South of Nick's San Clemente | Mexican Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in San Clemente

Southern California is so known for having fresh seafood and amazing Mexican food it's kind of a no brainer to try Nicks, but naming your other restaurant South of Nicks is kind of fitting the area. The people don't describe the streets, but more the description. Aside from like El Camino and what have you, it's odd. For those familiar with San Diego's Sushi Deli #1, #2, #3 it's not that far off.

Though the name has nothing to do with the menu, I'm assuming the owner or founder's name is Nick.

It's actually kind of a small menu, they are more focused on drinks carrying a pretty extensive supply of tequila's and an admirable supply of Whiskey and wine.

Décor is nice, pretty up scale for the surf town, kind of modern, but still has some traditional queues like accents and wall colorings. Romantico.

Ceviche is not supposed to have mayo in it. I dig the habanero and avo, but it has no business in my ceviche. You're a surfer town with a pier, you should know that may clouds the true freshness and taste of fish. Shrimp Taquitos almost make up for it though. Black Tiger prawns, avo salsa on the inside and the ranch works with the tortilla. As a child I used to dip everything in ranch. I save this for other parts of my meal too. I live quite near the heart of Avo country and get regularly get 25 for $5, so to see $11 for a bowl seems ridiculous. Somewhat chunky, needs the tomatos to be seeded first, love the red onions, cilantro and jalapeno, fresh lime and pepper. Not to replace the jalapeno, maybe add some cayenne for a more even heat and smokiness, garlic powder would round it out more.

Me being the hungry guy all the time. I like the combo's. Especially the Sonoran Dog, pork tamale and enchilada mix. Guaranteed to have you waddling after some beers, and some apps. A staple of Arizona the Sonoran dog is rare among Mexican places, pork tamale is moist and well seasoned. Enchillada has a colorful and aromatic sauce I wish had more heat. Perfectly cooked throughout and not scalding. They go the extra step in their dressings like Poblano caeser, Chipotle Ranch and my favorite Jalapeno Bleu cheese.

If you want fish taco's go elsewhere, this is a little too revamped to be considered traditional. Diablo shrimp I've heard gets overcooked, but their shrimp chimi and lobster enchiladas are filled with the perfect creamy mix of flavors.

They do a great job on the grill, but when I want steak I was USDA Prime. I found their favorites were not my favorites at all. Neither were the desserts, I usually love flan and tres leches, but throw the bananas in the cake and I'd have been happy.

Service is good, knowledgable staff and friendly. Helpful for the uneducated. I spend most of my time talking with them about their tequila.

It's a great place to come and experience. It's kind of cool, kind of hip, but not trendy. A quality meal to be eating with quality company any day. Weekends can get busy, weeknights...

Still Lovin this place!

It's a much higher end feel without being fancy with amazing ambiance, a great bar and multiple seating areas that each have their own flare.

LOCATION & AMBIANCE (Rating 4.75) As mentioned, this place feels high-end. I wouldn't suggest showing up without a reservation. Even the waiting area with receptionist feels high-end. There's a fireplace and comfortable seating area if there's a short wait and a large bar that has been full every time I've visited. They have two main dining areas that are both very nice, a meeting room that seats about 40-50 and a private dining area that probably seats about 25. We've used them all and each have wonderful decor and comfortable seating.

SERVICE (Rating 4.5) The service has always been very good. I can't say I've ever had amazing service which is typically just because it's a larger restaurant that is always busy. But you won't be disappointed.

CHIPS & SALSA (Rating 4.75) The chips are fried fresh ( I think ). They are extremely fresh, crisp and flavorful. The salsa is thick with just the right about of zing to it. Well done.

ENCHILLADA DIVORCIADAS (Rating 5.0) So these things are awesome! It's a colorful experience. Half of the plate green and half a rich blackish brown from the mole sauce. I'm not a huge mole lover, but their rich creamy sauces have won me over. There's only two enchiladas, but because the sauces are so rich they tend to be filling as well.

The enchilladas boast the following: chicken enchilada with mole sauce, cheese enchilada with poblano cream sauce, monterey jack cheese, sour cream, onions.

CHICKEN ENCHILLADAS (Rating 4.5) Chicken enchiladas are one of my go-tos when I go out for Mexican. They're served with traditional Spanish rice, refried beans and a wonderful Tijuana street corn that's sweet and extremely tasty. While these enchiladas are not my favorite in town, they are extremely good.

PORK CARNITAS (Rating 5) Tried this for the first time tonight and was extremely impressed. This dish is made with a coca-cola marinade. Add to that the spices and quality of meat and a bit of guacamole with each bite and there's not a lot left to desire when it comes to carnitas. It's a simple dish that has an elegant flavor....

LOVELY LATE DINNER ! After the movers had finished unloading all our belongings at our new address in San Clemente at 8pm on Monday...we had to go out to eat somewhere. My wife suggested South of Nick's...what a great idea I thought. We jumped in our car and headed straight here. They close at 10pm on Mondays and it was around 8.45pm when we walked inside. A cheery hostess named Shannon gave us a warm welcome and showed us to a comfortable high top table on the far side of the huge central bar. VERY LATE DINNER ! After a very long wearisome day moving house we were tired and hungry. A friendly server named Calvin dropped by quickly to help us out....promising to get our complimentary serve of Tortilla Chips & Salsas to our table asap. We also asked for iced waters and a hazy IPA. KEEPIN' IT SIMPLE ! At this late hour we wanted something easy to get down. When Calvin returned with my ice cold beer we ordered 1 x Birria Tacos ( slow-braised beef, corn tortillas, crispy cheese, onion, spicy salsa, radish, lime, micro cilantro, refried beans, spanish rice, beef consommé ) and 1 x Mini Soft Taco Platter ( carnitas, marinated chicken, ranchera beef, portobello, black beans )...my wife chose carnitas. My ice cold hazy IPA tasted very refreshing and the tortilla chips with a trio of salsas tasted perfect. WOW ! Our dinner order arrived faster than a speeding train and everything looked so appetizing. My fully loaded Birria Tacos ( something new ) tasted very good and were very filling..I could only eat 2 out of 3. My wife loved her 2 ( pork ) carnitas tacos. DESSERT ! Even at this late hour we had to have a happy ending.....Warm Butter Cake ( signature warm butter cake, crystallized sugar crust, vanilla ice cream, garnished with berry compote ) which was brought out by a sweet server named Jessica. And it was very delicious as always. And then we headed back to our new place with...