Karina's Mexican Seafood

I have been going to Karina's for years. The food has always been amazing..the service generally ok..except tonight. Here's the deal..I used to tend bar and be a server..I get the hustle that some females run where they attend to the guys and kind of brush off the couples or all female tables to maximize on tips. I was always one who thought otherwise. Work all the tables equally because you never know who you are serving. It's too bad my server tonight decided to spend her time waiting on a bunch of twenty somethings and practically ignoring my husband and I as well as another couple. In the time span of about 3 to 4 hours, we were offered 1 refill, had to ask for the chips and salsa that usually greets us at the table, waited 20 minutes for our first round of drinks, another 15 before she took our food order, 20 for the food to come off the counter (where we could see it) and to our table, another 40 before a refill was offered, and 30 minutes for us to manage to get her to acknowledge us as we wanted to request our bill. All the while our server was chatting it up behind the bar or leaning all over the frat table..serving them at least 5 rounds to our two. Had she actually paid attention to us ( we are really easy going as we both did our stints in customer service) I would very much have tipped our server the usual 30% on my bill...In this case about $60- ish . Unfortunately, that was not the case for our server tonight. Moral of the story? Karina's has some amazing food, but subpar and unbalanced service. Do better, Karina. Do. Better.

Came here for my friend birthday 🎉 with his parents . It was a brunch birthday celebration on a Sunday . Only downside is that I did tell them that it was for his birthday and we didn’t get any happy birthday song no drink options were told to us to order that would be special light up your celebrate with. We noticed a party next to our table ordered a drink option that looked like a flight drink that had 4 little drinks and this light up fireworks style thing on the side and we thought it was their birthday too however it wasn’t . I thought it was a little disappointing to not have been offered this option so when we were leaving I asked what that other table had ordered to receive that … anyways for the future please offer some recommendations for people who are saying they are their to celebrate their birthday please . Anyways the food was filling an over all I’m thankful one employee offered to take a group photo . The experience could have been better if you know what I am saying about what we had experienced.

First Time going here. Good ambiance. The food all really good and good presentation. Good service and Staff are very friendly.

We’ve been going to Karina’s since they had the location on Broadway (it’s closed down now). However, this is our first time back after not having it for about 7 years. After reading the reviews I was a little hesitant prior to our visit. I’m so thankful we had a good experience. We arrived around 6 PM on a Friday evening. The restaurant was already bustling. We were seated immediately (I preferred to eat outdoors even though indoor was available). A heat lamp was immediately provided and the server was quick to greet us. Everything about our service was timely. We ordered right away, we received our drinks and entrées in a timely manner, our server checked on us multiple times and refilled our chips and salsa with no extra charge, and we wrapped up our bill in no time. We ordered their signature green aguachiles de camarones and the bacon wrapped shrimp tacos with rice and beans. Everything tasted incredible. It was fresh and flavorful. I highly recommend both dishes. The amount of food seemed reasonable according to price. I am so happy we weren’t disappointed. It was a great experience. ***Parking can be an issue when they are busy. We had to park in another lot.

The quality went down tremendously. Got chewy tocitos, couldn't even push it down and the beer was not cold. Too bad, it was my favorite Mexican restaurant

The food was delicious and the servers were very kind and helpful. I ordered the shrimp fajitas, which were delicious! The tres leches cake wasn't very milky tbh, but it was still pretty good. Overall great atmosphere and beautiful decor inside. I highly recommend coming for mexican seafood! I was very satisfied.

Food was not impressive. Meats were fatty or really dry. Seafood was drowned in heavy sauces. Very overpriced for the quality. The server never came back to see if the table needed anything after food was served. No drink refills or dessert. We had to ask a busboy to order dessert and he had to go get the waitress since he couldn't take the order. The birthday dessert seemed like it was old and was hard as a rock considering it was a slice of cheesecake. The place was clean with nice decor but would not go again based on food and service.

Nice ambiance, and decor, customer service is outstanding! This Mexican restaurant is large but very cozy in the dining area and bar. The food was good but different than what I usually would encounter at other Mexican restaurants. Very handicap friendly throughout, which made it enjoyable to my friend who uses a walking cart with a seat.

Food had great flavor. The service was on point Our waitress was super sweet. The food came out really fast. The location had music but not super loud which is a plus when u want to have a conversation. We sat in the bar area location and restrooms were clean.

This used to be our favorite place for date night: however tonight, Racism is real in this place! The woman manager is super rude. Never have I been so mistreated in my life, especially from a restaurant manage. My friend and I are here to watch nba game 7 playoff. When we got there the game was on Tv. We all order foods and drinks. The minute a Mexican customer request for soccer, without any hesitation, they change it to soccer. We ask for us to just change it to our tv. And play soccer on the other TV, to my surprise they couldn't do that. Unless you're a young Mexico guy, you won't get any good service around this place. We asked around and the whole place want to watch the nba playoff. I honestly think we are being mistreated because we are not Mexican! We used to come here all the time. I guess this will be our last time, here's another one star for hiring such a rude manager. Now I know why this place barely have 3 stars review. If you're black asian or white, you don't want to come here

We went for Happy Hour. Monday all day. Tues through Saturday 3 to 6pm. Bar only. Loud as they can be. A 4 star rating because lack of parking. Luckily at 4pm on Monday we got a spot, but I can see where parking is an issue. This review is for 89 Bonita St. Food was delicious, and huge serving for happy hour. I questioned waitress to be sure it was Happy Hour serving. She said regular menu serving is twice as big. I had spicy calamari. Very tender with generous spicy sauce. I took half home. My husband had shrimp in same sauce. Tender shrimp. So good. He took half home. Chips and salsa $4. Great fresh salsa with hit of heat and cumin. I can recommend. Waitress very nice, but we had to call her to get attention. Price for 2 beers, two appetizers, and salsa and chips just over $34.

I always enjoy coming here. I came with my son and this time we sat in the middle of the bug room, by the restrooms. My son is always down to try new places and new food, so he was pretty excited. We were sat by a beautiful young hostess who was very nice. We ordered drinks and had some chips & salsa. When she came back we ordered our food. We had a few things off their menu including Karina's Ceviche and fish tacos. Everything went well and the food and service were exceptional! I will continue coming here with dates to see how they react to the environment, but as for my son, he's in love now.

This place is super cool there drinks are well made I had the grilled prawns . I have eating here many times but never gave them a review . since I see people on here complain about the drinks and the food is over price lol your more then welcome to go to "long John silvers "and go to the ampm and get a beer and chill at your house or at the park . Over all my experience great I love coming here with large groups to enjoy the ambiance . I would only recommend if you want to have a great time with friends or family , birthdays , special occasions. Service is always great keep up the good work .

Address: 89 Bonita Road Chula Vista, CA 91910 It's been a while since I've ate here due to very limited parking due to it being near a Comfort Inn. My date was so sweet to let me pick this place for our late lunch. I had ordered their Marlin Tacos without their spicy cream sauce. Two Marlin tacos for $15. My Marlin tacos were flavorful! Marinated well. Liked how my tacos were FULLY LOADED with plenty of fish. Our waitress was patient in giving us enough time to look at the menu. Once we've ordered our food, surprisingly our beverages and our food also came out pretty fast or they just knew we were hungry!! VERY IMPORTANT - To the Karrina's owner, Please try to have MORE parking for your customers in the near future so I can park my car WITHOUT worrying that my car could get towed away!!! Thank you kindly!! - GourmandLaura

Food is marvelous Service is shinning humberto is very attentive and a wonderful staff member, ana is also an amazing bar tender I love coming here

Great spot to go on a Sunday evening, the waitress were so fast on attending and checking up on is. My favorite dish would be the ceviche trio a combination of pecado ceviche, Karina's ceviche and the dona ines with mango. I enjoyed the background music, I've also heard sometimes they have live music playing which will be for another visit another day. The food price was reasonable for the big portions they served.

Food and drinks are good. Some waitresses could use some help of paying more attention. Only bad thing is men do get services well but if your a woman and all girls for whatever reason we don't get the same treatment as if we didn't tip well. However this is always my go to place for drinks n bite . I everything on menu is good.

The Rib-Eye Steak and Shrimp "Surf and Turf" Tacos and Burritos and Fantastic. Meat cooked to perfection, they are so delicious. You have to try them. Service is great, the ambience is amazing.

Was seated right away at dinner time party of 4. They had tvs and projectors on the walls going. The ceviche was amazing came with tostadas. They will bring crackers if asked. My crab and shrimp enchiladas were great. My husband got the chicken and steak fajitas. Skillet was full, enough to eat later. They had a few purse hooks.

Drinks were so delicious and food was as well! The vibes here are so fun and lively but I went on Mexican Mother's Day during happy hr and was told happy hr was not happening. Be sure to check with server if happy hr is going.

First time here. Their Christmas decor is really pretty. I love the tree in the middle of the area. Ordered a dish and carne asada tacos. Fish was crispy on the outside and the topping such as avocado and salsa was delicious. The steak tacos wasn't too bad either. It was soft and has a good flavor not too salty. Their rice and beans were pretty good. It is not the usual Spanish rice. Customer service was great too. Our waitress was friendly and checked on us periodically. Easy to find. It's really close to the freeway upon exit.

Came here with my best friend for the first time and was so impressed! The ambience inside is amazing. Stunning interior and lovely live music was playing. Once the food came out, we were so pleased with everything we tried. Order the ceviche trio which came with tostadas, the chilis panchitos which were a special, and seafood enchiladas. The portions were humongous and the food was so tasty. We were starving when we got there but were stuffed when we left and still had food to take home. Highly recommend this place and will be coming back to try other dishes next time!

The margaritas are good and very normal. The music is a happy Mexican style music. The dining room is really cute with cool murals. The staff is kind and happy. I ordered the octopus tacos. They were good but super greasy. The chips were warm and yummy. The guacamole was a $25 unnecessary luxury. You should try it once.

Great place for food and drinks. Great customer service. I've been here a couple times and it has never disappointed. It's very easy to find with plenty of parking. I love the ambience in the dining area. There's actually two sections by the bar where it's a little bit more busy and then the dining area where it's a little more intimate, the food came back really quick and the server kept coming to us to check on us which was very appreciated. I definitely recommend this spot and will most likely be coming back here again.

One and done. $14 rotten salad. Quarter of it had moldy lettuce. $14 for two tacos, no sides. Extra fee for rice and beans. Place seemed sleazy.

Went here for happy hour. Place was packed but we were lucky to get a table in the bar area. I ordered the hh house margarita and it was gross. Tasted like dish soap. Sent it back and got a regular one and it was very tasty. We ordered the mini tacos and bacon wrapped shrimp for appetizers. Both were delicious. I would return

It's been a couple years since my last visit. A friend of mine wanted to visit so we went for lunch. The restaurant has always been clean but the service hadn't been good. I am was pleasantly surprised that the service was excellent and the food was great. The prices were a bit high and they now charge for chips and salsa.

This place really sucks my mom order something that she didn't want and the manger try to say we had to eat it and pay for it!! Hell noo!! She never touched it!! We never got refills on beer or water!! I would save ur money and go somewhere else..sad bc this was my first time here on my bday

I used to go to Karinas all the time until the location close to my house closed. I was craving the green Karina's enchilada sauce -so good! I always get the seafood enchiladas with shrimp and crab along with rice and beans and I'm never disappointed! The verde sauce is like crack. The drinks are good and the women are always checking on you!

While our meals were just ok, better than the last time here, there still needs to be some improvement. The chicken was over cooked. The enchilada sauce has too much cinnamon. The flour tortillas were hard and crunchy. The calamari is the worst we ever had. Tastes like they were in the freezer too long. Chewy and rubbery. We only came back because we had gift cards. The salt and pepper shakers were filthy. Dried crud on both of them. Details people! Pay attention to them! Why don't the meals come with rice AND BEANS? The music sucks! It's too loud and it sounds as though the singers have stomach aches!!!! Same beat in EVERY SONG!!

Make sure you order alot of tortillas in advance. For a huge dish they only give you two tortillas. Two tortillas!! A real hispanic does not eat just two tortillas with there plate. Also, they dont offer chips and salsa. So dont forget to ask in advance. Other than that, the view is always awesome. Lets just say, everything is cheaper in Mexico, and you dont pay for every little thing. They need to get back to there roots if you want to be authentic. The owner needs to open a Karinas in Tijuana.

This place is going down hill. $4 for chips and salsa now!???! Come on....weak sauce when a Mexican food place charges for chips and salsa. Also price increases across the board on their food and smaller portions. So you are getting double screwed. Definitely taking this place off the lunch rotation

Karina's offers a welcoming ambiance that sets the stage for an enjoyable dining experience. The service was notably great, adding a positive note to the overall visit. However, despite the warm atmosphere and attentive service, the seafood, while decent, didn't quite reach the level of tickling my fancy.

No more complimentary chips and salsa?! I was charged for them the waitress said it's the new policy they implemented this new year , food was excellent and service like pre pandemic times

Right in the heart of the gaslamp! Great food, great service and amazing portion sizes that deliver flavorful bites. Really chill loungey vibe with great music and ambience.

This was our first and last visit to the Bonita location. Food was average for Mexican Restaurant. Dinners were over priced and and portions were all on the small side. Service, was pretty much nonexistent, waitress took our order, order was delivered. Waitress brought our check, never returned to the table to ask about or food or if we needed anything. The only thing I can say about the ambiance, it was noisy and load and there was hardly any customers in house having dinner.

This place is beautiful! It has like ornaments and other things hanging from the sky. The service is good too the servers are beautiful and courteous. The food is so good! I love their green enchiladas, the wrapped shrimp in a bomb a*** mango sauce. We go there a lot! My man loves their micheladas!

Expect about $20-30 a person on average. The staff, well, let's just say is part a curvy atmosphere for ambiance. Very appreciative. Quiet zone mixed with a bar both inside, and outside options. The seats are very nice with a high arm item so you can really hang back deep in your seat chilling with your friends l. I would say the taco plater feeds more like 3 people instead of 4. Wine , beer, and liquor assortment. If I had to go back I would probably go for their California style burrito and steak based tacos. The only thing that was somewhat disappointing was that the wait staff did not attend to tables checking in very often or at all.

Our go to place for a girls get together. We always get the Karinas ceviche. The Caesar salad is so yummy too. The place is beautifully decorated for special events as well.

If Zero stars was an option that's what I would put! Service is horrible, ordered a drink off the menu and waitress argued with me that I was wrong! Won't be coming back here, $13 for two tacos that have a $2 value and guacamole $25!! How many avocados can you buy for $25, prob more than you get here!

1. They charge for chips now! 2. I asked for salsa for my quesadilla, the girl said they charge for it, $5. I said 'omg, you guys charge for everything.' Then the girl brought me the salsa, we thought, 'oh how nice, she made an exception out of courtesy.' 3. My friend asked for cheesecake when we ordered. Well she brought the check without bringing the cheesecake & upon checking the bill, she charged me for the salsa!!! I told her,' I never gave you the ok to bring me the salsa, I thought you did it out of courtesy.' She said,'when I told you we charge for it you just said omg, you charge for everything.' I said, 'but I never said, ok bring it.' So to not go back and forth we paid but I'll never comeback. They make the people wait long time for the food when the place is half way empty & can't offer chips & salsa? Ridiculous!

Casual vibes with just the right touch of elegance. No need to dress up, but you won't fee out of place should you choose to dress up. Service with a smile and the food is consistently great. Try the whole fried fish!

The food was good. For appetizers we had calamari and octopus ( which was a large portion, ended up taking half home) . I had the carnie asada plate . Service was good .

First of allllll lemme just say, YUMMM the food was so delicious and the music and drinks and vibes were all on point! Came here with a big group and the service was still really good, and we were taken care of nicely. Our servers were all fast and efficient bringing out all the different orders. My bf and I shared the chicken fajitas plate and carnitas tacos and they were both so flavorful and satisfying. Also, the rice and beans that came with the fajitas were really good, especially the rice was delicioso!! We tried the michelucas and Mexican mule. Both were delightful. All and all great experience and I would recommend.

It's a great happy hour atmosphere but you have to get there early because it does get packed and the parking sucks. However, the Karinas ceviche was the best. It had the right amount of spice making it almost like an aguachile but not as spicy. I don't like beer but the michalucas was amazing and literally taste just like a tamarindo candy, the mango ceviche not so good, and the red one had a bit too much lemon. You can taste the difference in the lemon vs lime. The spicy calamari was really good but had more of an orange chicken taste than a marisco taste. The oysters on the HH were really good for a really good price. The house margarita was really good and they were not skimpy on the alcohol at all so if your not much of a drinker it might be a bit too strong. Even with it being crowded the service was good and overall we were satisfied with what we ordered and will def be returning.

I've been a Karinas Bonita regular for years and today was the last time I ever go back. I don't know if they're under new management or what but the bar service has gotten terrible and extremely expensive. No smiles, no pleasant service, feel like you have to beg to order. Victor the Barback is the only attentive person at the bar, all the other women are too busy, flirting, or complaining to actually provide good service to customers. Extremely disappointing and honestly my $33 shot did not even taste like it was 1942. Terrible, terrible, terrible.

I've been a long time customer to Karina's approx 15 years, my wife and I and our 3 children come here every week. Apparently as of the 1st of the year they started charging for chips and salsa. The complimentary chips and salsa was one of the main reasons we would look forward in coming. Keep in mind our bill is always over 100.00. We ordered and paid for the chips and salsa this time and couldn't believe they couldn't even bring out a full bowl of salsa. Unfortunately this is going to be our last visit to Karina's many other restaurants still offer complimentary chips and salsa. Thanks for ruining this for us.

When my husband told me that his company's holiday party was going to be at Karina's and I was really excited. I had never been before, but a lot of my friends had and so I had only heard good things. I like to snoop the Yelp to check it out and was so surprised at how low the overall rating was. We came yesterday and the parking lot was already packed, thankfully the team at Burger King gave us the "okay," to park on their side of the lot. We were greeted and right as we walked into the restaurant and saw Bryan's co-workers. Our table had all the appetizers waiting for us... Bacon wrapped jumbo shrimp, which were cooked perfectly, I loved that it had elements of a jalapeno popper. Chicken taquitos, crispy and creamy again really flavorful. Guacamole, needed a little bit of salt, but good overall. Aguachile de camaron, this was so good, there was a little heat but nothing unbearable, plus the shrimp just tasted so fresh, I just kept on eating even though I knew our entrees were coming. I also had three cocktails, two mezcal passions and a spicy watermelon margarita. The spicy watermelon margarita wasn't my fave but the mezcal passions were a lot better, smokiness from the mezcal and I loved the sweetness from the passion fruit. After the first one I was a little buzzed even with eating all those starters. Prior to the party, we sent our food orders in advance our options were shrimp, chicken enchiladas and carne asada. I ended up choosing the shrimp and Bryan ordered the carne asada. When our food arrived I was so excited! My shrimp was actually in the spicy chile poblano sauce (I checked online) and it was delicious. That poblano sauce had some heat but I swear if I had an option I had would have drank it. The shrimps were huge and it really reminded me of a curry, it was just delicious. The rice was really good too, so much flavor, my meal just made me really happy. I even had an opportunity to get a couple of pieces of Bryan's carne and it was so tender and nicely marinated! He normally likes to save some food to go but he ate everything on his plate. For desserts we had the option for chocolate cake or guyaba cheesecake, we got both. That guyaba cheesecake was perfect, not too sweet and had really nice notes of guava. The chocolate cake tasted like Mexican hot chocolate super light and airy. I am definitely coming back, food was amazing and service was great.

too expensive for extremely bad service. I had to get and ask for water, condiments, crackers, and when I wanted to order. I was better off saying home. worst experience I have ever had in a restaurant Denny's gives better service!

Los tacos de camarón estaban buenos , La tostada de ceviche doña Inés was , Tacos de pescado no me gustaron. El taco de ojo estaba bien

This place has a good atmosphere and tasty food. Went for a work lunch and left over satisfied. They have a great selection of beer, seafood, and if your up for it tequila! I ordered some steak fajitas which were excellent. The steak was cut in big pieces and was marinated to perfection. Blended with the peppers and onions it was right on. The bar area was jumping on a Friday afternoon and they had plenty of TVs to catch a game on. Definitely a good spot to grab some drinks and a bite any time of day.

My family and I eat here all the time. Here are the dishes/drinks we love: Food: -Ceviche Karina's (not spicy) -Aguachile (we have to request extraaaa spicy because it doesn't come that way) -Fajita dinner -Camarones a la plancha Cocktails: -Tamarindo margarita -Mango Margarita **there are many other great options, these are just our favorites**

When to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday and asked 3 call different waitress to bring her a cake and they all ignored me and really bad service

Looking for a place to eat since; came for the weekend. A guy friend recommended this place I never knew they had a Mexican hooters... I knew why he liked this place these females some of the females are beautiful. But for me to go to eat I don't want to see someone's breast in my face. Came here for my birthday dinner the flight was water down and the food wasn't good at all. After we stop by a mc Dee's. The only thing good here were the customers they were so sweet to my son and the cheese cake. If you looking too look at breast and butty this is the place for you and don't care for food this is your place.

My coworkers and I ordered delivery from this place, for our lunch. 1. We wrote a note asking the individual orders be separated. Three of us ordered tacos and all the tacos came mixed together instead of being separated. 2. We were missing two tacos. 3. The agua chile was incredibly lemony. We took a bite and puckered our lips and said, "holy lemon!" A few of us are Hispanic and are no strangers to ceviche and agua chiles and lemon, but this was extremely tart. It also tasted like the lemon juice from a bottle and the shrimp was swimming in the juice. Also, it was pretty salty. No beuno. 4. The tostadas were a little rancid. 5. The tacos were okay. 6. The octopus tasted like cow liver. 7. The ceviche was good. No complaints there. 8. The tortilla chips were good! -_- 9. The order took a long time before it was sent out.

Best cooks in this location, compared to the one in otay ranch. My server was super friendly

Food was mid for a restaurant trying to bring a vibe, it did not hit. Overpriced. Karina's in National City is much better.

Ordered Marlin tacos with a "cream sauce." Supposedly the fish was grilled with cheese on a corn tortilla with a cream sauce. I got a tomato sautéed fish in a corn tortilla with cheese. When I said that this wasn't my order the waitress said I'll bring you the sour cream on the side. WTF!!! They brought me a side of mayonnaise with what tasted like tomato bullion mixed in it as the cream sauce. It just made everything taste salty. I should have looked at the ratings before spending $13 for 2 "tomato fish tacos" Don't recommend this place at all.