Javier’s – Crystal Cove

This is an honest & fair review! If your coming for the ambience then it’s a 5-​Star if you’re coming for the food it’s realistically 3 ½−4 Star! This is hard for me to say because the staff is great and food is super fresh, BUT I’VE HAD BETTER MEXICAN FOOD IN THE HOOD! So I think you get what I mean. Would I return YES with friends it’s fun… would I choose over local Mexican cuisine NO. 4-​Stars
–Blessings

As always fantastic place, good food and ambience, super polite staff and live the view!

The hungry threesome, aka Cameron, our friend Andrew, and I, decided to visit Javier’s for our most recent restaurant exploration. It was a most worthy decision.
Javier’s has a reputation as a bit of a meat market on Saturday nights and it was. Lots of people watching throughout the meal! ‘beautiful people’, ’ I’m so rich I just don’t care’, and ‘look at me’ everywhere.
There’s a tequila cave with pretty bottles under lighting (and lock and key). There are large twisted metal trees at the bar cradling various bottles. There are candles in corners and glittering mother of pearl tiling on walls. Giant metal globes with intricate carved patters serving as light covers. Fire pits. It is pretty.
We started at the bar with margueritas on the rocks (the guys) and a whiskey and dry (me). BTW, they have dry ginger ale. No mixing a «substitute» that really doesn’t taste anything like ginger ale! All three came in huge glasses with a good balance of alcohol to everything else.
Before finishing we were seated. I like the use of multiple walk-​through rooms rather than one huge floor space. Makes it more intimate and helps cut down some of the noise.
Staff were quick to check in and quick with the complementary chips and dip — which were way too tasty. Also, despite being so fresh they were still warm, they were decidedly not greasy! And they are replenished regularly so be careful not to fill up on them. It’s easy to do.
After some discussion with our waiter, we ended up with chicken taquitos and the ceviche de pulpo. Brilliant choice. The tachitos were larger than expected, with crispy shells (but not so crispy they shattered and went everywhere), and stuffed with chicken. The chicken was very finely shredded, moist, and flavoursome. There was a healthy serving of avocado sauce and cotija cheese — both of which nicely complemented the taquitos. So good.
The ceviche was divine. This was an almost dry ceviche to be eaten with a fork. Very simple — thick slices of octopus with red onion. The acidity of the lemon et al had perfectly ‘cooked’ the octopus which was delicate and not at all chewy or rubbery. Try a bit on one of the corn chips — it’s a perfect blend of textures and flavours!
We proceeded onto our mains. Javier’s is known for its seafood so, under advisement, I went with that. Best choice ever. The trio de enchiladas del mar gave me Dungeness crab, lobster, and shrimp! The enchiladas were all a reasonable size, tightly rolled, with a decent amount of stuffing. No portions of empty tortilla. No stuffing exploding everywhere. All started with the seafood sauteed in butter, garlic, and wine.
The shrimp enchilada… The shrimps were perfectly cooked. The melted monterey cheese (?) didn’t overwhelm the flavour of the shrimp.
The lobster enchilada was also served with melted monterey cheese (?). It was light and mild in spice flavours — and, with something as delicate in flavour as a lobster, this is important if you want the lobster to come through. Like the shrimp, the lobster wasn’t drowned in butter.
The Dungeness crab enchilada was my favourite with its rich taste of crab and tart tomatillo sauce. This couldn’t have tasted more different to the shrimp. Thus, the tart sauce with the mild shrimp and the same tart sauce with the rich and sweet crab gave two totally different experiences.
Cameron tried the enchiladas poblanas and thoroughly enjoyed it. The mole sauce was sublime and the chicken enchiladas were perfectly made. Andrew went for the carne tampiquena — a New York strip alongside a chicken enchilada in mole sauce, and a chicken taquito. Again, it was apparently perfection — like Cameron and I, he cleared his plate.
Despite being quite full, we decided to venture into dessert. Often, a place that does brilliantly with the appetisers and mains, falls short on the pastries. It’s disappointing as that sets the seal on the entire experience. Javier’s, however, is not one of those places. Dessert was delicious!
I had to try the pastel de chocolate and I am so glad I did. If you are an Aussie and you miss mud cake, this was a pretty good approximation, flavour and richness wise. It’s a rich fudge topped with ganache with a slender sliver, wafer thin, of actual dense chocolate cake at the base. It is not sugary. It comes with a vanilla bean ice cream nestled in a cinnamon sugar bunuelo basket. The only change I would make is to ditched the drizzled sauce (strawberry?) and add a sprig of mint. Or actual sliced strawberry. The sauce is too sweet. But it didn’t get it for the sauce. I got it for the cake and it was good!
Cameron went with fried ice cream — a large scoop rolled in crushed cornflakes and nuts and served in a bunuelo basket with a drizzle of honey. Andrew took the pastel tres leches — a hearty slice of sponge cake topped with almonds and camera (a sweet caramel sauce). Despite both dishes being very tasty, they managed only about half before giving up.
We will return

I spent $ 180 here today and when I went to pick up my order I noticed they only gave me one salsa for 3 tablitas. I asked the girl at the front if she can give me more because they usually come with 2 salsas EACH tablita. She told me she would have to charge me for more salsa. How does this make any sense? If I went to the bar and got a water they would give me unlimited chips and salsa.
This place has gone so down hill the last year it’s disappointing. Horrible service.

We took our father here for his birthday, and I left completely unsatisfied and angry. We all left feeling like we got completely swindled.
First off, the portions are MINUSCULE! We were all starving after the meal. And I think if you’re going to have such overpriced items in your restaurant, you need to either have large portions or amazing food — this restaurant had neither. The food was completely bland, and we were all left scratching our heads, trying to figure out why this place is so expensive!
I ordered the veggie fajitas and I got a plate with a fist size vegetables containing zucchini, carrots, and corn — and they had the AUDACITY to charge me full price for this, at $ 23!!!
And to make matters worse, when they cut the birthday cake that WE had brought, they charged us $ 2.50 per slice! Yes, you read that right! 2.50 per cut. Did you fall out of your seat? Because I did!!!
The waiter was also rude and pretentious — there was literally nothing redeeming about this place.
Go elsewhere — there are literally hundreds of delicious Mexican restaurants that would be happy to have your business.

Went in for lunch and had the triple combination of enchilada, chile Relleno and taco and my friend had the Tacos de Camaron. All the food including the chips and salsa was very good (and reasonably priced I guess for the area). I call this place «high end» Mexican food.
The killer was a pitcher of the Casa El Jimador Blanco Tequila, served on the rocks margarita. Don’t fall off your chair, but the pitcher was only $ 68.00!!! So our lunch for two was over $ 100.00!!! Seriously??? I should have asked for the price before ordering. My mistake.

Todo muy Rico mi primera vez here
El pollo con chipotle delicious el guacamole y los chiles rellenos delicious y las vevidas son muy Ricas super recomendable!
Los meseros super nice!

I loved my experience at Javier’s I came with a big group for a friends bday dinner. The restaurant is somewhat strict about everyone being present before getting seated, so keep that in mind.
Meal started with chips and salsa. The salsa is spicy but you get used to it after multiple dips. It was difficult deciding what to order. I decided on the crab enchiladas and they were sooo good. Stuffed with juicy crab and the green sauce on top was excellent.
I love dessert so I knew I had to make room for that. I ended up getting the fried ice cream. Yes! Cornflake type crust over the ice cream in a cinnamon sugar buñelo basket. 5 people had a taste of it and they all loved it. I also got to try a bite of the tres leche and it’s one of the best tres leche I’ve tasted. This restaurant is in a beautiful area of Newport and depending where you’re sitting you can see the sunset and the day we were there there was fireworks on the ocean, nice!

As a resident of Newport Beach and a frequent customer of Javier’s, I don’t think I will ever be returning after the horrific experience I had with the security guard, Ray. He used profanity and at one point was yelling at us with the intent to demean us about something he assumed had happened, when in reality, we were trying to enjoy our dinner. It was extremely unprofessional and not something I would expect from an upscale restaurant– it felt like we were being bounced out of a night club. It’s unfortunate that one person is able to ruin what could have been a fine dining experience. Hire new security. We won’t tolerate discrimination. I’ll be spreading the word if changes aren’t made.

Cool spot by the water with delicious mexican food & gorgeous ambiance. I recommend La Tablita with steak & the Pina margaritas. One of my new favorites, XoXo.

Great food, great service & amazing ambiance. I always get the Enchilada seafood trio, delish!

Love this place! The food and drinks are amazing! Great place to come hangout with friends! Highly recommend it!

I went on a weekend at night. Waited for a good 30 mins even though the wait time expected was more.
We got good seats. Friendly service.
Great food like their other locations as well as drinks!
The place was packed but servers were prompt with the food & order taking.
Good experience, don’t like to wait but that’s what you’ll have to do if you want to enjoy this nice fancy restaurant.

By far my favorite restaurant for Mexican food. Authentic food, cooked perfect and served five star!
The enchilada and tamale plate is to die for! Perfectly cooked chips and fresh salsa are amazing.
I will forever recommend this restaurant. It’s a great place to go with friend, or with family, or for a business meeting.

Classy and just pure elegant. I love coming here when I’m visiting home. The food is fantastic, and the atmosphere even more phenomenal. Overall amazing dining experience, excellent staff. Highly recommended!

I didn’t get a chance to try this place.
The host was so rude, and my waitress never even showed up. the host was super stressed out, it was totally cleared, I requested a booth. She tried to sit me on a table! What was so hard about my simple request? She told me I had to wait another 30 when I had already waited for a long time. It was upsetting but still I waited. I really wanted to try this place out… After like 20 minutes of not being acknowledged by anyone I left.

Hadn’t seen a bestie for awhile and we wanted a place with good food, good vibes but where it wasn’t crazy loud so we could catch up. Perfect choice.
We had reservations so we were seated quickly. Great area– not too loud (except for the birthday song behind us toward the end of our night ;p). Great service all night.
We got the chicken taquito’s for appetizers– a little too cripsy with the wrap but it was good. Double margarita’s– not too pricey (IMO), good enough for second rounds.
Generous servings and so filling, we ran out of room for dessert!
The company def made it better but overall, great night. Will return when I visit Pelican again! :)

DA BOMB! Javier’s is so much yum, it’s almost overwhelming. The crowd itself is a bit overwhelming but yo that chicken poblano plate is worth the rowdiness. If you want to kick it with some ready-​to-​party 30 to 40-​something olds then hey, you came to the right place.
On a Saturday night you can bet you’re gunna be scarfing down Coronas and margaritas for a good hour and a half if you don’t have a reservation. My group had a reservation at 9 but we decided to show up at 730 to see if we could get in early. After snooping around we finally got a bar seat at 8:15-ish. We were starved so we decided to stay. I had the Apollo Adobo and a friend had the Carnitas Salad, while another mixed it up and tried the chicken enchilada/​tamale/​fried poblano plate. YUM x100 for it all.
I highly suggest this place if you don’t mind rubbing elbows with every cougar in Orange County, or bar-​seat dining. If you’re feeling ambitious, the craziness of Javier’s is you’re spot for excellent gourmet Mexican food and a tipsy night out!

Let me preface this review by saying I’ve only been to Javier’s 3 times in total and twice at the Crystal Cove location. That said I had a wonderful experience the last time I was here.
Ok, on to my most recent visit. Today (1÷20÷16) we took my mother-​in-​law for a birthday lunch. There were four of us and drinks, appetizer salad and chips and salsa were excellent. We ordered our food and I ordered something off the menu: the Camerones del Diablo. It’s a wonderful spicy shrimp dish. When the food arrived I realized that I had the Shrimp in garlic and white wine sauce. Wrong dish. I politely asked for the correct dish. (It’s what I’ve been dreaming of since my last visit). What I received was a lackluster, unappetizing thick sauced version of the original dish. I tried it anyway and it did not taste good. (I had a photo from last time, it was easy to see this wasn’t the same). So for my third attempt at an entrée I tried to get the Carne Asada but was told it would take 25 – 30 minutes to prepare well done. (I’m almost 5 months pregnant so I needed well-​done) Instead I selected the Pollo Asado and after one bite I realized it was undercooked. Instead of returning yet another dish I simply asked for it to be boxed up. I cooked it at home and had it for dinner. In hindsight I should have alerted the manager while in the restaurant but I was tired of bothering my very understanding and helpful server. (He didn’t seem to mind but I don’t like being a pain in the butt patron) I’ll be sure to call the restaurant tomorrow because while undercooked chicken can lead to illness (salmonella) for most, it can lead to much worse than nausea for a pregnant woman. It can even be passed to the baby.
So to sum it up, Javier’s delivered with its wonderful standard of service from ALL staff members, the drinks and pretty much all of the food. I would’ve simply knocked off 1 star for the food problems if it hadn’t been for the undercooked chicken. That’s a no-​no in any kitchen and the chef should have known better.

Enjoyed the venue, food, beverage and staff. I feel that you must visit this restaurant during a clear California day. I love the atmosphere!
At night, do dress to the nines!

Oh Javier’s, how I could come here all the time and just sit around the awesome fire pits that are near the entrance area. The ambience and look of the restaurant is calm, quiet, and romantic. A little bit on the darker side, but still very inviting.
For appetizers we tried the loaded nachos and the guacamole. The nachos were a heaping portion, loaded with yummy cheese goodness. The guacamole was fresh, but there was just not enough of it, the bowl was extremely small especially for the price.
For dinner I had the steak quesadillas, which was also a heaping portion, but done just right. The steak was tender, the cheese delicious, and the quesadilla lightly toasted. It was good, just nothing overly special.
The chips and salsa they bring out is pretty decent and a little on the mild side, the chips were nice and warm. The service was good, but it took the waiter a while to come back to take our food order after we had ordered our appetizers. But even with that being said, I would still return. The fire pits are the most welcoming!

This restaurant is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to, is so chic and gorgeous and it is the perfect place to have a party or to have dinner or drinks with friends. The whole vibe of the entire restaurant is so romantic. My food was incredibly delicious and my date and I loved the salsa that is provided when you initially sit down. My date and I shared the fajitas and our food was extremely fantastic and the beef was so well-​made and well marinated that we both agreed that it was the best fajitas we had ever had. Our waiter, whom I believe was named Joaquin, was extremely nice and even provided us with extra flour tortillas without us asking, making our dinner experience very smooth.
When it came time for us to get desserts, we decided to go with the flan. Unfortunately, it was extremely hard in texture and difficult to swallow. The caramel sauce and the actual custard flavors were fine, but the texture was just a little too stiff for my personal taste. If you choose to order desserts, I really recommend getting anything but the flan. Also, after the dinner I had a slightly upset stomach and felt a little icky, but I’m not sure if it’s because I ate too many chips and salsa. My date did not have the same experience, however, so don’t let that part of my dinner dictate your willingness to eat here, because I still really recommend it.

Very good food except I found a piece of chicken bone in my salad! :(
I know Javier’s has great food and service, so this was a disappointment

Confession: I’ve lived in Orange County for 11 years and I finally tried Javier’s! I mean every time the opportunity came up, I just avoided it because my favorite Mexican Spot (El Cholo… I see you!) was so close to home. Finally my in-​laws bugged me to take them to a cool spot near the water and Javier’s came to mind. The ambiance is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. We came around sunset and the décor really created a cool feel… Almost an urban/​beachy/​sexy/​romantic feel. There is ample seating, but that doesn’t keep the queue from getting long. When you enter, there’s a small lounge area that’s a covered outdoor area, the bar area that has a bar as well as high top tables, dining area that has multiple rooms and the GLORIOUS outdoor dining patio complete with beautiful views of the ocean and sunset.
While I liked the food, I realize that things are definitely more Americanized for the tourist-​y crowd. My husband and I had the following:
–Enchilada Suiza: Small but delicious
–Carnitas: Big chunks of juicy pork… GOOD!
–Guacamole: Portion was small but good
–Chips: Warm and fresh
–Jalapeño Margarita: YES… 1000x yes… The perfect spicy/​sweet combo!
All in all, the food was good. It was not the best I have ever had, but I feel that you come to Javier’s more for the ambiance and people-​watching than you do the food. The service is excellent and the servers/​staff are really friendly.
Pros:
–Great service
–Amazing drinks
–Good Food
–AMAZING ambiance
Cons:
–Pricey
Tips:
–You do NOT have to valet… Use the spots in the shopping center
–Dress is more like resort casual… Think cute tops/​jeans or a nice sundress; for guys, think nice top and jeans. You will feel under dressed if you just show up in shorts/​tee/​flip flops

Javier’s was just what I needed after a failed experience at an overly price Mexican restaurant, Toca Madera. After dining at Toca Madera, I was on a mission to find a Mexican restaurant where the food and drinks are stellar and the price equally match the quality of the food, portion size, and service… And I found that here.
I ordered the Cabo Azul: lobster enchilada, chili relleno stuffed with crab and shrimp, shrimp and crab taco, rice and beans. Simply delicious! For $ 30, I think this was a good price and not expensive at all. Had 2 Cadillac Margaritas. Yessss! They know how to make drinks here! (Excuse me if I seem overly excited, but when your dining experience at an $$$$ Mexican restaurant is a complete let down, you will appreciate Javier’s lol). And can’t forget about the chips and salsa. Everything tasted so fresh.
Service was exceptional. No complaints here. I will definitely come back again and again!

You know you’re officially an OC girl when you have a 2pm brunch at Javiers. First, you cannot beat the views. Newport Beach really is so beautiful. The restaurant also boasts some of the nicest interior decorating with a very modern Spanish décor.
I’ll start with the positive. I ordered the Enchiladas Pueblo and will say this is the BEST lobster enchilada I have ever had. I will return time and time again for this. The lobster was abundant and their were no fillers, just lots of fresh lobster (great quality, not salty or overly fishy).
My biggest complaint and what actually lost them a star however, is that they don’t have a mild salsa option. They have 2 salsas and both are spicy including their pico de gallo. It makes no sense to not have a salsa that appeals to costumers who don’t want their tongue on fire.
My boyfriend kept it simple and ordered the shredded beef crispy tacos. Though they were tasty, they weren’t anything you couldn’t find at any authentic Mexican restaurant in LA or even a food truck.
Their drinks are also very tasty, however the Mango Margarita I ordered could have definitely been stronger and this is coming from someone who typically drinks bellinis.
All in all great views and some damn good lobster enchiladas. If a restaurant can make me crave one of their dishes and want to go back time and time again, that alone deserves 4 stars in my book.

This location is definitely an upscale romantic rendezvous-​with-​your-​lover-​or-​friend type of spot. My first time here was in 2010 with my now lover and it will forever be special to me. I love their strawberry margaritas… we normally order the pitcher but beware since it is about $ 80!
Weekend nights are always crowded so long waits are always anticipated. Food here never disappoints, the chile relleno and enchilada combos are my favorite! I tend to go to the spectrum location more but this spot is definitely the winner :)

The atmosphere, food and drinks are upper echelon. The bartenders are fun (our at least try to be). I get the sense this is a fun place to work.
My favorite part is the drinks. I really crave the spicy jalapeño margaritas. I’m sure there are other drinks to try, but that is for another day.
Many days of the week, this is a happening place to hang for the trendy crowd.
I don’t miss a single chance to visit. There are a lot of options for Mexican cuisine in the area, but this is your spot if you only have time for one.

AMAZING margaritas! Get a pitcher because seriously it’s really good. The dimly lit interior is perfect for a date spot and the outside seating is perfect for summer nights! We had a good experience here with our pitchers of margaritas and attentive service.

This is a cute restaurant. If you like celebrities there’s a lot that come here. We saw Kobe Bryant while we had lunch.
Service was ok. Our server wasn’t very friendly and almost seemed annoyed that he had to serve us. He never refilled our water unless asked and even then he acted annoyed when we asked.
To start we ordered the guac. I wasn’t a huge fan. It was basically avocado and cilantro. It could have used some jalapeño, tomato and onion to give it a bit more pop of flavor.
For my meal I got the pulled beef nachos. They too were just ok. They had way too much cheese on them and lacked in beef. They came out cold so I have to assume the waiter forgot about them. The chips ended up being soggy so I had to eat them with a fork.
Overall and ok place. More of a spot to see and be seen. I loved the docor and how close it was to the beach. But prices are a bit high for the quality of food and lack of service.

Order the habanero salsa it has a nice kick, Ceviche de Camaron & their carne /​pollo fajitas.