Old Juan’s Cantina

The ambiance is nice. It’s basically a tourist trap, not many locals during the peak season. They have good drinks, their food is ok, but their prices are a little high for the quality. The staff is very friendly!

Our favorite Mexican restaurant went down hill. The food was not the same and the service was really bad…

Open for breakfast now everyday. Great breakfast everything I have tried on breakfast menu has been fantastic. Wait service very good Must try for breakfast.

We have been here twice and have had outstanding food and superb service both times! We’ve had a hard time not wanting to go there every night!

Every time I come to the Pismo Dunes I always stop and eat dinner here. Great atmosphere and the food is always fantastic!

Thought we’d give this place a try and had both an amazing meal and wonderful time.
The service was spectacular-​we were welcomed, seated, and served right away. Both our drinks and food came out surprisingly quickly.
I ordered the spinach enchiladas (and won the Better Choice award) which were incredible. My girlfriend had the special: fish tacos with mango salsa. Also very good, though I’m more for grilled fish tacos as opposed to friend – that being said, there was a grilled fish option on the menus.
If you’re an adventurous margarita fan, most definitely try the strawberry jalapeño margarita. We only had three (read with a heavy tone of sarcasm), so I suppose we’ll have to come back for more before we can make a judgement on those.

Decided to give Old Juan’s a try after reading mixed reviews. I’ve had breakfast and lunch there and enjoyed every meal served to me. A bonus is they serve my favorite brew (Modelo Negra). Great décor and attentive service. My new local favorite for Mexican cuisine.

I would really recommend this restaurant from its service to food to the ambiance. Food portions were good enough to fill us and prices are very reasonable.

Was not very happy with the food. I noticed the plate was microwaved before they brought it out which is a BIG turn off for me. Service was great though.

This place has really improved their menu. The mole enchiladas are perfect! Get the whole beans, seasoned perfectly. Great spinach enchiladas as well. Chips could be improved, but very good salsa

I began to write this review and it kept getting longer and longer so I scrapped it and decided to give you the cliffs notes version of it.
Everything about Old Juan’s Cantina is mediocre, and that’s putting it kindly.
Service: The woman who waited on us was very nice, when we actually saw her. It was about 10 minutes after we were seated that she came around for our order and another 10 minutes after that to receive our drinks. Our chips & salsa were refilled by a young gal who I believe was the host before we even got our drinks. After filling up on chips we weren’t hungry when our food came so we asked for to go boxes and our check, again our server went m.i.a, another server brought us boxes.
Food: Like I said before, mediocre at best. The best thing we ordered at this Mexican restaurant was a hamburger:-/ Maybe it would have been different had we eaten it fresh but it was even cold when it was brought out to our table.
Outdoor Patio: I don’t know if it’s even in use anymore but we had a table next to the patio area and the tables outside were mushed together and some of the chairs where flipped over. Not the greatest view.
Inside: I get that their going for an old school cantina vibe but some of it is just gross. The curtain rod is in the middle of the window so only the lower half of the window is cover by a disgusting covering that lays on the table. It not even a curtain it’s like a mesh covering that has definitely seen better days. The part of the covering that rests on the table is full of holes.
The only reason we stopped here is because it had lots of parking which is tough to come by in a tiny beach town, but we most definitely will not be back.

I have been going to old juans for years and I highly recommended. Great food and great drink specials. Never disappointed with old juans

I have been eating at OJ’s for many years but never really explored the menu. I fee l like I have been ripping myself off for all these years! Tonight we got to use a very generous gift card to pay for our meal. While waiting for our table we met one of the proprietors, his lovely wife and clever boys. Charming, welcoming and genuine-​I wanted them to adopt me and my boyfriend. Our waiter was friendly without using the phony «serving voice» and was right on top of things without hovering. The carmelized avocado appetizer was scrumptious, served with warm tortilla chips, it had various textures and flavors combined to make a symphony well played on the palate. No sooner did our emptied avocado shells leave the table did our entrees arrive. My boyfriend ordered steak fajitas skillfully spooned into a sizzling iron skillet table side. The meat was plump, juicy and coated in a rich, flavorful sauce accompanied by rice, black beans and giant tortillas. Condiments to build his fajita were abundant. Very tasty! My meal was the carnitas platter and when they served this crispy piece of porcine paradise I wished I had a tail to wag. My refried beans were far from the usual pasty glop one would expect to fill up a typical Mexican restaurant plate. Flavorful and much of the beans still in tact, the texture was delightful. The rice, I have come to disregard with barely a bite in my years of Mexican munching was another pleasant version of a traditionally (in my opinion) under seasoned side dish. Fluffy and savory it was given due attention. I still have enough leftovers for almost two meals. Value, great service and a chef’s obvious passion for pleasing his audience will keep us coming back for more. Also, be sure to pay homage to Snaggle the shark wearing a jaunty sombrero and hanging around.

We heard Old Juan’s Cantina was newly opened for breakfast, so we decided to stop in. I understand Old Juan’s has been around for a number of years, but I couldn’t tell the age of the restaurant since it was very clean and well maintained. Open and airy, the woodsy and colorful décor made it comfortable and casual.
First off, the coffee hit the spot and came presented on a little plate accompanied by my own porcelain creamer pitcher, thank you very much, since I cringe at the thought of violating my brew with non-​dairy liquids out of little plastic containers. This is a town of abundant coffee houses so the competition is tough but extra points here for a decent cup. Bonus: a yummy, warm heart-​shaped cinnamon cake.
For actual breakfast I didn’t want anything heavy so I was skeptical at first, attempting Mexican food on the way to a morning workout. There are not many times I can do huevos rancheros first thing in the morning and expect to stay awake the rest of the day. So I really appreciated the variety of fresh and creative offerings to choose from, along with more traditional selections so there was something for everyone. How about a shrimp and cheese omelette with corn tortillas? Or a pork tamale topped with eggs, bacon, black beans and sour cream? Without hesitation though, I selected the caramelized avocado topped with a poached egg, then served over what the menu listed as «hash browns» but no, no – these were NOT the bland previously frozen shredded slivers from my childhood… instead, fresh sauteed potatoes and onions, a pair of sweet-​mild roasted peppers and a sprinkle of corn, black beans and Mexican cheese. And, living in California and having grown avocados, I’ve eaten them a dozen different ways but this is the first time I’ve had a caramelized one and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that myself! There was a delicate sweet crispiness at the top, overlying the creamy, buttery avo flavor that I adore. OK, almost like a marriage between guacamole and crème brûlée, as odd as that sounds. But it was magnificent!
The service was friendly and the price reasonable. I don’t know what the lunch/​dinner menu offers, but if the experience is anything like what I had for breakfast, I look forward to finding out next time I’m in the area.

My wife (who is Mexican) and I have eaten here a few times. She and I agree that most of the food is relatively tasty in comparison to most Mexican restaurants. Our most recent visit was a little disappointing though. The albondigas soup was very tasteless. We took a few spoonfuls and ditched the rest. It had a strange lemon/​mint taste that neither of us could identify. Our main courses were just okay this time in comparison to the same orders we ate just two weeks before (which were excellent). It tasted like food that had been sitting under a heat lamp at a fast-​food joint. We thought perhaps it was due to different cooks on staff this time around. It was very dry and over cooked.
Slow down Old Juan, and put some love in your food, or perhaps all your patrons should just go to Taco Bell for the same experience.
By the way, drop the price on your bacon-​wrapped jalapeños! Too pricy for an appetizer that is very inexpensive to make. My wife makes them all the time, and it costs very little to prepare, and I’m sure at your cost it’s even less!

enjoyed Old Juan’s as much as any Mexican place in the area. The chips are fresh, and the salsa outstanding. The portions are huge and the drinks are so reasonable at happy hour. Go on Tuesday for taco Tuesday. The chile verde was tender and moist. The tostada was huge, full of chicken and guacamole. Tough to beat $ 3 Pacifico on tap.

Mexican food never tasted so mediocre, bordering offensive. I come here about once a year, hoping for something better than last time — this time was definitely my worst experience. I ordered Albondigas soup first, it was extremely salty and other than «salt» had no real flavor. Too bad, I love a good (or even mediocre, but this was inedible) Albondigas. The server actually offered to take the two soups off the ticket since we didn’t eat them, I politely declined and he left them on the bill. I had ordered the chile colorado for dinner, seemed a safe choice. Of course, I was wrong. It was like little brown covered bricks, like it was old and had been microwaved a few times instead of just scooped from a slow-​cooker. Couldn’t eat any meat, just had to eat the mediocre rice and beans. The rest of my family had mediocre-​at-​best food as well. The service was so-​so, the server had obviously had a long day and it reflected in the food service.
This place is a tourist trap and management doesn’t seem to care to get business from locals as they have done nothing to improve the state of things. Never going back again.

I haven’t been here in about 11 years. My parents used to take me to oceano when I was younger and we always stopped in here for a good dinner.
Here I am 11 years later and have a wife and 2 kids of my own. I was skeptical seeing a lot of the recent reviews regarding lack of flavor and service. This was so far from the truth. We went today, Monday, around 5:30pm. No wait and instantly seated. Exactly how I remembered the place! Our server Rose was very nice and fast. A tad rushed in the beginning for drinks and food, probably in response to previous reviews. Chips and salsa came quickly and tasted great. Wife wasn’t too hungry and had the chicken taquitos with guacamole which had plenty of guacamole and flavor. I had the chicken mole enchiladas. They were to die for. My wife who is Mexican and her mom came here from Mexico said this food tasted just like her moms. She is very picky and knows authentic flavor. So, bravo!!! Service was great, food was flavorful and filling, and price was decent.
If you are looking here on Unilocal to decide on coming, trust me and go. I came here over a decade ago and it has remained the same great experience! Food has great flavor and service is A+. I have no idea what the other 1 – 3 star reviews were talking about.

That meal was very… unimpressive. It started w/​poor quality chips and salsa. Like, really poor quality!
My hub got the tequila lime pomegranate chicken. It was okay. I got the Sauté Del Mar. The fish and shrimp were over cooked in butter and then smothered in cheese. So it was very heavy and I couldn’t finish it. It came w/​a cup of melted butter which turned my stomach to look at since the food had already been cooked in butter. I had to ask for some slices of lime from the bar to give my dish some flavor. The beans were pretty good. They might have been the best part of the meal.
The presentation of the food was good but the taste just wasn’t there and neither was the quality. Jaqcquelyn Q’s review was right about the food being under seasoned. So, maybe that’s good for older folks?
I guess it’s probably fine for people who don’t have high expectations.

Ive been coming here since I was born! Food is always amazing and service great. If u come on a weekend or dinner time prepare for a wait. Sit in the bar and enjoy some chips while u wait