Mario’s De La Mesa

Reviews

• John V.

  star star star star star 6 June 2026

  Stopped by for Taco Tuesday, although their taco Tuesday menu was not extensive we decided to get something else and we are glad we did.
  
  The Mar y Cielo was delicious! the carne asada was not a large portion but the flavor made up for the size. Chicken enchiladas were on point!
  
  The Micheladas were by far one of the best ones i've had, and the mango wine margarita was the  talk of the night, an alcoholic slushy drink, can't go wrong with thst mixture! I will come back for sure, the service was great and the food was amazing I am a fan

• Ken P.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 6 June 2026

  How do you mess up Mexican food?  Even the worst taco shop can provide at least a 3 star-experience.  Not so Mario's.  Made a reservation for a party of 10.  Showed up and they were woefully unprepared.  Had to seat us outside, in the 90 degree heat.  And made us arrange the tables to accommodate us.  Basically, their idea of preparing for our large party was to say OK when we called.  
  No tequila, so not real margaritas, despite what they told us.  Stick to beer.  The food was....how to describe this?.....
  
  Shitty.
  
  The majority of negative reviews on Yelp for Mario's say the same thing - BLAND.  I can confirm this.  The house salsa had not one tiny bit of heat.  Just tomatoes, onions and cilantro.  Not a pepper to be found, even a mild one.  We had to ask for it, but they did bring us some green salsa with some heat and flavor.  I think they charged us for it, tho.
  My chili Colorado, when it arrived, was far too salty.  I gave other people a taste to confirm that it wasn't just me.  Inedible.  Had to be sent back.  My brother remarked that he had never seen me send a dish back before, so you know it was bad if I wouldn't suck up and eat it.  And I love salt - I added more salt to the tortilla chips.
  Sent back the chili and got chicken fajitas instead.  Not quite as terrible but still bad.  It's obvious that Mario's pre-cooked the chicken and just tossed it onto the sizzling plate with the veggies. The chicken absorbed no flavor and was the taste and consistency of nuggets without the breading.  Yuk.  Not to mention that by the time the second entree arrived, the original rice and beans and tortillas were stone cold. Others in the party were unimpressed with the enchiladas and the tacos.  One diner enjoyed the seafood burrito, but she was in the minority.  Even the rice and beans were a "C".  Everything was distinguished by a lack of flavor.  Bland.  
  I will give one extra star, because the waitress was sweet.  Otherwise, don't bother.  The food is not worth your time.  The food at Carnitas Uropan down the street is 10 times better, from salsa, to tortillas to beans and rice.  Mario's seems to have a good location & decent waitstaff, but the cooks and/or owners seem to have gotten lazy and complacent.  They have a small parking lot, but if it's full, prepare for a hike.

• Albert Z.

  star star star star star 23 May 2026

  I will start out by saying the food and customer service are top notch! My fourth time back since I discovered this place with a co-worker a few months ago. I will start out with the food. The menu has a lot of traditional Mexican food and not a lot of taco stand crap. The food is really delicious including their salsas. On my last visit, my wife and I enjoyed sharing the chicken mole and the chili rellenos dinners. On my past visits, I had the carne asada and the Menudo, both were fantastic!
  The customer service has been awesome on all three visits, quick service and orders spot on.  
  The prices are very reasonable and there are lunch hour specials.
  Bottle beer but no liquor. Free street parking and limited parking in the back of the restaurant. There is a small outside dining area too.
  A solid 5 stars for delicious food and great customer service.

• Haley C.

  star star star star_border star_border 18 May 2026

  Perfectly average Mexican food with fresh ingredients, and bland flavors. Mario's appears to be a family owned restaurant, and everyone working was friendly.
  
  The chips and salsa were fine- the house salsa was very mild, and the chips were good. We asked if they had a hotter salsa and they brought us one which we mixed with the mild salsa and enjoyed. I ordered a crispy beef taco, chicken enchilada, rice, and beans. The beef taco was good, the chicken enchilada was bland, and the rice and beans were decent.
  
  One of the workers came by with a cup of complimentary fruit salad which was quite good, but overall the food did not impress me.

• Coco C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 13 May 2026

  Unimpressed, parking is horrible, not enough and so cramped you get your car damaged by other cars, had to park like 3 blocks away, trusted the good reviews on yelp to try this place, they probably write they're own fake reviews, this place is terrible, service is slow on a not busy day, food is bland, salsa served with chips is so mild it taste like watered down tomato sauce, lol before I ordered I should have gone with my gut instinct not to order, there was no Hispanic people eating here! At a Mexican restaurant! First warning bell, second warning bell; all the customers were people who don't season their chicken( explains why the food is bland and no flavor) the food was mediocre with no flavor, waiter took forever to notice we needed refills, plates were small compared to other Mexico restaurants, my steak was stiff and over cooked, beans tasted hard and burnt,plates lacked presentation, this is not Mexican Food, the only good thing about this visit was we had a good view of the la Mesa strip, will not be returning here.