Nomads Canteen

A group of 4 stopped in on a Wednesday night. They weren’t too busy so we were seated immediately. I was immediately shocked at how affordable the pricing is. I ordered a salad with grilled ahi and the creamy coconut dressing. I was very satisfied with the meal! The portions are decent but not so much food that you feel like you’re stuffed. They have indoor and outdoor seating with space heaters for chilly nights. The service was very fast and attentive. Definitely a good casual spot for dinner and drinks!

Food is great, absolutely love the atmosphere & the servers are all nice and courteous ! Owner Sean is a really cool guy!!

This place is pretty good, it’s a local restaurant and because of that you will get a different take on many of the foods that one has already had in the past. Like the torta, instead of your normal bolio bread, you get a ciabatta bread instead. Now is that a good thing, we’ll it’s a hit and miss sometimes and this time it’s a bit of a miss. But that shouldn’t turn you away from areas like these because some of the others things in the menu which they do a different take in comes out delicious. So I recommend this area because I love the open mindedness of it and can’t go wrong with a well priced steak that turned out to be very good. So do yourself a favor and go here for a nice lunch near the beach.

Hey, I was here in 2020 when you guys got fined that fat stack for staying open during the plandemic. What an experience. Me and 3 ladies waited in line for 15 minutes then went in and got some food and drinks and tipped well. always appreciate the battle against government. We had a good time. Food, service, drinks,. Always a pleasure.

I can't speak highly enough about the service especially the manager (Sean/Shawn). He helped me with a 1200 miles away family dilemma. I couldn't be there to attend a very special event and he stepped in and saved the day! In a week filled with issues, headaches, heartaches, and turmoil, he was a hero if only to me this day. The picture maybe a bit cringe, but it truly will be a highlight I will always remember... even though it took photoshop to memorialize it. Thank you!!

In my opinion, this hotel was AMAZING the service was perfect, no complaints at all. Food was on par so we're the drinks, loved the freebies we got on entry. I think every single part of this hotel was clean, Yes this includes the bathroom (I checked). Overall this hotel gets a 5-Star. Review from me🥰

I’ve been coming to nomads for years, and every time I do, it’s fantastic. Sitting on the deck you also have a hard time not running into some cool San Clemente dogs and their owners, which is always a bonus for me.

Pet friendly but no place for the pets to potty. Pet fee not communicated until after reservation was made. Room was nicer than expected. No washcloths. Towels only. Nice that shampoo, conditoner and body wash were provided.

If you are in San Clemente I would 100% recommend Nomads for a lunch spot! This eclectic beachy bar and restaurant is connected to a hotel in the heart of San Clemente. The ambiance includes surf memorabilia, plenty of boards, and even a crocodile across the back wall. The service was great! Our waitress was efficient and polite. She constantly was refilling our drinks. To eat we got the cool cuke poke bowl, pork dio chile verde bowl, carne asada tacos, and the quesadilla. The stand out dish was the cool cuke bowl. it was simple and refreshing but had delicious flavor. My dad is currently on a restrictive diet and this was PERFECT for him, he even said he could eat two more bowls! I would love to come by and try some of their cocktails and appetizers!

I've only had the Pink Tacos, so I can't really comment on the other food, but I can confidently say they were the worst tacos I've ever had. I saw the photos of them on "taco holders," which is usually a red flag, but I was dumb enough to mindlessly take the cute waitresses suggestion. The ahi was overcooked and the dominant flavor profile is the cream they top it with. The flour tortillas felt like they were barely warmed and the whole plate was a soggy, gloppy mess. They do photograph well though. Always trust your gut and don't get duped by attractive employees.

A group of 4 stopped in on a Wednesday night. They weren't too busy so we were seated immediately. I was immediately shocked at how affordable the pricing is. I ordered a salad with grilled ahi and the creamy coconut dressing. I was very satisfied with the meal! The portions are decent but not so much food that you feel like you're stuffed. They have indoor and outdoor seating with space heaters for chilly nights. The service was very fast and attentive. Definitely a good casual spot for dinner and drinks!

Nomads have awesome vibes and food is delicious!! IPA on tap is fresh.. Had the fish tacos carnitas tacos and poki bowl.. Also got an order of wings well done and I have to say !! I will come back .. Go check it out Thank you Sean for the great hospitality .. see you soon

The kid was visiting from college and wanted to hit some of her favorite local places and Nomads made the cut. Personally, I am not a fan from previous experiences. I just have not had something that makes me want to come back. But, the kid wanted to go, so we did (just like going to S of Nick's while she was home). It was a beautiful day in SC, as usual, so we sat out on the patio with some umbrellas to hide us from the sun. Our friendly server greeted us, gave us some menus and took our drink order. According to the receipt, her name was Cortni. Very nice and took great care of us. As I picked up the menu to pick something out, I was skeptical about finding something I would like. I tried to keep an open mind. The kid said I should try the Poke, but I have had that in the past and was just OK. Also, I do not like mango. So, the kid ordered the half and half poke. I was going back and forth on several different items and finally chose the Da-Kine Cuban. According to the menu, this is Nomad's version of the classic Cuban sandwich. Grilled Spam (instead of the traditional ham, BRILLIANT!), pork carnitas, melted Queso Blanco, Pickles, Spicy Mustard. On the side is Charro, Coco-Rice, Metate Corn Tortilla Chips. I asked for extra pickles and for some extra spicy mustard on the side. The wife chose the Asian Beef Low Carb Bowl: Spicy Srirach grilled skirt steak over cabbage, green onion, carrot, cucumber. Soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame seeds. As we enjoyed the sun and our drinks, the patio was filling up and getting a bit crowded. The servers was bustling up and down the patio keeping filled with drinks and food. All were smiling and everyone was having a good time. Some more than others.** Our meals arrived and we jumped right in, well after I took pictures of everyone's lunches for this review. The Kid: she loved her poke bowl and ate it right up. The Wife: Really enjoyed her Asian Beef and I tried some and it was pretty tasty. Very simple meal, but she liked it. Me: The Da-Kine Cuban looked good as did the sides. Interesting to have rice & beans and then tortilla chips as well, but it really worked. I was using the chips to spoon up the rice/beans mixture. It was really tasty. Now to the sandwich. What do the kids say, Da bomb? Is that right? Spam cooked perfectly, great carnitas, lots of pickles, great spicy mustard and nicely melted queso. BOOM! Wow, this was a great sandwich and something I would have again and again when we come back. Did you hear what I just said? I want to go back. To Nomads. Really! Loved it. Since I ate all of the chips and rice/beans, I only ate 1/2 of the sandwich. Luckily for me, I had the delicious sandwich the next day for lunch. YUM! Go. Eat Well. HAVE FUN!! ** having more fun than others. A group of guys were fairly obnoxious, drinking, loud and spreading their chairs on the tight patio so that it was hard for the servers and customers to move around. I heard them say they were the Tesla Boyz of Talega, but I may have misheard them. HA, HA, HA! I did get the feeling that they were regulars. Not a restaurant issue, just a clueless people issue.

I can't speak highly enough about the service especially the manager (Sean/Shawn). He helped me with a 1200 miles away family dilemma. I couldn't be there to attend a very special event and he stepped in and saved the day! In a week filled with issues, headaches, heartaches, and turmoil, he was a hero if only to me this day. The picture maybe a bit cringe, but it truly will be a highlight I will always remember... even though it took photoshop to memorialize it. Thank you!!

Food was good and service was excellent. Wish I could remember the name of our waitress, she was awesome - friendly and attentive to our requests.

Nomads is awesome! The vibe is always great here. By far my favorite Poke Bowl I've ever had. You can stop in for a quick beer/drink or have a nice lunch on their patio. Inside has tables and bar seating as well.

Found this place from Reddit, of all places. This is a hidden gem, hole in the wall place. I could hang out here all day. Friendly servers and seems like a mix of tourists and locals. Had the SPAM bowl. Man, it was rib sticking. Hit the spot. Also had loaded Chicken tacos. Perfect with a couple of beers. Will return next time I'm in town. Would be a great place to watch college football !!

Funky ambience very exotic like Hawaii Tahiti Deep Mexico very pretty and friendly waitresses (great choice) I took pictures of all our foods and it was all amazing. These are the words I heard this food is the bomb this food rocks this food kicks ass. I love this food. It's delicious yummy mmmmm I think that says it all we had a great time. The atmosphere was chill. We ate outside. Would I do this again? In a heartbeat.

Food wasn't great and it's not very interesting atmosphere-wise. Parking can be a real pain if the lot is full. If you want atmosphere go down to the pier, and if you want food go elsewhere.

Felt this update is warranted, I always like to give a restaurant several tries before I give a less than stellar review. In this case, I have come back since my first visit, two more times and have been disappointed each time. The second time I ordered the low carb bowl again with the steak and I couldn't eat it, the steak was really chewy and not hot as well as not cooked very well, I did ask for it well done and it was very pink and cold in the middle. Came back today to give them another shot and was just my husband and daughter and me this time. We all ordered, my husband ordered his meal without cheese due to an allergy and also asked for sour cream on the side. We also asked for chips and salsa in addition to the pico that comes with the chips. Well, our waitress finally brought the salsa after we finished the chips, maybe 20 minutes later, annoying but not that big of a deal, we ordered and took forever to bring out food out, for some reason the table after us got their food and finished before we got ours, and when she brought ours out she realized my husbands had cheese and sour cream on top so she had to take it back to be remade. Well, my daughter and I waited a bit but then my husband had us eat our food because it was taking so long, his didn't come out until we were completely finished, I figured maybe she'd take a portion off the bill or bring him something, I don't know, maybe a side of guacamole on the house for the trouble...anything to make up for the inconvenience. Don't think we'll be back, not really worth the trouble and the food is inconsistent, husbands steak was half the portion it was the time before,and also they had cut it into small pieces when last time it was strips and had twice the amount. Sorry but from my experience I would not recommend.

Pretty simple... friendly beach atmosphere, excellent healthy food, good service, good drinks! This is my go to place to bring out guests visiting us to show them how cool San Clemente is.

Absolutely love the food here. My favorite and go to every time I want to have something light tasty and a little bit spicy. The Jaco Poke Bowl, it's light and will fill you up.

This is a fun spot located just off the beaten path in San Clemente. A wide variety of brews and tequilas to compliment their delicious pub type menu. Wait staff were friendly and professional. Sat outside on a gorgeous January afternoon. Nice place to pleasantly pass the time. I will be back.

Let's start with the food. I've eaten here twice and got sick both times. Not to mention my steak appetizer was cold! The service is terrible and I always feel forgotten here. This is a place for a drink and only a drink! I've only been food poisoned twice and this spot is 2 for 2 on me. Do not eat here! Ambiance is the only plus.

The blonde female manager on duty immediately harassed me and my family when we exited our car. She assumed that we were not going to eat at Nomad's, and was immediately confrontational and rude. I will never come back, and will encourage anyone else I know to do the same.

An absolute delight. The boys and I visited and were all very hungover but we were craving the spam bowl they have which is absolute fire. I'm talking avocado, mango, grilled spam, rice, black beans with a sauce they throw on. It's gluten free too. Anyway Christie served us and she was very attentive and everything was honestly perfect. Very nice lunch. Only thing I will say is that the steak appetizer thing absolutely has to be an even number. It came out with 5 pieces and if there was 6 it wouldn't have been awkward but Tyrus and I basically took the last 2 pieces and Christian didn't get a 2nd piece since there were 3 of us. The meat was good though and the Asian coleslaw slapped harder than that one black dude on the Grammies.

What a pleasant surprise. We took a lovely walk along the beach, then got there right at 11:30 as they opened for lunch. Location is behind the hotel, accessible from parking lot. There is ample indoor and outdoor seating. We sat outside; the patio quickly filled up and it was Monday! Inside was fairly dark so great for clandestine meetings. Nothing fancy, but an impressive menu. I already knew i was going to order poke because I read reviews. I was undecided between the 2 poke bowls; our sweet server Siana suggested 1/2 of each. PERFECTLY DELICIOUS! All of the food coming out around us looked delicious. There were lots of interesting menu items but my poke bowl was so good, I'd be hard pressed not to order it again.

Just the vibe we were looking for this Sunday for a late lunch. I got the Pomegranate Margarita which was very refreshing, not too sweet or syrupy. We got the Porko Dio and Muther-Clucker which were both filling and tasty. Overall enjoyed our experience and the service was also good.

They are supposedly a tequila bar (according to the server) but they use agave and don't have Grand Marnier for their cadillac margaritas. Nice spot, but drinks are not so great. Neither was the service.

Haven't been to this place since the first lockdown when they were the only place open. What a great place. Clean open vibe, great food. I had the TJ Dog, was outstanding. Food and drink prices are very decent for San Clemente.

No good tequila bar has margaritas on tap made with soda water. If you want mediocre food and meh margaritas made with soda visit this place. The only reason for two stars is the service far outreaches the pseudo-tequila bar vibe. When I asked for a Cadillac margarita without soda they informed me that their margaritas were in a batch mix. Upon tasting the margarita I'm not sure there was more than 1/2oz of liquor in it. San Clemente has a false notion of good food. It's a tourist town with tourist town food and Nomads is not the exception.

A very cozy rustic vibe inside, a nice patio with umbrellas and palm trees on what looks like a dock to the water. One thing I would have the management consider, is the walkway from the kitchen to the bar dining area, have some type of a door put up. To block the kitchen view from the seating area. That would make it top-notch!

Great vibes and good location. Walking distance to the beach and the service is just awesome!!!! Delicious food and good amounts.

Ordered basic carne asada tacos with no spice, they got in wrong both times and it took ages to get my food on a Saturday afternoon around 3 when it wasn't busy. Waitress took off and we were left unattended for a long period. Tacos were cold and tasted like cardboard. Poor service and bad food 0/0

We love Namads! Great vibe and a nice place for a Saturday or Sunday lunch! We both had the pome bowl and chips with guacamole both were delicious!

Food is great but the service is the WORST! The service is pretty much always bad but tonight has been the worst ever. Our waitress was rude and didn't check on us a single time. Why can't they find waitresses that at least like their job a bit? Do better!

Came for an organized brunch where we had the patio reserved out for the group. We had a couple of servers dedicated to our area that were quick and friendly. I just ordered a Bloody Mary that was perfectly spicy and came with olives. The patio was great and the guacamole at another table looked amazing. Would recommend.

Soooo good! Reminds me of the surf shack cantinas in Central America - but even better. Open air. Surf videos on tv. Great bar. Great beer selection. Killer simple food. Island Bowls and Mainlander Bowls both rock. Baja Fish is delicious Porko Dio is next level. Pork Oh My God!!!

Worst dining experience I've ever had hands down. Sign said to seat yourself, went and sat down. Was seen sitting down and was passed by my server 4 times without a single acknowledgement from her. Ending up just getting up and leaving to find another restaurant with servers who aren't rude. As we're walking up the stairs from the lower outdoor deck we were told "thanks" from our would be server. Came from out of town and heard nothing but good things about nomads. Unfortunately will not recommend or be going back when I'm in the area again.

Best poke around...absolutely love the Jaco Bowl! Tuesday is also a great deal with $3.50 24 oz cans including Modelo.

I sat on the deck with my dog, the waitress brought him ice water which was cool. EZ parking in their lot. Priced reasonably.

Been coming here since the beginning. The food is consistently good. Atmosphere is chill. Dog friendly. Nomads never disappoints!

Food here is always top notch. Love the poke and carne asada. Kid friendly as well. I come here every time I am in San Clemente.

Nomads has always been a favorite of mine since I moved to California over 5 years ago. I hadn't been in close to 4 years, though, until last Sunday. The food and vibe is still wonderful. They had expanded the patio, which was wonderful, especially during pandemic times. The Jaco Poke bowl is my favorite and my boyfriend loved the ceviche. Their drinks are also great - and fairly priced. The waitresses are super friendly and very attentive. Our food came out super fast. Appreciate that they are consistently great even after so many years.

Friendly service and reasonably priced food and drinks. Casual vibes and a patron was nice and honest enough to run my phone out to me that I'd left behind.

LOVE this place! It's our new San Clemente go to. The food is awesome and ambiance is great (outside.)

Great little location. Service is great and attentive. All the food options are so delicious. Love their spam dish!

What a pleasant surprise! Not much to look at. Try the food and drink and you will be surprised!

My new patio favorite sit down place. Fresh, wonderful. beef or chicken are both excellent! I got a bowl and it had good flavor- chunks of tender and juicy chicken, cheese, and tomato -- that's full of flavor. Simple and delicious! The atmosphere is delightful, the drinks menu is well done I'll come back, a lovely leisurely lunch was had

The food is great. Since discovering Nomads I've been working my way through the menu. Absolutely the best fish tacos I've ever had. They serve 3 and they're so loaded it's a challenge to get through 2.

Delicious! Great relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend the shrimp coconut bowl. Dog friendly on the patio. A wonderful spot for a Sunday lunch

Great service, food, and atmosphere. I would Def return to this place when in town after surfing

We stayed at the Nomads Hotel downstairs from the Canteen, and we must have ate and drank here at least 4-5 times during our stay. The carnitas bowl was the best my husband has had- he couldn't shovel it in his face fast enough! Everything was fresh and seasoned well. They're margs are soo yummy- try the Pama. The selection of tequilas is ridiculous (in a good way). Owner came and said hello and all the servers are friendly. If we're ever back in San Clemente, we'll definitely go again.

Location is great , ambience was nice, drinks were good , price was reasonable but food ... let's just say "Chipotle," is tastier .. if you like authentic food , this is not the spot . Overall good experience, good service , would be back for drinks , chips and Guacamole ...

Literally my favorite restaurant in San Clemente. Every menu item is SO good. I'd literally eat here every day if I could lmao

Looks like a youth hostel from the streets though it's and great, unique hotel. My very picky wife used to 5 star places loved it. The restaurant is around back...kind of a dive making great food, drinks and service. Large outdoor patio...in the parking lot. Funky, fun and friggin delicious. Very affordable, big portions.

I hate even giving this place a review. Not because it's bad but because it is such a gem. I grew up in a SoCal beach community and feel like this place is a slice of something that is special about growing up in a beach community. Sharing and telling everyone how amazing this place is may ruin it for those that can appreciate it for what it is. The food is amazing, the vibe, I could surf in the morning hang out here go back check the waves go out again and come back to just chill. If you didn't grow up in a beach town, you can come here just sit down order something and enjoy the experience. It is something that should be appreciated and maybe kept to yourself.