Gringos Cantina

Unlimted mimosas and Sunday brunch buffet for $ 25 per person. This was my first second brunch outing with my bf and somehow we ended up staying from 12:30 PM until nearly 5 PM (it definitely wasn’t brunch anymore!)
They have an amazing brunch buffet: sausage, bacon, french toast, ham, Mexican rice, pork tenderloin, different types of eggs… my stomach is grumbling just thinking about it. The best part is, the waiters are very good at keeping your mimosa glass full (the bf swears I drank my worth and then some).
Very good service, friendly people. I’m glad we got to sit in a booth. It’s a popular brunch place right by the water, so don’t go too late unless you’re willing to wait (and I’m glad I did!).
… And since I’ve started this review, they have changed from Gringo’s to Fat Fish Cantina. I hope it’s just as good!

I love Gringo’s and don’t know why it has 3 stars… because it’s pricey? Okay, some entrees are pretty bland but the lobster tacos… AMAZING… and flautas? AMAZING. Their margaritas are also really good and decently priced as well: Between $ 5 and $ 12ish?
Get the cheese dip to go with the chips and salsa too as an appetizer… to die for… it used to come with the chips and salsa but I’m sure people just devoured it so they had to charge.
Nice ambiance too… I like the outdoor area. I’d recommend for a girls night or date night. They have good happy hours too so look up those times… I think it’s from 3 – 6 during the week.

This place sucks! Our waiter was a tool. He had zero personality and was just as bland as the food. The salsa tastes like tomato paste. It tastes more like something you would put over pasta than dipping your chips in. I ordered a beef chimichanga and it was terrible. It tasted bad, and I had about three or four bites. The beans that came with my meal were so bland! There was zero flavor to the beans.
I will never go back here. It’s also totally overpriced!
The only thing they didn’t mess up on was my root beer. It was in a glass and had ice. Perfect job on the root beer.
San Diego is full of delicious Mexican food. Don’t waste your time or money going to Gringos. They sure got the name of this place right…
Taco Bell has better «mexican food» than this place, and Taco Bell is NOT Mexican food! :)

My first one star review.
This place was disgusting. It started with the service; completely aloof. Slow, and useless.
The food was even worse; I ordered their carnitas sandwich, and it may have been one of the worst things I have ever eaten in a restaurant.
The meat was bland and poorly seasoned, the guac didn’t fit the sandwich, and the bread was soggy (not to mention the bread/​meat ratio was also completely off).
I would hope that I could say that the fries redeemed the meal, but alas; steak fries that were soggy.
Worst of all, the place is not cheap.
With so many funky/​cool places in San Diego (and great Mexican all over SoCal), stay clear of Gringo’s.
Then again, with that name we should have probably known better.

Okay, late afternoon margaritas are the best way to wrap up a breezy beach day with the girls. And since Gringos’ pretty patio is right up the street from the beach, it’s pretty much a no-​brainer destination.
Drink are awesome, just strong enough, and cheap for PB. My ceviche was good… I’d definitely get it again. The tortas looked pretty tasty, too.
The service was sloooowwwww on Saturday, but when you have a 24-​oz margarita in front of you, it really doesn’t matter.
Yay, I’m a fan!

Quite possibly the worst food I’ve ever eaten.
I read the reviews on Unilocal,and I knew I wasn’t in for much. but my in-​laws REALLY wanted to eat here. Whatever. I went along, figured we’d give it a try. Nothing on the menu looked good, so I asked for the children’s menu, and said I’d pay the price of an adult entrée for the children’s. but no. Not possible. So I got a cheese quesadilla that was made with some really bizarre cheese. It wasn’t really melted properly and it had a sour taste. I’m a big cheese person, but I couldn’t tell WHAT this cheese was supposed to be.
Hubby’s tacos were dry and disgusting. He didn’t want to eat them, but since his parents seemed to enjoy the food, neither of us wanted to make a fuss over it.
This is a place with really bad food that is perfect for college kids who have no taste buds due to all of their drug and alcohol usage. Maybe if I would’ve gotten myself completely drunk before tasting the food, it would’ve been a better experience.

Gringo’s was the first meal I had in San Diego. My first impression was a large upscale Cal-​Mex (not to be confused with Tex-​Mex) restaurant with various seating areas to fit your desired crowd (noisy or relaxed). The chips were too thin and kept falling apart when attempting to scoop the hearty, spicy salsa. Otherwise, I thought that the food was rather tasty. The prices were fairly expensive ($ 11-​$ 14 for two taco’s and two sides) but I wasn’t paying (invited out by a vendor). Ultimately, Gringo’s would’ve been better if not for the fact that Cal-​Mex tacos are a dime-​a-​dozen here in San Diego. Once you find $ 2.50 tacos … you realize that you’re just paying for the ambience. [Original Visit: Feb. 25, 2011]

3.5 stars for this modern California Mexican restaurant. It’s good mexican food, not authentic from the deep parts of Mexico like your abuela used to make… so get over it because they are very upfront regarding this… hence the name «Gringos».
This restaurant is cute. Love the fire place outside, the airy bar area, and the main dining room. Clean, modern, simple decorations throughout.
Service? Hit or miss. Typical Pacific Beach industry folk work here, so unless you’ve been living under a rock you know what I mean… some are nice, some are stuck up, & most are beautiful.
I like this place for a nicer sit down dinner when in this beach community that has a mix crowd of young, old, PB, and family.
My favorites? Shrimp & Ahi Ceviche to start and finish with the Banana Cheesecake fried goodness dessert. Whatever you as your entrée will be good, I do suggest getting the black beans however!
Small parking lot and Valet. A plus as parking around here is scarce.
& Do not forget about the fabulous $ 20 bottomless mimosa Sunday Brunch… a favorite among the PB locals, so it does tend to get crowded but who doesn’t love a good Sunday morning buzz.

This place is good for its buffet style Mexican Sunday brunch that is quite well made (I love the carne asada) and the bottomless mimosa (my favorite Sunday brunch thing).
The staff is friendly, but not so great and prompt at time. Its a bit loud and hectic because they have TVs at the bar and the crowd can get a bit rowdy, but moderately so.
They offer valet parking, which is awesome on Mission Blvd on a Sunday and they have incredible happy hours pretty much every day of the week.
It’s also a great place for family or just with friends and I like the Mexican style décor.

This was once my favorite place but now they servers are so slow and stupid they dont notice if u have napkins or silverware or ask if u want more margs when its empty.
The worst new thing is that they D O N T H A V E T H E C H E E S E anymore!!! Are they CRAZY that was the only good thing they had that no one else had now u may as well go anywhere. im over this place

How can a place in PB, right by the water only have one waitress on Memorial Day??? Yeah, I know! Silly, right?!
It seemed like the hostess was trying to get rid of us because it was so busy. Regardless, we sat on the bar side in hopes of a little better service.
The bartender was a sweet heart. Poor guy was slammed. He had the busboy bring out our food and he was totally stumbling with the tray. It sparked the concern of my buddy, Caitlin W. who offered him her help. Maybe you’d have to be there but it was SOOOO funny. Ahhh, poor guy.
The margaritas are better than the food.

I am a major fan of Gringos’ Sunday brunch buffet and bottomless mimosas.
They have a variety of items to choose from, from your classic breakfast fare like eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage, french toast, potatoes, etc. to more exotic eats like chile verde roasted pork, tamales, carne asada, shrimp, etc. There is also a fresh fruit station, dessert station and an omelet station.
Gringos takes reservations, even on game day so if you plan ahead you don’t have to wait!
Valet parking is free with validation for your convenience.
If you love breakfast food, want to eat a lot and drink a lot by the beach then you should definitely give Gringos a visit.

Never had a bad time here, but this is my first review.
Took a friend from out of town here on a Tuesday for dinner. It was nasty out (by San Diego standards), which probably caused some people to stay home. Plenty of room at the bar, so we sat there.
Our bartender was super nice and on it. Heard him deal with a few patrons and treated everyone great. Wish I could remember his name to give him props here… taller guy, light brown hair.
Beer selection is good, not great, but not bad either. Food came in a reasonable amount of time and chips/​salsa/​queso were there when we needed them.
Definitely worth checking out and I’ll be back in the future for sure. I’ve been here for brunch once and it was excellent.

What is with the bad rap? I am afraid I don’t agree with what most of the reviews say — the food is actually good, especially if you go during normal eating hours. This is like, before 10 pm. I like the margaritas, and the glasses are cool.
The space itself is the best part about the whole thing. Open air, perfect for partying with friends, socializing, walking to the beach afterwards. I enjoy it a lot!
In general, I like Pacific Beach, so I am ok with the laid back vibe of this place. If it was located anywhere else though, I think I would still like is as much.

I went here a few months ago and sat in the bar with a guy that I was dating at the time. My guy had suggested that we go there because I wanted Mexican food, but I also wanted to actually sit down in a restaurant instead of going to a taco shop.
The food isn’t bad, the drinks are good, but it’s super pricey for what you get in my opinion. Reminded me of a nicer El Torrito, which it is (owned by El Torito), and so they put a price tag to match the nicer décor. Don’t get me wrong I love El Torrito, but one of the reasons why I go there is because it’s cheap.
Other than the price… We sat at the bar and the bartender seemed like he had been in the service industry for a long time, was very knowledgeable, provided great service, and made a great Cadillac Margarita :)

Shout out to my girl Rachael!
The BEST server I’ve had in a very long time. She was really tryin to get a sista twisted! In fact, I think she did. Not mad atcha! Good lookin Rachael! I love people who are just genuinely friendly and naturally likable. Definitely ask for her when you visit Gringos in PB.
The bf and I ventured to Gringos today for brunch on Sunday ⁹⁄₂₇ — pretty good I must say.
The Food — Made to order omelets, carne asada, grilled chicken, enchiladas, chile colorado, chile verde, home fried potatoes, pancakes, french toast… the list goes on. My favorite was their latest dessert addition — the killer carrot cake. I enjoyed the brunch, but honestly, I was too busy gettin nice off the mimosas. My girl Rachael hooked me up with some cranberry juice to add in my mimosas… delicious! Seems like every time I looked up girlfriend was pouring more champagne in my glass.
Go check Rachael out — you will love her and the top notch service as much as I did.
I will definitely be back again in the very near future!

Gringos was the choice for dinner on a recent Friday night strictly out of convenience. We were in PB to watch some friend’s band perform at a bar around the corner, but had to get some grease to line our stomachs before the consumption of alcoholic beverages began.
From the outside looking in, it looked really nice and it looks like the owners spent a pretty penny building this place. It was crowded for a Friday night, so that was a good sign. We sat in the bar area and ordered dinner and drinks from our lovely server, Rachel. She was super nice and service was great from start to finish.
I had a cesar salad with grilled shrimp. My buddy had the carnitas with flour tortillas. A big bowl of chips with salsa came out along with our drinks, the salsa was aight… it kept me occupied while I sipped on my cocktail.
Our entrees come out and my pile of greens with some grilled shrimp didn’t look all that fantastic to me. His carnitas dish looked good, he said it was good. My $ 13 dollar salad didn’t taste like much, the dressing didn’t taste like anything really. Gosh, either my taste buds have gone to the dogs or it was just not that great.
Needless to say I probably wouldn’t come back here. Why? Because $ 13 bucks (or was it $ 16, I can’t remember) for a carne asada burrito on their menu doesn’t sit well with me when I can get an authentic one in my hood for no more than $ 5 buckaroos! Gringos gets more like 2 ½ stars because: 1) their service was great (sucks for those that thought otherwise on your reviews!), 2) I liked the candy at the hostess podium and the ½ star because I walked out of there with a good buzz… cheers!

We met up with our friends for dinner one night here. Gringo’s is located in PB. It has a nice vibe to the restaurant and the place is rather comfortable with choice of indoor or outdoor seating. The service was good and the appetizers are fun to eat. I had the shrimp margarita which consists of a huge margarita glass with mashed potatoes, mango salsa and shrimp all in one cup. It was delightful! The salmon dish was also delicious with big portions. And the desserts were rich and delicious. Other than the service being a little slow and the pricing, this place was good.

This place was so bland, so bleh. I am a BIG FAN of carnitas and the carnitas were dry and tasteless.*
I also had a margarita and the tequila was unidentifiable.*
Chips were goood, hence one star. woo hoo, but I’ve had better.
*For good carnitas, please see Tony’s Jackal.
* For good margaritas, please see Baja Betty’s.
*For better chips, please see Ortegas. And Fidel’s. And Las Olas.
…And Mama’s Mexican Kitchen NOTTTTTTT j/​k j/​k j/​k j/​k

Disclaimer:
1. Free-​flowing alcohol that is refilled quickly gets an automatic 3 stars in my book. I tend to not even care what it is I am drinking– wine from a box, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Vons brand vodka with Sunny D, paint thinner… whatever. I’ll drink it in a train, on a plane, in a house, or with a mouse. If it’s an endless supply I am smiling. :)
2. When I am hungover, I am impressed pretty easily. «Look sister – they have food at this buffet!»
3. This would have gotten 5 stars, but I despise mandatory valet. 2 hours free with validation (minus tip) but in PB there is nowhere to park so you end up shelling out about $ 5 or so.
That being said, I really did like Gringo’s Sunday Brunch. We went for my friend’s birthday, and our server was awesome. My glass was never less than half-​full at all times and she was perfectly willing to give you as much or little oj with your mimosa as you wanted. I like my mimosa to be see-​through, as in…2 drops of oj just for color.
In the buffet were shrimp, juicy carne asada, grilled chicken that was a little bit dry, pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, yogurt, beans/​rice, tamales, enchiladas, chilequiles, and a made-​to-​order omelette bar, which I didn’t even get to. I wish they would have put out tortillas so I could have made some steak tacos, but then I got drunk and forgot about it. My friend told me if you ask for them they are free. Good to know for next time.
There are signs that say «2 hour maximum time limit for brunch» but we were there for 2 ½ hours, getting our bubbly on, and no one kicked us out.
One last suggestion: If you are a member of KPBS, bring your Membercard for 2 for 1. KILLER deal for $ 10.
I suggest bringing a straight-​edge, pregnant, or other non-​drinking, conservative friend or recovering alcoholic to be your Designated Driver.