Well, Adios Espiau's Restaurant. My love affair with this restaurant is over after 32 years. I've endured the relocation to Claremont, the Danson identity crisis, and ownership changes. My wife and I recently went there with a friend and were very disappointed. This is the third time in a little over a year that we had not left as happy foodies. We have seen the food go from excellent to terrible. We had chips & salsa to start and the salsa now tasted like it came out of a can. The round of Margaritas we had needed two extra shots each to mask the sweet & sour overkill. My wife had the Chile Verde and the pork was so overcooked it was inedible. Our friend had the Tostada which came in a bowl. I guess the bowl is to hide the fact that there's barely any meat in there. I had the Taco / Enchilada combo with shredded beef. The beef used to be spiced and cooked to perfection. On this night, it tasted like it was canned. My wife and friend both returned their plates. I endured through mine as I'm not one to complain. It took almost half an hour for their replacement choices to get to our table. Now I know they may have been busy, but if someone returns food to the kitchen, they should have rushed out replacements IMO. I gave them two stars because our waitress was understanding of our dissatisfaction and was very attentive. I think the excellent flavors of the old Espiau's are now gone and replaced by the desire to save a buck. read more

nothing too special. i feel like people only go here because they live in claremont and dont want to leave the area. the only thing i barely like here is the chips and salsa read more

The food is always great here, never been disappointed in that... However the service has tremendously gone down hill, I've been here twice in the last month and both times received horrible service... Took forever to get our order taken, never came to see if we needed refills on our drinks... Thankfully the bus boy was able to attend to us for refills more salsa etc.. we would ask our sever but she would totally blow us off or seemed to forget... If it wasn't for the bus boy we never would have gotten what we asked for... The severs never checked on us much we didn't even come at busy times it was quite dead... I'd mainly just like to see the service improve here like I said the food is awesome but won't be worth it if the service continues as it is read more

The food here is not so great and there is absolutely nothing authentic about any of it.The atmosphere is kind of outdated and feels a bit unkempt. Try Senor Baja's or keep searching if you want something Mexican in Claremont. read more

I think their food is awesome but their service is terrible. Their waitresses are plain bitchy. Best chips and salsa and salads ever! I love their food, especially the cheese enchiladas. read more

On 11/27/10 held a private anniversary party in the patio. We had a blast!The owner, management staff, wait staff were all accommodating, efficient and helpful throughout the evening. The food was excellent, the staff deserves the highest rating. People that attended the party have told us they would be doing business here in the future. We are very pleased to acknowledge Espiau's Restaurant and recommend it to everyone. --Amy and Eddie read more

I started going to Espiau's in Pomona when I was a little kid. When that closed and I found out there was an Espiau's in Claremont, I started going there. Their service has been a slow and steady decline for years. Last night I went with some friends that have also been big fans of the place for years. I ordered the same thing I always get, the tostada - which has gone up in price since the last time I was there. Imagine my surprise when they brought the tostada and it was in a bowl and not even half as much food as what I used to get. I looked around in the bottom and although I ordered shredded beef and bean , there was far more bean than there was beef. The beef also tasted as though the recipe for that had been changed. My friend ordered the chili verde and was unhappy with her food too. They have changed the one thing they should have never messed with, their margaritas. All their margaritas are made with sweet and sour now and are far too sweet. I had to order two extra shots of tequila just so that I could get that overly sweet drink down. I have been going to Espiau's for over 40 years and have no interest in ever going back. So until someone else buys it and doesn't cheap out on everything, I will be staying far away. read more

WTF, OMG This place use to be good. Tonight we were here for my sister-in-law's birthday. We had reservations for 5pm and were sat on time. Got our drinks in a timely manner but sat there for 30 minutes before our orders were taken. 15 minutes later we got out salads but no one had forks to eat it with. It took them almost 10 minutes to bring any to us. We were told they ran out of clean silverware. Now we are sitting there waiting for our meals. I lost count of how many times some one came out to say the food was coming. When the food finally came out I was first given my sister-in-law's dinner then they tried to give me my niece's dinner. Now every one has their dinner EXCEPT me. I was told several times it was coming, the kitchen was mixed up. Now everyone is almost finished eating so I told the waitress to forget my meal, I didn't want it. It came out and I told them again I didn't want it, someone asked if I would like to have it to go and it was being taken care of. Again, I don't wasn't it. What in" I don't want it" was so hard to understand? Now the bill comes and they but my sister-in-law's meal on our bill. My husband had to go up and get that straightened out. It took 2 hours to have dinner. Non of this seemed to bother the manger, who we spoke to, or the waitress. We won't be going back to Espiau's, ever. read more

Absolutely one of the worst customer service I ever experienced. You can have the best food(which this place definitely has not), if the waitress treats you like you are a nuissance it does not even remotely matter. read more

One of my favorite places to eat! The food & service is great! I love the bar here as well! If you haven't had their chips & salsa you are truly missing out! read more

Some of the worst food around. We got a cold roast beef sandwich and potato salad that tasted like it had gone bad. Two stars because the bartender was nice and took the sandwich off the bill. The beer was good but I don't think i will ever eat there again if possible. Ive eaten there more than a few times so I don't know what happened. read more

This is a nice little spot in Claremont to grab some OK Mexican food and sandwiches; however, the staff is always very friendly and attentive. It is a great place to grab and beer (or Margarita) with friends and family. They have a decent bar with lots of beer on tap. The atmosphere alone warrants a star which is why I give it 4 stars. read more

Ordered 9.50 margarita, cant feel the alcohol. This happens each time, wiont be coming back. Ridiculous. Food not good either.

Extremely disappointed. Will never go back & will suggest to anyone who mentions that place to go somewhere else. Went to have dinner with my family. We ordered our food & a minute later I changed my order to a hamburger cooked "medium". We got our food, mine was a few minutes after the rest of the family's & my burger was rare. The waitress took it back and 25 minutes later i finally got a burger with no dressing or cheese (not what I ordered) & it turns out it was another tables food who had also been waiting just as long for their order to be corrected. By this time my family had eaten, my husband was waiting for me to get my food, but it took so long I shared my husband's burrito & kids fries during my 25 minute wait. My husband asked for the manager who came out to "apologize", but ended up giving a lot of excuses saying Friday & Saturday night burgers take about 15 minutes. So why did I wait 25 & get the wrong burger?! She offered to take the burger that I didn't even eat or see for that matter off the bill & replace it with something else, but after an hour of being there & filling up on chips, fries & a piece of burrito & I didn't even want I just wanted to go home. And judging the man's expression at the table across from us who had sent his burrito back & was watching his wife eat alone I imagine he won't be going back either. read more

Less than service, whatever food with a side of TACKY! I think part of the reason I had such a bad experience was that I had high expectations for the eateries in Claremont. I am soon coming to learn that Claremont is just...Cute, and is NOT a place to dine; might as well drive out to LA or down to downtown Fullerton or even venture into Downtown Pomona. I decided to come here for my birthday as it seemed to be a happening place on St. Patties day when I was exploring Claremont Village. On the weekends they have live bands and on Tuesday they have Taco Tuesday. Before you get excited about the drink specials and tacos you must know that their 99 cent tacos are smaller than my hand and you purchase tickets to than go to a taco bar to get tacos. I came here for dinner expecting a casual sit down place. The server didn't even acknowledge the fact that it was my birthday, even though I was wearing a birthday pin & a princess crown. She even forgot about us! Although this place looks homie and the patio seems like a chill place to hang that is about it! You can have better food from the frozen food section at the supermarket. Call me spoiled, by being use to having Mexican food from San Diego but I do not call a tortilla with sour cream, sporadic blobs of pureed avocados, drenched with melted chesse and tiny specs of meat..a burrito. The "pico de gallo" was an embarrassingly small dish of jalapeno pieces with parsley and the occasional tomato or onion spec. The rice was dry and the beans looked old underneath the globs of melted cheese. THE ONLY GOOD THING WERE THE CHIPS AND SALSA. For $11 I expected either better service or actually having tomato and beef in my Burrito. My friends enjoyed their entrees however, the tacos were pathetic. And it was very tacky when the whole table ordered entrees and then my friend was given tickets to get "Tacos" from the taco "bar"! read more

This is one of favorite Mexican restaurants in Claremont!! The tacos and burritos are delicious, and they have the best chips ever!! They also have really good margaritas, I recommend doing the happy hour since it's a little cheaper then! It's a good ambiance as well and feels super homey in there, sometimes the service is a little slow but the food makes up for it. read more

Just ate here with a few friends. I bought a chicken taco with a few chunks of barely seasoned chicken, a pile of lettuce, and a little Monterey Jack cheese. I spent $7.54 with a $1 tip. The taco was flavorless. If you think that's a good deal, by all means, try it. read more

Unfortunately tonight was not the best compared to past experiences for the following reasons: my boyfriend and I decided to come here because we have always enjoyed the food, but tonight was dissapointing. We came unknowingly five minutes before closing and was seated normally that was until our waitress notified us that the kitchen was closed, but she offered to put in our orders and so we did. Once they came back with our orders, the portions were a fraction of what we have had in the past and we were also rushed through the process. We offered to take it to go if it made it easier, but one of the runners let us know it was okay, but it seemed as if we were still being hurried. All in all we still decided to tip well, but this was a dissapointing visit. We were just caught off gaurd that noone notified us that they were closed, we would have been our way if it we knew it was going to be this rushed. As much as she tried, the waitress only visited us twice, once to get our orders and the other to give us our check. From beginning to end, we were only there for a little less than 25 minutes. read more

When you are with the Duke - how can a place not be fantastic! The free chips and salsa to start your meal are seasoned with a season salt. I like combining the salsa with pico de gallo because I like a chunkier salsa! The Fundido Dip is a spicy delight with chili and queso - so perfect for dipping but keep some water with you! Their salads are fresh and topped with cheese and their house dressing goes perfectly! Their burgers are inventive. I had a pastrami burger and it was so yum! Cadillac margaritas are AMAZING here and they don't skimp on the pitchers! There is a full bar and the menu is a mixture of Mexican and American. Well, they have everything so no one in your party will be disappointed. They have the NFL ticket and there are TVs everywhere! I like sitting in the quaint little bar or outside on the patio. If you are looking for a quiet dining experience this isn't your place as there is always a game on, music playing and people reveling in what is the casual and fun-filled ambiance of Espiau's! The one drawback is the bathroom situation! For this, they lose a star but I am not sure how they would remedy it. There is one stall in the girls bathroom and this bathroom is shared with the coffee shop that is hidden behind it. When it gets busy you wait and they aren't really quick to clean it. You can park in front on the street, behind or in the parking structure, so don't fear if you can't find a spot right away. Claremont is a busy little town but they do have parking structures that are close by! Other than that, the staff is pleasant and make themselves available! I will be back! read more

Their shredded beef quesadilla would definitely taste better without too much black pepper. Or is there even a need to put black pepper at all? It kills the taste. read more

The service is suuuuper slow! As for the food, it's decent. The Espiaus salad is mega bomb, the spicy chicken tortilla soup is amazing but definitely spicy, the chips are good and salsa is fresh and flavorful. The menu has a lot going on...Mexican, burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings... Kind of weird but everyone I've ever been with seems to stick to the Mexican dishes. I like the patio seating area, there's plenty of tv's to catch a game and chat with friends. read more

I really just want to give a 5 star for the cashier girl who rang up my order, I wish I caught her name. I had originally went online to see what I wanted to order, when I called in to order the price online was much different than the price she gave me over the phone. I figured once I picked my food up I would show her what they advertise on their online menu. Once I got there I noticed not even on their real menu is the item I ordered listed, so nothing to compare it to. She was kind enough to honor the price online and because of her customer service I give her 5 stars. On the other hand, I would probably give less to the restaurant due to the fact that they don't have the pricing nor menu items matched up consistently. Her co-worker didn't look to happy that she honored the price but because she did, they have a happy customer. It is not the customer's fault that the menu or pricing has not been updated online. read more

Do not order shrimp tacos from this place. There were maybe two small shrimps at the most that were cut up and covered with a bunch of cabbage for each taco. Everywhere else I have ordered them, there was at least double the shrimp. When we asked the server, we were told it was $6 to add more shrimp. Very overpriced cabbage tacos with a dash of shrimp! read more

I have frequented Espiau's Restaurant since the 70's when they were located in Pomona, CA. I am sorry to say that the last few times I've taken someone there, I have had poor service, culminating in the worst experience in a restaurant in a very long time. When we walked in the door, there was only one couple in front of us waiting for a table. After 5 minutes of waiting, someone finally appeared to seat them. We waited another 5 minutes to be asked how many in our party. After we were seated, it took another 5 minutes to be asked if we wanted anything to drink. There were no utensils on the table, and after she brought our drinks and we ordered, still no utensils. My salad took 20 minutes to arrive as there was no sign of the waitress and the main course was brought 3 minutes later. It got cold while I ate my salad! We asked someone for assistance and told us that she had taken over from the original waitress. We had not been informed by anyone. The new waitress was quite helpful. Unfortunately, when she brought the order submitted by the original waitress, it was wrong! There was no manager to speak to and it looked as if the first waitress dumped us for a larger party in another room. read more

I think this place is in a unique situation. There aren't many place to eat in downtown Claremont, that serve diner food. I've been here maybe 10 times. The food is mediocre, and must be consumed with beer to be any good. I don't drink, and no mater what I order, it's not good. I've had the tacos before, and they are flavorless. How do you screw that up. I just had a chicken burger. It tasted lime boiled chicken, with shredded lettuce, on a week old bun, and gawd awful mustard. The chips are too hard and thick, and the salsa comes from a jar. Please improve your food. You would foo much better if you did. The Italian place up the street is just as bad. Is it that people are so hard up for a cozy street scene that they will eat anything. Maybe. But I'm sure if the alcohol were to go away, maybe the taste buds would have to do some work for the rest of us. read more

If you are looking for a comfortable place to eat this is it. For most people it will hit them in their comfort zone not too pricey, not too spicy and casual. I've read some of the other reviews and no one really mentions their extensive menu it includes Mexican style and Deli style sandwiches. There is a huge place indoor dining, bar area, patio area and large flat screen TVs all over the place. It is in downtown Claremont where the townies and university kids rub elbows and tastes. The university kids & professors bring an eastern urban view/ expectations and this restaurant is clearly a homogenized restaurant that tries to appeal to everyone. From the crowds I've seen a lot of people do like it for snacking, drinking and dining. read more

We come here often. The food is tasty but since it is a college/bar hangout the kids can get annoyingly loud. There is an outside patio that is heated at night which is nice. The drinks are good and the location is good for walking around afterwards. Never much of a wait and the staff is friendly and quick. read more

I have to say I've been coming to this restaurant for about 10 years and the previous owner well at least the female previous owner was always rude. But today I had the pleasure of meeting the new owners and let me tell you great service, the food has always been great before and now but just the customer service that I received today had me in awe with how amazing the service was... I go to this restaurant periodically at least maybe once every couple of months just for the service alone that I received today I will be sure to get there at least once a month,thank you to the manager Carrie Lynn and her father.... read more

Downtown Claremont, nice to walk around, we ate in the outside patio on a sticky plastic table cover. The chips where warm and pretty good, but the salsa not so good. I ordered the chicken enchilada combo, took two bites didn't finish. The salads that people seem to like, well they are just okay. read more

It was our first time here when Anderson Silva fought last. I completely dislike their UFC policy. You have to eat $20 worth of food, and if you don't, they'll simply add on up to the $20 mark to your bill. It always looked crowded, and it was. However, all the tables were so close together, there was no privacy and I was in a booth. Their salads are not Mexican salads. Come on, just because you added a pound of cheese on top, literally, it does not qualify as a Mexican dish. It was too freaking much man. We had to take a whole box full of salad with cheese that simply rotted in the fridge because no one was excited to eat it. The only thing I LOVED here was the carne asada! Hands down, some of THE best I've ever had. Their seasoning is masterful. It's amazingly juicy, soft, and savory. Service is annoying btw. They came to my table damn near 20 times. Good service does not mean excessive annoyance people, please. Let us eat and watch the fight. I did not appreciate that. They're whatever, I most likely won't come here again, unless it's our last resort for watching fights. read more

Definitely not authentic Mexican food..overall menu options are rather bland..best thing about this place is their chips and salsa and their Mexican salad..which isn't really "Mexican," but good because of all the cheese :-) seriously that alone keeps me coming back.. read more

This place is the WORSE. Food below medoocre, and definitely not worth the price. What about the service? We saw two parties leave in the matter of 10 minutes for the lack of service, we should've done the same. read more

ABSOLUTELY GROSS!! I don't understand why this restaurant always looks busy. The restaurant itself is old and disgusting (the carpet looks nasty and the booths are sticky), the food was gross and the service - oh my gosh the service was awful. I don't know if our waitress was having a day or if that was her normal personality, but DAMN she was rude. We waited forever to get drinks and then to get served. When she brought our waters she did not place our waters in front of each person, but rather dumped the waters all at the end of the table so that we could each grab our own. How lazy is that??? You are a waitress, do your job! Our food took so long and by the time we got the food, we were out of our drinks and waters and the food came out cold. She looked like she could care less. AND to top it all off, she comes by as soon as we start eating our food to give us the bill and lets us know that we need to pay now because her shift is over. YOU MUST BE JOKING. Seriously, such a DUMP. And I wish I could remember that waitress' name because she needs to get a different job where she doesn't have to provide customer service. This place needs to go. Claremont has really great restaurants and this s-hole does not fit in. read more

I've been coming here since I was a kid . Now order off the senior menu. Love the Salad (hopeless cheeseaholic) The dressing is outstanding. Great chips and guacamole. Always friendly service. Sometimes a little loud. Very generous portions. 2 blocks from Metrolink station. Great neighborhood for a walk before or after dinner. Highly recommended. read more

What is it about the most basic salad in the world that keeps me coming back to Espiau's? Lettuce, so much mozzarella, and a personal squirt bottle of oil and vinegar makes me very happy. Add the albondigas soup and a bowl of the chips and salsa....Thank you. read more

The best mexican salad and chips & salsa!! Yum! The newly remodeled bar area looks awesome and it's a great place to watch a game or just hang out with friends. The wait staff is good, but ever changing.. with a few originals. A tad pricey.. and food is a bit greasy IMO.. but overall a great place! read more

I came in here for lunch and the waitress recommended the albondigas soup and mexican salad. I took her recommendation and am so happy I did. The food was amazing and the service was perfect. I will definitely be going back. read more

I ate at Espiau's for the first time on a Thursday evening. They had plenty of open tables so we figured let's give it a try. We had the enchilada with carnitas and rice, enchiladas with taco meat and a burrito with shredded beef. All of these items were served hot and presented neatly but the flavor was high in salt and very one dimensional at best. Such a shame because it wouldn't take much to make it better. We had a magician named Chazz stop by our table before our food was delivered and he turned out to be the highlight of the night. Very entertaining, great personality and his tricks were very cool. Totally unexpected. The worst part of the experience was the service and although other yelp reviews make the excuse the restaurant was very busy so don't expect efficient service that wasn't the case. That's a bs excuse anyway, if your busy staff for it. The problem with the service was that our server wasn't around to provide any. She did less then the bare minimum and quite frankly, if I were the owner I would be thinking about how this not only effects opportunities to sell us more (e.g. drinks, appetizers and dessert) but also how it keeps people from coming back. Our server took forever to approach the table and that should have been the red flag for us walking out. From there she literally took our order, stopped back once after the food was delivered and then returned 15 minutes after we were done eating. I was just about to get up and find a manager for the check when she finally arrived with it. No refills on beverages, no clearing of plates, no offers for another margarita and never mind dessert. I generally leave a 20% tip if service is reasonably good and NEVER leave less for bad food which I think penalizes the server, but on this night I left 12% which was probably more then I should have. I actually tipped the Magician Chazz more!! In this case the server and the owner both lose. I won't be back because this restaurant didn't leave me feeling like I received a fair value for the price. If I your looking for a place to have a drink with some buddies or watch a game I guess I can see how some people would go back but for me, the only way to make up for the dated, somewhat dirty atmosphere and even weak service would be have some food with soul. Othererwise, adios. read more

Been here multiple time at the recommendation of my aunt who is a regular. We love their chips and salsa! It is delicious! I have never had a bad meal here have even picked up take out and it was still just as good and dining in. read more

Have come here time to time after my daughter's soccer games. Never been completely pleased with the food, or service. Today we stopped by for what we thought would be drinks and food while watching some football games, but after the very rude service we had from our waitress and bartender, we cancelled our order and went to Heroe's. My husband forgot his ID, we figured it wouldn't be a big deal since he's clearly over 21. My sister ordered him a drink and wasn't carded. I ordered a drink and wasn't carded. When they realized my husband was drinking the beer, they came and carded him and told him he couldn't drink because he didn't have his ID, and they could lose their license. That's understandable, but If they are going to make such a big deal about losing their license then they should be consistent, and card everyone. My sister or I were never carded. It would have all been fine, but the way the bartender talked to us was totally uncalled for. Raising his voice attracting attention of other people eating. Not to mention the Michelada I ordered wasn't good at all. Won't be going back there again! There are a lot of better places on Yale that I'd rather spend my money on! read more