Mucho Ultima

My husband and I got engaged here :(
so sad that its gone :(

So disappointing that this place closed down. We really loved this place and the duck tacos were just to die for.
I really wish I knew how they made their street corn appetizer because it was so good!

Pros
–Good service
Everyone was friendly and I believe the manager walked around and asked how everything was (towards the end and I was with someone I did not feel comfortable complaining in front of).
Cons
–Lighting
They sat us in a table where we could not read our menus without holding them up towards light and our candle was out (later replaced while we were almost done).
–Drinks
I ordered a margarita with jalapeño and cucumber which was awesome at first but then i realized it didnt even taste like it had tequila. If it was a non-​alcoholic drink it would have been good.
–Food
The ceviche tasted sweet. Like ketchup sweet –_​_​– (if that makes sense).
The Seafood Guajillo dinner was bland and almost microscopic (small)! The garlic and «spicy» sauce or whatever it was, tasted like some type of garlic flavored Ragu.
The shrimp on the plate were overcooked/​chewy and bland
Too bad there’s not many «fancy» Mexican restaurants around. Ill stick to my hole in the wall Mexican restaurants for now.

I heard that Mucho’s is closing the end of this month (December), and the location is to be reopened as another high end restaurant.

Let it be know that on average, I only issue two 5-​Star ratings per month. And it is my district honor to issue Mucho’s a beautiful 5-​Star rating. Why? Allow me to explain.
First of all, I knew i was going to review Mucho’s on Unilocal so i looked for the details. I reviewed Mucho’s in a variety of categories. These include but are not limited to location, appearance, style, cleanliness, food quality, taste, presentation, and most importantly; service.
The outside of the restaurant is beautiful. The beach-​front property coupled with the modern feel and lighting make it an incredible date-​night selection. In addition, the front window panels open up and provide an outdoor atmosphere while still seated inside.
The bar is very stylish and original. The variety of back lighting make the bar area colorful and sleek. While deciding what beverage to partake in, the bartender offered me a variety of beer tastings. I ended up getting a local IPA while the wife had a blended mango margarita. Both were delicious.
For dinner, I began with some chips and salsa. I love homemade chips and salsa! They even brought me a salsa tray because I asked for something a little spicier. I then treated the wife to some Calamari, which came with a pomegranate salsa!
For dinner we had the lobster tacos and Seafood Guajillo. The tacos were epic as the tortillas were also homemade. The Seafood Guajillo was unlike anything I’ve ever had. It was a seafood dish that contained grilled fish and shrimp over a bed of exotic rice. I damn near kicked the plate!
We ended our adventure with fresh churros, which came with fresh chocolate and caramel. What an ending! The service was great and the ambiance was perfect. I really liked the presentation of food and menu options. It was designed perfectly.
We had a terrific night. Can’t wait to go back.

I was walking in Manhattan Beach with some of my sorority sisters when one of the girls saw that they were offering ½ price off margaritas when you mention «Marty Mcfly» to the bartender. Of course, we had to stop by.
So apparently this is what happens when you bring six sorority girls into Mucho Ultima:
WAITER: The bartender told me to come over here and…*starts unbuttoning shirt to reveal very nice upper body“
SORORITY GIRLS: *jaws drop* WOOOOOOO!
That was definitely the highlight of our dinner.
Now, I was not that hungry that day so I split a plate of taquitos with my friend. They were pretty basic and a little too pricey for my taste. But despite the mediocre food, I had a great time here. The wait staff were all very nice and friendly ;) and the drinks were always refilled quickly.
3 stars!

Love Mucho Ultimo — especially in the summer time.
Love the bar and brunch is good on Sundays. There is also live music, which added to the atmosphere.
Four of us decided to share so we could try a lot of things. Even the Brunch Menu is a good sharing menu.
We had pork belly sopas, Muchaca, Fondu, a salsa trio, guacamole and churos & chocolate — all really good, with, of course, Real lime margaritas– be ready for tart.
The service was good. Watching table side guacamole preparation was fun. Overall, always have a good time here.

What to eat for tourist from the valley? Picked up real estate mag from lobby of Belamar, saw an ad for this here mex digs. said why not since close to pier.
Cost me $ 58 bucks, 2 diet cokes and tip included.
Table guac $ 11.00 really not needed because food and comp chips fill you up, but craved it so ordered it. Comes with 3 salsas on the side; one is green, one is spicy orange, one is kidney beans, cilantro, tomato, corn, onion. The house salsa destroys all 3, its very good. So bottom line just eat the house chippies and salsa.
Chips were great, but as usual too mutherphuckin salty. I dont understand mexican establishments chips and their obssession with salt.
Diet cokes in a tall-​ass glass and strong like bull. They have maybe a few hundred tequilas on the wall inside the bar, cool, but I dont mix that with heavy food.
Ordered pork tacos (without pineapple on request thats frikking nasty) instead a side of pico de gallo. Rice was ok, like a baja fresh rice. some reason its very hard to find authentic, not burned rice anywhere. The tacos were heavenly, pork was marinated terrificly ($ 16), but very fatty unchewable parts too. If they trim it lean, and serve hotter (was lukewarm at best a no-​no) would be the shit. The corn tortillas were obviously not your neighborhood grocery tortillas; they were prob hand made, very very good tortillas. Wife hates corn even she liked them. Tastes like corn/​flour mix it was great.
Wifey ordered deep fried softshell crab tacos (2 for $ 20) its pricey but she said was very good. I think just fresh crab meat instead of frying would make it dynamite (probably would cost $ 40 then)
Menu is a bit limited but good items it seems.
Still, it was our best meal here. I wish we couldve had more time to go to rockfish, petros, etc. But its a fucking zoo on top of a zoo here, people, roads, and everything in between.

So here we go again… Is there any good food in the South Bay ??
Actually my gripe is not with the Food but with the lack of Customer Appreciation lol.
Couple of us went there for Happy Hour on 8÷2÷2012 for the first time.
We sat at the bar /​lounge area and ordered 2 appetizers and some drinks.
Since we got there at 5;45 pm we figured that we had at least an hour or so of happy hour drinks and food.
The food came which was ok. Sliders are tasty and you get 3. Calamari is not greasy and quite nice .
THE PROBLEM IS THIS; we Re Ordered our drinks at about 6;15 and at 6:35 one of us wanted a glass of wine.
The waitress came by and said she will be right back with the Cabernet.
She came back 2 minutes later and said «IT’S 6:37 PM. AND I CAN’T GIVE YOU THE WINE AT THE $ 6 PRICE » .
She informed us happy hour is OVER, finished, kaput, finito, zip, null lol.
I have been to happy hour places all over the city. I have never been told ” Too bad, it’s over ” considering we were sitting there with food and ordering drinks twice before.
In the past I had a waiter usually come up to me and say «happy hour is ending in few minutes, did you folks want anything else? » .
And ordering 5 minutes after the cutoff time …? Are you kidding me !!
This one is seriously one review for my «WTF «list. We are not going back again.

There’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Bryon Freeze — former Chef de Cuisine of Five Crowns/​SideDoor in Corona de Mar.
I was a huge fan of Chef Bryon’s at SideDoor and when I heard he had moved to Manhattan Beach, my friend and I decided to go check this place out.
The restaurant is beautiful with vibrant colors throughout. The atmosphere is lively and buzzing and there were people by the bar as well as families with kids in tow sitting at the booths.
The food is nuevo Mexicano for sure but includes favorites such as guacamole made to order at your table. It does come with a hefty price tag of $ 11 — but it is quite delicious.
Octopus tacos were so flavorful with a wonderful char on hand made corn tortillas. I would’ve liked a little more spice on mine so I threw some chopped jalapenos on mine to give it a kick.
Tuna ceviche isn’t your traditional ceviche sitting in liquid, but rather, reminiscent of a tuna tartare but with a twist on the condiments such as mango and cucumber. Served with fried yucca chips, this dish is delicious with a squeeze of lime.
For entrees, the lamb barbacoa is so good. It is slow roasted with spices wrapped in banana leaves and the meat is fork tender and served over a bed of beans and a pico de gallo type garnish adding a touch of freshness to each bite. We wrapped the meat and beans into corn tortillas and enjoyed them taco style.
No matter which way you look at it, the food is tasty and innovative — not exactly the Mexican you’ll find in Santa Ana, but one that definitely suits the style of Manhattan Beach.

I’ve been here a handful of times but recently went after they adjusted their menu to a more simple menu. There were a few things taken off the menu that I liked but it still is a good menu.
I’ll start off by saying that the food has always been good everytime I have gone. Never disappointed. In addition to that I probably had one of the best Ceviche dishes I have ever had. I’m Latin and lord knows I have had several types of Ceviche and hundreds of places. It’s the Mucho Specail Ceviche. There’s two on the list but this one had a sweet chile sauce with jicama and cucumbers. The fish was amazingly fresh and the sauce complimented it so well along with the crunchiness of the jicama and cucumber! YUM! My date had the Duck Enchiladas which were good but I wouldn’t order them on my own.
I had the Bikini Blood Orange Margarita which has Herradura Silver, Cointreau, Blood Orange Purée, Fresh Lime Juice & Agave Nectar. The first one was awesome, the second one came out a bit too sweet but was still good. My date had the El Fuego which has El Jimador Silver tequila, hand muddled jalapeño, lime, cane nectar. He had to send it back because it tasted like you were eating a whole jalapeño. It would have been an awesome drink if they didn’t muddle so much jalapeño. However I do know that some jalapenos pack a different punch so maybe it was just extra spicy. If you get just a hint of it in the margarita it can be quite tasty!
Overall a good dining/​drinking experience. The whole staff was friendly and helpful! Will definitely go back!

I’m so incredibly disappointed :’(
After our first amazing, fantastic, unbelievable experience here, I cannot believe this is even the same restaurant. Yes, the atmosphere is still the same — the seating and lighting. But the food NO, NOT THE SAME. We ordered the duck enchiladas this time around. They were just ok. The rice that came with it was blech. Although, we also ordered the mac & cheese and it was very good.
The menu has completely changed. No chile relleno, no filet mignon tacos (which stole the show previously), and the enchilada doesn’t even compare…
Chef Chris, where did you go? I’m so sad :(We will be going back to our original favorite Mexican restaurant.

I like the salsa and the queso here. As a result, I ate too many chips. Not a fan of the habanero sauce.
Filet mignon tacos were interesting, but I liked them. Parking is kind of a pain here, but it’s a beach town so what do you expect?
Not sure how I feel about ordering from the bikini menu, but I still did so anyway.

Probably the most unusual Mexican food I’ve ever had. While at most places, everything is served on one platter, at Mucho, all the sides, salsas and guacamole are placed with their own little dishes so you end up with about 6 or 7 of them. Definitely an interesting presentation.
The black beans and chipolte mac-​n-​cheese are very spicy and a bit dry. In fact, although my chicken enchiladas were tasty, they were also on the dry side. I had to load on the salsa verde and the guac (but both so delicious.)
The margaritas were scrumptious and the rock salt they use is a bit on the smoky side. Yum!
I was with a big group and the organizers paid so I can’t speak to the prices. But I will say that the wait staff were efficient, helpful and accommodating. The interior is gorgous — my kind of color pallette: deep mahogany, rich shades of amber and crimson, low lighting. The layout is great.
Overall a really nice experience.

This place is ok. That’s it. Would I go back? Sure if I was in the area and we wanted Mexican, I’d give it another whirl. But nothing left me wanting to come back. Service was slow, we had to ask where our food was. The food — decent. I think overall we just ordered wrong, trying to be «too healthy» amongst mostly non-​healthy (usually making it delicious) mexican cuisine.
On Thursday nights around 10pm a band comes in and plays, they’re not bad but they’re SUPER loud… can’t really dine and talk so after our meal we moved to the bar making it a bit easier to have a conversation.

Stopped by here on a Saturday night. no cover. decent music. not too shabby. There are many types or tequila to chose from, my friend recommended me to try the el fuego. and it surely gave me a kick. I can normally handle spicy, but this was pretty hard to take down. the margarita was made with hand muddled jalapenos. as well as having a jalapeño on the side…
Probably will come back to check out their happy hour menu and food.

Came here for my first time on a Saturday night… the jack & coke I ordered was a lil light on the alcohol… I guess in a place like this, you’re better off ordering tequila shots. They have a plethora of tequila to choose from… all depends on how much you wanna spend.
The DJ that night was great. He spun and kept the vibe going all night. Had a really great time dancing and never lost my groove when he mixed songs/​beats. He played all mainstream pop stuff… which is great for that club vibe.
Girl friend mentioned they have great food… so I’ll definitely have to come back.

My go to ceviche place growing up was in South Gate. Now, it’s Mucho.
I love their ceviche appetizer. Churros for dessert. Coconut mojito is delicious.
A lot of restaurants say they «reinvent» classics; Mucho delivers.

Happy hour review only.
$ 5 happy hour served in the bar and lounge.
Sun. 4 – 6:30pm and M-​Th 5 – 6:30pm
Chips and salsa — complementary
DRINKS
Listed house drinks, beers, wines, and sparkling wine — $ 5
Mucho Mojito — tasted okay, lime and mint weren’t muddled — 3 stars
Sangria Blanca — similar to mimosa, it’s fresh and fruity — 4 stars
Sangria Roja — quite strong and fruity — 4 stars
FOOD — $ 5 — 3 stars
BBQ Shrimp tacos, calamari frito, carnitas sliders, grilled chicken quesadilla, mexican corn, taquitos, yucca fries and shrimp cocktail.

Hip, lively atmosphere on a Saturday night. Food is decent but not orgasmic, drinks are good, service is friendly and good-​lookin! I got there at 8:30, and parking wasn’t bad (free on the street after 9!) but the wait for a table was 45 minutes. Figures… this place was already packed.
The DJ starts spinning around 10, so conversatin’ becomes kind of a chore. It’s odd that they have a DJ and the music is so loud, given the fact that it’s not really a dancing kinda place as far as I could tell. My girls and I eventually decided to head to a quieter place once we realized that we had begun to pantomime.
«How big was his _​_​_​_​?» I hold up a salt shaker.
If you’re looking for a more mature but well-​manicured crowd, this is the place to be. There’s still plenty of beach-​blondes though, for those of you who are into that. But they’re definitely classier than the ones over at Sharkeez.