I came here on the weekend with some friends and we enjoyed sharing a bunch of different plates. Food is really good and the ambience as well. The service culture in valle compared to SD or other coastal US cities, is that service is slow and people take their time to enjoy , but that is in line with my other experiences in valle. You can expect to have a 2 to 3 hour dinner. Thanks! read more

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Fauna offers an unparalleled culinary experience. We choose to enjoy the experimental tasting menu, and it did not disappoint. Each course was vibrant, full of flavor, and beautifully built on each other with a perfect sense of balance. The service was also fantastic, and they did a great job explaining each of the courses as it was served. As for the setting, we enjoyed our meal at their outdoor seating area, which added to the overall ambiance as the location itself is also stunning. To say that I recommend Fauna is an understatement, and hope to go back again soon. read more

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Service was extremely slow which is why I gave a star less. The other star.... people were smoking at the tables inside and outside the restaurant. This is suppose to be one of the best restaurants in valle and although it has the feel, the service was really bad. It took us forever to even get water before even getting out wine. Give it a good 20 minutes to even get a drink at the table. Food was excellent. We did the chefs tasting menu. Mostly seafood and small plates. After a 5 course meal we were still a bit hungry. The servings are very small. It took us 2 hours to get through our dinner. The experience is farm to table in wine country which that was delivered. The vibe and decor is spot on. I love the concept. Wine is great, specialty drinks are great, presentation amazing. read more

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A beautiful eating venue set on a hillside overlooking the vineyards. The menu is fresh and bold with modern and old flavors of Mexico. The food is presented beautifully to enjoy with the eyes, before savoring all the different flavors and textures from each dish. Dishes to enjoy - quino salad, roasted lamb, raw clams, octopus. read more

Such an incredible restaurant. I love the farm to table aspect and the atmosphere is sexy and perfect for a date night. Drinks we loved: naked and famous, feel the beets, and mezcal old fashion. For food we loved everything we got. To begin we got ahi tuna and quinoa and carrots. They both had incredible sauces and chips to dip in. Next we got oysters, grilled cabbage, and lettuce. Everything was incredible. The grilled cabbage also had a great sauce. The lettuce had a variety of vegetables on top with a great mustard seed dressing. We will be going to Fauna every time we go to valle de Guadeloupe!! read more

Fauna - Oysters and grilled cabbage - Mexican Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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This restaurant is magic! The setting is beautiful and there are so many little moments everywhere. The food is phenomenal. Great farm to table options and they make use of open fire grills. The rib eye is the best piece of red meat I have had in a very long time. This is a place where you take your time when you are dining. You never feel rushed. A visit to Fauna is an absolute must for any Valle de Guadalupe trip. read more

This place was one of the best dining experiences I've had...if not the best! I consider myself to have been lucky enough to travel to different states & countries to try all different types of cuisines. The place is a hidden gem in the Valle de Guadalupe off a dirt road in the middle of the desert. No street lights, no paved road which makes it even more unique. We made reservations through Open Table and were sat promptly when we arrived at 4pm. Just as information the tables are all together so you are going to be sitting with strangers which I, nor my wife minded doing. It's communal dining at its finest. I started this review a while back and just wanted to finish it here quickly. Food was superb, drinks were classy and the atmosphere was all the feels of being back home in Los Angeles in a cool way. Definitely want to come back and visit with friends. One place I suggest is a must when wine tasting down here! read more

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Quick stop at the bar for some drinks.... fauna beautiful and modern decor service is a bit slow at the bar but views are worth the wait read more

Fauna - Views at the bar ... - Mexican Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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9 courses! Well done, Fauna! Wonderful dinner for two of us and we basically had to roll ourselves out of there afterwards! We definitely enjoyed every single bite and no better than farm to table! The decor of the restaurant, ambiance, and yes, the bathroom...beautiful. I also love how isolated this restaurant is from the main road. You would never know it existed until less than a mile in from the main entrance. read more

Fauna - Mexican Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

Food was great. Service was excellent. The restaurant is designed with farm tables and it feels like the outside dessert and rocks belong inside and are one of the same. read more

The food was utterly superb. Have the feast. Waves of deep and varied flavors, textures, and visual delights that somehow, magically, harmonized against the other distinctive dishes being served simultaneously. This is conception and execution at the highest level. We would have enjoyed more clarity about what we were being served. To some degree, the issue was due to language limitations, and it is not unreasonable to have explanations deterred by the wide variety of surprises coming out of the kitchen. But the noise level at the communal tables makes for some challenging communication at times. Further, I am very concerned about contracting a virus because the entitled individual bumping beside me coughed easily 100 times and should absolutely never have come out in public while clearly ill. Bad form and a huge detractor for which the staff was in no way responsible. What staff and ownership should be doing is thinking about the guest experience beyond the food. We were originally seated beneath a lamp that was so intensely bright that I would have gotten up and left rather than sit there. It is lazy stupidity that is unacceptable. Secondly, the weather was extremely cold, which cannot be helped, and staff was wearing heavy jackets to cope. But some jackass imagines that it is acceptable to route the staff right through the dining room to dish washers in another adjacent building, which to begin with is such bad planning! The door through which they were coming and going was obviously very heavy and hard to open and shut so they kept leaving it open with a freezing breeze hitting us and they went in and out again at least fifty times during our meal. I became the damned hall monitor constantly asking them to shut the damned door. What the hell! Dumb and insulting from design to behavior and everyone from staff to guests was well aware. Do better! Will we be back? Probably. The kitchen is exceptional and we have enjoyed our meals on four occasions now. We will not come during cold weather and I may walk out entirely if I am seated beside another rude stranger. (We also have had our meals greatly enhanced by fantastic interactions with other diners. Bad luck, I guess, last night.) But don't be stupid. Show leadership and figure out better ways to manage such obvious challenges as responding to cold weather. Do a better job and show real concern for the guest experience. read more

Outstanding food and overall singing experience. It's a must visit venue if you're in the Valle. Just go!

I have been coming to fauna for years w my parents and it has always been incredible and I thought long and hard before writing this. but this last expierence was sub par. Roads were flooded day I came and absol ruined my bumper on way in. once I got there I was left waiting in rain for a while before somebody came out. mind you I had been bragging about this spot to my fiance and two best friends for the past couple months we got the tasting menu and was completely underwhelmed I had to spit out two of the plates they brought out. we paid over 120 each and 3 of the plates they brought out were build your own taco plates the octopus was super undercooked might have ruined pulpo for me for a while. I want to think good things about this place but don't know if I will be coming back. read more

As part of a custom wine tour day in Valle we stopped in for a late lunch around 2pm. The weather was gorgeous and we were able to have an amazing experience outside. We ordered the Fauna Menu, a chef-curated 4 course meal. Our sever asked if we had any dietary restrictions or preferences and they worked well around them. We ended up with oysters, chocolate clams, mackerel shashimi, cold charred broccoli, charred cabbage, braised lamb, both traditional and blue corn tortillas, and dessert. On top of our cocktails, we almost had to be rolled out we were so full. I would love to return at night next time. read more

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After doing a little research and speaking to the locals, we opted for having appetizers, cocktails and some a la carte items instead of the pairing experience...just out of personal preference. We ordered some of our favorites cocktails, Dirty Martini, Old Fashioned & Bees Knees. They were all absolutely on point, very well balanced and delicious! Next up were the Oysters in Tomato water and Abalone in Aguachile ---this was my first WOWZA moment, the abalone was so tender, it melted in your mouth and oysters were so fresh, you could taste the ocean. The combination of flavors in both "waters" was out of this world. Could have easily eaten a few dozen. We followed up with Broccoli in Chiltepín & New York Wagyu. The broccoli dish kept coming up in several videos & reviews so I was really intrigued; NOW, I totally understand why. That sauce is amazing, I don't know what they do to it but I could have grabbed a spoon & gone to town! We dipped our perfectly cooked wagyu in it; so good! The chef sent us a charred & cheese stuffed pasilla chile in a smoky & spicy salsa. Another great combo of flavors that we gladly dug in to. We had a nice front row seat to the kitchen, every sauce & dish that came out, chef would walk by & taste. We watched as the kitchen symphony moved & grooved to execute these lovely dishes. Chef David Castro Hussong even stopped in the kitchen while we were there, it was actually his day off (I asked) but I think someone of importance must've been eating next to us because he was talking with them for a while. I would definitely come back to try more dishes & definitely more cocktails as well. The staff were all incredibly friendly & nice. The design of the building is pretty cool too, the bathrooms were so interesting and the outdoor space and garden was beautiful. I especially loved the murals! read more

One of the best restaurants I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. The food is exquisite, the place is beautiful and the service is stellar. Don't miss your chance of eating here before they get their first Michelin star! It's coming! PS. Ask for Choy as your server and your night will be unforgettable! read more

David's place is an amazing spot in the heart of the Guadalupe valley. Decadent scene, scenic views and fantastic foods combine into memorable experience. We ordered everything from the appetizer, snack and main menus and divided upon our group. The results we incredible! Thank you David! Make sure you use Bruma vineyard for directions as it's tricky to find it with google map. read more

Fauna - Mexican Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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Amazing food and great ambiance Every time I go to Ensenada, this is one of my must stops. The have great food at both restaurants. I recommend to do the wine tasting tour, just to see the beautiful wine cellar and sample their wines. read more

Insane food, you gotta go and try the lamb. It's truly an experience. Service is amazing, and the vibes are different but really great.

Felt overlooked in overrated experience. Pros: beautiful scenery inside and out. Cons: Crowded shared table seating. We were guided to get a six course meal that we were assured would meet my wife's pescatarian needs and my gluten free needs. Four hours later, we finally finished. We watched people come and go. At one point, they brought my wife duck, which she assumed was fish, took a bite of, and...was not happy. When I pointed it out to the waiter that it wasn't fish, he said, it was duck, and walked away. We watched others at our table get vegetarian options we asked for, and when inquired, were told people get different things ..even though we ordered the same six course meal. When looking at the menu when paying, the waiter sat next to me and asked, w/card reading machine "questions? Do I get a tip?" We left feeling unappreciated and ignored and fed things we didn't ask for or don't eat. The food, while diverse, frankly wasn't that good. No subtlety or delicate mixing of flavors. Too salty, to strong, to...meh. After spending four hours here (no exaggeration), we wish would've left excited, but we just felt like they couldn't care less about us, or if we could eat what they served us. There are better options around, especially if you have dietary needs. For a bill closing in on $300, some kindness and respect could've made the difference. read more

Great 12 course dinner, beautiful setting and friendly table neighbors. Drinks are perfect too, plenty of photo ops. I didn't take pictures because I was too engaged in the experience, totally worth the price. read more

Fauna - Excellent food and ambiance. - Mexican Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

What an incredible experience from the architecture to the incredible food. I highly recommend this place. If you come to el valle de Guadalupe this is a must. read more

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7 course meal. Pricey but it is worth the try. The ambiance and nature is worth the visit. Fully recommend it if open to try the various foods and flavors. read more

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This was painful. So much food and so delicious you just want to keep eating. Definitely get the Menu Festin, they are pretty good at accommodating dietary restrictions. Every dish was delicious, Mexican food has a lot of lime so you better like it. Subtle but amazing dishes to look out for are the sweet potato with almonds and the cabbage, simple dishes but amazing execution. Take a break from wine, their cocktails are expertly crafted. The place is very well set up for a large group. If you are a 2 people , you will very likely be sat at a long "communal" table along other couples. Not bad just an FYI so you don't expect your own table. read more

This place is AMAZING! It was my first (certainly not my last) time in Valle de Guadalupe and this was probably the best food we had all weekend. Like most restaurants and wineries, you might need a reservation for dinner during the weekend. However, we called Saturday afternoon to see if they had a table, and they had one available within 30 minutes. So it definitely doesn't hurt to try calling last minute! We decided to do the first dinner option (which included 6 to 8 dishes) for two people. Everything was amazing from the oysters to the chocolate banana dessert. Next time we're in Valle, we will definitely make a stop here. read more

Fauna - Mexican Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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It's probably THE MOST STUNNING restaurant I've been to. Wow. This place is like a little oasis the mountains. Gorgeous views of the whole valley. The restaurant is secluded and feels like you're tucked away from it all. Fire pits, outdoor bar, and partial al fresco dining all feel magical. Get the Fauna Family Style menu with wine pairings for a delicious taste across their whole menu. The pulled lamb and the grilled cabbage I still dream about. You won't break the bank but get extremely good quality. Make a reservation! read more

Not quite what I expected for the price. Restaurant space, location and staff were amazing. I took my parents here for Mom's birthday, she had never done a tasting menu before and saw that this place had that option (my go to option, Malva, wasn't open in Tuesdays). If you want traditional tasting menu, this isn't it. They come out in three or four courses, three or four items at a time. This is a very seafood centric menu, despite the name of the restaurant (which isn't a problem, area has amazing seafood) so be prepared for that. My biggest complaint I think was the serving sizes. On a tasting menu, I expected small plates of amazing flavor. Fauna went the route of throwing the whole normal menu at you, or so it felt. They started out on the light side, so no issue, but one of last dishes was a sweet potato. I saw a few other reviews here and common comment was "roll me out of the restaurant". It's not pleasant to be overstuffed. Food was good, nothing jumped out to me as amazing. Dinner for four, will no alcohol, ran close to $500 (with tip). This was very much on the high end for the area. read more

The Fauna Feast is popular for great reasons. There were six courses and most came with 3 dishes each. We of course came very hungry, but I believe the portions were too large which started to take away from the flavor by the end. But really, the meal was fantastic, great value, and only complaint was having too much fantastic food :) Service was great. We will return. read more

Definitely an incredible place to go for someone's birthday or a special occasion. Even though we had a reservation, we had to wait about 30 minutes. They gave us water while we waited. We ordered the tasting menu for all four of us. I would recommend not to order anything else if you ordered the tasting menu. It would be good to have 8 people if you wanted to eat two tasting menus. It was very nice outside and the waiters were very polite about explaining the food. For the first course, there was this amazing tomato water oyster which was incredibly delicious. Three had so many other courses and every one had something great. The lamb and the fish were perfectly cooked with the skin on the fish and the lamb was not very lammy for people who don't like lamb. The deserts were the best deserts I've ever had. It had a sorbet and fredo and a palet refresher. The sorbet was so creamy and the fredo was so buttery and delicious. Though expensive, I think it deserves a star read more

Just Meh... I honestly wouldn't go here with high expectations. The staff isn't very attentive and the food is nothing to write hone about. The only positive thing here was the drinks were decent. If I didn't have as many drink as as I did they would be getting less stars. If you're looking for something delicious with good drinks. Just go to deckmans. read more

Simply put, this is one of the best meals of my life. I can't wait to return. There wasn't a stand out dish for me, just everything we had on the tasting menu was wonderful. We opted to skip the wine and cocktails and just enjoy the food. read more

Best meal i've had in a long time. It's known as one of the best restaurants along the west coast (US and Canada included) and I agree with that. We enjoyed the tasting menu, and every item was exceptional. I am eager to return to eat here again, even if i have to drive through all the potholes and flooded lakes along the roads to get here. read more

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Have to say that this was one of the best meals of my life. That comment does not come lightly, as I feel that I am quite a foodie and have traveled extensively just for the culinary experiences. My wife and I had a 6 hour lunch at Fauna last Sunday afternoon. (A last minute weekend in Valle de Guadalupe and could not get reservations for Saturday evening. Boy are we glad! A relaxing Sunday was perfect. Could not have been a better experience) We arrived about 1:00 as they opened and were the first ones there. We were warmly welcomed and decided to have the full Fauna experience and did the 9 course tasting menu with wine pairings. The pace of the courses was perfect and we had time to enjoy each one along with the interesting local wines. Some reviewers commented that the menu was fish oriented and it was. 7 of 8 courses (besides dessert) was fish, but each one was more incredible than the last. No complaints here. Other reviewers said they did not feel comfortable with the communal seating, but for us this was a plus. We sat next to each other, as we are "Whisperers, rather than Starers". Halfway through our meal another couple was seated across from us and after a bit, we got talking and ended up the best of friends. I brought out some good Montecristo cigars and he brought out a 16yr old Lagavullen whisky from the trunk of his car. Amazingly, both got finished before the afternoon was out! Chef David Castro Hussong and his wife joined us for a bit and We laughed and shared and ate and drank the afternoon away. One of the nicest afternoons in Valle ever. Felt like we were relaxing in our backyard. We highly recommend Chef David and Fauna as a great destination not to be missed. Looking forward to a return trip to share the experience with more old and future friends. Cheers, Chef David!!! Good success to you!! read more

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Amazing experience. I would definitely come back. Staff was super friendly and accommodating. We arrived with our dog and we felt welcomed like we've been there forever. It was a magical night and last but not least the food was so good and delicious given also the fact that I had some intolerance they recreate a couple of dishes! Fauna is one of my favorite places in the world now! read more

First, The restaurant itself is beautiful. The location and the architecture give off a wonderful modern-rustic and artsy vibe... it is absolutely great and it gives you the feeling that you're about to have wonderful time and an epic meal. We didn't try any of the main dishes, which are the rib eye and the chicken. We tried a number of appetizers and also shared the Octopus and Salpico. The meal itself left a lot to be desired. Every dish had wonderful components, but also unnecessarily over-the-top elements that either overwhelmed the dish and/or overshadowed the main elements of each dish. For example, the octopus and lentil dish had a wonderful octopus that was perfectly cooked and charred, but was completely overwhelmed by the overly acidic pickled veg that it came with. The Tetala was wonderfully delicious in its own. And the sauce that it came with a was also amazing, on its own. But together, the sauce comply overwhelmed the delicate and nuanced flavors of the tetela. That was the theme of the night. Also disappointing was the lack of drink variety. Just three wines were one the list plus a handful of beers and cocktails. The wines didn't really pair well with the food. Because of the limited variety of drinks, we did not stay to finish the night there. We went back to the room and opened a bubbly. I don't want to give the impression that this is a bad restaurant. It is absolutely not. It just seemed like it tries to be too ambitious, but it fell just short. But, it is very close from getting it just right. We are excited to come back in the future. read more

I think this is the best food and best service I have ever had. Not only was it BEAUTIFUL.... but every item we ordered melted in our mouths! I will definitely be back. read more

I would give 5 stars to Fauna for the ambiance and cocktails; however, my partner and I both chose the tasting menu & that deserves a solid 3 stars. In our opinion quite a few dishes had a very overwhelming flavor profile, rather than a symphony of flavors. The octopus was cooked to perfection, but it was so tart from the ceviche style that it wasn't even enjoyable, same for the oyster taco (very tart/sour). The cabbage was "different" but I wouldn't call it "good". The highlight was the lamb and the churro with ice cream. They also have a very good Paloma that is not on the drink menu. Overall, I believe there are better restaurants in the valley, especially if you are seeking more tasty foods after a day of wine. read more

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Pretty bad service , was not happy at all with my experience. I had a reservation for 8pm , and they did not seat me . They made me wait 35 min and they also seated another table who did not have a reservation. I was Lucky enough to grab a table at OJA and wow food food and service was amazing, defenitely give OJA a try read more

We had our wedding at Fauna after having visited a handful of times, blown away by the scenic view of the valle paired with the amazing food and drink, we had to find a way to get married here! Turns out all we had to do was ask. David the Manager and David the Head Chef were so accommodating throughout the planning process. "You worry about enjoying your day, we'll take care of the rest." became their mantra. Take care of the rest they did! They went so far beyond what we could've ever imagined. The entire evening the staff was so attentive and so in sync. Every dish landed in unison, and no glass was left empty. We had a better wedding than we could've hoped for and it was all due to the Fauna staff! As the evening wore down they even made extra food for the guests who spent the last few hours on the dance-floor. This team showed a casual professionalism that just made the night fun and welcoming to all. Fauna will forever be our favorite restaurant and hold a special place in our hearts. Whether your having an event or just planning on going for dinner we promise you won't be disappointed! read more

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Hands down the best restaurant I've been to in awhile. Four of us had reservations in the afternoon. (Make sure you make a reservation- you can reserve on open table). I believe they do not let walk ins in but you'll have to double check. We decided to do the family style menu bc we couldn't decide what we wanted. It did not disappoint. I would highly recommend the family style menu so you can try many of the delicious dishes. We also had cocktails and wine. I had the Paloma. I recall the price being less than 65 per person including food, drinks, and 20.% tip. It was very well priced as i was shocked with how low the bill was. I recommend you bring extra layers as it can get chilly in the shade. Great scenery. Picturesque. read more