Palenque Kitchen Costa Mesa

Absolutely great service with our waiter being very attentive. The food was great and the ambiance was just perfect for our date night. We even had the GM personally boxed our leftover food without us even asking. Definitely returning soon.

Food was good. Server has a cold, indifferent attitude.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3

Food and drinks were delicious. Service was quick and friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The service was horrible. Only 2 people for the entire evening. Our waiter was the bartender, basic items like chips and salsa took about 15 mins to come out. The food it self was overpriced and horrible. Appears they used old oil or masa. Something was off about the food. Will not be returning.

This place is more tacky clubby vibes than romantic restaurant. Food is a bit overpriced for trying to be like a Javier's. Wished they were a bit more generous with the sauces. Food had good amount of salt (which I like) but dry and could use more sauce. Service could be better. They had forgotten my tortillas which I didn't need the carbs but just shows you are not going to get high class service at this place.

This was our first time.
The food was delicious!
I'm looking forward to coming back and I forgot to take pictures of our food... duh... sorry I was so hungry!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is very fun if you want to grab a great cocktail really yummy food as well. The ambience is fun, upbeat and lively. I wish they would turn the restaurant into a club at night. When we went, it was super dead at 10:00-11 PM. I feel like that would make this place more enticing. 

Avoid this place. Trying to hype this place up as something high-end and you can get better from Taco Bell.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The owner Miguel, the host staff, the DJ, and our server were all very accommodating. They truly made my sis' bday dinner memorable!

Very much enjoyed our brunch last Sunday. I had the huevos Rancheros with steal and a side of chorizo. My wife had salmon and vegetables and my mom shrimp fajitas. The shrimp were pretty large and they served plenty. We were very happy. The ambiance on Sunday afternoon was peaceful.

I went to Palenque by Mezcal twice last week — once on Thursday with my fiancé, then again on Saturday with friends. Safe to say: we were hooked.

Thursday night: My fiancé had the Torta Cubana (he LOVED it) and a beer. I went with the shrimp tacos and a Paloma cocktail. The tacos were tasty but spicier than expected — I had asked for no spice, so that was a small miss. However, the real surprise was dessert: the tres leches with lemon and blueberries — absolutely delicious! Not too sweet, refreshing, and such a nice twist on the classic.

Saturday: We came back with a group and ordered a variety to try — carne asada tacos, birria tacos, and grilled octopus. Everything was solid, but the octopus? Next level. Perfectly cooked and packed with flavor. It stole the show.

Prices are on the higher end, especially for Riverside, but honestly… YOLO. The vibes are great, the food is elevated, and it feels like a special night out without leaving town.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Good first-time experience. Drinks were very good, and the food was good quality. Very enjoyable and tasty, portions were a bit small for the price. Interested in trying a few more dishes next time.

Understaffed and overpriced. My wife and I came here for my sister birthday. And the best way to describe this restaurant is “Instagram bar.”

It’s marketed towards a younger female customer base. Our group was one of several larger parties, all of which were also for birthdays.

On a Saturday night, the place was severely understaffed. We waited nearly two hours for our food after ordering. The poor lady behind the bar was the only bartender I could see, but she was still making delicious drinks. That is the only thing I would say the restaurant delivers on. I can’t know much about the food.

It’s your typical “modern Mexican” cantina: loud dance and Latino music are playing over the speakers. But the food leaves a lot to be imagined—overpriced, mediocre, and hardly authentic Mexican food. You've been to this one and have already been to them all. They seem to be all over Southern California. Again, the demographic appears to be young millennial woman who wanna show up to take pictures of their fancy drinks and post them on Instagram. Again, I’ll compliment the bartender for making consistently delicious and visually appealing drinks, but that’s about it. Don’t come here if you’re expecting authentic Mexican cuisine or even good food, for that matter. I would probably recommend this place for a happy hour with one or two of your friends, Max, as it seems that they are still having a staffing crisis, and I feel like groups of eight or more would just put too much strain on them.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

Recommended dishes: Steak

Our waiter was so nice and explained the dishes to us in detail , and really helped on deciding on what each of us wanted to eat ! He was kind and even go to know a little bit about of each of us , overall the ambience and music was top tier definitely will be coming back

Despite being dead on a summer Tuesday night our server was gone after we got our food. Totally missed out on us ordering another round of drinks. The drink I got was great, the food was good. I'd go back, but with an infinite choice of Mexican food in the area I guess I was expecting more.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3