Stopped by here for the first time on my way home from surfing in San Onofre. Don't let the informality of the place throw you off, it's better quality Mexican food than most full service restaurants. You seat your self when you show up, buy a couple Margs at the bar, then order your food separately from their kitchen. Prices for food and drinks are amazing here, like they were never told that inflation happened. And the proportions for the food are VERY generous. When you order they'll give you a number to take back to your table and they'll bring your food to you there. Started with chips and guac: giant plate full of fresh chips and perfect fresh house made guacamole. Then my brother got his massive chicken quesadilla that he said was great. I got two giant baja fish tacos, some of the best baja fish tacos i've had. Then my shrimp enchilada combo arrived (not knowing the sizes of the food, i could have got away with just eating the two fish tacos lol). But since i was surfing all day i was hungry enough to scarf down the two shrimp enchiladas that came with rice and beans on the side. Let me tell you, the shrimp enchiladas were absolutely incredible. Perfectly cooked shrimp, tender bites, with a bit of sautéed onion and bell pepper inside and of course plenty of cheese and savory red enchilada sauce. Rice and beans were also good, but i barely ate them because of the massive portion size of the fish tacos and substantial size of the shrimp enchiladas was more than enough. I'll be making this a regular post surf stop from now on.
Ben
Absolutely, without a doubt, the best beach bar/cafe in Southern California! Irresistible Mexican fare at price that's hardly believable. Fast, friendly bartenders. Lots of regular patrons who have also grown to love the place and will make you feel right at home (I call it my "Cheers" bar) and an outdoor dining area that just oozes beach-town charm. Always have a good time, there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
wbforever
We went to Johnnys because it’s always busy.. a good sign! Had the bacon breakfast burrito and chorizo breakfast burrito. Both were excellent, tortillas crispy with the right amount of eggs and home fries inside. They have a self serve salsa bar. It took a bit to get the food but it was busy.. and worth the wait. We’ll be back!
Michelle Gonzalez
I was really looking forward to visiting after hearing great things, but unfortunately, my experience was completely ruined by the bartender on duty.
From the start, her attitude was unprofessional and rude. She openly talked negatively about the kitchen staff within earshot of customers and gave off a hostile vibe. I ordered a michelada and two fish tacos. Based on the total, I assumed she only heard one, so I clarified. When I tried to ask a follow-up question, she ignored me and continued scrolling on her phone.
The customer next to me ordered a shrimp taco and received it promptly. After some time, I looked toward the bartender, and instead of checking in, she snapped, “You want something? You’re looking at me.” I reminded her I was waiting for my fish taco — she clearly never put in the order. When it finally came out, she was rude again to the kitchen staff about plating.
I took one bite and immediately realized it was shrimp — something I would never order. When I brought it up, she argued with me and insisted I had asked for shrimp, saying she “would never put in shrimp if someone said fish.” That was the final straw.
This entire experience was unacceptable. The bartender was careless, rude, dismissive, and dishonest. Her behavior reflects extremely poorly on your business, and based on what I saw, this isn't a one-off issue
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jo Greene
I loved my Mexican Candy Margarita! Bartender is only friendly to regulars tho. I asked about food at the well and was directed to sit at the bar to order, and then bartender never approached me again. The bartender did give menus to the couple next to me and asked them for food? lol I live in the neighborhood and wanted to try something different than Craft Coast so super bummed.
Tyler Jones
I waited an hour and 15 minutes for a breakfast burrito, the guy ahead of me waited the same amount of time for a bean and cheese burrito. People that placed their order 30 minutes after mine got their food before me I ended up getting a refund. I won’t be going here ever again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada
Cassandra
So! EXTREMELY big portions. Ops lol we ordered the nachos & quesadilla. Should have just went with the nachos. Super yummy but the quesadillas on the other hand… weren’t very good. The chicken was tough to eat. Got super busy when we were about to leave.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada
D S
Should be famous for being the most disgusting restaurant in town. Cold tortillas did not even attempt to warm up, stale chips, stale limes and old cilantro and onions. Disgusting! Chips were stale when returned they just fried them more, what a shame!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
C Longiños
They have Mañana in the name because that’s when you will finally see your food - tomorrow. 56 minutes for 3 deep fried fish tacos to be delivered. Other diners came up to the pass to ask why their food was taking so long, shame.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Jason Claxton
They were short staffed when I went. Long lines for service. I didn't eat here.
delicious food and good service, lots of seating and fast service. only thing was that the food was slightly salty but portions were huge! outdoor seating was so nice and there were heat lamps for some tables. would come here again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Nachos
David G
Good choices on food, an authentic feel, drinks are a bit pricey unless it is happy hour, and the kitchen is slow because they are popular so don't go unless you want to take your time and have a few drinks waiting for your food. The patio area is a nice place to hang out and enjoy your food and drinks.
Parking: Parking is limited. Be careful not to park in a spot that belongs to another business or you may be towed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ugo C
Tasteless. Poor ingredients and quality selection. There are so many good Mexican restaurants and food, this is not one of them. Not clean, not good. Not recommended.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Lorrie Clemens
I’m only rating it 2 stars because the food (carne asada fries) quality and taste was good as it typically is. But I took 3 stars away because it arrived much smaller in comparison to other times I’ve ordered the exact same dish. I didn’t think about saying anything I assumed it was because portions changed. A few minutes later the table next to me received the typical large sized dish, looked like a mountain because that’s how they serve it. Mine was flat and that has never happened here before. I went to talk to the kitchen and they made excuses, they said they would only make me more fries but not the other ingredients that clearly were underserved as well. I asked again for them to just serve the regular portion and the cook was displaying frustration. They remade the plate and offered to warm up the previous plate that became cold, giving me the option to keep both I said okay that’s fine. They never brought it out like they said they would. The person I was with went and asked for an horchata refill because the girl at the register told me horchata had one refill, and they gave him an attitude about it and said the horchata has no refills. So who’s lying? This was a very weird experience. I lost my appetite completely and we walked out without even finishing the rest of the food. Their negative attitude and vibe was really off putting and I couldn’t enjoy my food anymore. Thanks to the staff on the night of 12/26/24 for killing the vibe so bad tonight.
Service: 1
Hillbillytc
The atmosphere was very lively. The servers were very attentive. The food was fresh and tasty. Lots of GF options. The best part is having to line up to order, then they bring the food to your tablet.
Stopped by here for the first time on my way home from surfing in San Onofre. Don't let the informality of the place throw you off, it's better quality Mexican food than most full service restaurants. You seat your self when you show up, buy a couple Margs at the bar, then order your food separately from their kitchen. Prices for food and drinks are amazing here, like they were never told that inflation happened. And the proportions for the food are VERY generous. When you order they'll give you a number to take back to your table and they'll bring your food to you there. Started with chips and guac: giant plate full of fresh chips and perfect fresh house made guacamole. Then my brother got his massive chicken quesadilla that he said was great. I got two giant baja fish tacos, some of the best baja fish tacos i've had. Then my shrimp enchilada combo arrived (not knowing the sizes of the food, i could have got away with just eating the two fish tacos lol). But since i was surfing all day i was hungry enough to scarf down the two shrimp enchiladas that came with rice and beans on the side. Let me tell you, the shrimp enchiladas were absolutely incredible. Perfectly cooked shrimp, tender bites, with a bit of sautéed onion and bell pepper inside and of course plenty of cheese and savory red enchilada sauce. Rice and beans were also good, but i barely ate them because of the massive portion size of the fish tacos and substantial size of the shrimp enchiladas was more than enough. I'll be making this a regular post surf stop from now on.
Absolutely, without a doubt, the best beach bar/cafe in Southern California! Irresistible Mexican fare at price that's hardly believable. Fast, friendly bartenders. Lots of regular patrons who have also grown to love the place and will make you feel right at home (I call it my "Cheers" bar) and an outdoor dining area that just oozes beach-town charm. Always have a good time, there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went to Johnnys because it’s always busy.. a good sign! Had the bacon breakfast burrito and chorizo breakfast burrito. Both were excellent, tortillas crispy with the right amount of eggs and home fries inside. They have a self serve salsa bar. It took a bit to get the food but it was busy.. and worth the wait. We’ll be back!
I was really looking forward to visiting after hearing great things, but unfortunately, my experience was completely ruined by the bartender on duty.
From the start, her attitude was unprofessional and rude. She openly talked negatively about the kitchen staff within earshot of customers and gave off a hostile vibe. I ordered a michelada and two fish tacos. Based on the total, I assumed she only heard one, so I clarified. When I tried to ask a follow-up question, she ignored me and continued scrolling on her phone.
The customer next to me ordered a shrimp taco and received it promptly. After some time, I looked toward the bartender, and instead of checking in, she snapped, “You want something? You’re looking at me.” I reminded her I was waiting for my fish taco — she clearly never put in the order. When it finally came out, she was rude again to the kitchen staff about plating.
I took one bite and immediately realized it was shrimp — something I would never order. When I brought it up, she argued with me and insisted I had asked for shrimp, saying she “would never put in shrimp if someone said fish.” That was the final straw.
This entire experience was unacceptable. The bartender was careless, rude, dismissive, and dishonest. Her behavior reflects extremely poorly on your business, and based on what I saw, this isn't a one-off issue
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I loved my Mexican Candy Margarita! Bartender is only friendly to regulars tho. I asked about food at the well and was directed to sit at the bar to order, and then bartender never approached me again. The bartender did give menus to the couple next to me and asked them for food? lol I live in the neighborhood and wanted to try something different than Craft Coast so super bummed.
I waited an hour and 15 minutes for a breakfast burrito, the guy ahead of me waited the same amount of time for a bean and cheese burrito. People that placed their order 30 minutes after mine got their food before me I ended up getting a refund. I won’t be going here ever again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada
So! EXTREMELY big portions. Ops lol we ordered the nachos & quesadilla. Should have just went with the nachos. Super yummy but the quesadillas on the other hand… weren’t very good. The chicken was tough to eat. Got super busy when we were about to leave.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carne Asada
Should be famous for being the most disgusting restaurant in town. Cold tortillas did not even attempt to warm up, stale chips, stale limes and old cilantro and onions. Disgusting! Chips were stale when returned they just fried them more, what a shame!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
They have Mañana in the name because that’s when you will finally see your food - tomorrow. 56 minutes for 3 deep fried fish tacos to be delivered. Other diners came up to the pass to ask why their food was taking so long, shame.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
They were short staffed when I went. Long lines for service. I didn't eat here.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
delicious food and good service, lots of seating and fast service. only thing was that the food was slightly salty but portions were huge! outdoor seating was so nice and there were heat lamps for some tables. would come here again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Nachos
Good choices on food, an authentic feel, drinks are a bit pricey unless it is happy hour, and the kitchen is slow because they are popular so don't go unless you want to take your time and have a few drinks waiting for your food. The patio area is a nice place to hang out and enjoy your food and drinks.
Parking: Parking is limited. Be careful not to park in a spot that belongs to another business or you may be towed.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Tasteless. Poor ingredients and quality selection. There are so many good Mexican restaurants and food, this is not one of them. Not clean, not good. Not recommended.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
I’m only rating it 2 stars because the food (carne asada fries) quality and taste was good as it typically is. But I took 3 stars away because it arrived much smaller in comparison to other times I’ve ordered the exact same dish. I didn’t think about saying anything I assumed it was because portions changed. A few minutes later the table next to me received the typical large sized dish, looked like a mountain because that’s how they serve it. Mine was flat and that has never happened here before. I went to talk to the kitchen and they made excuses, they said they would only make me more fries but not the other ingredients that clearly were underserved as well. I asked again for them to just serve the regular portion and the cook was displaying frustration. They remade the plate and offered to warm up the previous plate that became cold, giving me the option to keep both I said okay that’s fine. They never brought it out like they said they would. The person I was with went and asked for an horchata refill because the girl at the register told me horchata had one refill, and they gave him an attitude about it and said the horchata has no refills. So who’s lying? This was a very weird experience. I lost my appetite completely and we walked out without even finishing the rest of the food. Their negative attitude and vibe was really off putting and I couldn’t enjoy my food anymore. Thanks to the staff on the night of 12/26/24 for killing the vibe so bad tonight.
Service: 1
The atmosphere was very lively. The servers were very attentive. The food was fresh and tasty. Lots of GF options. The best part is having to line up to order, then they bring the food to your tablet.
Dietary restrictions: Gluten free
Wheelchair accessibility: Easy access
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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