Antojitos Don Juan

Margarita tasted like Mountain Dew and the food was just okay. Probably good if you don’t know what authentic Mexican food tastes like.

Food here is great. The portions are kind of small but I think it’s better that way you don’t over eat. Their salsa and chips are yummy and spicy. Great joint for good quality food

A friend chose this place as the dinner place for a friend’s birthday. I’m not that big of a fan of Mexican food but our friend was craving Mexican food so he chose here.
The host was extremely helpful and courteous (he let us wait inside until our whole party arrived before taking the time to personally explain the menu to us).
My boyfriend and I decided to share an entrée and we chose the CAMARONES ESPANOLES (bacon wrapped shrimp) off their Unilocal menu. It was a bit pricey (around $ 16), so we were hoping that it would be amazing. In the end, we were sorely disappointed because the dish did not deliver. The bacon wrapped shrimp was indeed delectable, but not worthy enough to be so pricey. We got around six bacon wrapped shrimp and it was immersed in this one sauce that was very flavorful. They supplied us with warm tortillas, but in the end, my boyfriend and I were not wowed by anything – not the flavor, not the dish, and not the experience of us spending a great amount of money only to be left unsatisfied.
[Tip: Stay away from the Unilocal Menu if you can. It feels like the title of «Yelp» is there to throw you off. Plus, all the entrees labeled underneath the Unilocal menu is extremely overpriced and I am quite sure not worth it].
Other than that, they also offer this very spicey, unique JALAPENO MARGARITA that left my upper lip burning for around fifteen minutes. Man, that was spicy (for me at least).
We were pretty much the only huge group there, while there were a couple of other tables occupied. Overall, it was pretty empty for dinner time. I will definitely not be returning to this place. But if you’re a fan of Mexican food, I guess you should check this place out and see how it is.

Based off all the reviews you would think this place would be busy, right? We came in for dinner and there was only one other table occupied in this small and cramped restaurant. The size of restaurant doesn’t bother me as long as it makes up for delicious and great food. My fiancé ordered the enchiladas and I had the Molcajete. First impression… Enchiladas were nothing special and very forgettable and the Molcajete was just ok. I wished the used true flap meat for the Molcajete instead of cheaper and lesser quality of beef.
Prices are bit high for what you get. I can see the direction that the owners are trying to go with this restaurant, but with lack of execution. I can’t see this place being a great hidden gem of Orange County.
… Would I return and give this restaurant a second chance… Probably not.

Dined here a few nights ago and although raining, they had quite a few people dining inside. This restaurant is very small and takes pride in making the customer happy. ANother table expressed their liking of the salsa and wanted a bit more heat and the owner would go back and forth, preparing new salsa’s for the guest to let the customer try an assortment of different sauces/​salsas.
I shared both of the Camarones dishes and was very impressed with them. One was more of a chorizo chili based dish which was awesome and the other dish had shrimp stuffed with crab, wrapped in bacon. Not only was the shrimp amazing, but the accompanying sauce stood on its own as a star.
I will continue dining her because they cook true to their hearts (including some french fusion) and I always feel very welcomed by the staff and owners.
FYI Great Taco Tuesday that I would not miss.

This is the most wonderful Mexican place in Los Angeles. It’s small, quaint, mom&pop…kinda in the hood… But the food is on point. You can order enchiladas or one of the weekly specialties (Mahi mahi, camarones con chorizo, etc).
The owner is super sweet.
Great service, great food.
If you want a fancy ambiance, this isn’t your place… but for good Mexican food, this place is top notch.

We have been there a dozen times and the food is consistently delicious. I always get the camarones con chorizo and my husband always orders the molcajete and as many ice cold beers as he thinks he can get away with at lunch. Service is very attentive and the complimentary chips and salsa are excellent!
This place is hard to beat.

When great service meets awesome food, magic happens.
I heard of Antojitos Don Juan from a few friends and decided to give it a shot. To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first. It’s in a semi-​isolated area and the outside doesn’t look too inviting.
And this, my friends, is why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
The restaurant’s interior is pretty rad. I really liked the various colors, Mexican paintings, and beer cap art on each table. The inside, while not large, was clean and cozy. There is a bunch of outside seating as well.
The owner, Juan, immediately welcomed us. After telling him that it was our first visit, he gave us a run through of the menu and pointed out a number of specials that weren’t listed. Dawn M. went with the escargot (yes, at a Mexican restaurant) and I ordered the Pollo Don Juan (a Mexican take on chicken parmigiana).
While our food was being prepared, Juan brought over a fresh basket of chips and homemade salsa. He then spent the next 10 – 15 minutes chatting with us about various things. We learned a little about his father’s restaurant, his goal to create Mexican fusion cuisine, etc. He was down to earth and really made an effort to get to know us. Doesn’t happen too often these days.
Oh yeah… the food. SUPER BOMB. The Pollo Don Juan was much tastier than any chicken parmigiana I’ve ever eaten. The jalapeño sauce really gave this chicken dish a distinct flavor. I don’t think I’ll ever look at marinara sauce the same way. The chicken was served with rice and beans– HUGE PORTION. Dawn M. really liked the escargot and thought the garlic sauce added a nice twist. We walked out of Antojitos Don Juan stuffed and satisfied.
Definitely coming back.

When I went here, I used a restaurant .com gift certificate to get a portion of the meal off for less (though there were a few restrictions and requirements).
This place is located in the same busy plaza with the 99 cent only supermarket, but my friends and I managed to find parking in front of the restaurant without too much hassle.
I was expecting the food here to be amazing based off of the Unilocal reviews, and while the food was good, it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. The chips and salsa they served in the beginning was just okay. The salsa was a bit bland for my taste, and felt a little watered down and lacking.
I ordered the molacajete which was pretty good. There was like a piece of chicken, beef, cactus (?) and some sort of ground meat, served with some cheese and beans. The individual parts of the meal were tasty, I really liked the flavoring in the ground meat. The beans were a bit bland though and there wasn’t quite enough flavoring in them. As a whole, the dish didn’t really come together for me, I just didn’t feel the items complimented each other well enough.
My friend had the Don Juan Chicken (?) and the Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon (?). The chicken was actually quite tasty, but there wasn’t really much more to it.
Overall a good place, but not nearly as amazing as some Unilocal reviews make it seem.

In general this is a very small restaurant, but their food is good.
I had an unpleasant experience the last time there. Their menu is outdated, I asked for menudo or pozole and the owner advised me that it’s been over a year that they stopped serving those dishes (easy fix, just grab a pen and cross if off the menu).
I’ll end my review with this: I asked for a shrimp cocktail and the owner warned me that it would cost me approx. $ 7 more than what is listed on the menu. He stated that this was due to shrimp being really expensive at market price and availability (not my problem) this isn’t an issue at any other seafood restaurant I’ve been to in OC.
I would only go back there for pickup & the wet burrito.

Preparamos para orgazmos in la boca. Ensedio, el mejor resterauntes de authentico mexicanos en orange county. Mucho mucho rico el sabors de authenticos.

This is a hole in the wall mexican spot. Only reason why I tried this spot was because my girlfriend bought a couple from
. It saved us $ 15. We came here on a Friday night right after work which was around 5:30pm. The owner and his wife were really nice to us because we were the only one in the restaurant. The owner suggested we get the molcajete. We also order beer which came in a nice cold glass plus the beer bottle was hella cold as well.
Let me tell you how delicious the molcajete. This was my first time ever having this. It came with a thin slice of beef and chicken plus a small chorizo and cactus. It was indulge in bean soup with cheese. It also came with some tortillas. This dish is amazing. MUST TRY MOLCAJETE!
FYI — this place is small and kinda dirty.

Hate writing bad reviews and going against other Unilocalers’ raving reviews but I gotta speak the truth based on my experience …
1) Who serves taquitos without guacamole? Instead they piled it with lettuce and parm cheese! It was stale and tasteless! Cost Co. frozen taquitos have more flavor!
2) Chicken enchiladas, again lettuce and parm cheese on top … Looking like a cover up! Dry, no sauce! Tasted like a microwave meal!
Chips were stale and unsalted, very plain. Horchata, my fav Mex drink, sucked here too. Plain, no flavor. I’ve never had bad horchata, and I’ve had it from total hole in the wall places too! The tacos and bacon wrapped shrimp were just ok.
Service was friendly at first, but then we had a misunderstanding about the shrimp and he tried to put words in my mouth. Dude, I know what I said, you need to listen carefully. I don’t stutter or have an accent! $ 50 for crappy Mexican! Eeeeh!!! Will not be back.

The look of this place is deceiving! We almost passed up this place because no one was inside and it was in the middle of no where. Turns out this is a great, friendly restaurant that offers unexpected twists to your typical Mexican meal! Do NOT pass it up!
+ The owner is so friendly and informative! I’m pretty sure his friendliness made our meal a thousand times better. Throughout the meal he made sure we were enjoying ourselves and offered background on the restaurant. His mission is to create non-​traditional Mexican dishes using ingredients that are not usually cooked with in Mexican culture. For instance he has dishes using frog legs and escargot. He is constantly looking for new unusual ingredients to add to his menu and looks to his customers for suggestions! Another thing I loved about him is that he is SO SO SO proud of his restaurant! You can tell that he really puts his heart into his business which I appreciate! At the end of our meal he even let us sign his notebook with messages from previous customers all over the world! Loved seeing how proud he was!
+ The food is delicious! I ordered a typical Mexican dish with a chicken enchilada and carne asada taco with beans and rice on the side! It was unlike your usual taqueria food and much more tasty! My boyfriend got the salmon which was topped with a tangy sauce. It was addicting. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the sauce was light and tangy enough to not take away from the fish. The menu is so unusual that I wish we could have tried more!
Antojitos Don Juan, please come to the Bay Area!

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp is Awesome goodness!!!
Enchiladas Mexicana plate very tasty… I prefer extra spicy heat from the sauce. They gave me a roasted Serrano and whew that hot MoFo was spicy goodness!!!
The Mentada plate tasted very authentic with Nopales, Frijoles de Olla and your choice of meat very good!
The restaurant has a cool Baja feel with lots of outdoor seating.
BEER served in frozen mug! Yeah Buddy!
Definitely will return!

AOK and Great Customer Service!
I ordered the tenderloin. I came with a sauce that seemed to be a recipe of the house. The meat was tender and the sauce was AOK. I also tried a chicken quesadilla and it was AOK.
The customer service is great and the owner is friendly and down to earth. I love how he has his menu on the TV so you can see all the attractive dished.
Overall, AOK for me.

Like many others, I use Unilocal to find the best rated restaurants in certain areas. Don Juan came up with super great reviews so I went for it for lunch. It’s a converted KFC building which, to me, meant a taco and burrito joint. Boy, was I wrong. It is nicely decorated but does not have a fine dining look. Lots of outdoor seating, waiter service, real dishes. The owner, Don Juan, was the waiter and I think his wife was working away in the back.
Great chips and salsa were served. Don advised me that he has the traditional dishes in his fat menu but most folks opt for the specials. Nothing typical about them. They had a molcajete bowl, which looked like a bowl of whole beans in a thin soup with a variety of meats. It looked very intriguing but I went for the shrimp and chorizo. About 8 big shrimps served tail on in a spicy gravy with chunks of chorizo. Spicy and tasty, it was served with fresh piping hot corn tortillas, rice, beans and salad.
Don is very proud of his cooking and restaurant but looking for a nicer place to move the restaurant. He says most of his customers are from outside of Santa Ana and come based on the reviews but few locals will eat here because of the price. It is, indeed, gourmet Mexican food, not fast food. My lunch was $ 23 with a fountain drink. It seems Don is locked in a cheap part of town in a fast food building in a dingy strip mall. Once he moves into a nicer joint, he may attract a nicer crowd looking for a $$ place to dine. He seems like a great guy, cares about his food and customers. I loved my dish and look forward to coming again.

I had the Molcajete which is a massive bean chilli with grilled beef and chicken, chorizo, cactus and other goodies. Totally delicious but bring an appetite!
My wife had the camarones espanoles which is a crab stuffed bacon wrapped shrimp dish with a delicious creamy sauce.
We also had some great margaritas served in a glass chalice made for a king.
Service was great. The owner’s son helped us and he was courteous and knowledgeable.

There are a million Mexican restaurants in CA, so I can’t say this is the best Mexican place in the state, but it is the best I’ve eaten at for a number of reasons.
1. The Owner, Juan. Very nice man. Takes time to talk to you about the menu, his passion for cooking, the knowledge he’s learned from working as a chef and watching cooking shows and eating different cuisines has shaped his menu. This is a Mexican place that serves snails and frog legs! Don’t expect an «Alberto’s-type» hole in the wall for greasy mex food. This is close to fine dining, minus the white table cloths.
2. The chips. Excellent fried corn chips. Not unlike the kind you get at El Toro Bravo, etc. but fried perfectly. Not hard enough to break a tooth but still crispy and light.
3. The food. My buddy and I both had shrimp dishes. Mine was bacon wrapped, massive shrimp with crab in a creamy garlic, spicy sauce. Crazy good. My buddy had a shrimp and chorizo dish. Also outstanding and flavorful. They come with rice, beans and tortillas. Waaaaay tooooooo much food. So good. Even the rice was light, fluffy and flavorful. My only complaint would be the price but considering the quality and quantity, you can’t go wrong. He has typical Mexican favorites on the menu but do yourself a favor and order one of his specials. He was even talking to us about trying to work veal shank on the menu. Veal shank! This guy needs a bigger, better restaurant/​kitchen to support his vision.
I am glad and sad I don’t live/​work closer because I would eat here far too often. Great meal.
(Oh and look at the picture of his breakfast burrito! Holy cow that looks amazing.)

This place is so full of HYPE.
You guys must have not eaten much mexican food if you can rate this over 3 stars.
Mexican people don’t even eat here for goodness sakes.
Unilocal steered us wrong this time. We came with a group of 30 and were only allowed to order from the «Daily Specials Menu».
I would not come back, wouldn’t even drive on the same street it’s on. Disgusting.
Really tried to like it since for some reason you guys do.

A hidden gem! Cozy, authentic, mom & pop Mexican restaurant that everyone should DEFINITELY try sometime!!! I felt as though I was eating dinner at someone’s house with a bunch of strangers and with plates of awesome, home cooked food!
Juan, the owner and server came to greet us immediately upon arrival. Despite how busy it was, him and the waitress were so accommodating and attentive the entire evening. We were seated promptly, had our drink orders taken immediately, the night’s specials read to us, were given recommendations, & they constantly followed up with us throughout the meal to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. Delightful service!
Juan and his wife creatively crafted a wide variety of custom entrees, appetizers, and specials on the menu. Their innovative creations truly impressed me. The tastes here are unique, but traditional and absolutely delicious
My friend and I ordered:
— Molca Jete — Asada, pollo, Chorizo, Nopal, Queso
— Shrimp and Chorizo plate — DELICIOUS
— Shrimp Tacos — YUMMMM
— Fish Tacos — YUMMM
The Molca Jete was a highlight of the evening. I’ve never seen nor have I ever eaten anything like it. Everything else we ordered were divinely tasty, but the Molca Jete stood out to me the most. The dish consists of a big slab of grilled chicken breast, a slab of carne asada beef, a chorizo patty, fleshy strips of Nopal, lots of melted cheese, and pinto beans, all combined together in a tasty, bean based soup. It’s served in a mortar bowl and presents beautifully. I highly recommend everyone to try this dish!
This is my new favorite Mexican restaurant. I will DEFINITELY be back!!! Fell in LOVE!