I have always wanted to check pit this restaurant since moving to Santee finally had a chance to go over. I have was really surprised about how good it was for a really reasonable price we had the carnitas and the taquitos both wonderfully cooked and nicely presented. The only warning though is the salsa is really spicy. I recommend this restaurant to all who is looking for a nice traditional Mexican restaurant with great food and staff. read more

Great service. Went in and had filled up on margaritas and the food was good. Big plates and great service from the staff.

This place is closed because of rat infestation! The restaurant did seem dirty the first time i went there, never will go back! Found a place about 2 miles East on mission gorge called Margaritas Fine Mexican, the food was great and the service was top notch. They have a sign that says new management, will go there from now on! read more

I can't believe the high ratings for this place!!! The most bland food imaginable!!! The dining room was crowded and very loud with a very persistant mariachi guitarist adding to the chaos. This place has nothing to recommend it except cheap prices. read more

I'm so bummed. I used to absolutely love this place, as they had the best margaritas in town. Now they're closed due to being infested with rats/mice. GROSS! I could never again eat there, even if they had a varmint round-up. No bueno! read more

I had a great Cinco de Mayo at Marietas. Order the "3 amigos fajitas".. they were AMAZING! Definitely going back for more strawberry margaritas & fajitas. Restaurant was really clean & friendly staff as always!! read more

Very good food! Been coming here for years and consistently good time after time. Friendly staff and excellent service.

Just went to Mariettas and there was no one at the front of the restaurant when I arrived. Two waiters walked by me without greeting me. I wanted to order some food to go, so I went and sat at the bar to do so. There was no one behind the bar. A waiter came and got a beee for one of his tables and once again, I was ignored. At this point I decided to leave and took my business down the street to Estrada's where I received great service. Disappointing! read more

I just got back from Marieta's and am so disgusted by the experience my family had that this is the first thing I've done since we got home. We were seated by a table full of drunk racist frat boys who had already been over served alcohol when we got there, and continued to be served pitchers of margaritas while we there. They were extremely loud, the kind of loud that was impossible to ignore or tune out. While I do understand that it's not the restaurant's fault when their patrons are loud, in this case I would say that Marieta's enabled it. While we were there they shouted the N word, called a overweight customer walking past them Shamu loud enough for her to hear, and called another woman who was with her husband a MILF, also loud enough for them to hear. To be fair, their chips and salsa were good but that was about it. My taco had a long hair in it and my chili relleno was pretty much all batter. Our waiter was busy taking an order from a large table, and I couldn't stand the idea of sitting near those guys any longer so we went to the front counter to pay the bill before we even received it. The woman at the counter was apologetic when I told her that we we were with a 5 year old child and I didn't appreciate the kind of language they were shouting in front of her. I explained to her what was being said, and how inappropriate it I thought it was that they were being over served like that and they allowed them hassle their other restaurant guests. They should have been asked to leave by management. They completely ruined our dining experience, and the kicker for me was after I explained what was going on there was not even an offer for knocking off a beverage or something from our bill. No attempt to redeem themselves, to me an apology was not good enough. read more

Wife got sick after drinking moldy margarita...if I can't trust the cleanliness how am I going to eat. Yes...I saw the mold floating. Sorry Marietas but you got to clean up your standards. read more

Went to eat with a visiting friend . Food was ok, service good, joked a little with the waiter also got some smiles ! Behind us was a couple and the man ask the waiter if he can have military discount , waiter says no we don't give it, man say what about 10% for seniors, waiter says no ! My husband served in the military for 30 years and we are also seniors , we try support all the local businesses , i could not believe that this restaurant that gets the local santee residents that are 50 % seniors , 40% retired military and 10% younger family member support , cant give anything back to the Loyal Santee community. Same on you !!! read more

I have been here a lot. The service is hit and miss and the food is just ok. Chips and salsa are good, but that doesn't make a good restaurant. I have never had a meal here that I fully enjoyed. read more

Won't be returning!! Went there for lunch with my friend, and the service was so bad we walked out!!! We waited almost an hour before the waiter came to take our order, another waiter took our drink order when we first got there. After we placed our order (I had to ask for someone to take our order) the table that arrived long after us and placed there order when we placed ours, received there food, I asked to speak to the manager. He apologized, but when we went to pay for the drinks he didn't say no it's on us and we are sorry!!! Poor customer service for sure!! Won't be returning!!!! read more

This place is okay. The service can be better sometimes its good sometimes they rush you and want you out. Its better then the one in La Mesa that one has cockroaches and my grandma had a bug in her food and told her she put it there! Service there is HORRIBLE !! SO I WOULD RATE THE ONE IN SANTEE A 7 OUT OF 10 . IN LA MESA A 2 OUT OF 10. BOTH Their portions are small. If you want real good Mexican food I would go to Casa De Pico in La Mesa. Im a stay at home mom and I like going there when ever I get a chance with my girls! read more

Salsa and chips were incredible. The service was outstanding, Oscar the waiter greeted us very well and payed attention to detail. One of the better Mexican restaurants around town. The chimichangas were great, will definitely come back with my date. read more

Went for dinner on Friday night with 5 friends. It took 20 mins before the waiter took our drink order. After another 20 mins our drinks showed up. 1 hour later our dinner arrived. Forget about drink refills. The waiter seemed upset any time we asked for anything. Felt like we were more of a bother to him then a customer. Not going back. The La Mesa location is way better. read more

Went to lunch today with my brother and nephew. Had a great meal, ordered the chili verde. Great service.

Marieta's is the definition of "local place." It's a perfectly okay Mexican restaurant that draws lots of regulars, which may explain why the location and menu haven't changed much in the last 20+ years. Your meal does start with some amazing chips and salsa - I suggest gorging on them during the inexpensive Sunday brunch, where they pair well with the cheap champagne that the waiters keep flowing. But from there, the entrees are just decidedly average Mexican food, no item more distinguishable from anything else. The tacos kinda taste like the enchiladas, which kinda taste like the wet burrito, which kinda taste like the chimichangas - all served with average refried beans and Mexican rice. Sitting so close to the border, San Diego is a haven for Mexican food; if Marieta's is your favorite place for that, frankly your tastes could be bolder. But hey, the heart wants what the heart wants. (Make sure to bring a couple bucks for the mariachi guitarist, and for Dios' sake, don't make him play "La Bamba" again.) read more

Wow I was here on February 22nd. Food was very poor, service was slow and prices are extremely high. I will never go here again. The beef taco was mostly potato. Why is there a filler in an all beef taco? Even Roberto's has better food and service. There are so many fine Mexican restaurants in San Diego, why go here. read more

This place used to be so much better. The food is dry, salty, over seasoned and over priced for lunch. I used to love going out to marieta's but I guess it has changed. I ordered Pollo Sonora and it was dry and very, very salty. The chips and salsa are good but I do not recommend this place anymore. I feel bad for them but they should improve the food and get it back to the old standards read more

this is my favorite restaurant and i have been a customer for t he past 12 years i really dont understand why yelp removes good reviews. that i have seen it is very sad to see good reviews and. and after a few days dont see them. read more

After reading previous reviews about the hot carrots and beans, we were sorely disappointed that we weren't offered any, and despite asking both the server and the young man who brought the chips for some, never received any. The salsa was great, and the food was good, although the carnitas dish was very skimpy on the guac. Service was slow on a weeknight, and the waiter was lacking in friendliness. Not impressed. The bar needs to be raised for Mexican food in Santee; this is still SoCal, peeps! read more

After a long day, we were pleased to find this place open late. Our daughter, after living in New Orleans for two years, was anxious to get some good Mexican food. She loved her cheese enchiladas, and I had a chimichanga that was chock-full of beef. My husband ordered Chile Verde, but the owner came back to our table to let him know they were out of it. He gladly substituted Carnitas, which was $3 more on the menu, at the same price. A great place! read more

Service is good. Food not so much. There are better options. Seemed like it was good menu but three of the four dishes were not edible.

Fantastic service....employees seemed to be in very good spirits which made for a great evening. Shared a pitcher of margaritas with a group of friends while we enjoyed the chips and salsa. Salsa had great flavor and chips were fresh. I had the beef tostada and I have no complaints...my husband had the carne asada burrito plate, he was not too impressed with the size of the burrito or the fact he ordered twice the rice and no beans....and his request was forgotten. Still, with those little issues we had a good time, enjoyed the ambiance and will defintely keep it on our list of return restaurants. read more

I have been going to this restaurant since I was 10 years old. I love it, its like family to me. I would like to say that the food is great, prices are reasonable and the staff is excellent. Juan, Pedro, Moreno and Felix (the owner) are wonderful! I have now been bringing my own family and they also love to go! Chips and salsa..yum! read more

Visited recently and really enjoyed the salsa and chips. I ordered the camarones al mojo de ajo. The shrimp is supposed to be wrapped in bacon, but wasn't. The shrimp was freezer burned and dry. The corn that came with it was from a frozen bag. The included rice was strange tasting, maybe burned. The margarita was perfect. The ideal dinner at Marietta's is a pitcher of margarita and chips and salsa. You'll need to allow lots of time because the service was very slow (non-existent?). This was on a Thursday night. The waiter told me the kitchen was having trouble with the demand. I sent back the shrimp and ordered a cheese enchilada plate that was good. I was charged for that. read more

Very surprised at how fast the service was! We were seated with drinks very quickly and had chips with tasty salsa before we ordered. The food was great! I only wish we lived closer so we could frequent Marieta's more often. read more

I really enjoy this place. The food is good, reasonably priced and staff is very friendly. If you go definitely try the shrimp cocktail, its great. read more

This place becomes family for you!! They have some of the same employees they had 20 years ago. That is the fun of this restaurant. Love the staff, the food, the bar, and the convenient location. It's nothing fancy, but consistently yummy. Love you all! (Shoot a game of pool at Ye Old Village Inn first!) read more

Im surprised at the comment below giving this place a 1 star. He must have had a bad day. The salsa here is absolutely the hottest and favorful. The house margaritas are the bomb. The fajita's are the best I've ever had, bar none. Ask for the veggies well done, it really brings out the flavor. Some of the items are different, but thats the beauty, its all home made stuff! We've been coming here for 15 years. The people are friendly, treat you like family, and appreciative. read more

We have given this place 3 chances. The food is decent, probably 3 stars. The service is hit and miss but only 3.5 stars on their best night. We love the gentleman that walks the restaurant and will serenade individual tables. Give him 5 stars! So why only 1 star for my rating? ROACHES! 2 of the 3 times we went there were roaches. Once on our table and once on the wall next to our table. The staff apologized but offered no discount on our meal. If there are roaches in the dining area, what is it like in the kitchen?! EWE! We have since heard from several others that the roaches are the reason they also no longer eat a Marieta's. read more

Love this place. My family and I have been going for years. The service is great and Margaritas are bomb!

Went to Marietta's in Santee for lunch. When it came time to pay the bill, I used my debit card. The waiter brought my card and the credit slip for me to sign. There is a line on the slip to add in the tip. All of this was fine, but what I found disturbing was that they brought an ERASABLE Pen for me to add in the tip and sign the slip. I noticed the pen had an eraser on top so I tried it out. Sure enough, it was erasable. read more

Good people, great food, nice area, and delicious margaritas! If you're hungry and craving Mexican food, you gotta try it out. The salsa is the best. read more

Great food, great service, great experience! The combination plate of flautas, rice and beans tasted excellent! The servers, Oscar and Jerry, never let our chips and salsa go empty or our cups to be dry! They paid great attention to detail, especially with the picky orders. For a group of 30 people, our wait time from the time we placed our orders was about 20-30 minutes which seemed like 10 with the live mariachi group entertaining us as we waited for our food to come out! I give this place a 6/5 stars! Come check it out! read more

Horrible, I'm tired of getting ripped off. We ordered one pitcher of margarita , yum. Then we ordered 3 carne asada burrito, nasty! I was drunk and it was still horrible!! Two bites of kinda meat, the rest was chewy fat at best. My wife had the experience. Our friend had a good one so one out of three? Santee sucks for Mexican food now, it's the true. And service was awe full. I start at 25%, today I tipped nothing, stop ripping us off!! read more

Excellent service and food. Menudo was great Rellenos were great and the service was spot on.....they made sure we didn't run out of chips coffee or fruit. Yes, along with the chips we got cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew. Will defiantly be back with guest. read more

I had horrible service a few years ago and decided to give Marieta's another chance....bad decision. I won't ever eat there again. The service was horrible. We sat & waited for close to 15 mins before we were even offered water or drinks and the restaurant wasn't even close to being busy. Food took forever to get and wasn't anything better than eating at a taco shop. The waiter was polite however the helper he had giving chips & salsa was beyond rude. read more

My wife has been coming here since she was a child. Service and food has always been excellent. Brought me for the first time and it was to die for, best i have ever had. Living in northern cali i would come back just to eat here again read more