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    Taco Mesa

    4.0 (1.9k reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order Taco Mesa Takeout or Delivery

    Taco Mesa Photos

    Business Info

    TACO MESA ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Taco Mesa

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    Must try!
    Eve N.

    Stop on Sundays or Monday's and order the pozole. One of a kind dish. The i greasers used are top notch and you can take the unique flavor of the spices. They only use authentic ingredients like in Mexico City. You must order the horchata! It's the best in Orange County and no other restaurant can imitate the flavor unless you visit Mexico City

    Shrimp Burrito
    Natalya S.

    I ordered the shrimp burrito and since eating it, have not stopped thinking about it. It was sooo flavorful, the shrimp was fresh and perfectly cooked and it was so juicy (maybe even a little too juicy as it fell apart on me at the end). They have a salsa bar with delicious salsa verde, and a bunch of other toppings for your food. I liked the ambiance of the restaurant, a bit on the smaller side but it has outdoor seating with TVs. The workers were very nice, and the food came out quick. Highly recommend trying this for some bomb Mexican food!

    Tacos
    Arshad H.

    Taco Mesa is a casual Mexican restaurant located at the site that used to be a Taco Bell. They offer tacos, burritos, entrees, appetizers, and breakfast menu options. I opted for 3 tacos. Taco Steak - $6.50 - Grilled marinated steak with cilantro and onions were all served on a tortilla. While it was good, I did expect there to be a bit more steak at the given price point. Taco Shredded Chicken - $5 - This came with a crispy corn tortilla with seasoned shredded chicken, romaine, pico de gallo, crema & queso fresco. Out of all the things I tried, this was the best, it had a lot of flavor. Taco Fried Fish - $6 - This consisted of fried fish, cabbage adobada, pico de gallo, crema & queso on a crispy corn tortilla. Unfortunately the fried fish was a little off tasting and not so fresh. Overall I felt the tacos were on the pricier side and the fried fish taco didn't taste as fresh. Perhaps they needed to change the oil used for frying. They do have a large selection of meat options, especially sea food so if I did come back I'll look into other options.

    Veggie taco
    Michelle G.

    Hard to believe I don't have a previous review here. This place is the real deal. Authentic Mexican. Check out their amazing Taco Tuesday. I've been coming since 2020. Various tacos for only $2.75 loaded with beans, cheese, pico de gallo and meat of choice. I get the veggie. Use to get the battered fish. You won't be disappointed. Quick to get food out. Hot and fresh. Nice guys working here. Great self service bar with authentic carrots, onions, salsas etc. great music in background no artistic graffiti all over.

    Late night Happy Hour menu 7/2025
    Meggie T.

    Still love this! And look like lots more people have found it too! Update on the menu

    Grilled shrimp and grilled fish taco
    Jennifer H.

    Taco Mesa is always, consistently very yummy! This time, I got one grilled fish and one grilled shrimp taco, and they were quite large (though unsure if they were large enough to justify the price, ~$7 each). The fish and shrimp were both very fresh and cooked well, and the vegetables, cheese, and salsas in the tacos were good as well. The real standout at Taco Mesa is the salsa bar! As a massive fan of all things pickled, the pickled vegetables are an absolute must. I always just bring my whole plate over to the the salsa bar to load it up with the pickled onions, carrots, and cauliflower, which bring the perfect touch of acidity to a potentially heavy meal. The service is fast, and there are plenty of seats and tables for you to enjoy your food. Would definitely come back!

    Enchiladas Shrimp
    Dominique Z.

    You know the Mexican food is unreal when the burritos are almost the size of a football. Extra tasty & authentic. The staff was great in helping us decide what to eat and when we had some customizations too. Love the traditional Mexican vibe outside on the patio too!

    Marc N.

    The lingua and carne asada tacos were solid, clean flavor, not dripping in grease like the usual street taco. They taste fresh and a little more "refined," but that polish comes with a slightly higher price tag. Service: Had it to-go so can't comment Food: Tacos are tasty, balanced, and satisfying Ambiance: Simple and casual, nothing fancy 7/10 - Good tacos, just a bit on the expensive side.

    Chili Relleno
    Jarvis J.

    Looking for a new place to eat Mexican food in Orange County and we this spot and gave it a try. Not necessarily a mistake, but the food was just plain. Not bad and not like wow that was good. Ordered a chili Relleno,Gordita and a burrito. The sauce and cheese on the wet burrito was good. The sauce on chili was plain, and the Gordita was hammered. Now that means it was over cooked. It should be soft and not hard. Rice was ok. Did like the green tortillas. Hot salsa was bad. Made my sick. So would we come back, probably not, but someone else this may be good food. Not us.

    Inside
    Saundia S.

    Great staff cool little returns and good food! What more can we ask for in these difficult times! It's great to have a quick bite that's delicious

    Cassie T.

    This is a wonderful go-to spot for authentic, fresh, and delicious tacos if you're in OC! The place has a smaller interior where you order at the counter from a large, various menu. Customers typically sit outside in the patio with their trays of food, cups for beverages, and salsas, limes, and pickled carrots. Service is efficient, making sure they get the order right. While I realized I forgot what a gordita is, I had a wonderful time trying our tacos with green corn tortillas (XOXO they tasted immaculate!) and filling up on the pickled carrots! Flavors are strong, the food is served warm, and the plethora of pickled vegetables and generous servings of protein are pristine.

    Al pastor and chicken taco
    Cat N.

    I wanna like Taco Mesa more since it is nearby my work but the pricing is a little high and the food is kinda meh. I've tried their tacos here before. A taco is $5+ but they are a little bigger than tacos from a taqueria spot and they fill them up with lots of meats. The only problem is their meats can be kinda dry. The last time I got food from here was when someone ordered me food. I really wanted a fish taco but they were out so I ended up getting chicken and al pastor. The chicken was a little dry and needed sauce which wasn't given unless you ask I assume. The al pastor was good but I didn't like the artificial guac they put on top. Also they wrapped it in a plate and it leaked everywhere so that was annoying. I probably would come back to try their other stuff since it's nearby me. Just wished it was more tasty.

    Margarita

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    Business owner information

    Photo of Nico C.

    Nico C.

    Thank you Orlande! We appreciate your business and positive review!

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    credit to the chef. really great tacos with tons of high quality toppings. would probably skip the carnitas though.

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    5 months ago

    The food is outstanding. Lobster bisque is the best I've ever had. Horchata, tacos, burritos are incredible with a depth of flavor unmatched

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    Taco Mesa Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Taco Mesa

    How much are the margaritas on Monday?

    $5.00 Margarita Monday. They taste like mix only so save yourself the disappointment and get a beer or Sangria.

    Do you do a taco Tuesday special at Costa Mesa?

    Yes they do. But not their specialty tacos.

    Do they have vegan tacos?

    No, all the tacos contain a meat or fish protein. But I believe they do have a vegan chile relleno.

    Why are the tortillas green?

    Spinach

    Is their salsa spicy? It's really hard for me to find a great taco place with super spicy salsa

    I would say they have the typical "three temperatures": mild (pick de gallo), medium (avocado) and hot (red chilis). They are all VERY GOOD, especially the avocado version--I would be willing to buy that by the gallon. None are "scorchers"… Read more

    View All 6 Questions

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    Playa Mesa

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    OMG!!! What an amazing experience from the time we came in the door till the time we left! Friendly…read moreand inviting atmosphere! We were in from out of town and celebrating 31yrs of marriage. We sat at the Bar and really enjoyed our time with Mario! He was great and really took care of us, not to mention the food was amazing!

    What a great find. I had not eaten at this place before, but it came highly recommended from a…read morefriend of mine so I thought hey I'm going to check this out. I am so glad I did, especially since it was happy hour. The place definitely has a great vibe to it. Plenty of seating throughout the restaurant. I recommend sitting at the bar as that's where all the action happens. You definitely want to make sure you get there for happy hour and Taco Tuesday especially, $10 Margaritas $4 tacos and these are not cheap tacos. These are like serious tacos that will fill you up. Their salsa is great, not super spicy and makes great for munching while you're talking with friends. The margaritas are definitely strong, which is nice, as some places tend to water them down for happy hour. I would say that this is a great choice to go check out and have a taco or two or three or four. I had the carne asada, the carnitas, and the pastor, every single one of them was perfect and the salsa that they came with was out of this world. Bottom line? This is a great place for Taco Tuesday as well as just a hangout and have a drink after work. Whenever I am in Costa Mesa. I am definitely coming here again.

    Mercado Gonzalez - Carne Asada Burrito and Tortilla Chips

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    Want to be transported to somewhere new, fresh, exciting and to embrace Hispanic culture? Mercado…read moreGonzalez is that. It's not just a grocery store, it's not a place to go in and out (you could if you wanted to), it's a place to enjoy not just the produce, but everything it has to offer! Yes, it is a grocery store, but it's also a place with many food stalls with delicious foods that are made fresh throughout the day! The service is fantastic, everyone is so happy and are eager to help! The ambiance is bustling either music constantly playing and some live music on certain days! I've had their horchata, burritos from one of the stalls, a torta, and a muleta. I've also purchased some fresh guacamole and their freshly made agua frescas!, all of which were great! Some say it's ok or sub par from other places, it could be true, but it's definitely the experience that is hard to match. This isn't just a one and done place, I feel like I haven't fully experienced everything yet and plan to come back multiple times to try out all that this place has to offer!

    Our building had a catered event from them, and it was well received overall with a successful…read moreconclusion after some initial challenges. I will use mostly my names for what I tried: "ELEPHANT EAR" BREAD: -- light beige color -- very sweet -- honey taste very pronounced and sticky texture -- great with hot Mexican chocolate or hot coffee with no sugar to offset the sweet RATING = A- "PINKIE LA RUE" (aka Polvorone Rojas): -- semi-crumbly texture -- buttery shortbread -- large size -- dusted w/white table sugar on top which I scraped off to reduce the sweet -- medium sweet or tad more -- not dry nor moist -- very nice tasting, especially w/milk or hot coffee RATING = A "RHINO HORN" bread: -- has some color variance with light brown -- semi-firm texture -- lightly sweet -- best for dipping in hot Mexican chocolate or hot coffee; not ideal to eat plain -- not buttery -- I am not a big "dipper" of cookies or bread into coffee so this is not of much interest to me -- it's okay RATING = B- CUCUMBER/LIME AQUA FRESCA: -- I poured into my water bottle and added half water to get the sweet down. Way too sweet for my palate but nice once I got the ratio right. -- up to medium sweet initially RATING = A- PINEAPPLE/SPINACH AQUA FRESCA: -- above medium sweet but expected for pineapple -- the pineapple defeated anything rough about the spinach for me which was a good thing...not chalky tongue syndrome RATING = B+ WATERMELON AQUA FRESCA: -- medium towards high sweet -- I did 50/50 with water again to get it right -- tasted pretty close to fresh watermelon juice when I did that RATING = A

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    I've always enjoyed eating at Descanso but last night was extra special. We went for a special…read morecelebration and had a party of 20. Caroline, the catering manager, set everything up as discussed and even had a personalized menu for my guests. Our waiter Manny was top notch. Personable and attentive throughout. The support staff was as well. My guests raved about their entrees and cocktails. It was a tremendously positive experience.

    We LOVED our Mother's Day brunch at Descanso. We made reservations and were seated quickly. They…read morehad bottomless mimosas and a special Mother's Day menu. Food- 10/10. We ordered the bottomless mimosas, watermelon spicy marg, churro pancakes, and the shredded beef chilaquiles. All were amazing! The churro pancakes were soooooooo yummy. Crispy and fluffy. Service- 10000/10. Manny was amazinggg! He was working so hard serving so many tables at once and he did a great job. He was so kind, positive, and had great recommendations. He always made sure we had everything we needed. The gals at the front were also so kind and helpful. Everyone there was great! Environment- 10/10. It was a beautiful day so we sat out on the patio. They had table umbrellas which were super nice to block the sun. They also had a DJ's (I think there were 3 taking turns) that were all great! The inside is very clean and nicely decorated! Next time we wanna try sitting at the grill :) Extras- Lots of parking as it's in a shopping center. The prices for us were a little on the higher end, but the food and service are fantastic! Perfect place for celebrations and authentic food :)

    Taco Mesa - mexican - Updated May 2026

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