"EL ADOBE" RESTAURANT Review

I've eaten here twice, and have left impressed both times. The food is quite good - not "remarkable", but prepared with obvious care and attention, and since the prices are very reasonable, it's a great value. I don't mind expensive food, and I don't mind cheap food, but expensive food of only moderate quality is infuriating. El Adobe has very reasonable prices for the very good food they serve. The best part of the experience is the service. Whomever is training/hiring their wait-staff *knows* old-school professional food-service. It's a joy to see it being done so well.

Great authentic Mexican food, traditional rice and beans. The food tastes great and the restaurant's atmosphere is set in an old style ranch home, cozy and quaint.

Excellent dinner. Get The Presidents Choice, a favorite of President Nixon when he used to eat here. Margaritas are very good as well.

The Presidents Choice is truly a wonder to behold and and devour. No wonder Richard Nixon had his chefs prepare this in the White House.

This has been my family's favorite go to when we go out for drinks or dinner for years. Unfortunately, this past weekend changed that for good. We had family visiting from another country and we were so excited to share El Adobe with them. The lady working the bar was extremely rude, she was clearly busy and perhaps understaffed, but that is no reason to be downright rude to PAYING customers. She was completely and visibly put off by everything about us coming in. While she attempted to make up for it by the end of our visit by chatting about herself, she couldn't erase the unprofessional and unwelcoming impression she left on my family. I have always had excellent service at El Adobe until now and honestly, I won't be back because of this woman.

Close walk from the train station or the Mission.
Great food and nice history. Great place to take family visiting internationally. Get the Guac made tableside

Booked the Portola room for my gf's baby shower and it was amazing! They made the event planning so easy and fun! I can't wait to plan the next event with them! Ricardo took care of our every need that day. He was friendly and very attentive! Highly recommend

Good Times! Conco de Mayo at The Adobe! Shout out to Desmadre Tequila

Very good Mexican restaurant, excellent service ... Guacamole is made in front of you

Good dinner. Didn't have reservations, but they got my party of 5 in about 20 minutes!

The food here is fantastic. The atmosphere is friendly. Their brunch is always good here. They have awesome green posole. Yummy!!

Really good food and a great atmosphere. I'm always surprised when I go.

Busy. First day opening April 2021. Some things not available in the bar.

Food was good & service good for a very large group. The only negative is they had a little difficulty towards the end of the group keeping the buffet stocked with everything in a timely manner. Run outs on the guacamole & shredded cheese for the tacos caused a wait for those who had waited to the end to go up. Other than that the food was delicious & the atmosphere pleasant.

It is delicious , everything is delicious!!! I could eat here every day, it is my favorite Mexican restaurant

This place is awesome, the best & heart of San Juan Capistrano

Really good fajitas! Great service while i charged my tesla! :)

Great food, excellent people helping you. Highly recommend happy hour snacks. Great value.

Great food and service. Went with a group for a birthday party and really enjoyed myself. They serve pitchers of margaritas!

Excellent service, will definitely come back again, thank you for the service.

Stopped in here for a late lunch. We chose selections from the appetizer menu. It was not a memorable visit ... with the exception of the level of difficulty to actually get into the building from the parking lot when one is handicapped. However, had been here previously for a dinner, which was very nice, but that time I was dropped at and picked up from the front door and did not have to climb that incline.

Great ambiance in this historical restaurant with friendly service. The food was good but not among the best of southern California Mexican establishments.

Good food perfect for weddings and corporate events

Nice place but food was terrible. Shrimp tasted like "refrigerator". Steak and chicken seemed old and tasteless...only thing I really ate was their chips and salsa...yuk

Great mexican food. Charming atmosphere. Its a popular spot for dignitaries. Also has banquet facilities.

Great restaurant for top quality Mexican food. The service is almost always great - this is a favorite spot of mine :)

Good food and great service. Ask to see the jail in basement, it's real and historic.

Went for a large pre-wedding dinner, we had a private room. The food and service were outstanding.

We are repeat satisfied customers. Great food @ reasonable prices! The servers are all attentive & friendly... atmosphere is casually relaxing always.

Awesome food, really fast, nice waiters, good music, fresh ingredients, and an interesting venue. All around one of the best restaurants in town.

A place to enjoy with family, friends or your partner.
A warm atmosphere, super friendly waiters and the bartender named Ignacio makes delicious drinks
Mango Margarita or Jamaica

Kinda greasy food...kinda expensive...but historic place n location

Chili rejeno is very good. Cadillac margarita is a little stiff, so watch yourself.

Max the manager would not take party of two as we did not had reservations. We have always come after work but I wont be returning.

Food is outstanding. I had the president's choice. Enchilada and taco were stuffed full of meat.

Great spot to eat my Mom would bring us here. It has stayed excellent the food and Staff all wonderful .
Been coming to El Adobe since 1970

Staff excellent, food likewise, decor great, haunted basement very interesting. Nice to know the history behind this place. Great would definitely return.

Amazing chicken mole enchiladas, chips & salsa & great service in the bar/cantina.

Really delicious Mexican food here, and it's said to be Richard Nixon's favorite restaurant in the area... not sure the full history there. Get the tableside guacamole. I like that they ask if you want mild, medium or hot on the guac. We went with hot and it was indeed zippy. Everyone's entree at the table was great, I highly recommend some of the specialty menu items. They get docked one star for having a happy hour menu at the table but then telling us they only serving happy hour deals in the bar when we tried to order from it.

Food always excellent, servers are great along with a very simple but professional presentation.

Enchilada always arrives cold. Everyone else enjoyed Taco Tuesday....crowded

This was President Nixons favorite restaurant apparently and you can order the same food he used to eat there. The food here is absolutely amazing, definitely recommend if you're in the area.

Ok, food.was.good not great. Service was a little slow

Sweet piece of California History

Food and atmkatmosp is great

I drive from San Diego to come here

Sadly, they developed the history out of our old school Mexican restaurants, but San Juan Capistrano ensures

Best Mexican food in San Juan Capistrano, bar none. That being said, here are some caveats: expect a long line, good luck with alterations, and it helps to know some Spanish. I highly recommend the barbacoa and, if they have it, the chipotle chicken is out of this world. They also do reasonably priced party packs, which are perfect for having people over. Food: 10/10, and 10/10 with rice.

This is not mexican food. It is spanish. Try the cucumber margaritas for fun. The center of the restaurant is built around the old original adobe ovens and restaurant. The family that runs it and the recipes they use are as old as the mission.This is NOT TACO BELL. You have to understand quality, to appreciate this place.

What an interesting venue. Great history. Food was good....

Food was delicious. Dine in, accommodated but within guidelines.

Beautiful venue with very good food. Nice people. Their guacamole is pretty darn awesome.

Great banquet room for larger parties, very nicely set up. Very convenient location for an event.

They have a small-ish parking lot, so if you go for an event get there early or plan to walk from a public lot across the way.

Local favorite. Always get the tableside guacamole.

Used to come here 40 yrs ago - was my dad s favorite for Mexican in SoCal. Service was slow and the place was near empty at 2:30 pm. Drinks were good, food is very generic and all pre-made, steam table style. Tamales were dense and hard, like little bricks. Rice had no flavor nor did the chicken enchiladas. If you like generic tasteless American style Mexican food, this is the place. Very disappointed!

This place is so cool. Great food. Try the lobster enchiladas.

Xlnt food
Ordered carnitas plate

Get the tamales, they are superb! Love the rice and refried beans that came with it too, everything was delish.

A favorite Mexican restaurant of ours! Make sure to try their margaritas! This place has rich history and we love the food.

Good food. Nice atmosphere but it can get a little loud. Good portion size. Parking is sometimes difficult.

Everything we ordered was amazing! So glad we stopped in for lunch.

Favorite Stagecoach Stop in the County. You can dine where presidents have dined. Wonderful service and fabulous Mexican food.

great food, services and drinks! clean and they have done a great job about ensuring that you can still enjoy a good email while maintaining social distancing.

We were visiting the Mission yesterday and were looking for a place to eat. We asked some Mission volunteers where they might recommend. All 3 said to go to El Adobe if we were looking for Mexican fare, which we were. It was also just a 5 minute walk.
What a treat! Our waiter, Alberto, brought home made chips and salsa to the table and advised us as to what we might enjoy. Two of us had the nacho supreme, 2 shared a steak fajita, and I enjoyed a combination plate of an enchilada and chile relleno.
Great service, very delicious food, and large portions. All served quickly and attentively. So glad we asked, so glad we followed the recommendation.