La Ezkina Grill & Cantina — Restaurant in Walnut Creek

La Ezkina is officially the spot in Walnut Creek, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it. I had the pleasure of dining at this new grill and cantina, and it’s everything you’d want it to be—and then some. From the vibrant decor to the mouthwatering food, this place nails it. But the real gems? The people behind La Ezkina. They are some of the nicest, most generous folks you’ll ever meet.

Our evening started off with drinks that were just as impressive as the food. My friends enjoyed some unique cocktails while I savored a mocktail that was anything but ordinary. They even have gin and vodka from Mexico! You don’t see that every day.

For starters, we went all in with the Chicharrones, which are house-made and pack the perfect crunch. Then came the Mexican Volovanes—think flaky puff pastry stuffed with mole, potatoes, and chorizo. Every bite was bursting with flavor.

When it was time for the main course, La Ezkina did not disappoint. We dove into the special Garlic Shrimp over rice. Generous portions, and that sauce? Wow. Just wow. We also tried the Mole De La Casa—a creative twist on the traditional dish, featuring shredded chicken over rice in a pool of rich, house-made mole. For my main, I couldn’t resist the Carnitas special, topped with crispy chicharrones and jalapeños, served with guacamole and three types of salsa. And let me tell you, those house-made tortillas sealed the deal. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and thoughtfully prepared.

Dessert? Oh yeah, we went there. The Tres Leches Cake was perfectly moist, and those Churros with fresh ice cream and sauce? The hot and cold combo was the perfect way to wrap up the meal. I was in food heaven.

So, do yourself a favor and check out La Ezkina. Support local and let them know Rafael, aka Hoppinessisbeer, sent you!...

Review update I gave an amazing review while at the restaurant, I’m changing it now after I got my bill and thought about it. When I arrived this night, I got there before my wife and was sat alone. I ordered a Diet Coke and chips, salsa and guacamole. The waiter brought me a large carafe of Diet. I said oh great thanks, I drink a lot of diet. When we ran out, I asked for a refill and he grabbed the carafe and brought it back filled. We had two addition people show up late and they ordered two more sodas which were $4.50 each. When I got the bill, I noticed that they charged me $13.50 per carafe and they charged us the $9.00 for the other two sodas. Total for soda alone… $36.00…. Priceless!!! I could probably have handled the price of the carafe because it was 3 or more refills. But the waiter brought the carafe without asking me, I assumed that all the extra diet was free and was considered a refill like every other restaurant. I feel like this is a scam, I won’t be back to scammed again! original post I almost hate to share my review, I want to keep this place all to myself! Every aspect of our second experience was 5 Star! This is a hidden little gem north of Ygnacio on Broadway, away from the HELL which is downtown Walnut Creek! Plenty of close parking, it’s really nice and quiet at this end of town. Great for romantic dinners or dates. Great bar, big tv’s if you choose!...

Note: I am skeptical of some of the positive reviews here and believe they could be paid for.

I will not be going back.

Service: I can't tell if they are understaffed or overwhelmed or if they had a kitchen issue. Our server went MIA for at least 10 minutes. He didn't know the drinks, there were 2-3 servers, it was kind of a mess. The server misinformed us about Taco Tuesday, he said we got 3 tacos and a side for $9, then charged us $20, we caught it on the receipt, and he updated the receipt (without explanation) to $9.5 for tacos and $5 for a side. When we asked, he said, yeah, well you ordered the sides (we only ordered the sides because he told us they were free). For 5 people, 3 adults, this meal was too expensive and they weren't attentive enough.

Food: The food was fine. One child loved the caesar salad (not a Mexican dish...) The rest was fine, nothing great. They charge $8 for chips and salsa, which is a little insulting, especially given I was in SF at Poc Chuc and that only costs $2.5. I understand charging for chips and salsa, but it better really wow me. This didn't. Food was OK, just not for the price we ended up paying.

Drinks: Margarita was average at best. Beer was a beer, hard to mess up.

Atmosphere: Indoors is nice, has a TV, clean. Outdoors is nice too, but you're staring at a road and dilapidated USPS building. That's not the restaurant's fault, just...