Caló Kitchen + Tequila

In Orange County, the joy of discovering truly outstanding Mexican restaurants is frequently – for us, at least – offset by the disappointment of spending a lot of money on a Mexican meal that’s somewhere in the fair to decent range. Caló Kitchen + Tequila regrettably ranked in the latter category on our summer 2026 visit to the Costa Mesa location, which opened at South Coast Plaza in 2023 as the third in a mini-chain that started in El Segundo (2018) before expanding to Laguna Niguel (2021). Much like Javier’s at the Irvine Spectrum Center and Red O at Fashion Island, Caló is the sort of mall Mexican restaurant that doesn’t so much elevate authentic Mexican cuisine as Americanize it and pair it with alcohol at a higher price.

Caló’s South Coast Plaza location sprawls outdoors and indoors, having repurposed a space once occupied by an unsuccessful food hall. Immediately past the reception counter are a long bar and semi-private dining rooms, all dimly lit, while larger, brighter dining spaces feature large booths for family gatherings – we also heard lots of young children and older couples on dates. Tequilas and mezcals are on display throughout the space, with around 20 different tequila brands each offering multiple classes, nearly 10 mezcals, and many margaritas ($19 to $35) and cocktails ($14 to $21) using them; smaller selections of beers and wines are also available.

Skipping drinks entirely, two of us tried a handful of items to get a sense of what the kitchen was capable of, and left with mixed feelings across the food quality, pricing, and overall experience, partially because of the service. Our server was friendly and fairly attentive, but the kitchen was slow – and unapologetically so – causing us to sit for extended periods as parts of our meal dribbled out unevenly, leaving one or both of us waiting for either our own items or the other’s to show up. Multiple times, we saw groups of servers huddling up to chat, and on one occasion, heard them heading into the restroom to discuss personal matters. Even by comparison with the aforementioned mall Mexican places, the overall vibe at Caló just felt off to us.

From the 10-item appetizers menu, we ordered the ahi ceviche ($26), an expensive puck of too-finely minced tuna and mango served with three tortilla chips that arrived lightly spiced and heavily coated in salad dressing – the ceviche didn’t have a particularly strong or distinctive flavor, and we found both the slimy chips and tiny mincing off-putting. Complimentary chips, salsa, and bean dip arrived after the ceviche, and were tastier, though we noticed some sugar on the chips rather than salt, which was sort of odd.