Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen — Restaurant in Orange

A random restaurant Yelp roulette brought us to this highly rated Mexican food joint in the Orange circle. I really did not intend on having the best enchilada that I've ever had, but huzzah!

The address to Gabbi's is accurate but the restaurant is without a sign. You'll only be able to spot this joint by the brick walls and water misters on the sidewalk. Supposedly there was a dispute long ago with the city about the styling of the sign, so the owner decided to just do away with it. A bit peculiar, but the hostess added that Gabbi's has been established in this spot for at least 6 years. I would be one of many customers to have trouble spotting this place. Worth the hassle? Heck yes!

Seating is a bit cramp, but it was efficient use of space. The brick walls decor was eclectic and set a urban but classy feel. Everyone is treated to an initial appetizer of chips and salsa. Chips were plain old, but something about the salsa gave it a mild after kick that went long unidentified until I had to ask...trace amounts of vinegar. It was a lasting spice in my mouth that would make way for the eventual mouthgasm that my main entree would give.

-=-Enchiladas de Camerron-=- This was a $18 dollar plate which was probably around the median price of dishes here. A bit pricy but this really is a higher calibre of Mexican food. I've recently paid a hefty tag at another well known overpriced LA Live Mexican establishment, but I was left unsatisfied and underwhelmed. Here at Gabbi's, I would do it over and over again and also take all my friends here to have the same experience. My enchilada plate consisted of 2 moderately sized enchiladas, a tiny scoop of black beans, and garlic rice. The beans were as expected, no surprises. The garlic rice was different by being not too garlicky, but more oily and smooth. There was another flavor in the rice that I was not able to put my finger on. My dining colleagues felt it was a shrimpy taste, but I didn't think so. The entire plate was covered in a mild green creamy enchilada sauce, emphasis on the creamy. Alone, it would not be significant, but at first bite of the enchilada, I felt it. The shrimp enchilada is NOT for the fishy taste haters. There is a certain Taste of the Ocean that fills your mouth with every bite of this. The green creamy enchilada sauce would serve as a great equalizer to the fishy taste. There is also no shortcoming of shrimp content here. Every bite, no matter how small, reminded me of this well thought out pairing of favors.

Conclusion - I'm...

I was so excited to try Gabbi's, however, I was left very disappointed and concerned for the other patrons that have food allergies and dietary restrictions. I am very very allergic to nuts. I notified the server of this and he brushed it aside, showing no concern whatsoever. He didn't even offer to tell the chief. I was even more surprised when my friend asked what they had that was Vegan. The server replied by saying, "Is that a word?" My friend had to explain what vegan means to our server, a person in the food industry who should know what vegans can and cannot eat. He went back to the kitchen and then came back to tell us the vegan items on the menu- chicken something and then something with cheese. I was floored...this was AFTER we explained what the word Vegan means. My friend was able to order an appetizer without the cheese (unfortunately, when it came it looked like there was some cheese on it). Many people follow strict diets because they have allergies and food sensitivities. I was disgusted by Gabbi's inability to recognize and respect the importance of food allergies and special dietary needs. Our food was alright and the sangria was ok. Not worth the price. To make matters worse as soon as we finished our appetizers a man and a woman at the hostess station began staring at us and then pointing at our table to people waiting. I was shocked at this behavior, we were paying customers, yet we had the manager and the hostess staring us down and loudly telling people they could have our table when they left. We would have been more that happy to have moved to the bar if they were so desperate for our table. The rude looks and pointing were unacceptable and quite frankly, embarrassing for the Manager and Hostess as they appeared to be unprofessional and unable to handle a busy restaurant. If you have food allergies, dietary needs, or just like to be treated with respect, I recommend you steer...

The atmosphere was welcoming. After a 45 minute wait, my party got seated. When the waiter approached, he asked if we had any questions regarding the menu. My friend explained that a few of us had food allergies. He explained that he was willing to offer his help. When I asked what the best vegan option was, he laughed and said, "began? Vegan? Is that even a word?". He said, "what is that?" We had to try to explain to him, (the waiter, the person that works in a restaurant) what "vegan" was. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and said, "just tell me what you best vegetarian option is" (trying to make it easier for him). He said he was unsure and that he would have to speak to a chef. He came back shortly and said that he had a list of vegan/vegetarian options from the chef. This list included chicken tacos and chicken quesadillas. We ended up just ordering drinks and simple appetizers since we did not want to risk having an allergic reaction to the food. (One of my friends is allergic to cashews and peanuts). Once we got our appetizers, we kept getting passive aggressive hints to leave because they needed room for a party that had made reservations. We hadn't even finished our drinks before we were getting looks from the manager and hostess. They were loudly explaining to the guests waiting to be seated that they were waiting for our seats. Despite the fact that the waiter nor the chefs knew about food allergies, we still decided to give them our business and ordered overly priced food and drinks. We were also very nice and tipped our waiter. It was so disappointing that the management and employees were so rude here especially after we were so tolerant to their ignorance of food allergies. It wasn't our fault that they had overbooked their...