Yucatan Grill

Crispy chips, good salsa, refried or black beans, spanish or yucatan rice, I love options to go with my crispy chicken taco or burrito. Good margaritas, fairly extensive menu, happy hour and taco Tuesdays are a plus. We go here about every 2 weeks because they are reasonably priced.

Went here a few days ago with a friend. We tried several things and split everything.
If I can remember correctly, we had a quesadilla, a shredded beef burrito and an enchilada ala carte.
The quesadilla and enchilada were good, and by good I mean somewhere in the middle, not horrible, but not great. The burrito had the option of adding sautéed veggies, so we both agreed it would be a healthy option, but the burrito ended up tasting bitter. I think it was from the veggies, but I can’t say for sure. It was not horrible, like I couldn’t eat it, just kind of a strange burnt bitter aftertaste. It tasted like the oil that the veggies were cooked in smoked too high and went bad and then they cooked in it. Not good.
Anyway, due to the bitter burrito and the other average items, I won’t return. There are sooooo many Mexican restaurants that are better than this place. I personally wouldn’t waste your time here. I was going to give two stars, but I bumped it up to three since the restaurant was very comfortable, casual and brightly decorated, and the service was excellent.

It was our first time here, Sunday around 11 30 am we were seated immediately. Amanda was our waitress and she was the best! She was very sweet and attentive. Our orders were: Yucatan Eggs Benedict with Chorizo and eggs over hard, Beef tamale, French toast combo and Chile Rojo omelette with potatoes. Everything was delicious. Flavors were spot on. Over hard eggs cooked perfectly. Definitely coming back.

This place is so good I visit at least twice a week for at least a decade, if not 15 years.
Here’s a tip to first-​time visitors: You want to go when they’re not packed. That means you should prefer lunch over dinner, weekdays over weekends, and avoid Taco Tuesday completely.
When it’s not packed, the place is magical. The food tastes better (more time to marinate the meats and slower cooking for juicier meats) and the atmosphere is laid-​back.

YES, YES, YES!!! Try the beef brisket and jerk chicken. Jesus, Mary, mother of God!

The brisket street tacos are on my mind daily. They are so mouth watering. The wait staff is super awesome too.

So this place was recommended to me by some locals when I was visiting the Long Beach area. I heard they had some to die for Margarita flavors (melon was the one mentioned to me as their favorite). they also mentioned «Brisket Tacos» which peaked my interest and basically guaranteed I’d be there.
So I made my way there during their Happy Hour, and wow, it was busy. It was hard to get seating, but in time we did. It took a while though, and by the time we could finally order drinks, happy hour was almost over. We got a round of happy hour Margaritas and some nachos for the table. Then we made our actual orders, and I tried their Lychee Margarita, because wtf, Lychee, really, couldn’t resist. For my food, I went with the Brisket taco of course, along with some Fish (tilapia) Tacos.
The Brisket Taco was a disappointment right from the first bit. Honestly I don’t think I even finished it. It just didn’t work. The fish tacos were okay, but kinda disappointing as well. Even the Lychee Margarita, that I’d had so much hope for, fell short. Well boo… The best thing I had was their basic nachos as an appetizer, and that was just because I was hungry.
Disappointing visit. I’ll get the Melon Margarita if there is a next time, not sure there will be though.

Walked in and the place smelled like a dirty public restroom or wet basement. Watermelon margarita did not at all taste like watermelon-​none of the 4 adults at our table liked it. The $ 4 guacamole from the happy hour menu was the blandest we’ve had – it was more filler (celery, lettuce, watery tomatoes, etc) than avocado. What a rip off.
The halibut in the tacos was nice but the rest of the taco tasted like «bad breath» or «fart» depending on who you asked at our table. It was disgusting. The mashed black beans were bland – we relayed this to our waiter and he comped us since we only braved one bite. The kids enjoyed their giant quesadilla but then again my kid just woke up with diarrhea. :(
With so many excellent Mexican food choices in SoCal, why would anyone eat here?

Been so long since I ate here but remember food was good. I need to come back soon but so far from my home. Cochinita Pibil was good.

Husband and wife owned Mexican/​Caribbean restaurant. They make the salsa, beans and rice in house which is yummy. I like that they put down paper on the table that you can draw on. The skinny margaritas are bomb! Super strong. I really like the tilapia taco, the fish is kind of soft. The orange chicken dish is good but expensive. Haven’t tried the crispy tacos yet but that is on my list. Good service but pricey.

I ordered a tilapia taco. The tomatoes in the dish was spoiled, the fish was also. The waitress offered to reverse the charge on the ticket. She was so accommodating that it seemed she has gone through the routine many times appeasing a customer with a complaint. Our tortilla chips on the table were stale. My cousin’s dish was cold in the middle.
I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

I LOVE Yucatan Grill! For some reason every time I come in, it’s Happy Hour!
So their house margaritas are good, but I usually go for Watermelon on the rocks. The street tacos are huge, the short rib is the best! It’s spicy and sweet and oaky and delicious. The tropical fish taco is also fresh and delicious. I like their salsa, it’s pretty good and the chips have always been warm and crisp. I also like the fajitas. The staff has always been great, I haven’t met a server that wasn’t kind and helpful.
The kids meals are great, and the table cloths are sheets of butcher paper for you and the kids to draw or play tic tac toe while you wait for your food.
The people who typically fill this place are locals, many have walked here and are taking advantage of Happy Hour, so it’s possible you could end up in a drunken convo with a stranger. However, I have only come upon friendly folks.
My favorite part of Yucatan Grill is the location. It’s a short drive to the sand and a walk on the beach makes the perfect dessert.

This comes from a place of constructive criticism and nothing more. The food was delicious. The price was slightly over priced. A modest dinner for 3 came to 80 bucks, drinks with no appetizers.
The wait for a table was 20 min (on a Friday night is reasonable).
The bar tender was unethically over worked. We sat at the bar waiting 20 min to be served. As soon as we were even able to speak to the bartender we were seated.
The evening turned when the food was accidentally dropped in my dads lap and beer spilled across the table. A forgivable offense but the waitress didn’t even say she was sorry. She didn’t offer napkins, they had to be asked for. A shirt stain later and we had to ask for our beers (which were spilled) to be refilled, we were ready to leave.
At last the bill comes and all that the server said was, «here is the bill». I am completely shocked! I work in the service industry and always refrain from giving a review that negatively reflects a business since I know that there are many moving components, but they need to either a) train their staff to more appropriately handle negative customer experiences or b) hire more competent staff. A simple «I’m sorry» would have resolved the entire situation.
I genuinely hope this helps resolve future guest experiences.

Pretty good place for some taco Tuesday with a Caribbean flair to the menu if you don’t want tacos. Relaxed and laid back, food was pretty good.

Good Taco Tuesday deal, average food.
+++ Free chips and salsa, although salsa is on the mild side
+++ $ 2 soft tacos and crispy tacos +++ the soft tacos are huge!
+++ $ 3 special tacos (jerk chicken, Mahi Mahi & a special pork one) +++
Cons: They put too much shredded cheese on the tacos, which doesn’t melt and doesn’t go well with the tacos. I got the crispy taco with beef, which was dry. They need a hot sauce /​salsa on the tacos, too. The salsa that comes with the chips and salsa were lacking spice.
The good: chips and salsa were refilled often, soft tacos are huge! Plus I read happy hour is from 3−7pm, so I’ll be back to combine that on Taco Tuesday for some margaritas!

Good Mexican Caribbean vibe. The two flavors merge or you can order seperate. We had the jerk chicken with black beans and saffron rice; carne asada with salad and corn tortillas. The jerk chicken is wet with additional sauce on the side, a little different than what I’m used to but the sauce has a kick so beware. I’ll revisit and try other items.

We were in the area and decided to Unilocal somewhere to eat. I picked this place because of the ratings, but unfortunately this was just an okay meal for me. My bf and I both went with the shrimp enchilada, I had a shrimp taco as well. I didn’t enjoy either of these items. The green sauce in the enchilada was not that great, the shrimps didn’t seem to be seasoned, and I didn’t enjoy whatever was in the taco.
I did enjoy the chips and salsa! Our waiter was also very friendly and attentive. I would still recommend this place because the menu is pretty large, so maybe the Carribean items they serve are better.

Good :)
Small hole in the wall place but good good food.
Mexican & Caribbean food in one. Combo
Mixed menu. Affordable.
Came in on Friday night @ around 7ish, boy & I.
Ordered: chicken jerk wings for the starter and they were made fresh and not served with hot spicy sauce they have 3 kinds & believe me their hot & spicy.
Chicken mojo chicken was delicious served with lemon citrus taste served with a sliced onion on top & diced mushrooms on top marinated so good. Side with black beans, yucatan rice & side of tortillas and side of Butter. It was served fresh and hot.
Waitress was super helpful. But I gotta admit waited by the door when we first arrived for 5 minutes until we asked a random Waitress to please seat us or put our name down… Yay… That’s one bad thing that was a bit disappointing, they completely dismissed us for a tad bit.
But other than that good :)

Small little gem tucked way back in the parking lot on the back of the building but worth it for some great food!
Who knows what is really «authentic» or not, all food is different even if you are a native of whatever country or region you are refering to. I ignore reviews that talk about such nonsense. So, yes, this is a Mexican food place but it is not the Mexican food place that all are used to… or maybe it is?! Who cares, it’s some GREAT food!
My first experience here was many years ago with some friends and one had me try her SHRIMP DIABLO. That is one dish that I’ve never forgotten, it was so great that I think about it often and consider a trip over to YG for a plate of that spicy, plump, spicy, yummy, spicy shrimp. Served with grilled peppers, beans and rice. So delectible and yummy!
A popular among friends that I’ve gone with is the JERK CHICKEN too, however I have only tried a bite (not a chicken fan, really) but it had great flavor and seemed to be tender and not dry either with a great taste of spice as well.
CRAB ENCHILADA… come to momma!!! So incredibly good and stuffed full of crab. There’s a tequila-​lime sauce on there that compliments the dish perfectly.
A couple visits after my initial tastebud awakening, I went for Taco Tuesday! Great little menu of several taco options. The price wasn’t super inexpensive but it definitely wasn’t bad for what I got. Regular tacos are $ 1.95 each and specialty tacos (shrimp, mahi mahi, salmon, etc) are $ 3.95. I had a CRUNCHY BEEF TACO and a SALMON TACO, both were loaded full and prepared perfectly. I will say that the salmon taco was one of the best tacos I’ve ever had, a taste sensation.
Now, if you like spice added to your dish, they have a squeezy bottle of hot sauce (called Dogs Nose) that they’ll bring you. Wow, is that stuff great!!! Enough spice that I had the hiccups for about 2 – 3 minutes after my first bite using that stuff. I love some spice to my food, was awesome. You can get a bottle to go too… Dear Santa, I want this.
MARGARITAS are plenty! Options are more than I can even remember and on their website menu they aren’t even all listed. I have never ordered one myself (gotta drive home, you know) but I’ve had a sip of a few of them; how about a Cucumber & Spicy Pepper maggie? Or a Pineapple & Pomegranate marg? Or heck, just go for the traditional El Patron Margarita made with a dab of orange juice? Some day I’m trying them all and calling Über to haul me home!
The restaurant itself is a semi-​tight squeeze but they can accomodate larger parties fairly easily. It twists and turns so it can be a bit confusing but it is a quaint and old style place that has great atmosphere and obviously wonderful food too!
Go check it out! Starting with some chips and salsa… order a smooch of guacamole too… it’s all good!
CHEERS!!!

This was our first visit and it advertises, Mexican food with a Caribbean flare. We were enjoying a staycation in Seal Beach and exploring all the food SB has to offer. Starving and with most nearby restaurants closing soon, we rushed to Yucatan Grill and was seated promptly.
I can totally see why the customer service is a hit or miss. We can hear some waiters and bussers complaining loudly when we initially arrived, but the restaurant doesn’t close for another 35 minutes. Luckily, with our stars aligned we got a very pleasant and super helpful waitress. She was busy, but still willing to take the time to serve us.
We ordered the jerk and mojo chicken. Both dishes were made with chicken breast, but they were cooked to perfection. The jerk chicken was well seasoned and had this smokey flavor that my husband really enjoys. The only unfortunate part is, the spice that is suppose to make the jerk chicken spicy is left on the side and it’s advertised as a spicy dish. I guess this is where the flare or fusion comes in. Noted, it was not chicken thighs and no it wasn’t 1000 degrees in spice level either, but it was tasty.
My mojo chicken was just as excellent, with slivered garlic, hints of orange and deeply marinated sauce that made this chicken so tender.
The side salad was nothing to run home to, but the fact is, they had a homemade lemon and vinegar dressing that made it that much more interesting.
I was pleasantly surprised with our food and would only return if we got the same waitress. They seriously need to tidy up the place, because the widow sills are pretty bad. 4 stars for food, 2 stars for ambiance.
If management was present during that night, it would have been shameful for them to see what was going on. A table of 10+ rolled in about 15 minutes after us and hesitatingly, they served half the table with food and kept telling them the kitchen was closed. They were ordering so much alcohol, from a business standpoint, I can’t see why they wouldn’t be served food also. Dude, the restaurant is nearby large hotels, wouldn’t you expect more hungry tourists at all odd hours?

este pinche comida es para gabachos y gente de no se nada de comida mexicana, chinga su madre pinche guerros VIVA MEXICO PINCHE CABRONES!!!