Great service! Tristan was very helpful with choosing the corn tamales! 10/10! I had a watermelon guava margarita and my twin had a craft cocktail with passion fruit. we had about 2-3 each. Great food and drinks. read more

Kind of bougie upscale Mexican that's more common these days. Service was really good especially before and after a Mexico World Cup game. Dishes were all fine, nothing spectacular but at that high of a price point it just didn't seem worth it. - Shrimp tacos: tender shrimp and very nicely assembled. Best thing all night - Guacamole: Solid and a decent portion. - Esquite: very bland and had almost no cotija on top. Really disappointing especially since it's $17. You'd expect a premier appetizer. Willing to give one more shot since the service was good and the tacos actually hit. read more

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General Manager Daniel and our server Vanessa made our experience here 10 times better! The food was delicious and the customer service was even better! Definitely coming back on a Sunday for the mariachi! read more

Perla - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This place has a great ambiance. The waitress was very nice and helpful they have great lunch specials.l that are $12.99 My margarita was $17 which to me is a bit expensive for a small restaurant. Also the 3 filet mignon tacos are $32. That seems really expensive!!! My chimichanga was very good. The margarita was good but nothing special. read more

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Went here on a date night! Our highlights were the guacamole as well as the La Nina margarita. We also loved the ceviche trio as well as the Arterra. Everything was amazing and we definitely will be back. read more

It was an interesting experience at Perla Mexican Cuisine from the moment we arrived. We got there at lunch time on a Sunday and stood at the host booth. There was a waitress there but she didn't acknowledge us, and eventually she walked away. 4-5 waiters kept walking by us as we stood there and we felt pretty foolish. The thought crossed my mind "if they keep ignoring us, we'll just find somewhere else to eat.." It was about 5 more minutes of standing there before the original lady came back and said "Okay, sorry for the wait, did you have a reservation?" We ended up sitting outside on the patio since it was a beautiful day. It was nice and shady, but the patio was really dirty, there was crumpled trash and litter I assume from brunch all over the ground. I snapped a photo and attached. My fiancé ordered the Hibiscus Margarita and she said it was tasty. They didn't, however give us any napkins with our drinks. We figured they would come with our food when it was brought out. Unfortunately, when the food arrived we still had to place settings, utensils or napkins. If you see our photos, it's just food with no napkins or settings at all. We had to wait for the waiter to return and ask for utensils so we could eat our food. A bit disappointing.. Once we were able to eat however I was very happy with the enchiladas. Their chicken was delicious and the sauce was really wonderful. The sauce all around the plate was excellent and they were very generous with the cheese. I did find myself wishing there was some rice and beans to go along with the enchiladas and for the price point, I think you might expect it, but what can you do? The ceviche didn't have as much lime, not very tangy at all, at least not what we're used to, and we have lots of Mexican ceviche. This ceviche was more peppery, and heavy on the seasoning, was it Masala? Not sure but it reminded us more of Indian food. Not saying it was bad, just wasn't what we were expecting. Again, the service was lacking throughout the meal and that continued until the end. Our regular server took so long to return, we had to ask a different server for our check. She went and got our regular server who brought our check. I don't know if there was a party or something going on, but it looked like most of the servers were preoccupied talking and hanging out inside the main restaurant area, whether that was with clients or each other, I have no clue. We probably won't be back, to be honest. read more

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I came here with my bestfriend for brunch. We sat at the bar and our bartender was very attentive, friendly and offered suggestions on food. We shared the guacamole and I ordered the chilaquiles both were very good. I definitely plan on coming back. Parking is pretty easy there is a structure a short distance and street parking. read more

Food is great here, I've tried both Mole and Suizas enchiladas. Perla Palmoa was made perfectly Bartender was very welcoming and nice. It was our first spot we tried after we moved downtown and he recommend alot of places to also checkout around Santa Ana to explore and eat. Will definitely be back for more food and cocktails to try! read more

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Burrito mijado. Packed with chicken, flavor and the sauce taste homemade. Overall great ! I ordered delivery so I didn't see the inside.

10/10, highly recommend this place! We had the enchiladas and elote pastel, and everything was absolutely delicious. The food and prices were both great! Our bartender, David, was amazing and made the experience even better. Definitely recommend checking this place out! The decoration was beautiful. read more

Perla - Elote Pastel De Elote - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Mario and dishwasher Daniel were amazing lol but truthfully the food and service was amazing Vanessa changed the music just to make us feel right at home read more

The pan de elote is 10/10. And the service was even better! Thank you to David for the recommendations on the food menu! Excellent service from David! Every attentive! read more

Perla - The pan de elote is 10/10. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This is a lovely place nestled in downtown Santa Ana. The staff is wonderful and attentive. They were also great at giving recommendations. We ended up getting queso fundido, seasoned fries, flautas, and mango ceviche. Queso Fundido- The melted oaxaca cheese was light and creamy. The chorizo was savory and incorporated into the dish beautifully. Seasoned Fries- These were served piping hot and perfectly crispy. The seasoning is flavorful. Flautas- The tortilla had a wonderful crisp and the beef filling was juicy and perfectly seasoned. Served with a nice, smoky salsa. Mango Ceviche- This was a delightful citrusy dish! The mango was the right amount of ripeness and the shrimp was fresh. Served with crispy tortillas. read more

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We love la Perla . Everyone here is so nice and friendly if you wanna party come here for the World Cup read more

Perla - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Came here for a girls brunch and really enjoyed my meal Food was authentic and made well and the drinks didn't disappoint! Would come back ! the service was also good read more

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Perla Mexican Cuisine Receives positive reviews for its food, service, and atmosphere. It is a women-owned and family-operated Mexican restaurant located in a historic district. I like their steak tacos, appetizers and street corn. read more

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Our server, Mario was amazing. He took care of us. The restaurant is nice and clean and I will definitely be coming back. read more

Perla - Mimosas and fun - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Honestly , one of the best Mexican restaurants I've been to in OC, the service is phenomenal. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Our server Karina was amazing and made some fantastic recommendations. I got the short rib tacos and they were so tender and juicy and cheesy, paired with the Guavandia Margita. Everything with so fresh with high quality ingredients. Me and my boyfriend will definitely be back!!! read more

Perla - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Food was delicious, services was great and the ambiance was just right. Our waiter Danny was very attentive and Daniel was super friendly. The food and Daniel definitely convinced us to come back. read more

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I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience at Perla's in Santa Ana was disappointing from start to finish. The biggest issue was the complete lack of management presence. The manager spent most of the evening sitting on the patio talking on the phone and seemed completely detached from what was happening in the restaurant. At one point, he openly told the bartender, in front of guests, that he was leaving to deal with a personal issue involving his car leaking oil during the middle of dinner service. That level of unprofessionalism set the tone for the entire night. The restaurant is very small, with only a few tables occupied, yet service was still poor. There appeared to be only one bartender and two servers working. The servers were often in the back on their phones while guests in the front were waiting to be seated. With a place this small, there is no excuse for guests to feel ignored. The atmosphere was also strange. The music was unnecessarily loud, and instead of showing sports, the TVs were playing the news. It felt disorganized and lacked any real hospitality. The restrooms were dirty and missing basic essentials, which only reinforced the feeling that management simply didn't care about the guest experience. As for the food and drinks, the prices are extremely high for what you receive. My girlfriend and I ordered tacos, an Old Fashioned, and a mezcal cocktail. The bartender was reasonably quick with drinks but wasn't very friendly or engaging. The tacos were greasy and overly salty, and the torta ahogada was one of the worst I've had. The sauce was bland, lacked flavor, and the dish was served cold. To make matters worse, one of the servers repeatedly came to our table asking if we needed "anything else" while clearly trying to rush us into closing out our tab. It felt more like being pushed through a fast-food restaurant than dining at a place charging premium prices. For a restaurant this small, I would expect attentive service, strong management, and attention to detail. Instead, we experienced poor leadership, inattentive staff, overpriced food and drinks, dirty facilities, and an overall lack of hospitality. Unfortunately, I won't be returning. read more

Sat at the bar Tristian was the bartender and he is great. Recommend things to try based on what I like. Got the burrito and it was great sauce good slight spice to it which is amazing. read more

What an unfortunate change for this restaurant. It seems there is a new manager in charge who appears to lack proper management and customer service skills. I have visited this establishment several times before and always had a good experience. However, this was my first time coming since the new manager took over. We came in for brunch and were told that only the brunch menu was available. I ordered the Enchilada Trio, which is still listed on the brunch menu, but was told it is no longer offered. I then asked for the lobster enchiladas and was told those were no longer available either. At that point I asked what items were actually available since we were being told that the items listed on the brunch menu were not being served. The manager came over to explain why the items were still printed on the menu, but unfortunately he came across as rude and unprofessional during the interaction. Because of the manager's attitude and the lack of clear communication, we decided to leave. Very disappointing experience. Sadly, I will not be returning to this establishment. . read more

Always amazing service, food, and drinks at Perla. Danny is the best! Always super attentive and friendly. Fav dishes are the pasta roja and enchiladas suizas. Will always be a customer !! read more

Perla - Jamaica margarita - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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They are next to one of the three free daytime parking lots for DTSA, nice bonus. Nice location, patio seating, no wait for lunch about 1/4th full. Menu is on the pricey side but they have "lunch specials". A little odd that you have to scan a special menu to see the specials? We both got chimichanga burritos. they tasted good but very heavy rice with not much meat. My buddy asked if he could get a side of red sauce, she let him know the other burrito came with red sauce and didnt get him any sauce? To acknowledge having a requested sauce and refusing to get it was kind of poopy IMO. Service was also on the slow side, we both had come early but if we had not, we would have both been late for afternoon meetings so plan accordingly. read more

Marcos the bartender was a vibe. The micheladas are delicious and the fajitas were great. Would def come again

Food is amazing, service 10/10 Vanessa our waitress I her service is always 100/100.. Horchata Martinis are great !!! read more

Perla - Mimosas.. I'll take The bottle please - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I love this place for brunch amazing food and vibes, Tristan and angel really made us have a good time they are so kind and funny. Very professional and friendly. 10/10 recommend read more

Great food and service. Good drinks and good ambiance. They have a nice outdoor area too.

Over priced, $30 3 enchiladas.. no rice or no beans on the plate. If you are looking for a simple plate this would be great. Looking for a meal look somewhere else. read more

Perla - Enchiladas de mole, beans, rice... stake and eggs but they didn't have the regular stake so they gave him different meat. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I came here during brunch hours and had the enchiladas Michoacanas and they were delicious. The service was great. Our server Vanessa was very friendly and attentive. I want to come back and try more plates on the menu! read more

Perla - Enchiladas Michoacanas - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

The La Niña is criminally good. The queso fundido is bubbly, melty, fight-your-friends-for-the-last-bite perfection. Vibes immaculate, service warm, already planning my return. Go. Order both. Trust. read more

Marcos and Ángel are the best bartenders around!! Great service and good conversation! Not to mention the amazing food!

The food is good and quality! They also have cool drinks. The people working here are super nice. Overall it's an amazing experience here. Also, we won snake eye and got compensation! Manager is super cool! read more

Marcos is amazing and has made our experience so awesome! Food and drinks are great and so is happy hour. But Marcos really made our day and I hope we get him again. read more

We came out yesterday to Santa Ana, and my girlfriend and her friend needed to use the restroom. We were also inclined to get some shots/cocktails inside as it is Cinco de Mayo weekend. After being told we couldn't bring in outside food or beverages, my friends and I waited outside to finish said beverages while my girlfriend and our friend went in to use the restroom, but were confronted by what seems to be a newish manager. He yelled at us and told us that we HAD to buy a drink because we used the restroom, when we were ALREADY inclined to buy drinks post restroom break. Manager was being extremely rude and frustrating, and from that point forward we ordered our drinks, paid and left. Overall one of the worst experiences I've ever had in any restaurant/bar. Manager (was wearing a tan suit) needs to learn how to provide better customer service. We probably would have stayed longer (and purchased more) if the first interaction wasn't so crass. If you're the business owner, know that this manager read more

They have a $12 lunch special from 10am-3pm on Tuesdays-Fridays. I ordered the chilaquiles. It was a decent size. I was expecting it to be a smaller portion since it was a part of the lunch special and it even came with rice and beans. Overall, it was pretty good. I like my chilaquiles to be extra saucey so I did have to ask for extra crème and salsa on the side. Only thing is that it was missing a fried egg on top. I had seen pictures where they usually serve it with an egg. The verde salsa had a nice punch to it, I was actually surprised. Our server was friendly and attentive to our needs. I didn't get her name but I think she had purple hair...or red, either way, shout out to her! read more

The food was amazing! And service as well! Recommendations were spot on. We had the halibut ceviche, taquitos, and short rib tacos - so good! read more

Perla - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Danny treated my friend and I so well great service ! He was so polite and took good care of us (:

Everything bomb atmosphere, service. Highly recommend! Sunday's they have Mariachi! Dinner and brunch is a must!!

Marcos the bar tender was amazing great service ! Great time! And good vibes ! Food was good read more