Pacifico's Restaurant

04/13/08

go with a quesadilla, skip the "Mexican" style seafood

by dhyanaG at Citysearch

Listen, if you're a true lover of high quality, well-prepared seafood, this is NOT the place for you. I once ordered a grilled piece of halibut (whose moist flakes should practically melt in your mouth) and I seriously was confused by the consistency and for a second thought I had accidentally been given chicken! Whatever, I was gracious and ordered another pint to help get that dry, chewy mess down my throat. And now I know not to order a dish with fish being the centerpiece. I might be daring and try ordering a shrimp dish someday, but that's as far as I'll go.

Also, as someone who's spent time in various Central American countries, eating from both street vendors and at 4 star restaurants, I can say that this is a poor representation of Mexican seafood. It's bland and super Americanized. It's like Mexicali Fridays.

That said... it's a decent spot to go grab a beer & quesadilla lunch with a co-worker (though it can get pretty busy. your "lunch hour" may turn into an hour and a half rendezvous). The outside patio is festive and appealing and the service is pretty standard.

Your bill does tend to grow unexpectedly large, so I suggest any or all of the following:

a) Go with the cheap mexican beer on tap vs a bar drink

b) Share. One quesadilla (which comes with a pile of fries & side salad) and an appetizer or meal salad is plenty for two people.

In conclusion, get something "safe". It's hard to screw up a quesadilla or a salad or guac & chips.

• Pros: parking is easy with the lot/ draft beer / good portions
• Cons: overcooked seafood, bland seasoning

02/11/08

Exceptional seafood fajitas!

by kumarik at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I go to Pacifico's when we crave Mexican style seafood. He loves siete mares soup and my favorite is the seafood fajitas. When we want a light meal we split a small order (it's not actually small) of the seafood mixta platter and/or the tasty campechana shrimp cocktail. My boyfriend also LOVES the tres leches cake and sometimes makes me go with him just for one slice.

We also take our parents, who usually don't eat healthy. When they visit from out of town, they like to go to Pacifico's and order different fish dishes.

We've always had great service. Everyone seems very friendly and happy. They probably get to eat a lot of great food as a perk!

• Pros: Great variety of healthy Mexican seafood dishes
• Cons: Can get expensive if you're hungry

09/21/06

Seafood with a Spanish accent

by therealdiningdiva at Citysearch

Good for patio/sidewalk dining. This place offers seafood with a Mexican twist. It so worth a visit. Service is fast and friendly. (Hi Ernesto!) My favorite dishes: Salmon Enchiladas and/or Shrimp Quesadilla. Walking distance to movie theater and stores. Muy bueno!

07/13/06

A Fish Story

by mrpastrami at Citysearch

When this place opened, the service and food were quite shaky. Things are now pretty smooth and in my dozen visits quite consistently fine. Some have complained of high prices. When I can get a large serving of really fresh fish with a side salad (great tomatoe vinegarette house dressing) and fries (or other dishes) for about $15 I dont think thats to bad. My favorite is the Snapper Vera Cruz. Had it many times and it has always been great. Nice sauce on the fish which is lightly seasoned and broiled. Its always perfectely cooked. This place has a pretty big menu so some of the items could be miss. All restaurants have good and bad dishes so you need to allow for that and hopefully get the right ones. Ask the server for what is popular. Why would they steer you wrong, they suffer the bad tip! They sell a whole deep fried snapper but I have never had it and would think that it could be inconsistent, so I would steer clear of that. The atmoshpere is casual and beachy with real good outdoor seating as well. If you are in the area it's worth the try, especially the Snapper Vera Cruz. By the way, Bohemia beer is way better than Corona if you havent tried it and they have it.

• Pros: large menu - very fresh fish

06/15/06

Great Lunch Spot

by marinagirl78 at Citysearch

I agree with a lot of the reviews here. I read them before I went today for lunch and here's what I've come to realize. First, they have terrific outdoor seating and great little lunch specials. The food is fairly tastey, but nothing to write home about. If you are looking for a casual dining experience that isn't Taco Bell, this is a great little Mexican joint. I wouldn't recommend the sushi, but the ahi salad was fabulous. Also, the tacos were good and they have coconut ice cream. If you are picky about food, I don't recommend it - this is just a great, fun spot with decent food. It's not cheap but not expensive either. We even had the owner come out and give us a free ahi salad because they made too many. Great spot for work lunches.

• Pros: great ahi
• Cons: edamame didn't have sea salt

05/05/06

Not Worth the Price

by polilaw at Citysearch

Look. I read citysearch reviews all the time. I even go to places where there are bad reviews. I've learned through reading these reviews that some people are just flat-out cheap. Some say, "the food isn't worth the money." And I go to those places and the food is definitely worth the money. So, with that introduction, I can firmly say that the food at Pacifico's is definitely not worth the money. The food is not bad, it's just not worth the money. Plainly stated. If they knocked all of their items by $5, I would probably go again. But I wont go and have dinner w/ a friend w/ no appetizer, one margarita, one beer and spend $70. The food does not live up to that price.

• Pros: Guac-salsa
• Cons: Food Prices, Service, Boring

03/28/06

underated

by dcdivainla at Citysearch

though not truely romantic because of the kidsearly on, there is usually a singer on guitar taking requests. the seafood is always fresh and the service more than adequate. there is also an outddoor firepit.

• Pros: parking lot
• Cons: bench seating

02/27/06

Mas Pacificos!!

by nds at Citysearch

LOVE this restaurant. The staff's warm and friendly. The ambience is nice (especially by the romantic firepit). The food's FANTASTIC. We often go to "fine dining" restaurants for seafood, where the ticket price is higher, but NOT the quality. It's refreshing to find fresh, simply prepared, healthy, well-priced, and DELICIOUS seafood fare. My favorites...the "Parillada" (mixed seafood, rice, veggies, tortillas), the light, crispy calamari, and believe it or not...the RIBEYE STEAK!! In my opinion, it's one of the BEST STEAKS in town!! (Even BETTER than a lot of the more expensive steakhouses in town. Really.)

It's an easy restaurant to get in and out of. Parking is ample. Although the restaurant's busy, it's big and has lots of seating, so, I've never had to wait long for a table. Plus, the food comes quicly. Great place for a quick lunch or take-out, as well as longer, more relaxed weekend dinners.

• Pros: delicious food, great staff, good parking

11/11/05

The quality doesn't match the price

by dmenkes at Citysearch

I work rather close to Pacifico's and have dined here a great many times for lunch and dinner--for work. Would I come here if I didn't have to? No. Is the food that bad? No, but it's not worth $10 for a salad or $12 for a bowl of soup. The service has been average. The one thing that I like there is the seared ahi tuna sushi on cucumber slices, but I can think of many better places to get sushi than here.

• Pros: decent service
• Cons: too expensive, average food

10/05/05

Another BAD Restaurant by TV Food Network!!

by gmg1alvarez at Citysearch

This is the 5th Restaurant featured by TV Food Network and once again a very disapointment. We drove from Riverside to Culver City we ordered the Red Shapper which was undercooked and once you ate the chrispy batter the fish was very bland and a some places raw. For the price and service, well don't come if you just like spending your money for really bad service and I speak Spanish very well, and yet they kept passing us getting as many people to the tables outside, but once your sat down and they got your order after 30 minutes and then once you get your food the waiters don't come back until you are ready to pay the check. This by far was my biggest waist of money next to going to Las Vegas . DON'T Come HERE!!!

• Pros: good parking, clean, plenty of tables
• Cons: undercooked, very expensive, terrible service