Vaquera

Simone Dadsetan

La Vaquera is such a gem! The atmosphere and ambience were fresh, vibrant, and absolutely beautiful, a perfect setting for a relaxing meal or a fun night out. I loved the overall vibe; it felt welcoming and lively without being overwhelming. The food was exceptional, and the craft cocktails were just as impressive, creative, balanced, and delicious. I’m already looking forward to heading back soon. Highly recommend!

Shelly Scarborough

Dinner here this evening and everything was delicious. We decided to sample a few small plates to try more and enjoyed everything we had, plus we were full! The ribs were so good, and a decent amount of meat on each bone too. The peach and burrata was also amazing. Definitely will come back to try more

Christian Noyola

We chose La Vaquera to celebrate my birthday, and let me tell you, this place did not disappoint. We started with delicious cocktails and the West Coast oysters. We followed it up with a schmoorgasborg of additional appetizers. The Brussels,steak tartare, and tuna aguachilie each one tastier than the next. For the main course, we shared a mouthwatering 22oz creekstone ribeye and chicken, which paired well with the broccolini and cornbread. We still had enough room for some tasty dessert. Our server Nicole was super attentive and constantly checked in with us throughout this entire experience. This was a perfect place to celebrate a special moment in my life, and I highly recommend anyone to do the same. I will be returning to try their brunch options as well.

Tess Harrod

Beautiful restaurant with great food. I personally loved the mocktail options. Bryson was an awesome, attentive server and gave us lots of laughs!

Johnathon Avila

Classic So Cal dishes with a modern twist that perfectly represents present-day San Juan Capistrano while also paying homage to the California cowboys of days past. Everything was absolutely wonderful, from the food to the cocktails, to the staff to the atmosphere. No detail is overlooked. We tried the Tuna Aguachile, Grilled Spanish Octopus (cooked perfectly), Carne Cruda, 10 oz Black Hawk Farms American Wagyu Denver Stea, and the Roasted Heirloom Beets. Will definitely be back

Kelley Bennett

We had an amazing outing!! Every time we come here we have such a wonderful experience. Great drinks, great food, and great service. Thank you again!

Samm Fitt

I love this place. They now have Happy Hour 4-6pm. Reasonable drinks and light bites. It's a great spot for people watching. I always sit at their bar outside on the patio.

Larry M

Located in the newly built shopping center, on the Los Rios Historic street, La Vaquera is a great addition to the dining places in old town San Juan Capistrano. Food is prepped over an open wood flame to add a rustic touch, slight mex/ranchero flavors are woven in to deliver a mouth watering meal. Started with the Persimmon salad with a chipotle dressing. Excellent. Shared the Mary’s Heritage Chicken and what a meal. Chicken had excellent flavor not dry at all and great seasoning with the chimmichuri sauce and salsa verde layered on! OMG Came with charro beans and blue corn tortillas. Need I say more…it gets better. Added the Cripsy Brussel Sprouts with aioli and cheese. If you get this meal and need a wine I recommend the Thacher-Cabernet from Paso Robles. Rich beautiful wine that goes great with this roasted chicken meal. It doesn’t get much better than this. Service, atmosphere and bar to match. 🍷🥃🍸 If you haven’t already made your reservation, you will need it. Cheers!

So why would I give 5 stars when we waited for 20 min for a seat (with reservation) AND still hadn’t gotten even waters or a visit from wait staff 10 min after we were seated? Because it’s not about the crisis, it’s how you respond to the crisis, as they say. Once my wife found the manager and explained our situation, he apologized profusely, said they got slammed an hour prior and were short staffed. He said he would work to make things better immediately. Well, we soon had our waiter (Andres, who was great) and the food was delivered quickly (and was the quality we expect from this restaurant). We were comped the (amazing) cornbread and had a free cocktail coupon from NYE. The crowd had died down and while we relaxed finally, Andres brought out the tab and said the entire meal had been taken care of and he hoped to see us again soon. WHAT!?! We spent $160 and they covered it? At most I could see maybe a single order but that was ridiculous. I found the manager, and now I thanked HIM for a response to our situation that was beyond expectation. Of course we “forced” Andres to ring up our order in such a way that we could leave him a tip. Suffice to say, when a restaurant takes a very bad experience and magically turns it into a completely delightful one, we will be back many times.

It was our first time going to River Street marketplace and it did not disappoint. La Vaquera was nothing short of a stellar experience From start to finish. We showed up on a Friday night without a reservation and they still managed to accommodate us (party of 8 plus a service animal). The general manager personally came to our table to give our kids “letters to Santa” to celebrate the holidays. Our waiter Andres was top-notch. Kind, helpful, gracious, and more. And don’t even get me started on the food. This has to be some of the best food I have had in South Orange County. Farm to table concepts are always a hit, but this one took it to another level. We are going to be regulars here and cannot wait to come back!!!

Absolutely one of the best restaurants in Orange County . The managers were extremely knowledgeable and attentive. Avery our server knows the menu inside and out and has an amazing positive attitude that delivers a great service. The cornbread is a must as well as the roster chicken and mushroom cavatelli. The smores for desert are the cherry on top! Extremely impressed!

We’ve dined here a few times before and always enjoyed the great food and cute location, so we came the other night to celebrate our daughter’s birthday. We appreciated the thoughtful birthday card signed by the team and chef, such a sweet personal touch. In my initial review, I mentioned that we were surprised to see the birthday sorbet added to the bill after it had been presented as a treat. I want to update this because the general manager immediately reached out, responded with genuine care, and quickly corrected the mistake. Thank you Milan for taking immediate action, this kind of service is exactly why we’ll continue coming back!

Renata Grilo

Absolutely one of the best restaurants in Orange County . The managers were extremely knowledgeable and attentive. Avery our server knows the menu inside and out and has an amazing positive attitude that delivers a great service. The cornbread is a must as well as the roster chicken and mushroom cavatelli. The smores for desert are the cherry on top! Extremely impressed!

Ragini Bahl

It was our first time going to River Street marketplace and it did not disappoint. La Vaquera was nothing short of a stellar experience From start to finish. We showed up on a Friday night without a reservation and they still managed to accommodate us (party of 8 plus a service animal). The general manager personally came to our table to give our kids “letters to Santa” to celebrate the holidays. Our waiter Andres was top-notch. Kind, helpful, gracious, and more. And don’t even get me started on the food. This has to be some of the best food I have had in South Orange County. Farm to table concepts are always a hit, but this one took it to another level. We are going to be regulars here and cannot wait to come back!!!

Julia Schlier

We’ve dined here a few times before and always enjoyed the great food and cute location, so we came the other night to celebrate our daughter’s birthday. We appreciated the thoughtful birthday card signed by the team and chef, such a sweet personal touch. In my initial review, I mentioned that we were surprised to see the birthday sorbet added to the bill after it had been presented as a treat. I want to update this because the general manager immediately reached out, responded with genuine care, and quickly corrected the mistake. Thank you Milan for taking immediate action, this kind of service is exactly why we’ll continue coming back!

We dined here on a busy Saturday...and we were thankful a table was available. Most other places had a very long waiting time. The service was very good. Friendly, and helpful. The food was average. Not bad, but nothing too exceptional. The prices are rather high, especially for what you receive. Sandwiches came with lettuce (aka a salad) My sandwich, Lions Mane, was mostly all bun. My son had the BBQ sand, and said it was really good. If you order a coke, it's a very small coke in a bottle for $5. The atmosphere is nice, with a lovely outdoor area.

I’ll start out with the food is good. Nothing that will knock you socks off but it’s right for a friends brunch or laid back lunch. I think the reason for the low rating is the pace of service. It just seems like the kitchen isn’t completely on it and we were there on a busy Sunday and the server acknowledged they were slow. Overall the vibe is nice and there will be tons of kids and families enjoying the day so beware. I’m just not sure if I’ll be back in the future with all the other options there. Just sayin…

5 for vibes, 3 for food. I've been here for lunch and dinner, and really wanted to love it because this area is dying for this kind of modern aesthetic restaurant. It is gorgeous but the food is so underwhelming. It's marketed as a steakhouse sort of (I think?) and the steak is just not good. They have these gorgeous visible grills and the most expensive steak on the menu came on a cold plate with barely a char, and didn't feel like premium quality meat. Service is hit and miss, servers are nice but service is beyond slow. Maybe just a newness issue. I really hope they get their food game together.

Shelly Young

We dined here on a busy Saturday...and we were thankful a table was available. Most other places had a very long waiting time. The service was very good. Friendly, and helpful. The food was average. Not bad, but nothing too exceptional. The prices are rather high, especially for what you receive. Sandwiches came with lettuce (aka a salad) My sandwich, Lions Mane, was mostly all bun. My son had the BBQ sand, and said it was really good. If you order a coke, it's a very small coke in a bottle for $5. The atmosphere is nice, with a lovely outdoor area.

Tyler S

I’ll start out with the food is good. Nothing that will knock you socks off but it’s right for a friends brunch or laid back lunch. I think the reason for the low rating is the pace of service. It just seems like the kitchen isn’t completely on it and we were there on a busy Sunday and the server acknowledged they were slow. Overall the vibe is nice and there will be tons of kids and families enjoying the day so beware. I’m just not sure if I’ll be back in the future with all the other options there. Just sayin…

Jen Y.

5 for vibes, 3 for food. I've been here for lunch and dinner, and really wanted to love it because this area is dying for this kind of modern aesthetic restaurant. It is gorgeous but the food is so underwhelming. It's marketed as a steakhouse sort of (I think?) and the steak is just not good. They have these gorgeous visible grills and the most expensive steak on the menu came on a cold plate with barely a char, and didn't feel like premium quality meat. Service is hit and miss, servers are nice but service is beyond slow. Maybe just a newness issue. I really hope they get their food game together.

The atmosphere and service was great! We split the 22oz Ribeye on our date night. Don't get me wrong is was tasty. But it was probably 10oz of fatty bits we had to cut off. And for just getting that, 1 appetizer and 2 drinks it was almost $250. WAY TOO expensive. But I guess you get what you pay for.

The location is great it’s in the new river street market. It’s soo cute. Cocktails were good. But mine was pretty small. Both my bf and I would go back for drinks but not food. It’s was extremely overpriced for what you get. My meat was chewy and had hard fat on it and portions were small. It also needed some bread on the side. It was so plain. And my bfs breakfast sandwich was mediocre and smothered in sauce to compensate for lack of flavor. The server also told us the food will take a while to come out so she highly suggested an appetizer since we were starving. So we ordered a $24 carne crudo (way way overpriced. Same price as a whole big gourmet burger at the neighboring restaurant) but it came out last. Sooo we felt a little gypped on that.

Shanna Sottosanto

The location is great it’s in the new river street market. It’s soo cute. Cocktails were good. But mine was pretty small. Both my bf and I would go back for drinks but not food. It’s was extremely overpriced for what you get. My meat was chewy and had hard fat on it and portions were small. It also needed some bread on the side. It was so plain. And my bfs breakfast sandwich was mediocre and smothered in sauce to compensate for lack of flavor. The server also told us the food will take a while to come out so she highly suggested an appetizer since we were starving. So we ordered a $24 carne crudo (way way overpriced. Same price as a whole big gourmet burger at the neighboring restaurant) but it came out last. Sooo we felt a little gypped on that.

Very nice restaurant, both inside and out. We went for lunch and it wasn’t very busy, yet it still took quite a while to order drinks, even though the server initially came over quickly. The food arrived about 40 minutes after ordering. The pizza dough was good, but I didn’t care much for the toppings, not terrible just not to my taste. The chicken sandwich was flavorful, however the chicken portion was extremely small and mostly crust, which was disappointing. The fries were served completely cold. It was also difficult to get service. We spent around 15 minutes trying to find our server, asked three different servers for a to-go box, and after about 20 minutes it arrived together with the bill. Overall, the setup and atmosphere are nice, but we spent most of our time trying to get service, which made the experience frustrating.

Catalina Rod

Very nice restaurant, both inside and out. We went for lunch and it wasn’t very busy, yet it still took quite a while to order drinks, even though the server initially came over quickly. The food arrived about 40 minutes after ordering. The pizza dough was good, but I didn’t care much for the toppings, not terrible just not to my taste. The chicken sandwich was flavorful, however the chicken portion was extremely small and mostly crust, which was disappointing. The fries were served completely cold. It was also difficult to get service. We spent around 15 minutes trying to find our server, asked three different servers for a to-go box, and after about 20 minutes it arrived together with the bill. Overall, the setup and atmosphere are nice, but we spent most of our time trying to get service, which made the experience frustrating.

This was our first time dining here, and unfortunately, it didn’t leave a great impression. While the food itself was actually delicious in terms of flavor, it was served cold, which took away from the experience significantly. When we brought this up to our server—who was very polite and understanding—they acknowledged the issue and involved the manager. However, instead of making things right, the manager came to our table and seemed more focused on deflecting blame on the chef that came to talk to is for 3 min rather than offering a real solution. Rather than offering a reasonable compensation like a discount—especially considering we ordered a $60 steak and three sides—they offered us two drinks, which didn’t come close to making up for the disappointment. For a first visit, this was definitely not the kind of service or resolution we expected. Sadly, we won’t be returning. Edit: presentation was very mediocre.

Denise Anguiano

This was our first time dining here, and unfortunately, it didn’t leave a great impression. While the food itself was actually delicious in terms of flavor, it was served cold, which took away from the experience significantly. When we brought this up to our server—who was very polite and understanding—they acknowledged the issue and involved the manager. However, instead of making things right, the manager came to our table and seemed more focused on deflecting blame on the chef that came to talk to is for 3 min rather than offering a real solution. Rather than offering a reasonable compensation like a discount—especially considering we ordered a $60 steak and three sides—they offered us two drinks, which didn’t come close to making up for the disappointment. For a first visit, this was definitely not the kind of service or resolution we expected. Sadly, we won’t be returning. Edit: presentation was very mediocre.

Leaving hungry and VERY disappointed. Although this place is beautiful and nice to look at with great ambience their food is extremely disappointing. We had the tri tip sandwich. Meat was doused in cumin which I love however seems very lazy in presentation. I sent the French toast dish back because it is literally gross. Too sweet covered in caramel and strawberries and weird granola on top of sweetness is just overpoweringly yuck. Unless you want dessert for breakfast you only want to take one of two bites off before it gives you a splitting headache. Coffee was disgusting. Oh and if you want more then one Diet Coke be prepared to pay $5.00 for EACH tiny glass of more ice then soda that you get for one of those at this place. Service was great, our server was lovely but I feel sorry for her that she works at a place like that because both the service and the ambience are far too nice for the crappy food, crappy pricing and crappy management.

Catherine Kooiman

Leaving hungry and VERY disappointed. Although this place is beautiful and nice to look at with great ambience their food is extremely disappointing. We had the tri tip sandwich. Meat was doused in cumin which I love however seems very lazy in presentation. I sent the French toast dish back because it is literally gross. Too sweet covered in caramel and strawberries and weird granola on top of sweetness is just overpoweringly yuck. Unless you want dessert for breakfast you only want to take one of two bites off before it gives you a splitting headache. Coffee was disgusting. Oh and if you want more then one Diet Coke be prepared to pay $5.00 for EACH tiny glass of more ice then soda that you get for one of those at this place. Service was great, our server was lovely but I feel sorry for her that she works at a place like that because both the service and the ambience are far too nice for the crappy food, crappy pricing and crappy management.