Casa Octavio

This experience exceeded the expectations. We were taken care of by Alex who was incredible. He was very attentive and patient. The tuna tartar was really good as well. I recommend the mint hibiscus margarita

Went for happy hour. We were greeted rather quickly. I ordered a house margarita, which was just ok. It was a little sweet and seemed like they served it in the ice they mixed it with rather than putting it in fresh ice.After drinks, we ordered a few items. It seemed like the kitchen was really struggling. Everyone's food seemed to take awhile. The carnitas had a lot of liquid, and no crispy edges. The nachos and caesar was ok. I also opted to try their PB tequila, but I wasn't a fan. I had higher hopes, but everything was just so-so to me. Our server was very nice, but seemed overwhelmed. I may stop in and try a different margarita, but the food we tried didn't make me want to try any bigger plates, as we just have too many great Mexican spots in SD.

I really wish I could have great things to say about Casa Octavio. We had a large group of 13, and had made a reservation the day before. It seemed like they were only staffed for a random Tuesday, which is strange when you have a table of 13 coming and it's a Friday. Our waiter truly did the best he could, but it was just him. There was a manager sitting near our table on his laptop for a majority of the time. My perception when I realized it was a manager was that he didn't care. Even then, when it seemed like our waiter asked for help he just walked away. One bartender, one cook and one waiter with a manager that was just there to hangout and not jump in was sad. I was only able to order one drink the entire time I was there, it took so long for everything. To get our drinks, to get chips and salsa, to order our food...and seriously about 45 minutes before our food started to come out!! Again, group of 13 with a reservation made in advanced and just one cook who was also doing the best she could. We could see her from the window next to our table and it was disheartening because she was cooking for the entire place...remember I said it was a Friday?!?The chicken on the Mezcal Chicken Alfredo and Chicken Cesar Salad that was ordered was very dry. I lucked out though, the ribeye on my salad was so so delicious! Cooked perfectly, could cut it with my fork! The steak would be the only thing that would bring me back!

unfortunately, I've had two bad experiences there, likely due to poor management. Lacks hospitality

This place sucks. My dad and I came here after a concert (no it was not busy) and before we had even ordered, I had asked our waiter how much an extra side of sour cream would be, and he had told us that it wouldn't be a problem and that he would cover it. I would never expect another person to pay for something that I asked for, but since he offered it, I expected it to not be on our bill but when we received the bill, it was $2.50. I wouldn't have mind paying extra for it, but since he said he would cover it made me upset. We had then ordered the Shrimp Diablo Tacos and Filet Mignon asada tacos. When the food came out (my meal was correct), he had brought a shrimp burrito without the sides of beans and rice and then when we told him it was wrong, he came back and asked us if we were sure that we ordered the right thing which I found disrespectful because we made it very clear what we wanted. He didn't offer to remake it and just served my dad the burrito anyways. The burrito ended up being $12 more than the tacos that he had originally ordered and he charged us for an extra side of beans. and the cherry on top was that he took away my plate of food before I was even done eating. The staff for the most part was welcoming. I think this one waiter was just a problem. I wouldn't recommend coming here and I won't be back.

To start service here was awesome. Our bartender/server was attentive and made sure our drinks were always filled. Drinks, this is the place btw. Excellent margaritas! Food wise, well, it's pretty meh. For dinner we had chips and salsa, cheese quesadilla, carne asada tacos and chicken mole enchiladas. All were under seasoned, seriously, the smallest amount of salt would go a long way. I think they really should rethink their menu, it's so basic and given the price it should be more creative and interesting. The space is pretty cool, very Instagram. For me, I'd definitely come back for the margaritas but not much else. "My two essential ingredients are chilies, any kind, dried or fresh; and acid, whether it's citrus - lemon, lime, yuzu - or vinegars. Food has to pop." -Jean-Georges Vongerichten

Worst service I've ever experienced. "Paul G" was our "waiter" the guy is a total DICK. He was rude to people in line, Rude to our table of 7, Couldn't manage to bring out the correct drinks that took 30 minutes to get and came out AFTER our god awful food.. Said he wouldn't split the bill in two because we didn't tell him prior to ordering we would need the check split. He's just super incompetent and has no business talking to people for a living. He was rude to another table of females who came to our table and told us they just had the worst experience they'd ever had in any restaurant. If they had nicer staff the terrible food wouldn't have won them a 1 star review. I can move past bad food. But, being pleasant takes literally no skill. Wish I could give them a negative score. And get my money back. This place sucks.

Very cute place right by Petco Park. The game was going and we could head the cheers and watch the TVs which made it feel like we were almost there ;) Enjoyed aguachiles, surf and turf tacos, and mole chicken enchiladas. The aguachiles were super spicy we struggled a bit but they were tasty. Another server let us know that you can get green sauce as well that was less spicy so opt for that if you're not a huge fan of spice. The surf and turf tacos were delicious and a great portion for the price point. 4 tacos, rice and beans for $24. The mole chicken enchiladas were also tasty, I'm not a huge mole fan so these were not so intense with a strong chocolate or smoke flavor like some places do. The staff was very friendly and the margaritas were delicious.

My first time eating at Casa Octavio was to support the lgbt center of San Diego! We ordered the casa Octavio nachos with tofu and chicken mole enchiladas to split between 3 people. The tofu was scrambled and had a cheesy texture similar to cotija cheese. The mole sauce wasn't too sweet and the chicken was juicy. We left very full. We also drank a hibiscus cocktail, chamango margarita, and a house margarita which were delicious. Our server also recommended baby mango shots which tasted like juice but got us feeling silly, I highly recommend the drinks.The bathroom was visibly clean but kinda smelled like urine but it's downtown so I'll take it lol

This is my go to spot in downtown as I built a good bond with the staff there. Over time I will try the whole menu. Everything thing I have tried this far is great. Some nuisance, but overall delicious food. The nights I've gone it's not crowded, maybe a good thing or a bad thing, but who knows.