El Calamar

Heard and saw many posts about this place online. We came because they had Gobernador tacos (supposedly similar to Cabo/​Mexico style). Typically you line the shell with Mexican cheese and fry it to a slight crisp and fill it with shrimp garlic goodness. This one came and originally I thought oh looks good… But once we tasted it, the taco seemed to be filled with velveta cheese. Just getting back from Cabo I was disappointed, but just yesterday we went to Sieta Mades and they make theirs pretty darn close to Tres Islas and they used mex cheese not velveta. The Asada tacos and very meaty and filling. I was not very impressed with the cocktail (shrimp, octopus and abalone) I think it was scallops not abalone. Ordered Michelada it was «ok». Overall disappointed …

As far as the service goes the waitress was quick in sitting us and putting our order in promptly. The service was great. However, came here to taco Tuesday because they were advertised on Unilocal for $ 1 each but the prices have changed, so I can’t really blame the restaurant for that. But for $ 2 each they were not worth it. Carnitas were so dry (very hard to find juicy ones around the area) and the fish tacos tasted funky ($ 4) The chips and salsa they started us off with was great, so I guess we expected more from overpriced tacos and refreshments.

Waitress took forever to take our order probably half an hr. We were waiting for our chip and salsa when we first came in. The vibe was alright could be better. The food was alright as well. The waitresses need to step their game up

pero dejen tips para que la next
time
los atiendan bien quieren un super
servicio y dejan 2 o 3 dolares !! mejor
ballanse al burguer king

I came back here yesterday with my wife, they was really busy this time, my wife ordered 3 fish tacos and i order my favorite molcajete asada, and they bring our food really quick and this time customer service was good, thank you for everything I really like this place and we enjoy the football soccer game and our food

Someone give me their darn jalapeño salsa recipe!!! I’ve tried so many online and none of them are even close to El Calamar. Every time I come here I get the ceviche. (Shrimp, octopus and crab.) Absolutely fantastic.

Love this spot! They have live music on the weekends, and a Dj that walks around and entertains the tables as well. We had the oysters preparados — loaded with shrimp, octopus, and avocado. We also got the large tray of spicy seafood — shrimp, crab, abalone, octopus, blue crab, fried catfish, etc in their spicy signature sauce. This came with rice, beans, salad, and tortillas. We got the «chica» size and had plenty leftover even though we shared it 6 ways.

Service forgot about us worried more about closing food was way overpriced location wasn’t what I expected. Want real mariscos go to a food truck in Santa Ana best u get for half the price
Very disappointing all hype on Instagram

Honestly this place has good food but, excuse me for my language, shitty service. We ordered the tapatia and she thought we said mariscos. I asked for them to get the order correct but the waitress, Jessica, tried to make us feel bad by saying she has to pay for the price difference if she went to the kitchen and fixed the order. How is that my fault that she got it wrong? She continued to apologize but didn’t want to go back to the kitchen to fix my order because she didn’t want to pay the difference. The original one that we wanted was 69.99 and the one she came out with was 99.99. So now we have the pay the price for the food we don’t want. And in the end we didn’t even get the food we wanted. The food we got was good but not what we wanted and craved for. The first time I came I loved the food but I don’t think I’d want to come back because of the crappy service. I left here pissed off. Make sure you double check and maybe even triple check your order because they might screw it up and put the blame on you.
Update: the manager did a good job at accommodating my family and me tonight. He gave us 50% off the whole check and also gave us a couple of coupons to use on our next visit. I appreciated his kind gesture but I still didn’t get the food that I wanted tonight. If he could’ve given us 50% off he could’ve changed the order for us. I’m upset but I did like the manager’s kindness and trying to patch up the bad service we received tonight.

I really like this place. My boyfriend and I have gone several times. The michis are great and so is the food.
The staff is okay, I feels it’s hit or miss. Some days they’re great and attentive, some days you wait. But this is not a place you really come to if you’re in a rush anyways so it doesn’t really matter to me.
I’m coming back. I’d recommend it.

I came here with my family for dinner and the place is gate the customer service was not as expected my food was ready before my husband and by the time he got his I was done with my dish but my tacos were the best very good taste tacos with homemade tortilla

Never again!!! My stomach doesn’t feel good at all after eating here… They didn’t even make me a bean tostada!

1−10…a 7.5. Funny story. Ok so the first time I came to this restaurant it was for dinner, really tried to like this place. Went all out ordering fancy oysters, tried some exotic tostadas, even got their most popular gourmet tacos… i mean, yeah, i tried. Honestly though, didn’t really like much of anything I had that afternoon. Wasn’t really feeling the flavor, the service sucked, it was all just a weird mess. So anyway, couple months later i was heavily persuaded to give this place another shot. Ended up coming again, this time for lunch. Got to admit i roughly spent half a minute looking through the menu this time, rather, i just picked the first thing i saw which were their ‘street-​like’ tacos order. Quickly, i just ordered one of each kind (chorizo/​chicken/​steak). Boy was I surprised. _______[long pause there]______They were all soooo good i was shocked! The chorizo taco was by far the most delicious chorizo taco i have ever eaten! The taste almost didn’t seem real, no lie. By the time i was finishing my last taco i was already ordering another single chorizo taco. Lol. I’m not kidding, it was that good. Service, i felt was much better; and truthfully speaking, i even loved the mango margarita i ordered. So refreshing with just the perfect amount of chili to give it a kick. Anywho, got to give it to them… they really don’t suck;) lol. In fact, I’m trying really hard to just forget my previous visit=} Seriously though, give this place a try. They do have a large variety of items, their drinks are pretty good, and they even got karaōke nights;) totally worth a shot. Jiji

Poor service, I ordered campechana cocktail for my surprise was WARM and BLANT! Just skip this place.

In short:
I absolutely LOVE El Calamar
I recommend the tostada mixta, sea food molcajete, and tacos governador and pretty much all I can say all the things I’ve tried on their menu is delicious… and omg their green sauce is amazing… I wouldn’t recommend going on Friday and Saturday evening if you plan to go for a quiet dine in meal because it gets rowdy in there BUT if you want that little party entertainment scene while you eat then El Calamar is just the place.

Ordered aguachiles, no flavor, to spicey and didn’t been taste like lemon. Half a plate was 18 dollars, and it had around 6 shrimps. Shrimp taco was 5 dollars, too expensive for a Mexican restaurant in Santa Ana. I had high expectations. For 28 dollars (during lunch). My coworker paid 9 dollars for a tostada. That’s ridiculous.

Just don’t come here. Unless you like crap service and even crappier food
The waitress was only attentive if you waved her down and got her attention. They messed up on the food on 6 people in the party of 8 we had, needless to say. For the price and quality. Go elsewhere, you’ll thank me.
Btw When I went this place was filled with chiqui-​narcos.

Con trabajos les doy una Estrella. Compre una tostada de ceviche de camaron para llevar. Llego a mi casa y esto es lo que me empacaron. Sin palabras. Separe el pepino del camaron para que pudieran ver una foto que subi.

Every time I come here, I am not disappointed! They start you off with two delicious salsas and chips, which I can’t get enough of!
It’s very rare to find authentic Mexican food, but this is DEFINITELY the place to come if you want authentic Mexican food. Always served fresh and delicious! To top it off, the servers are very attentive, friendly and helpful! The service great, the ambience is fun and the food is delicious! Again, I would definitely recommend to everyone!

When asked where to find good mariscos in OC, I usually include El Calamar in my top 5 recommendation and I’m always quick to mention that while the ambiance isn’t the best, the food is worth a try. On the weekend you’ll either find a soccer game on, loud live music playing or just the general loud rumble of the guests. It’s definitely more of a social scene than it is a place to fine dine and have a quiet dinner. Nevertheless, their green salsa is spicy and delicious, their tostadas mixtas are full of fresh fish and their bagre al mojo de ajo is my favorite here. I once brought my friend here and he ordered a torta Cubana. That was the last thing I would ever order here as they specialize in mariscos (Mexican seafood) and not Cuban sandwiches. He turned out to really enjoy his sandwich and said it was really well made. The one aspect about this restaurant that I tend to have to sacrifice a bit to have good food, is the service. The waitresses hardly seem present while serving. Yes, they have plenty of other tables to attend to in a busy, bustling environment, but too often it is hard to flag one of them down to place another order or ask for some water or extra salsa. The food, however, is worth it to me. The menu, be warned, can be a bit overwhelming with all that they offer but I appreciate that they provide visuals so that you know exactly what you’re ordering even if the description might be difficult to understand. As mentioned, my favorite dish to get here is the bagre al mojo de ajo. This is fried catfish battered in a ton of garlic and served alongside white rice and pinto beans. The fish are huge and there’s always plenty to take home. I love the white rice as it’s full of flavor and always fluffy and perfectly cooked. They provide plenty of tortillas and red and green salsas for added flavor. While my friend may have enjoyed his torta, I would recommend trying their specialty which is mariscos. Their catfish, fish soup, shrimp cocktails, mixed seafood tostadas and tostadas de ceviches are made really well here and the portions are generous. Parking is never too difficult as they have a full lot in the back of the restaurant and I’ve never had to wait very long to get a table. El Calamar has always been a Mexican seafood staple for me in OC and I’ll continue to come back for their catfish, micheladas and other mariscos. 3.5 stars.

Food– The carnitas and the shrimp tacos are the best!
Service– when I call in a to go order it’s typically wrong. I have to check before I leave. While eating there the service is good.

Buen ambiente musica en vivo las micheladas la comida muy buena
Lo unico malo que tienen es el servicio las meseras no te atienden como se deve andan muy diastraidas y todo se les olvida mal servicio

3 ½ stars.
3 ½ for ambiance:
Live DJ playing traditional Mexican music and nice seating areas for big and small groups. Very authentic feel. Although it was a nice time with my gf, there were a group of guys giving us unwanted attention. I know this isn’t the restaurants fault but we were annoyed.
4 stars for quality of food:
Bottomless chips and salsa! Yahoooo.
1. Micheladas $ 7.99:
Absolutely loved it! I’m already a fan of micheladas but what put the cherry on top was the tamarind straw. I know the Lucas Mexican candy brand is terrible and filled with salt but it took me back to my childhood days when I was obsessed with Mexican candy.
2. Ceviche con Camarones /​Shrimp Ceviche $ 8.99:
Huge portion! This included two tostadas so it was big enough to share (although we didn’t). The shrimp was fresh, cucumbers were crunchy, and the avocado was a nice touch.
3 ½ stars for service:
The ladies were nice and asked if I needed a refill on my michelada. We weren’t checked up on regularly but when we requested water and extra salsa, the ladies delivered quickly!
All in all, I am willing to come back to try some of their other specialty drinks and dinner items.

He provado varios platillos y todos están muy sabrosos, todos muy bien preparados y muy buena calidad de productos que usan, las meseras muy profecional es, servicio en general excelente

Muy buen ambiente y el karaōke Se pone bien ! La chikis esta bien padre! Unas meseras son un poco mamonsitas Pero ay otras que son muy Buena gente !! Buena comida

Viejas bien vestidas de pxtas casi tallan las nalgas y las chi chis en la cara de mi esposo y te atienden como si les molesta que ordenen vas por la comida no por ellas y un trabajo no es de gratis, cuando por eso tienen el trabajo que tienen y la comida que asco me dio ganas de vomitar después ordene unos nachos y guacatelas mejor me voy al pinche 7-​eleven si quisiera chingaderas
Hasta para pedirles agua se les caí en los ovarios, pinches viejas pxxdejas… pero por cuelera la que me atendió se le mojo toda su playera de agua de horchata a ver quien se fue con la última riza
Espero Que sus meseras cambien su actitud, por que por fin de la mano de uno comen y salen los tips y por favor que respeten a las mujeres casadas y no quieran tomar órdenes casi enseñado media chi chi o nalgas

Ordene 3 tostadas de ceviche y me encontré con la sorpresa de tres tostadas de pepino con tomate y cebolla … ¡¿¡¿Y los pinches camarones on chingados tan!!! Pa la feria que di mejor me busco una camioneta marisquera por mi barrio o mejor me voy para San Pedro por que para estas miserias mejor me aguanto

Aparte de caro una tostada de camaron mas bien parecia tostada de pepino
Unna supuesta campechana fue solo camaron con pulpo no te dan ni limones ni cucharas La verdad que ahi no regreso. Yo les recomiemdo un mejor lugar que es mas barato pero la comida bien surtida y es en mariscos clemente «…

La comida es rica pero las meseras a demás de zorras son unas rateras. !!! Echando ojitos. Para qué les den más propina. Y cobran de más. Llegando avía unas reclamando. Por lo mismo que yo réclame al final. Paso mi tarjeta y cargo $ 10 de propina. Aparte de la gratitud de casi $ 50 por el consumo. Y en el recibo cargo 3 micheladas de más !!! Ósea. Si tanta nesesidad tiene. Que los pida. No que los robe de esa manera !!!
«Ojo chequen siempre su recibo. !!! «.Molcajete de mariscos mmmm!!!

great cheladas.