DIEGO’S

This is my hit up spot for dtsa. Back in the day it was a Paisa bar. It’s usually empty. The brews are moderately priced. I’ve tried the chilaquiles, and some other small bites. Its tasty for me but crappy for others. Lotta chic bartenders and they friendly. I keep going back in particularly for a Ms. M. OOOOO Pretty Young Fly Thing. How you have me tryna find my way around you… and you know this! For you anal Unilocalers out there by this i mean that the ambience is dope. Five stars for me because I’ve had great times there ALWAYS! And now the Unilocal status bar says YOU’RE ROLLING NOW… I wish ms molly!

Sorry everyone, but this restaurant is closed. I went today (2÷13÷15) and there’s brown paper on the windows.

I’m beginning not to trust Unilocal reviews after visiting Diego’s. This place is a DIVE and I would not consider it a restaurant, but a bar. Not to mention that it smelled foul the minute we walked in. If you’re thinking about having dinner here, think again!

Awesome place. Been here twice now. Once for a drag show LGBT Event and last night for dinner. Fave is Plato Bueno (farmers cheese topped with honey baked to perfection with pistachio crumbles on top WOWZA YUMMY), Chilaquiles (yes its a red sauce but its so different its super good). The food is really good I have had most of it. I have had the Yuca and Chorizo Tacos (GOOD!!) The Banana Fritters are super yummy with the housemate sweet chili sauce! The GM Richard is super nice! Attentive and knowledgeable about his food and drinks! Staff is also sweet and friendly. It was a really great night last night. We went before the band and before a rush of people. We did the tequila tasting and it was super fun and cute! Thanks for the souvenir ;). We will be back with a group on the 31^st. We had a great time both times tho last night was my fave! It hard to find good places with good food and good people… you hit it with this place. Plus they do other stuff at night like bands and shows!
Thank you for a great date night dinner and tequila tasting!

This has become my favorite restaurant. The food is out of this world. I’m a vegetarian who loves AUTHENTIC Mexican food, which is hard to find. Not here! The chilaquiles are sooooo yummers. The Plato Bueno (farmers cheese melted, topped with honey, baked to perfection with pistachio crumbles) is to die for. Omg, yes please! I’ve also had the fried plantains, which are different from any I’ve had. The homemade sweet chili sauce I could eat by the spoonful. Every single item is made in house. Including the sauces, which are made with vegetarian stock. The prices can’t be beat, btw.
Now the service… Richard, the GM is great!!! Attentive, educated about what they serve, food and drinks. He’s a lot of fun, and totally makes sure you have a great experience.
We won a dinner and tequila tasting for two, and went on a Saturday night. We weren’t rushed, we got to try everything we wanted, and honestly, it was probably the best date we’ve been on. We’re going back next week with a group, and I’ll be dreaming of the food until then!!!

If The Playground is crowded, go one block behind The Playground and you won’t be disappointed with Diego’s. They have a limited tapas menu but it’s all very tasty. Chelsea, our bartender and waitress, was awesome. Great service. And she makes a mean Cosmo.

I don’t normally give five stars unless I have great service, good food and definitely have a good selection of beer. And well… Diego’s does. Service was exceptional and if you get a chance to try the pozole, (with a z) because that is how it should be spelled, you are in for a treat. Not yo momma’s traditional pozole, but Californians, are not traditional! The tacos of yuca and chorizo are earthy and the chorizo balances that very well. The service is exceptional as you will have a very home feel. But that is not all, the Plato bueno will satisfy any sweet tooth. The selection of beer is great as well, I went with a Ninkasi Stout with Vanilla which hit the spot after those tacos. The wifey went with Ballast Point Sculpin for that Pozole. Definitely a destination when you are in DTSA.

AMAZING HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS! We came here after dinner, but I wish I was able to try more of their happy hour food options.
DRINKS
I was in shock by how great their happy hour drink specials and menu was. Every drink on their menu is $ 2 off, which doesn’t sound like much, but adds up really quickly.
We ordered a round of shooters, which come in two glasses, of the Son of a Peach. Each shooter was really sweet, but at $ 3 for two glasses, this was a super steal!
We also ordered Whiskey/​Ginger ales, and some of the cocktails. My whiskey ginger was very strong and only $ 6.
FOOD
Chillaquiles (with egg) — This dish had a heavy sauce that was spread throughout the chips, but the chips managed to remain crunchy. The egg on top balanced the flavors well, and managed to even out the sauce on top of the chips. This is a great dish to share between friends!
Hangar steak — My friend ordered this one (which is a free appetizer if you check in on Unilocal!) and it was cooked perfectly.
The only downside is that the music was very eccentric and not my taste at all. A DJ booth was beginning to set up around 10 PM, with the speakers literally right in front of our table, so we got out of there as soon as the music started playing.

Tapas!
Tapas and Izakaya are probably my two favorite ways to eat dinner. You get to order several different dishes with different tastes for a truly complete dining experience. I felt let down here. We ordered several plates including the hanger steak, avocado corn salad, winter squash soup and chiliquiles.
~Hanger Steak Tapa-​4 Stars!
The meat was perfectly marinated and cooked. Super juicy and great flavor. You cannot go wrong with this one.
~Chiliquilies-​2 Stars
Basically, chips and a fried egg. One of my top ten egg dishes for sure. just was not that good here. I have had better.
~Avocado and Corn Salad Tapa-2.0 Stars
I don’t remember what it was call ed. It’s a cold tapa that is refreshing. It was just too corny and the avocado was just not good.
~Winter Squash Soup– 4 Stars
Reminiscent of the flavor of the chiliquiles, they may have used some of the same sauces/​spices. Definitely sweet with a kick to it. I would have enjoyed tis much more if I would not have had the chiliquiles. They tasted very similar.
Another odd thing. They brought one bowl and several spoons. So basically, you pass this bowl around your table with everyone taking a spoonful. Make sure you are close… very close with the people you are dining with if you order this. An idea would be to serve small bowls. Yes, more dishes would be used but way cooler dining experience.
~Ambiance-​3 Stars
It felt kind of sterile. Cement floors and not a whole lot of color or accent decorations. AOK.
They do have a full bar here… but I don’t drink.
Overall, AOK. Just my opinion.

I eat here often and it gets better every time.
Today’s pick forced me to leave a review, I had no other option. I went with the Coffee Rubbed Hangar Steak with chimichurri sauce and it was ridiculous. Steak was cooked perfect, sauce was delicious with a little spice and the risotto sealed the deal. Get here asap and try it yourself!

Chelsea is the most awesome tender and person. And damn she is smoking hot am I right? Make sure to tip big ladies and gents

I went here for happy hour a few weeks ago and was not impressed. We ordered pretty much everything on the happy our menu and only a couple of items were good (some soup with hominy. the salad, and the pork taco). I did not like the chilaquiles at all, which is surprising since I thought those were going to be the best item. I know the menu changes so maybe future items will be better. I don’t see the items I had on the current menu (other than the chilaquiles), which means they couldn’t have been too popular.

Sweet spot to get a drink and hang out, they also have different events which makes it fun. Haven’t tried any appetizers but their drinks are amazing and pack a lot of flavor, defiantly recommend the Jalapeño Pepino cocktail with extra jalapeños.
*Ask for Chelsea she makes them really spicy

Cool place to have a drink and have some small bites.
We came for dessert after dinner nearby and were pleasantly surprised. The place is cool and they have live music which started after we left. We sat by the bar and the ladies were very friendly.
I ordered the coconut cake drizzled with condensed milk and it was dense and a bit too sweet but interesting.
I also couldn’t resist to order the Plato bueno– cheese drizzled with honey, covered with pistachios and served with bread. Also very interesting. All tapas were under $ 8.
Would definitely go back to try other tapas!

Took us a while to try Diego’s because of the lack luster reviews… but so happy we did! Service was awesome, genuine and attentive. Modern Mexican food was creative, luscious and very well priced. Everything is tapas size and under $ 12 each.
Favorite items on the menu is their version of Queso Fundido (queso fresco, pistachios, drizzled in honey with crostini — LOVED this dish), arrachera steak with risotto and spicy mango tequila cocktail.
Only thing that was off was the Original Mikes style DJ. For those of you from Santa Ana, you’ll know what I mean — veterano style old jams. The bartender mentioned the DJ was a sub and not the regular one so they get a pass.
Happy hour all day Saturday! $ 2 off drinks/​cocktails;)

Ate here the other night with a couple buddies of mine. The atmosphere was generally pretty nice but I’d have to say the décor was maybe a bit odd. There was a lot of local artwork displayed on the wall… Not a bad thing per se but maybe better suited for the coffee shop around the corner. There was also an open door that connected the restaurant to some mysterious room in which a small-​scale concert was taking place. That was also sort of odd.
But I loved the small menu dedicated to gourmet tapas and appetizers made for easy decision making. We ordered the plato bueno (so good try it!) some tacos and steak tortas. Overall the food was very flavorful but nothing that really stood out other than the plato bueno which is a mix of cheese, honey and pistachio eaten on top of crispy baguette.
Our server was great for the first half but then as things picked up it was like we were completely left to ourselves. Our check got mixed up twice and we ended up staying much longer than was planned or even comfortable so that kinda left a bad impression. Would I return? Eh maybe.

We ate here on a Saturday night, had no problem getting a table at 730 PM. Its tapas style so our party of four shared six items. We also used the check in on Unilocal for a free appetizer, which was a cheese dish with honey and pistachios. WOW, that was great! They have a pretty good drink list and a few beers in bottles. Service was quick, our server was very nice.
We ordered the…
— Brussel Sprouts: AWESOME. I make a mean brussel but these were great. Must have and only $ 3? Come on. Get them!
— Chilaquiles: I called them breakfast nachos. Chips, enchilada sauce and an egg. Good stuff.
— BBQ Pork Torta: It was tasty, a simple sandwich. Pork seasoned perfect and the torta had a nice flavor.
— Mole: Our friends ordered this, one didn’t like it, one did.
Just as we were finishing, about 830 there was a DJ setting up inside. They were bringing out huge speakers, lights, a fog machine. It looked like it was going to get pretty crazy =0 We took off before the party started, so if you want a nice quiet dinner come a little earlier.

Best chorizo taco I’ve ever had. What’s yuca I’m not sure but it’s bomb in this taco kinda like a potato but less starchy. Thank you Lenette house manager good looking out. Great choice. Highly recommend this spot. Lively, fun atmosphere.

This is a newbie in the hood. They are doing pretty well investing into their look and their food.
Here’s the deal though… you ain’t going to run into it unless you were purposely looking. So that can be a minus.
They have a «high stakes» type of bar. Want a drink that will burn a hole in your wallet? They have plenty! But during the lunch hours it was hard to tell what else this place has going for it. They do own the «Festival Theater» which looks frekin fantastic, and they even own a cellar that they say will open in the Fall. So, WATCH OUT for these peps @Diego’s. They have the power to contribute to the foodie and entertainment scene.
Think of the Playground, which is walking distance, and then imagine it becoming a trendy latino joint. Like Javier’s at Irvine Spectrum? Nah, more like Avila’s El Ranchito but with a dash more class.
So, expect to pay $$ for their food, but ask yourself if it’s gourmet. I think they’re totally willing to learn what the customer’s impressions are.
Here’s some of «ours»:
–empanadas were a great appetizer and so were the lobster tacos
–the mango bread pudding was good, yet could be less doughy.
–great small selection of wine, and ok selection of beer that they say will expand once they get the cellar to be open in the fall.
My recommendation: come back in late October 2013

Friendly staff, tasty food, and grest décor. What else can you ask for? :)
The price to the portion is great because I csn try majority of their dishes. Will definitely return.