Diego's Burrito Factory & Margarita Bar — Restaurant in Panama City Beach

I asked my Lyft driver on the way in where to eat... they said Diego's. I asked our hotel front desk upon arrival where to eat first... they said Diego's. I can confirm... Diego's is by far the best choice for Mexican food in Panama City Beach.

Let's address the negatives first. Our first time eating here was at 11am for lunch and I think we were the first customers. The rice in our burritos was extremely stale and hard, as if it had been left out over night. For such a reputation this place was not off to a good start. The burritos were good but nothing to write home about. And lastly, as a Houstonian who eats Mexican food constantly, I can tell you the chips are very uninspired. I suppose that's not surprising in a small town with little competition.

But the good was REALLY good. Listen to me. Skip the burrito and order the quesadilla. This quesadilla was a revelation for me. I've had many plain chicken and cheese quesadillas before but never one that was given the full reverence of a burrito, allowing you to stuff any and every ingredient you want into it.

Pictured is the wheat quesadilla with Diego's chicken. Delicious doesn't do it justice. The buttery crisp on the tortilla is to die for. The flavor of the ingredients made me desire none of the common Mexican hit sauces (huge accomplishment). And the sheer size of the thing will not leave you hungry.

This quesadilla was an eye opening experience for a lifelong Mexican food enthusiast. What else can you say? COME...

First, the food was fantastic! Second, we had 9 people in our group, and the food was ready very quickly. You order at the counter, and they make your food and bring it to the table.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY, we had to leave Sharkey's because we have people with severe shellfish allergies, and they told us anything fried would be contaminated.

I called Diego's to ask if we would be able to eat there, and the person I talked to said absolutely we will make sure there is no cross-contamination. After we received our food, an employee ran over and said which order has the allergy, I told her which one, and she confirmed with the kitchen that everything was safe before the food was touched.

She actually had them remake the order to confirm there was no contamination because an employee wasn't 100% sure they had changed their gloves. Everyone making the order changed gloves, cleaned their area, and changed utensils to be 100% sure nothing came in contact with shellfish.

These are the kinds of things that make you want to eat somewhere! We actually went back and ate there again during our 5 day vacation BECAUSE of how they acted with the allergy and how good the food was. And it was just as good and fast the second time. And they took the same care with the food allergy.

Highly recommend eating at Diego's if you get...

Food is great, drinks are strong. On the flip side the management is over the top stupid. We were missing a side of chips and salsa that was clearly on the receipt. We informed the wait staff who went in got the manager in charge...they came back to our table, stood there looking at our food, made some comments and walked off, came back a second time, asked for our receipt and then told us we had our side order already...another person in our party ordered a side of chips n cheese dip, they had added a salsa cup on that tray and that was our side order...stingy much? At this point we said whatever due to already having our main dinner items. They also had someone stand by the bathrooms guarding them to make sure only customers used them, we saw it while we were there and know this for a fact because my friend ran in there a few days prior to use the restroom and when she walked out had someone standing there waiting to ask her if she was a customer n told her she'd need to buy something. Obviously she didn't n just walked out. If you want to be a micromanaged customer, you'll love this place. **Take aways...don't order side items, be sure you've purchased something before going to the bathroom, sit outside, eat...