Guichos Eatery — Restaurant in San Clemente

The food is good, especially for the cost. However, I can no longer justify giving this restaurant business for multiple reasons, the biggest of which, is the owner (Luis/"Guicho").

I live approximately 20 minutes from this restaurant. Since it is next to a grocery store and HomeGoods, I always knock out some errands: Guichos to order, HomeGoods, grab some groceries, and then back to Guichos to pick up my food since there is always a fairly long wait for the food. However, many months ago when I showed up during their normal hours, the door was locked. No sign, some employees moving around in the back, but nobody answered the door. Annoyed since it is 40 minutes of my time and gas, I didn't make an issue of it. A month or two later, after having eaten there a couple of more times, I again went there during normal business hours. Once again, the door was locked. This time, there was a sign that said all employees take a lunch break at the same time which lasts an hour. This time, an employee did come out to talk when I knocked, and she said they'd be opening back up in about 45 minutes after they had their lunch break. Of course, then it would mean another 30+ minutes to prepare the food, so I would be waiting at least an hour and 15 minutes. A month goes by again, but I was prepared this time: I knew what time each day they had their lunch break. Wrong. When I arrived to order this time, I was told that they weren't taking orders for at least four hours. They had accepted two big party/catering orders, so they were going to do those instead of the normal walk-in/call-in business. At this time, I was annoyed enough to ask to speak to a manager or the owner. The employee gave me the cell numbers of both.

In a very polite manner, I expressed my annoyance via text to the owner/manager of this happening three times. I explained that I realized it was his prerogative to decide if accepting party orders and turning down his regular customers was the best for his business, but as a frequent customer who felt I did my part (never complained about food not being ready when it was supposed to be, always tipping on takeout orders), it wasn't worth it for me to keep spending my time and money going to his business and it being closed for lunch breaks or having my business turned down. Since I had a remaining balance on a gift card there, I asked if he could refund the remaining balance. I received no response for over a week. I again reached out, and I received a response telling me that I could call him at a specific time and date.

I called him at the date/time, and he didn't answer. He returned my call. I allowed him to talk for about 10 minutes straight. When it was my turn to talk, within 10 seconds, I was being interrupted. I stayed as cordial and polite as possible, but it was clear that he wasn't going to see how a customer driving 40 minutes roundtrip three different times only to have the restaurant be closed and/or turn down your business due to taking "party orders" wasn't worth my time or money to continue doing. He told me to send him the gift card information, and he would have the remaining balance refunded, which I did. That was November 14th. I texted him again on November 27th to ask if he had refunded the amount, since it hadn't shown up. He once again didn't respond. I texted again on December 9th to inquire, and once again, he didn't respond. I talked to his business parter at the restaurant, who seemed like a reasonable and friendly guy. He understood my frustration. As I told the business partner, Guicho is "just a jerk." As another reviewer said, he's just a "grumpy old guy."

Food is pretty good. Price is good. But give your business to an owner who values their customers and is a...

Boy this place could be so much better. I hate to be harsh with two stars I thought about giving three but but they lose an extra star for spoiled potential. When I walked in there were three girls working the counter and at least two Cooks that I could see. One of the girls was wearing short shorts, while she had exceptional legs, I was kind of surprised. The attire seemed unprofessional and maybe even dangerous considering the environment she was working in. I ordered the lasagna because I think it's the hardest to get right. If Im testing a new restaurant I really want to know. The food came in a reasonable amount of time if not on the tail end. It may have even been a little rushed and they would have been better off giving me a longer ETA and taking more time in preparation. The lasagna certainly was not bad but just okay. What you want me to be nitpicky? Ok here it goes there was there was actually too much cheese on the top. I mean thick like pizza thick and it was a touch over browned too boot. The pasta was a little thick, the ricotta was a little bit watery, the Italian sausage was really good but sparse and the marinara was a little bit sweet for my tastes. I prefer it a deeper red and more robust with the garlic and basil in the sauce but that probably boils down more to personal taste. It was very similar to Olive Garden so not bad. The one little bread wedge thing while tasty was pathetic in proportion to the meal it accompanied. This place for me was a rollercoaster of hits and misses. Like I said from the outset an extra star is deducted for potential squandered. I am tempted to give them a second chance. It smells absolutely wonderful when you walk in the door and they had some meatballs sizzling that looked Epic. Then again my lasagna looked very good too. I am a big fan of the lasagna at a Slice of the Pizza Pie off of Greenfield Road in Laguna Niguel, also not perfect but leagues ahead and worth going back for. Oh and they also give you a real half roll of traditional garlic bread that's honestly not even very good but it doesn't disappear in two...

Pregnant woman and elderly BEWARE!

My pregnant sister and I dined at Guicho’s Eatery (next to Sprouts in South Orange County) yesterday. We shared the Shrimp Alfredo and the Meatball Marinara, and within hours we were both extremely ill. This was especially concerning given her pregnancy.

When I called the restaurant today to notify them, the staff member I spoke with simply said their kitchen is “super clean” and implied it must have been something else we ate. No concern, no investigation, no refund — nothing.

For reference, under California Health & Safety Code §114411, restaurants are legally required to ensure food is safe for human consumption. When a consumer suffers a suspected foodborne illness, it is a matter of public health, not just customer service.

Because of the risk to vulnerable individuals, I have filed a formal complaint with the Orange County Health Care Agency – Environmental Health Division so this incident can be properly investigated.

I would strongly advise caution if you are considering dining here, particularly if you are pregnant, elderly, or...