Lupes Mexican Eatery — Restaurant in Aliso Viejo

What a solid gem of Mexican Food greatness. Lupes is one of those locals-only spots that are sometimes gatekept and only heard through word-of-mouth. Well, I'm telling you that Lupes is WORTH the hype and worthy of a special visit.

I was first introduced to Lupes in Dana Point, so when I found out that one was opening up close to my work, I was beyond excited. I've turned so many of my coworkers onto this place, we order from here now at least once a week.

A few things to consider about Lupes is that they are HEAVY meals. I mean the amount of food you get is comparable to circa 2008 Chipotle, when they would pile on ingredients until the burrito becomes the size of a new-born child. But the difference between Lupes and Chipotle, is their ingredients and also seasoning are SIGNIFICANTLY better. I'm talking high quality steaks and huge jumbo shrimp flame-grilled to perfection. Their California Burritos with french fries are like 3 regular-sized meals.

On top of the portion size, Lupes doesn't mess around when it comes to the freshness of their ingredients and you can definitely taste the difference. Their salsa bar is top notch and I have yet to try a dish there that I haven't been wowed by. Even their Ceviche & Aguachile is vibrant, fresh, and tasty.

You can't really go wrong with any of their foods. For the more adventurous, they even have octopus and birria you can get too. Overall, I highly recommend checking this place out. You never know, you might get hooked on it, like...

Oh dear. Did we visit the right spot? After reading all of the rave reviews, we gave Lupe's a try. Our experience is nothing like many others have posted. We ordered two bowls to take home. While we were waiting, we went to the salsa bar. It was completely disgusting. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time, as it was covered with spills and dried drips, and there was even an empty cup in one of the salsa pans. Ewww! We decided to skip the salsa. We waited outside for our order (the a/c was cranked inside and it was too cold to wait there); there were two empty tables and both had pieces of food, paper and sticky liquids on them. There were many pieces of trash on the ground under most of the tables.

When we got home, we found that neither bowl resembled what was described on the menu. The Veggie Bowl was supposed to have lettuce, rice, beans, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo and chipotle sauce. Sounds good, right? Instead, it had lettuce, rice, beans, sour cream, cheese, carrots, tomatoes, and zucchini. What were the carrots, tomatoes and zucchini doing on this bowl, and where was the guac, pico and chipotle sauce? The Steak Bowl had meat, lots of lettuce, lots of beans, only a small spoonful of rice and a few tomatoes; it was missing the pico and sour cream.

On the plus side, the menu is extensive with a variety of options. With the multiple negative things going on with our visit though, we won't we returning to sample anything else on...

Man, let me tell ya about Lupe's Mexican Eatery in Aliso Viejo. It's like they brought a slice of LA right into the heart of this place. I walked in and thought, "Am I in ALISO Viejo or Venice Beach, man?"

Now, let's talk about the El Pastor burrito – it's like a flavor fiesta in my mouth. I took a bite, and I was transported to a Mexican beach party with mariachi music playing in the background. The seasoning on that meat, it's like they got a little magic in there, you know?

And speaking of being near Chipotle, Taco Bell, and Wahoo Tacos, Lupes is like the cool kid on the block. It's got that LA style and fun that sets it apart. I mean, you can't compare Lupes to the fast-food giants. It's like comparing a classic rock concert to elevator music – no contest, man.

So, if you're in Aliso Viejo and craving some real Mexican flavor, Lupes is the spot. It's not just a meal; it's a culinary journey, and you might just find yourself saying, “...