Perla Mexican Cuisine

Everything about this place was AMAZING! From the food to the ambience!! Definitely will be back for more! To end your meal it is a must to order a carajllo drink and the corn cake! The owners were the sweetest people ever!!!

Very yummy food and great service! Manager was so nice and made sure we were taken care of

Robert L Miller Attorney

A great location and friendly but slow service. You’ll find great cocktails here and standard Mexican cuisine favorites here.

Steffanie Rodriguez

I left the restaurant feeling like family! Came in for Sunday brunch in February with a group of girlfriends and we couldn’t stop talking about the food, the service, and the atmosphere. 10/10 — we got to speak with the owner and her son, what a pleasure to meet the family behind such a wonderful restaurant! Highly recommend for you to visit! The carajillo and the cornbread cake was so bomb!

Lucy Granados

Best Mexican food and drinks hands down! Dog friendly and very amazing staff, thank you Daniel, Dulce and Vanessa for always taking such good care of us! Mariachi here on the weekends are amazing!

Reyna Gonzalez

This was my first time here and I loved it ! Definitely on the pricier side and I wish the portions were a bit bigger, but other than that, great place ! I ordered the Prime Arrachera Plate. Our server Danny made our experience great !

Jennifer Guzman

amazing amazing always!! one of our favorite restaurants never misses!! the pictures say it all :)

CMF

This place has amazing food and the staff are even more amazing.

Paulina Alonso

Everything about this place was AMAZING! From the food to the ambience!! Definitely will be back for more! To end your meal it is a must to order a carajllo drink and the corn cake! The owners were the sweetest people ever!!!

Robert Carreon

Decided to grab some dinner late Saturday night We arrived around 8:30 pm, no reservation, however they had 1 open table and sat us within minutes. Drink orders were promptly taken. 2 ice teas and 2 Cadillac Margaritas, both drinks were delicious!!! The ambiance’s was great, we sat outside where we could hear some Spanish music being played in the background, weather was perfect as we Sat outside. Dinner came promptly as well for how busy they were. All 4 plates we ordered was delicious, serving size was perfect, not too much not too little. We could have used some chips and salsa but guess they don’t serve for free. Overall we had a fantastic time and really e your dinner at Perla. The area in DTSA has improved a lot over the last few years, many new places to eat as well as drink and deserts. I’ll definitely return to Perla for more delicious Mexican food.

carla perez

Brody was amazing! His drinks were 10/10 and he made our date night an awesome time. Food, drinks, atmosphere were great. Definitely will be back! The trio enchiladas were delicious. 🙌🏻

Jenna Norman Photography

We love it here. The queso fundio with chorizo is our immediate go to. We get it every time we visit. We also love any dish that includes their chipotle sauce. So flavorful. The bartender is very knowledgeable and the service is always great. Definitely our favorite spot.

Mia Rey

We walked in for some dessert and Iced coffee and we got exactly what we were looking for, plus and excellent service. Definitely coming back to try the famous pastel de elote.

My husband and I had a wonderful lunch here! Came on a Saturday morning close to opening time. No wait time to be seated :). Our cocktails were delicious! I had a passionfruit, tequila and prosecco cocktail and my husband had a dragonfruit and mezcal drink. The food was wonderful. I enjoyed a nice Cesar salad with shrimp. The shrimps were fat and juicy :). My husband had their pork dish (forgetting the name but it was awesome!). Vanessa was our server and she was WONDERFUL. So very kind, warm and welcoming. Her energy is absolutely infectious! We had a few short interactions with other employees who were just as nice as Vanessa was, but we didn’t catch their names. Overall, we are definitely planning to come back soon for more delicious cocktails and food! Thank you for a wonderful lunch date, Perla!

Bartender Angel was amazing service felt very welcoming and inviting. Felt like I was in a little restaurant in Mexico. I got the steak and eggs and it was perfectly cooked to perfection the live Mariachi was also a nice little kick to the ambiance of the place. Perla’s is a 10/10 and a perfect place to bring family, friends to enjoy great food, drinks and music.

We came here on a fluke and we do not regret it. The food was great, the menu had a lot of options and the service was the best part of all. We would recommend this restaurant to any one in the downtown Santa Ana area. Vanessa was our server, ask for her you won’t regret it.

My husband and I decided to host our courthouse wedding reception at Perla. This was an easy decision after only one afternoon of dining there with family, and meeting with Daniel, the manager. From the first time we were guests at Perla, the staff treated us very well and did not hesitate to help us when it came to this special event. We loved everything. The food at Perla reminded me of food I used to have at families houses, it had that same kind of specialties to it. Our favorites foods that we had were the guacamole, the short rib tacos, salad, and the rice and beans. Daniel was super helpful and went above and beyond setting an intimate dinner for our families up. When we asked at the last minute if they were going to be able to hold a wedding cake for us, they didn’t hesitate to help even in the last hours before our event. When we were frank with them and told them we didn’t have any decorations due to budget issues, they surprised us with simple yet elegant decorations for the tables and everything looked wonderful coming together. The music they played in general was fun and not too loud for an intimate dinner. The whole staff on board was incredibly kind as well. My family and I would definitely make a trip to Perla anytime, and I encourage anyone who is thinking of having an event or even a meal down in Santa Ana to choose Perla.

Must try. Excellent everything... and now they're having Latin music and dancing. Check them out for sure. Open till 1am on Wed with festive Latin dancing and food and amazing drinks... try the mangoneada shot!

Lora Papp

We came here on a fluke and we do not regret it. The food was great, the menu had a lot of options and the service was the best part of all. We would recommend this restaurant to any one in the downtown Santa Ana area. Vanessa was our server, ask for her you won’t regret it.

Kerrigan Ranch

Great lunch and excellent service at Perla Mexican Restaurant. The food was fresh and delicious, and Danny was an outstanding server — friendly, attentive, and professional. We’ll definitely be back.

Tim H

Amazing family-owned spot in downtown Santa Ana. Creative cocktails, craft beers on tap, and an elevated Mexican menu with lots of options. Super friendly and attentive staff. Can’t recommend this place enough! You gotta check it out

Rebecca Ojeda

My husband and I decided to host our courthouse wedding reception at Perla. This was an easy decision after only one afternoon of dining there with family, and meeting with Daniel, the manager. From the first time we were guests at Perla, the staff treated us very well and did not hesitate to help us when it came to this special event. We loved everything. The food at Perla reminded me of food I used to have at families houses, it had that same kind of specialties to it. Our favorites foods that we had were the guacamole, the short rib tacos, salad, and the rice and beans. Daniel was super helpful and went above and beyond setting an intimate dinner for our families up. When we asked at the last minute if they were going to be able to hold a wedding cake for us, they didn’t hesitate to help even in the last hours before our event. When we were frank with them and told them we didn’t have any decorations due to budget issues, they surprised us with simple yet elegant decorations for the tables and everything looked wonderful coming together. The music they played in general was fun and not too loud for an intimate dinner. The whole staff on board was incredibly kind as well. My family and I would definitely make a trip to Perla anytime, and I encourage anyone who is thinking of having an event or even a meal down in Santa Ana to choose Perla.

Good ambiance and food. Great service and their cocktails were unique. I enjoyed the Prime Arrachera Plate and a Mi Viejo Ol' Fashioned. My bros ordered the Filet Mignon Tacos and Pulpo Zarandeado. They cleaned their plates. Will definitely come back again, and I definitely recommend this spot to anyone looking for a casual dinner and good food with friends.

Sean Shibata

Good ambiance and food. Great service and their cocktails were unique. I enjoyed the Prime Arrachera Plate and a Mi Viejo Ol' Fashioned. My bros ordered the Filet Mignon Tacos and Pulpo Zarandeado. They cleaned their plates. Will definitely come back again, and I definitely recommend this spot to anyone looking for a casual dinner and good food with friends.

Sam Hernandez

I got the Wet Burrito. It’s was okay. Spicy but not too spicy. The vibes are nice and service is great. My boyfriend got the Mole Enchiladas and they were delicious. Would recommend!

We enjoyed the foods as they are pretty authentic and tasty delicious. Hats off to the chefs!! The service was pretty professional and friendly so that was a good experience. The environment was fabulous as it was comfortable and cool. I recommend this place.

We stopped for lunch on a Sunday. The food was very average for the extremely high prices. We were promptly seated inside, our choice. A small mariachi group performed at one point—fun but incredibly loud. The guacamole ($18) was a small portion with chips and a bland salsa. We had to ask twice for more chips. The guac was good but nothing special. The chilaquiles ($23) with sunny-side eggs and beans were fine—the beans were very good, the eggs perfectly cooked, and the chicken decent. The enchiladas de mole ($30) came with plenty of sauce but no sides or garnish. I asked for the Trio de Enchiladas, but was told it’s no longer available, which makes little sense since all three types are still on the menu separately. Iced tea was $5. The atmosphere was nice, but overall the food and value don’t justify the prices. There are better choices in the neighborhood.

The Right Reverend Rex Flash

We stopped for lunch on a Sunday. The food was very average for the extremely high prices. We were promptly seated inside, our choice. A small mariachi group performed at one point—fun but incredibly loud. The guacamole ($18) was a small portion with chips and a bland salsa. We had to ask twice for more chips. The guac was good but nothing special. The chilaquiles ($23) with sunny-side eggs and beans were fine—the beans were very good, the eggs perfectly cooked, and the chicken decent. The enchiladas de mole ($30) came with plenty of sauce but no sides or garnish. I asked for the Trio de Enchiladas, but was told it’s no longer available, which makes little sense since all three types are still on the menu separately. Iced tea was $5. The atmosphere was nice, but overall the food and value don’t justify the prices. There are better choices in the neighborhood.

Rosario Maltbia

Esquite - I expected more for this appetizer. You will get the flavor of roasted corn but everything else was lacking. I couldn't really taste the cheese or chili powder. Chicken Tortilla Soup - Nice for a cold evening. Nothing unique on this dish but thats not a bad thing. If you're wanting traditional this is a pretty close match. Short Rib Tacos - These were pretty good. While you'll get two salsas, these really pair well with the green salsa. Chile Relleno - Presentation was fantastic on this one, however, I was disappointed. The chipotle sauce was so overpowering that this dish did not taste like a chile relleno. This was more shrimp and chipotle sauce. While the food was not what I had hoped for, this place does have great drinks and a nice ambiance. FYI both cocktails were fantastic! Mariposa Traiconera - this is link a martini Jamaica - this one like a margarita

Iamwhat Everyousayiam

I do not recommend this place. This place is extremely overpriced. Starting of with my meal the Mole Enchiladas. You get 3 enchiladas for $23 and the chicken inside them was so dry and hard. We also got the ceviche and it was the smallest portion of ceviche I’ve ever been served in a restraint for $18. We also go the corn for $12 and it was super salty. I will never be going back to this place. I’ve never been so ashamed of spending my money in that way I feel like I there $80 dollars down the drain