Tortilla Republic

I went with my family for dinner and we had great time. Our server Trevor was really nice and the food was delicious. I wish we had this restaurant in Austin.

Visiting Leguna, and stumbled across this little gem. The food was incredible and the staff were all super friendly and accommodating, especially our server, Trevor! I would recommend this place to anyone and will definitely be back!

Amazing restaurant! I helped plan my friend’s wedding dinner at this beautiful and delicious place and we could’ve not chosen a better place. The ambiance is extraordinary, so is the food. But what I found to be the biggest blessing was to team up with an excellent staff. Each and every single of them were so professional. We were in the best hands with Mike who took excellent care of us! We will definitely love to celebrate many many more events here and highly recommend it to everyone who wants to celebrate a special ocassion. Words are not enough to express our gratitude!

I wish I could give this place zero stars… Yes it was that horrible!!! The food, service, loud atmosphere and pretentious and loud conversations of the patrons surrounding us were simply unbearable. Let me break some of this down:
–Service: Seated quickly but hostess was not friendly at all and we were not given drink menus or even silverware. Waiter never told us his name and acted aggravated that we asked him for drink menus. As soon as we ordered our food it was brought out to us within a few minutes which to us was a bad sign and we still had no silverware and were never during the entire meal provided with a napkin. Meals were brought out before soup.
–Food: Boyfriend got the short ribs which were only ok and looked NOTHING like other pictures we saw online and the portion was super small and did not even come with any tortillas to eat it with. I got the shrimp tacos which were supposed to be fried per the menu… Came out not fried and with mostly pineapple which was not even mentioned in the description and cabbage… no taste at all other than a yucky sticky jelly like sweetness that was not pleasant at all. Soup was just salty and spicy with no real depth of flavor whatsoever with dried out chicken. Chips were not fresh and tasted like ones you buy in a bag… Salsa had not much flavor and nothing special whatsoever. I only at about 25% of my subpar food and the server never even asked me why or if I liked it etc
Atmosphere: Loud, pretentious and annoying rich acting patrons all around us… Bragging about their cars etc etc, literally just could not wait to get out of this place otherwise I would have complained in person although the impression we had is that the restaurant would not have cared… although those putting on the «rich» act seemed to be getting the royal treatment… Totally disgusting!
Over all poor quality and overpriced, feel like I completely wasted 85 bucks.

We had a very delightful dinner at Tortilla Republic on 6÷15÷16 for a party of seven. The Salmon dish and the Chili Verde were excellent and not what I would have expected from a Mexican restaurant because it was very gourmet. We had a very attentive waiter by the name of Jorge. My only complaint might be that the pitcher of Margaritas was a little light on tequila.

3 !/​2 stars if I could.
Very good drinks!
Duck Enchilada… voted best dish of the vacation, I thought a bit spicy.
Mole Enchilada… order something else… plated way before serving… not great anyways.
Salsa good.

Excellent all around! Solid brunch and top notch service, our server Margarito was on point with everything. Best service we’ve had anywhere in quite some time! Will be back and highly recommend.

Came here on a Friday night with a girlfriend out for some fun. Had wandered over only because the wait at Nick’s seemed long, we were hungry, and there was room at the bar. We should have just waited for Nick’s.
We ordered a couple margarita’s — for being a hip/​new mexican place I expected something unique, and much better. The store bought mix used was overly sweet and there was not nearly enough tequila to balance it out.
I had had a large lunch, so opted for salad +protein for dinner. The grilled salmon came out extremely undercooked, and the salad itself was boring; a scoop of slimey blackbeans some cheese and too-​sweet dressing on butter lettuce. I could forgive mediocre food if the service were at least on par, but not once did the bartender/​waiter even ask how we were doing, if we wanted another round of drinks, or even GLANCE OUR WAY until we had picked enough of the lettuce off our plates that we were just over it. I complained at the end and they took my salad off the bill… but even so, I won’t consider a return. bleh.

Only here for the chef’s famous KEY LIME PIE!!!
The best key lime pie in all O. c!!!

The food is delicious, the service is excellent (Romulo and David made our experience exceptional; Brett, the GMT, checked in with us twice), and the view is to die for.
I recommend… everything!

Geez, I love Laguna Beach! A simple brunch here can turn into a mini-​vacay, can’t it? I’m not gonna lie; when I got home, I may have started looking for jobs in and around Laguna. Living here would be dreamy.
That said, Tortilla Republic was perfect for what I wanted today: good food, yummy drinks, cute/​clean vibe, SoCal sun, ocean view. It was perfection.
Hostess sat us at the perfect table upon our window seat request. Servers were terrific and so hospitable. Service was superb!
TABLESIDE GUACAMOLE: I love tableside guacamole. It always feels so special having them make it all right before you. I don’t know why, but I love it!
STRAWBERRY FRESCA: I don’t remember all that went into this drink, but the broad strokes are: some type of white tequila (I think), strawberry (purée?), and mint. It was delicious, it was strawberry, it was fresca.
SWEET CHILI: Again, I don’t remember exactly what was in this drink: tequila, chili, mango purée? It was good, but I preferred the strawberry fresca.
SKINNY MARGARITA: Eh, this was my least favorite of all the drinks. I typically love skinnys because I appreciate the au natural. Fresh squeezed lime juice, no syrup if they do it correctly. This definitely tasted off. And was finished with lemon instead of lime. Definitely pass on this one.
POLLO TACOS: They were okay! I wasn’t really here for the food though.
CARNITAS TACOS: I try not to eat pork, so I didn’t taste. But they were finished with guacamole and what looked like some type of steamed Anaheim chile.
The grand total was $ 100, which seems pretty silly. But it was a lovely time, and I did get a mini-​vacay out of it! Oh yes I did! Laguna Beach, I’m gonna live in you one day! =)
3 stars for food, 4 stars for drinks, 5 stars for ambiance and service

Southern California is about the following things:
Beach
Sunshine
Mexican food
Brunch
Get all of them at Tortilla Republic.

Just a block from the beach with a beautiful view, our party of three came here on a Saturday night. It was busy, but our wait wasn’t too long — about 25 minutes. We enjoyed that time at the bar. I liked the spicy margarita and by the time I was nearly through, we were ready to be seated.
Our server was great and brought us chips and salsa, which was delicious and had the right amount of heat. I ordered one of my favorite dishes, mole enchiladas, and I loved them! The sauce was rich and delicious, the chicken moist. One of the best versions of the dish I’ve had.
The atmosphere was lively, but didn’t feel crowded. There is parking directly behind the restaurant which is free after 7, something we found out (to our pleasant surprise). You literally walk out of the garage, across the alley, and into the back of the restaurant. Down the street is a gelato place if you want something sweet after. Laguna Beach is a beautiful spot and this restaurant hit all the marks for me.

Yikes! Came early Sunday evening for OC Restaurant week but unfortunately, we came a day early.
Luckily, we had the best server Carlos assigned to our table who quickly notified the Manager that we were there for the 3 course menu. Brett (Manager) came over to say we can pick whatever we want for menu and he will honor 3 course pricing, yay! Love the way these two treated us that evening. Brett went the extra mile to make sure we got what we came here for. They accommodated our appetizer (coconut ceviche) and dessert (tres leches) requests. Bottom line, very impressed with the service here!
Carlos suggested an awesome seafood special for the evening. He said it comes with lobster, gulf shrimp and fish in a special sauce that 2 people can share for $ 55. It was an outstanding dish and the broth/​sauce was soooo delish! Great recommendation Carlos!!!
Anyways, I can’t say enough about the service here. It’s 5++. Brett gave us a gift card to use for next time. Great job Brett and keep it up!

First impressions: the atmosphere is very hip! Not to mention a brilliant ocean view that you can see from most of the restaurant. The ambience alone makes for a perfect place for a drink. Speaking of drinks, my new personal favorite is their jalapeño margarita especially when Israel the bartender whips it up.
Not to mention, our server Carlo was wonderful and knowledgable. I came for the view but I stayed for the amazing food & drinks.
This is a spot I will return to.

Came into this modern as part of Flavors of Laguna walking tour. Got some tasty chicken flautas, chips and salsa, and creamy guacamole. They asked if they should bring out pictures of margaritas and I explained I’d rather have the real thing. The salsa is unique, made from roasted tomatoes, but tastes like smoky tomato juice to me (a little troubling if you love every form of tomato other than stewed and juice).
We returned after the tour. The tortilla soup was hearty and flavorful but much too salty to finish. The place gets five stars based on the clean margaritas, probably the cleanest, refreshing house margarita in Orange County.

Came here with my wife and we had a travel zoo deal. We had Carlo as our server and he really knows how to make customers feel welcomed.
We started off with the Flautas de Pollo and it was so fresh and mouth watering. The chicken was so delicious and tasty. Perfect thing to start with which Carlo suggested.
Drinks: i got the malbec they offer and my wife got the lavender cucumber margarita. She loved the margarita so much she ended up ordering another one during dinner.
For dinner: I got the Short Rib «chili verde» which was an amazing dish. Perfectly cooked meat and it really was something cooked perfectly. My wife got the Surf & Turf Fajitas and she loved it.
We both were very satisfied with the service and food we had tonight. We both enjoyed our night and it was a nice relaxing great dinner.

Bought a Travelzoo voucher at $ 49 which lets you spend up to $ 91 on whatever you want. My boyfriend and I were excited to try it out because the reviews looked pretty good, but we were disappointed.
Sweet chile margarita (³⁄₅): this was interesting but too spicy for me, pretty strong though.
Moscow mule (²⁄₅): watery and lacked ginger beer.
Ceviche (¹⁄₅): worst ceviche I’ve ever had, 90% of the seafood was just plain white fish, no shrimp or anything which became overwhelming.
Shrimp & steak fajitas (³⁄₅): very average.
Short rib (³⁄₅): good, but nothing special.
We got a good amount of food for $ 49+tip, but I felt like the things we ordered I would’ve been happier paying for if it was around $ 30. Quality of drinks and food here was just lacking.

This is only for the breakfast, since that is all I have had here.
And it is good. I like coming to Laguna for breakfast, and I wanted to try something other than Nick’s (too crowded) and Watermarc ($ 5 Bloody Mary, but I don’t love the food options). So wallah — here I am.
I got here just at opening, which is a little later than the competition a few doors down, but there was also no one here. I was the only person in the place for at least ½ hour. I had a Mezcal Mary, which was really tasty (good Mezcal is better than good Tequila) and huevos rancheros, with some coffee.
The server accidentilly gave me some of the coffee that the cooks brew up, and they should make it a regular option. There is a little cinnamon in the coffee, which gives it a subtle but distinctive flavor. The regular coffee is good too, but the cook’s coffee was excellent.
The breakfast was good, and the cocktail tasty, so I have no complaints.

We had dinner with some friends and everyone loved the food and the service (4.5 — 5 rating across the group). We had a table right at the front overlooking the street — perfect for people watching. Our waiter was great and clearly enjoyed working there. The menu has a mix of traditional dishes and some unusual updated twists on Mexican food. We had:
— Guacamole — Good but nothing remarkable
— Baja Rock Shrimp Tacos — In lettuce so lighter than usual. Excellent flavors and textures.
— Tacos de Jicama — Unusual ‘tortilla’. Also great flavor.
— Red Snapper — A special and enjoyed.
— Salmon — Well cooked. Lots of flavor. Got this with Asparagus instead of rice. Yum!
— Carne Asada — My husband’s choice. Special for the night. Meat was sooo tender.
— Mole — Our friend loved this
— Key Lime Parfait — I admit I am a desert ‘snob’ so it has to be very good or different in order to impress me. The flavor was ok but the pieces of graham crackers sticking out of it were too big.
We would definitely go back.