There was ample seating around the restaurant which is very convenient for big parties! I ordered the calabacitas. The shredded chicken was very juicy and putting everything provided into a tortilla was delicious. Service was quite helpful especially with how busy it was that night.

Service was excellent as usual. Food was fresh, hot and tasty. Always one of our favorites when we run thru Del Mar!

This is the benchmark for all other Mexican Restaurants across the country. Food is always delicious and authentic. Service is always on the spot. Why not 5 stars? Because I don't want them to get their heads too big! Chicken Enchiladas are my favorite!

My next door neighbor's took me to Fidel's for Christmas. They have been eating here since they were kids. I have never been here. When I walked around the entire restaurant I am not shy at stopping at tables and asking the people, "What is you are eating ? What is that that you ordered?" The people were so excited and delighted to tell me how they've been eating at Fidel's since they were kids too, and what is their favorite dish is. Everyone loves the chili relleno so I ordered chili relleno and the chicken enchilada because both the other tables and my neighbors told me how much how wonderful their chicken is. It's white meat and there's something about the chicken that is so tender my neighbors think Fidel's brined it first. The other customer downstairs talked about the chicken too and how delicious it was in the tostada. But she says, I'll tell you a secret it's canned and certain canned chicken tasted really good and has more flavor. I said where did you hear that chicken was canned from? She didn't know. She said when her kids were young they knew people who worked at Fidel's as servers and maybe they heard it from them. I still felt my chicken enchilada was a little dry. Chicken was very soft inside the enchilada, but still dry as white meat chicken is,. Nothing was inside my enchilada but the chicken. I had to ask for more sauce cuz I like sauce on everything but tho the chicken was very tender, it ws tender because the meat was soft, but not tender because it was juicy. I don't like white meat because it doesn't have much taste and the sauce was not inside the enchilada. I had to pour it on the chicken. The chile relleno was different in that the filling seemed fluffy like ricotta cheese, light and fluffy says my neighbor. I thought that was bland too. I poured an entire dish of cold chip salsa on top of my chili relleno. I talk so much and our conversation for so intense about renting a property Airbnb and management myself so that managers don't keep stealing from me and ripping me off. I didn't really get to eat my dinner when it was hot, cos I talked too much, also poured cold salsa over it I like leftovers and I'm going to put it in the microwave for tomorrow or dinner another day or for lunch and put all the sauces I want on it and really enjoy it. I a rating actually 3.5 - 4 stars because before I came here, looking at the menu, I think this is the most expensive Mexican restaurant I ever been to. I wanted to get there earlier before 6:30 to order the early bird dinners, which is the 2 item combos for about $3.50 less money. Like, nachos cost $20 in the appetizer section! Wow, Id rather have that money be applied to an entree. My neighbors said "Don't worry about the price, we are treating you." But I like to save ANYONE'S MONEY, and I try to save my employer's money whom I worked for. Another reason for 3.5 - 4 stars is I found the food a bit bland, and the service was "off" , as my neighbors raved about this server but she seemed preoccupied and "not there" mentally. Like when I asked for more chips, she didn't see that there as not enough salsa to eat the chips with. When I asked for more salsa to go, she only brought me an empty ramekin. Or my take out box wasn't big enough for the food I didn't eat. She kept having to go back, cos "she didn't get it right". Maybe I was making too many requests, which I think had to do with her lack of perception. I had a feeling of still wanting service, such as from the start, I wanted a spoon to spoon my salsa on my chips since many of the chips were too big to dip in the salsa dishes to coat. I never got a chance to get that spoon for the salsa. Here are the pictures I took of Fidel's Christmas decorations when I walked around the restaurant. Move the arrow or scroll bar to the right to see all 9 pictures.

Fidel's reminds me of Old Town with an intriguing origin story as a barber shop and evolving into much more! Fidel's was a nice place with tons of different dining spaces to indulge in some classic Mexican food. Although they did not have anything on the menu that stood out in particular, they execute their dishes well serving the classics. Complimentary chips and a red salsa are served at the table. While the portions don't sound a whole lot, I was surprised to see what was on the plate. I had their Carne Asada Taco plate which came with rice and beans. It was one hefty taco packed with lots of carne and wrapped securely for no spillage. I had a bite of their chimichanga, and it was hefty as well. The service was a little bit spotty depending on where you are seated, but the staff are all kind and attentive. The restaurant has some nice Christmas decorations up for the holidays too and feels cozy and festive! My overall experience and rating for the food is a 3.5-4 stars.

Full disclosure I went to high school at Santa Fe Christian down the street and I'm in my 30s now so have been here I don't even remember how many times. I would say since Su Casa in La Jolla closed this is my favorite Mexican restaurant in all of San Diego. It's very authentic and consistently great and always crowded because everyone around knows how good it is. It's in a very sleepy part of Solana Beach set around neighborhood homes so it's extra quiet surrounding the restaurant. They can host many different sized groups and service is always consistently fast and polite. They also have a giant menu filled with tons of classic dishes as well as variances on new dishes. They have plenty of parking attached to the restaurant otherwise it's extremely easy to find spaces on the street. Honestly, everything I have had here has been incredibly great and every single time I come back I am never disappointed. They have some of the best salsa too, I dream about their chips and salsa anytime I think of this place. For this visit I chose the Albondigas but forgot to snap a picture because I was so excited to eat it. They are well known for how great their soups are. For my entrée, I chose the Carne Asada and it too was delicious and had a ton of meat . They are very large sized portions here and the pricing is also fair. I would honestly highly suggest to any fan of Mexican cuisine and even if you are not a fan of Mexican cuisine, this is the sort of place that would change your mind.

We had a whole group on Taco Tuesday in the bar and Jesse was our waitress, in fact she was the only waitress in the bar and it got slammed but yet she stayed so friendly and didn't miss a Beat. She checked on everyone even the new additions had our food sent out hot and was just a pleasure. They said the taco bar was closed for happy hour but we all got tacos I think they might have just been a little bit more expensive than normal you'll have to ask. The food was great and the happy hour drinks are about $9 so they're not bad.

Bias review coming in warning, warning this review is incredibly nostalgic and incredibly leaning towards a place I've eaten since my childhood. Any, and all things said here might be seen through rose tinted glasses. First off I'm gonna say that 9 out of 10 orders here I get nothing of food. This place is my FLAN go to. I HAVE BEEN GETTING A BIRTHDAY FLAN HERE, MY ENTIRE LIFE!! So naturally when I moved away, I was not happy about it I have tried so many flans in the years since I've lived in San Diego. I have never found one that even come close. This place has hands-down the best way they create it cannot be described. If you've ever had flan and not liked it, you need to come here and try again. As long as I can remember, this place is always look the same. It is a maze of cute little seating areas that seem like they were built entirely separately. You really don't find restaurants like this anymore. I remember as a kid just getting lost trying to find my table or the bathroom. It has the cutest atmosphere you need to see it to believe it just come in. Try to tell us they're good people. They're doing good things and they need to be around for the long run because when I visit I need my flan.

There's not a time I am in the area that I do not stop at Fidel's! So delicious every single time!