Home Page

La Fiesta

La Fiesta is a Mexican restaurant located in the heart of the Gaslamp. Just a few blocks away from the MTS trolley station it is an easy commute, and well worth the trip. Patrons can find themselves in a relaxed setting that is acceptable for all ages. The decoration involves both an elegant dining setting and a more casual area that includes a full bar. The margaritas are big hits so it is a great place to come for a drink after work with. All the food is served fresh and original as Chef Raul Degadillo puts a San Diego spin on traditional dishes. Enter hungry and leave full. They even have DJs spinning a mix of Salsa, Reggaeton, and Top 40 from Thursday to Saturday.

Devouring The Flavors Of Mexican Fiestas

La Fiesta Review

I was pretty excited to enjoy the festivities of the San Diego La Fiesta Mexican and Seafood restaurant. Even though it was located in the hectic downtown area, it sounded more than worth the trip. Fortunately, La Fiesta is located in the Gaslamp District, which connects directly to an easily accessible MTS trolley. So the driving hassle is no impediment. The trolley commute is only a half hour trip from the Fashion Valley mall, where parking is free and a whole round trip is an easily affordable five dollars compared to the metered parking in downtown that could add up to just as much, or more. Once dropped off at the Gaslamp, I made my way up the bustling streets for about five blocks, passing other restaurants and bars, until I reached La Fiesta.

The restaurant itself is conjoined with a bar and several other buildings on the same block that are architecturally similar. However, it is easily distinguishable due to the crossed maracas logo hanging over the door and the warm, almost homey setting that can be seen from the entrance. I was given the choice to sit outside- which was right next to the sidewalk and, though it involved dealing with the lulling hum of passing traffic, seemed the ideal place for private dining as most of the tables were elegantly arranged for two. Large water glasses that sat across wooden tables had drink menus directly in the center, held up aesthetically by the glasses. The only thing that separated the diners from the rest of the world was the elegant metal railing that stretched across the entire patio.

When my friend arrived we were taken inside and shown to our table. There was hardly anyone else inside, save for one person sitting at the nearby bar that stood under wooden villa-like architecture. But, from the looks of things, the restaurant was decked out in the flavors of Mexico, which involved bright colors and gaucho statues. On the east side from where I had entered from, one could see out towards the busy world around them.The bar was only a few steps away and spanned to the entrance; not being one to drink alcohol much, I figured I wouldn’t be making that many orders from it. The interesting thing was that directly north, across from my seat, a whole new bar-restaurant hybrid was waiting called The Ocean Room, separated only by a few tables and windows and green curtained doors; some of the windows were covered in a wavy, ocean glass pattern and some were just open.

Towards the west were the bathrooms- easily recognizable by their gender logos- and beyond them, a view directly into the kitchen where the chefs could be seen hard at work. The Master Chef, Raul Degadillo, was hidden away adding his creativity to make up the unique dishes that I would be dining on that night. Behind my seat was a doorway that led towards a more intimate dining setting that was more elegant in the manner that it featured more plants hanging from the wall, several faux fountains, and different tables and seating. Everything was more one-on-one and personal as far as space was concerned. Even with the room completely empty, it still looked full with the proximity of the furniture. Despite the classy look, I still preferred the casual atmosphere of the room with the bar. Lights hung directly overhead in modern, metal pots with holes on the copper cast, allowing light to spill in from the sides. Large fans hovered next to them, and though they were not in service, looked more than adequateto keep patrons cool on a hot and humid day. Several blackened pots and pans hung on a red brick wall, illustrating the point of a homey, welcoming atmosphere. This idea of hominess was also illustrated by the combined actions of the restaurant staff. The General Manager served as a chef and server, along with his usual informant role to customers, while the waiters were constantly bringing out food and taking it away.

My friend and I were seated at wooden tables similar like the ones I had seen outside, except they were pushed together to fit four instead of two. Most of the indoor table arrangements were like this, though along the wall with the wave windows there were several booth seats. Upon the table waited a complimentary basket of corn tortilla chips, a bowl of red salsa (that had a kick to it after I had a few bites), and rubber place mats, along with salt and pepper for extra seasoning. Christian, the General Manager, caught up with us and described what he had planned and started us off with some appetizers and drinks. My friend had a huge house margarita and I just had some chilled plain water with smooth, clear ice cubes. The margarita looked delicious with just the right amount of salt on the edge; La Fiesta obviously prided themselves on their margaritas considering there was a large statue of a man in sombrero with a huge margarita glass in his hand.

The first appetizer to come out was the stuffed Toritos. Each chili was cooked to a yellow crisp crunch with cheese on the inside. There were also shredded carrots and sprigs of parsley in the middle that could be mixed in with the cheese once the chili was cut open. What really made the Toritos special in La Fiesta style was the additional soy sauce and sesame seed dip that added an extra, spicy kick to the flavor. The chilies were stuffed with jumbo shrimp and crab bits mixed within the cheese, which offered a hearty balance of seafood to this Mexican favorite.

Our server Jorge frequently came by to check on our drink situation while keeping me refreshed with water and asking about the food. Christian came back out with the “House” Sampler when I had barely started with the Tostitos, ranging from taquitos to decadent nachos. The nachos were heaped in black olives, lettuce, fresh guacamole, cheese, cilantro, carne asada, and sour cream. There was even Queso Fundido that hardened a bit faster than anticipated, but I found plenty of use for it to be added on the fresh corn tortillas that were provided to help with any ‘leftovers.’ The addition of the guacamole really helped make the impromptu taco melt in one’s mouth. There was plenty left over to mix with the cheese and chicken quesadilla which seemed so eager to be eaten.A mix of the taquito lettuce, the nacho guacamole, and some of the Torito soy sauce added more than enough flavor to make these scrumptious appetizers mind blowing.

At about this point La Fiesta began to fill up; the bar was still relatively empty but a whole group of casually dressed co-workers took the booth across from us up and began chatting and laughing over drinks. A small family took the dual-joined table behind us and two close friends sipped beers while talking quietly just one table away. The restaurant began to feel more lively and less like a stage where we could easily be observed and had to show off eating habits. Our server, Jorge, brought out two bowls of Albondigas Soup, rich with a tomato-vegetable based broth and one large, spicy meatball for substance. The celery and other vegetables were very crisp and the corn and rice were an excellent addition. The meatball was about half the size of the bowl and took up most of the broth as far as flavor went, but I could still taste the spice and salt that make this piece of meat so delicious. The soup also included a Spinach Salad, full of large green leaves and crunchy walnuts mixed with a mint vinaigrette sauce that almost overtook all the flavor of the extra bacon, which had a smoky crunch to it. The salad included the unique addition of sliced pears, which added an extra level of sweetness to the salad.

Christian came out with the main courses just after I finished my soup, and both looked amazing. One was a whole seafood array dubbed Molcajete Cancun, sitting in a bowl made of volcanic rock (called a Molcajete) with a giant prawn looking ‘deliciously relaxed’ on top in the still bubbling sauce. Not wanting to torch our taste buds, Taylor and I took a stab at the Chamorro de Poco, which was a huge shank of pork that lifted right off the bone with ease and was doused in Salsa Pasilla. This special sauce had a tangy, smoky flavor to it that suited the meat well and - when mixed with the creamy black beans, fried rice, bananas, and a soft tortilla - created the hit flavor of the night. Bananas were a very creative liberty that would make their appearance more than once that night.

We still had to wait a bit for the Molcajete Cancun to chill, but once it looked cool enough I dove right into it. First I hooked a jumbo shrimp -which was fresh and had a spicy kick - from the roasted red pepper sauce. The sauce had a bit of a tomato flavor so it tasted like salsa, but with a thicker texture. Anything it touched was granted a succulent taste. The mussels and clams both tasted about the same with such a direct flavor it felt like tasting a bite out of the ocean itself. White fish and crab were mixed in, and once I dug deep enough, sliced octopus was slathered in sauce and offered a unique texture that stayed with my taste buds for some time. The giant prawn was the king of the pick as I mixed it with the panela cheese to create a silky texture that just melts in your mouth.

By this point Taylor and I were exhaustively full, but we couldn’t pass up dessert, which made a liberal use of fried bananas mixed with rum and mango sauce, vanilla ice cream, and a red dressing that drizzled down across the top. I made quite a mess out of the whole thing, but there were cinnamon sprinkled chips to dip into the left over whip cream. This had to be one of the best desserts I had ever enjoyed. Full and satisfied I walked into the night, with the taste of cherry rum still on tongue and the smell of pork still in my nostrils. The Gaslamp is lucky to have La Fiesta grace its sidewalks with unique flavors and great cooking minds. I’ll certainly return one day.

Hide Review

Copyright © Restaurant Agent Inc.


  Buy Online Gift Certificates

Buy restaurant gift certificates online and save 20%

The perfect gift for any occasion. It's Quick & Easy!


Reservations


Photos


Restaurant Info

  • Address: 628 5th Avenue, San Diego CA 92101
  • Cross Street: Market Street
  • Location: Downtown | Gaslamp Quarter
  • Cuisine: Mexican |
  • Cost: $$ | Inexpensive | $25 - $50
  • Category: Fine Dining
  • Star Rating:
  • Reservations: Recommended
  • Dress Code: Business Casual
  • Meals Served: Brunch | Lunch | Dinner |
  • Parking: Street |
  • Payment Options: VISA | Amex | MasterCard | Discover | Diners Club |
  • Corkage Fee: 20.00 | Per 750ml bottle.
  • Phone: (619) 232-4242

Business Hours

Monday
Main Dining Room | All Day 11 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Main Dining Room | Happy Hours 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday
Main Dining Room | All Day 11 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Main Dining Room | Happy Hours 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesday
Main Dining Room | All Day 11 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Main Dining Room | Happy Hours 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday
Main Dining Room | All Day 11 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Main Dining Room | Happy Hours 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday
Main Dining Room | All Day 11 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Main Dining Room | Happy Hours 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday
Main Dining Room | All Day 9 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Main Dining Room | Happy Hours 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday
Main Dining Room | All Day 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Main Dining Room | Brunch 10 a.m. - noon
Main Dining Room | Happy Hours 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Features

  • Full Bar
  • Sunday Brunch
  • Catering Services
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Prix Fixe Menu
  • Smoking Area
  • Takeout Available
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Valet Parking
  • Happy Hours
  • Personal Wines Allowed
  • Lounge / Bar
  • Healthy Options

Occasion

  • Child Friendly
  • Dining Alone
  • Business Dining
  • Meet for a Drink
  • People Watching
  • Quiet Conversation
  • Special Occasion
  • Quick Bite

 


F.A.Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, diners are permitted to split meals, though a Split Plate fee of $2.00 will be added.
Yes, La Fiesta serves brunch on Sundays from 10am until 12pm.
Yes, the restaurant has happy hour from 3pm until 6pm daily.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the restaurant turns into a dance club at 11pm.

Menus

Breakfast

  Saturday-Sunday: 9:00am-2:00pm. This is a sample menu only. Prices and availability may be subject to change.


Egg Dishes

Griddle

Sides

Drinks

Lunch Menu

  Monday-Sunday: 11:00am-Midnight. This is a sample menu only. Prices and availability may be subject to change.


Appetizers

Soup & Salad

Tortas

Tacos

Entrees

Fajitas

Happy Hour Specials

  Monday-Sunday: 11:00am-6:00pm. This is a sample menu only. Prices and availability may be subject to change.


Happy Hour Specials

Dinner Menu

  Monday-Sunday: 11:00am-Midnight. This is a sample menu only. Prices and availability may be subject to change.


Appetizers

Soup & Salads

Fajitas

Fiesta Tacos

Entrees


Map

Restaurant Address: 628 5th Avenue, San Diego CA 92101

User Reviews

GREAT FOOD!!!  

My husband and I have been to Las Fajitas many times. The chef Raul makes his mole sauce from scratch - It is excellent. The service and people that work there are wonderful and so nice. Besides the mole (which they will put on any item) we love the Carne Asada burrito, queso fundido and the tamales are handmade. We will always return.

excellent authentic mexican restaurant  

If you want something different from the overpriced, touristy restaurants in Old Town, try Las Fajitas in the Gaslamp. The lobster fajitas were terrific and they have a great margarita menu. They have become so popular that they are finally expanding!

Love this place!  

As a former concierge, I love this restaurant. It has great food (try the lobster fajitas), great service, and good prices. Congratulations Bacil! I'll be seeing you soon.

simply amazing  

This place ended up being an awesome place to eat for my 21st b-day. 3 of us started off with the Perfect Margarita. It was full of flavor, very good. For the meal, I had the Mole Poblano. The sauce on the dish was amazing. What really topped off the experience was, they did something out of the ordinary to fulfill our request. The staff sang Happy Birthday to me and gave me a slice of their tasty Flan. And as we left, each staff member said happy birthday to me. We'll definately be back.

Great Mexican food!  

Booking through the web-site worked well. The atmosphere was very nice, and food simply great! I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try authentic and tasty Mexican food. The service was also quick and attentive.

Finally a Mexican Restaurant  

What can you say, Gaslamp area,excellent restuarant,service,great food, muy buenos las Margaritas.We will return several times and not an over priced menu for the quality of food.

for all guacamole lovers  

Good restaurant, excellent ambience, great food, giant margaritas. Guacamole and fajitas were fresh and perfectly made

Great food!  

Ate like a king, food was on time, hot and tasted awesome. My usual hot-spot on a Friday, can't go wrong at La Fiesta. Get some!

La Fiesta  

Absolutely fantastic service, excellent margaritas and bar selection, the best mexican food I've ever had and a wonderful ambience.

Great group dinner!  

Good food, great drinks. Right in the heart of the Gaslamp district. Would recommend.

Good food  

Excellent food and wait staff.

Killer Carnitas !  

Nice work on the carnitas. Lots of flavor. I really liked how you didnt put a ton of beans and rice on the plate. good servers...wine was nice as well. Keep up the good work

Highly recommend.  

Great experience.....food and service were outstanding....will be back soon.

Great Mexican Food  

It was our first time in San Diego and my husband and I were looking for good Mexican food. La Fiesta definitely fit the bill! The food was excellent and the margaritas were larger than life...yum!

New regular  

Awesome. We will be back. Great service. Waiter was awesome and food was first class. You can count on us being a regular.

Good food, pricey for standard mexican fare  

We went here on a Sunday afternoon to use a $50 gift certificate we recieved. I had the Carnitas and my husband had the Crab Enchilada. Both of us enjoyed our meals, but thought it was a little pricey. The service was fast and pleasant. I'd go back.

Good Food, Fairly Quiet  

I went to La Fiesta on Saturday night, June 3rd. Most places in the gaslamp district were packed because the Marathon was the next day and it was Prom night for a lot of schools. La Fiesta wasn't empty but was realatively quiet. The food was good, the service was great, and I thought the prices were very reasonable. I guess some people who complain about the prices either didn't read the menu prior to ordering, or didn't see the "$$$" on this site prior to going. My only complaint was that it adjoins the Oyster Bar next door that started thumping music at 10:00pm. We had a nice meal and it was about time to go but had we sat down 10-15 minutes earlier, it would have been very annoying. I have to add that Anne Rogers at SanDiegoRestraunts.com did a great job finding us a great place on short notice, even after our first location was booked.

Great Mexican Food!  

Overall, La Fiesta made for an excellent dinner locale. I arrived at 5:30 after needing to change the reservation from 4:00. The maitre'd had no trouble accommodating us at a table on the patio. The location was great and very easy to find. The food was outstanding--some of the best I have had in years! My husband had chicken fajitas, and I ordered chicken enchiladas mole poblana. The food tasted excellent--made fresh, if not made from scratch. Our dinner came out quickly. The icing on the cake would be La Fiesta's happy hour. All draft beers were $2.00, and they had a significant number of them on tap. The only thing that kept me from giving La Fiesta a 5 star rating is the attitude our server had toward our complaint about the water. When his assistant brought water, I sipped it. It tasted like sweetened iced tea without the tea. I asked my husband to try it to make sure I wasn't imagining something that wasn't there. He agreed. When we complained to the server, he said that he wasn't aware of a problem with the water, that he hadn't heard a complaint from anyone else in eight years, and he didn't know what we were talking about. We let the issue go, but I am curious as to whatever happened to the customer always being right. In summary, La Fiesta had delicious food, a great location, reasonable prices and an awesome happy hour. The service could have been better, and if it had been, La Fiesta definitely would have earned a 5 star review!

La Fiesta  

The food tasted excellent and was served while it was very hot. The portion sizes of the side dishes (rice, beans, etc.) are a bit small. Overall, I would go again but request not to be seated near the restrooms in the back.

First Anniversary  

My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary here, and we truly enjoyed ourselves. Our service was exception, and they complied to our every request with a smile. Although I cannot remember our server's name, he was outstanding! The food was great, and the margaritas were amazing! Actually, they are the reason we choose La Fiesta! Overall, we had a great experience!

Great margaritas  

Excellent pomegranate margarita, very competitive price and great food, wonderful atmosphere, and great service to boot. i'll be coming back .

Happy Experience  

Went to La Fiesta for the first time for a business lunch with a large group. The food was very good, all of the wait staff were very friendly and attentive. They even had green colored margaritas for St. Patricks Day.

The best place to go  

It's a really good place to dined

Not Tio's  

Margaritas great....cerviche great and the tortilla soup...great! Entre not great! Service good.

Only average burrito - outstanding service  

I ordered the carne asade burrito with green sauce. There was no salsa inside, very little guacamole, but the meat was plentiful and tender. The green sauce was the strangest green sauce I've ever encountered. I didn't even taste like green sauce. The service was absolutely outstanding. The waiter went out of his way to be helpful. The burrito was $20, which I thought was a bit pricey, but this is the Gaslamp District, and one has to expect higher prices.

Good looking atmosphere... but the food was not  

For my 21st birthday I decided to go there with a couple of friends, about 15, to have a good time. The place was awesome. The food was not that great for the price that we paid. Each dish was about 20 dollars avg, but you probably can eat better mexican food at Santana's or Casa de Pico. If you do want to go there because you think you will find a good atmosphere, yes its worth it. But if you really want to taste some good mexican food, especially for the price that their plates are, then you might want to consider to go to Old town. I wish I could have given this restaurant a better review, but unfortunately I can't.

It's ok  

La Fiesta is ok. Service was great, beer was good as well, food was just okay in my view. Prcies were reasonable for most things.

Great Food, Decent Price  

The food at La Fiesta is of the highest quality and very well seasoned and cooked. If you like good Mexican food, this is the place for you. It is bit pricey though and the meal portions are medium sized.

Move 'em through fast  

Las Fajitas didn't live up to it's reputation for food quality or good service. The food was good, but far from exceptional. The service was extremely fast in spite of our telling the waiter as we ordered that we wanted time to enjoy our drinks before our food arrived. His response was that was okay because it took time to prepare the food. Yet we received our food less than 5 minutes after placing our order and when we complained were told that they could take it back and hold it for us. I'd skip this one.

Disappointed  

Margaritas were good, and so was the service. But I didn't like my steak fajitas, which reminded me the flavor of Korean BBQ. The pork dish my friend ordered was better than mine.

Very disappointed  

I had read some good reviews on this site and decided to give La Fiesta a try. As far as my tastes go, I like good Mexican food, but I hate the crap that they push all around San Diego -- especially in Old Town, which consists of microwaved frozen entrees from SYSCO. I went to La Fiesta on a Thursday night with three of my friends. We started off with a round of Margaritas that led to our inital dispointment. Despite paying for the "top-shelf" Margaritas at $9 a piece, we ended up with glasses-full of sweet-and-sour. One friend was so annoyed, he ordered a tequila shot and dumped it in his glass. The chips weren't brought to the table until after we reminded the waitress, and when we got them, they were at room temperature and a little stale. We ordered a variety of entrees, and waited for our food to arrive. We each received a huge platter of unflavorful rice, refried beans, and a "Old-town-like" tortilla concoction that was indistiguishable from one platter to another. I would swear that the enchiladas were heated in the microwave and that the carne asada was boiled. The only saving grace was a cute waitress and a great view of the Gas Lamp. For good Mexican food, I'm sticking to En Fuego up in Del Mar, Gringo's in P.B., or any of the Chipotle chains for a quick snack.

RIPP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

We were there friday evening.The place was almost empty.My husband liked it,becouse he does't like the loud places.But it was a big mistake.We want just to drink by one coctail and eat something light.We ordered beer,Margarita and one appetizer.Appetizer consisted of 3 shrims,3 oysters and some kind of shrimp salad.They counted it as 15 dollars.!!!!!!!(becouse we did't take any main course).Come on guys!!!!!!! Now i can understand why they were empty at Friday night!!!(while most places around them were crouded) I think they would be more emty from Friday to Friday!Good luck !(you really need it with your servise and prices!) All who going read it-don't go there!!!!They are not fare!

Maybe I should go for dinner...  

Because I went for lunch one day a few weeks ago and was very disappointed. The service was ok, but both of our entrees were very bland. I ordered the shrimp fajitas, and my friend ordered fish tacos. Also, it turned out to be pretty pricey for lunch! Next time I'll go to Fred's for lunch... It seems like some people really like this place for dinner, though.

Service and food leave much to be desired!  

We dined here this evening with out-of-town guests and were disappointed and embarrassed. The restaurant is small and cramped, with tables being much too close together. The service was incredibly slow and we sat for long periods waiting for our order to be taken... then for the food to come... then to get the check... then to have the charge card swiped, etc. Terrible! Being that the food was only average we won't be going back to Las Fajitas again.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY  

The Good: San Diego Restaurants.com reservations worked out perfectly for Cinco de Mayo. Wanting to avoid the crowds at Old Town, we were happy to get there and a long line of non-reservation people watched us get to the front and seated after a minor delay in setting up our table. The Strawberry Margaritas were very good! So was the broiled fish on our seafood combo plate. The waiter served us our drinks promptly for the initial round and came back 3 times within 5 minutes to check to see if we were ready to order in the beginning. After our order was submitted, a split plate of their seafood combo, a mazatlan platter,with soup and salad, and a kids meal, we just sipped our drinks and waited.... THE BAD.... AND WAITED AND WAITED. Our waiter never came back to check on us if we needed our drinks refreshed. We did have one bowl of tortilla chips that we munched through, and had to flag down a bus boy to get a second bowl. When our order finally did come a half hour later, it started with the soups and salad, but no kids meal. We had no silverware. It took 5 minutes to flag the busboy again to get us silverware and my wife used two straws like chopsticks to eat her salad to get the point across that we had no silverware. Our waiter was nowhere in sight. After our main courses came out, our split plate request was not met, nor did they even bring me an extra plate so that I can split it myself. My son's kid's meal had still not arrived a full 10 minutes after receiving our meals, so I canceled the order and my son just ate the rest of my soup and tortilla chips, with carrots from our seafood combo. My friend, who is from out of town, and expects good service, asked for an iced tea after we finally see our waiter again, and he never gets it. THE UGLY We ask to see the manager to let him know about our bad service. Our waiter is brought to our table and hears our comments. Instead of apologizing on behalf of the restaurant, he proceeds to blame Cinco de Mayo, and the kitchen staff being slow as the reasons for his attentiveness or lack there of to our table. As customers, those issues are not ours but theirs. We could excuse the delays if we were at least visited to see how they can make our experience more enjoyable, but to be honest, the busboy gave better service, than our waiter. To get into an argument with us over whose fault it is is downright ridiculous. The manager agrees to pay for our drinks which would've been a bigger tab if we were ever asked to get more drinks other than our one and only servings of strawberry margaritas. We still tipped big because our point was maybe only money will get this waiter to see the errors of his ways. Otherwise, he just did a great disservice to what should be a fine mexican restaurant. I would go again to give them another shot because the food is good, but if the service is the same, fool me once, you pay for my drinks, food me twice, you will also pay for my dinner and I will never come back.... Let's see what happens NEXT TIME...

Extremely Bad  

Do Not Go Here  

We had a horrible experience. We had reservations for 6 around Thanksgiving time and after trying to seat us in the back of the first room where there were no patrons, they finally seated us in the other inside room where it was a bit more lively. The famous margaritas are NOT; they are very very sweet and we had to send ours back and request that they make with fresh lime juice, which they said they had run out of, but found some. Then, in the middle of our so-so meal, waiters started piling tables and chairs all around us until we were surrounded, as though we were in a warehouse. When questioned the manager said they had a private party next door (which the ownership also owns) and his boss had told him to move the furniture. They only offered us a bottle of wine as an offset to our experience. Even the waiters told us we should not have been treated this way. Do not go here; it is not authentic in any way - food, drinks and definitely not management.

Bad food  

My husband and I went to La Fiesta for dinner upon recommendation of our hotel. My husband ordered a margarita that was very weak and tasteless. We both ordered the La Fiesta chicken fajita salad. I had one bite of the chicken and could not even finish the bite. There was no flavor to the "marinated fajita". It was very rubbery and almost seemed microwaved. We returned the food and went to eat at Fred's. The only good thing was the waiter, who was very nice and apologetic.

Low Point of an Otherwise Fantastic SD Trip  

I planned a surprise weekend trip to San Diego for my boyfriend’s birthday. Every other part of the trip was amazing… we had great fun dining and touring the SD area until what was supposed to be our big special dinner last Friday night. I had done my research, read up on Yelp and SD tourist websites, and La Fiesta seemed to fit perfectly what we were looking for – a nice and relaxing but still upscale atmosphere, a great menu, and an excellent bar. For starters when we got to the restaurant, the hostess told me that they didn’t have our reservations, but that she could do US a favor and seat us on the patio. Sure… fine… we only had to wait 10 minutes, but you’re not doing us any favors here lady… you guys LOST our reservation. No one apologized for the inconvenience at all. When we finally got seated, we were excited to start with the bar menu and I selected the queso fundito appetizer. Our appetizer arrived before the drinks did, and the cheese was well flavored, but so greasy it was disgusting. Our drinks finally arrived, and the specialty margarita I ordered tasted like blue Koolaid. About 25/30 minutes later, our waiter finally rounded back to take our order and I first asked for a refill on our waters, and then proceeded to order the Paella while my boyfriend ordered the mahi mahi off the specials menu. When our food arrived another 20/25 minutes later, my paella literally tasted like it came out of a box of rice a roni. I didn’t eat more than 2 bites of it either because it was cold. I would have told our waiter, but he literally didn’t return until after a busboy had already come by and taken our dishes. My boyfriend ate his fish, but said it was just mediocre, which is below what should be expected for a $28 plate of food. Honestly we LOVE trying new restaurants, and don’t ever mind a higher price point if the experience was worth it… but this restaurant DEFINITELY didn’t live up to our expectations, and was the low point in an otherwise great trip to SD.

Bad Bad  

This restaurant is a taco shop the sevice is slow and the food is bery bad

Absolutely Horrible  

Well I dont even know where to start, La Fiesta was by far the worst restaurant that I have ever been to. Our waiter took our order (our drinks) and then forgot about us, he did not come back for atleast 45 min. To top it off the food absolutely sucked. I would no recommend this Restaurant to anybody.

There are better restaurants  

We spent $200 for four people and we were there for 2 1/2 hours - on a Tuesday. The food was bland and not worthy of the prices. Asked about carnitas and the waiter made a face and said we should order something more creative (or more expensive). Very slow on the ordering and getting drinks for us. Waiter was surly and not what we would expect. There are better Mexican restaurants downtown to go to. We will not be coming back here.

Worst Mexican Restaurant Ever  

I have eaten at many San Diego Mexican restaurants in my life, and this was the most disappointing, the most over priced, & the worst service. Two adults and two teenagers, we had 3 sodas, one cocktail, 3 appetizers and 2 salads. The bill was 90 bucks before tip. One of the appetizers was nachos, Tio Lio's or El Torrito make better nachos. The nachos had stips of steak on them, not carne asada. The guacamole was from costco and the sour cream was blan. two of the other appetizers were ceviche. it might as well been pico de gallo with bits of fish, at that the fish was cheap gutter fish. The salads were terrible. i had the fiesta salad. it was mixed greens with tortilla chips and pico de gallo. The cocktail: Mojito, was terrible. it might as well been lemonade with cheap rum. The service started off good. we were sat right away, the server saw us right away, but after our order was taken we never saw him again. only the bus boy was left to serve our food and refresh our drinks. I had to ask the bus boy for my check. There were at most 4 other tables with people eating. It was definately not busy. Worst mexican restaurant in San Diego ( no hyperboli )

terrible food. no taste, no imagination  

I have eaten at many San Diego Mexican restaurants in my life, and this was the most disappointing, the most over priced, & the worst service. Two adults and two teenagers, we had 3 sodas, one cocktail, 3 appetizers and 2 salads. The bill was 90 bucks before tip. One of the appetizers was nachos, Tio Lio's or El Torrito make better nachos. The nachos had stips of steak on them, not carne asada. The guacamole was from costco and the sour cream was blan. two of the other appetizers were ceviche. it might as well been pico de gallo with bits of fish, at that the fish was cheap gutter fish. The salads were terrible. i had the fiesta salad. it was mixed greens with tortilla chips and pico de gallo. The cocktail: Mojito, was terrible. it might as well been lemonade with cheap rum. The service started off good. we were sat right away, the server saw us right away, but after our order was taken we never saw him again. only the bus boy was left to serve our food and refresh our drinks. I had to ask the bus boy for my check. There were at most 4 other tables with people eating. It was definately not busy. Worst mexican restaurant in San Diego ( no hyperboli )

Horrible!!!!  

My family and I ate at La Fiesta recently, and all four of our dishes were horrendously bad! We were excited to try this place, but the food was worthless. Greasy, flavorless, EXPENSIVE crap! Don't ever go here! Worst restaurant we've been to in many years. Sad to say, but even Taco Johns is better--for the flavor and the price. I'm not exaggerating one bit.

THE WORST place to eat in this part of San Diego  

Oh my! What bad food! Went there twice just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but it was terrible both times. I can't believe they charge so much for food that is so bad. It tastes strange -- hard to describe, but it will make you turn up your nose. We almost walked out without paying after eating just a few bites, we were so mad. We did pay, but we weren't happy about it. How can anybody say they like this stuff? How does this place stay in business? Shame on them. It's not real Mexican food. Real Mexican food is great. The food in this restaurant is something completely different. Yuk!

how do they stay in business?  

This was the worst meal we've had in the 23 years we've lived in San Diego. The over-priced food was cold and it had a very strange, bad flavor. We had to wait such a long time for it to arrive that we almost walked out. We should have! It was a big disappointment. All four of our entrees were terrible. Stay away from La Fiesta. Nothing about their food resembles true Mexican cuisine. Tourists might be attracted here because of the location, but locals should know better. BAD, BAD, BAD!

very disappointed  

I came here on a weeknight for dinner a few days ago. I was seated and ordered a margarita which was actually quite good, the only thing nice that I have to say about the restaurant. My server came by and asked if I was ready to order, I asked him if there were any specials today and as he walked away to help another table he told me offhandedly that they were on the 2nd page of the menu (I just wanted to know if there were any daily specials that might not be on the menu and was then going to order). He came back 10 min later, thank god I had the margarita, and I ordered one of their combo plates. It came fairly rapidly and I began to eat. The enchilada was okay but slightly cold. The Chile Relleno was horrible, it seemed like it had been prepared a few nights before and thrown in the microwave, it was tough and not very tasty. The carnitas was lukewarm and very dry, the menu said the meal came with black beans but i received refried beans that were cold and generic. It took a while for the waiter to bring the check. The bill was 28 dollars, I gave 2 twenties. he picks it up and says he will be back with the change. Okay, now honestly I am not exaggerating this, about 20 minutes and 3 cigarettes later, yes 20 minutes and after he has passed my table about 6 or 7 times, he comes by and asks me "oh, did you want change?" after I said yes he asked me how much money I gave him...I don't know who in their right mind would assume they were getting over a 25% tip automatically, especially when they said they would be back with change. I only saw the waiter 2 to 3 times the entire night and each time he made me feel like a 5 year old asking his parents "are we there yet?" on a long car ride. Now, you have to understand that I eat out often and it takes quite a bit to get me annoyed or pissed at a restaurant, this was by far the worst service that I have ever had. I will never eat here again, the only exception being going to the bar for a few margaritas during happy hour. There are too many excellent restaurants downtown and in little italy to be bothered coming here again.

What a joke  

I tried to make a reservation for 2 for my 21st birthday but they told me over the phone I had to give them credit card info in case I don't show up so they can charge me a ridiculous fee. I guess they think a 21 year old college student isn't responsible enough to show up to a reservation on time. Oh well, good thing there are plenty of other restaurants willing to take my money.

Rate This Business

Please rate your experience on scale 0-10, with 10 being the high rating.

Overall Experience


Food


Service


Ambience


Value


Review