This just clearly isn't for my tastes. Even just the salsa was too spice for one of the people in our group, but it was just an odd consistency. I prefer chunky, but even smoother ones have a different texture. This just didn't hit for me. I shared nachos with my friend and we just didn't enjoy them very much. Small for the price. Didn't have the flavors we're used to and prefer. Others kind of had the same opinion. Nothing was what they expected and it was okay, not really good. Service wasn't great either for a mostly empty place. I simply wouldn't come back and can't say I'd recommend bothering when there are so many better options available. read more

Mesa Fresca - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

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This was our third time dining at Mesa Fresca in OC. Each visit, the place has been moderately busy. I really like the bar area - plenty of seating, a few TVs, and a solid spot to catch a game. There was only one server working the whole restaurant (also doubling as the bartender), and while he seemed overwhelmed and not exactly warm, he still managed to give us attentive service, which I appreciated. The Oregon Ducks swag throughout the place added a nice local touch to the vibe. Go Ducks!! Food: I found it a bit overpriced for what it was. The mahi mahi tacos and chicken burrito with rice and beans were pretty bland and lacked seasoning. On the flip side, the lomo saltado and birria tacos were packed with flavor--especially the lomo saltado, which stood out as the best dish of the night. Drinks were fine, nothing memorable. Overall, I might explore other spots in OC next time I'm in the area, but I'll keep Mesa Fresca in mind for the lomo saltado alone. read more

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We were in a local business and they recommended this business; we were not disappointed. Delicious food! They are celiac aware as well. Celiac husband had pollo asada; I had the steak tostada. The meat was so tender!! We sat near the bar which had a fun vibe going. Very friendly and attentive servers. We will go back! read more

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Sweet stop for Happy Hour 3-6 PM Daily as we walked downtown OC Main Street. Sat outside on a handful of outdoor tables and promptly brought water, menus and chips and salsa on the house. A mild salsa with a bit of smokiness but missing was fresh chips; these tasted stale like restaurant style warmed ones gone cold and served another day. $5 Drafts - Breakside Wanderlust IPA is always a great go-to hoppy brew as they were out of the Crux Hazy that we wanted to try. Replacing it was a Kona Big Wave Golden that Server/barman Miguel kindly gave us a sample but passed on. $9 Mesa Woodford Old Fashioned was a big strong pour with little added sugar which it could of actually used a bit more of but still satisfying. Both drinks came in heavy in a good way, and beautifully cut, glassware which made for a great feel and even better sipping, often overlooked at more casual restaurants but very much appreciated here! Star of the hour was the $8 steak tacos for 3 amazingly flavorful meaty wraps deliciously tender and topped with cilantro and onion. Will be returning for a chip re-do and those tacos with the great sips! read more

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This is a hidden gem in OC! Great traditional dishes like enchiladas verde and mahi-mahi tacos! We knew we were in for a home run when our very attentive server brought us super-fresh crispy chips and homemade salsa. Roy, the hardworking owner and chef, is charming and rightly proud of his home-style dishes. read more

Ok, I guess we should have known when we saw the sign that said, "we are understaffed. Expect long wait times." On a Saturday they literally had a bartender and a cook working. That was it. When we asked the bartender/server/hostess why she was the only one working she said, "My boss doesn't like to hire people I guess." In her defense, she was hustling, doing the best she could. The same can't be said for the "cook" who stood around playing with his phone when he wasn't cooking, instead of bussing tables or helping in SOME way. Needless to say, everything took forever and the food was average at best. This is the second and last time we'll go there. Especially with The Verdict right across the street. read more

I love this place!! I recently rediscovered it after a while and it exceeded my expectations. The service is incredible, the food fantastic, and the ambiance is unmatched! My go-to recently has been the chicken fajitas, and they're phenomenal every time. Even their rice and beans are show stopping. I highly recommend this cute downtown OC spot for anyone looking for their next favorite hidden gem! read more

Mesa Fresca - Chicken Fajitas - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

Oh dear! Bar was empty and still 7 tables not cleared. 40 minute wait for cocktails that were really really poor. Tasted like no alcohol in them. I would go next door to the wine bar. read more

Food was amazing and the ambiance was better than I could have anticipated. The service was very quick and friendly. I would recommend the Seco De Carne dish, it was incredible! read more

Mesa Fresca - fire nachos - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

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What a GREAT spot on MAINT ST! Amazing food and great ambiance! The service is great, and the food is made fresh to every order so it does take a little longer than a line cooking restaurant where they just have the food held ready hot. That's a PLUS. The MARGARITAS are Amazing! Great spot during summer or winter to enjoy a cold or warm beverage with some yummy food to company it with read more

Mesa Fresca - Menu - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

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Mesa Fresca is located on a popular street in Oregon City and accepts restaurant.com which I am trying to use up so 3 of us headed over there for an early dinner. Unfortunately we did not know there was a "First City Festival" going on so we had to park rather far since the main street was closed off. The place looked nice and lots of people were already seated outside which means this place must be good! Right?!Unfortunately it didn't meet up to my expectations. The dishes looked rather plain and anemic and taste was so-so. We ordered 3 entrees but 2 of the 3 looked more like an appetizer or on-the-go lunch than a dinner entree Service was about a 6 out of 10, our water wasn't refilled and our dishes took a long time to be prepared. I hope this was a consequence of the festival and perhaps shortage of staff who were friendly and appeared to be trying to tend to everyone the best they can. Hope management can prepared for the onslaught of business during future festivals so quality of food and service is not compromised. read more

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The food is fantastic! The menu is updated regularly and it's super fun to try the new stuff when it comes out. The service was is impeccable and the overall vibe is super chill. Highly recommend. Try the croquettes while they're on the menu! We got them today and plowed through it faster than I could write this review. read more

I was the first to arrive and ask for a water and a drink, there was one other family there. I didn't get my drink until the rest of my party arrived. Which was only two other people. My drink tasted water down. Like it been sitting for a while. We ordered our food. Then when it came, my 22$ salad had only fish and lettuce on it. I had ask where the other items where, then they brought out a side bowl with the rest of the items, my cousin 18$ chicken salad also came out with just chicken and salad.We had to ask for more dressing on hers and 20min later was told they were out of it. About 30 min went by he never came out so I had to take our dishes inside, mine you there was only one other family in there, never did he ask if we wanted more drinks or came to check in on us. So I had to bust my own table for a 87$ dinner it was something I would never come back to. OC taco is way better! read more

Food are yummy, just a tiny little bit salty to us. Great experience. Ming dynasty styled chairs seemingly read more

Mesa Fresca - Nacho, lomo saltado, seco de carne - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

Kind of enjoyed our time at Mesa Fresca, walked in for a quick meal before an evening event. First impressions were not great because our table was swarming with flies, so there is that. We had fish tacos with pinto beans and spanish rice, it was just ok, it really needed a little more creativity on the garlic sauce which is key in any outstanding fish taco (baja style). I also tried the margarita, it was super sweet for me, in fact I had to add water to get it drinkable. Service was actually very professional, polite and responsive. All & All ; Not sure if this is a return visit or not, but it was a perfect 3 star ok to me. read more

great margaritas and excellent serviice good prices on lunch menu and happy hour Made speial dessert for friends birthday read more

First of all I will say do not come here if you're in a rush. When I came I had plenty time to spare and did not mind waiting as I seen it was busy with only one server and he was bartending as well. Being in similar business kudos to him! I got some wine and Peruvian food and it was delicious! Love the open window seating and the sleek ambiance. It gives peaceful and modern and a nice place to just people watch and get some of the outdoors inside. Will definitely return. Love this area read more

Mesa Fresca - Steak Encebollado - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

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The birria huevos rancheros is pictured. This consisted of a four-inch tortilla topped with rice, beans, scrambled eggs (the menu said Sunnyside up?), green salsa, and "birria" which consisted of sauce with, I kid you not, NOT A SINGLE CHUNK OF MEAT. I found a couple of minute shreds of beef and that was it. I estimate there was less than 1/4 ounce of meat on this plate. This cost $17. read more

Mesa Fresca - Birria huevos rancheros with no meat ‍ - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

I seldom if ever post any reviews good or bad. Although I do reference the reviews of others. I do want give a shout out to Mesa Fresca and Roy the owner. Great place for drinks, food, and atmosphere. Nice selection of bourbons and food offerings. Happy hour menu has some solid small bites. Go for the flautas, great flavor and presentation. Also tried the tacos and quesadilla. Can't go wrong with any of them. Worth the stop, you won't be disappointed. read more

Came here for happy hour. Their Happy hour menu selection is everyday from 3 pm - 6 pm. We ordered for the happy hour menu and it didn't disappoint us. There was only one server so service was on a slower side but she was very attentive to us even though she was the only one working. The food was delicious and the $5 beers just topped it off. read more

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The service was fantastic and so was the food! Such a fun place to go eat and catch up with friends! read more

Mesa Fresca - I got the passion fruit mojito and it was great! - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

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I was told no kids as soon as I walked in with my son. And then immediately ignored. They were on the phone & after a few min of me awkwardly standing there waiting for them to get off the phone, I said I called in an order & was not dinning in. They were not busy, it was 2pm & only saw 4 customers. We brought our food home & no one liked there food. The steak burrito had a spaghetti type sauce on it my husband & son didn't like after one bite. My other son didn't like his hamburger. My steak fajitas did not taste good. There food prices are over priced. read more

Fox news on the tvs. Hell no. Trumpers can keep this place all to themselves, food and service stinks. Bistro Cubano across the street is a million times superior. read more

For the price, this place is very underwhelming. All the entrees are the same- bland, boring served with carrots and sweetie drops. Service is unimpressive. The drinks and ambience are the same. The owner clearly takes zero pride in his work... no concern for the customer experience or zest for cuisine... Yes, we have personal experience with him (and no, we were not complaining in our interaction) and frankly I'm just sad that this place takes up such great real estate in OC. I hope these guys move out and make way for a restaurant that's excited about excellence in any area of the hospitality biz. If you want to spend a lot of money on a yawn-worthy experience, this is the place to go. Lol. Good luck! read more

Ouch..my last review here was quite unpleasant which isn't the norm so I know it was an especially bad experience. But I was in downtown Oregon city last week for dinner & the person I was with suggested we try Mesa Fresca. I said ehh I don't know (faint memories of a bad experience here) but they said "I think they're under new management, etc". So we decided to give it a try. We walk in & it's not busy at all, except for a noisy group at the bar. We stand & wait to be seated for a bit longer than typical, but no biggie. The bar tender (who we later learn is the do-it-all one woman show) says it'll just be a minute while she cleans off a table for us away from the noisy bar. We get to our table and after a couple minutes I'm looking around and realizing she's the only one here. Time keeps going by and I'm watching this & it's throwing red flags all over. In my last review (over 7 years ago) mentions the same crazy wait times so I just know we're going to wait 20 minutes for a hello with waters at our table. I tell my guest to look around & see what I'm seeing & they now notice the bartender being the only person working here as well. We decide to get up & leave and we went right next door to nebiolos for the most amazing dinner I've had in a long time, so it was a good thing. I'm sorry, but it blows my mind how this restaurant in a prime location manages to limp along with no staff & unremarkable (bad in my experience) food.. I tried to give a second try, but it just wasn't meant to be & that finalizes my reviews for Mesa Fresca. I guess I'll recommend going here if you're looking to just drink at the bar. The noisy group seemed pretty content with the vip treatment they get there. read more

We've been to Mess Fresca before but have never been overly impressed. Tried it again after three years to see if it was better and we were disappointed. Our server was the bartender and he was great, attentive and made good drinks. We did not wait long for anything. From there it went downhill. The bean dip was cold when served, the cheese had not been melted completely. The fish tacos were fishy, the quesadilla was good but small. Overall the most disappointing aspect was how expensive the bill was for what we received. Quality does not equate the cost. We would maybe try again another time but only for drinks and maybe appetizers. Would not spend that money again for food that failed to impress. The ambiance is fine, the establishment is clean, the staff was lovely - but it just doesn't compete with the food quality and options nearby. read more

After a long days drive we ended up here at Oregon City's Mesa Fresca. Snacking on chips and chocolate covered gummy bears in the car left us longing for fresh food. We were the first customers of the day and got a window seat overlooking beautiful Oregon City and a Subaru getting a new tire. Although fresh and filling, the wow factor was simply not there. The beans left something to be desired. that being said, there were excellent portions and the burrito was, in one word, "suffocating" (in a good way). Thanks guys. read more

Mesa Fresca - Breakfast Burrito - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

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Meet up with a few co workers on Friday - I would have to say the service was horrible -slow and food was burnt . I was told that the Mole sauce is suppose to look that way -I said I believe it is burnt -tasted burnt - took 45 minutes to get the food and than it was burnt - 2 people in the party got there food -the rest of the party waited 15 minutes to get there's... Will not go back.. read more

Great food. Service is usually pretty quick. Staff is friendly. I usually get the taco salad. Margaritas are good too!

I was passing by on a sunny day and noticed the cool bar in this place. Decided to sit outside and order an iced tea :) The avocado steak tostada was the perfect lunch after a nice tasty joint. read more

Mesa Fresca - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

Fox News on the TV in the bar. Not joking, I asked if the TV station could be changed to sports, and I don't even like watching sports. I was told by the very nice server that the owner will not change the channel, that on principal, they always have Fox News on that TV. I was there to meet a friend for dinner, she said that they were having live music that night. I'd been before, long ago, I didn't love it and had no intention of going back but my friend insisted they had good food now. The servers were friendly and attentive, mostly. The food arrived in good time, I ordered the Taco salad with chicken. It was fine as long as you like bland food - perfectly fine. I happen to like food with flavor, so it was a let down for me. Meanwhile, the music was great. read more

Oh Mesa Fresca, how I will miss you. Tonight was a "perfect storm" for one of my favorite OC places. Apparently there was a big party and they are short on staff. Sadly I wasn't informed early on that my meal was going to take over an hour from the time we ordered until the food was on the table. I don't really know what the correct protocol should be in situations like this. I don't see going back after tonight and risk another "surprise" like this. We walked right in, had our order taken and drinks served in under 5 minutes. From my perspective everything was coming up roses. We had a couple of the typical interactions with the staff, then things went quiet. About 45 minutes in, I asked how much longer and our server checked and returned with complementary quac and then we heard what the delay was all about, "your food will be right out". Sadly, it was another 15 minutes until our food arrived (while I don't eat quac, the wife said it was pretty good). . I tried the Peruvian steak. It was tasty as I had hoped, the painting with rice being an excellent choice. Mesa is really pushing the status quo with their food, using some elements from molecular gastronomy (i.e. sweety drops). This was a marinated steak and I was eager to see how well the marinated red onion would go with it but sadly, they substituted fresh spring onion. While the wife generally liked the chicken burrito, the warm, wilted lettuce inside was off putting. The staff did their best to make the best of an admittedly trying situation. The place was clean and comfortable and they even comped the drinks. I know stuff can happen. I suspect if they had told me early on our food would be delayed, I would have felt ok about choosing to wait it since back another day. It's regrettable that this tough combination of events happened tonight as my previous visits have all been really good. I'm drawn to the old saw "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". read more

Food was amazing, service was a little slow because several people showed up at once and there was only one server. Food made it worth the wait!! read more

Let me boil it down to two essential questions: 1) How can a restaurant survive if most of their patrons use a Groupon? 2) Why would you dine here if you aren't using a Groupon? It is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. I've dined here for lunch, happy hour, and dinner. Two things are consistent: great cocktails and horribly slow service. One of our first visits, pre-Groupon, was on a quiet early evening. We sat near the front of the restaurant close to the bar. Even though it was practically empty, the service was glacially slow. And that visit was highlighted, or was it lowlighted, by the server complaining that the owner made them stay open that evening. Really? We returned with a Groupon in hand really hoping our first experience was an off day and issue with a particular server. Nope. Still sat at the front of the restaurant and had to ask for every single thing. Can we have menus? Can we also have drink menus? Can you take our order? When is our food arriving... On a positive note, one of our visits was during a Ducks football game and it was a fun place to view a game. Multiple screens and they have sound effects when the team scores, etc. Also, we have loved every cocktail we've tried. But, if it wasn't for the Groupon we wouldn't return. Hence the crux of my issue with Mesa Fresca. It feels like the prices are artificially inflated based on the overall quality of the food, drink, and service. So the only way it makes sense to visit is with a Groupon. When really it seems like a better business model, to charge a slightly lower price, eliminate the constantly offered deep discounts, and retrain your employees so everyone has a great experience, employees included. read more

First time and only time to this restaurant. Very slow service. Took 20 minutes just to get the table wiped off and it was not busy at all. Four other people inside. The seco de carne was quite dry and I didn't see one piece of cilantro. My husband's hamburger was supposed to come with jojos. Nothing. read more

Yummo!! Holy smokes this place lives up to the reviews. Food is dynamite and a touch on the wimpy portion side. The wait staff is always moving and kept our table happy. We came on a Friday night and there was live music performance by a husband and wife playing a range of bluegrass to outlaw western with their delightful twist as artists. Overall a great date night kicked back atmosphere. read more

Went there for breakfast. We were the first customers. Portion was very skimpy (should have taken a photo), served luke warm. I had to ask to have it heated. We waited around 10 minutes for a coffee refill after asking. There was only one other customer so it's not as though they were too busy. Very, very disappointing. read more

RUDE AND RACIST STAFF!! Left after waiting 25min without service as staff attended people who arrived AFTER us. I'm not one to assume an establishment or a server is being prejudice BUT this place left my partner and I with a terrible taste in our mouth! It took us 5min to get anyone to acknowledge we were there and then two servers seemed to disagree about who would be serving us (which was just rude and unprofessional). They fought about their sections before one server took us outside while making sure we knew she "wouldn't be the one serving us tonight." Once we were seated outside (without menus or a QR code) my partner and I sat unattended for 25 minutes more and NO ONE came by to take our order, give waters, or drop off menus. We watched them address guests who arrived after us and it made my partner and I not only wonder why, but it made us feel like our presence and our money were not welcome... we waited a little longer and left. No staff apologized. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence that they chose not to serve the 'young mixed race couple' while they gave hospitality to white patrons but regardless, their lack of service and the lack of training which was evident in the wait staff's behavior was unacceptable. Such a rude and unprofessional establishment. We will NEVER be back. read more

Mesa Fresca is so good! We got IPA's and burgers and they were so juicy and delicious. The JoJo's were so good too. Absolutely perfect. JoJo's are hard to get right. They have happy hour every day Jasmine and Roy (the Owners are Amazing!) Roy's parents work the kitchen. It couldn't get any more family than this. The music is nice and happy Spanish music and they didn't pay me or even encourage me to write this. I just love this place! We will be back!! read more

The best thing about this place is the cocktails!! Margs are great and they have a lot of different kinds, I recommend La Pina, see pics. The problem is the food isn't that good. My husband has ordered burritos there twice and they have been cold in the middle both times. I did like my street tacos the first time we went and this time I tried the Peruvian dish seco de carne and it was a beautiful dish, about 7/10 in the taste category. Also terribly slow service both times but very friendly staff. Will probably give this place a chance from time to time read more

Mesa Fresca - Seco de Carne - Peruvian Near Me - Oregon City, Oregon

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