From the moment we sat down at Ostioneria El Compa, it was clear this place takes pride in doing things the right way. The Food I ordered the Costa Brava, a hearty seafood caldo that delivered comfort in every spoonful. The broth was rich with depth, full of that ocean-sweet flavor that comes only from fresh seafood, balanced by tender carrots, potatoes, and a touch of spice. It felt like something made with care, the kind of dish that could easily become a favorite on a cool afternoon. The kids went with pancakes and eggs, and even those had a thoughtful twist, fluffy, golden, and infused with cinnamon that made each bite surprisingly good. The Ambiance El Compa has that lively, authentic feel you expect from a true neighborhood mariscos spot. The air hums with conversation, the sound of sizzling from the kitchen, and a relaxed energy that makes you want to linger. It's the kind of place where families gather, laughter carries, and you feel part of the rhythm of the room. The Service The service couldn't have been better. Everyone was genuinely welcoming and attentive without ever feeling rushed. Our server made sure we had everything we needed and treated the kids with such warmth, it made the whole meal feel easy and enjoyable. We'll definitely be back. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Costa Brava - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

No AC! So hot inside. I was very uncomfortable. Those fans they have running don't do anything.

Lunch today at El Compa was delicious! The restaurant was very clean both inside as well as the patio area. The service was also great! We had the Cheese Enchilada plate, Chile Relleno Burrito and Chile Relleno plate. All were delicious, I recommend all three. Parking is available in the parking lot, prices were reasonable. read more

See all

One of my favorites places of all time! Been coming here for decades. Great food. My go to is the shrimp enchiladas. The tacos dorados de pollo. The carne asada plate is dank. The staff is friendly and welcoming. Chill little place. read more

Super good food. Rice had a great taste and the nachos were good. Beans needed a little salt but perfect for those with high blood pressure. Wonderful service, ladies checked on us throughout . Nice ambiance and plenty of parking. read more

yes yes yes to everything came based off of the yelp reviews and they did not disappoint i had the chicken enchilada plate my daughter had the lil bit of everything plate and the food was so delicious and flavorful the service was so amazing and welcoming we will be back gracias a todo sorry no pics of food because we were to busy enjoying it read more

Service is great food is amazing. Everything about this place is really good. Our waitress gave the best customer service. I order an Agua de Jamaica and got extra so I can refill my cup whenever I finished my drink. That usually never happens anywhere else. read more

Ordered take out from here for the first time and was super disappointed.I used to love the place when I would eat in but take out definitely sucks. There should be a take out menu only where it's abit cheaper since it seems that they give you less than when you eat in. We ordered an avocado salad for 11$ and was served thinly sliced half a tomato, not even half a cucumber and not even half an avocado. The service is not very helpful read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Avocado salad - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

I wanted e good coctel. Had a $25 credit on Grubhub so I started a search. This place was close by and also has some decent reviews. I took the risk. Ordering was a breeze. And pick up time was spot on. On to the food you say. Ordered a campechana, cocktail with shrimp, octopus, abalone, snd oysters. WITH AVOCADO. $18.25!!! Something told me to order extra avocado. So I did. Wait for the punch line. I also ordered a limonada. Check out the pictures. The campechana was so small. I mean for about $20!!! Come on.... And look at the one slice of avocado they gave me with the order. What about the extra avocado I paid for? Yes, it was literally the rest of the avocado missing the one slice that came with the cocktail. Was it good? Actually, it was just passable. Tasted like seafood cocktail sauce. Would I go back? I would not. To tell you that the ready to go cocktails at Vallarta Supermarket are better. And cost about $7.95. If you are in the area, and plan to pick up and go, honestly just go to Vallarta. The other picture is of the best part of my meal. The Saladita crackers. If crackers are the best part of my $28 lunch. What does that say? Giving 3 stars for ease, staff was super nice. However, I would not recommend or return. Too many places. Heck, next time I'll just buy the shrimp and boil them myself. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - The best part idle my meal!!!! - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

Great service good food good portions friendly staff Clean environment adequate prices

Best ever!! Need to come! Best chicken soup in the world! No lie this is the real cure and taste!

BEST BREAKFAST BURRITO Oh my lord!! Running into these little gems is incredibly rare. I ordered a bacon breakfast burrito and let me tell you... the taste in the beans.. the eggs.. and the bacon!! Freaking delicious! THE SALSA IS EXTREMELY TASTY AND HAS A KICK! The coffee was great! The staff and the lady who takes orders are extremely polite and professional! I wish I lived in the area!! Golden restaurant!! read more

Food was pretty good and the service was outstanding! Prices were a little on the higher side compared to similar places but everything was definitely fresh made. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

Visited this place based on Yelp reviews. It was an hour before closing and I had the whole fried fish and the fries. Overall it was a decent meal with good service. Nothing spectacular or to write home about or better words rave here in Yelp about. The food was out pretty quick and the flavor was ok. I would say I would need to go back to provide another review. Not sure if it was because they were closing like at 8pm and I felt a bit rushed. But the overall ambiance was hometown small Mexican seafood place with outside seating. Certainly a place you will have to try to give you a better sense. read more

Mojarra Frita was awesome, great beans and rice too, super soft and flavorful. My hubby had the carne asada plate and it was soo good. You can tell the place is authentic just from the salsa. It has that perfect kick. Great place to lunch - not much of a romantic vibe but great food!!!! Also, they have a kids menu, which I adore, rather than trying to order food that might be spicy and trying to share. read more

The food is always so fresh and delicious, I know the owner and his wife. Amazing couple and parents. One of the best ownership relationship in the business. The lovely wife always welcomes you, serves you, plus checks everything is running smoothly. The handsome husband is always doing the cooking as he's the chef ‍. The small establishments has seating in the outside of the patio and inside but if your a group of 8 or more they can definitely accommodate you. It does get packed easily for dinning in. Some prefer to order takeout because of the long waiting. You must be patient of others it takes time to digest great food. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Carne de Puerco en Chile Verde con frijoles y arroz y ensalada. - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

The chicken Caldo was so good while I was sick, enough for two servings I also ordered the Chile relleno plate,that was good, and the rice was delicious. read more

Hoy fui y no me gusto que a todos los de mi mesa nos cobraron el 20% de propinas sin preguntar primero. Que cochinada de restaurante es este. I didnt like the fact that this restaurant charged every person in my table 20% tips without asking first. The owner needs to talk or fire the person responsible for this. read more

I ordered a plate of shrimp tacos from the appetizer menu. My first time here so I wanted to try the food before ordering other items. My plate was simple and that's ok but the shrimp was lacking seasoning, it wasn't clean and the breading/grease make it taste pretty bad. The prices are on the high side when you look at the plates, just because other ppl ordered different plates and when They got it it was a disappointment. I don't think I will return. But I will advice the owner to try the food he serves others... there is a lot of room for improvement. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Breading super heavy, gummy and not tasting good at all - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

Bosses eat here all the time. They have special dishes which are not on the menu. Pros: 1) Very friendly and affectionate wait staff. 2) Horchata is delicious. They bring your Horchata in your glass accompanied by a 1 liter(?) glass bottle. (+1) I am a sucker for free refills. 3) Portions are generous. Chips, and salsa are refilled promptly. 4) Abundant parking. Cons: None. read more

See all

I love this little place! It's always super clean and owner is super nice! I know they sell delicious fish and excellent shrimp cocktails BUT they also make the BEST chicken soup! read more

I ordered a mojarra frita (whole fried fish) drenched in a mojo de ajo, with a house salad and shoe string fries, delicious... the complimentary chips and salsa were very good. read more

The service is pretty good, food is pretty good if you like sea food. They do have other options. Drinks are good. Over all decent. Family vibe for sure. It's a good hangover spot for sure. Staff is great read more

No!!! Never again. Don't recommend it. And it's expensive. The sour cream with chipotle it was disgusting...

Best breakfast ever , I have the chorizo omelet it was delicious, great coffee and Orange Juicereally good and excellent service highly recommended If you are around South gate you should stop here read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Chorizo omelette - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

Loved the Service felt very homie and our food was on point, very fast and clean service. Everything we ordered was fresh portions were pretty grand. We left there stuffed. My chilakiles were on the spicy side but It didn't bother me. We went for early breakfast but it definitely picked up after 9am. The rounds of coffee were unstoppable which I loved and my waitress was so attentive. My parents definitely enjoyed themselves and I will be back soon as I can. read more

First time ordering delivery from here Ordered a large shrimp cocktail never again It's much bigger if you eat at the Restraunt. So disappointed.. $13.95 for this. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - This is a large shrimp cocktail - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

Had a caldo de pollo the other day, it was bomb! Definitely authentic and has a homey feeling to it. The rice was cooked to perfection and both the portions of the rice and soup were great! read more

After having a good experience at Water Grill, I was in an oyster kind of mood. I found this place (through yelp, of course) in South Gate and was excited to try their oysters. The decor is very homey and cute. There's lots of plants, lights, and blue colors. Parking is easy enough as it's part of a huge plaza area that includes Edwards Cinema and Denny's. Ostioneria El Compa may or may not have great food; all I know is that the oysters are terrible. In their defense, I must say this is purely subjective; maybe there's someone out there who enjoys the oysters they serve. They gave me complimentary chips and salsa. I didn't like the salsa. I asked the server what region the oysters hail from. She had to go to the back to ask the chef. She returned and said they are from Louisiana. I went ahead and ordered a dozen for $13.95. The oysters arrived and looked great. The disappointment began when I inserted the first one into my mouth, chewed several times, and was overwhelmed by sandiness. This flavor was not your typical brininess. I just had some pretty briny oysters at Water Grill. They were Marin Miyagis from Puget Sound, Washington. The Miyagis were briny, but still tasted good. These Louisiana oysters were purely sandy and off tasting. I've eaten a lot of oysters from various regions. These were the worst oysters I've ever had. They don't serve the oysters on a bed of ice. I guess this should have been the first warning sign. The usual trio of lemon, cocktail sauce, and horseradish was missing (no mignonette either). They call themselves an Ostioneria but only have one kind of oyster. After trying the first one naked, I asked for cocktail sauce, but they didn't have any. I finally ate the next one with lime. I forced myself to eat a third one, again with lime. I just couldn't continue; I only finished three of the twelve that I ordered. I very rarely do not finish my food. This should be an indication of just how bad these oysters were. There was no salinity or finish, just a bad taste in my mouth. One of the staff members asked me what I didn't like about them and what oysters I do like. She was nice, and prevented a one star. At least she made an effort to find out what was wrong. I explained how they were merely sandy and unpleasant, with no salinity or finish. In retrospect, I should have asked her to try one for herself since they were going to throw out the other nine anyway. read more

See all

Pescado Gotta say this was pretty terrible had to drown out the bad taste with hot sauce read more

My boyfriend and his family are regulars here so he decided to bring me along to try this place. Parking is ample you will not encounter any problems with finding a spot unless it's the weekend - the entire plaza fills up quickly. As soon as you walk in you'll be greeted with a hello. The staff is nice and attentive. The restaurant is clean and medium sized. Now the food part. As soon as you sit down you will be given a small plate of chips along with a small bowl of salsa. I've had better chips and I've had better salsa but my meal made up for it and that's quite frankly what truly matters. I yelped this location before coming here, of course, and I saw a lot of people were raving about the lemonade so that's what I decided to go with. Wow, they weren't kidding! The lemonade has a great homemade taste and it's very refreshing. I ordered the tacos estilo Ensenada and they were great. A bit too much cabbage for me but you can easily take some off. I'm the type of girlfriend who likes to stick her fork in her boyfriends plate and this date was no exception. I liked his food better than mine and mine was good. He had a carne asada quesadilla and they actually load it up with meat unlike other places. This location is a must try if you're craving quality Mexican/Seafood. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Tacos estilo Ensenada - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

Por muchos años he comido aquí. Por la deliciosa comida, los especiales diarios, los precios convenientes y el excelente servicio. Para ir en familia o con tu pareja a comer y tomar algo en un ambiente confortable y limpio. read more

All the food is really good.. lets start off by saying chips and salsa were fresh, which in your particular mexican restaurant you get water down salsa. I Tried the shrimp soup and it gets a thumbs up. Also ceviche was good read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Everything in this picture is - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

I love it, nunca fallan! Tengo 20+ años viniendo aquí y nunca fallan, ahora llevo a mi niña y le encantan gracias!

Still love this place and whenever I'm passing by the neighborhood - we always have to make a stop for our favorite Mexican place. I had to include a couple pictures from our recent visit. You wish you probably had smell-vision capabilities because the food is better in person! Thanks again Laura for being so gracious and welcoming to your customers. read more

Ostioneria El Compa - The best ceviche ever. - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

Been coming here for a while and there food is always sooo yummy and fresh! The enchiladas are my favorite and camarones empanizados! And service is always so nice . read more

Ostioneria El Compa - Mexican Near Me - South Gate, California

See all

i gave this a try for third time and was my last time i order the tostada mixta and was disappoint never again over price and the food not good. Great customer the food not so good.i read more

I had lunch here today. I had a dozen oysters and the combination (couple of thinly wrapped shredded beef burritos along with the usual beans, rice and a bit of salad on the side). The oysters (which seemed like quite the bargain at 6 for $8.25) turned out to be very bland. Really no taste at all. The combo plate was all "ok" middle of the fairway. The salsa that came with the chips was very good as was the service. read more

Really good lunch I had the sopes it was delicious and agua de Jamaica fresh made and excellent service highly recommended If you are around South gate you should stop here read more

Let's keep this place in business. My family and i have been going here for about 20 years....and they NEVER disappoint! Food is delicious and tastes like it's homemade ...authentic!!! This is My family's "go-to" place hands down. read more