El Mestizo - Santa Ana

Came here by chance. Food: Pretty darn good. Note try the Barbacoa!Value for money: not bad about 10 to 20 per personAmbiance: cute and comfy. Bonus they have live music on the weekendsService: courteous and attentive

Really superb Oaxacan cuisine and seafood at very reasonable prices. We had the banana leaf mole tamale, the house special sea bass, and Tlayuda. All were exceptional.One thing to note: the restaurant name has been removed, so it no longer says, "El Mestizo" on the side of the building. Just "Restaurant", which is behind a tree. This place is hard to spot but worth the effort.p.s. They have menus in English available.

What a fortunate find this place is. I read a review in the OC Register and the next day was here eating the green chilaquiles with a broad grin. The chips come soaked in a generous volume of green sauce, tart, but not overly so. Flavors of tomatillo were bold in a good way, and there was no discernible heat to frighten those less inclined for spice. I had it with the chorizo, an easy choice. I also had them add two easy eggs on top for a final touch of chilaquile joy. Yes. I really liked the dish. We also ordered a side of rice and beans that were bland and uninteresting, but would have been tasty mixed in with the green sauce.Beers are cold and they had live music, so that was nice. They also had a buffet station, but everything was covered in the chafing lids so didn't get a look at what they had. Service is very friendly, and they start you off with chips ladeled with a guajillo ( I am guessing ) sauce, and topped with crumbled cheese. A little cup of chipotle salsa on the side. I loved the colorful decor and the vibe of the place and yes, once again being the only white guy there. That's always a good sign.

Love this place! Very authentic! My husband and I took the drive over here from Newport Beach and we were not disappointed. We ordered 3 dishes, everything came out quickly and was extremely fresh and delicious. We will definitely be back here soon! I'm a huge mole fan and both we tried were awesome. Can't want to come back.

Super unhappy with my order tonight..... Well I'm confused more than anything lol. I ordered 2 "empanadas" it came out to $22??? Took over 20 minutes to make & when I opened the box I seen 2 quesadilla looking ass things.... like ones you make when you're 10 years old and your moms at work and you can't cook..... so you get a cheap ass tortilla throw cheese in it and microwave it for 10 seconds. GMFU.

Hidden gem in Santa Ana, Orange County for authentic Oaxacan style Mexican food. We had breakfast here, and it was very good! The chilaquiles rojo with chorizo was good, although I've had better. The heuvos dish was surprisingly tasty. The passions fruit juice is fresh and go great with any breakfast dish. The complimentary chips comes with Oaxacan style mole sauce on top with cheese. They salsa they provide is very spicy!The decor here gives very Mexican village house like vibe and all the walls has colorful artwork. The windows even have colorful curtains too! The service is slow, and not exceptional, but the food and ambiance here is as authentic as it gets outside of Mexico!

This Mexican spot is sooo good!! Everything is cooked and prep differently then the other Mexican food I've tried it's so delicious I would definitely give it a try! The coffee was topped of with cinnamon which gave it an extravagant taste!

You are better off waiting for COVID-19 to end than your food to be served here. I've been wanting to go try this place out for some time now. I've never had Oaxacan food before so I went to el mestizo because their food looks delicious in the Yelp pictures. I ordered a tentacion sampler platter, a kids bean burrito and a quesadilla at 12:56pm. We got our drinks fast but I literally waited an eternity for the food and it just wouldn't come out. At 2:07pm I just got up and walked out with my family. As I was walking out I told the server to charge me for the drinks and that I wasn't gonna wait any longer for the food.Kitchen staff was ringing out to go orders first and leaving the patio guest wait hours for their food.God bless the servers it's not their fault, but the kitchen is run by turtles in slow motion. I will never in my wildest dreams go eat here.

Here's the deal, what everyone says about parking for this place is true. It is horrible! With that in mind, you have to expect to be patient until parking in one of ~10 spaces becomes available OR get your food to go OR go during a weird time. The amazing food here makes it all worth it!We came on a Saturday and they had live music and a buffet. We opted to order from the menu because I really wanted the tlayuda. After ordering, we were served with free chips sprinkled with mole sauce and queso fresco with a side of chipotle salsa. If you're not used to mole, it almost tastes like a contradiction of flavors. You get sweet and savory in one. The tlayuda was amazing! It's the size of a medium/large pizza and can easily feed 2-3 people. I got the mixta with the 3 different meats and it was topped off with black beans, cabbage, and cheese. Amazing is the only word to describe it! My wife got the negro mole chicken and it was served with fried rice and homemade flour tortillas. We washed these down with passion fruit and horchata. The passion fruit was delicious and actually tasted fruity versus artificial. The horchata is unlike your typical horchata. It's topped with walnuts and ice cream. The servers don't speak much English, but if you point, im sure they'll understand you. Don't be afraid to get a little cultured and try this place! You won't be disappointed!

This is a cute homey hidden gem in Santa Ana! Great place to check out if you want to try some authentic Oaxacan food!SERVICEThe waitress is really friendly and cute. However you may have to flag them down if you need their attention.For first timers, you have to try the following:-La Tentación (sampler platter) that has chorizo, cesina (marinated pork), tasajo (grilled steak), string cheese, quesadillas, taquitos, memelas (masa cakes) and molotes (fried potato dumplings that remind me of empanadas). Great way to try everything and can be shared between two people.-Horchata con nieve de tuna: Homemade rice milk with cinnamon topped with prickly pear cactus fruit sorbet and bits of cantaloupe! Refreshing!DESSERT-Platanos Machos Flameados con Mezcal: Slices of flambéed bananas in Mezcal. Had a citrus touch and pieces of walnut that added a nice texture to the dish.PARKINGVery tiny parking lot. Tight small spaces to squeeze into.