order Buffalo wings (spicy): 4/10 very tart, not really spicy. Tortilla soup: 7/10 it does have spice. It was served with a piece of sour dough bread (I didn't eat it. It didn't belong with the soup) Carne asada burrito (I asked for it to be in a bowl without a tortilla): 2/10 it was bland, carne asada was horrible . Small portion for 18 dollars. Also, I added a side of red sauce (1/10) it was cold, watery, and had no flavor. Overall, we will never come back to try anything else. For the 46.00 we were charged, you're better off going to Alviras (by Trader Joe's) for a nicer environment and better tasting food. If you're familiar with Miguel's (the chain restaurant) you're better off going there. At least the carne asada is the ranchera cut and much cheaper. The prices here are WAYYYY too Expensive for what you get. I'm all for paying for quality but this place definitely missed the mark. Again, this is my honest feedback. read more

Overall, Shit show. The best part of the experience was the two hardworking busboys. The food was ok and expensive. What restaurant serves you one enchilada instead of two but still charges you premium prices? Drinks were expensive. The server was nice to start and disappeared. After our food was dropped off, she came back 1/2 way through the meal with the check. Never asked if everything was ok or if we wanted dessert or another drink. We went to watch a Big Bowl game and wanted more drinks. I found it strange the table next to us got their bill 40 min after us. I had to track down a host to bring the server back for more drinks. The server was clearly bothered that I asked for a second drink. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance screamed; come spend some money and leave quickly.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] No thanks! Order # 616888 read more

The food was generic and does not taste homemade. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Nice area in Claremont but that's about it.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Have gone here for 30 years and food last Saturday was really bad. Wont go here again. They have lost their quality.

Best salad with lots of cheese. Good for lent too. I highly recommend you go there. Now I'm going to want to go there on Friday

We came here on Mother's Day without reservation and they were very accommodating. They had a mother say train and menu lots of options. We got the cucumbers the light in the lavender lemonade both were delicious. We got the Kearny Asada tacos and the ground beef tacos. Very yummy. Chips and salsa were very good. They gave me a rose to celebrate Mother's Day. Her waitress was fantastic. Would highly recommend coming here for dinner. One of the rooms has a door that opens up to the outside, so feels like you are dining outside. read more

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We have been coming to Espiau's for many years now, that goes back all the way to the original Pomona location. This has been our favorite restaurant in all of this time. The Mexican salad is simple yet unique, and no other restaurant has been able to copy it. That salad alone is what keeps many customers coming back over and over again. I have also enjoyed getting the cheese enchilada plate for years. In the past, you would be served a generous amount of food, with the enchiladas stuffed with cheese, the refried beans served with a layer of melted bubbling cheese, and a good portion of great rice. Starting in Pomona, the actual plates the food was served on were huge, and the portions matched. This custom was carried over to the Claremont location. However, things and circumstances change, and so did the plate size and portions. Things were still good enough to keep us returning as regular customers. But, this last visit has us reconsidering. What we were served was just plain unacceptable. I ordered my usual two cheese enchiladas, rice and beans, with the Mexican salad. While there was less cheese on the salad as there has been in the past, (an eye boggling huge pile) it was still very acceptable and delicious. However, when they brought the enchilada plate, it was a complete disappointment. What I was served would have been an embarrassment to a child's plate. There were two completely flat tortillas with little to no cheese, at least I was never able to really see or taste any. The beans came with a sprinkle of cheese on top, no bubbling layer at all, all three tablespoons. There was an equal amount of rice, that is to say about three tablespoons as well. They were spread in a thin layer to try and at least look like there was a covering on the plate. Did I mention that the plates the meal was served on are now the size of a child's plate? The cost of this skimpy meal was $30. I understand the inflation has caused the necessity of raising prices, but Espiau's is now trying to serve as little food as possible at premium prices. What they don't seem to get is that the point of raising prices is to enable quality and quantity to remain. I believe that people are willing to pay higher prices to keep things as close to possible to what they are used to receiving. But this practice of serving smaller and smaller portions white raising the prices to near unsustainable levels is just not going to work over time. I just don't think you can have it both ways. Tiny portions of food with large price increases just isn't a winning business model. There comes a time when the point of diminishing returns has been reached, and I think Espiau's has reached this point. You can only shrink portions and raise prices so much. We haven't completely given up, even though we have noticed this trend of smaller portions and higher prices. We are going to give it another try and hope that this experience was just a result of a bad day or an inexperienced food preparer. We can accept that times in the food industry are tough, but not at this level. I will amend this review if we find that this was just an off day. I would have given just 1 star for the meal, except that the salad was still delicious. Espiau's, please, do better! read more

I found this spot a year or two ago while I was looking on Yelp for a fun place to catch the March Madness games. I wanted somewhere I could enjoy live sports, grab a bite to eat, and maybe get some work done too. After checking around, I realized this place was just what I needed. [[HIGHLIGHT]]During the day, it's super chill and perfect for getting stuff done since it's usually quieter.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]But at night, especially during big games, it can get pretty loud and packed, which isn't great for working.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Still, the lively vibe at night makes it a lot of fun.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Horrible service and over priced the waitress MaryAnne or Merrilyn is horrible. Totally rude unprofessional and unfriendly she brings down the energy of the entire place. She is snarky, unprofessional and passive aggressive and does things out of spite if she gets upset by telling her there is hair in your food. read more

For context we went a Sunday morning for lunch after visiting the nearby farmers market. We were seated right away inside which was great. We were greeted with chips and salsa. Salsa was a little spicy, but enjoyable. My wife ordered flautas and I ordered a burrito. After waiting 30 minutes we asked if our food was being worked on. We were told the patio was really busy, but they would check. Our food came out 45 minutes after ordering. I get it, Sundays are busy, but the restaurant should maybe hire more staff. Staff were obviously doing their best, but there's only so many plates one server can dish out. Food wasn't that tasty either. I paid an extra $1 for guacamole and sour cream. I didn't expect them to dollop a tablespoon on top of my burrito. Who doesn't put guacamole and sour cream inside the burrito? read more