Today, three generations of the Olamendi family proudly serve Orange County, continuing the legacy Jorge and Maria began over 50 years ago. While they've adapted to new tastes and earned national and international recognition, they remain true to the flavors and traditions that define their story. Olamendi's has become a cherished part of Dana Point's culture a place where everyone can experience the vibrant taste of Mexico, served with love and authenticity.
Beautiful beach setting, art museum interior, delicious drinks. I got a couple hibiscus mezcalritas that were beautiful and delicious. For dinner I got a tostada thinking it'd be small like they usually are, but it was massive. The size of a dinner plate. It was also the most delicious tostada I've ever had. We also bought a beautiful painting.
If you are craving Mexican cuisine, you definitely should try Olamendi's Inc. This is the best Mexican food I have had lately and is very authentic. It is about 1.6 miles away from Dana Point Harbor. We come to Dana Point to visit my sister-in-law sometimes. She recommended this amazing Mexican restaurant. Everything we had was delicious. I particularly liked the shrimp enchilada the best. We tried their super sweet flan dessert as well. It is an egg custard with caramel sauce. It is pretty similar to cream brûlée. My husband is a die-hard fan of cream brûlée so he was very delighted with it. Overall, there is great food with excellent service at a very reasonable price. The ambience is very Mexican and has traditional Mexican themes. For your information, the complimentary chip dipping sauce is very spicy so be careful. Especially for someone with a low spice tolerance.
Great location and atmosphere, but the food (in our recent pickup order) did not justify the prices. My wife received the wrong item, I called to let them know we received the wrong entree and the Olamendi's team member told me to call back the following day. The steak in our other entree was way overdone and came with only three, small flour tortillas. The pozole rojo, refried beans, rice, salsa, and guacamole were all disappointingly bland. Chips were slightly stale. Overall, it felt like the flavors had been watered down rather than celebrating the depth, spice, and richness that make Mexican food so good. Disappointingly, not quite what we remember Olamendi's to be.
The server wasn't very friendly. We never received our soup with our meal. Luckily they gave us a flan for free in place of the soup. The pozole verde wasn't even green and had no flavor. None of the food had much flavor. Then while my daughter was eating her birria burrito there was a giant bay leaf left in it which made her end up getting sick later on our way home. When I showed it to the employee after my daughter found it there was no apology.We got the premium margaritas and they were very watered down and little flavor. All of the glassware was plastic and looked very tattered. Overall the food was tasteless and the service was not good. The only thing that was nice about this place was the decor and the hostess who was very kind and welcoming. The prices were high for the quality you get. I will not be returning and would not recommend this place to anyone.
We walked to Olamendi’s last night from our Hilton hotel on Hwy 1 and enjoyed a nice dinner! Margaritas, carnitas and fajitas. It’s was good! We ended up going again tonight and had camarones and hubby had a birria burrito. He said he liked his. Mine had a LOT of flavor and a little spice too- it was very good! The guacamole and salsa were excellent 🥑 🎉