Diego’s

We chose Diego’s in Newport to celebrate our step moms birthday. We wanted to be in Newport and she wanted Mexican food, so Diego’s it is! The location is great, not on the water but close enough. The vibe is fun and eclectic… Most of the tables are outside or under an open overhang which is exactly what we were looking for. While we waited for our call to let us know our table was ready we enjoyed a drink at another spot which was directly on the water.
Our waitress was super friendly and made some great recommendations for the the table. I ended up getting the steak fries… I honestly didn’t care for it, the fries have some battering on them that I still can’t figure out, and the steak was cooked to my liking but was COVERED in a spicy seasoning that i just couldn’t get a break from. It overwhelmed my mouth and i couldn’t taste anything but that. Way too much seasoning, let the steak shine through!!! I think the fries may have had the same seasoning on them… The dish was just WAY overly seasoned, i left half of it behind! We also got the chicken nachos for the table… they were ok.
I feel like the food is just mass produced there with little care for details, flavors etc… I wanted bright fresh flavors that I have come to expect with Mexican food but unfortunately Diego’s fell flat on that. This is a great spot to grab a cocktail and possibly a quick bite, but it just doesn’t live up to what i was hoping for when it comes to food overall.

Lively, fun place for cocktails and food with a Mexican twist!
The place is busy in the evening but give your name and stroll the wharf and they’ll call you when your table is ready.
They have flavored margaritas served in mason jars that are great (I had peach)
Fish Tacos were great and you can have it fried or grilled, my wife had the seared tuna with spicy seaweed. We enjoyed their guacamole with chips over cocktails as a starter. Terrific small plate menu!

Best meal in a long time. Had the pepper ‘small plate’ for appetizer. Then, the fish tacos for me, and cauliflower quesadilla for my husband. Everything was amazing! And, Becky is one of the best servers we’ve had in a long time.

Ended up coming to this place completely by chance. Sometimes busy for dinner, but the wait was only fifteen minutes and there’s a lovely cookie shop next door you can browse while you wait, as they text you when the table is ready. Very casual atmosphere, and the Crispy Pork Tacos and Perfect Quesadilla were amazing!

It’s just another tourist trap with a Unilocal rating which is relative to the other traps around it. Mediocre food which is not worth it’s price (not expensive, though). The service feels like a beach bar in a bad sense, or if that doesn’t click — it was just typical trap service…

One of two restaurants I returned to on a two week visit to New England. Why? The food is very tasty and consistent. I had the Crispy Pork Belly Tacos both times, while my wife enjoyed Guacamole Del Mar with chips the first visit and Famous Fish Tacos the second time.
It can get a bit noisy and the music is apparently a random selection of everything from classic rock to hip-​hop, but the service was great and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in a very responsible fashion.

Great food and great drinks! I would give a better rating but when we came by to eat dinner last Saturday night, we were told they weren’t seating any more tables and it was HOURS before they closed. The hostess seemed more interested in continuing her conversation with her friend than actually bringing in any business.

I’m from San Diego so I’ve had more than my fair share of fish tacos in my day. So it’s weird that in all places, Diego’s in Newport had one of the best ones I’ve ever had. I opted for their «famous» fish tacos with the seared Tuna, medium rare. The salsa is a pineapple, Apple, cilantro pic de gallo, good cream sauce, toasted flour tortilla. It was on point. It’s rare to find an east coast Mexican place than uses cilantro heavily. Diego’s is more of a Mexican/​Asian fusion place than a traditional Mexican joint. Menu is a little pricey, but everything is extremely well presented. I would highly recommend this place if you’re in Newport. Not your traditional Newport eatery, but I felt it was actually much better than some of the more established places downtown.

Horrible service and food is mediocre at best. Not sure why it gets rave reviews, avoid.

Don’t be deceived by the 4 star rating this place is unbelievable. My girlfriend and I both got the Cali burrito and honestly it was the best burrito I have ever had. The waitress said the wait would be 45 minutes and they called us in less than 15 and told us our table was ready. We were already hungry so not only was this a plus but it showed great service. The burrito was at a great price and overall worth the money. If you are ever in Newport and looking for some really good Mexican food at a great price diego’s is the place to go.

I wasn’t drinking when I came here, but this seems like a great spot for a boozy brunch! They have an assortment of cocktails with fresh ingredients they display on the bar. Even though we weren’t drinking, the brunch food was pretty good. We ordered the diego’s huevos and our wharf hash. Both meals were $ 8 each, and the price goes down to $ 5 if you order a cocktail with it. I didn’t eat the wharf hash (because of the cod) but heard it was really flavorful and cooked perfectly. My dish, diego’s huevos, was delightful! It had some spice to it, which I really like and the baja aioli was a nice touch.
We tried to come back here at night for drinks, but sadly it was too packed. There are only about 5 – 6 seats at the bar, so try to get there early if you want to sit there. Also, be prepared for some loud (but good) music.

Quick summery, food 4 stars pushing 5 the service 0.
So our trip to Diegos started out as a recommendation from a friend. After waiting all week for date night and reading the reviews online I was hyped to give this place a try.
Morning of my fiancé decided to call for a reservation just to see. He was told over the phone we don’t do that sort of thing… No problem to us.
We showed up around 6:30 which we know is prime dinner time so we expected a bit of a wait. When we initially walked in there was another couple standing in the doorway. While we were standing there waiting a two person table next to us got up and left (I’ll get back to that).
There is no waiting area the tables are literally to the door. After awkwardly standing in the doorway while no one greeted us we ended up walking to the middle of the restaurant to put our name on the list. We were told it would be an hour wait, but they suggested going next door to their sister restaurant since they said there was no wait there.
We put our name down and disappointedly headed next door figuring we could have a drink and then go back. When we got to the place next door we were told it was an hour wait there as well.
Frustrated with being tossed back and forth between the two locations we ended up walking around for 10 minutes. After realizing the phone number we gave was dead we went back to the restaurant to give a different number.
When we entered the restaurant we were told it was actually only going to be a 15 minute wait. So not wanting to hover over others eating we told them we would just be outside.
Remember that table I said had gotten up when we first walked in, while standing outside we noticed this table was still empty.
At this point we had been waiting 30 minutes for a table, only one other large group had been seated. Though two other tables had left. We watched employees run in and out of the restaurant and even tell us, the only people waiting around, that it would only be a few more minutes.
In total we ended up waiting almost an hour.
When we were finally seated we get to the only saving grace, the food and drinks. The nachos were delicious and their Baja aoli was really really good. The drinks were strong.
The main dishes were ok but nothing special, the Cali burrito is not a true Cali burrito (in my opinion just adding fries to a burrito does not make it a Cali burrito).
2 stars for the food 0 stars for unorganized unprofessional service

Oh this place is super amazing. I’ve been here two times and both times I got the fried chicken tacos. They are so good! The chicken is fried perfectly and it has the right amount of toppings. They put a spicy aioli sauce on the top which is super good and I wish I could put it on everything. I also got the pomegranate standard margarita which was great. Perfect ratio of tequila and sour mix. One thing I wish is that they gave chips for the table because that’s a $ 5 add on. Can’t wait to go back!

Laid-​back spot with more than enough options on the menu. Guacamole is a must have item to order. The nachos with chicken is so good! Make a reservation if you can bc it gets packed and the bar area is way too small/​tight to enjoy a drink while waiting.

Excellent food and awesome cocktails, especially the zombie. The crack fries with duck gravy are in a class by themselves. The pork belly tacos are out of this world. Great guacamole and if you want something spicy with your tortilla chips; have them bring you some of the jalapeño spread… damn!
I would give it 5 stars if they let you have 2 zombies instead of one… they think it is potent but it really is just a well balanced drink…

I’m definitely a fan of Diego’s and try to make it at least once a month. I love that they offer up an alternative ambiance to anything else you will find in Bowen’s wharf. Fun young staff, punk posters on the walls, imaginative cocktails, and great music. Its not authentic Mexican cuisine, but that’s not what they are advertising. Lots of seafood infused dishes. Plenty of vegetarian and even vegan options. I do wish they updated their menu more often though, aside from a couple dishes I think it has been the same in the 4 years I have been going here.
The cocktails here are some of my favorite in town. A huge list to choose from, and you can even order a whole pitcher. The ginger snap is my usual go-​to. The spiced red sangria is a close second, especially in the fall! We rarely come here without ordering the nachos which are prepared by dressing all the chips individually rather than just piling everything on. Either the boyfriend and I share the vegetarian nachos (tons of roasted veggies and guac!), or I will often order the steak nachos as my meal. So yum. Other favorites include the quesadillas, butternut squash & shrimp rangoons, and the enchiladas del dia.
While I mostly receive great service and delicious food, there are certainly some problems with consistency. On a few occasions I have ordered the nachos for an entrée and they come out cold — obviously having been prepared as an app and left out until the other dishes are done. Most of the servers are great, but I have definitely gotten a couple duds before that have a poor attitude and seemingly disappear once entrees have been served.
I think the service and quality of food suffer when the place is poppin’, which is usually the case during summer and big weekends. If there is a long wait for a table, I recommend you skip it or come back when its less busy.

Walking around the waterfront on a beautiful sunny day, this open air restaurant caught my eye to stop in for a beer and a small bite.
They had a decent beer list with both bottles and draft options. I liked that they had a few craft beers that you don’t see at a lot of places. I recently discovered the Cisco Brewing Company Grey Lady and love it for the warm weather months. I was having dinner in a short time, but couldn’t pass up one of the small bites. I chose the spicy tuna tostada with seared rare tuna served chilled on a crispy tortilla with a spicy seaweed salad, wasabi yuzu dressing and chili sambal aioli… I was so glad I did. The flavors were incredible and a perfect size for a snack. The rest of the menu looks so delicious and I am counting the days until I return to have the entrees.
Server was knowledgeable, friendly and prompt.

Diego’s is always a great choice for lunch or dinner. I typically stay away from Mexican food but Diego’s is a favorite of mine. Starting with the Diego’s original nachos and pairing it with a margarita is a must! I really like the raspberry margarita but all of them are delicious. The blood orange is a crowd favorite. Margs are also available in pitchers! Everything always tastes fresh and the portion sizes are pretty big. I’ve always gone with 3 – 6 people and 1 appetizer is usually enough. My favorite entrée is «the perfect quesadilla» but the Barbacoa burrito is also very good. The service has been great every time I have gone and the staff is very accommodating.
I highly recommend Diego’s, especially if you are trying to impress people who aren’t from the area. It’s in an amazing location right on the wharf and perfect for walking around after your meal. The only thing that isn’t so great is parking, but it has nothing to do with Diego’s. You might get lucky and find a meter or you’ll have to pay $ 10 – 15 to park. But that’s the case for most of Newport.

Been here twice in a week when I was in Newport! One of my favorite spots! Came here for drinks and their guacamole and chips at the bar. HOOKED. I haven’t really gotten a chance to try the food but from looking at the menu is looks and sounds delicious. Their cocktail menu is just endless.
Service was great and attentive!
Will definitely stop by again when I’m in Newport.

I’ve always wanted to come to Diego’s, although usually I’m in the mood for seafood when in Newport. In summary the food was good and prices were generally in line with what you would expect for its location.
Waiting for a table took only about 15 minutes, and this was at 3PM, that mystical time between lunch and dinner that I thought we would be able to coast in easily. Once we were seated, service was slower than expected. I don’t mind that the food took a while; we were enjoying the atmosphere and the weather, but even the drinks took a long time and the waitstaff didn’t stop by the table frequently for us to place another order when we were done with the first round. Instead we had to wait a while more for our meal to come to order.
My only other gripe is that meals didn’t appear to come with standard chips and salsa. This should be a requirement for Mexican restaurants the same way every Italian restaurant gives you bread with your meal.
Besides those few criticisms, our meal was very enjoyable. For an appetizer, we ordered the Diego’s Original Nachos ($ 12, pictured) and were very happy with them. The nachos are covered in delicious toppings. We briefly considered getting the Salsa 4 Way ($ 8) but after seeing both appetizers we were satisfied with our selection.
I ordered the Crispy Pork Belly Tacos ($ 16, pictured) and I was pleased with those two. Had we not ordered the appetizer, I may have still been a little hungry after the meal, but the portion size was probably adequate for a lunch. My wife ordered the #11 Rangoon’s ($ 7) which were made with butternut squash and the Pulled Pork Spring Rolls ($ 8). She liked the Rangoon’s but wasn’t a fan of the spring rolls. For dessert we had churros which were warm, flaky, and absolutely delicious!
The drink menu is rather extensive. I ordered a Wharf Mojito ($ 8.50) and the Diego Zombie ($ 12). They limit orders of the zombie to one per person which is a wise restriction. Both drinks were good but I recommend making the zombie your first drink rather than your second.
In conclusion, I would return to Diego’s if the mood for Mexican strikes again while in Newport, but who knows when that will be. While in Newport I’m usually hunting for lobsters!