Hacienda La Joya — Restaurant in Mission Viejo

Hacienda La Joya is a diner in a Mission Viejo strip mall that specializes in both American and Mexican breakfasts, sandwiches, and burgers. I wasn't sure what to expect before I walked in, but I was immediately set at ease with Hacienda La Joya's welcoming décor, clean tables, and its delightful and familiar aromas of meats being sizzled, onions being sautéed, eggs being griddled, and pancake batter being cooked.

For my breakfast, I ordered the "Taco Combo #2," which consisted of two tacos, rice, and refried beans for $6.99. The first taco I ate was the "Carne Asada Taco," which is delivered wrapped in foil, with two white corn tortillas, melted cheese, onions, and cilantro along with the well-seasoned beef, tender and soft. In fact, this is soft enough to be lengua, but it really is just well-marinated beef. My other taco selection was the "Hard Shell Potato Taco," which contains home fried potato chunks cooked on a greasy plancha, the starches of the potato adhering to the grill surface and crisping up in the best ways you want your breakfast potatoes to cook, with crunchy edges and smooth, soft innards. And yet the best aspect of these potatoes was not the texture, but rather the mildly spicy seasoning blend that really brought them to life. This is an uncanny potato taco -- a "breakfast"-style potato taco rather than the usual mashed potato-style tacos -- which makes it uniquely awesome.

You must ask for salsa on the side, as it does not normally come out with the Taco Combo. Don't expect much heat from it, it is somewhere between "bell pepper" and "Tapatio" on the Scoville scale, but it is otherwise a decent-tasting rustic salsa with freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.

Karina Franco owns and runs this vibrant Mexican "greasy spoon" diner with her husband Carlos. They inherited the place from Mrs. Franco's mother and have built a stellar local reputation that I believe is well-deserved based on my 7:30am Sunday morning...

I cannot believe I have worked in the area for two years and am only now finding out about Hacienda La Joya. A small group of us came here for lunch during work and ordered the asada quesadilla, the carnitas burrito lunch special, and a chile verde enchilada. All of us were impressed by the large portions and bold flavors.

Everything is fresh made to order, so it may take a few extra minutes for your food to come out, especially if it is busy, but it is worth it. While you wait, enjoy the complimentary chips perfectly fried for a deep crunch and fresh salsa.

Finally, the staff is friendly and takes pride in the quality of their food. Hacienda La Joya offers an elevated casual dining experience with loaded flavor...

Came here for lunch. Sat for 45min. Took 15 min to take my order. Ordered a chicken burrito. My guess is the beans rice tortillas sour cream and sauces are already made. Not made to every order. So the chicken is the only thing that has to be cooked if not done already. And tortilla heated. So still wonder why after 45 min I never got my meal. Ended up having to leave back to work. Did get some chips and a diet coke. Service is terrible. Worse part is the guy kept me there by coming by every 10 min to tell me my food was on its way. Food still not sure. Come here if you have plenty of time. I get a half hour for lunch. Even with an hour would not have had...