Michael Huntley

The restaurant has a beachy Ensenada feel and has a strong vibrant atmosphere. The wood ceiling and wood and tile floors makes the restaurant a bit loud for a conversation, but it's manageable. Good menu options and an extensive list of beers, wines, and tequilas. My only wish was that there was a self parking option as an only valet and $4 cost seems excessive and a bit over the top.

+1

Tracy Foreman

After a 1 hour hike through back bay my stomach was ready for food. I was going to try to be good but the margarita selection was way too tempting. I went with a spicy mango skinny margarita. The waiter told us all of the juices are fresh and mango is one of my favorites. This drink was the best margarita I have tasted EVER! I wanted more but like I said, I was trying to be good. The chips candy salsa were delicious. I had to stop eating them know I was ordering chilaquiles. The chilaquiles were enormous. I asked for scrambled eggs since I’m not a fan of snotty eggs. The portion was huge so I ate all the eggs and left half of the chips & sauce on the plate. Loved them! My friends all ordered taco plates and they moved them as well. I was planning on tacos for dinner so breakfast was the choice. Parking was a breeze since we arrived at 10:30am. When we left at noon, parking was getting crazy. Valet parking for $4. Highly recommend this place and will be going back for more margaritas!

+3

Joyful

First Visit and Loved it. Our Server was amazing—so warm, welcoming, friendly, kind, helpful. Lovely Vibe and the music was great! Tamarind Margarita was the bomb! Carnitas Taco and Birria Taco were decent—nothing special, but good. Sad I forgot to get the photo of our Tacos! Got distracted! Guacamole was fresh but lacked flavor and we only got a small soup cup for $8 HH price. My friend enjoyed the Fish Taco, not so much the Veg Taco. The bartender was gracious to make a Red Sangria which my friend enjoyed. Chips and Salsa was very good and there’s 2 extra hot sauces they brought for us to try 👏 I’ll def go again and rec you give this place a try.

+4

Shahram Mehraban

Nice Mexican restaurant on the 17th street in the middle of Costa Mesa. Can’t believe that this is the first time after so many years. We sat in the outside patio which was nice and warm and we had our puppy with us. I got the Al pastor plate. It was very tasty and came with beans and pickled onions and raw onions. It tasted great but didn’t seem a lot of food. I had a bit taste of my wife’s carnitas plate that tasted good. Service was on the slow side but our server was great. Will definitely come back again.

Nicole Mazzilli

came here for lunch on a friday it wasn’t too crowded we were seated out on the covered patio and received chips and salsa right away. I ordered the mesa combo a chicken taco rice & beans with a half caesar salad. defiantly want to come back to try some more items.

Dawn de Leoon

We liked the ambience here. From arrival to departure the service was exemplary. We would come back simply for the pleasure of our server, Josele’s company! The chips were good, the salsa was yummy. The Tamarindo and Cadillac Margaritas were outstanding. We ordered salmon tacos, carne asada tacos and chicken fajitas and all enjoyed our meals. We have been here before and will come back.

+1

THERESA ESPINOSA

Great place for good Mexican brunch. I had the pozole and it’s one of the best I’ve tried so far. The burrito my daughter ordered was as big as a baby’s pillow 😂lots of leftovers Scarlett our bubbly and funny server is a gem! Even the manager was so welcoming and making sure the place is clean(he was sweeping the floor). Great guy👍 We’ll be back soon

Rifat Ziadeh

Cool design and vibe inside. Came in for lunch today and was able to grab a seat at the bar. The chips they give you taste great and have a nice seasoning on them. The salsa is mild but they can give you some hot stuff if you prefer. I almost always get the fish ceviche which is fantastic. Today I also ordered the Birra Burrito. I don’t normally eat cheese so if your ok with that this is really juicy burrito but tends to be a bit oily messy. The side of carrots were great and the arugula salad was nice. They complimented the burrito well.

+1

Food and service was good, especially during happy hour, however dropping them down a star because they drove us to use and pay $5 for valet! The parking lot was completely empty both when we arrived and left. It was ridiculous.

Irene Dasalla

Don't judge a book by its cover. This place is beautiful, sophisticated, and clean. Food and service are on a different scale, however. We were here for happy hour. I had the sandia (watermelon) margarita, and it was so watered down. There was almost no hint of alcohol. Their chips and salsa were ok. The salsa tasted like one of those store bought, ready-made salsa. The fish taco tasted ok as well. Customer service was pretty bad. We had to request the "happy hour" menu during happy hour. My fish taco was served with no salsa, so I had to request one. There was one pathetic lime that was already squeezed the life out of it; there was no juice left. I had to request lime as well. Here comes the best part, we were rushed to finish. We paid the bill and left. We know when we're not wanted. We can take a hint. The place was pretty empty. The bar was not busy, and so many tables were available, but for some reason, our table for 3 was in the way. I still left an 18% tip regardless of their bad service. I didn't enjoy my experience at all. Luckily, I was with great company. I can't imagine coming back here anytime soon. I don't recommend this place either.

Lord Van Cannon

Parking is a nightmare. Be aware of that first. Moving on... Upon walking in we were greeted immediately. Staff is very attentive and helpful. Our waiter was very professional, outgoing and all around made the dining experience better. However.... That's what it was. The dining experience from the ambience, seating and decor was great! And they've got a lot of really amazing tequila options. Largest I've seen in the area. However my food wasn't that great and I couldn't even finish it. Rice was over cooked and under cooked... some were hard some too soft. The cheese in the enchiladas weren't even melted... and the beans had zero flavor. I've heard from other people the food isn't consistent here... and now I believe them. Is there a different chef on different days and times? That's probably it. The bathroom was clean. Entire place was clean and well presented. Would it go back here? Probably not on my own. If someone else said "we're going here" I'd probably go. But I'm not going to go on my own out of my way. If you enjoy tequila check this place out though for sure. HUGE selection.

Saman

Disappointing Experience at Playa – Not Worth the Hype We were on the hunt for a solid Mexican restaurant for lunch in Costa Mesa, and Playa caught our eye with its decent amount of reviews on Yelp. So, we thought, why not give it a try? Unfortunately, we left wondering how it got those stars in the first place. First Impressions: Upon arriving, we were greeted by a valet service, which felt unnecessary given the size of the parking lot. It just seemed like an extra step when there was plenty of space to park on our own. But hey, that’s not a dealbreaker—what came next, however, was. The Food: We started with chips and salsa, which, I’ll admit, was the high point of the meal. The salsa was flavorful and fresh, giving us hope for the rest of the dishes. But sadly, that was the only highlight. Shrimp & Octopus Ceviche – This dish was a cold disappointment, literally. It tasted like it had been frozen, and when I brought this up to the staff, they casually confirmed it wasn't fresh and had been kept in the fridge. Yikes. The texture was icy, and we could feel it under our teeth. Serving ceviche like this is a huge red flag. Birria Tacos – These were just okay. Not bad, but certainly not memorable. The meat inside was fine, but the dish lacked that "wow" factor you'd expect from a place that promises authentic Mexican flavors. Grilled Shrimp – Once again, not fresh. It tasted like it had been reheated, lacking any real flavor or tenderness. It was a forgettable, uninspired dish. Carne Asada Tacos – Easily the worst item we ordered. The meat tasted funny, wasn’t fresh, and was served cold. It was borderline inedible. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if this dish had been sitting around for a while before it hit our table. Service: Our server, Alejandra, was friendly and attentive, and after witnessing our dissatisfaction with the ceviche and carne asada, she didn’t charge us for those items. I appreciated her gesture, but it didn’t make up for the poor quality of the food. The only item we paid for was the Birria Tacos, which, at that point, felt like a minor consolation. Overall: This place is seriously overrated. The fresh, vibrant flavors we were hoping for were nowhere to be found. Don't be fooled by the stars or glowing reviews. The food was not fresh, and frankly, some dishes were downright bad. If you’re looking for a great Mexican dining experience in Costa Mesa, keep looking—Playa is not it.