First time at Perla and I was truly impressed! The food was absolutely amazing! We ordered the Halibut ceviche, the short rib tacos, and the flautas, each dish was flavorful, fresh, and beautifully prepared. The service was excellent as well; everyone was welcoming, attentive, and made the experience even better. I love the decor, and music. I'll definitely be coming back and highly recommend checking it out! read more

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

Service staff are extremely welcoming! All food is savory! An extra plus for mariachis on Sunday read more

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

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

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

See all

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

See all

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

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

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

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

See all

Came here for the Mexico game and Danny and Daniel are the dream team!!! Best bartenders!! Great drinks!

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

See all

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

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

See all

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

Los chilaquiles were sooo good! I switched mine to red salsa and I didn't regret it. Definitely recommend coming here if you want some authentic Mexican cuisine. Vanessa and Daniel were so polite. We were watching a World Cup game and the vibe was awesome. read more

Perla - This is green chilaquiles - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Enchiladas were incredible. Definitely would recommend and get them again. Really nice atmosphere.

Absolutely delicious food - good service. Get the enchiladas suizas! Favorite sit down Mexican food in downtown Santa ana

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

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

Best spot in DTSA!! Daniel is amazing!! Food drinks amazing. Cool vibes to watch games at! Definitely coming back often. Owners are super chill too! read more

Good food, good vibes! Good service! Had a great time with some great people! And great service! And great drinks! And great food! And good water! read more

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

Latine born and raised in SoCal, and I gotta say, this place has some of the most unique dishes I've had in terms of ingredients. Shout out to our server Karina for the recs.The Rajas Con Queso was so light but flavorful and it was a great start to the meal. Drinks are A1 as well, their guavandia margarita is deliciously dangerous, and their michi mix is super flavorful. It was so good I got two michis here with my meal. The entrees? Out of this world. We got the shrimp enchiladas and short rib tacos. The chipotle sauce over the enchiladas is so fire that I full send my side of beans of rice into it. I never finish my sides for enchiladas but this was the exception. The short rib tacos? Shhheeeeeeeshhh . Moist, savory, and addictive. This was our first and definitely not our last time coming. Salud! read more

Amazing food, drinks and service by carina and the rest of the staff. Super yummy food. :) read more

Perla - Amazing food, drinks and service by carina. Always a good time. :) - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Santa Ana, California

See all

I came here to celebrate my sister's birthday and had the best experience from start to finish. The entire staff was very welcoming and attentive. Vanessa was a great server. The food is spectacular Order the enchilada Suizas! read more

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

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

See all

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

Best experience to watch the World Cup! Great food! Great drinks! tvs could be better but good overall!

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

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

See all

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

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

See all

I love the food here and service is good. My main issues are with who appears to be the manager. I decided to celebrate my birthday here back in October, the manager approached our table and said "Can I get you ladies a round of shots!" The way he phrased it made it seem like it would be on the house, so we asked to clarify and he was incredibly vague and not clear. Sure enough, when we got the bill they were not on the house and it ended up being around $550 for 5 of us... pretty steep especially considering they wouldn't let me pay. Second time I encountered this person was just this past Thursday. It was a big soccer match so of course it was incredibly packed. I put my name down and he told me 45 minutes. I said okay, and went to wait. 45 minutes come and go and I go check with him, because open table was saying that the restaurant was now closed. He said "wait around until half time. I might have a side table for you." So like an idiot, I waited around through half time and nothing. Just wasted my time. This guy needs to be more direct at delivering bad news. If you can't comp the shots, just say that and we wouldn't have ordered them. If you can't seat me, that's fine, just let me know so we're not waiting around and wasting time!!! read more

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

See all