Pasión Comida Mexicana

Glad this place is closed. HORRIBLE customer service. Hope they can figure out their employees and maybe prices as well.

Everything I have ordered there is delicious. I am very sad to hear that this place has closed. Maybe I’d I had written the review earlier the restaurant would still be open. (Not really)
The hand made tortillas with orange butter. Wow! Even the rice and beans are especially delicious. The atmosphere is very nice.
So sad. :(
Bye Pasión.

Fantastic food and service. Ordered the chicken tortilla soup, it was very light-​Not filling as a meal but luckily we ordered tapas and tortillas. The Goat cheese and chorizo stuffed jalapeños were great and the corn tortillas are amazing. The tortillas made an impression and I will plan to be back to try more!

First visit here and probably the last. The food was pretty darn good. However, we received it 45 minutes after ordering, not one refill on water, they charged us for one single lime wedge, and never asked how the food was after receiving it. If they want to be fancy and upscale, please let it show not only in the food but the service. There are plenty of great Mexican restaurants in the area, even down the street that we will be going to from now on.

I still haven’t figured out what cuisine this restaurant is serving. I’ve heard Mex Fusion and New Mexican from various people, neither of which really seems to fit.
The interior is clean and modern, service is attentive but overly eager. It is apparent that the young serving staff is still in the learning process. We were checked on incessantly and then presented with the check before we were done eating.
The food was good, but not great. For $ 24/​plate I expect to be impressed with the flavors and I did not experience that here.
I enjoyed the chicken lime soup the best. It was full of chicken chunks and the broth had a great balanced flavor with a little heat. Our shrimp special was ok. It had pieces of sausage, a few chunks of potatoes, sliced corn on cob and sautéed onions and peppers. It reminded me of fajita minus the tortillas. The lamb shank wasn’t bad but not overly moist or tender. It came with white rice, I would have loved to see some veggies incorporated (roasted tomato?).

Excellent bartenders, food and music. Family owned business where the owner was very hospitable. So cool to watch homemade tortillas be made right there as you eat.

We visited Pasion several times and were disappointed in the food quality such as fat on most meat, lack of chips and good salsa, extreme portion control considering high prices charged and the claim of serving New Mexico style food. I found the breakfast offers to be the best flavor but still am not happy enough to return after our last visit.
I believe in supporting local restaurants and small business in our community. My husband is very limited on mobility and has a licensed, well trained service dog that accompanies him every moment. When we entered the restaurant this time we were told the service dog was not allowed in the main part of the restaurant, only on the patio? On every previous visit we sat at the same table inside the front door so the walking was minimal and the dog is out of the walking area.
First this rejection is against the Americans with disabilities act and a complaint will be filed. Second, why do the owners think they can keep changing their regulations and still expect business to improve?

Pasion more like lack of passion, and it shows in their food. Ordered some tacos and the plates was completely drenched which caused the tacos to fall apart. I have gone two or three times and something is always off. Also Nothing special about the taste here either. Will not go back again

Can’t believe this was our first time here! The food, although said to be authentic… was SO much more than that! We miss Chef Ricks, I would consider this the Chef Ricks version of Mexican food. The shrimp tacos were Amazing! Like little lobsters in a tortilla. Atmosphere was romantic, yet we saw many families, service was outstanding, our waitress Leslie helped us decide what to order after listening to us and our likes. We will definitely be back.

Went to have Carne Asada tacos, which I’ve have in the past because they are so good. However, some new rule where you can only have tacos at the taco bar. But it was full of flowers. So end result, they actually didn’t let me order what we wanted. Food is good, but third trip in a row where I have left disappointed because of service. There will not be a fourth trip.

Amazing, delicious authentic food,
from Chile Verde white sauce enchiladas, fresh made tortillas or fried chicken! Wow!
The water, margaritas, tea!!!
Was outstanding service & atmosphere!!!
Can’t wait to Come back for more!

Been here twice and had a ok experience each time. First visit, issue was draft beer. I ordered two different ones and they were both out. Figure the wait staff should know that. Part of the reason that we ate here was that one of our party was gluten free and they did have lots of GF options.
Server was nice but seemed a bit disorganized. We all had the tri-​tips, which were very good.
Fast forward two months, and it was a different story. Waiter was surly and said they didn’t have a GF menu. Manager (owner?) overheard or asked how things were and was suprised. She did fix it (and we got GF options) but the waiter seemed like someone that didn’t want to be there. Overall the food is good, so we are likely to be back.

The worst experience I have ever had. Not only did they flasely advertise their dia de los muertos event but they REFUSED everyone WATER at an all you can drink and eat event, the guy that works there said I should consider myself lucky that I was the only one that got water because no one was getting any. They also made you walk outside to use the restroom instead of letting you use the one inside the restaurant. Their flyer clearly stated that the tickets provided a free T-​shirt as well and when we tried to claim ours they said they didn’t have any and we were getting a good deal by all you can eat and drink, which was also limited to beer and wine tastings only. The lady at the food station was also limiting how much food you could get. They didn’t even have enough seating for everyone that attended and they brought out chairs and people were having to eat off their laps. The food was bland and you could tell they used left over fatty meat to fill their dishes. I will never come here again and I am also a small business owner in this area and these people they have working here are burning bridges where they shouldn’t.

We were surprised to find this little jem for Sunday brunch. The food was great however, our waiter was distracted by others whom he preferred to visit with. Service suffered because of it our order came later than others, and the food close to cold.
To put it simply I would rate the food and location as awesome! The service, not his best day. Service was great for the couple he was visiting with.

Food is okay. Fried chicken with lime sauce was a disaster, but the Tri tip was good.
The fried chicken was very «rubbery» and the lime sauce they add burned during the deep frying process blackening the underside of the battered-​fried layer. Steer clear and stick to recommendations.
Staff is excellent and brought me out some chipotle chicken (one of the recommended items from Unilocal) to replace the not-​so-​cooked-​fried-​chicken, so we’ll see how that goes.
Good margaritas.
Epic homemade tortillas (seems like hybrid corn/​flour secret recipe), that come with some interesting orange flavored butter with bits of candied orange peel mixed in.

I am in love with Pasión!
I’ve been there three times so far, so my review will be a little jumble of the great things I remember from them all.
First off, the atmosphere is romantic without becoming gaudy. The servers are wonderful and professional and I’ve never had to wait long to be taken to a table. Both indoors and outdoors, the tables are all prime. I haven’t had a chance to sit at the taco bar yet so that gives me another excuse to go back!
They bring you these amazing warm fluffy corn tortillas made at the taco bar, and you have to try them with the honey orange butter they give you. It’s divine.
I had a Passion Fruit Margarita and it was delicious! Not too sweet, with the right level of sour. The plain margaritas are good as well. However, I tried some of the strawberry lemonade and found it to be really syrupy and sweet.
I’ve had the Duck and Sweet Potato Chimichanga twice and it was my favorite thing on the menu! Sadly, it seems that it has been removed from their menu. I hope it’s only temporary because I would buy one of those every single day if I could. So delicious.
All of the entrees are incredible. The tacos are awesome (try the coffee braised one, it sounds odd but it works so well!), the White Enchiladas are sooo different and tasty, and the Duck Mole is to die for. I’ve had it two out of three times.
A great experience for a great price! I love that they also have concerts and events. Makes the community feel involved in the restaurant, which is important!

If I were to rate pasion on my dinner alone it would be a one star review. I ordered the crab fideo and was very disappointed. The crab was almost nonexistent and the little crab there was on the plate didn’t taste very fresh. The fideo wasn’t fideo at all, but more like a wheat spaghetti. No spices at all, just tasted like a bland veggie pasta dish. I ended up eating just the zucchini on the plate and never was I asked if something was wrong or if I was enjoying the meal (now that I think about it, our whole party of 5 was never asked how our dinner tasted).
Tapas portions were incredibly small for the price and not too impressive might I add. Don’t waste your time with the bacon and jalapeño shrimp as it didn’t have very much flavor or heat at all. Same with the taquitos; they weren’t anything special. The spicy chicharrone gorditas were a hit though! Would definitely order those again!
As for main dishes the chipotle chicken and white enchiladas were delish! Don’t waste your time with the fried chicken, carne asada tacos or crab fideo (we already went over this). Jalapeño margaritas were good but honestly I make better ones at home and for whatever reason every time we ordered one it took a good 15 minutes to get it.
As for service, our server was nice and efficient but not very attentive. There is definitely room for improvement there. Something I found kind of odd is that we were never seated by the hostess or server but instead directed by someone who pointed to «over there». Really people? This is how you treat your patrons? Better communication skills might do yah good. Willing to give them one more try but I hope they either bring their A game or lower their prices. Something is not adding up.

It’s Saturday morning so I started off with a Bloody Mary. It was perfectly blended and tasted great. Next I had the bacon wrapped shrimp. Yum and double Yum. These are worth the trip alone. I finished with a bowl of their Chili Verde. It’s one of the best I’ve had and I make a killer one so I am picky about Chili Verde. My brunch feast was served on the patio so I had a beautiful view of the hills. It was a great way to kick my weekend and a little treat before Saturday chores. Two Yum’s Up!

Passion! Exactamundo! Here people have a passion for food and preparations that are complex and wonderfully tasty. Service is excellent with a knowledgable and charming staff who cater to the foodie and famished alike! Details like homemade corn tortillas and a menu that changes with the seasons. Somebody is a true Chef! Bravo!

This is gourmet Mexican cuisine in which the chefs are trying something different. I applaud their adventurous, fun take on Mexican cuisine.
I love good, authentic Mexican food, having enjoyed it in Mexico, San Diego, and Los Angeles, Texas, and elsewhere, whether at a restaurant, street vendors, or taco trucks. This is not that kind of food. Why anybody would think that when coming here, I’m not sure. The whole vibe and menu of the place screams, «I’m different», so stating that the food is not authentic is sort of like pointing out that Britney Spears is not African.
Everything we’ve had here so far is good. The watermelon gazpacho was bursting with flavor, just amazing. The chips and guacamole were fresh and tasty. So was the pulled pork torta, a delicious sandwich topped with honey-​infused slaw and guacamole. The fish taco and barbacoa taco were also excellent. We also had delicious handmade tortillas served with honey butter.
I also had a michelada, which I love. This was very different from other ones I’ve had, with more tomato juice and less lime and chili powder. I would have preferred it the way I’ve grown accustomed to, but no matter, it was still delicious.
The restaurant is large, clean, airy, and upscale but still casual, a nice space, and quite pleasant, with a lot of indoor as well as outdoor seating. The service was prompt and friendly.
The only reason I’m giving this four stars instead of five is because the business card I received the day before listed the address as «165 S Broadway». It is not. It’s on Clark, a little west of Broadway. When I typed the business card address into my GPS, I ended up at a mall in Santa Maria probably about seven miles north, wasting quite a bit of driving time and gas. The receipt from the restaurant also lists the address as «165 S Broadway». When I asked about whether this was a former location, the waiter said it was not. It’s simply that everything is printed wrong. And if a restaurant is going to pass out cards at a festival the day before, you would think they would need to have the correct address on business cards. In light of this as well as driving around for 30 – 45 minutes needlessly, hacking off one star from the review is more than generous.