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Quixote

4.0 (687 reviews)
PriceyMexican
Open 12:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

Quixote Photos

QUIXOTE ATMOSPHERE

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Hipster
Trendy
Intimate
Romantic

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Recommended Reviews - Quixote

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Reviews With Photos

Crab corn doughnut
Corinne M.

Go early for privacy, decor definitely Gothic dark almost hard to see, but eyes will adjust. It's is shared plate type place , but still able to fulfill one person appetite per plate. So could be budget friendly, or can be not budget friendly and try the menu which I recommend! The signature meal of this chef was a crab doughnut, which I disagree of being the best but still good ...memelita was by far tops !!!!! Then masa fried chicken tacos 2nd but ALL was amazing !!! Can't miss this . Decor was absolutely gorgeous and romantic but also BFF romantic gothic yet... church like to me . Don't miss this spot

Masa fried chicken taco
Jessie A.

Loved it here. Things to note 1. Parking is bad so plan accordingly and be prepared to walk a block or 2 to get to the restaurant 2. It is very dark in here. I had to take photos in night mode so it looks a lot brighter than it actually is. If you are going with someone older or who has trouble seeing in the dark, they are not gonna see anything lol 3. I heard reservations were required months out but i went in the same day. It was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend around lunch time but they took walk ins left and right so maybe just dinner is what needs to be booked in advance? The decor was immaculate and everything that came out was delicious and it came out very fast. It is connected to the Lafayette hotel which has the jungle room, bowling alley, pool and multiple bars. You can easily spend the day here. Mmmm not if you have kids though. 10/10 recommend

Grill Fish
Denise K.

First time visiting Quixote. We stopped by to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Loved the dark, idyllic vibe of the restaurant. Our server was attentive at first, but later in the evening it became difficult to find her when we needed things like water refills. We ordered the Oaxacan fondue, ribs, grilled fish, and chicken tacos. The stars of the meal were definitely the Oaxacan fondue and the ribs -- both were flavorful. Unfortunately, the grilled fish was a disappointment and didn't live up to the rest of the dishes.

Michelle V.

This place is so cool for celebrating special occasions 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

Menu of the night, changes regularly
Cindy P.

Very trendy, friendly, evocative dining experience! It's located inside the Lafayette Hotel, but there's also an outside entrance to the restaurant. Beware there's only street parking, no valet service (unless you're a hotel guest), so that can present a challenge. Reservations a MUST on weekends, especially with a group. Now for the food reviews. Everything we ordered was delicious from the squash blossom and smashed tuna tartare appetizers to the El Festin platter (made for groups) . Since the main dining area is kept dark for the dramatic gothic effect, it's tricky to rely on your sense of sight for the presentation of each of the dish. The highlight for me was the chili garlic shrimp tacos. So full of flavor! The only drawback is that many of their dishes are made with nuts. So if you have a nut allergy, which one of us in our group did, the menu was limiting. Overall, it's an incredible place for first timers and out-of- towners. I might return for a special celebration, but not repeatedly. Once is good enough experience, especially with so many other special dining options in our fine city.

Alexa D.

Walking in, the dim lighting immediately pulls you into a whole different world--the vibes and decor are super immersive and unique. I ordered the Chamoy BBQ Costillitas and they were absolutely mouthwatering--definitely worth every penny, and the portion was huge. Meanwhile, my friend got the shrimp tacos... and let's just say we couldn't help but laugh at how small they looked. The drinks were just okay, nothing too memorable. But the atmosphere made it a great spot for conversation, and the staff were incredibly friendly and informative when it came to the menu. One thing that did stand out (in not the best way) was the smell in the back room. It wasn't necessarily bad or dirty, just very strong and kind of overwhelming unpleasant smell as soon as you walk in, something I personally didn't love. Overall, it's a really cool spot with great vibes and standout dishes, just with a few small things to keep in mind.

Kathryn W.

Love the gothic vibe of the restaurant. Reminds me of dark magic fantasy school. Got tuna tartare, crab dish and lamb as entree. Food was pretty delicious and had some unique veggies that I've never had before. Overall a unique experience but the service was a bit lacking. Our waiter kept forgetting our request and didn't really check up on us

Campechana
Karyn T.

I really really wanted to like this place, I had been so excited to check out Quixote for my friends birthday so saying that I was just underwhelmed hurts my heart. Here's the good, the decor is immaculate, the stained glass the candelabras the baroque design concept was beautiful and our server Jesse was kind and checked in on us as often as he could. For drinks I ordered the motomami, I love mezcal and this drank read off really tasty. When it arrived I was like oh, this is the drink? For how ostentatious the decor and vibes are you would think the drinks would be presented a little nicer and not just in a coup that was spilled on me by another server. The drink was just fine, it's tasty but again it was okay. The food, could have been a whole lot better, for our side we ordered the guacamole with chicarron, campechana, masa fried chicken tacos and chilli garlic shrimp tacos. When the guacamole came out, I laughed, it was guacamole in a cute little molcajete with fried pork rinds sprinkled with tajin. Um, okay. I thought it would be a similar to fried pork belly, like I'm used to and have had at other Mexican restaurants. To charge an additional $5 for 8 pieces of Mission chicharrones is laughable. I ordered the shrimp tacos for myself, question, were the shrimps poached in water, because there was no flavor and taco itself was overly dressed in a greasy flavor lacking sauce, no finesse on the plating it was just sloppy. If you're wanting to upcharge you should at least do a better job plating your foods. I didn't try my friends chicken tacos but she felt like it was under seasoned and she needed to scoop the guac from our starter to add a little flavor. The campechana to us was tasty, the octopus was really tender opposed to the pulpo our other friend shared which was chewy. It's so confusing because the consistency with everything is just so off. Overall, I would not come back, although the decor is just beautiful it doesn't match or exceed the expectations for it's food.

This was a personalized candle given to the birthday girl!!!
Veronica L.

Thou this place is pricey, it is worth every penny. Drink and all food are made with delicious ingredients. Everything we had we enjoyed. Staff were attentive and very courteous. Such a great experience. The vibe of restaurant was incredible and so unique! Loved all the decor!

Corn crab doughnut. Comes in a super cool rock bowl too.
Camille H.

The ambiance is amazing! It feels like you're in hell/a gothic castle in the best way possible. The food is expensive but really good so I thought it was totally worth it. We made reservations and got in right on time and got our food and drinks pretty quickly. The crudite that we ordered with the guacamole was incredible! It had such a good flavor. And there was so much delicious guacamole. I also got the Corn crab doughnut which was pretty good and comes in a super cool rock bowl.

Drinks
Katy H.

The place was gorgeous, they had different rooms and the inside was a little smaller than expected but it was still super nice. I made reservations in advanced for 830PM, I arrived early like they requested and I still waited 15 mins after reservation time to be sat, so not including my early arrival time. Then we sat at our table and I wish I had taken photos but every glass was dirty, like had some black pieces, maybe it was food or dirt off some other dishes from the dishwasher? I'm not sure but when I told my server she was visibly annoyed, she brought over new glasses and 2/5 were still dirty but I didn't want to tell her as you could tell she was irritated. Then the food arrived and the food honestly wasn't anything to boast over, we got the fried chicken tacos, they're fried in masa but it was a lot of masa, then we had ordered the chili shrimp tacos? They were good but honestly could've been spicier. Then we got the memelita which was pretty good, probably my favorite dish out of them all. The drinks were not good, they were all very bitter, couldn't taste the alcohol which is fine but the juice/mix added to them wasn't very great. Then someone at the table ordered wine and the wine glass was dirty, we just didn't even want to bother so we picked the two pieces out the glass. I however did like the machatata but my table was not a fan lol. We then ordered desert, one being pastel de Diablo and it did not taste anything like the description and when we looked at yelp photos it looked completely different lol. I had then ordered fritters but never got them. For my bday I did get a free desert which was probably the best tasting thing all night. Service wise wasn't great, we pretty much only got checked on if an item we ordered was brought out and only if that item was brought out by our server so I'd say over our whole stay maybe we got checked up on twice. Overall I'd say there are a lot better aesthetically pleasing and delicious places to go to if you're visiting San Diego or if you live there and are thinking of trying. Parking wise I don't think there's a lot but the restaurants right next to the Lafayette if that gives you any answer to the parking situation lol.

Elizabeth M.

There was some confusion with the reservation, so we ended up just having late night desserts and drinks here. The bartender was super nice. The decor is a Neo Gothic style with dramatic red lighting. We ordered the flan and the chocolate cake. The flan was a bit rubbery, and the chocolate cake was quite dense, so neither was my favorite.

The room where our group was seated
Kaleena B.

I think I'm in love. The ambiance and vibes are impeccable. I felt like I was in an old gothic European cathedral and I was HERE FOR IT! Our party of 6 had a reservation for noon, right when it opened for lunch and there was already a little crowd on a Friday afternoon. We were seated in this side room that can be best described as a den fit for a vampire -- iconic. Dark and moody with real candlelight and red fabric on the walls and ceiling. Our waiter was incredible, providing recommendations and tons of information. It felt like he was passionate about the food. It's all small plates meant to be shared, and for lunch he recommended six little plates and a main -- which seemed like a lot of food but was literally the perfect amount of food. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the food... not the group for me to snap a photo of literally 7 plates of food lol We ordered: Beets (an incredible beet salad), Masa Fried Chicken Tacos, Squash Blossom Relleno, Crab Corn Doughnut, Memelita, guacamole, and the Braised Lamb Belly. I'd literally order everything again, but I'll dream about that beet salad.

Beet salad

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Quixote Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Quixote

Is quixoto still serving food?

Is there outdoor sitting to bring dogs?

No it's an indoors only restaurant

Is there easy parking?

Street parking and most of it is metered.

Are reservations always needed or can we go directly to the bar?

You can go directly to the bar but reservations are needed usually for a table.

Are kids allowed at the restaurant?

I didn't see any kids there, but it's also very much a dark bar vibe, I wouldn't take a kid in there imo.

Has anyone inquired about corkage policy for Quixote?

I brought a bottle of champagne $30

Do they serve wine there? If so is there a big selection of by the glass? Can't find it on any of the menus posted on Yelp. Thanks in advance.

Quixote is an authentic Mexican food restaurant. They have beers and about 10 cocktails. Not really a wine place. But I'm sure they have some.

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Coasterra

Coasterra

4.0
(4.1k reviews)
3.5 mi
$$$

Wow! If you're looking for a beautiful view of San Diego skyline and Coronado Island this is the…read moreplace. It's always a great place to stop before or after going to the airport because it's that close. We originally went there for an early dinner, but happened to meet the happy hour time frame (3:30-5:30). They have a wonderful array of drinks and appetizers to choose from. The most expensive being $11.00. Each appetizer is enough for two people. A man at the bar asked me if I wanted some of his guacamole dip because he could finish it all. He looked like that was his dinner meal too. I declined, since I was favoring the ceviche and chicken tinga tostadas. Both tasted delicious. I heard the bacon wrapped jalapeño were good but not gf. So I didn't try them. The views from our table were spectacular. They had many GF options listed on their menu. Our waiter, Jared, (so helpful and attentive), told me which items are more gluten sensitive and which ones were gluten free. The drinks were tasty and refreshing too. Definitely a place I'll be going back to with family and friends

An Unforgettable Birthday Celebration!…read more I took my husband here for his birthday this past Monday, and the entire experience was absolutely incredible from start to finish. First, the location and the views are simply stunning. It set the perfect backdrop for a celebratory evening. But what really elevated the vibe was the music! The playlist was so on point that I literally found myself dancing in my seat to every single song. It created such a fun, lively energy. I also have to give a massive shoutout to our waiter, who was incredibly attentive, warm, and anticipated our every need. The entire staff went above and beyond to make my husband feel so wonderfully celebrated. From a sweet little "Happy Birthday" sign to a surprise dessert at the end of the meal, every detail was thoughtful and perfectly executed. This place is truly incredible. We will absolutely be back!

Photos
Located on Harbor Island, Coasterra offers stunning views of the San Diego Bay, downtown skyline and Coronado Bridge.
Located on Harbor Island, Coasterra offers stunning views of the San Diego Bay, downtown skyline and Coronado Bridge.
View from patio
View from patio
Main dining room

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Main dining room
Oscars Mexican Seafood

Oscars Mexican Seafood

4.2
(2.2k reviews)
1.2 mi
$$

I'm writing this review at 5:07 pm. I ordered 6 fish tacos and 2 steak tacos and that's it. I…read moreordered at 4:21pm and I am still waiting for my tacos. This is bull shit and I will never recommend this place to anyone . This is pathetic. People that ordered 5 minutes ago have already been served and they just talk shit on me in Spanish.... I know because I speak Spanish. Amazing food, bad experience but my frustration got the best of me. It is the best fish taco I've ever had even cold.

Oscar's came highly recommended by a bunch of SD locals. I've been here three times and it hits…read moreevery time. Some highlights: -Mixto Ceviche: ceviche with shrimp and fish. Comes in a personal sized cup and can be shared as a group or as part of your entree. -Grilled Octopus/Pulpo Taco: I'm always a little hesitant about grilled octopus because it's hard to prepare and can end up being really chewy. It was grilled perfectly here! The chunks were big enough so you get the squid flavor. It also comes with a sweet/spicy sauce which was unexpected but really yummy. -Battered Fish Taco: my favorite dish! Huge flaky piece of fish that's fried really well. Not too much rough and you can really taste the fish. -Chips and Guac: fresh made guac! Get it as a side order and you can add to your tacos too. It can get really busy here. Our food took longer than expected and you have to wait around for a table too. Parking lot can be a hit or miss. Try to come during off hours!

Photos
Inside | IG:@socalsnomnoms
Inside | IG:@socalsnomnoms
Battered Fish Taco
Battered Fish Taco
Fish Ceviche

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Fish Ceviche
California Burritos

California Burritos

4.3
(1.4k reviews)
2.8 mi
$$

We went hoping for pozole and they didn't have it. BUT we ordered the verde burrito and a…read morechorizo/egg burrito and wasn't mad about it. The chorizo wasn't like Roberto's so there was no grease dripping down my hands. That usually means either too much eggs or better quality meat. I think it was the latter. It tasted like restaurant chorizo. We sat down and enjoyed our stay. The flow of customers was consistent for a Saturday morning. Our favorite was the vibe. We are so lucky to get Mex at any corner. So something really has to stand out. It felt like a family taco shop. The "Dad" was the best! He called the orders like he was asking if we did our chores and called the kids coming in mijo. He made sure that we had what we needed - reminding us to "eat all" of our food then danced behind the counter. It was a fun breakfast.

Overview: very quick and friendly service, yummy California Burrito according to my bf…read more ---- We placed an order through the phone for a California Burrito ($13.90) and a Fish Taco ($5.50) and they said it would be ready in 5 minutes! We left right away to pick up the food and sure enough it was ready waiting for our arrival. One quick drive back home to dig in and the aroma was so enticing. California Burritos is very apt for their name, my bf rates it a 10/10. As a California Burrito connoisseur, he liked the addition of sour cream in it and said the flavors were delicious. He topped it with their green salsa for a little bit of a freshness to cut through the richness and fattiness of the meat and fries in the burrito. He didn't care for the fish taco that much and rated it a 4/10 but said the restaurant overall was a 10/10, as he thought there was too much lettuce and tomato throwing off the ratio of the taco. I, on the other hand, am a huge fan of veggies and liked the ample amount they provided. ---- There's a couple benches outside in front of the shop and seating at booth tables inside as well. It's a bit smaller to sit inside, I recommend sitting outside to enjoy the fresh air and the sunset is beautiful. ---- Overall: if you're in the mood for California Burritos come to the place rightly named California Burritos!

Photos
California Burritos
Sausage, Eggs, Cheese, and Potatoes Burrito
Sausage, Eggs, Cheese, and Potatoes Burrito
California Burritos

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Quixote - mexican - Updated July 2026

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