Authentic mexican food, great service, great atmosphere, even my kids love it.

Friendly personal, food is really delicious, 👌🏽.

The best Mexican food ever the chicken was super juicy and falls apart the beans were amazing same with the rice the chips were crunchy yet soft so good and the salsa was to die for the avocado was nice and ripe and yummy no brown spots nothing perfect I live in orange county and nothing compares to this place just wow when I come back I'm going to eat here everytime

I had the albondiga soup and it had flavor, the bondigas had flavor. The food has flavor. If your in big bear and craving Mexican food, stop by

Amazing food and service. Large portions. Great calm and beautiful environment. Thank you.

First time visit. This is place has a very authentic decor with many murals depicting Mexican life, including the seat backs in the booths. I had a wet burrito with carnitas smothered in red sauce, rice and beans on the side. It was excellent, and a generous portion size. It came with complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were fresh and crispy and the sauce was plenty hot.

Real good mexican food. We both enjoyed our meal. Would recommend 👍🇲🇽

It was actually pretty busy and it took a few minutes to get waited on, but once we did get waited on the service was amazing. The food was the best Mexican food I've had. The drinks were oversized and awesome, not to mention the chips and salsa best ever. 😋 We will definitely go back.

Great food, great service and great price on taco Tuesdays 🌮

This has been my favorite restaurant in Big Bear since I moved here 3 years ago. There's rarely a mistake made, and they always correct it. The owners are great people. The long-term servers remember their regulars. If this can happen for residents, then any visitors will be very pleased. If you like nachos and pot roast beef, get the small to share with 2. You'll be in heaven. Their guacamole is great, too. And fresh salsa and chips. Oh my, I'm hungry now. And don't forget their HUGE margaritas!!

Shrimp taco is outstanding. The grilled meaty shrimp~ yum! Absolutely unforgettable. Next time I’ll also get horchata~!

We came to this place starving after our 7 mile hike not knowing what to expect. We were very very pleased with the food, the service and the nice clean restaurant. The food was delicious. We'll be coming again when we come back to Big Bear. So pleased!

Make sure to check out the combo meal! I got the tamales with rice and beans, and it was absolutely delicious

We came to this place for dinner. The environment was great since the very first second we came in. The tables are very close together, but definitely there is space to move around. The waitress was super nice. When I first started eating the chips and salsa, I could definitely tell that these were one of the best I have ever had. Their salsa was very good. I ordered a fried mojarra (whole fried tilapia). And my friends ordered enchiladas. I asked the waitress for some jalapeños toreados (fried roasted Jalapenos). She said, yes, but also asked me if I wanted the very spicy sauce they have... of course I said yes... she brought me this very hot red sauce that I myself called "The Sonora fire." Very hot salsa, but very tasty. The best salsa I have ever had in a restaurant. Delicious. If you like to eat spicy hot, ask for this salsa. For drinks we got the Margarita pitcher... Definitely a win point, they are very generous with the alcohol. We got a complementary desert. To close for the night. Friend Icecream.... I loved it. I definitely recommend this place for Mexican food if you happen to be around the Big Bear area. Perfect dinner.

Food and service was amazing and delivered quick! Me and my husband loved it! Will definitely be going back and shout out to the workers all of them for being great over the phone and in person. Took my husband for his birthday and they sang him a song with dessert included which was delicious. I didn't get our server name but he was a young man with medium length hair and I believe he had piercings as well. He was great very attentive and nice and in the end they still said goodbye to us and wished my hubby happy birthday multiple times it all felt genuine too not like it was done just because its work. Definitely recommend 👌 👍 👏

Great simple HH and got a sculpin for $4 which is a winner for me. The plus was the food indeed. Hardshell taco and chimi had a clean fry and meat filling was great!

Fun place but small. Bar is right at the front door entry so you can orders drinks while waiting to be called. We waited about 30 min. If it weren't cold/snowy patio would have been nice to sit. Abondigas soup was delish and margaritas were strong. Worth the price. We'll be coming back again.

Amy attended to us and she was fantastic! She even gave their hot sauce, wow it was mucho caliente! Great food, good prices, and nice vibes eating outside. We will definitely come back.

The food was absolutely delicious the staff was very kind restrooms were available and clean

I love this place. It's my new favorite Big Bear restaurant. I go there whenever I'm in Big Bear. Great food, even better service, and decent prices. If you go during happy hour the prices are incredible.

Delicious food. Great service. Wonderful atmosphere! We got their plate that serves 6 to 10 people and all six of us got two meals out of it.

Delicious food and super friendly staff. Definitely recommend tamales!

Good food and great service. Got the chicken fajitas and a house margarita. They do not skimp on portions!!

Was kinda nervous about coming here because I live in the city and only come up once every 6 months to a year so I gotta be choosy about going anywhere I have nostalgia for. Hadn't been here since 2016 so i didn't remember what their food tasted like and felt tempted to go to La Paws instead as that place has long stood as my favorite. However, I went to Sonora anyway and I'm really happy I did because they actually come really close to being on par with La Paws in my book. While La Paws is till my favorite, I do have to give this place credit for extremely good enchiladas. Not sure why, but even in the city it's really hard to find Mexican restaurants that make good enchiladas. I just had a bite of em though and ended up getting their Chile relleno burrito which was also really good. But that said easily second place for best Mexican food I've had and it's not losing by much. Would definitely come back in confidence.

Loved Mercedes! Very welcoming and continued to serve us as needed.

Omg pomegranate margarita...yes please Combo plate $13 huge food for dinner later. Antonia is awesome...great service. Best calamari tacos In town. We will be back. Update oct 21st baskets of calamri and a mango margaritas with spice😍😍Today our waitress Crystal in freaking great😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

Our favorite Mexican restaurant in big bear lake

Delicious!! Quick service, attentive staff, and amazing food. This place is open for outdoor dining and is pet friendly.

Tasty food with good service 😋 We were looking for a place to eat after the slopes closed and everywhere around us had a 40+ minute wait. I was very impressed by the service here, they never kept us waiting and were able to accommodate all of our requests without hesitation. On top of that, the food was simply delicious and came 10 minutes after we ordered. Worth a try.

We found this hidden gem a few years ago while visiting Big Bear. The first time we came we were staying across the street from the restaurant it was snowing this particular day but it was within walking distance from our cabin. My first impression was that it was popular because people were waiting which is always a good sign that the food must be good. The food was very good big portions too. The prices have gone up since but it's still very affordable. We always ordered the fajitas mix which has shrimp, beef, and chicken along with grilled onions and bell peppers. Don't forget to order a michelada they are probably the best ones I've tasted. I saw the appetizer sampler today while we were eating and it was big enough for 3 people. I think I'll order that next time. So we can mix things up. The margaritas are really good too. The staff is very friendly and they always asked if we need anything. I can't wait to come back. Today we just happened to be driving back from Vegas. I paid 52 dollars for our meal and still had leftovers.

Great service, beautiful environment the food was so good. Seasoned perfect. The fajitas for 2 was really for 3-4 ppl. Great people definitely recommended!!!!

My fiance brought me to this wonderful restaurant and it was AMAZING! I give it an approval on true Mexican food(I'm Mexican). Better than any restaurant up here in the mountains. I live in Cedarpines Park, I love to support our local businesses and this restaurant is outstanding. Btw, they have better prices for large quantities of food.

What a great find! We were looking for open patio seating on a Tuesday summer night. Sonora Cantina had a fabulous patio and happy hour deals all Tuesday evening. The service was great and only outmatched by their serving sizes and margaritas! We had shrimp fajitas (outatanding!) and the happy hour taco sampler. All around a great pick.

We came here on Father's Day 2019, we found the portions size more than large enough and the drinks to be heavy handed both things we couldn't complain about. The food was excellent great flavors and my wife and I think it's the best Mexican food within 100 miles. We will make the drive just for the food it's so good. Can't wait to go again.

Carlos was amazing.... He over fed us tho lol.... Didn't give us a heads up on the portions.... The other Lady that helped and pointed us to the best spots was so nice.... Thank you both actually thanks to everyone there I think everyone came by and checked on us... Picture is after we ate leftovers

This place is SO good!! The service was fantastic, my food was hot, the salsa was so good!!! I was pleasantly surprised at this Mexican restaurant!! I will definitely be back!! I loved the decor and anywhere you sit will be nice for you and a date or family!!

When my hubby & I walked in the vibes were sorta off, but then we were seated by a college kid in a natty light tshirt, and suddenly the vibes we back on. He walked me & my boo thang (🥵) to the outdoor dining area, and the atmosphere was FIRE. The music was gas, the chairs were mad comfy, and the decor was on point. Service was great, waiter came to us right away and always kept an eye on us. My other half got the burrito combo with carne asada and he said it was straight up BUSSIN bussin (like fr though). I got a chicken enchilada & a hard shell beef taco (which I always get at every mexican restaurant) and it was kinda mid ngl. But the experience was worth it & the chips and salsa were scrumptious ☝🏼 I am still waiting on my arnold palmer refill though... hopefully it comes soon 🤞🏼 UPDATE: The arnold palmer came. Really good. I think they actually put pink lemonade in it which I didn't ask for but honestly, it was fantastic. Just bumped the review up a star! ⭐️

You can tell a lot about a restaurant when you go in as a table of one, or if you arrive less than an hour before closing. On this occasion, I was visiting Big Bear Lake and was looking for a place to dine - just myself; it was shortly after 8pm and many restaurants were closed or would at 9pm. I chose Sonora Cantina. I drove right by at first, missing the driveway. But after turning around and into the parking lot, there was ample parking. You enter this restaurant from the parking lot, There was a gentleman in the bar (one of the first things you encounter) who was friendly and quickly took me to a booth. The booths here are colorful artistry and everything felt very clean. The menu was lengthy and located at the table on a stand. The server very quickly offered a drink and returned quickly with it and some chips and salsa. The chips were perfectly cooked and salted, and the salsa was medium in spice, which really hit the spot. I settled on a Chimichanga Combo made with shredded beef (you choose the meat). When it arrived, it was large and appealing. Guacamole and sour cream were included and were sufficient for the size of the meal. Everything was served piping hot. The chimi was absolutely delicious, with tender and flavorful meat. There was no excess grease and the tortilla was lightly fried - not too soft or too crunchy. The beans were also very flavorful with a lot of cheese on top. The rice also had a pleasant flavor, and again - everything was nice and hot out of the kitchen. I got full and had to give up well before I had eaten all of the feast placed before me. Throughout the meal, the server appropriately checked in on me and made sure all was well. As a table of one and within an hour of closing, I could have had a bad experience. Not the case here: I was treated as a friend, never felt rushed or like I wasn't worth their time. Indeed, I had a wonderful meal and great service. I will be looking forward to stopping by again next time I am in town!

I did a take out taco bar at Sonora Cantina for one of my Quilt Retreats in April 2025 and again Sep 25. Both times excellent food, well packed and ready to set up! Ordering was a breeze and Maria is wonderful!

They had a wonderful little happy hour food selection. Great chips and salsa. Wonderful servers with great attitudes. And it's right near our home. This will probably become our little family getaway

Got burritos they were good(I did not get wet burrito), staff was amazing, definitely will go back next time family visits big bear.

Everything was amazing! Loved the food margaritas beers and especially the customer service!!! They were so kind considering I cam with a party of 9! 4 adults and 5 kids(under 10)!! We left soo full and happy!!

Their food is yummy!!! I definitely judge a place by their salsa and they definitely exceeded my expectations! I am vegetarian and they had some really good veggie tacos! Their potato taco was my favorite. Definitely recommend this place!

I'm giving this spot a 5 star review because their Micheladas and Margaritas are pretty good, and the food is really tasty as well, got the camarones a la diabla and that sauce is spicy as it should be. the green swiss enchiladas are also really good. definitely coming here anytime I'm back here in Big Bear.

Great food and drinks! Taco Tuesday is where it's at!

Love coming here for the fundraisers for the middle school. The drinks have always been great and the street tacos are excellent.

Food was great. Services are super friendly The atmosphere was perfect 👌

Evelyn Gutierrez

First time visiting the area. Loved this place! We ordered individual plates and a platter, everything was delicious! The drinks were delicious! On top of all of that, the service was great! Amy was doing 5 things at once and didn't skip a beat! We'd go back just because of the service alone!

Alexandra Moran

No online reservations accepted even though it says you can. Overall food is Overall good. Chicken tacos and beans are a little plain but everything else was delicious!

Jeff Dietrich

Stopped in on Halloween afternoon for a bite to eat. Fast and attentive service from Amy. The food is very good. The margaritas are large, strong and very tasty. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Very comfortable atmosphere. The most like Mexico I’ve seen in Big Bear, like one of those places in old town San Diego. We will be back.

+12

Allison Goodman

My food was great. My mom's was good. Service was good. They were extremely busy!

Anish Thakkar (Doc Thakkar)

Very fun, welcoming restaurant in Big Bear. Came with my family and we loved the chips, salsa, and generous portions of the entrees. They also have a pretty vast beer selection, especially if you like Mexican cervezas! The food was excellent - I ordered the triple fajitas (shrimp, chicken, and steak) and enjoyed the shrimp the most. The caramelized onions / peppers were divine! They have a delicious standard salsa roja, and a super spicy red as well. Everything was delicious and we could totally see ourselves coming back some day.

+4

Anthony Haag

Great place. Tasty food. Polite service. Enjoyed atmosphere

Ivan Vrabie

This was a great place for a happy hour. The tacos were tasty, good margaritas and the price was great as well. Sitting outside and inside, dog friendly. The server was helpful and attentive. Overall I recommend giving it a try

+4

Amy Hansen

Best carnitas ever!!!!!!! The skinny margaritas is the best I've ever had and the chips and salsa are to die for!!!!! I can't say enough about this place, just wish it was closer to home. Very friendly service and food comes out fast.

Ryan King

Came here for my birthday dinner with my fiancé. Service was very fast. The food was delicious and comes in large portions. Staff was very friendly too. Friday night in April wasn’t too busy.

Tyler Harman

Great food, chips and salsa are amazing as well. Was surprised by the sombrero tostada, it was large taco salad type dish versus what I normally think of as a tostada. The description says as much but was still a pleasant surprise in execution. We ate outside and it was nice, but the road is also loud. Nothing they can do about that just be ready if you sit outside. Great find and happy we stopped by.

+2

Rob Mauricio

Had an amazing experience here. Had a combo burrito with red sauce. It came with beans, rice, and cheese. The chicken was extremely flavorful and tender. Had a mango margarita, and it was really well made. It's definitely a place I would like to visit again.

Rochelle Flores

Cute decor. Good food, drinks were huge and good. I had a Paloma, the hubby ordered the house margarita. Margarita turned out sweet but the Paloma was just right. 8/9/2023 Visited again last 8/7/2023 Our server was awesome. Good food like always. Always a great time here! See you next year!

Ro Rober.

Firstly...Service was terrific. Our waitress Amy was dynamic working at a speedy, polite and professional pace when the restaurant became busy after our entry. Secondly... the food was delicious, hot and well prepared. Finally...this was our first visit to this place in Big Bear. We were pleasantly surprised. Parking/entry in rear. Indoor and out dining. Giant Bloody Mary drinks.

+12

Prices were ok My beans in my burrito were just luke warm Hubby loved his chilli relleno You get 1 basket of free chips and salsa which were tasty.

Friendly service. Food is not bad.

+1

Pet friendly too, with outdoor seating.

Delicious albondigas, and enchiladas. Great taste and amount for price. Fun staff!

Food was great, service was a little slow, atmosphere would have been ok if not for traffic noise from the street and a noisy family on the patio. But will try again but will sit inside next time

Enjoyed our food. Waitress was a little slow due to only her having to work all the tables.

This was a really solid spot. Food was good, didn't love the salsa but didn't hate it. The service was outstanding, the staff really went out of their way to make sure that we had everything we needed and we're super friendly. Very comfortable place, I enjoyed the shrimp fajitas and it was a ton of food for a very reasonable price. I'll be back. Plenty of park in nearby.

This place had good service and food and is family friendly. They have outside seating and hand sanitizer but I didn't see anyone clean the tables before we sat down. The manager was kinda odd and needed to chill. Also, there is a challenge to eat the Big Juan burrito(7lbs) in 40 minutes to get a shirt and picture on the wall.

+2

The "BIG Juan" 7lb burrito challenge featuring shredded beef, chicken, ground beef, shredded pork, beans, rice, cheese, red sauce, green sauce, sour cream and guacamole. Finish it in 45 minutes and win a T-shirt and eternal bragging rights. Today, in the battle of woman vs. food, food won. I got wrecked by the BIG Juan. I was no match for its tender meats and juicy goodness... Until next time BIG Juan! For more food reviews and pictures follow me on Instagram @Aimee.Eats_

The food was so good. I ordered the pick two. I got a hard shell beef taco, and a beef enchilada. The food was fresh and hot. I also got a house margarita. I would go back.

Troy Acton

Food was pretty good. Margaritas were better. The service could use some improvement but overall we would dine here again when visiting.

Carlos Quezada

This is one of the better places to eat in Big Bear. The food was pretty good and the atmosphere is awesome. Definitely enjoyed everything.

+3

Eddy LaVoz (La Voz)

Staff was welcoming and friendly with a smile. The drinks were perfect as well for the food except the wings. Unfortunately wings were too greasy and rushed to cook. If BOH can put an effort on garnishing the meals at least with color it would make it great presenting to the guest. (Paper wrap/ edible flowers/ or micro cilantro) Kudos to our server who was helpful and on top of service. Sat. Sept 6 8pm

+1

We had a dinner at this place. The waiter was nice, atmosphere was also kinda cute. The food was not typical for the Mexican food. Burrito has no rice or veggies inside, just beans, shrimps and cheese and it tasted not that good. Taco has no salsa, no onions no cilantro. I would rate the food like 5/10, I won’t come back

Food was ok. Service sucked! Nice Mexican feel.

+1

We were disappointed with the service. We walked in but didn’t know where to go, there was no one to greet us, no sign. A customer told us to wander and someone would find us. ?!? Once seated, our waitress was distracted with children in the next room. The nachos were a little greasy for me. We loved the atmosphere of the place and hope this was all one off.

Service was good, food was just okay, not much flavor, and prices are a little bit high in my view. It is located right on the boulevard and the ambiance was nice. But all in all I won't come back here because it just didn't wow me.

+6

Bring cash our bill was over $300 for 9 people and we were charged $7.84 because we used our credit card. That is not okay. There is no way it cost this establishment 3% of my bill to process my credit card. The three rating is because of the 3% charge.

The Sonora cantina is a good family place. It's basically like a Mexican Dennys. Not really My kind of place: a little bit.Noisy and disorganized

Stop in for dinner and it was ok. It took a bit for the waitress to come greet us and get drinks compared to another dine-in place in an non-mountain/resort town. We also didn't get silverware until we got our food and we had to ask for it. The food was ok. Not deliciously good, but not bad. Just middle of the road. It definately wasn't spicy. Even the 'Diablo' sauce wasn't hot. It just gave a flavor pep to the meal. The chicken enchiladas were a bit dry and bland. The beef enchilada was good. The chips & salsa was good, but we went thru it all while waiting for our meals and didn't get any refresh/refills on it. Ehh...I could have slummed it at Taco Bell for less, with flavors I'm familiar with for less money. Not trying to be mean, just being honest. I wasn't satisfied and content with the meal.

I am disappointed because I thinking that place it was great but it is great the Mexican style but in the food is horrible the first thing was this dish don't was presentation the rice and beans was ugly, the tortillas was on top of my food in papel roll I don't like this ,my shrimp was burned, in my drink never ask how many alcohol shots I want so this guys put I think 3 shots it was to heavy for me I am sorry guys I am disappointed. Now I know why this place is no too busy in the maps restaurant.

Drinks were the bomb and the food was not so great😣 the chili reino was not fluffy, the Mole was not mole sauce, the carnitas was missing the chili verde, the carne asada was not marinated! Not worth the time we waited and the drinks did make better😜 we even ordered dessert and the fried ice cream was not fried 😵 Drinks were good 👍🏼

+1

How very underwhelming. We came in here for happy hour which they have from 3 to 6 Monday through Friday and we’re very disappointed. I was going to get my usual skinny margarita but they want $20 for one so instead I got the happy hour house margarita, which is what you would expect for six dollars. Way too much ice in a tall glass and super sweet. I had to add a bunch of limes to it. The chips were very thin and not warm but the salsa had a nice flavor. We ordered the mini nachos and they were disgusting. They threw a few chips on a plate threw some beans on it and then some carrots and peppers. Horrific presentation with just beans and chips basically lol. Then I had the single enchilada, chicken. The chicken was mostly dark meat and dry. The tortilla was way too thick and the red sauce had very little flavor. He had the combination tacos from the happy hour menu when those were disgusting as well. Unsightly presentation and the fish taco tasted extremely fishy and the meat was sparse. He didn’t even like his beer. Reading the other reviews I’m wondering if the regular menu would have better food on it because they’re happy hour menu is a total miserable loss. Our server seemed to rush us the entire visit. Kept coming back to see if we were ready to order and we told him we were trying to relax and enjoy our time, but he seemed frustrated every time he walked off. The only redeeming quality of this place was the cool Decorations, and the fun booths. Will not be returning each other this establishment.

Brandon Augustus

Wednesday lunch. Our service was good. The salsa is mild but decent. The food was bad. The red sauce was terrible, it didn't have the right flavor at all, and the carne asada was incredibly bland. Overall I would not recommend.

Esmeralda Amez

Was looking for a good meal before heading back home. Saw reviews and gave it a try. I was disappointed...It was not busy but our server didn't come by for awhile. The hostess went to ask...order was taken and it took awhile as well to be served. The coke was flat. The flavor of the food was okay. Idk if this was an off day at this restaurant but at least they took off the soda from the order as a courtesy. I also thought the food was pricey; $18 for a torta 😲

Thursday night, waited over an hour for our food. Only one time waiter came around to see if we needed drinks, napkins, ect. I can definitely understand being busy. But at least have enough people working so they don't have to literally run around. Not too sure if I'll be coming back!!!

Walked in, sat down 15min later nothing. Watched two other parties walk in and get chips salsa and drinks. Tried to get waiters' attention. He said will. E right there in a totally rude. Voice. Told him don't bother. Went down the street to Hacienda. So glad I did. Great service great food and polite waiters.

We walked in and immediately felt unwelcome. Two people looked at us and said nothing—one of them clearly worked there. No greeting, no acknowledgment at all. The place felt empty and uninviting, so we turned around and left. Terrible first impression.

Mimi Lamas

After leaving Aztec Mexican Grill down the street because they couldn't get me a table. I took a chance on this resturant. It was worst! When I got there the hostess look at us and said let me see if we have a table. I saw almost half of the resturant empty, and thought she was joking with me. When she came back she took us to our table. There was no friendly or welcoming greetings. She sat us down with no menus. We waited 7 minutes for chips and salsa. And we waited 20 minutes for our waitress to come over and I told her we never got any menus. We had already been looking around for menus and we asked one of the busser guys to bring us a menu. At the moment I was talking to our waitress that we needed menus, our menus arrived. And I asked about the kids menu and she rudely replied, "Can't you see it! Its right there!" At that moment, it was over for me. We decided to leave with an empty stomach and hit the road back home. When we were leaving, we saw a family coming in and I heard the hostess greet them so kindly with a smile. I dont understand why restaurants like these discrimin8 their own people.

ed ster

Worst carne asada I have ever eaten. Meat was not marinated. It was basically a bean and meat burrito. Their salsa had no taste or spice, just red water. I don't know what everyone else rating this place ate but Taco Bell next door would have been a better choice.