X Marks the Spot in Mission Viejo (Plus My Top 10 South OC Mexican Restaurants)

 Xclusive Mexican Kitchen

25571 Jeronimo Road #1

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

I often hear it from people, "there's no good Mexican food in South OC." I agree that most of the great Mexican food in OC is located north of Irvine, but there are some excellent Mexican restaurants in South OC; you just have to do a little more hunting to find them. I'll post my top ten Mexican restaurant spots in South OC at the end of this review, but for now, let's see if Xclusive Mexican Kitchen can crack my top ten list. 

If Xclusive sounds familiar, it might be because you have been to or heard about Xclusive Taqueria Moderna in Ladera Ranch. I reviewed that restaurant in 2020, right before the pandemic threw everything into chaos. At that time, they were a fast-casual restaurant, where you'd order at the counter, and then the food was brought to you. They pivoted sometime after I published my review to a full-service restaurant, and even though they don't have the most high-visibility location, they are still thriving and have a very high 4.6-star rating on Yelp. Very impressive. 

The men behind Xclusive are Manny Velasco and Eddie Rivera. Manny was the executive chef and co-owner of Sol Agave, but I'm unsure if he's still with them, as there is no mention of him on their website or in recent news stories about the restaurant. I was also surprised to learn that Sol Avage has expanded to six locations, with two of them in Utah. It's very interesting, and I'm sure there's a story behind it, but back to the restaurant I'm reviewing. 

Xclusive started out as Xclusive Mexican Seafood and changed its name to Xclusive Mexican Kitchen sometime after its 2022 debut. Their menu is still primarily seafood-focused, but it also offers a variety of beef, pork, and chicken options. The menu is very approachable, and almost everyone who walks through their door can find something they'd like to eat here. Entrees range between $20 and $43. Taco Tuesday is celebrated here all day with food and drink specials. 

We arrived at Xclusive at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday and were greeted by a fairly full restaurant. Upon entering, a large bar area is located off to your left, featuring an L-shaped bar and four TVs mounted above it. The dining area is spaced out nicely, as you are not right on top of other tables. A couple more TVs are scattered throughout the space, and a wall display proudly showcases their tequila collection. We made our selections with our server and waited under 15 minutes for our food to hit the table. 

The Bean Dip served with Chips and Salsa is a signature dish from any Manny Velasco restaurant. It was hard for Katie and me to keep from gobbling this down as we waited for our entrees. The bean dip here is addictive. The chips were fresh, and the salsa had a great consistency—just right for dipping. The waitstaff was very attentive to refilling our drinks, salsa, bean dip, and chips during our visit, which was greatly appreciated. 

Katie's order this evening was fairly straightforward: she selected the Two-Item Combo ($18), which includes a Crispy Chicken Taco and a Cheese Enchilada. The taco came with pico, crema, queso fresco, purple cabbage, and chicken. The chicken was nicely done with a mix of crispy and tender pieces. The tortilla was fried lightly and held everything together well. The cheese enchilada was topped with lime crema and queso fresco. It was bigger than most enchiladas we have had. Katie was pleased with this combo plate and would not hesitate to get this again. She loved the crispiness of the taco shell, the chicken's flavor, and the enchilada's understated cheesiness. The plate was rounded out with rice and beans. 

I would not normally spend over thirty dollars on two enchiladas, but the Lobster and Shrimp Enchiladas ($31) came highly recommended on Yelp, so I had to try them. Like the cheese enchilada on Katie's plate, these enchiladas were on the larger side. They did not skimp on the amount of lobster and shrimp in these either. Every forkful had at least some shrimp or lobster. The red sauce complemented the insides of the enchilada wonderfully. The little salad was okay. I would have rather had some beans, but the rice was a nice vehicle for the excess sauce. 

We both enjoyed our meal at Xclusive this evening. The portion sizes are generous, but the prices might deter some people, which is a shame because what comes out of the kitchen is some really high-quality Mexican food. I look forward to trying one of their molcajetes, steak tampiquena, and carnitas on future visits. The service we experienced was excellent, but did they make my top ten of South OC Mexican restaurants? Read on to find out.  

Out of five vigilantes (because back in 1997, Mission Viejo was home to a minor league baseball team of this name, which played in the now-defunct Western Baseball League), with five being best and zero being worst, Xclusive Mexican Kitchen earns 3.5 vigilantes. 

For more information about Xclusive Mexican Kitchen, head to their website by clicking here: https://xclusivemexicankitchenca.com/

Top Ten South OC Mexican Restaurants (I've been to so far) 

#10  Perla's Taqueria - Mission Viejo (no review yet)

#9  Baja Fish Tacos - Mission Viejo/Lake Forest

#8 Xclusive Mexican Kitchen - Mission Viejo

#7  El Campion - San Juan Capistrano (no review yet)

#6  Sol Agave - San Juan Capistrano

#5  The Taco Stand - Mission Viejo

#4  La Cocina de Ricardo - Lake Forest

#3  Calo Kitchen and Tequila - Laguna Niguel

#2  El Maguey - San Juan Capistrano

#1  Tacos de Birria Estilo de Guadalajara - Laguna Woods/Aliso Viejo

Is This SOL Mexican Cocina’s Moment in the Sun?

 Sol Mexican Cocina

1910 Main Street

Irvine, CA 92614

Sol Mexican Cocina will always hold a special place in my heart. In the early days of this blog, I wrote about this restaurant quite often. It turns out it was only four times, but that still seems like a lot to me now, as I always wanted this restaurant review blog to be as diverse as possible. There were two reasons for the overabundance of Sol Cocina posts. We were invited to their media events, of which they had one every few months or so. The second reason was that we genuinely enjoyed the food here. This is where we'd come for special occasions, and we even spent a memorable Valentine's Day lunch here about ten years ago. 

This was also the first place where I really enjoyed what people called elevated Mexican food. When Sol Cocina opened in Newport Beach in 2011, the only restaurants that fit this description were Las Brisas and Javier's, which I have never really enjoyed. Sol Cocina was brought to fruition when Deborah Schneider, an award-winning writer of Mexican cookbooks and executive chef, and her business partners decided to bring her Baja-inspired recipes to the public.

Sol Cocina's expansion was measured, but it progressed over the years. They operate five locations: their initial Newport Beach spot, Playa Vista, Scottsdale, Irvine, and Denver. An outpost at the Forum Shops in Las Vegas shuttered last year. Sol Cocina spawned a more casual Mexican restaurant, Solita Tacos and Margaritas, which has two locations, Huntington Beach and Valencia.   

In 2019, Xperience Restaurant Group acquired both of these restaurant concepts. The group also operates El Torito, Chevy's, Las Brisas, Acapulco, and others. This was our first visit to Sol Cocina since it was sold to the new restaurant group, and it's always a crap shoot whether it's going to be as good or slide downward in food and service quality. I was intrigued to find out which way it was going to go. 

My aunt and uncle have been including Katie and me in their family celebrations, and for my aunt's birthday, they decided to have it at Sol Cocina in Irvine. This location is situated alongside Main Street in the Irvine Concourse, also home to Goldfinch, The Trough, their soon-to-open sister restaurant, Monaco Italian Kitchen, and Izakaya Osen. Quite the ensemble of restaurants for an area of town mainly dotted with hotels and multi-story office buildings. 

We arrived at Sol Cocina at half past 6 on a Sunday evening. The restaurant was sparsely populated, and our server met us immediately as we were seated. The dining room was sleek and modern. We weren't sitting near it, but the dining room's centerpiece is a glass-enclosed kitchen, which would be interesting to sit near if you are into watching the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen. 

It's been a long while since we've eaten at Sol, but since the ownership change, the menu has not changed much, which is nice to see. Four of the ten starters are different versions of guacamole, and the rest of the menu is broken up into sections of salads, specialty plates, tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Entrees go for anywhere between $20 and $42 for a wagyu steak. We made our selections, and this is what came out for us.  

No sizzling skillet for the Sol Fajitas ($30) here. This serving of flap meat featured some really nice grill marks on the steak, and came with some fajita vegetables, an excellent cilantro chimichurri, pico de gallo, and sliced avocado. I was sitting at the far end of the table from Casey, who ordered this, but I did not hear any complaints from him from where I was sitting. I liked the change of pace of forgoing the pomp and circumstance of having the fajitas steaming hot and sizzling for all the restaurant to hear. Very understated. 

The taco plates come with three tacos and two sides of your choice. They offer carnitas, grilled chicken, or this Carne Asada Taco Plate ($21). The corn tortillas contain pico, onions, avocado sauce, and cilantro. These looked fine from where I sat, but I would have asked for extra salsa. The black beans and red rice were an easy choice over the other two sides, spicy slaw and quinoa salad.

This would have been my pick if someone had not snatched it up before me. This Short Ribs 'Barbacoa' ($32) resembled a chile colorado. The short ribs were tender, and the red sauce had a nice, almost smoky flavor but did not detract from the meat. This came with the rice and beans as the tacos, but also had three pieces of sweet potato on the plate, which I thought was a little odd. For $32, I thought they could have included a little more short rib. 

I always favor pork in Mexican restaurants, and that was true again on this visit to Sol when I selected the Pork Carnitas ($23). This was a very solid version of this dish. The pork had a nice mix of fatty and lean pieces; there were some crispy ends, and adding the chicharon, which was not listed on the menu description, was a pleasant surprise. The rice and black beans were good, but I prefer the bean dip you get at the start of your meal with the chips and salsa. The bean dip brought this pork to a whole other level. I'll ask for extra the next time I'm here.  

Katie selected the Chicken 'Desmadres' ($23) for her meal this evening. I promise there is chicken under all that arugula, red onion, tomatoes, peppers, and avocado salad. It was an interesting presentation because a citrus drizzle acted like a light dressing, topping this. I would have liked this salad served on the side, so getting to the chicken would have been easier. Katie liked this well enough but thought it was also an odd dish. The chicken was tender, but it needed a flavor boost. 

I've never really understood why quesadillas need to be as expensive as they are. This is not a knock on Sol Cocina, because every restaurant, whether it's elevated Mexican, a modest taqueria, or even Del Taco, which offers its chicken quesadilla at $6, has a massive upcharge for this delicious snack. Half a dollar for the tortilla, a dollar for the cheese, and two dollars, conservatively, for the chicken, for a grand total of $3.50 for something that gets upcharged 400 percent at most sit-down restaurants. This Grilled Chicken Quesadilla ($19), I'm sure, was better than most, and it did come with a drizzle of salsas, tomatoes, and onions on top, and two sides. So, it's a relative bargain compared to most restaurants' quesadillas. Sorry, I rambled here, but I needed to get it off my chest.  

I'm glad Sol Mexican Cocina has not fallen off the rails since they changed ownership. Some of the novelty of their food has dimmed a bit because upscale Mexican food has become more common, but I'd place Sol right in the middle of all the elevated Mexican restaurants I've visited. They are better than Las Brisas and Javier's, but not as good as Calo, Red O, or Sol Agave. The service was nice and cordial, and their prices, except for the quesadilla, were not outrageous. A worthy restaurant for a family gathering or a date night. 

Out of five soccer balls (because the Los Angeles Sol was a professional women's soccer team that won the regular season championship in their only season, with five being best and zero being worst, Sol Mexican Cocina gets 3 soccer balls. 

For more information about Sol Mexican Cocina, head to their website by clicking here: https://solcocina.com/

Some Really Fine Mexican Food at Casa Fina

 Casa Fina

1842 1st Street

Los Angeles, CA 90033

Usually, when we are driving up this way, it's a happy occasion. We leave OC to cruise up the 5 Freeway to Burbank for a family party, graduation, or baby shower. This was more of a somber trip, as Katie's uncle Jim passed away suddenly a month before, and we were up this way to lay him to rest and have a celebration of life. 

Uncle Jim would have loved a celebration. When I went to my first big family party in 2009, he was the first person I felt a real connection with. He was the life of the party, cracking jokes, making sure people were having an excellent time, and introducing me to people who would eventually become my family as the years passed.  

Katie and I had to leave a little later in the day than we would have liked, so we drove up around 5pm and headed straight to our hotel. We needed to grab dinner along the way, so I tried to find a freeway close spot with some good reviews. I checked out Eater LA, and they raved about the food at Casa Fina, also adjacent to the freeway, so we plugged it into our map app and were on our way.  

Casa Fina is one block from the historic Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights. The restaurant is conveniently located in a little swath of land between three freeways, the 5, 10, and 101, which makes it super convenient. Casa Fina opened in 2017 and took over the spot that La Serenata de Garibaldi had for 32 years. They moved to the West Side, and Casa Fina has thrived here. 

The Casa Fina menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, pasta (?), combo plates, house specialties, entrees, and seafood. Most plates hover around the $20 price point, with only the molcajetes eclipsing the $30 mark. Our server, Emily, quickly took our order, so let's take a look at what came out for us. 

Before our ordered food arrives, let's check out their chips and salsa setup. This was, for sure, the most neon-green salsa we've ever had during the course of this blog. I'm partial to red salsa, but this one was good, as it was not too acidic and had a good amount of heat. It was not an uncomfortable amount of heat, but enough so it was noticeable. We were not presented with any red salsa, even though their pictures on Yelp show it as being served here at Casa Fina. The chips were fresh and crispy, with just a few blue corn chips in our basket. 

Queso Fundido ($16.50) is one of our favorite starters in a Mexican restaurant, and this version at Casa Fina was a good representation of it. They give you the choice of having this with either chicken, steak, or chorizo, which we chose. The chorizo was in big hunks when it came out, but it broke up easily once we mixed it with the bubbling cheese. This might have been our first fundido with sour cream on top, which disappeared quickly because of the heat coming off the skillet. I liked this flavor; the contrast between the chorizo and the cheese was excellent, and the tortillas, which I did not snap a picture of, were delicious. A very comforting start to our meal here. 

After a big breakfast, Katie was less hungry, so she selected this Taquito Appetizer ($9.50) with a Side of Rice ($2.95). The plating looked odd, but the taquitos were good. They had a nice amount of crema and maybe an avocado salsa on top. They were crunchy, and the chicken inside was tender, which is not always true in Mexican restaurants. Katie really enjoyed the rice. 

When I'm eating in a Mexican restaurant for the first time, I'll get the Carnitas ($19.95), a plate that I can use as a barometer to judge how good a Mexican restaurant is. I enjoyed these carnitas. There was a good mix of fatty and lean pieces; the tips were crispy and had a good depth of flavor. All good signs when I'm eating carnitas. The beans were delicious and helped with the few bites of pork that were a little dry. I enjoyed the rice more than usual in most other Mexican restaurants. This was a very solid meal. 

Casa Fina was just what the doctor ordered this evening. The food here was delicious, and I had no complaints about anything we had. They passed my carnitas test, so I'd like to try one of their combo meals or the shrimp enchiladas on my next visit here. We received some outstanding service from our server, Emily, and everyone we encountered this evening was very friendly. It was a slow Sunday night, but parking might be tricky during peak times. We got lucky and found a spot right out front on the street after circling the block only once. For a sad reason, we were up this way, but Casa Fina was a sliver of sunshine in a rather dreary time. 

Out of five anchors (in honor of our Uncle Jim, who served proudly in the US Navy, and an anchor is included on the United States Navy Seal), five being best to zero being worst, Casa Fina gets 3.5 anchors. 

For more information about Casa Fina, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.casafinarestaurant.com/

Instagram Brought Us to Tacos Don Goyo

 Tacos Don Goyo

379 West Central Avenue

Brea, CA 92821

When scrolling through my Instagram feed, I usually mindlessly try to get to the next thing. It's infrequent that I stop and notice what I see on my phone screen. What had me drooling, you ask? It was Tacos Don Goyo and their carne asada fries. Well, it was really everything on their Instagram page, but the way they showed them making their Don Goyo-style loaded fries made me take notice. I almost immediately made plans to meet my parents here that weekend. 

Tacos Don Goyo has three locations, this Brea spot and others in the City of Industry and Downey. The Downey location opened in 2018 and is named after chef and owner Ricardo Jasso's late father. Ricardo describes his Mexican cuisine here as a cross between the food you can get in Mexico City and Tijuana. He's a native of Mexico City, and this place is an homage to the taqueros of that city. It also filled a void for good tacos he craved when he first came to the United States.  

If it weren't for Instagram, I never would have known about Tacos Don Goyo. This location in Brea is far removed from the busy area near the mall, in a small strip of stores alongside Central Avenue, between Tamarack Avenue and Memory Garden Memorial Park. There's a hearing aid store and urgent care, and the only other notable storefront is the Phoenix Club, now based here after many years near the Honda Center. I made a note and must return to satisfy my bratwurst and schnitzel cravings.  

Back to Tacos Don Goyo. We arrived at 5 p.m. on a Saturday, walked right in, and ordered at the counter. However, that was not the case as our visit went along. They got pretty busy, and the line stretched almost to the front door for the remainder of our stay. Maybe one reason for the long line was the considerable menu. It's a little overwhelming, even for me. They offer ten types of meat and fifteen ways to utilize them, such as tacos, burritos, mulitas, and more. Depending on the item, they also have a top sirloin option, which costs between thirty cents to a couple dollars more. We grabbed a table and waited for our number to be called. 

I've said it often, but my mom is a light eater. This evening, she only had one Carnitas Taco ($3.07 plus 52 cents for adding cheese). She also requested no onions or cilantro on it. This is not a good representation of a Don Goyo taco, but I wanted to include it to show they are willing to accommodate their guests. My mom loved this taco and thought they were generous with the pork they provided. She was also excited that guacamole was included at no additional charge. 

My dad selected this Chicken Taco ($3.07) as the first of two items he'd be having at Tacos Don Goyo. He loved it, featuring plenty of seasoned chicken, onions, cilantro, and guacamole. He felt it was in the upper echelon of chicken tacos he had. He wouldn't hesitate to get it again. 

My dad is approaching 80, and this is his first time having a Mulita ($4.68). He selected carnitas as his protein of choice, and he might just be a mulita convert now. For those of you who are unsure what a mulita is, it's best described as a quesadilla, but instead of one folded tortilla, it uses two tortillas with the filling sandwiched between them. This one had shredded pork, cilantro, onion, and guacamole. I stole a piece of the carnitas that had fallen out and felt the pork was good. It had the consistency of pulled pork that is served in barbecue restaurants. Almost a little too moist, but still good.  

Like father, like son, I got my own mulita but opted for the Chorizo Mulita ($4.68). The chorizo was a good choice; it had a big flavor boost and went well with the other ingredients. I enjoyed the corn tortilla here, as it was left on the grill just enough to make it sturdy enough to pick up and hold most of the inner workings of the mulita inside. 

I like to try as many different kinds of meats as possible at any Mexican restaurant, so I got both a  Pastor Taco ($3.07) and a Buche Taco ($3.07). Both were good, but the al-pastor was the better of the two. The marinade they use on the pork has an excellent flavor profile, with equal parts sweet and savory in each bite. The pork was tender, and the taco was traditionally served with a pineapple slice. Not all pastor tacos are created equally; this one at Don Goyo was one of my favorites. Buche is not something that most people like, but I'm a fan. For those unaware, buche is the pig's stomach lining, stewed for several hours until it becomes soft. I've had some excellent buche, and some were pretty bad. This is in the former group.  It had a good chew to it but was not overwhelmingly tough. If you're curious about buche, this might be the spot to start your buche journey. 

Since I enjoyed the al pastor so much, I also got it in their Quesotaco ($3.38). This one came with everything in their regular tacos but had fried cheese. It was well worth the extra thirty-one cent upcharge. I'll get all my tacos like this on future visits to Tacos Don Goyo. 

Saving the best for last, here's what got me to visit Tacos Don Goyo, their Don Goyo Fries ($17.67). I selected the carne asada for these fries, which were topped with beef, nacho and white cheese, onions, guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro. I was full after all that I had eaten here up until this point, but I could not stop myself from trying to finish this. It's meant for more than one person, but I had little help from my tablemates with this. They were very generous with the toppings here, and plenty of carne asada was included, and it had a nice smokiness. It is one of the better care asada fries I have had. I'm usually averse to nacho cheese, but it worked here. Their Instagram page showing this being made got me here, but after having this, it's also what will bring me back. 

We did not have any misses on our trip to Tacos Don Goyo. It's a legit taqueria that I look forward to trying again soon. I am already planning what I will have next time; one of their burritos, a quesadilla, and the papa loka, a loaded baked potato with your choice of meat and cheese. I'll also be hard-pressed not to get the Don Goyo fries next time. The prices were not too outrageous here, as the tacos were packed with meat, and the serving size of the Don Goyo fries was more than generous. The girl at the counter was patient as we took a little time to order our food. Be aware that this place gets packed with people at peak meal times. They may also have seen Don Goyo's Instagram posts and decided to head over. It was an excellent decision.  

Out of five oil derricks (because the flag, seal, and logo of Brea all feature an oil derrick alluding to the economic boom that helped the founding of the city in 1917), five being best to zero being worst, Tacos Don Goyo gets 3.5 oil derricks. 

Tacos Don Goyo does not have a website, but you can find out more about them by checking out their Yelp page by clicking here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tacos-don-goyo-brea-brea

Rerouting to Tijuanazo

 Tijuanazo Birrieria

676 South State College Boulevard #101

Anaheim, CA 92806

Truth be told, we had not anticipated eating at Tijuanazo. We had planned on going to Tacos Los Cholos down the street before heading to an early-season Angels game. Tacos Los Cholos has been on my list forever. After so many false attempts, we were determined to finally experience what many consider one of the best taco spots around these parts. 

It was not to be, though. We cruised into the parking lot to see an extensive line of people around the building waiting to get their tacos. The open-air grill expelled an aroma that told people far and near that the tacos at Los Cholos might be worthy of the hype. I would have to wait to find out, as we had to pivot to find somewhere else to eat, as the mediocre food at Anaheim Stadium would not suffice. A quick Yelp search brought us to Tijuanazo Birrieria. 

They are not to be confused with the famous Tijuana taco stand, which recently opened two locations in the US, one in LA and the other in San Diego. Tijuanazo Birrieria has four locations, all in the Inland Empire, except for this one. Their first foray into OC opened last year. In that time, they have garnered a 4.8-star rating but with only 45 reviews. It's not a big enough sample size, but we were intrigued enough to try them.  

Tijuanazo is strictly a birria restaurant. Want carne asada or pastor? You're going to have to find another spot. They serve birria in many forms; burritos, tacos, nachos, tortas, party packs, and even ramen. Regular birria tacos cost $4, while the quesabirria taco will cost you a dollar more. The rest of the menu is modestly priced, with nothing over $14. They also have Taco Tuesday and other specials throughout the week. We ordered at the counter and sat in the spacious dining room while waiting for our food to be prepared. Let's see if Tijuanazo is a good stand-in for where we were initially going to eat.  

I got two Quesabirria Tacos ($4.75 each) and one standard Birria Taco ($3.99). Pay the extra 76 cents to get the quesabirria tacos. The regular taco was fine, and once I dressed it up with onions, cilantro, and their extra spicy hot sauce, it was just as good as any birria taco I've had. The cheese mixed with the moist birria brings these to the next level. The consome here is one of the best I've had, and when you dip the tacos in it, it is like a flavor bomb going off. I did not have a bad bite while here.   

When we first had Birria Ramen ($13.50), I thought it was just some gimmick to be shown on social media. Then we tasted it, and now we are converts. We can never go back to regular Cup Noodles ever again. The birria and the consome make this more comforting than hot chocolate on a chilly evening. Katie found it hard to share with me, but luckily, this was good sized, so I got a few bites after she got her fill. 

Even though we had not planned on eating at Tijuanazo, our flexibility paid off. These were some of the best birria items we have had to date, and as a bonus, they were not as pricey as other places we have visited. The restaurant was clean, the employees were friendly, and the food will have us returning soon, probably during Duck's hockey season. 

Out of five salads (because the Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana 100 years ago), five being best to zero being worst, Tijanazo gets 3.5 Caesar salads. 

For more information about Tijuanazo Birrieria, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.birrieriaeltijuanazoca.com/

Wrapping up Restaurant Week With a Visit to Bodega Laguna

 Bodega Laguna

400 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

I did it. This was the finish line for my quest to eat at seven restaurants in seven days to celebrate OC Restaurant Week. My criteria was that I'd eat at a restaurant I had never eaten at before, which was easy to achieve since there were over 170 places to choose from for restaurant week. It was a rare Saturday off for me, and since my good friend Daren hooked us up with parking, we did not mind finishing my restaurant week quest in Laguna Beach at Bodega Laguna. 

Opened late in 2022, Bodega Laguna occupies the space formerly home to Tommy Bahama and, before that, the Jolly Roger. When it opened two years ago, it was known as Laguna Fish Company, but it was rebranded in October 2023 as Bodega Laguna. They are part of the ZA Restaurant Group, which also operates Skyloft, Rumari, and Mozambique in this picturesque seaside town.  

We arrived just before noon on a Saturday. This was before the touristy season, but they had a steady stream of customers during our stay. Back in the days when this was the Laguna Fish Company, this was an order at the counter, and then the food was brought to your table establishment. That was scrapped when they turned it into Bodega Laguna. We were seated in the restaurant's bar area, which made us think of the Central Perk coffeehouse on Friends. About six couches spread throughout the space, with bar seating and a few tables making up the rest of the front portion of the restaurant. 

The all-day menu here is good-sized, and even though they ditched the seafood name last year, their menu still has plenty of seafood to choose from, although with a Mexican semblance to it. There's also plenty of everyone's traditional Mexican favorites as well. Since this restaurant is on prime real estate across the street from the beach, it's no surprise that menu prices are on the high side at Bodega Laguna. Entrees range between $23 to $73 for a platter with steak, pork, chicken, and everything else needed to make you and a few friends some tacos. 

Happy hour is from 3 pm to 5 pm every day of the week, except holidays and holiday weekends. They also feature brunch on weekends from 10 to 1pm, which Katie took advantage of because she was not feeling the $25 OC Restaurant Week options I would be having. So, let's see if my hot streak with the restaurants I've been eating at all week will continue. 

Any Mexican restaurant worth its salt will begin each meal with at least one basket of Chips and Salsa. I was really a fan of both of these. The chips felt like they were freshly fried, light, and crispy. They came with a small side of red salsa with just the right amount of chunk. I did wish it had a bit more heat, but it was good nonetheless. They did refill the salsa and chips without us asking. 

My first item on the $25 restaurant week menu was this Chicken Tortilla Soup. Usually, I would get Caesar salad or street corn, but it was a chilly day when we were here, so I went with the soup. The soup comprised roasted corn, black beans, cilantro, poblanos, queso fresco, avocado, tortilla strips, and some cubed chicken. The flavor was good, but they were slightly stingy with some ingredients, like the avocado, chicken, and queso fresco. Only three pieces of chicken and one tiny slice of avocado were in the bowl. 

Katie almost always enjoys trying Breakfast Burritos ($19) whenever we go out on weekends. This one might have been the most colorful one we've encountered in a long time. The tortilla was filled with scrambled eggs, fingerling potatoes, chorizo, queso Oaxaca, pico de gallo, and avocado. Katie loved this burrito, calling it one of the best she's had all year. She loved that it was balanced and layered just right, so each bite combined a little bit of everything. The green salsa was delicious, with just enough heat to hang out in the background. If the burrito had been grilled on the flattop for a minute or two, or if they had not skimped on the avocado, this burrito would have been even better. 

With the Restaurant Week menu, I had the choice of four entrees; a veggie burrito, three tacos, chicken enchiladas, and what I eventually ended up with Carnitas. This was a good-sized plate of slow-braised pork. There were a couple of bites where the pork was a little dry, but for the most part, the pork was tender, flavored well, and a pleasure to eat. This came with cilantro-lime rice, black beans, flour tortillas, and the same excellent green salsa that accompanied Katie's burrito. The beans were delicious, and I'm not much of a rice guy, but this rice was nicely done and blew away everyone's favorite rice from Chipotle. Katie ordered the Small Guacamole ($3.50)  to supplement the lack of avocado in her burrito. It had an excellent chunky feel, and the flavor from the onion, garlic, cotija cheese, and pepitas made this a great addition to the tacos I made with my carnitas. 

With my Restaurant Week menu, we were supposed to get only one dessert, but our server, Juan, was generous enough to bring one out for Katie. The Churro Sundae came in a waffle bowl with soft serve vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and a churro sticking out of the top. The waffle and ice cream were fine, but the churro was excellent. It's funny that they don't even have churros on their online dessert menu, so ordering this sundae is the only way to try them. The Traditional Flan was topped with some strawberries and a tiny amount of caramel sauce. It was rather drab, and I let Katie eat most of it. 

Based on this visit, Bodega Laguna is a good Mexican restaurant. With a few tweaks to what we consumed this afternoon, it could eventually become one of the better Mexican spots in Laguna Beach. Right now, I feel they are only chasing Coyote Grill, La Sirena Grill, and Rasta Taco, two of which are fast-casual restaurants. Service was outstanding on this early afternoon, as our server, Juan, took great care of us during our stay. Prices are steep in this neck of the woods, but take advantage of their happy hour or wait for OC Restaurant Week to roll around again. Bodega Laguna helped make me seven for seven during my week-long sojourn to experience Restaurant Week. Not a clunker in the bunch. We'll see if that streak continues next March. 

Out of five birds (because the Northern California city Bodega Bay was the setting for the Hitchcock film "The Birds."), five being best to zero being worst, Bodega Laguna gets 3 birds. 

For more information about Bodega Laguna, head to their website by clicking here: https://bodegalaguna.com/

Elevated Fast Food at Taco Mesiata?

 Taco Mesita

765 El Camino Real

Tustin, CA 92780

There are different ways we find ourselves at restaurants. Most of the time, I'll find out about a place on Instagram, Yelp, magazines, or even on TV. I jot them down on my restaurant wishlist and hopefully get around to visiting them. I also get tips from readers of this blog, followers on my social media channels, and people I meet and talk with once it's revealed that I'm a foodie. This visit to Taco Mesita was about different. 

Back in the heyday of restaurant blogs, I'd get invited to restaurant openings or restaurants that were looking to boost their sales, wanted to highlight new menu items, or wished to showcase seasonal menus. Yes, it was fun to get free meals, and we had a great group of OC bloggers that we got to know well and saw at all these places. It was like having dinner with friends, but a bill would never come to the table. Then, bloggers were replaced with Instagrammers and TikTockers, and they are now getting free meals.   

Every so often, I get an invite to promote a restaurant. I always imagine it's a PR person who is new to the industry and inherited someone's old Rolodex or list of media contacts. Taco Mesita contacted me through Instagram and invited me to their first-anniversary party. We went back and forth, and I said I was in and made sure I knew who to meet up with before we left for the party. 

The place was packed with people, and I made the split-second decision that we'd just pay for our food and write a review for all of you. I saw the person I was supposed to meet with briefly, but he was swamped, and I didn't want to bother him. We stood in line and waited to order. 

Taco Mesita took over the old Alberta's Mexican Food place in Tustin. It's completely unrecognizable from when the former tenant was there. The vibe reminds me of a hip Palm Springs restaurant. The predominant color is white, and the breezeblock wall shuts out what's going on outside the restaurant. There are only six tables, and the kitchen activity is easily seen through huge windows behind where you order. There's also a drive-thru for your convenience. 

Taco Mesiata is the brainchild of Ivan Calderon and his son, Nico. If they sound familiar, it's probably because you've eaten at their other restaurants, Taco Mesa or Taco Rosa. They added a third partner, Nico's childhood friend Max Moriyama, a designer in charge of branding and the restaurant's look and feel. Nico wanted to create high-quality food in a fast-food setting, something that you don't find anywhere. 

The menu at Taco Mesita is smaller than that of other Mexican places, which the owners say helps them provide high-quality items while keeping prices relatively low. They offer a trio of tacos and burritos, snacks, and breakfast items served until noon. Most items hover around the $6 mark, with only the chicken and steak burrito reaching double-digit territory. People looking to save even more can partake in their Taco Tuesday and late-night happy hour offerings. Now that you have the backstory let's check out what we ate this evening. 

We've always enjoyed the Chips and Salsa ($3) and Guacamole ($7.25) at Taco Mesa, and we are happy to report that the same is true at Taco Mesita. In fact, I'm pretty sure these are the same chips that they serve at Taco Mesa. We got more than enough chips for three dollars, and they came with a whipped jalapeno and a smoky tomato salsa. Both salsas were on point and provided an excellent contrast to each other, as I found myself switching back and forth between the two. The guacamole could also be the exact same recipe they use at Taco Mesa. We've eaten there numerous times, and Katie always orders the guacamole. This had the same flavor, freshness, and texture to it. If it's not exactly the same, it's very similar. Katie also tried the Jamaica Palmero ($4.50). This hibiscus beverage also included lime and organic agave. The lime helped subdue the sweetness, which was much appreciated. Very refreshing and one of the better juices that Katie has had in a while. 

The majority of the menu at Taco Mesita is snacks meant for sharing. We decided to share all the ordered items, which is rare because I'm usually a selfish eater. First up was the Quesadilla Dorada ($6) and the Panella Taquitos ($6). The quesadilla was like an empanada filled with corn, vegetables, and Oaxaca cheese. It was too bland for me. The outer shell was crispy, but the inside portion fell flat, with only the corn providing any flavor. The taquitos were a better pick. They are filled with fresh cheese and fried nicely to give a big crunch when bitten into. I would have liked more of the avocado crema, which was promised on the menu but was absent when these came out to our table. 

We finished off our meal with all three tacos on their menu: Pork Shoulder ($5), Rottisserie Pollo ($5.75), and Woodfired Steak ($6.50). I actually liked all of these tacos, but if I had to pick my favorite, the Pork Shoulder would get the gold medal. It came with savory and smoky pork that played well with the pineapple and cascabel adobo. The silver medal goes to the chicken taco, which is rare for me to pick chicken over steak anytime. The chicken was tender and came with a delicious tomatillo corn relish and the avocado crema, which again was used too sparingly but might have pushed this taco to the number one spot if it had more on it. Settling for the bronze medal is the steak taco. I liked the marinade they used on the steak, but too much greenery and a lack of cotija cheese cost them the 2nd position on the taco podium. Yes, I've been watching far too much of the Olympics going on right now. 

Taco Mesita is a fascinating concept, and I feel they are still evolving. The food here is definitely an upgrade in quality to what you'd expect to get at a place with a drive-thru. The price point is manageable, but the portion sizes will not overwhelm you. It's a fine line that restaurants are walking these days regarding portion sizes versus item costs, especially with more quality ingredients. If you like lots of cheese, sauces, and heavier proteins, Taco Mesita might not be the right fit for you. But if you want a more authentic, subdued meal, this place might be what you are looking for. I'm glad they reached out to me, and I look forward to seeing what's ahead for them. 

Out of five digital clocks (because mesita translates to English as a bedside table, and I still have my grandmother's digital clock I inherited from her as a kid over forty years ago), five being best to zero being worst, Taco Mesita gets 3 alarm clocks. 

For more information about Taco Mesita, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tacomesita.com/