Took the family down to Monterey for a few days to escape the heat. We booked a hotel that was walking distance from this place. By the time we checked in, it was after 7 PM. Everyone was tired and hangry. Las Islitas was the logical choice. The kids wanted hamburgers and nuggets with fries. My wife wanted a carne asada super burrito and some empanadas. Me? I wanted some menudo. It was a Sunday, so I was hoping it would be on the menu. So I went to go get the food to go while the family stayed at the hotel. I took maybe five steps out of our room towards this place. I swear, I could already hear the music blaring. By the time I walked in, I knew it was a good idea to take the food to go. Hours later, my ears are still ringing. They had some karaoke going in inside, and everyone looked like they were having fun. But these people were legitimately trying to wake the dead with a side of salsa. Another bummer for me was that the whole menu was in Spanish. I scanned the entire menu but couldn't find menudo. If any place would have menudo on its menu, it would be a place like this. I asked the guy taking orders if they had it. Nope. Do not pass go. Do not collect any hangover food. So I ordered a super carne Asada burrito and doubled the order of empanadas (it comes with three per order). The food came out in about 15-20 minutes, and the people working there were pretty nice. The carne asada super burrito as pretty good. I'd probably give it a solid 8 out of 10. However, the empanadas were AMAZING. They were hot, crispy, and had great flavor. Be sure to order them with cheese. I could have just eaten five or six of them and been totally satisfied. So overall, I only took off one star for the lack of menudo and the earsplitting music inside. Otherwise, the food was really good. Definitely worth a shot if you're in the area. read more

Las Islitas Grill - Empanadas with cheese. - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

The food is always on point great atmosphere. Great Service. Come and have a great dinner. read more

Las Islitas Grill - Bar área - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Great place !! Amazing service the food was delicious and tasty all the seafood was fresh and very good sized portions . Very clean place as well including the restrooms . read more

Wow. I was really dubious after reading reviews and looking at the empty parking lot on Memorial Day. I thought it would be busier. I guess the Laurel Inn is not the hotel it used to be, but that doesn't take away from Las Islitas Grill. It looks like a diner/bar with a heavily Mexican theme. There was only four of us patrons in the restaurant and one bartender/server. He graciously put the Giants game on the TVs when I asked and offered me a beverage and chips and salsa (medium hot) right away. It took a while to figure out what I wanted from the extensive menu. Since I went in for seafood I chose a Tostada Mixta, with fresh tasting (and smelling) shrimp, octopus and imitation crab on an equally fresh tostada, it came with lime. It was better than another place I have that dish regularly at, I was surprised. I added some of the mild salsa from the chips to the dish and it popped it up very well. When my Caldo de Camaron, Pulpa, y Abulon arrived I was surprised how big it was. It was served with limes, chopped cilantro, chopped red onion, green salsa (that the server warned me was hot), and tortillas (I ordered flour). It had a tomato base and was loaded with tomato, onion, green pepper, and lots of shrimp, octopus and even the abalone. Adding the lime juice helped to cut through the richness of the soup. Like the glutton that I am, I slurped the soup from the bowl to expose more of the seafood, which I shoveled into pieces of tortilla and seasoned with some of the onion and cilantro and added small drips of both kind of salsas and each bite was a joy to taste. I'm almost sorry that I didn't take the time to take pictures of these two delicious dishes but I was hungry when I went in, and having those delicacies put in front of me, I just had to dig in. For a place that doesn't seem to get a lot of business the seafood sure was fresh. I will totally come back, this place is GOOD! read more

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Hidden gem next to the Laurel Inn, we're so glad we checked it out! Not sure what some of the older reviews were about, but we had excellent service - they were quick, kind, and anticipatory of our needs (to go boxes and check timing). The food exceeded expectations from the delicate broth and tender crab and fish in the 7 Mares soup to the deliciously garlicky camarones platillo and refreshing aquachile. Even the chips and salsa were yummy with assorted hot sauces at the table for more kick. We didn't stay for karaoke, but right around 7pm, the restaurant got a little pep in its step setting up for a musical Saturday night. We'll definitely come back next time we're in the area! read more

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This place has plenty of parking! The micheladas and oyster shots (balazos) are really good. I highly recommend that you do not come in when you're super hungry. The service is pretty slow. Customer service is okay. They could smile and be more attentive to the needs of their customers. It took 25 mins for us to get chips and salsa, and water before our food and drinks. It took 93 mins for us to get our "el jefe" and molcajete plate. When I inquired about our food, they said it would be out in about 5-10 minutes, but it took an additional 45 minutes! By the time our food got there, we were upset. The food is good, but service is slow. I do not recommend this place if you're starving. read more

This restaurant opened a while back and my wife and I drove by many time saying we gotta try that place. Each time we would almost stop we'd notice there was hardly any cars in the parking lot for me a tell tail sign no one is eager to be there so we would pass. Salinas has no shortage on taquerias in town this one is a seafood special restaurant. Prices were a bit high but you pay for what you get. In this case NO! I ordered simple Tacos de Pescado and they were as good as mine from home @ 4$ each ok price and I did like them ok. My wife went with the Carne Asada and Shrimp meal at 18$ she got a small piece of meat and grilled shrimp (5) the meat was shoe leather very tough for the price we left wanting. The service was not attentive we were asked for drinks and then food it's all the interaction we got. We were literally 2 of 6 people in the whole restaurant tables were dirty. Bill was $43.00 and sometimes experience is worth not making future mistakes. I will hard pass on future stops here. The potential is high but judging by what I seen not to much caring going on here. read more

Las Islitas Grill - Fish Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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The seafood is extremely fresh! The portions are generous and the seasoning is superb. I ordered one fish taco and one shrimp taco and it was a full meal. I appreciated that they didn't serve the tacos with double tortillas. The green chile salsa was super bright and spicy- so delicious! My daughter ordered the seafood pasta. It came with a creamy sauce and four baked mussels, accompanied by cheese toast. She now prefers it over her former-favorite- Red Lobster. My partner ordered the full order of shrimp tacos. They were served accompanied by the green chile salsa, a a creamy one, and lime wedges. All of our dishes were finger-licking good! And Xenon, the proprietor, is so welcoming and friendly. It was our pleasure to enjoy such a wonderful meal. We will definitely be back and recommend Las Islitas Grill to friends and family. read more

Las Islitas Grill - Order of shrimp tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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I was here with 3 of my friends & 2 kids! We waited for the server to greet us but she never did! Which she should have done as we came in! My friend had to go get the menus from her! Came and only ask one of my friends for her drink! We told her we were ready for our drinks to! After a while she said they dont carry lemonade! Totally bad service! She ask us to leave! But this lady sure has an attitude! When we told her we wanted to speak to the owner, she said that the owner what her aunt! No wonder she is how she is! If the tia does not watch her niece she well go out of business! read more

My husband and I came here while visiting the area. He ordered cooked shrimp tostada which he was super happy about, it had a great amount of shrimp. We also had the molcajete to share. Now let me say...i am very picky with mexican food, I loved it, it had generous portions of grilled chicken, carne asada, grilled chorizo, grilled queso and onions sautéed in sauce, akso comes with rice, beans and torillas. We couldn't even finish it! The customer service was great!!!! We had two different waiters and they were both very hospitable, attentive and friendly! We recommend this place highly to anyone! read more

Las Islitas Grill - Molcajete - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

I was craving ceviche and was recommended this location. The menu on Yelp is over a year old and hasn't been updated. I ordered my ceviche and my husband wanted the steak special but come to find out they don't have it. When I went to pick up the food I took the initiative to snap pictures of the current menu for everyone to see. Overall the food is good and the service is great. I will be ordering here again in the future. read more

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Best experience ever! we came Sunday night, music was loud (tienen karaoke) but it didn't bother me at all and if that bothers you then you come to the wrong place, people came here to enjoy the music, drinks, and the bomb food that they offer, our waitress was so attentive and very kind. The food was amazing, we ordered a variety of food, every plate was worthy, we are definitely coming back soon, this location is better than the one in Watsonville. read more

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The fish tacos (fried) were good and two were large and filling. The prices on the menu are not the prices charged: maybe I was given an old menu by mistake? Tacos listed were 3.50 each, but I was charged at least 4.50 each. Still a fair deal. There was not an option for grilled fish tacos. read more

This restaurant really needs to work on pricing according to quantity and work on their customer service/scheduling enough staff. They have 2 waitresses for the entire restaurant which is actually pretty big. They have no hostess! So you basically seat yourself unless you want to wait til someone shows up to seat you. The waitresses aren't assigned to specific section to tend on, which explains why they're seen walking back and forth. Which also explains why they forget things you asked for or it takes a longer time to receive them. They don't ask if you want refills until it's too late. Food arrives at different times. They don't check on tables sufficiently. The agua frescas taste like they come from packages. Absolutely nothing fresh about them. The molcajetes which are labeled as 'serves 2', does not have sufficient items to serve 2 people and only comes with 3 tortillas (3 tortillas for TWO?). They are extremely overpriced, do not purchase or you'll be disappointed. At least lower the price to 14.99-17.99 instead of 18.99-26.99. The ceviche plates are decent, price is reasonable I suppose. The langostinos platter that's labeled as SMALL for 17.99 only comes with 8 langostinos, extremely disappointing especially when they barely have any meat in them. It's literally like eating 8 regular shrimps for almost $20. Do not buy this plate either. A 10.99-12.99 price would be more decent. Another thing to point out, seat yourself away from the section next to the bar, where the waitresses receive the food or else you'll hear constant barn doors clashing. It's annoying to hear repeatedly, that was a bad decision on the restaurant's design team. Don't think I'll be visiting again unless they schedule enough staff, improve their customer service skills and lower prices. read more

I came here with my husband actually intending to go to the Black Bear Diner, but then discovering it had closed down and Las Islitas Grill was in its place. Rather than double back in the direction of Monterey to go to Black Bear's other location, we decided to give this place a try. Upon entering, it is EXTREMELY loud, they have karaoke at a volume where it is almost impossible to have a conversation to have a conversation at the table. After we were seated, I opened the menu, and saw it...fried mozzarella sticks as an appetizer at what I thought was a Mexican restaurant. I let it go. I always gauge how good a Mexican restaurant is by how good their enchiladas are, so I flipped through, finding their salads, fajitas, steak and lobster, even, but no enchiladas. It took a full ten minutes before anyone acknowledged us to come take our order or bring us any water. Oh, by the way, my husband found chips tucked away in his menu, from the previous diner I guess, maybe a warning about our meal to come, "fill up now guys! It's not pretty!" I end up ordering half a dozen oysters and steak and chicken fajitas. Before the food comes, a small plastic container of salsa is served with four store bought tostadas that are chip your tooth hard. If you like nth degree crunch, then this is it. The oysters come, so now you guys, I know oysters come from the ocean, so they're salty, but I also know they're not supposed to taste I'm drinking from a vat of turkey brine. They were so salty it was like they had been open then salted ten times over. Next please. My fajitas came next. They were served on a cold plate, in red sauce that was more of an oil slick than a sauce. It was accompanied by what looked more like a rice pilaf than the more familiar Spanish rice and refried beans that had a color to them that I had never seen before. The fajitas were again store bought, and while they were hot, they were not fresh. The steak and chicken had no flavor except for being over salted. The hot sauces on the table were crusted over from having the bottle tops taken away. Moral of the story: if you're looking for authentic Mexican food, do not go here. If you're looking for good food, do not go here. If you're looking for food of any kind, do not go here. read more

Las Islitas Grill - Entrees - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Amazing new restaurant here in town. The food is amazing definitely recommend the fish tacos and the aguachiles. They also have karaoke on Fridays & Sunday's and live music on Saturdays definitely the place to be on the weekends. And they also have breakfast in the morning. I'm attaching some of my favorite plates :) read more

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This was an odd experience. Almost like showing up to someone's home uninvited. We were ignored at the door. The service was horrible. The food was mediocre. The music was super loud. Not a good experience. read more

Disappointing. Whoever redesigned the inside, did a really nice job, with the exception of the doors to the service station that seemed to flap back and forth constantly, and the out of place Pirate at the front door. The walls and back lighting was really nice. They are really disorganized at the front. No one greeted us for quite a while, we almost left. Finally, we were seated. Unfortunately, our server didn't speak English, and my Spanish is limited. Despite the communication limits, we were able to order the Huevos rancheros. It was okay, at best. Watery potatoes, bland salsa. I may revisit them if they survive the next few months. Menu seemed promising. I hope they get their acts together. read more

Wow, ignore the bad reviews. People are insane. Best service ever. Our waiter was so attentive and the food was impeccable. I highly recommend the ceviche de camarón, molcajetes and 7 mares! read more

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Worst Mexican food my family has ever had. We went there late after work because it was the only thing open it was so loud you can't hear anything and even the waitress has a hard time hearing you. We were trying to talk to each other but couldn't because of the noise. Will never go back and I do NOT recommend. Bar is just ok if that. read more

Seafood tasted like dirt. I'm pretty experienced when it comes to ceviche lol and their ceviche de pescado didn't even at least taste like lemon it tasted like dirt! Ordered shrimp empanadas and I never got them, at least the waiter was somewhat nice. Never coming back! If you're looking for good seafood in town I'd recommend Mi lindo Nayarit, they have shrimp empanadas as well :) read more

I'm no foodie or grand judge but place is mediocre and overpriced for food you can get literally anywhere else in Salinas for way cheaper. If you're looking just for food, look else where, I'm not aware of how good their drinks are. It was bland at best and over priced at most. Spent over $80 for a small party, one plate, one drink each. If you're looking for better food at cheaper prices, go support some of the smaller businesses, they'll do you good. Even the paletero (Ice cream man/street vendors) have better food than this. Funny how they're pirate themed, 'cause they'll really rob you. read more

Great seafood choices, friendly staff, authentic Mexican place. Good drink selections and value.

WOW! This place has me so impressed! Hands down the best shrimp empanadas I've ever had! They were so fresh, flavorful, and seasoned to perfection . I would also recommend their shrimp tostadas, they were very delicious as well. The atmosphere and cleanliness was like no other in town. I tried this place out on Friday night and I was delighted to see a live performance. The singer sure knows how to make you have a good time! I'll be sure to recommend and come back soon. 10/10 would recommend! read more

I was very excited to try the ceviche here but unfortunately is was so spicy I couldn't eat it. Too much chile serrano. The cook lady said they don't make any non spicy seafood.... what?!! what if I want to bring my kids here? they love seafood! Be aware this place holds sudden live Mexican music at anytime of the day and they are loud. Not a place for a quiet meal. The agua de tamarindo was delicious 5/5 Overall this place is very clean and has very friendly staff. I will continue to come here only because they have my favorite Salsa Huichol on every table and that's how you know it's an authentic Mexican Seafood Restaurant. Shoutout to our server Iris. read more

No complaints, all 5 dishes ordered were good. Everyone liked the food. I had a shrimp taco, and fish taco and the seafood was tender and not overly battered. My husband had the pina rellena and said it was delicious. Only wished it had more pineapple in it. My mom had the Carne Asada and said the meat had a great seasoning and was impressed by the portion size. My dad had some sort of fish cooked in foil and said he really liked it. I can tell you our table was super quiet because we were all too busy eating and enjoying our food. And the oysters on a half shell with shrimp and octopus were AMAZING. I will be back and definitely reccomend. read more

Las Islitas Grill - Pulpo Tostada as a starter. - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Authentic Naryarit seafood, Great service, friendly staff. We ate early at 6:00pm because we were going to a concert, but as we left, it looked like they were setting up for a rocking Friday night party with a DJ. Open until 2:00 am! We may go back after our concert is over! Next time we are in Salinas, we will stop by. read more

For more honest reviews check my profile thanks Sat at the bar, ladies treated us very nice. Food was on point, men's room needed attention but over all good experience. They had a group playing when we went it was lit. read more

Delicious fish ceviche. Some of the hottest green fresh salsa I've ever had! Burned my tongue so good!

My aunt and I went here... I ordered molcajete because i was curious it look good in the menu and did not disappoint me it was good and lots of meat inside of the stone heavy bowl***** read more

First, I love trying new places. I decided to go with a friend. I heard a lot of good things from their other family owned sister restaurants. This place is within walking distance from home. We enter and there's no one attending but that's okay. We could see the waitresses attending others. We waited for a minute before being greeted and seated. The waitress was friendly but seemed rushed. Wasn't her fault though. It looked like the place was understaffed. The food came out within 10 minutes. We both ordered the fish tacos. Now don't get me wrong, the pictures on the menu are enticing and colorful! All the mariscos look delicious if you look at their menu. (Definite 5 out of 5 for the menu!) BUT the tacos we soooo bland! At first bite, there's nothing the stands out. The fried fish was soggy, oily, and didn't seem to have that crunch you get from a fish taco when cooked properly. The fish lacked any sort of seasoning (and love). The toppings like cabbage and what tasted like a Thousand island dressing was just... THAT. Nothing special at all! The tortilla it was on seemed store bought. Sorry - no handmade tortillas here guys! I also ordered the michelada. As I mentioned beforehand, it looked great but looks can be deceiving. It was a VERY sad michelada. No flare. No taste. I had to add more salt just to get its flavor going from the Clamato and lime. But I can't stress enough how lifeless this michelada was. In town, there's a lot of places one can go to for a decent michelada or chabela drink. I was banking on this place having this down for the simple fact that it's so close to my house! It tasted just like watered down tomato juice (Clamato) with hint of lime. To be honest I thought I was in for a treat but I never thought it'd be that bland. I asked my friend to try it and they just took my word for it. I couldn't finish it. I wouldn't go so far as to say this place is "bland and don't come here." But let's be real, I ordered something basic. Everyone has off days and I haven't yet tried other things on their menu. I'll go a few more times. However, a solid 2/5 for me as it stands. It's easily a place I can be a regular at. Quality control needs to be rechecked. I'll be back for an update. read more

Las Islitas Grill - Fish Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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The service was nice and the waiters really bust their rears trying, however I swear their frijoles are canned and I legit waited an hour & 15 min for some bacon wrapped shrimp...perhaps they just need some braking in *shrug* read more

Las Islitas Grill - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

didn't like it here as soon as we got to the place they gave us our bill. i think that is called discrimination of person . the service was incredibly terrible they gave us our drinks 30minutues later. do no recommend ever no lo recomiendo fueron muy sangrones , nos llevaron la cuenta en cuanto ordenamos y pienso que fue discriminación de persona. read more

I would love to give 5 stars but my brother in law said his shrimp cocktail was terrible. I ate a fish taco because I was told by two people that this place is good. I really liked my fish taco. I would return for a fish taco. read more

Food was good . service is REALLY FUCKEN BAD! Be ready to wait 30 min for your order to be taken and food as well

I stay at the Laurel Inn fairly often, so I was looking forward to trying this place when it finally opened. Went in tonight, they had music blaring so loud I had to shout at the waitress to communicate. It was literally 120 decibels, and there was nowhere in the place to escape it. I had to leave to get away from the cacophony. I have no idea why places think they should have noise so loud it would damage your hearing. To make matters worse, the waitress told me they were having karaoke. NOBODY wants to have to listen to karaoke. If you're running a restaurant, karaoke will drive customers away, not bring them in. I really miss the Black Bear Diner. read more

Served me tiny shrimp for a camarones rancheros plate. Didn't have alot of things on there menu I tried ordering a chicken sandwich straight off the menu and they acted like they never heard the word sandwich before. Extremely awkward service. food was mediocre at best. read more

The restaurant was just across the parking lot of the Laurel Inn, where we were staying, so we decided to give it a try. It was a great choice. The food was wonderful and reasonably priced. The plate of chips they set out for us when we arrived came with a spicy but delicious salsa. The shrimp taco and meat taco my wife ordered were very tasty, she said. Though there was nothing vegetarian on the menu, the waiter had the cook prepare delicious vegetarian fajitas for me at my request. The rice and beans were also quite good. Our waiter, Senon S., was extremely friendly and encouraged us to be sure to see Point Lobos during our limited time in the area, advice we will follow. We had a very enjoyable dinner! read more

This place is fabulous. Such a great environment. Staff was very nice and on top of the service . Went on a Friday night and place was packed with people.Food was delicious the best seafood in town by far. read more

Amazing fish tacos, super fast service (10 minutes for takeout) and really reasonably priced as well. Great spot!!