Vida Cantina

Yea it's pretty good Mexican food. But the real charm is in the atmosphere. Outdoor bar, outdoor patio seating, outdoor TVs with bug huge tables and tiles lining everywhere. On the inside, there's a full bar and lots of TVs dotting the walls. I'm sure the place is so sick on a Friday night. The service was good, my water was refilled frequently and the food came out fast. The food was really good and there are a ton of menu options.

A pretty awesome place, loved their outdoor seating, feels like your on vacation with the palm canopies. The outdoor seating also includes fire pits for those cold winter nights. I ordered the chilachiles, which is one of my favorite brunch/breakfast meals. They were pretty tasty but wish they were a bit more spicy, I got them with chicken but would have preffered grilled instead of shredded. I did love that they came with black beans and homestyle potatoes! I would come back and try an different plate.

The most lively after work bar in Costa Mesa! Get here before 5pm to get a seat. Gourmet Mexican food. Excellent happy hour food and drink specials until 6:30pm weekdays, but all day Sundays. I love their frozen Mango Margarita topped with pomegranate seeds! Also they have 3 different types of salsa to choose from when they bring chips to your table, just ask!

We came here as a large group on a Saturday evening. I shared the asada fries appetizer with a friend, they were very yummy. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is fun and engaging. When we left around 10pm there was a line to get seated / or in. They have plenty of good looking security guys working too. I am local to this place and have been a few times but this is my first review. If you are coming to Costa Mesa or Newport this place is a must on your list.

While they do have both indoor & outdoor seating, my favorite part about the ambiance at La Vida Cantina is the outdoor patio with huts. The guacamole ($11) is always a solid starter, and it’s topped with fresh Roma tomatoes & cilantro. The carne asada fajitas ($23) are large enough for two to share. The steak is mixed with fajitas veggies (reds bell peppers & onions), and on the side you get tortillas and a plate with rice, beans covered in cheese, pico de gallo, a dollop of guacamole, & sour cream. As far as cocktails, I personally enjoy The Passion, which comes with Tosco Plata Tequila, passion fruit puree, pineapple juice, agave nectar, and lime juice, with a pineapple garnish.

Really cool spot for late-night cocktails, happy hour and dancing. The food was nice, especially the queso fundido, but the entrees were overpriced. Great salsa!

Friendly staff and server. Surprisingly not crowded for Friday happy hour time. Delicious chips and salsa and lived the Pineapple Pom 🍹.

The chief help us make the vegetarian quesadillas and the tomato salad is really great

Great upbeat place with authentic mecican food and great drinks. Decided to try thr pineapple margarita and it was amazing. The pambasos (potato corizo torta) was great. I spotted it in the menu and had to have it since i had not had one in ages.

Food portions are really big. Service is a little slow. It's on the top floor and they have fire place. It's nice. A nightclub/restaurant next door so it's loud and lively in general. Had a good time there.

Made reservations here for Valentine's Day weekend and everything was amazing. From the service to the food to the cocktails this place doesn't miss. The aesthetic is super nice and so is the vibe. They even gave us a complimentary cocktail on the house! Definitely planning a second trip out here, it was worth the 1 hour drive. Don't think twice about it, just come see for yourself! You'll love it.

Tasty food, good cocktails, even if they could be bigger, friendly staff, nice people, good music.

Nice place to have some drinks I like the atmosphere this place has. The customer service was great, the drinks are excellent. I had the chance to try some appetizers we had the queso fundido and ceviche de camaron both were perfect! Would definitely recommend this place for a fun night out!

Owner is a really great person and down to earth. Great food -- must try the ceviche! Service was impressive -- Sergio was bringing things before we could even ask. Really awesome new spot, atmosphere is great.

Food was great! Came here while waiting for the theaters movie to start. I have to say, I will definitely be coming back here to try out more food dishes. The ambiance and service were perfect!

Went for a welcome dinner with a couple other colleagues on a Friday evening early in May. It was crowded, and quite loud. We each had a margarita. I had the watermelon mint which I thought was okay. We shared the nachos and they were great! Quite filling too, so I only had a taco for the entree and it was okay.

Massive portions and good food! Fun, lively environment - definitely a spot to go with a group and have a good time

I liked how even though it was a chilly night, there was enough outdoor heaters to keep us warm. Food was delicious and affordable. Went on a Thursday and Dj came in by 10pm And played good hip hop and top 40s. They had Thursday taco and drink deals

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo at La Vida and it was a great experience. The large outdoor patio was perfect for the day party festivities. The mariachi band and the deejay created fun and exciting vibes. We were disappointed they didn't have their typical brunch menu with bottomless mimosas, however, the food and drinks were still very good. I was quite pleased with their house margaritas.

Came here with a couple of buddies to have brunch, I had the pan dulce pancakes with fruit and bacon added eggs because it doesn't come with it. My friend order the steak and eggs which was good, my other buddy had the red chilaquiles but didn't like the sauce. One thing I didn't like about the endless mimosas was it was already mixed together.

Food was good and waiter attentive.. it was a little chilly sitting outside and should have requested to sit near a heater. However that won't stop us on returning! the atmosphere is lively

The vibe of the place on a Friday night was really good. The servers were very polite and knew their job. Food was okay but that’s not the only thing one goes there for. Would 💯 recommend.

1st time here. We came for Happy Hour on a Wednesday night. Perfect time to go as it wasn't busy at all. The outdoor patio is awesome. The Mango Margarita was quite tasty. We shared tacos, empanadas, and guacamole and they were all good. Service is slow, even for a slow night, but friendly. Prices are a little high but I'll come back for Happy Hour again.

The food was a three. Taco Tuesday and still the price seemed steep. This is more of a singles bar than a restaurant/bar. I prefer quieter and more intimate. Still gave it a 4 as it did seem like a fun place for younger singles.

Went to grab a bite while waiting for my move to start. It was "taco Thursday" where there are deals on some basic taco options, margaritas, tamales, and a couple other options I can't remember. For the price I'd say it was worth the visit. Chips and salsa were served, margarita was what I paid for but not bad, tacos were decent. Atmosphere was good, staff was friendly, and I would go back.

I’ve been here for brunch and dinner, food is always good & the drinks amazing. The blended margaritas are my favorite. The only reason for giving 4 stars is because during brunch there’s only one waitress ( she’s amazing!) but please get some more staff.

Food was good, but the service was terrible. I understand, holiday weekend, lots of people are going out, I notice people around me that waited longer than we did, and also people who showed up after my party had even finished eating before we even started, even took about 15 minutes to get the check after we asked, almost like there's no communication as to who is who in the cue. I'd come back, this was my first time. Hopefully second time around is a different experience.

Food is ok. Not the most flavorful, but the chips are good ambience is great.

Very disappointed. The food was okay our waitress was amazing. My mother and I needed to use the restroom and she didn't want them to think that we disappeared on the check. She walked over to let them know. When we came back to the restroom our table was completely cleaned off. My mom and I look at each other like what just happened! We go sit there waiting for the bill. The waitress brings it to us cuz it's sitting on another table. As we're trying to fill out the receipt to pay the employee walks over with a tablecloth and makes us move from the table. We then had to stand by the register to pay like we were at fast food. Not a great experience for our first time being out of new restaurant.

Mediocre run down spot. Food was washed down Mexican food, margaritas artificial ($11 so you get what you pay for), service is dive bar quality. They had NBA finals on but no sound from tvs, house music instead. Seems like a place that used to be popular and has lost it edge…

We came for a joint birthday dinner for a party of ~20 people. They sat us along the back wall by the fire pit which was nice. They started us off with free chips & dips which was pretty good, especially the chips. It did take awhile for the food to come out but that's to be expected for a large party. The chips helped the table keep hunger at bay. They do have a dance floor and a live dj near the bar so you can go dancing after you eat. It wasn't packed for a Saturday night which was nice. Birria Tacos ($18): This came with 2 tacos, consome, rice, and beans topped with cheese. They gave a lot of meat but the flavors weren't there so I got sick of eating it pretty quickly. I could only eat half of a taco and gave the other one to my husband. The consome was also pretty flavorless. Nothing stood out. I just had amazing birria tacos at Papi Tacos & Churros the week before so this was just so disappointing. Street Tacos ($17): We got asada and al pastor. They were both better than the birria tacos. Al pastor was the best since the asada was a bit dry. This entree also came with a side of rice and beans topped with cheese. Cactus Fruit: This drink didn't taste that great and gave me a headache. Mezcal Pina: Way better than my Cactus Fruit but it was just okay in terms of taste. Drink wasn't strong for a mezcal too. Wouldn't get drinks here again. Also they serve their drinks in plastic cups which I thought was strange given that we were dining in.

Although I made a reservation, There was No table available when We arrived! Restaurant has this very strong policy that you need to Add a credit card in case you don’t show up, they will charge you $20 per person. I don’t have a problem with that, But at least I EXPECTED To have a good Service. I had a party of 6 and Host just offered us a table with patio style seats and a Very low table which Is perfect if you just go to have drinks and Talk. But with Family of 6 and for a Sunday Bruch It’s obviously UNCOMFORTABLE AND IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT. I had 2 small kids and I spoke to her and tell her about the situation and That I needed a PROPER table to eat with my family. They seated me within a couple minutes, But ridiculously we waited a long time for a server to come to our Table until My husband went to ask for someone to take our Order. Because No one was putting attention. There was a Big party like 20-25 people next to Us and every server was more concentrated in that big party. Finally the waitress came and Took our orders, she was Nice and friendly. But definitely this place NEEDS more organization. If they don’t have enough personal to work they should put an stop on the amount of people they took on reservations! I Didn’t see any manager At all around to talk about the situation. Drinks looked good But poorly made. I will Not recommend this place to go with Family. For me is most like to go with friends, enjoy the music and have some drinks

What happened to the great service ? Food was ok, waiter thinks he has a a photographic memory, don't think so. Kept forgetting, that's when we could find him, get a pad of paper and a pen. Also place was not crowded at all, and waited 90 min in lounge for a table, finally just walked over to an empty one and sat our party of 6. Suggestion to management, hire a good floor supervisor who gets it.

Food is very mediocre. The drinks are really good. We only really go for drinks . Great mimosas. They use champagne brutt which is delicious.

Visited this restaurant last week. We ordered different food dishes to check their taste. ( Not bad at all) Service was ok but room for improvement ( from podium attendant as well servers ), recommended soft skills on staff. Atmosphere was just ok but not great.( Bar customers too noisy most of them (it looked like regulars ). Tables not bussed and cleaned quick enough.

Sat at the outside bar . Only 4 other people at bar. Service was a little slow. Ordered carne asada tacos, meat was really dry, margaritas were good. Was surprised they charged for salsa and chips. If you like atmosphere it's good, food not so. Javiers, Acupulcos , Descanso's, El Torito all have better food.

Food was OK to good, not a problem there. The issue is it seemed to take an eternity to get it. Thing is, the interior of the restaurant was completely empty, so I see no valid excuse for the delay. We actually had to ask if our appetizers were coming as they took as long as the meal. Waitress ment well and was nice, but was rather disorganized. 2 stars.

I went there with my friend to celebrate my birthday. We order two drinks at the bar and some nachos. This place is over price for what it is. We got charge for everything on the nachos 3 dollar for salsa where everywhere else is free 3 dollars for jalapeños . And 6 dollars for some ice for our drinks. We pay 68 dollars for two drinks and nachos after that I lost my appetite. Never going back

Not impressed at all. The place is pricey but the food tasted like cheap fast food nothing special for what they charge. On top of that, it was hot and stuffy inside with barely any ventilation, made it uncomfortable to even sit and eat. Honestly felt like I overpaid just to sweat and eat something I could’ve grabbed at a drive-thru. not coming back

I was really excited to try this restaurant, but unfortunately, I had a bad experience. It was Sunday afternoon We ordered steak burritos and steak tacos, and it was not what I was expecting. The tacos didn’t have any sauce or toppings, they were very dry and lacked flavor. The burrito was also dry, with too many smashed beans and none of the usual ingredients like lettuce or other fresh toppings. Overall, it was disappointing. I would not recommend this place at all .