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Ortega's Bistro

3.9 (1.2k reviews)
ModerateMexican
Open • 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

Order Ortega's Bistro Takeout or Delivery

Ortega's Bistro Mexican Restaurant Photos

Business Info

ORTEGA'S BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - Ortega's Bistro

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Reviews With Photos

Lindsay N.

Visited Ortega's during restaurant week since it it had the option of steak & lobster puerto nuevo style. We were extremely disappointed in our visit. I got: puerto nuevo style tortilla soup, steak & lobster, and churros and chocolate for $39. The tortilla soup tasted like it was just tomato sauce and a little bit of water. Steak & lobster: I asked for it medium and it was cooked well and the lobster was fishy smelling and tasting. Churros: I actually liked the churros and it was probably the best thing I ate here. It had a filling in it and was cooked perfectly. My husband got the caesar salad, lobster & shrimp, and the coconut flan. Caesar salad: basic, nothing special, no sauce? Lobster & shrimp: also both fishy smelling & tasting. Coconut flan: no hints of coconut, otherwise decent flan. The meals came with tortillas but they only gave us 3 for the both of us. We also ordered drinks, I got the mango mint which happened to be on the happy hour menu, but they said we had to sit in the bar area to get the discount.

Chicken Mole
Shreyasi D.

Really great service. Very fast and intuitive. I went here for dinner after a conference and found it to be perfect. Really relaxing and good amount of food. The shrimp tacos were quite tasty!

Randall B.

Stopped in for a quick drink and they had mango margs on special. They were yummy. The chips were got and amazing and the bartender was a gem. A delightful hour to relax and enjoy.

Ortega's Freshly Made Guacamole
Jessie S.

For whatever reason, this visit was not nearly as good as the previous visit maybe two years ago. We got there in the restaurant was pretty empty, yet it took almost 5 minutes for anyone to come up to the host stand. We were just about to leave when who I assume was either a manager or the owner came to see us. The service was extremely slow. Even for the restaurant being pretty empty, they only had one server and the service was very slow. I will say the winner of the visit was the drinks. They came out even before the chips. The salsa came out before the chips lol. We had the table side of guacamole that also didn't have a whole lot of flavor. It required salt, but there were no salt shakers to be found. Instead, we added salsa to it to give it more flavor. The food was just OK. I got the Carnitas Dorta, and it was overly greasy in my opinion. It didn't have a whole lot of flavor. Thankfully, the cheese gave it some flavor because the aïoli was too overpowering.

Side patio
Luis R P.

Great service and ambiance. Ok variety of Mexican food. Good variety of wines and liqueur. Parking in front. Nice decor.

Chicken Tamale

I wish I could remember the name of the waiter who waited on us yesterday. What a great personality. This was at lunch. A very nice place tucked in the corner a long university Avenue. Next to edible arrangements.

Mahi Mahi Taco Trio
Megha D.

I came here for dinner with my family. We were visiting San Diego and looking for some Baja cuisine. Ortega's has a small parking lot but you can also find parking in other lots down the road. We made an early reservation and were seated quickly. Our server was very friendly and helpful with bringing all our platters to the table. I had a strawberry mint margarita while my mom had a mango mint margarita. Both were super refreshing and definitely packed a punch! For dinner, I had the mahi mahi tacos. They were delicious and I loved the crema they came with. The beans were also delicious and flavorful. Overall, cute spot decorated with Baja flair and really good food!! 10/10!!

Half 1/2 Lobster and Steak Special
Sandy C.

Excellent experience for Valentine's Day! I'm so lucky I got their email for a $39 pre fixed when EVERWHERE else is at least $80pp. It was an amazing deal and everything was so delicious. It feel so decadent to get to take a hunk of lobster, dunk it in butter and then eat it wrapped up in a hunk of fresh tortilla. There's nothing better than that, except perhaps their very tasty flan and those cream-filled churros with chocolate dipping sauce?! Divine! I need to come back here for the regular menu and get some queso fundido. Also, the ambiance was candlelit and warm, and the service was friendly!

Chicken Mole
Slavko A.

First time here. WOW food and service were amazing. Prices are very reasonable and the food is authentic. Most definitely a place to go for a meal. I had a late lunch and the restaurant was nice and peaceful. I am sure this place can turn it up on happy hour !!!

Menu and margaritas.
Joe K.

Yeah, Taco Tuesday is back! Same fabulous service, food, drinks and vibe. See you here on Tuesday or any day .

Starters
Rick C.

Nice atmosphere, great margaritas, free chips! There is loads of parking in the after hours. Good size portions of food.

Crab Enchiladas

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Ortega's Bistro Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Ortega's Bistro

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This place is so cool for celebrating special occasions…read more We celebrated our anniversary and they gave us a candle with our names on it!! So sweet The interior is so cool - very gothic medieval vibes inside!! We tried a couple of items but specifically LOVED the squash blossom and the crab donut and the duck memelita! The fried chicken tacos were pretty good as well Personally I did not love the fondue - comes with corn tortillas on the side - it's not my favorite style Drinks were great - I tried the guava Paloma and liked it a lot but wish it was a bit more sweet more guava flavor

Four of us dined at Quixote last night. I can see why it takes a few weeks to get a reservation…read more The place is truly magnificent. We ordered about six small plates, and they were all delicious and unique. Hard to pick a favorite. I'd say the shrimp tacos were absolutely incredible. Everything else was packed with flavor and very different than anything you will encounter at any other restaurant. It is special. My only complaint is that the place is so dark that you can barely read the menu. Also, being so dark, you can't get a good look at the food or even see color. And I would think that the food is beautifully presented. We are in our 60s. That might have something to do with our inability to see anything in that low light condition. We had to pull our phones out so that we could light up the menu and check out the food we were about to eat. It does make for a dramatic ambience. There are thousands of candles that add to the experience. But I gotta knock them a point because I couldn't see my food or read the menu without help.

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Quixote - Dramatic dining space!

Dramatic dining space!

Quixote - Bay Scallop Black Cocktail. Tender octopus, creamy avocado, and a hint of sweet heat from the sauce.

Bay Scallop Black Cocktail. Tender octopus, creamy avocado, and a hint of sweet heat from the sauce.

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Coasterra - main entrance

Coasterra

4.0(4k reviews)
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Made reservations on open table but the space is so big there were still lots of vacancies when we…read morewent for a Saturday lunch. Ordered the crispy calamari, ceviche trio, and ahi tuna tostada. Enjoyed the different flavors of ceviche and was a fan of the super crispiness of calamari. My fav was the ahi tuna tostada. Super dressed up and had a good mix of crunchy, tart, salty, and mildly spicy. The restaurant has a great view of the ocean especially if you sit outside. Our waiter was very friendly and our food came out in a timely manner.

My girlfriend made reservations for Mother's Day for an early dinner since her mom was in town. The…read morehostess were friendly and led us to our seats. The gentleman/waiter handed us the menu and went on his way. Chips and salsa along with waters for the table were brought and then that was when the service of our waiter went downhill. We ordered the ahi tuna and guacamole for our appetizers but the timing for the meal was so off. It was a long wait before the waiter even checked back on us and which is when I asked for a refill on my water and chips. We had order drinks as well. The smoked old fashion was good and the ahi tuna appetizer portion was plentiful. There were some parts of the diced ahi that was a bit chewy. The gaucamole portion was large and it wasn't until I asked another waiter did my refill of water and chips arrive. For entree, we got the scallops with corn cake, a salad and I had the poblano burger. I asked for the burger to be cooked to medium. When the entrees arrived my burger was overcooked with no pink in sight. The flavor of the burger was good but the burger was definitely dry as can be. The corn cake with scallop was interesting it was almost like the corn cake was a croquet that encased a corn salsa. Overall the food was okay but the service left a lot to be desired. The waiter and the end seemed to put up a fake act when the check came. Since we asked for the check it seemed like the waiter was on hyper speed. Overall the view is nice but the food and service did not meet the expectations.

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Skyline & bay views

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Ortega's Bistro - mexican - Updated May 2026

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