El Farolito Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Placentia

El Farolito was our family staple since the 1990s. We'd have birthdays and other celebrations there, eat in, and take out pretty regularly. Their food was amazing and their prices were catered to their working class clientele. Even as recently as 2 years ago, you could feed a family of 5-6 people for under $50 of high quality Mexican food. Unfortunately, they have changed drastically, and not for the better. In 5 years their prices have nearly doubled, the food quality has gone way down, and they have silly rude anti-family rules that don't fit the culture we all have loved about the restaurant for decades (such as no opening presents, no bringing in a cake, and so on). Seems like there's new management or ownership? We tried again recently, getting burritos and nachos to avoid spending a lot -- in case the food was mediocre again -- and to get a sense of the basics (beans, pork, asada, salsa, chips, flavors). The pork in the burritos was unseasoned and was essentially just boiled. The beans were just ok. The salsa had good flavor, but was watery and a far cry from the salsa we used to get there 5+ years ago. The nachos were much smaller than they used to sell, and our kids, who used to lick the nacho plate, gave half of them to our dogs and said "they were all soggy and just weren't that good." All of us got mild stomach aches from it, which happened the last time as well. We make the same food at home and never get stomach aches, so something is awry. So, whatever happened with the management of El Farolito, it seems like the new leadership just doesn't get it. You can't convert a working class family restaurant with high quality rustic food into whatever silliness they're trying to change it to. It's just nonsense. Sure, the wait staff and dining room look a little more clean cut than they used to, but who cares about cleaner uniforms and table clothes if the food quality and atmosphere goes down, and the prices go up. I'd say 99% of their clientele would take the old ragtag wait staff, the way better food, and the working class prices over whatever mess they've turned the place into now. It's never too late to turn things around though, but normally leadership that does silly things like this are too narcissistic to ever realize that their vision and changes are the source of...

Outstanding Mexican Cuisine and Exceptional Service!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at this fantastic Mexican restaurant, and I cannot praise it enough! From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with a warm and friendly atmosphere that set the stage for an unforgettable dining experience.

The taquitos and tacos at this place are simply out of this world. Each bite burst with a symphony of flavors that left me craving for more. The ingredients were fresh, the fillings were perfectly seasoned, and the tortillas were crunchy and warm. It was an absolute delight to savor such well-crafted and mouthwatering dishes.

The accompanying sides of beans and rice were equally phenomenal. The beans were perfectly cooked and rich in flavor, while the rice was awesome. The combination of these sides elevated the entire meal to a whole new level of deliciousness.

I also had the pleasure of trying their margaritas, and boy, were they strong and delightful! The bartenders truly know their craft. The margaritas were expertly balanced, refreshing, and had just the right amount of kick. They complemented the meal perfectly and added an extra layer of enjoyment to the overall experience.

One aspect that truly stood out during my visit was the exceptional service. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about ensuring a memorable dining experience. They were quick to accommodate any special requests and provided excellent recommendations. Their friendly and professional demeanor made me feel welcome and well taken care of throughout my meal.

In summary, this Mexican restaurant exceeded all my expectations. The amazing taquitos and tacos, accompanied by delectable beans and rice, along with the strong margaritas, made for a truly remarkable dining experience. The outstanding service provided by the attentive staff further enhanced the overall enjoyment. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in search of authentic Mexican cuisine and a truly satisfying dining experience.

Kudos to the entire team for creating such a gem in the world of...

So, many years ago, may be 20 or 25 years ago, with a group of coworkers from our office in Anaheim, we ventured a bit of longer travel distance for lunch, during work week lunch hour (fast, 45 minute in&out) and went to this authentic Mexican heritage place El Farolito. It was really a different, delicious fantastic, original spices and taste experience. Here we are, last week, no my grown up kids taking us to the same place. First, it was a fantastic family dinner adventure. Thank you El Farolito. But🫠, you know, you can do much much better. Why i gave 3 star for food? The people, are warm authentic, fast and caring, love what they do, great. The place is authentic, original, dow to earth, family kitchen table, the way it is suppose to be, great. But you really can go with time and enhance and improve your menue, what haven't you😪 Make it a home made short menu, Co trol the portion, a full full plate of rice and beans, extra, why, prove the quality of ingredients. I know family's come there to have dinner at reasonable price and not go out hungry. But a n authentic nowadays chef can do much better. Look give folks unlimited portion of rice when they order a meal, but don't bring an enchiladas where the enchiladas are list between the sides. Make the Nachos, the wonderful Nachoes with better arrangement and ingredients, the tomatoes, the cilantro, the aroma or cumin, the meat, the greens enhancing the appetizing appearance. Not a plump of things thrown together and put out😭 Mexican cuisines have so much, so much amazing variety and colors and taste it has to offer, please do that, reorest our deep and beautiful culture of thousands of years heritage come out, and feel good about it. Challenge yourself. Use your cultural imagination and creativity, from almost half a century of success to the next level. All the best, thank you El...