Cafe Hidalgo

Love this place! Never had a bad dish and the service is always great. We usually come for dinner, but their lunch menu has great specials. I love their steak & shrimp meal, ceviche, and albondigas soup. Though they don’t make their chocolate cake it is amazing.

Came here and had a drink at the bar with my girlfriend. Its a real cozy place with cool people working there. we ended up talking to the bartender while we was making the fresh Sangria, he was super cool and informative… we browsed over the menu at the bar but just weren’t too hungry at the time. I will definitely be back to try the food really soon as it all looked delicious!

We decided to check the place out since the place looked nice and thought the cuisine would be as interesting as the historic Villa Del Sol Courtyard right outside.
The menu was a hodgepodge of dishes that didn’t represent the best of Mexican food along with very limited surf and turf selection. My wife and I decided to make the best out of our dinner anyways and ordered the Pecan Salmon with a dijon sauce while she ordered the rib eye steak with the mushroom chipotle sauce on the side (thank God we did). both entrees were served with mashed potatoes. A bit uninspired. My salmon filet was way overcooked to the point of drying out what used to be a nice juicy filet. The dijon sauce was horrifically sweet without any hint of dijon mustard. It actually tasted like a thousand island dressing. My wife’s rib eye steak was cooked well but was completely under seasoned. The chipotle mushroom sauce was again the same sickening overly sweetened syrup with no heat. Thank God both my wife and I are steak purists and opted to have the horrible sauce on the side before we knew it was horrible. The place needs an inspired chef to change the menu and overhaul the selection and execution of the dishes.
We also ordered appetizers chicken salbutes and sauteed mushrooms. A confusing selection typical of either a mexican restaurant or a steakhouse. The mushrooms were thankfully not in a sweet sauce but were served sloshing around and floating in too much liquid. The salbutes were tasty and enjoyable but were actually mini tostadas and not salbutes.
Not a complete failure but for the price I’m paying at $ 25 — $ 30 per plate. i would expect a seasoned chef with a more sophisticated menu and better execution skills that would know to salt a steak before grilling and that the salmon would have been better off as jerky. Please lay off the sugar on all the sauces.

Located in the heart of downtown Fullerton, this is a great place for lunch and delicious Mexican dishes! My co-​workers love coming here! Services is good. It may be a little bit slow if you have a large group however. The staffs are very welcoming and friendly. Here’s what we always come back for:
Chips and Guacamole — Complimentary of course! Their homemade guacamole is the best! Fresh avocado, tomatoes… all blended well, flavored and creamy.
Shrimp Enchilada with Cabbage & Avocado — Not too keen on the cabbage addition to this menu, however, the shrimp and avocado mix is delicious.
Chicken Enchilada with Green Sauce — You can never go wrong with chicken enchilada! I love the green sauce. It’s not too spicy; just enough of a «kick» in the flavor. The chicken is cooked well and soft.
Steak Chimichurri — Comes with the Argentinean pesto, garlic mashed potato and grilled veggies. The steak is nicely done (I like mine well-​cooked. Co-​workers poke fun of me and calls it beef jerky cooked or burned cook. lol). The pesto has an interesting flavor.
Overall it’s a great place to stop by for lunch and dinner. Amazing food and good service.

We used this venue last Saturday 10÷10÷15 to host a bridal shower. Let me say that photos do not do this venue justice. I was able to host a gorgeous bridal shower here and the staff was more than helpful. They were accommodating to say the least and they did the whole thing with smiles on their faces. The prices were reasonable as well. I will definitely be back to this location again. I wish I could give you so much detail about how great this place is, especially for a catering event, but I just don’t have it in me. When I do, or if I do, I will definitely come back to update the review. In the meantime, keep up the good work guys!

Great food and service!!! Highly recommend to anyone looking for south american food

Wow this place was amazing! At first I was a bit hesitant when I found out it wasn’t Mexican food but more of New Mexican-​American. So I thought it was going to be bland. I had the steak fajitas and they were delicious! I believe I had a spicy Margarita and that was bomb as well. Loved the ambience. Definitely coming back for more. Great service and overall a great experience.

I stop by for happy hour. I had amazing crab cakes here. They were crunchy on the outside and savory inside. They we’re on a bed of spinach and had a cream sauce with corn kennels surrounding them.
The server Kevin was friendly and attentive. I would recommend this place to others.

This is where it all began. We met Dena David at Café Hidalgo as we were looking for a caterer for our wedding. We chose Café Hidalgo because of their wide variety of food. We chose the steak chimichurri and the green enchiladas as our main entrée. The food was amazing and our guest had wonderful things to say about the food and staff.
Thank you so much to Dena for everything!

This place is a gem in the heart of Fullerton downtown. The ambience is warm and welcoming. I love the deep red rustic paint on the walls, the feel of the handcrafted tapestries hanging over and the countryside large iron chandelier.
The staff is well trained and cordial. I ordered Seafood Pasta while my husband ordered Achiote Chicken. I loved the dish! The sauce was so rich, nice and creamy. The platter had mussels, medium sized shrimps, salmon pieces and few chunks of crab. The dish was beautifully garnished. I love my food when it looks appealing, smells great and tastes amazing… i felt like my wish just came true! My husband as well loved his dish. The chicken was perfectly grilled and the sauce was yum. What a flavorful delicacy! Also the cucumber soda we ordered was quite refreshing.
The portion size is good enough so there are all chances you might skip the desert but our sever Chris was a sweet soul. He grabbed a plate of warm sweet sugary churro. It was from the wedding in the courtyard. How thoughtful of him! Although my husband passed it, I ate it happily. Loved the sugary treat! God Bless the wedding couple and off course our server Chris!
The dimly lit lights, scrumptious food and candles will surely spark some romance. All in all, a fine dining experience. I will definitely come back here again!

This was a great find in Downtown Fullerton! Heard great reviews and decided to give it a try with my family. We were running late to the theatre around the corner and asked for quick service. The waiter Chris was fabulous. Quick, efficient, friendly service and the food and drinks were fantastic. Definitely making a note to come here again when I have more time to enjoy the experience!

Went with a group as a birthday party. The server gave our dinners to someone at another table… ok, «stuff happens».
By the time the dinners were cooked and served again, everyone was already eating cake, and since no one was impressed by their meal… I sent mine back.
The server said he would «comp» our dinners and I thought… ok, «stuff happens».
However, when the bill came, our dinners were not «comped», but two additional dinners added that went to the other table!
When approaching the server and manager to explain our issue… they DIDN’T CARE! Even though they KNEW there was a problem… they just ignored us as too busy with other things to do.
Rather than make a huge scene at someone else’s birthday party, we just paid the «expensive» bill for food I did not eat… and now jumped on Unilocal.
I will NOT be return due to service, but also the food was rated average at best from those who actually DID receive their food.

Food: After reading reviews on Unilocal,I decided to try the Chicken Enchiladas with the green sauce. It was good, but I’ve also had better. The beans were black beans in a tomato sauce. I’m not a fan of refried beans, which is usually included with a lot of Mexican entrees, so I was glad this came with something different. The rice was alright; very basic. If there was one thing I especially liked, it was the SALSA with the chips and salsa. There was a lot of flavor and the chips were perfectly salted.
Service: We had a nice waiter who waited on our table of nine. He was perfectly attentive, meaning he wasn’t too attentive where he was interrupting our conversations like some waiters, and he wasn’t NOT attentive to where we had a hard time flagging him down when we needed something.
Ambiance: Romantic/​casual-​ish. There was a wedding reception going on in the courtyard/​garden area, which looked pretty cute, from what I was able to see. Inside the restaurant, it was dimly-​lit and had a romantic-​kind of feel with tea candles. It would probably be a cute place for a date.
Location: Downtown Fullerton. Parking was kind of an issue since signs are kind of small, especially at night. Since the parking close-​by was full, we parked across the street from Bank of America. There’s a small, green sign that says «Public Parking.» The lot is right behind what I think is a hotel or a residence inn (?).
Overall: Although the food was good and the ambiance was cute, I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here again. This would be a great place to go for appetizers before heading out to Downtown Fullerton.

Great spot to have a tasty, relaxing meal.
The courtyard is California cool! The staff was extremely friendly and helpful.
I went with the Salmon Sandwich combo with Albondigas soup and Spinach salad,
Everything was fresh and delicious.
I highly recommend this place!!!

I so badly would like to give this restaurant four stars because the food is absolutely phenomenal. I’ve tried the fajitas, carne, asada, chimichurri steak, and calamari, and nothing disappoints. The ambiance is absolutely beautiful. However, both times I came here, service was lacking. I sat down outside and proceeded to wait 10 minutes to even be asked about drinks. The waitress was lacking throughout service, her one saving grace being the incredibly charming busboy. In hindsight, I wish I had told his boss about his service. Last thing that prevented me from pushing that four star button… why in the heck do they charge for chips and salsa??? At ALL Mexican restaurants that serve food of this caliber, chips and salsa have been free. The same goes in less expensive establishments.

I dined at Café Hidalgo on a Tuesday evening which was perfect since they have nightly happy hour from 5−7pm in the patio/​bar only. It was a chilly night but since my group included 7 people we just wanted to eat ASAP and the patio was available immediately. We were accommodated with a heater right away and we happened to be the only group outside so it felt nice and intimate. The patio faces Harbor Blvd. you can see the cars commute through Downtown Fullerton and pedestrians walk by. The food was very pleasing, it’s not authentic Mexican food but it’s definitely close enough and very tasty. We started with chips and salsa. Moved to appetizers and I was able to try a mixture of foods. I tried their Chicken Salbutes which where 3 chicken tostadas with pico de gallo and quest fresco. I also had sautéed calamari, it was my favorite! The calamari tasted fresh in tomato sauce with small pieces of toasted herb bread. Lastly I tried a quesadilla which had chicken, the meat is extra. Most appetizers range around the same price $ 8 – 14.
For my entrée I ordered the Pesto Pollo Which was grilled chicken in linguini pasta with pesto sauce. Two of my friends ordered wet burritos and were pretty satisfied. Some of the other plates that were ordered were a steak salad, ahi tuna and a seafood plate that smelled delicious but I was already about to explode to try any more food. The entrees are $ 15 – 25. I had a Margarita although it lacked alcohol lol but overall the service was good and the food delicious.

One of the best hidden happy hours in Orange County. 5 – 7 pm: $ 4 margs, $ 3 sangria, $ 3 wine, I can’t remember how discounted the other cocktails and beer are… but it’s very reasonable. Even the full-​price drinks are reasonable. We agreed that we had one of the best Bloody Marys ever at Hidalgo. The mojito wasn’t bad either. Appetizers are discounted (I think 25% off?) during HH. My friend really likes their mussels; the ceviche is solid (I really appreciate that they use fish instead of shrimp. I love ceviche but can’t eat shrimp), as is the guacamole. Lovely outdoor seating area. Also, their albondigas soup. Wonderful and full of flavor.

I really had high expectations for this venue based on all the positive reviews, but I was left extremely disappointed following my wedding reception on January 24^th. The servers were rarely to never present. My husband had to clear our sweet heart table so that we wouldn’t have dirty dishes in our pictures. I wanted a refill on my soft drink (we added soft drinks to our package) but there was rarely anyone around at the bar or anywhere else in the restaurant to assist.
When it came time to cut our cake, we had to hunt a server down for a knife. He didn’t even provide us with plates or utensils. Again, we had to ask for these items. I should also mention that in the contract I signed it said that cake cutting and serving would be provided in the service. Well, part of that 20% gratuity should go to aunt Sandra and others who provided this service to our guests when no server took the initiative.
I wish I knew the servers names but none of the two introduced themselves to me. At one point the female server shared that she was in training but that’s no excuse for her rudeness. She did scold one of my guests for reaching for silverware to use for her cake. Instead of reprimanding my guest, she should have provided the service I paid for.
All in all, the food was throughly fulfilling annd delicious, but I will not be returning to this restaurant.

To continue my birthday festivities, dinner with my fit, workout girlfriends was next on the list. We had originally planned for Gabbi’s but it was unfortunately fully booked that night due to graduation parties.
Café Hidalgo’s menu and reviews were impressive, and the romantic ambiance would make it a good dress-​up night for us.
The restaurant is cozy and quaint but the outside patio area just exuded so much promise and romance. We, of course, asked to be seated outside since the weather was forgiving and we quite honestly to take advantage of the photo ops.

We ordered a variety of appetizers and quite frankly, none of them stood out to me. the salbutes were bland, the ahi was lackluster and even the guacamole was just OK.
I will say though that the food was presented in a very appealing way. Too bad, the appearance outshined the taste.
I ordered the pecan salmon with rice vs. potatoes which was very tasty but all other entrees left me feeling slightly shortchanged. The lack of flavors did not do justice the restaurant’s ambiance or the plated presentations.
Our meal ended with lava cake, crème brûlée and some complimentary cheesecake which was an endearing touch. The desserts were notably good, mind you.
In a nutshell, I wouldn’t find my way back especially since there are numerous other restaurants in the area.

I came here on a Friday at about 1:30, with only an hour left before they closed (they reopen again later.) The place was pretty much empty except for one other party.
The lack of customers at the time could definitely have been a reason why the service was so good, but I’m sure it’s great regardless of how busy they are!
Con: no chips and salsa or anything complimentary at the beginning of the meal. I’ve never been to a Mexican restaurant where they don’t offer chips and salsa, so this was a bit of a shock.
I ordered the carne asada and it was absolutely delicious! I came with a group of right people, and everyone loved what they got. I’m confident that everything they offer must be great. The ingredients taste fresh and are all of high quality.
You have the option of eating inside in their cute restaurant, or outside in the beautiful patio area that is shared with a few other businesses/​restaurants.
Overall great place! I’ll definitely be back.