Aldea

As a La Jolla local it's great to try a new spot and be impressed by the cuisine, service, and overall experience. It was our date night and we enjoyed the ceviche, Biria Short rib for was amazing, and so were the Paloma cocktails. Shane our server was knowledgeable, and courteous! We are doing the butter cake next time for dessert we are stuffed!

Really liked this place! We started out with a lavender cocktail and a beer, while enjoying a dozen oysters (only $1 each, thanks to an all-day promo). As an oyster lover, this deal is priceless! Haven't found something like this in La Jolla since Herringbone closed its doors.Initially, we just wanted something to drink and an appetizer, but we enjoyed the space so much that we decided to stay for dinner as well. The menu had plenty to offer.I ordered the Yellow Fin Tuna, which I devoured--it was delicious! My husband ordered the Birria Bone-In Short Rib, which he absolutely loved. And hey! It was so much food that we took leftovers home, enough for a dinner for two the next day. The service was also wonderful!We also ordered the Spanish rice as a side, thought we needed it, but wish our waiter had told us that the plates were more than plenty! We barely touched the rice, and tbh we did not love the rice, it was just OK

My sister and I wanted to try this restaurant out. We had reservations but it didn't matter because the restaurant wasn't busy on a Tuesday evening. The server greeted and seated us immediately upon arrival. She was the only server waiting on 4 tables, the bartender was helping her out serving drinks. The bar is huge and was stocked with all different types of liquor.Glancing at the menu and the interior decor of the place, we were perplexed by the theme. We weren't sure if it was a sea theme or tropical theme or both?The drink menu font was tiny, we could barely read it. We ended up getting margaritas, which tasted great.When ordering, we were informed that they were currently modifying the menu. We wanted the sea bass but they said it would be a different fish so we ordered the ahi tuna which was okay. The side salad was good. We wanted the squash blossoms but they said they ran out so we ordered the Caesar salad instead. The menu description indicated "Spanish anchovies" but sadly there was no taste of that at all. The salad did not look freshly made, it looked like it came out of a salad bag that you would normally get from a grocery store (see pic). Also, if we would have known the tuna entree came with a side salad, we would have ordered something else. The pork belly was delicious, it comes with tortillas on the side so you can build your own taco.When looking at the kitchen, it reminded me of a diner style or food truck window. There is outdoor seating. For parking you can park on the side streets or nearby parking structures.I give this place 3 stars instead of 2 because the server and bartender were courteous and served timely. Being located on Prospect St. and with pricey menu items, we were hoping for a more finessed menu and salad. Maybe the change in the menu items will help.TY Aldea for the experience!

Aldea (Spanish for village) has appeared in the village of La Jolla on Prospect St as the rebranding of Mermaids & Cowboys. The space has seen numerous businesses since a longtime Mexican restaurant closed nearly a decade ago. The large front patio remained with plenty of tables, but it's completely uncovered. The interior had a lot of sofa style seating which was good for large parties, however I didn't feel it was an optimal use of the floor space. I sat at a two-top table near the bar area.The one-page food menu was Baja inspired and featured numerous seafood offerings. Beef was available with a price tag of $50+ for each of the cuts. For my dinner, I chose the Ceviche as a starter. Slices of snapper and scallop were adorned with mango, habanero, cilantro, and breakfast radishes. Three pieces of street corn chips were provided to scoop up the seafood. The flavor had a nice balance of acidity and sweetness. I do wish a couple of more chips were added to the dish.The Line Caught Mahi Mahi was my entree. The fillet was grilled and served with mango habanero and a small salad. I noticed some avocado dollops were included while jicama, as described as a component of the dish on the menu, was absent. For both of my items, the portion size was small relative to the price. The service from the waitstaff was fine. Overall, my dining experience at Aldea was around a four star level.

Aledea is the newest restaurant on Prospect, but you'd never know with its fantastic service, warm ambiance, and delicious food. The restaurant wasn't busy at all so we walked right in on a Saturday evening around 8pm. The two hostess were incredibly friendly and seated us at the "mafia table" in the corner. The inside is beautiful with a newly decorated bar, paintings on the wall, and the old tables and chairs of Cowboys and Mermaids have been switched out to beautifully upholstered booths in jewel tone velvet. The seating is more intimate and the lighting sets the tone. The service was absolutely fantastic. We had a server that really knew the menu and made great recommendations as well as a gentleman that stopped in to check on us and brought over some food who was more than happy to add to our tab when we peeped a plate come out on a neighboring table we had to have. We started out with 2 cocktails, the Jean Jacket and the Amiga. Both were delicious. The Jean Jacket wasn't too whiskey forward but very tasty and the Amiga was floral with a pretty lavender touch. As an appetizer we opted for the Calabacitas. This dish was phenomenal. A squash blossom with a perfectly seasoned tempura stuffed at the end. Delicious. For entrees we had the Mahi Mahi, Elote, and Birria Bone in Short Rib. The Mahi was a large portion and the accompanying salad was well dressed. The elote was fresh the cob stalk, very good. The show stopper was the Birria though. It's truly on the bone and absolutely wonderful. The consume was just fatty enough and the perfect spice level. Last but certainly not least, we enjoyed the butter cake like it was the last dessert we'd ever had. All in all it was a really fantastic experience and worth every penny. We will be coming back!!

Went there for happy hour on a Sunday. $1 oyster deal was amazing. We were gonna get 2 dozens, but they were running out of it, so we just got a dozen. So make sure you go earlier if you want to get tons of oysters.

Modern Mexico in La Jolla.with a top chef and seasoned bartender. Despite being in its fourth day, the restaurant was already bustling with patrons. The ambiance was bright and clean, with attentive staff and cozy outdoor seating by a fireplace. We tried the chef's selection and loved the cold dishes. Letting the bartender choose our drinks led to discovering the delightful "La Jolla" cocktail.

Bartenders were great , happy hour is nice variety really good cocktails half off. Walked by randomly and it was a good feel to it a little dj with some beats .

Absolutely delicious food. The appetizers and the sea food is exquisite! I often enjoy having a combination of seafood and meat options this place has exactly that!

The location is great but more importantl, the food was exceptional. Had the shrimp tacos and the guacamole dip which is out of this world as the result of a few surprise ingredient. Our party took over the restaurant but the staff in spite of not being prepared for that many people, did a great job servicing all the guests. Will definitely be coming back as I've already told multiple people about this new gem!