Pricey mexican seafood restaurant on Shoreline off the 101 in Mountain View
Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 9/24/2004
Rating: 7
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Fiesta Del Mar is surrounded by numerous tech companies so its probably the 1st mexican restaurant that comes to mind during lunch and afterwork dining. Its in a key location off shoreline..its hard to miss because its right across the street from Taco Bell. Honesty, I prefer the sister locations - La Fiesta and Fiesta Del Mar Too. If you want to drive 3-5 more miles, you can grab a good mexican meal at Estrellitas on N. San Antonio Road.
I must have bad luck with Fiesta Del Mar. With 3 visits under my belt, I cant think of any reasons to make a return visit. 2 of those visits were paid for and I felt guilty spending 20+ dollars on average tasting meals.
Im ready and will to try something new...beef and pork enchiladas verano style (lettuce, sour cream, and green chili). Served with rice and beans, beans were fine but rice tasted like they were under a heat lamp? The top layer was a tad crunchy and the bottom layer more moist. The worst part of the meal was the meat. The beef was bland and chucks were too big. Oh..and the pork..they must have left this pork simmering too long. It was dry!!! Pork should NEVER be dry..its sinful. I would not order this dish again.
In trying to understand why people love this place, heres what Im thinking,
1. People who eat at Fiesta Del Mar dont go to taqueria shops
2. People eat here so they can expense the meal at the company they work for. Excellent way to stick it to your company, this stuff is expensive.
3. Tequila gets you drunk, any food taste great when intoxicated
4. You like spending $15+ for a lunch
5. Your friends love this place therefore dragging you for a visit
On the other hand, I can see why they would love this place for,
1. Unique atmosphere and keeps your eyes busy admiring the stimulating mexican art
2. Large tequila bar
3. Rare and exotic dishes that are not found at any taqueria shops, just try their top secret orange sauce or shrimp dishes
4. Shrimps are really good size..not that wimpy bay shrimp you usually get in burritos but the ones they serve at Fiesta Del Mar are JUMBO size
5. You are tired of El Torito and Chevys (although chevys does have excellent tortillas)
Definitely give Fiesta Del Mar a try, you might find something you like but its going to cost you.
I've been to Fiesta Del Mar a number of times and each time I go I remember two things. 1) I really want to like this place and 2) its really expensive here.
Everytime I leave this place, I am let down. The food quality is decent but nowhere near the price of admission. Come on, $18dish? I think Fiesta Del Mar Too is actually a really good place and all the times I've gone I have been quite pleased. This one, however, just doesn't do it for me.
This time I ordered the Shrimp Diabla which is super spicy large shrimps. It was accompanied by rice and beans. The beans were just as good as I experienced last time at Fiesta Del Mar Too. The rice was a little more stale and I didn't enjoy it very much. The sauce was very spicy and perhaps a bit devoid of flavor. The prawns were large and juicy. Fairly good. Overall, this would be an 8.5 at a cheap taqueria. Since I was paying $18 + tax the rating went waaaay down.
Reviewer: Eddie
Total Reviews: 47
Reviewed: 9/25/2004
Rating: 7
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Today was the going away lunch and this is the place chosen since it's like 2 minutes driving from work. It's odd that this restaurant does not accept reservations. I mean, what kind of deal is this? You are trying to be an upscale restaurant (at least from the look of its price), and you don't accept reservations? Anyway, I ordered the Shrimp Alex today, supposed to be super spicy and it wasn't so. The prawns were of good size, but a bit on the dry side rice was a bit stale however the salad was and so were the tortillas. They did give you a lot of food and for the price you paid, they should. My lunch was like $27 for the plate and drinks plus tip. I would say all in all, the food is a bit above average, service is ok, price is out of whack. With all the other excellent places I can get Mexican food from, I can't think of a reason to come back here.
Reviewer: ne00
Total Reviews: 187
Reviewed: 3/8/2007
Rating: 7
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Met with a friend I havent seen in a few years for dinner. He and his wife recommended this place as being consistently good, plus he said he used to come long ago when this place was empty and got to know the owner really well. We arrive around 6:30 and the parking lot was pretty much full. The restaurant had plenty of people. Must be good right? I mean if people keep coming in, then they must be doing something right. Was it the price? Was it the free chips and three types of salsa? Was it the portion size of the entrees? Was it the taste? I cant figure it out after having eaten here. My meal was free as my friend paid, but honestly I wouldnt come and pay.
Like I said, the place was busy. We were given an option to sit at a table or in a booth; we opted for the larger table. Our waiter brought us menus, waters, and chips with three types of salsa. The chips were nothing special; in fact the amount of chips given was only enough for one to one and a half at most. They were good on refilling the basket when we ran empty on the chips.
The prices on the menus were high. Most items were at least $8 up to as high as $15. I went with the Grand mama Special, which was strips of chicken in a golden brown special sauce, with side of rice, refried beans, and choice of tortilla. My friend ordered a grilled fish taco salad.
As we waited for our order the owner stopped by and shook our hands and reminisced about the old times with my friend. Food was served about 15 minutes after we ordered, which is surprisingly faster than expected. The chicken was good in the sauce, but there were not a lot of it, three corn tortilla served in a small steamer, melted refried beans with cheese in a small soup cup and rice on the plate. The meal tasted a bit on the healthy side as it lacked some taste. Someone forgot to add more salt. I guess low sodium is good? But typically Mexican food has more taste. Rice was dry on its own and lacked any broth flavoring. Beans were great as they melted in my mouth, but again, tasted a bit bland. The chicken was good but sauce was still on the bland side.
I did not get a chance to see the final bill but by the time we walked out the place was packed with people. I can only imagine there are a lot of business around and one of the few Mexican restaurants on shoreline with easy access to the freeways.
I personally would not come back unless someone else was buying and insisted on coming here. Service was good but didnt require a refill on my water so I couldnt tell.
“Carnitas at Fiesta Del Mar is outstanding. And you can have a super-fancy margarita with it. It's not cheap, and it might not be fast, but it's darn good.”
