Mexicali

I remember Mexicali used to be the place to be back in the day. I can't believe that it's still hopping. We went there recently and it was just packed full of people saw some celebrities and had a pretty good time. Food it's your typical Mexican food. Everything was good nothing to complain about. Drinks were great. Great service.

Came in today for lunch. I have fond memories of this place growing up and wanted to love it. Sadly, it felt so underwhelming and generic compared to the more authentic places in town. Service was attentive and on point. The food left a lot to be desired. My tastebuds were like, "Come on, Jess- you know better than this."

This is a busy spot for great Mexican food. Staff is friendly & it's worth the wait. The drinks, especially their margarita game is amazing. Family friendly environment the food is fresh & tastes great. The chips & salsa are addicting.

Iconic space, nice almost historic atmosphere, menu food is decent but drinks are good. Mexicali piqued my interest as we were driving through area and noticed this large, estate like restaurant restaurant with a characteristic sign with a palm tree and neon lights. You can tell upon first enter in the restaurant, the place has a lot of history; if only the walls could speak the stories they would tell. There are two choices you make when enter in the restaurant, cocktails or restaurant. The cocktails side is more lively and vibrant, by that I mean it feels like a bar with food and the other side is the restaurant which feels more low key, despite there being interesting architectural elements (like exposed beams and high ceilings and interesting artwork on the fountains). We ate at restaurant, if I were to go back would probably pick the cocktails side (what's not to like about the Bar tenders taking shots with each other). Service was very friendly. Bea was great. Although I wish there was a cocktail menu. The food was like slightly glorified Chevys. We got the fajita and Esther's plate. But we're decent but not something to write home about. I wouldn't come here for the food, but the vibes and drinks. The spicy margarita was quite nice, not sweet and spicy for sure.

First time coming here!! I've always heard of this restaurant but I just never had the chance to try out. My friend really likes this restaurant and so we all chose this as our place for dinner! I ordered the Burrito Especial and our dishes came out probably 10 minuted later? It was pretty quick or maybe my friends and I were so busy catching up that lots of time has passed. But still, the food arrived 10-15 min later and it was delicious oh my. I jusy love burritos so much. Their chips and salsas were really good. Especially the salsa and I'm not really a salsa typa person but that salsa was addicting. The interior of the restaurant was also something i liked. It felt very home-y :) the only thing i noticed was lack of ?? Air conditioning. Or maybe it was just me. I felt like I was slightly sweaty through out the meal.

5 stars for service. Our lady was attentive and very accommodating. The reason for a 2 star is management. The issue is we are witnessing a transition of ownership from original ownership to the next generation. The two ladies who are taking over do not have a shared vision, and that is concerning for the future of Mexicali. The original owners were focused on family and quality. In my opinion, the second generation is focused on money. I have been coming to this restaurant for 40 years. I hope they reflect on their past and use that to plan on their future.

I'm going to start by listing the positive aspects of Mexicali... the atmosphere is great and they seated us quickly. The server was friendly, fast, and efficient. Now for the negative aspects of Mexicali... the chips were served in a comically small bowl, I love ruining my meal by over indulging in chips and salsa. So that was pretty annoying. The chips themselves were also subpar. The salsa was basically tomato sauce with a couple of green chilies in it. The food itself was underwhelming and lacked flavor. If you like Mexican food that is a little more flavorful then there are so many better options.

The burritos are packed with meat and the margaritas are to die for. Love this local spot. Also, if you get the chance order the flour chips, they're an off-menu item but well worth the trouble of asking for.

My husband brought me to Mexicali in 1971. Love the food and staff so much we are celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary there tonight.

After paying my bill and on the way out, I questioned the manager about the $23 price for a small 1/2 cup serving of guacamole. I wasn't asking for a comp or a discount. This woman (who apparently is the current owner) jumps into the conversation with remarks like: "it is what it is", "I pay $100 for a crate", "I don't care what you think," then adding in the "I don't care if you ever came back" statement. I'm granting her wish as I won't be. If she treats a regular customer this way I can't imagine how she treats her team. I knew the sisters who started this business decades ago would have never have treated anyone, regardless of how many years they were a customer, the way I was spoken to tonight. Too many choices to be treated this way. Buh bye now.