La Jaivita Mariscos #2

Passed by here a number of times in the evenings and it's always been a busy looking place. Tonight, we couldn't pass it up. It's a seat yourself kind of service (somewhat nondescript sign just inside the door says so). The dining area is spacious enough and hopping. Service was friendly and got right to us when we sat down. She decided on the combination plate (fried fish, shrimp and oysters). I ordered the fried catfish plate - that they call "chicharrones" for some absurd reason. Both plates come with fries, rice pilaf and "crab salad" (take note for later). We were also asked if we wanted bread or tortillas with our order. I said "tortillas," betting I knew what was coming. The friendly waitress came back a couple minutes later and apologized that they were out of "chicharrones." So, since I didn't have the menu in front of me to find something else, I decided on the combo plate as well. Now, to their credit, the seafood they serve is really good! It was hot, crispy, tasty and a good portion; two jumbo shrimp, one decent size fish filet and two fried oysters. The seasoning they use for the coating had all the flavor, and the texture was light and flaky. Great seafood. Now.....AHEM.... onto the sides. With the exception of the fried-from-frozen French fries, the rest of the sides could be ignored. The fries, yes, were hot and crispy. The rice clearly came from a box with, MAYbe some chopped, fresh carrots thrown in there to APPEAR house-made. The crab salad.... remember I said to take note of that? Well, now forget that! I don't know what it was, but it's NOT a crab salad. First off, it was warm! And, I don't think ANY kind of seafood salad should be warm. Also, it was totally devoid of any distinct "crab" flavor. Again...don't know what it was, but it ain't crab salad. The flour tortillas, as expected, are not house made; rubbery and tough. Aside from all that, the seafood did merit the third star. The service and the prices also helped to get that bump in the ratings. Otherwise, this place would've been a disappointment. We may have to come back and try something else (sans the salad). Their menu is quite diverse with many tasty-looking options.

We were lucky to find this small restaurant. We skipped our regular place on the way out of Port A found La Jaivita in CC. The restaurant was full so we had to wait a while. The staff was friendly and attentive when we got our seats. The food choices were just enough for us to get a couple of plates that we could try a little of everything. I had the combo Jaivita plate with fish, shrimp and oysters as the main dishes with a ceviche tostada, fries, rice, fish soup and a crab salad as sides. Everything was great, all of the food was fresh and was great tasting. The other plate was the shrimp garlic plate. Again, good amount of food and it was great. We'll be back when we hit Corpus again.

First and last visit here.The pictures looked tasty, the reviews were decent. Read about flavorful batter. Nope. Husband ordered a plate that came with a small seafood soup. He tastes the soup and it's a bit cold. Another bite, the fish pieces are definitely cold. He has the soup switched out for another ceviche tostada. I decided to order all ala carte, sample some stuff. Ordered the fish nuggets from the appetizer menu, a chicken quesadilla and a side of refried beans. The fish absolutely no flavor, and a bit smushy for my tastes (pretty sure they were catfish strips). The beans weren't tasty, and the quesadilla was the only thing worth eating. Still not a great quesadilla in my opinion. So we won't be returning, far too many other good fish restaurants in this town.

Me and my family came here for a quick bite and we were not disappointed the food was good and the portions were large overall we will be coming here again

The place has good atmosphere, it looks clean.I have to say that the service great, the bartender/waitress is all over the place.The food tho... in my book is just ok, I didn't found the seafood flavor. The breading overpower everything and is not even a good spice good flavor, is plain breading.The seafood soup it was the best of the meal (flavor wise) I ordered the Jaivita plate.I may come back and give it a try on a future trip to Corpus Christi.

The restaurant is terrible. Penny pinching and charges for everything. The rice was all mushy the food had no flavor and then they had the audacity to charge me 75 cents for 3 extra limes! Waitress are slow and all they do is chit chat instead of attending customers. Not worth how expensive the food is.

Came here before a birthday party at Funtrackers. Had hour and a half to kill so we have plenty of time right..... wrong. We've been here for an hour and still don't have our food. We waited 15 mins just to make our drink order. Another 10 to get my fresh lemonade and his beer. We ordered raw oysters which were luke warm. Not cold. Like a warm loogie on a cracker. The queso is to die for by the way but make sure you get fresh chips so you don't lose a tooth. The service here SUCKS! Do t waste your time unless you have all the time in the world to waste. Birthday party starts in 20 mins. I HAVE THE BIRTHDAY BOY sooooo you can see where this might cause a problem.

I feel like I was robbed at this place. I'll get to it at the end. So I, my husband and my 8 month old came here with a couple which make it's technically 5 people but for service we're just 4. So first bad service. I ordered tilapia that came with rice and lettuce because I won't call that salad. They never told me that they ran out of rice but just decided to double the salad. How is salad a replacement for rice? Give your customers courtesy and not make decisions for them. The scam part. Remember I have an infant with me who didn't eat. These thieves added an 18% gratuity because of my baby the waitress never spoke to nor served. She didn't serve him because he's a baby but she stole mandatory gratuity from us. I hate this place and feel like I deserve my tip back. Never coming back here. Food came late, everything sucked this night.

Service was great! Food was delicious! Very family friendly place, thank you all! Vibes were great! Cute little dining spot! Recommend if you're visiting Corpus Christi !

Just OK. Waitress a little distracted with something. Grilled mahi ranchero was good. Not too sure about that mayo-imitation crab glob. A warm broth (soup) came with meal. My wife had chicken fajitas which were tasty. Big portion had to take home some. Rice was not what I would expect in Mexican restaurant. We did not get any chips and salsa to start the evening. I think that would have been $7.50 extra.