El Fandango Restaurant

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San Diego Foodie

Joined 3 years ago

Amazing Happy Hour Prices!. This place has a ton of specials and a nice long happy hour all weekdays. (I think it's 3-7) Anyways, Monday and Tuesday they have $2 dollar margaritas. How could you go wrong with that?

I also hear their Sunday brunch is really good.

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JasonArnold

Joined 3 years ago

El Fandango - Good Mexican Food!. Went there with some buddies after work and it was really good! We sat at the bar first and had a drink, pretty good margaritas. Chips and salsa was good. We all got different stuff, but I had the crepes on their specialty menu and they were very different but really good.

Only semi-downside is the parking situation, but they have that big lot where people go to park to use the trolley. Wasn't a problem for us and we all met there around 5. Definitely worth trying out.

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Fan of Food

Joined 3 years ago

GREAT SPECIAL- $15 TEQUILA TASTING!!!. I don't know what these other reviews are talking about--the service was great, the food was really good (I tend to judge mexican restaurants on their salsa, and it was some of the best I've had in Old Town)- and you can tell the place is very authentic and is one of the historical Old Town establishments.

I had a work meeting at El Fandango last week and was very impressed. Our server was very attentive (refilled drinks before they could even get half empty, brought our food out hot, and continuously refilled the chips and salsa). The portions were HUGE.

They also have great specials! $15 for TEQUILA tasting and appetizers on Friday-- a serious steal in San Diego! My friend has been to their Sunday brunch several times and it includes champagne.

Many of the posts on here are complaining about service, but I honestly can't see how. I worked in the service industry for 4 years and do not have one complaint about this restaurant.

Trust me- you won't be disappointed!

Doesn't Recommend

NellyB83

Joined 4 years ago

WORST DINING EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD!. HORRIBLE DO NOT EAT HERE! we waited forevr for our waitress, waited 1 hr to gett our food and the waitress was terrible and rude. we unknowingly got a "15 %gratuity fee" added to our bill for sitting out side! ( we were sat there, not by choice) and when we asked about what these extra charges were she rudely exclaimed that we "didnt have to tip if we didnt want to" and stormed away. there were two tables next to us and they seemed to have gotten the same bad service we did because i could hear them complaining about her too. In the end my friends left a undeserving $6 tip and my only regret was not speaking to someone incharge while we where there. whe we got to our car we were still wondering why the gratuity was so high, so we double checked and realized she added 20% instead of 15! we were so mad! i wrote a nasty complaint on their website and im still not satisfied. I DO NOT recommend you going there. Eat somewhere else. The food isnt worth all the terrible service.

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I JUST READ THE OTHER REVIEWS AND IM SO ANGRY!!! i think theyre running a scam here and im not going to let them get away with it. Im so glad that i saw your review and im only sorry i didnt check before i went there.

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doll83

Joined 5 years ago

Romantic fireside dining, crowded on weekends, make reservation. Except delectable Mexican fare and singing mariachis at this romantic eatery, tucked away in San Diego's cute Mexican village. A mellow vibe entices diners to linger long hours and the wide menu tantalizes with traditional dishes and treats. We were not seated promptly but were able to wait at the bar. They claimed to seat us in 15 minutes, however we waited for more than 40 minutes though. The food was a delight! My halibut came in a delicious spinach sauce, steamed veggies and rice alongside. The wide bill of fare also offered diverse cocktails and alcoholic beverages.

Doesn't Recommend

longview65

Joined 5 years ago

NEVER again will I eat here!!!. We were in Old Town for the Cinco De Mayo celebration on Sunday 5-04-08 and decided to eat at El Fandago as the menu as presented outside the entrance looked pretty decent......... WRONG!!!!!!!!!

The place to be expected was crowded but not packed and we were told that there were NO tables outside to eat at where we requested even tho we could see several empty places.

We asked the young girl if we could eat outside and she said in a short and curt reply........ 'NO"

The chips and salsa came out right away but it took a waiter 15 minuted before we were even approached.

We ordered 2 glasses of water with a twist of lemon to start with and ordered our food at the same time.

25 minutes later it FINALLY arrived.

My Wife ordered the 2 taco plate and I ordered the 2 cheese enchilada plate. Her's was good but my cheese was not even melted and the enchiladas were warm and not hot.

I couldnt get the waiter to come over to the table even tho I flagged him several times so I ate the food as it was.

NOT once did the waiter come over to see how our meal was and our water NEVER came..... I had to get up from the table and walk to the bar to get the water myself.

Once we were done eating another 20 minutes had elapsed and NO check.......NO waiter!!

I had to get up and find him to get us the bill.

NEVER..........NEVER will we eat there again!! The food was horrible, the portions were tiny and the service was not only terrible but there was NO service!!

I hope the administrators of El Fandango read these reviews and make a change because if they don't they will soon be losing business, if they havent already!!

As another person wrote: This food is on the same order or class as Taco Bell.

Doesn't Recommend

okisquid22

Joined 6 years ago

WORST MEXICAN FOOD & SHADY SERVERS. I'M FROM SAN DIEGO BUT MY PARENTS WERE VISITING FROM JAPAN. EL FANDANGO HAD THE WORST MEXICAN FOOD I'VE EVER HAD. THE SERVICE UP UNTIL THE CHECK WAS DECENT, DEFINITELY AT LEAST 15% TIP WORTHY. WHEN WE GOT OUR BILL WE NOTICED OUR SERVER (RAFAEL) ALREADY INCLUDED THE TIP, FOR A PARTY OF FOUR. I HAD INITIALLY THOUGHT THE TIP WAS OKAY, BUT REALIZED AFTER WE WERE HOME HE TIPPED HIMSELF 20%, DID NOT GIVE US A RECEIPT & GAVE ONLY 1/3 OF OUR CHANGE. WE CERTAINLY WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN & WILL MAKE SURE WE PASS THIS EXPERIENCE ON TO OUR FRIENDS SO THAT THEY NEVER GO THERE EITHER.

Doesn't Recommend

gokool

Joined 6 years ago

No kidding, 1 of the worst dining expiriences ever. Please read and don't go!. Starting from the beginning. Customer service is slow. You get chips and salsa quickly but they take too long to get your order in. Whenever you get your food, don't expect anything special. Expect the food to be on par with Taco Bell. Tasteless. Bar is small and cramped and there is no air conditioning in restaurant. They even tried to stick us with the bill for an additional dinner. Complained to waitress, manager, and owner and finally got it adjusted. Is it that hard to fix that? It's like no one believed us. If you like bad customer service, bad food, and sweating while you wait, this is the place for you. If not, your better off at El Toritos or Taco Bell.

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Maren Dougherty

Joined 7 years ago

Expect tacos, burritos and a taste of the 19th century in this Old Town Mexican cafe.. In Short
Follow the dusty road past the saloon, schoolhouse and candy store in the Old Town San Dieg Historic State Park to find this adobe-style restaurant. Couples and families gather around low wood tables for plates of burritos, enchiladas or shrimp specials. Also popular are the savory crepes filled with chicken and mushrooms - a dish not so readily available in neighboring Mexican spots. On weekend nights there's live entertainment by local Mexican musicians.

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nameonrice

Joined 7 years ago

mojito night on thursday.great deal... Went there for the mojito special and fell in love

with the lush patio.. very cozy vibe.. and the mojito

was free with the meal..