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    Gonzalez's Restaurant

    4.6 (776 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    GONZALEZ'S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Enchiladas de Mole (IMPORTED) combo
    William M.

    It's always a wonderful surprise to stumble across an amazing new place (well, new for me). This tiny, humble, hidden casual eatery is home to some of Orange County's best Mexican food. The service is super friendly and prompt. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The environment is simple and relaxed.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Their huge menu has plenty of favorites and lots of less common dishes, as well. I had the Enchiladas Mole stuffed with fresh shredded chicken, wrapped in a moist tortilla and topped with their amazing sweet mole sauce. My dining companion enjoyed the massive Wet Chile Verde Burrito (actually only half, it was so big) with marinated pork and a mildly spicy, flavorful sauce. The refreshing horchata was perfectly sweetened. Can't wait to return soon!

    Chile Verde Plate
    Vivi L.

    Gonzalez's hits the spot!! My friends and I came in end of March because I was craving Mexican food, and turns out they have $1.25 Taco Tuesdays! My friends ordered their normal "go-to" tacos of carne asada and al pastor, but the server (who also doubled as the cashier) recommended the cochinita pibil tacos and they ended up being the favorites! Each table comes with chips and salsa I ordered the chile verde plate (I think it was about $18) and it was delicious! The pork was super tender and the chile verde was bright and punchy. I added some squeezes of lime bc I'm a tart girl and it was perfect! The size was super filling; I normally finish all my food but had to take some to go. Oh, the rice and beans were amazing too! Also, my friend ordered the birria fries and oooo, I love that they use the skinny fries!! That's when you knooow they'll hit the spot

    Caldo de Camaron y pescado
    OC Resident R.

    I took my sister here for her birthday because of the high 4.5-star rating, but unfortunately our experience didn't match the reviews. She ordered the caldo de mariscos and it was completely flavorless. The vegetables tasted old and were very soggy. I ordered the enchiladas de camarón with green sauce, and they were disappointing as well, the shrimp was overcooked and the sauce had a sour taste that didn't seem right. Even the pineapple water was way too sweet. We had to add regular water and extra ice just to make it drinkable. I was really expecting much better, especially based on the current rating. It's sad, but I still have a hard time finding a good Mexican restaurant in Santa Ana that meets my standards. Unfortunately, I won't be coming back.

    Just an amazing Pambazo - Papa con Chorizo!  Get that sandy in your mouth ASAP!
    John M.

    Five stars, again. Service was great. Even though the place was full, on a Wednesday at lunch, the lone server was efficient and friendly. NICE! The Pambazo Papa con Chorizo is out of this world even though this is only the second one I've ever had. My first was here 1 year ago! Glad I had to come nearby for an errand I was running. I was so excited to have the chance to try this again. Immediately after sitting down I was brought a basket of chips and some salsa. Crispy warm chips and a delicious salsa that I wanted to take home!! The Pambazo is a messy sandwich to eat and I had red enchilada sauce all over my hands. I used 8 napkins and there is still a faint red tinge on some parts of my hands. Get it with the lettuce and cheese. Bread is fresh. Chorizo so tasty. Potatoes give it a great flavor and texture. I don't know what the sauces are that are served along side, but both are very tasty. One a res hot sauce and one like a creamy avocado. YUM! I asked for a refill of Diet Pepsi and the server came back with a huge to-go cup. Great service again! Come out and give it a try. It is so good you will try to find me and thank me in person. Go. Eat Well. HAVE FUN!

    Chile Relleno a la Carte
    John O.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]These are the places I love - hole in the wall family run places. It's very much a home cooking kind of place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They have a wide variety of dishes with some things you don't see often like pambazos, pibil, sopes and huaraches. A group of us dined for lunch and enjoyed a variety of dishes. I had heard good things about their shrimp quesadillas so tried the garlic shrimp version. With the cheese it was like a big taco gobernador. My wife had enchiladas with both red and green sauce (Christmas!). The red was deep in flavor and the green definitely had a kick. Everything had a light fresh taste. At the end we were surprised with the gift of a plate of freshly made chicarrones. A nice treat and much appreciated. They had 3 tablespoons of salsas served with the chips. One was a typical fresh salsa, but in smaller bottles were a spicy habanero? Salsa and my favorite, the jalapeño crema. We'll definitely be back.

    Pambazo with Meat
    Arlene F.

    Like nothing I've had before! Mexico City sandwich called Pambazo! It's delicious! Huge and perfect for two to share! Choice of meat and I ordered the cochinito pibil and it was yummy! Great friendly service too Came after lunch rush and Before dinner! Perfect timing! [[HIGHLIGHT]]AC hit the spot on a hot summer day![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Omar R.

    Finally tried Gonzalez Restaurant after years on my Yelp bookmark list and it did NOT disappoint! Their pambazos were everything I hoped for and the chilaquiles verdes were delicious too! Plus, the service was perfect. Worth the wait

    3 Cheese Enchiladas added Slices of Avocado added 2 Eggs
    Britney M.

    Let's start with the show stopper- the shrimp quesadilla! The shrimp quesadilla was sooo good! It was loaded with cheese and the shrimp was cooked to perfection. And you get a lot of shrimp. My fiancé said it was the best shrimp quesadilla he has ever had. And I agree, it was great! 10/10 The cheese enchiladas with avocado added were great! Super cheesy and had good flavor. I also added eggs for more protein, and that really made this dish delicious!! 10/10 I will definitely be back. This place was amazing.

    Caldo Mixto (Pescado, Pulpo, Camarón)
    Jade T.

    Wow, this place is amazing. I can't believe it's so close by and I'm barely trying it. It's kinda hidden, like you might miss it driving down Chapman but you need to give it a try! My husband got the pambazo chorizo and I got 3 street tacos - chicken, steak, and pastor. We also split the mixed seafood soup. Everything was amazing, service was also good, our person greeted us with a smile and seemed happy to help us the entire time. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is spacious and clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We will come back!

    Watermelon aqua fresca

    My husband and I have been coming here for years. It's owned by a lovely family who always provide excellent service. The food is amazing. We plan on coming for many years to come!

    3 Chicken Enchiladas combo
    Victoria J.

    Hidden gem! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is super clean which I admire.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service is top notch and everyone's very friendly. The horchata and the Tamarindo were excellent- the best I've had in awhile. I almost got some to go because it was so good. The food was very good and cooked fresh. Good flavor on the meat and salsa. I'll definitely be back - highly recommend you stop by, you won't regret it!! :)

    The Gonzalez's enchiladas

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    Review Insights

    4 months ago

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    7 months ago

    Service was excellent and friendly. The enchiladas were so so good but the real winner is the cochinita pibil taco. A+ restaurant.

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Wet fish burrito with green sauce and the chilaquiles with steak are worth going back for. Amazing people work here and very welcoming.

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    8 months ago

    Met one of the owners and she went out of her way to make this a good dining experience! Service was exceptional and food we ate was an 8.5

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    Page 1 of 20

    Gonzalez's Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

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    Do they have taco Tuesday & how much?

    99 cents tacos: -Chicken -Al Pastor… 

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    Overall a great experience…read more The pros: Came in on a Saturday afternoon and was sat down to be greeted by a lovely server. Had red and white sangria. Both were good but we both preferred the white. Queso fundido was good but didn't come with chips so we ordered chips and salsa. Mole tostadidas were delightful, full of flavor. Esquites: the bomb. Super flavorful and we cleaned the plate. Churrosnwere good, but the dipping sauces left something to be desired. A little runny and preferred the hot churro on its own. The cons: the only thing that was a little disappointing was the fact that they served us the end of a bag of chips. While the chips were fine, it was surprising that at a michelin star restaurant they didn't serve homemade chips. Worse still, we got the tail end of the bag of chips. The top of the bowl had regular sized chips but they were just hiding the smaller broken odds and ends that you find at the bottom of the bag.

    I'd like to start by saying the service was not the issue. The staff were kind and happily offered…read morerecommendations when asked. In my opinion, the restaurant should just be called "Gabbi's Kitchen," because that would be more appropriate. This is the type of "Mexican" restaurant that Mexicans don't actually go to. Basic concepts and dishes that are either done incorrectly or have way too much going on. We ordered the Al Pastor Gordita, and it was easily the worst gordita I've ever had. The meat wasn't traditionally seasoned the way you'd expect al pastor to be, which could be fine, except it was overwhelmed by the taste of either cinnamon, allspice, or some other seasoning I couldn't identify. It was distracting and unpleasant. Then there was an overwhelming amount of pineapple. There shouldn't even be pineapple in a gordita, but if there is, it shouldn't be the main ingredient. Instead of lettuce, there were one or two spinach leaves, and no beans. We also ordered the Arrachera, which was basically carne asada on corn and nopal. This was the most expensive dish, yet while the cheaper dishes came with sides, this was mainly just a piece of meat on a small mountain of corn. No beans, rice, or salsa. I asked for salsa and received an overly sweet, somehow-not-spicy habanero salsa that they charged $4 for. And if you're used to going to literally any authentic Mexican restaurant and getting complimentary chips and salsa, don't expect that here. They offer it to you like it's free, but it's not. I wanted to try something new, and the hostess at the front said the food was "really good" (not her fault), but unfortunately, it's just another Americanized Mexican restaurant that makes you regret not going to a place you already know and trust.

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    The cellar table
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    Gotditas al pastor
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    Santo Remedio

    Santo Remedio

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    (884 reviews)
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    Look if there's anything I know I know good Mexican food…read morewhy because I'm Mexican I eat Mexican food every day to me. I don't call it Mexican food. I just call it food cause that's what I eat for breakfast lunch and dinner so when I'm telling you that this place has some really good food trust me you want to come out and try it. Everything they have on the menu is bomb as fuck. Their drinks are bomb. The service is bomb. That's the reason I keep coming back all the way from the inland Empire to Orange to eat their food this is one of my favorite spots to come and join the rest of my family. We all come from different parts of Southern California just to eat here so if you're yelping and you're curious to know how good this place is stop it already just come in you won't be disappointed!! I do have to warn you that this is a Cantina restaurant so the music is loud but guess what? I fucking love loud music!!

    ...... if you do not like loud music, I mean loud to the point where you can't hear yourself talk,…read morethis is not the place to go. respectfully the trio can't sing. There instruments sound amazing but the singing was not it. It would do better if they did everything without speakers The music they had on aux though was great, maybe they should stick to that. Regardless, the food was amazing. I would totally go back for the food and the beans were soooo good!! Service was also nice, we did have to wave them down a couple times but regardless, very kind people. Please just fix the music situation LOL.

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    Avila's El Ranchito

    Avila's El Ranchito

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    First time here, and overall, we had a good experience. What I really liked was the service…read more Everyone was super nice and helpful, from the servers to the rest of the staff. Our water glasses were always full, and they kept the table clean as soon as we finished a plate. The food was good, but not the best I've tried. I had the Grande Taco Salad, and I really enjoyed it. We also ordered the seafood tacos, but unfortunately, the shrimp had a little bit of a soapy taste. We let our server know, and they were very nice about it and offered to get her something else. A note for anyone who doesn't eat pork: ask for the beans prepared "a la olla" instead of the refried beans. I asked our server if the refried beans were made with manteca (pork lard), and he confirmed that they were, so just something to be aware of when ordering. The restaurant itself has a lot of character. It used to be a church, so it has beautiful colorful windows with designs, lots of wood inside, and some huge, beautiful lamps in the middle. They also have outdoor seating, but it was way too hot to sit outside when we went. Overall, it was a nice first visit, especially because of the friendly service and atmosphere. I'm giving it 4 stars because of the soapy taste in the shrimp and because, while the food was good, I've had better Mexican food at other places.

    Great customer service! Friendly staff and super accommodating…read more First time and it won't be the last, just discover my new dinner spot and I am going back to try the mahi tacos!! Ambiance is perfect for families, parties and even meeting up with friends. Food tasted authentic.

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    Out of the Avila's locations; Orange does the Grande Taco Salad best!!
    Out of the Avila's locations; Orange does the Grande Taco Salad best!!
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    I came to Kalaveras and was blown away by how fast the food came out! Not only was the service…read moreincredibly quick, but the food was fresh, delicious, and great quality. What made our visit truly special was our server, Rosie. She was so kind and patient with my mom, and without us even asking, she packed up my mom's leftovers for her. My mom is a little older, and that thoughtful gesture meant so much to us. Service like Rosie's is hard to find these days. She went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and cared for. Because of her outstanding customer service, we'll definitely be coming back. Thank you, Rosie, for making our dining experience so memorable!

    I hate having to write this because I've been to Kalaveras in Orange many times and have always…read moreenjoyed it. That's what makes this experience even more disappointing. A group of us came in and spent around $500. We ordered several appetizers and shared different plates because everything looked so good. I personally ordered the tacos gobernador. That night and the next day was awful. I started vomiting, had severe diarrhea, missed work, and my child also got sick after eating. Because of what happened, I called the restaurant to let them know and make them aware. I wasn't expecting an argument--I just wanted them to take the situation seriously. But I was being confused for someone that had already called earlier that day with the same problem. I felt completely brushed off. The response I received was basically, "Thanks for your comment." When I spoke with a supervisor he came across as aggressive and made me feel like I wasn't even allowed to express my concerns about what happened. As a regular paying customer, that was incredibly frustrating. I'm not saying restaurants don't have challenges or that mistakes can't happen. But when customers spend hundreds of dollars, we deserve quality food, proper food safety practices, and to be treated with respect when we report a serious issue. Whether this was a food handling problem or cross-contamination, my experience should have been taken seriously instead of dismissed.

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    Cool bar area and good music
    Cool bar area and good music
    3 Quesa - Birria Tacos
    3 Quesa - Birria Tacos
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    Gonzalez's Restaurant - mexican - Updated August 2026

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