Truly authentic Mexican Comida! y Excellante Margaritas! Service is 'On it !' (Ambience is Casual, very colorful). (Went for my Birthday last year... need to go Again... This restaurant is Very Popular and busy.For Large groups, Do make reservations ... [The One Big Negative, PARKING is impossible!! Parking lot is shared with Community Hospital and nearby businesses!!!]. Enjoy this Great Mexican Restaurant; Have some Fun. 5 stars !!! read more

I've only been here twice. The first time was many years ago, and from what I remember, it was pretty good. I recently came back and had a different experience. I previously mentioned that the Oxnard location wasn't as good as Ventura, but I may have been mistaken--either way, this visit didn't quite meet my expectations. The restaurant itself is very cute, and I really love the ambience. The drinks were good, and the customer service was excellent, our server was very sweet and attentive. Unfortunately, the food just wasn't it for me. It didn't taste as authentic as I remembered, and overall the flavors and seasoning could have been better. The taquitos were smaller, which I don't mind, but they were very hard and crunchy with more of a burnt taste and not much filling. The carne asada was bland and cut into large chunks it wasn't bad, just not great. The beans were pretty good, and the rice was okay. I really don't like leaving negative reviews, but for a Mexican restaurant, I was hoping for a more authentic flavor. The experience wasn't terrible, but the food didn't stand out this time around. read more

We had a good experience at Yolanda's. We reserved a large table for a family gathering, and they were very accommodating. The staff was super friendly and provided great service for our large group. The restaurant is brightly decorated with Mexican décor. We ordered the famous Corn Burritos. I highly recommend getting everything on the side so the corn tortillas do not get soggy. Request a side of Ranchero Sauce to dip your corn burritos in (see the photo). The corn burritos were fried to crispy perfection, and the flavor of the meat was nicely done. Also, grab some habanero salsa from their salsa bar. We also got the Soft Taco Plate with carnitas. This was a ton of food. The tacos come with an ample amount of meat, and the beans and rice fill out the dish nicely. I had to share this plate because I couldn't finish it on my own. Finally, make sure to order a spicy margarita. This was an amazing drink, and the spice level was just right. The Tajín rim adds to the flavor of the drink and is much better than salt. We really enjoyed Yolanda's! read more

See all

The best thing about this place was their chips and salsa. The space is clean and the murals are beautiful. However, none of the staff seemed excited to be there which made the entire experience very blah. I ordered tacos and was expecting soft tacos. That's my bad. But the fried tacos were dripping with oil and soggy from the meat. None of the food here stood out to me. read more

Excellent. We had a party of 13 and the server was amazing. We had several separate checks and he never flinched and everyone received their food/bill/etc at the same time. Food was great as well. Very impressed with how well this restaurant handled a large party on a weekend. read more

Another wonderful experience at our early dinner today. Excellent service, awesome food and best Albondigas Soup! If you want authentic mexican foods, you can still get it here after all these years. Best value is their three combination plate, which includes rice and beans for 20 bucks. We had chicken tacos, chicken enchilada, Chilie Relleno. All excellent as usual. read more

Located near the hospital. There is a sister restaurant in Oxnard. Very popular place and it's easy to see why, service great, yummy food, and reasonable prices. Got a combination plate of chicken enchilada, chili relleno, that came with tasty rice and refried beans. Others had margaritas blended but I stay with my water. They said the drinks were good and quite refreshing but you had to pace yourself or you would get brain freeze. Really enjoyed our time there and will be returning. read more

Good food, good service, nice decor and good happy hour menu. They have an extensive menu, full bar service and an excellent salsa bar.

We had a large party to serve. and because they don't take reservations, we decided to order food as takeout. The food was ok. There were 12 dinners ordered. One of the orders was the California shrimp, and it was more of a soup than what I had ordered in the past. We were only given a very small bag of chips to share. Everyone there seem to be very friendly and kind, but I think I'm going to stick with the Oxnard restaurant. The food seems to be better there. read more

Yolanda's Mexican Cafe - We were given a small bag, half full of chips for 12 dinners. - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

See all

Yolanda's is busy and making lots of money. Definitely not the place to be ! Mediocre food served with attitude. Tried the fajitas a few times over the years and they are always drowning in sauce with nearly raw vegetables. The chicken is just cooked and soggy They deserve no stars! Camarillo location is about the same. They deserve no stars! read more

Usually end up coming here when going out with friends, and we're in the mood for Mexican food. Food is consistently good with plenty of options. Love that they can accommodate larger parties both indoors and on their patio area. Love their chips & salsa, especially when you get the bean dip with it. Their bean dip is where it's at! Compliments the chip and while I love their salsa, I'd choose their bean dip anyday. They do Happy Hour M-F from 3-6pm and have good deals on margaritas and on appetizers. Prices, food, and drink are all good and worth a visit during HH. Their Tacos del Mar are my favorite - not sure what they put in that seafood sauce, but it is DELISH. Goes great with the fish and really pulls the whole dish together. Plus, the fish always tastes fresh. Their Shrimp Villa is one of my other go-tos. Big, juicy shrimp with mushrooms and COVERED in cheese. What's not to like? Good choice when looking for Mexican food in the area. read more

Well here's the thing. We sat in the bar area. I've been coming to Yolanda's since 1996. The service used to be really good, almost family like. Not anymore. I see things have changed. The waitress was amazing Melissa. Brett sat us down awesome. The girls at the front were scratching and arguing with ugly faces. The bartender was rude. Dead quiet in the restaurant and i asked the bartender for a straw Tovar or Tomas something like that he act like he didn't hear and kept it moving. I said excuse me like 5 times. I finally got up and got my own. No napkins. Food bomb as usual. read more

I've given this place 3 chances. This food is TERRIBLE. Bean dip / chorizo dip had no flavor. My pastor tacos tasted and looked like they were leftovers, reheated. The carne in the burrito tasted the same. The meat tasted dry. Chips brought out were literal mini chips (bottom of the bag, unable to scoop salsa). Crunchy taco was inedible. Server saw we didn't touch any of our food and brought the bill. Will not be coming back. read more

See all

I'm sorry to say that since my review of this location of Yolanda's last year, the food has not improved. While the staff is always friendly and quick with refilling the chips and salsa, the food itself could have been better. It was clear that the cheese enchiladas that my husband ordered had been pre-made, frozen, and only defrosted/heated when he ordered them. There is no other way the cheese could have been a semi-solid log on the inside (unless they are using cheese sticks in their enchiladas, which is nearly as bad.) Very disappointing for him. As I said before, we've been coming to Yolanda's for over a decade... but this last visit may have been the final visit. read more

This is a great place to grab some brunch , they have a great menu for drinks and food !! I usually order the tortilla soup , very very good , chile relleno is also a great choice , my hubby ordered the chicken tacos vert tasty , over all service is always perfect . Our server took forever to bring us our bill not sure why , the place was empty .. over all I loved the back ground music and the quiet read more

See all

We've been coming to Yolanda's on Main Street in Ventura for decades -- and they never disappoint. The food is always delicious, the chips and salsa are fresh and tasty, but what really sets them apart is the service. You're never sitting with an empty basket of chips or salsa. The servers are always attentive, easy to flag down, and happy to bring you whatever you need -- whether it's extra sauce, more chips, salsa, refills, or adding something to your order. You can tell they take pride in their food and how it's presented -- the plating is always neat and appealing. It's the kind of place where you feel well taken care of from start to finish. It's just always a great dining experience, every time. read more

I'm hooked on the mini chimis. I can go and just eat these with some chips and salsa and call it a day. This restaurant is pretty nice and clean whenever I go. Perfect place when you have a large group. The service is always friendly too, no matter how many refills I ask for, I'm talking about refills on chips and salsa of course. I usually come around lunch and I love that they're never a long wait. Even when they're busy. read more

Yolanda's Mexican Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

See all

To start when I walked in I saw a salsa bar. The salsa tasted amazing. We got a free bean dip. It tasted pretty good, I would recommend getting it. I got the chicken fajitas to eat and I recommend getting them also. I'm traveling here and this is probably the best place I've eaten at so far. The service was amazing, our server John, was great and the manager Frankie was very personable and he had a good sense of humor. The table, I sat at had a beautiful painting of white lilies and hummingbirds, which was amazing. The whole vibe of the restaurant was immaculate. This is probably the best Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at. Obviously I will rate this a five stars. read more

Yolanda's Mexican Cafe - SINGLE FAJITAS STEAK & SHRIMP COMBO - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

Someone told us this was "just regular Mexican food". Well I guess that's what I like. The salsa that came with the chips was good and mild. The margarita was $10 tall and good. The service was excellent from hostess and busing and Azucena took very good care of us. We will make this a regular stop when in Ventura read more

A huge THANK YOU and round of applause (& show your manager & tell them you need a raise) to Haley at Yolanda's downtown by the hospital. For Reasons of Emergent nature, I had to pick up dinner at Yolanda's, and it was "late" by American standards (8:25). Not only did Haley very kindly and quickly take my order, answer my million questions (yes they have whole beans , yes they have veggie burritos, yes they have very hot salsa and pico de gallo, etc etc..) SHE ALSO : had my order ready before I even finished my "medicinal" shot of Patron silver and my water!! AND: packed me up my spicy salsa and pico before the salsa bar closed..AND was an absolute star and remembered my iced tea (which in my frazzled state I would have likely forgotten if left to my own/a lesser servers' devices...) Absolutely amazing service. And the burritos and chips and salsas were all delicious. 10/10. read more

Yolanda's has been a staple in our family since 1985. The staff are all fantastic and we love George especially because he used to make my mother-in-law feel so special. We go for the consistent quality of the food and the salsa bar but we also appreciate the warm, welcoming family atmosphere. Yolandas serves up the perfect margarita- the Cadillac and the chips and salsa are still free unlike other places in town. My favorite comfort food is the Carne asada burrito with chicken served wet with green sauce- Tip: order it with a Togo box because you're going to eat the whole thing unless you stash half in the box before you get started! You're Welcome!! My husbands favorite order is the Chicken Villas without the mushrooms and the chicken is so flavorful and tender. If we go for lunch, I'll stick with the Chicken Tostada because I don't want to be in a food coma! Their tacos are also a favorite and my father-in-law loved their enchiladas and he didn't even like Mexican food but he sure loved their enchiladas! Yolanda's is also an excellent choice for a large party because the staff is on top of their game here. Highly Recommend! read more

Yolanda's Mexican Cafe - Carne Asada Burrito with Grilled Chicken and served wet with green sauce - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

See all

Where do I begin!! Our server was Abel. He's the best. I got quesadillas tacos, the chicken was great! I love the paintings on the wallz. The fajitas be sizzlin! Ambiance=abuela's house. The dimmed lighting is nice. We'll be back. read more

See all

We can count on this family owned business that has been at this same location forever and a day to handle large groups with attentive service. We had a family birthday dinner here with 11 adults and 3 toddlers, all arriving at different times, with crayons to color place mats waiting at three places. We were all seated quickly and had drinks in hand right away, including margaritas and a cosmopolitan. We had plenty of room at our table to stand up and get to the salsa bar, plus swap baby holding, since there are several separate rooms all festivals painted, making for bright, cheerful family photos. The menu is solid traditional Mexican with everything from soft tacos to street tacos to taquitos to enchiladas to steak and more. My salad was flavorful and fresh. Oddly, the guacamole is market price and premade, but my avocado slices on my salad were fresh. Everyone enjoyed their food with not a glitch in the service commented upon. To-go boxes were provided since serving sizes are large on the combos. read more

See all

In the afternoons in the bar area there's a young lady that is a fantastic waitress comes back to your table many many times unfortunately there's also someone that was in there earlier who was an older lady in the day who didn't come back one time to our table but spent their time at someone else's table continuing to talk to them for a five or 10 minutes and went back several times just to chat, they could've been relatives or something but still not an excuse to ignore your customers. read more

Camarillo chicken good , tacos and beans not so good! Greasy . Service ok! Next to Great jazz club read more

Had lunch with the family on a Sunday afternoon. Service was great we had amazing waiters and a waitress. We were greeted with smiles and seated quickly. The restaurant was beautiful art work and layout is very nice and clean and calm. Not too quiet so our big party of 10 does not disturb others. The drinks were delicious got a margarita flight with their spring special flavors and the food was delicious didn't wait long at all for our main meals and chips and salsa here are always delicious and served quickly. I recommend. read more

See all

We recently went to Yolanda's to try their Happy Hour. I have to say it was an unimpressive experience. Their Happy Hour menu is quite small and doesn't have a single healthy choice option. The quesadilla was a good portion size but was very greasy. Their drink options for Happy Hour are also quite limited. We ordered two margaritas and ended up leaving them on the table as they were horrible. To be honest the only reason I gave a 3 is because the manager was so nice. Our experience as a whole was underwhelming and quite disappointing. read more

Yolanda's Mexican Cafe - a margarita in a tall glass - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

Always reliable quality. Excellent service in a fun atmosphere. We love the fajitas, the bean dip, chips and salsa. Chicken tacos are great with a spoonful of salsa on every bite. The Cadillac margarita is the bomb. They have a fun happy hour. This is Americanized Mexican food, but we love it. They have been a Ventura staple for decades. read more

Grown up Ventura county and this is the best Mexican food restaurant around IMO. Our go-to for celebrating anything. Their salsa is outstanding and waitstaff is always courteous and go above and beyond! Especially one girl with a a Hawaiian name .. long dark hair. Always with a smile. ! Well done Yolanda's ! read more

Yolanda's Restaurant - A Culinary Plot Twist While Hospitalized Let me set the scene: I'm in the hospital, very pregnant, emotionally fragile, physically ravenous, and dreaming of crispy, golden chicken flautas to brighten up my day and my IV drip. So we order chicken flautas from Yolanda's -- expecting that familiar crunch, that roll-up of joy... but what did we get? Burritos. Not flautas. Burritos. Smothered in green salsa and cheese. It was like ordering a tight French braid and getting a messy bun with guac on top. The rice? Emotionally indifferent. Not bad, not great. Just... there. The beans? No. Just no. I've had more soul in hospital broth. Chips? A solid 3/10 -- the kind that make you think, "Maybe I didn't want chips after all." The salsa tried to show up to the party but forgot the invite and brought a bad attitude. 2/10. Flautas? Oh wait, nevermind -- I already told you I got burritos in disguise. And yet... and yet... I was hungry. Pregnant-hungry. I ate it. And here's the twist: it hit the spot. Maybe because I'm about to birth a whole human, or maybe because my standards are currently in a medically-induced fog, but I scarfed it down like it was a 5-star delicacy from the Food Network. Now my stomach hurts (5/10 experience), but hey... I'm having a baby, so maybe that's just part of the magic. Would I eat it again? Not on purpose. Did I finish it? Yes. Was it flautas? Absolutely not. Thanks for the edible identity crisis, Yolanda's. You'll always have a soft tortilla-wrapped place in my medically monitored heart. read more

In my opinion you can get better food at plenty of other places, and at a more reasonable price. The chips are good, but im not the biggest fan of the green salsa. The best thing is the chips and bean-dip, keep that flowing. I opted for the green avacado salsa at the salsa bar and was disappointed. It lacked flavor and just had one flavor note of salt- no spice, acidity, or fat. The main reason I see people coming is to meet up and get some drinks as a large party. The service is fast and friendly, but the food is overpriced for what it is. The compadres burritos were a fail and I knew I should have stuck it out with my tried and true green enchiladas. The chili Colorado didn't have much flavor, and I'm not the biggest fan. Although the rice is always flavorful. The green Chile carnitas was tender. My girlfriend was not a fan of her California chicken with beef. She said it was mainly vegetables, and tasted like it was covered in soy sauce. Overall we go here because my dad likes it, otherwise we wouldn't go. read more

See all

first time giving a rate and well deserved. I ordered a pork burrito to go. poorly wrapped & 95% rice & beans. little meat and poorly seasoned . to top it off they added more rice on the side!! lol I'm usually very forgiving & will give a second try... never again. read more

We were in town for a high school game and decided to have an early dinner. Thirty years before, we had eaten at Yolanda's with friends and decided to try it again since it was close to the game. We got lucky finding a close parking spot since the restaurant is across from the busy hospital. Although inside it was a little dark in the booth we were seated, it was warm and cozy on a raining afternoon. There was a lot of wait staff and a young woman quickly bussed tables when vacated, ran a vacuum to keep everything clean and delivered waters, a basket of warm tortilla chips, salsa and a delicious bean dip. Abel was our server and was friendly, efficient and regularly asked if there was anything we needed. I enjoyed an a la carte shredded beef taco, cheese enchilada and side Caesar salad, which was very big and full of sliced black olives, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese and dressing on the side. Each was priced $6 and was delicious! My husband started with a tasty margarita and ordered a three item combination plate, which included a chile relleno, pork tamale, shredded beef taco, rice and beans. He was very happy with his meal and took half of it home because of the generous portions (we may have also eaten too many of the tortilla chips). Since this was going to be our Valentine's dinner, we ordered flan, which was large and very good. If in the area again, we definitely would come back. read more

Had the carne asada and chile relleno combo. the chile relleno was terrific. The complementary chips (thin and crispy) and salsa were also good. The service was prompt and the space was clean- as was the restroom. If I lived in the area, would definitely return. read more

Yolanda's Mexican Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

See all

I have been a Yolanda's customer for more than 20 years. When I tell you that I've seen the good, bad, and everything in between at the Ventura location, you can believe it. You're probably reading this cause you want to know about the food, beverages, and the experience. For starters, their crispy chicken tacos, cheese enchiladas, nachos, and chicken wings are A++. Seriously the best chicken tacos in town. I love the albondigas soup and have been begging them for the recipe forever. Next level up is their New York steak combo. OMG... can these guys cook a steak - it's excellent. The Villa dishes (especially the chicken) are so savory and awesome you can't go wrong with any of them. And you know what? Their cheeseburgers are straight bomb. One bite of the burger and you'll see what I mean. There's a really good salsa bar that has 5 or 6 different selections but my favorite is their habanero salsa. That stuff is for real. If you like cocktails, especially margaritas, you can't beat this place. Generous pours of all the top-shelf brands, great beers on tap (sometimes Corona!), and I especially recommend that you try the Bill Burke margarita. TVs are everywhere in the bar so if you're looking to catch a game this is a good spot. The good people who work there are like family to my wife and I. They have always taken great care of us and are very kind. The restaurant is clean. I've seen the kitchen and it's spotless. The bathrooms are also well taken care of, I've never gone in and been grossed out before. Sometimes it can get pretty crowded and nearby parking can be hard to find. Try to get there early if you can! read more

Food was very good. I don't know if I was starving but the refried beans were very good. The ambiance was very nice. Prices were fair. Will definitely go here again. read more

A restaurant that's been around as long as I can remember, I don't honestly frequent it. However, the few times I have (spread out between years/decades) the food has been so refreshing and delicious. The owner should have their salsa for sale in bottles. It's packed with flavor. read more

See all

Beautiful view of the harbor. Where you can just relax any time of the day. Great food and Great service. Definitely we'll visit again. read more

Yolanda's Mexican Cafe - Appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Ventura, California

Happy Hour is back!! 3PM - 6 PM On a warm day, we were in pursuit of Pina Coladas. Although we didn't arrive late enough for happy hour, we were happy to find a booth near the bar. *Please check with the hostess first even for seating in the bar area. Thank goodness hubby read the sign. I was making a beeline for a booth. ** We had chips, salsa, & 2 Pina Coladas. Everything was just as we wanted. Service, chips, salsa, & our drinks were perfect. Thank you, Yolanda's. We will be back. read more

So, I want to start off by saying I come here a lot. My family & I spend our money eating here. We really don't want to stop. However every single time we come here ,,we walk in and if we get seated to the left we know we are not going to have good service. But if we sit to the right side (the bar area) we get better service. I've always thought this and sitting on the left side it's always the same waiters guys who are older gentlemen that have been working there FOREVER BUT ARE ALWAYS RUDE AND IN A HURRY! Carlos is one of them and I am sorry but he needs to retire. We are not difficult and we always order the same thing. It's always a bad experience sitting on that side. And last night proves my thoughts because someone who sat behind us said the same thing. Not to be mean but they need to get rid of him. And about 3 others who are waiters on that left side of the restaurant and have been there way too long read more