The food tasted alright, Â Nothing too special just ground beef tostadas and unseasoned chicken taquitos. Â Happy hour discount made it worth the price. Â
However later that night I was rudely awakened by the guy who used the old meat or didn't wash their hands after wiping their butt. Â Yes that's right Amigos food gave my GF a horrible stomach ache while it had me puking all over! Â
It did taste better going down than coming back up, but the food wasn't  impressive to begin with.  Horrible experience. Â
TO AMIGOS CANTINA: WASH YOUR HANDS AND SERVE FRESH FOOD!!!! Â PLEASE!!!
Love it! Wife loves it. Lunch here all the time. The owner is a stand up guy who, and this is just my impression, loves to party. So the energy is great just like the food, fresh ingredients, Â and the prices. They have a great happy hour. We love to sit out front, next to the side walk, in the shade and people watch, say hi to friends, come on everyone loves walking downtown, while enjoying an ice cold beverage.
Review Source:A friend was sitting in with a band at Amigo's over the weekend, so I ventured in, ordered a Cadillac Margarita and 2 regular (not "street") tacos. Service was quick, friendly, and always attentive.  FINALLY, I found my perfect, crunchy taco! You know, old school "gringo" food.  Nothing fancy, just deep fried tortilla goodness with some shredded white meat, shredded lettuce, cheese and a little salsa. Perfection.  I peered at food around the bar and everything looked decent. Fancy gourmet? No. Just good plain munchy bar food. My  margarita was a nice blend of just enough sweet w/ hint of booze...so I had another one!  Hanging out at Amigo's turned out to be a nice Sunday afternoon; the perfect place to duck in from the downtown crowd, trip out on the old surf videos on the various TVs over the bar, enjoy a great band, and relax with pals. I'll definitely be back.
Review Source:Pros:Nice ambiance, my food was good
Cons: chips were stale, salad bar had gnats all over it, service was horrible. waitress got 2 out of our 3 orders wrong. Would have helped if she wrote the order down. Another table near us complained their order was wrong too.
Not a good first experience, probably wont be back.
Went to a gun show in Ventura, so checked Yelp for a place to eat a quick bite after buying weapons. Â :) Â Margaritas were good, had a deal for a free glass of wine for a yelp or facebook check in (can't remember which), that was nice...street tacos that were on special were good, my husband enjoyed his burrito and we got a $10 for $5 deal on yelp, so we were in the area and followed Yelp to this place. Â It was good. Â Nothing special, but not bad. Â Free wine, $5 for $10 worth of food....seriously, what's to complain about?
Review Source:I would recommend coming here on a nice day to have a drink on the patio. Â Patio is a good people watching spot, which are rare downtown. Â Beers are decently priced. Â Service was good. Â
The food is mediocre, hence the 2 star review. Â There is a good salsa selection, but none of them were worthy of a second serving. Â The salsa we got with the chips had no flavor. Â The chips are from a bag and were actually tostada shells broken up. Â I thought that was weak. Â I can think of 5 Mexican restaurants within a few minutes of downtown that blow doors on Amigo's. Â The only way I can imagine anyone giving 5 stars is because they work here.
** 1) the place looks pretty at night 2) outside patio heating (space limited) 3) Food was ok. Â It was not terrible. Â It was not authentic. Â The drinks (house margaritas) were on the soft side. Â Great selection of Salsas- Sales associate said the chilis are roasted everyday for fresh Salsas. Â The waiter was colloquial, a very friendly personality. Â Overall a great experience, good enough to return for a casual meal.
Review Source:Attended private tasting prior to open. Â You need to eat here!!!
Have since been back many times and they always welcome us back! Â Great place to include in whatever you are doing in downtown Ventura.
I had drafted this review so long - but still stand by it. Â Check out the LIVE music @ Amigo's and follow their FACEBOOK page like I do.
Went here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. Â Street tacos were very good, fresh. Â The enchiladas were a bit bland but acceptable. The prices were good for a sit down place. Â The waitress was mediocre at best and never smiled or really talked. With other mexican places nearby, I might return, or I might not. Â I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.
Review Source:Great service, fun atmosphere. Â Food is only fair, but inexpensive. Â Margarita was great. Â The best tasting thing was the $1 street taco... Â Ground beef. Â They were on special. Â Don't bother with the veggie burrito... Â Mostly rice, or the chicken enchiladas... Â Tastes like canned sauce. Â We will come back because of the atmosphere, the service and the drinks. Â We'll stick with street tacos and drinks next time.
Review Source:Well it's not awful but they need some help,in the kitchen. Atmosphere is decent and we have heard some great music playing there on weekends but food is very basic, not terribly authentic. Â Food presentation is pretty bad...is it that hard to throw a scoop of guacamole or even sour cream and some parsley on the plate? Â Interesting they don't even offer guacamole on their appetizer menu. Maybe that's the explanation for the lack thereof.
Review Source:This is my new favorite Mexican food place in Ventura. Â I have no idea why there are so many bad-to-lukewarm reviews--every single item we ordered was flavorful and completely legit. Â The chips were full-on tortillas (not out-of-the bag like one review indicated),and lots of fun to break off and nosh on. Â My chicken mole was just as it ought to be: rich and nuanced with just enough heat and not too much sweet. Â My mom declared that the chili verde was exactly like my Nana's--and it is! Â Again, extremely flavorful but not obnoxiously spicy. Â It is something we thought we'd never taste again. Â My dad's carnitas were simple and savory--not dry like you get at some places. Â Sis's enchiladas looked pretty standard, but she was pleased with the flavor. Â The kiddies were pleased with their selections, ultra-simple kiddie quesadillas and the small plate tiny taquitos; they also appreciated the tabletop game tablet. Â The drinks were sublime. Â Ambiance on the patio was lively. Â I didn't get a chance to sample the salsa bar in back, but am sure I'll catch it the next time. Â I guess if you're one of those folks who thinks that any sort of Mexican food not endorsed by Rick Bayless is not "authentic" (I'm really starting to detest the use of that word when discussing Mexican food of any ilk), then I can see you not being down with this place. Â This is definitely the sort of Cal-Mexican I grew up loving, and it's the kind that my Mexican-American, Glendale-born, no-nonsense Nana took pride in preparing. Â I am more of a Gustavo Arellano believer that if it's good to me, it's legit, and this place is.
Review Source:Happened to be in the area for a late lunch and came across this place. Aside from our server being friendly, I really don't have very much positive to say... But here it goes anyways... I ordered the salad bar and 2 street tacos. First off, I could tell by the presentation of the tacos that the cook is not Mexican. Â Then I confirmed that when I took the first bite. I love Mexican food and it's one of my favorites, but unfortunately this place is nowhere close. Â The chips and salsa wasn't very good either. The chips are packaged tostada shells that were borderline stale. The salsa was nothing spectacular. The salad bar isn't even worth reviewing. With a little work and a better cook tho place could be good. Again the only positive thing for me to mention was the nice server as well as nice outdoor seating. I'm usually not one to write negative reviews, but I think it's fair for others to know. I mean you can't fix it if you don't hear it right? Bottom line... save your money or take a trip to Corrale's.
Review Source:We met a friend for some pre-season Monday night football and dinner last night at Amigo's Surf Cantina. Â It was our first visit and I immediately liked the Mexican/surf decor and atmosphere. Â $3 House Margaritas, asada tacos, and a fresh salsa bar made me a fan! We will definitely return.
Review Source:I went to Amigos with 6 family members on Wednesday night for the first time and we had a terrific time! We were seated immediately and never waited for chips refills, water, the next round of drinks- all taken care of so we could focus on our gossiping and joking.
Awesome food, awesome margaritas, awesome service! It was definitely Mexican American food, but they had many delicious, fresh, handmade salsas in their salsa bar. My husband has gotten ill at some of the other Mexican food places in town, but Amigos settled just fine. That means we get to go back!!! I can't wait!!!
Their food isn't terrible as most of the previous reviews imply. Definitely not authentic, by any means. We went there because they had a sign outside for half-off their blue plates and their menu looked decent so we thought we'd give it a try. We both ordered a blue plate item and didn't find out until we paid our bill that the blue plates were, in fact, NOT half off. Apparently, that's only during happy hour. Which wasn't for hours after we arrived, so why the sign was out there was lost on me. Also, it was kind of bullshit that our waitress didn't mention this until we inquired about the bill. I mean, we ordered the items that were supposed to be half off, she realized the sign was out there and took it down after we were seated, but didn't think to mention it when we ordered? Um, wtf? But whatever.
The chips and salsa they brought us were actually boxed tostada shells (whole shells that we have to break into chips to dip? Ok...) and the salsa wasn't great. Even the salsas in their salsa bar were mediocre. I got nachos which were plentiful and really good, tons of jack cheese which I'm all about. Andrew got a chicken burrito which He enjoyed and He's picky, so it must have been good. I also got a mango margarita which was really good, not sure why anyone's complained about them previously. It was just like any other margarita I've ordered from a Mexican restaurant. However, the waitress did ask if I wanted salt on it... Huh?
Overall, the food was decent, not good Mexican but edible. They could definitely do better, it's not hard to cook good Mexican food. I know, and I can't cook worth a damn.
6/1/13 - I am updating my review, as I have been back in there twice since I originally wrote my review and the food really hasn't been very good at all. I have ordered the nachos on one occasion and they were soggy and over seasoned. On another occasion, then a burrito on another occasion and overall, the food is just so-so. Another weird thing is when they bring out the chips and salsa, they don't even bring you chips. It is this weird colored (red or green) circle disk that looks more like a tostada shell or something than a chip. I have never seen that before in my life at a Mexican restaurant. Come on people, spend the extra couple of bucks and serve chips already! So I'm downgrading my review to 3 stars.
I can't believe how terrible the reviews are on here. I just went there yesterday for the first time and it was a great time! There was awesome live music and the food was yummy. I didn't order much, but tried some of the food and the guacamole is definitely something to note. It is fantastic!! They also make really stiff drinks for a reasonable price. I tried the nachos, chicken and beef tacos, and chicken taquitos and everything was pretty good.
It's your typical Mexican American food at an affordable price in a relaxed atmosphere. The owner John was there, talking to guests and making sure everyone was satisfied. I will definitely be back!
I try this place with couple of friends for lunch last week. Fabulous! I liked the friendly and attentive staff, and the food was truly delich (and I am a picky eater).
I would recommend this cute place to anyone. Girls night out, familly gathering, even happy hours at their bar. Love it. Keep up the good work. I will be back at night to enjoy the food and the bands. THANKS AMIGOS!
We were walking around town before a show... and popped into this place... Â had some Union Jack IPA... and got a burrito for the kid and some Nachos for us... it was very good. This is a fairly new business and they have live bands play..sooooo if you are in town go there.... you will have some fun... nice atmosphere.. full bar... little place outside to sit with fireplace...
Review Source:Visited Amigos this weekend. Â The decor is well done and appropriate to the name. Â We went for lunch. Â They are new to Main Street and I understand that it takes awhile to get everything synched. There was one bartender and one wait staff person both of which were pretty frazzled. Â In a town where there is some serious competition for great tasting food, Amigos misses the mark. Â Ordered a taco salad. Â From the tast of it, the pinto beans were cooked in boiling water with no condiments. Â The other two people with me were underwhelmed as well by the taste of the dishes they ordered. Â Bland beyond bland.
Playing pretty loud in the background was country music. Â Country Music with bland mexican food = honky tonk Mexican?? Â They need to determine what their brand is, and up the taste of their food. Â Bad food and cheap beer will bring in a younger and less sophisticated crowd. Â That's ok but would love to see it move to the next level and offer some compeditive cuisine that is truly Mexican.
I can see this being a good place for happy hour, nice bar area, the bartender is the best thing about the establishment, he was friendly and professional. The food was not good at all. The rice was obviously day-old and reheated. Skinny margarita was decent but the worth the $9-$10. The wait staff was a little awkward, they took a while to acknowledge us.
Review Source:The bf and I wandered in here last weekend on a whim and we had an amazing time. Â We only planned on staying for one drink, but ended up staying for well over an hour because we were having such a great time. Â The place has an awesome vibe and the owner and his daughter were fantastic. Â By far the best bar we stopped at that evening. Â Next time I am in town this will be a go to. Â Oh and the FREE chips and salsa tasted just fine to me.
Review Source:i've been wanting to try this new place for a while. i frequent the downtown area and i LOVE mexican food. LOVE.
on cinco de mayo we were walking down to the atm and thought hey lets have a marg and an appetizer and try this place out.
i'm glad i finally tried it so i now know that i never need to go back.
we sat ourselves on the patio, like the sign said. it took over 15 minutes for anyone to come over to us. it looked like there was 3 waitresses working and they all walked around us and never even acknowledged we were there. 2 of them spent most of their time setting silverware at a table just inside the door while talking to each other. finally one of those girls came over to us, after she finished setting the whole table. once she finally showed up, we ordered 2 cadillac margs and nachos. she came back with waters and chips & salsa. the second she sat the basket of chips down i thought oh my god.. blatantly obvious bagged chips? wow. i then look at the salsa and it looks just like costco's. i'm thinking this marg better be the best one in town or i'll never be back. so then the marg comes.. it came in a rocks glass and already had the extra shot poured in. no bueno. NO BUENO! it tasted pretty decent though, thank god. i see now that this is probably some white people (i'm also white, so don't even) who have bastardized a mexican restaurant. the nachos came.. same shitty chips with everything thrown on top. i literally had to eat them with a knife and fork to cut through the cheese. we picked up the big glob to discover that under the small layer of intact chips on top, is about 1/4 bag of crumbs about the size of your thumb nail.
so, overall the experience was bad. nothing tasted extremely terrible, things were edible, but it just isn't good. with all the delicious authentic mexican restaurants in town, HOW CAN YOU OPEN UP A SPOT IN COVETED DOWNTOWN AND NOT BRING IT??!!! Â
i definitely won't be back.
Worst. Mexican food. Ever.
Save yourself the trouble and skip this place. We were wanting to get some Mexican food for cinco de mayo, but boy did we choose wrong.
First we ordered two frozen margaritas...and by frozen, I guess they thought we wanted watered down tequila with crushed ice on the top. Not remotely blended or flavorful.
Dinner was even worse than the margaritas. We tried to order from the dinner menu but were promptly told that we could only order one of the 6 items from the Cinco de Mayo "special" menu (which was on one of those table tent menus that usually has drinks or ads on it). Why did they give us the dinner menu, then?
I ordered the crispy beef tacos, my husband ordered the soft chicken tacos. Once they came out we realized why we could only order from these specially selected items. Everything has been pre-made and was just sitting in the back. The taco meat was literally tasteless...no seasoning at all. Thank god for Cholula hot sauce because I had to douse the meat in it just to taste something. It was also cold and dried out (as if it was just sitting in a pan in the back).
My husband's chicken tacos were also cold and flavorless, but even worse had nothing in them but diced chicken and a sprinkling of tomatoes. No lettuce...no cheese...nothing. We literally laughed out loud and took a picture of them once they came out. We couldn't believe it.
Also, the meals on the regular dinner menu were around $9.00 and they came with rice and beans. This ridiculous cinco de mayo dinner special was the same price but did not come with any sides. We were still hungry when we left. AND the salsa was like ketchup...again, we poured a half bottle of cholula in it just for a hint of flavor.
Anyways...I could go on all day. Short of it is, I would have had a more authentic Mexican dinner at Taco Bell.
The art on the walls are awesome and the skinny margaritas are great. That's about all that's good though. Wait staff is confused, salsa is bland, chips came out of a bag. After waiting 30 minutes both orders came out wrong. Pretty disappointed...I was looking forward to some tacos on cinco de mayo....didn't happen. My mom had this to add - at least we now know where the worst salsa in the world is made!
Review Source:This place was a little confusing for me...not really sure what I think about it...
Because my job is located downtown, I was really excited for this place to open up. Â Walking in, it's a cool place, lots of stuff to look at on the walls, the bar is really cool, TVs, all that fun stuff. Â Nice little vibe.
Awkwardly enough, the tortilla chips are out of a bag...??? Â Really odd. Â The place is supposed to be Mexican food and I just couldn't understand why the tortilla chips were out of a bag. Â I can't think of one Mexican food place I've been to where the chips were noticeably out of the bag.
The menu has a nice selection, I like the salsa and salad bar option. Â Prices all seem to be good. Â I really wanted to try the nachos, but I figured the bag chips would be used, so I passed on that. Â Ordered a burrito. Â It was good. Â Nothing to go on and on about. Â Not authentic by any means. Â Just really really Americanized. Â
The taco shells weren't homemade either. This is all bizarre to me...There are so many Mexican food places in Ventura that are so authentic and amazing, I couldn't imagine deciding to open up a Mexican restaurant here and thinking "we'll just get tortilla chips out of a bag and taco shells out of a box.." Â
The pros to the place:
The staff was friendly, the vibe was cool, the music was great, and the bar was pretty. Â The place was super clean and I liked how it was set up. Â Looks like it would be a great place for a party (if you're not eating). Â I do want to go back and try out the drinks and also go back in a month or so when the place has been opened longer to see how it is then.
Like I said, great people working there, really friendly, just disappointed in the lack of authenticity.
What can I say?
The salsa was bla.  No onions, no jalapeños, no spices.  No kick.  Nada.
We ordered from the lunch menu. Â I ordered the taquitos. Â Said there was 6. Â When they arrived there were 3. Â We asked the waitress and she said no matter. Â These are bigger and the same price. Â NOT! Â Lunch ones or "tiny" taquitos are $3.95. Â Dinner taquitos are $8.95. Â How could we order the dinner taquitos when we had the LUNCH menu? Â No apology....nothin'.
And....the chicken in the taquitos was bla, dry and again NOT SEASONED!
Others in my group had the quesadilla (good), burrito .... bla, two tacos.....ok.
Will we return? Â Probably not. Â Taqueria Cuernavaca on Ventura Ave. is so much better.
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