Food is quite good but the staff could really make an attempt to "play nice" with customers. Â They are often rude and disinterested in your business. Â Almost as if you are doing them a favor by eating there. Â Maybe that is part of the ambience? Â Oh well... it's close to my house and their bean, rice, cheese, salsa burrito is awesome. Â Not sure why a quesadilla for my kids runs me close to five bucks though.
Oh yeah... charging for a second really small cup of hot sauce is a joke. It doesn't matter if you order one burrito or twenty-- you get one free cup. Â STUPID. I have literally had to break up my order from my friends just so we can get enough to use on our food.
MEXICAN FOOD NAZIS!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? I stopped in with my 7 and 2 year old children the other day to get a bite to eat. We ordered a chicken taco (chicken, potatoes, and smothered with a weird red sauce and nothing else...Where's the cheese at least? Oh yeah, that's PROBABLY EXTRA!!!), 6 "mini" bean and cheese burritos (and I mean MINI and FOR $$$7.50 cents???? I DARE ANYONE TO ORDER THESE AND TELL ME THESE ARE THE "BEST" RIPOFF FOR FOOD IN SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY!!), and 1 chicken mole taco (the best thing we ordered, probably because it's smothered with chocolate sauce!). Total bill: 14.45!!! Don't get me started on the service either. Unfriendly cashiers who are more interested in taking your money than being professional and polite. Won't be going back here.
Review Source:I've lived around the corner from Las Golondrinas for my entire life, and I finally have to write a review. I've NEVER been impressed by this place. Ever. Their food is bland bland bland, and completely mediocre. Seriously, who puts refried beans in their tacos?! If you order their tacos, they contain meat, beans, and that's it. No salsa, no cheese, no onions or cilantro, nothing. Granted, their carnitas isn't totally awful, but the lack of ANY other flavors outweighs that. Bland and boring. If you want authentic, amazing, flavorful mexican food, drive the few extra miles and to go El Molino de Oro in San Juan Capistrano. They don't put refried beans in their tacos (although they would if you asked), and they at least include onions, cilantro, and your choice of salsa.
  I have friends who love Las Golondrinas, so I've tried to tolerate it over the years. But honesly? Boring. Bland. Dull. Don't go and expect great mexican food, because you won't find it here. i've had a LOT of mexican food in my life, and this place doesn't even rate. And the wait time for your order? Ridiculous. Meh.
Las Golondrinas has several locations in South County and the one off of Estrella in San Clemente has been here for years. This is a very casual, walk up to order, and you may even end up having to share a table..."fun", or not depending on who your sitting by and the few tables they do have are all outside.
I ordered a chicken soft taco and a small chicken tostada. The taco had very spicy chicken and a small amount of potatoes in it ...and who puts potatoes in taco's?
The chicken tostada had chicken, a lot of tomatoes, beans, no cheese and a lot of lettuce. It was just ok!
I really wanted to be a chowhound because I don't come here very often ... but sadly I didn't end up eating most of the food because it wasn't that good. Definitely, not the same as it used to be.
Really really disappointed. After hearing that it's awesome I'm really let down. Chicken fajita burrito was ok, only chicken and bell peppers. No pico or anything. Carne asada burrito was horrible. Carne didn't taste good and it was only carne and beans. Definitely an overall let down. Wont be back.
Review Source:I stopped here on the way to visit my sister  in Escondido. My stomach was grumbling and I needed something quick but didn't want fast food. I found this place and decided to stop and get a chorizo and egg burrito. I'm sure glad I did. Las Golondrinas is great little place serving up tasty Mexican fare. My burrito was stuffed to capacity with chorizo and eggs. I got some chips as well in my "to go" order and  because they were so yummy I ended up purchasing a big bag with some fresh made salsa and guacamole.
It seems like all the locals are in the know at this place and I'll definitely make it a point to stop here on my next visit down.
I have stopped there a second time and got my fiancé a breakfast burrito which he loved. Also love that they have the option of horchata/orange bang/piña colada bang. You can also purchase tortillas here so I purchased a dozen small flour tortillas which were really good!
I came here on a Monday morning before my usual commute to San Clemente for work. I have my own reservations about how a good chorizo burrito should be, and this place was a great find! See, I usually prefer the greasy, almost pasty chili-like texture of chorizo found at grocery stores for about a buck. I just don't have the time or patience to make it at home (let alone have the smell linger all over me in the office). But at most taco shops I find myself playing the lottery and end up with chorizo burrito that tastes like chunky, spicy ground beef or pork.
My only complaint is that the prices here are a little more than I'm comfortable with. My two egg chorizo burrito  rang up at $4, but was worth the trip because they offer Orange Bang /Ole fountain drink line.
One of my fave Mexican places to eat. Â Usually go on Taco Tuesday and get the carne asada, the shredded beef (crunchy) and my kids get the chicken soft tacos. Â And for dessert we will split a sweet cinnamon raisin tamale. Â So if you go on a Tuesday, be prepared to wait for bit, but it's not that long. Worth the wait.
Love the chips, salsa and mini burritos too! Â Their breafast burritos are huge and delicious.
I have used them on many occassions for pick-up catering for our parties and lately past couple of years also on Christmas Eve! Â Everyone who eats the food at our parties gives it thumbs up. Â It's not cheap to buy in large quantity for catering, but so worth not having to run to grocery stores, prep, cook and clean up!
Not a place to go for the ambiance nor a nice place to sit around and eat. Â So call ahead, get it to go and you are good to go!
(Previous reviewer said that they only take cash which is incorrect. Â I have used my CC every time).
Look, Mexican food is good when its done right and this place has it down. I always enjoy good Mexican food and this place won't disappoint, just bring cash cause that's all they take.
I got the chili relleno burrito and oh baby was it bob diggity. Cheesy and damn tasty. I am not in the area all the time but next time the Big Dave is going down!
If you are in the neighbor hood make it a point to stop here and try the food, you WILL NOT be disappointed!
AMAZING FOOD!!!!
I got the carnitas taco and the fish taco. The carnitas taco was hands down the best one I have ever had. The pork was tender, and had pork fat, so it just melted in my mouth. Hmmmm.
The fish taco did not pale in comparison either. It was crunchy, with a kick of spice. Remember to squeeze the lemon on the taco before you take the bite. It ties everything together.
My favorite Mexican food around. Â No place to sit down, so call ahead and pick up your food and go grab a spot on the sand to eat. Â I've had just about everything on the menu, and can't say that there is anything that I've disliked. Â Favorites are the Big Dave Burrito, Carnitas, and Taquitos. Â Their chips are unbelievable and grab some homemade guac. Â
For the money and what you get, you could feed a small army. Â They also have great family platters for entertaining if you want to do a taco night or something like that for a party. Â Highly recommend.
BEST MEXICAN FOOD EVER!!! I wish they would open a sit down restaurant!! They also have the best chips & salsa on the planet. I grew up eating here. My parents have catered most if their parties with Las Golondrinas. We order chile relleno and tamales for christmas morning. Everything here is AMAZING!! You wont be disappointed unless you think taco bell is real mexican food.
Review Source:This place is my all-time favorite Mexican food place in THE ENTIRE WORLD. I used to live in walking distance to the San Clemente location and I would eat there all the time. Now I live in Tustin, but anytime I'm in South County I make sure to grub at Los Gol and buy some chips for the road because they have THE BEST CHIPS ever.
Some favorites - Wet Carne Asada Burrito with red sauce, Wet Chile Verde Burrito, regular carne asada burrito, taquitos, and of course the tamales are amazing.
I love Los Gol. I absolutely love it.
My other local mexican eatry in San Clemente, My fav is carnitas burrito when I am in a hurry, but my usual is buying a pound of carnitas, fresh make corn tortillas, chips, and salsa buche. Go home with tacos for next three days. Local owners, great service, and other places in the O.C. too... Always busy a sign of great tasty mexican food.
Five Star 1food 2price 3service 4quality 5unique
The best Carnitas Quesadilla I have ever had. It was huge and full of meat (hehe that's what she said). No but really, it was really good. I could only eat half and then ate the other half for dinner. Super tasty.
Also, this is where I discovered Orange Bang and now my life is forever changed. Except! That there is no Orange Bang up here in the Bay. How could they let me experience something so amazing and then take it away like that. *sigghhhhhhh
Super delish and 2 entrees and 2 drinks cost me about $8. Whoa buddy. I'm there!
Okay, I've been going to Las Golondrinas since I was a wee child (the other location near Stats) but since I am home visiting from Canada & craving some Mexican food this was my first request.
It's cheap (we fed 4 people for about $20) & delicious. Â I recommend their Swiza or their wet veggie burritos. Â Yum.
If you like tamales, they have some delicious options. Â Just be sure if you're ordering around the holidays to do so in advance - they always sell out!
Give their version of Buñuelos a try.  Cinnamon sugar chip goodness.  The perfect ending to a comforting & filling meal.
The only downside is the 8pm closing time. Â But sometimes rushing for good food is totally worth it.
Pros:
Burritos are GIANT. What is it with San Clemente and their restaurants offering surgically altered burritos? I'll answer my own question and tell ya I don't know, but I love it. Carnitas have some spice to them as well, really love this burrito here. Rolled tacos with the guacamoooole, so delicious. Chips and guacamole from here, so good, the guac has a bit of a bite to it, and you can't stop until the entire thing is gone.
Cons:
They aren't open late. This is a major flaw, I think they close at 8? The guacamole is really expensive (I have a crisis of wallet every time I go in). Not much to be said of ambience, I would get the food to go, we usually always do.
All that being said, it's right off the freeway and the food is quick and more than satisfying.
Regular spot for us.
Los Golondrinas is one of the few things I miss about south OC. Every single one of these take out style restaurants is amazing! I've never had a bad meal here. The Laguna Niguel and Clem locations are equally delicious! I'm not sure if there are more locations, but I'm sure they are just as good.
Let's see I've had taquitos, tacos, giant burritos, tamales, and enchiladas here. They also have the best chips and salsa and guacamole. You have to try the cinnamon and sugar chips too.
My family gets a huge amount of  enchiladas and tamales and a lot of holidays and occasions too, so I think they cater.
After Dr. P's surfing session at San Clemente, he grabbed some Mexican food from Las Golondrinas on his way home for our lunch.
Carne Asada Taco was the best! Â The little cube of beef was tender and full of flavor.
Carnitas Taco was great as well. Â The green salsa was delicious. Â They also added a lot of beans in the taco, which I wasn't really a fan of though.
Dr. P also got a giant Machaca Burrito. Â He ate half. Â I was too full and had the other half for breakfast the next day. Â Really like the flavor of beef, onion, tomato and egg all mix together. Â This was one good breakfast burrito.
We also tried their fish taco the other day. Â It was just ok though. Â The breaded fish was too soggy. Â I'd stick with the meat tacos and burritos. Â Every Tuesday they have 1/2 off on all tacos!
My favorite fast food mexican place ever. Â Try the Coconut and Pineapple tamales, or the chicken mole. Â
Everything's good, but here's a tip -- make sure you ask for salsa because they don't automatically include it.
As I write this it's 8 am and I wish I was holding one of their chorizo burritos!
Stopped by on our way back to San Diego, where we know damn good Mexican food.
The food at Golondrinas was tasty, but I have 2 suggestions that would have made my experience far better.
1st, the veggie supreme doesn't come with cheese, and they want to charge 75 cents extra. Listen, a Veggie Supreme Burrito should cost between 4-5 dollars and contain BEANS, RICE, CHEESE, GUACAMOLE, SOUR CREAM, and SALSA FRESCA. If it doesn't have these items, it ain't supreme, and neither is your restaurant.
2nd, when I ordered 2 tacos instead of submiting to the extra cheese charge, I asked for some salsa. I was informed that they charge for salsa since some is already on the tacos.
This is a bad policy and this nickel and diming is going to hurt your buisness in the long run. Mexican food comes with salsa. That's like going to sushi and having them charge you extra for soy sauce!!
Golondrinas, I won't be back! Your food is good, but not THAT good.
If you want a lesson on how it's done, come to Las Parrillas in San Diego.
LOVE the Guacamole and the chips are quite delish. Those are what keep me coming back for more, and more, and more.
Today I finally tried their veggie tostada and it was definitely worth way more than the very cheap price. So much goodness, I had a hard time trying to figure out how to eat it. But so yummerific with the chips and guac added into the mix to help eat the monster.
I tend to have an Egg, Bean, and Potato Burrito. Occasionally, I have to have a good fixing of their nopalitos burrito. Who knew a cactus good be so good?
The price has gone up over the years, but you'll fill up. The place is always bustling at the normal eating hours and there can be a tiny wait, but it's worth it.
Need a Cal-Mex fixin'? Can't go wrong goin' here. Mmm-mmm, good!
Oh, I do miss this place.
My co-workers introduced me one day and after that it was hard to avoid, and when I did avoid it, it somehow made its way to my desk.
The chips- my mouth was defenseless- I swear some one forced me to finish 3 baskets full.
BUT
Here's my descending order of favorite Mexican digs in OC
El Torito
Javiers
Los Golondrias
El Jefe/La Siesta
and if you extend to San Diego
Casa Guadalajara would go below Los Golondrias, but above El Jefe/La Siesta.
And Cozymel's would be at the bottom.
And that's my take!
So I admit it, I don't yelp as often as I should, but when I do it's either because I either love the place or I hate it. Las Golondrinas has to be one of my all time favorite places to eat. I grew up in South County so I've been eating here for over 20 years. I can honestly say I've never had a bad meal here ever and every time I'm even passing through the area I'll starve myself for half the day just so I can eat as much as I can here.
The chicken fajitas are amazing, the mole is great and I have no idea how I used to eat the "Big Dave" burritos when I was a kid, but I'd get them all the time. Sure its slightly Americanized but this is some of the best Mexican food you'll ever have, for me it's the end all be all for great Mexican food.
I grew up on Los Golondrinas and its seriously my standard for damn good Mexican food.
Its unpretentious but its better than most generic hole in the wall Mexican places. Although this was the one closest to my house, this wasnt my "home" location (the one in Capistrano Beach next to Stats is my home location and there's another one in Laguna Niguel)
This is straight up great food. Period. Ok, Its not "authentic", its the americanized, cheese-tastic version of Mexican food...but its CLASSIC americanized mexican food that is made well. It doesnt try to be gimmicky like taco bell by making various concoctions of cheese, tortillas and "steak"...they've been consistant for years and that's why I've been in love with this place.
Anything you get is bound to be delicious. A family favorite is the taquitos.. Any meat you get, chicken or beef, is never dry and compliments the shell well. Also comes with a huge dollop of guacamole on the side. Â Like I said, I grew up on the taquitos here and when I finally had them somewhere else, it felt wrong. I remember thinking, "is this how the rest of the world eats taquitos? its sick!" These are my standard, and they've set the bar high.
Another favorite is the Big Dave. Its huge. Its 2 huge flour tortillas stuffed with rice, beans, (i think) salsa and the meat of your choice with cheese. Its a great, solidly constructed burrito that you order when you're ridiculously hungry...but its not my favorite burrito
My favorite is the unique chile relleno burrito. Its seriously a whole chile relleno, beans and rice made portable in burrito form. Like they took the normal chile relleno plate meal (also made as a separate combo meal) an made it into a burrito. It is my definition of greasy goodness. You eat one of these for lunch and i can safely say you wont be hungry for dinner.
They also have the standard plate meals here...what I first knew as enchiladas came from here. They have pretty standard American-Mexican fare...crispy tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc...
I also really like the chips, salsa and guacamole here. Its all made in-house, not made elsewhere and bought by the restaurant and sold here: its all made and packaged by Los Golondrinas. Even the containers look very homey. You pull it off the shelves and out of the fridge yourself, always what made me feel at home here.
I dont give away 5 stars unless I really like a place. Yes, it could be argued that its my nostalgia, not the quality that makes me say  "5 star" but I disagree. Whenever I get the chance to come down here, which isnt often anymore, I come back to Los Golondrinas and its the same since I was a kid. The quality of the consistancy is high.
I've tried Mexican food that has been deemed the most "autentico" and "the best"-- stuff like lengua (tongue) tacos, menudo, "real" chile relleno (no cheese or red sauce) ...and I've had em  in restaurants, to humble hole-in-the-wall to taco truck establishments. Although this isnt "better" than them, the quality is definitely there. Its just good food made by npeople who know what they're doing.
So enough babble. Go try it
On Veronica R.'s advice, I decided that I couldn't pass through San Clemente without giving Los Golondrinas a try. Â This little Mexican joint is one of the first exits off the 5 when you get into town, so it makes for a great pit-stop if you're heading to San Diego as I was.
It's located in a fairly non-descript shopping center by a BofA drive-through ATM, and my first impression was that it was a bit nicer than I had expected. Â They've got a full menu of the items you'd expect from a Mexican place, and then they also have bags of tortilla chips, fresh tortillas to go, and a fridge full of homemade salsa and guacamole.
I tried a chile relleno burrito, which was just "ok". Â It wasn't quite rolled right or something and I had to run and grab a knife and fork to avoid wearing half the burrito in my lap. Â After I ordered it, I noticed things like the chicken mole and right burrito that sounded like it might have been better. Â I was also surprised that the only salsa you get is tapatillo packets, unless you want to pay $1.75 for a small cup of salsa. Â It really bugs me when Mexican places are stingy on the salsa (King Taco, you hear me?!)
I also picked up a bag of chips and a tub of guacamole. Â The chips were really good, and the guacamole was excellent. Â My only regret was not picking up 2 tubs of guacamole, because 1 tub wasn't enough 1 for 1 bag of chips. Â
I really want to go back and sample more of the menu, because I think I just ordered the wrong thing and Los Golondrinas seems like it has a lot of potential.
Classic Mexican fast food. I haven't had anything here that was bad, but I also haven't adopted any cravings for anything on the menu like I have at other Mexican places. But when I'm in the mood for quick and greasy Mexican food, this place is nearby and very good.
The only reason they don't get 5 stars is because their prices are a little higher than other restaurants in this category. Also, they don't give you a free salsa with your taco on Taco Tuesday. Seems kinda cheapskate-ish to me.
During my frequent trips between Los Angeles and San Diego, for some reason I always 'conveniently' need to: get gas/use the restroom/stop for a snack in San Clemente. Oh lookee there! It's Las Golondrinas! My favorite mexican food place in all of Orange County! How about we stop and get a bag of chips, a pint of the *best guacamole ever made*, 3 tacos (1 chile relleno required), a cinnamon-raisin tamale, a large horchata, Â and - shout out to George M! - some bunuelos!
Like I said, a snack. It's called stomach stretching excercises.
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