Nice little place on Balboa Island. Â Walk the island and then a little breakfast... Unfortunately, they do not open early so I can't visit as often as I like. Â The other negative is it is hard to find parking on the weekend. Â
No to all the benefits of Picante Martin's...
Wifey had the Chicken Tostada which is more like a Chicken Salad with some chips. Â VERY tasty, lots of chicken. Â Very flavorful
I had the Chicken Machaco. Â This was good, not great... Â Needed a little more seasoning. Â The rice and beans were excellent.
Very good value... The staff is friendly and looking to please. Â
We'll be back.
Fantastic Mexican restaurant on Balboa Island for lunch. Â The sandwich/fries/drink combo is really good and really filling. Â This restaurant is really small though, so you're better off taking out.
A couple tips:
1) They're finally taking credit cards thanks to Square and an iPhone.
2) Parking is atrocious on Balboa. Â Either carpool or park on the peninsula and take the ferry over.
3) Wear some USC gear if you want some extra brownie points with the locals. Â There was one street where I saw 8 (yes eight) USC flags flying from different houses. Â They might as well put a replica of Tommy Trojan in the middle of the island.
Small hole in the wall Mexican food joint on Balboa Island. The first test always at a Mexican place is to try the chips and salsa. Yes, they got the basics right so the food has got to be good. The regular salsa was kind of mild but full of flavor. I found out later that they had a spicier salsa which got me to break a sweat. I ordered the rancheros camaron (shrimp) which came with rice and beans. The shrimp were kind of small but cooked just right and the ranchero sauce was nice and thick....not watery.
Will be back....
I love going to the Island on the weekends for a walk in the morning and a burrito at Picante Martins. Â It's all good and fresh. Â It's small and thus gets packed so be ready for a short wait if its really nice out as both locals and tourist frequent this gem. Â There are two tables by the open store front, and if available, allow you to keep your best friend under the table if you've brought him with you.
Review Source:I wish I could give this place more than 3 stars but it's just ok. If it was 20-30 years ago and I hadn't ever had a large "Chipotle" style burrito before, I would feel blown away. Â It is very cheep for being on Balboa island but all together there really isn't much for restaurants on the Island in the first place. The street is basically filled with shops offering the "Balboa bars" and generic gift shops (nothing new here). Â If you're in need a mexican food in the area drive over to Balboa Blvd where there are tons of good places.
Tip; Don't come here with a big group since there are only about 6 tables for couples and maybe one or two 4 tops.
I've been eating at martins for years and I love it every time. I feel pretty comfortable saying they might have the best salsa in Newport. My usual go to are the veggie tacos. Perfectly marinated veggies with a side of guac. Everything else is great too. I love them so much I've had parties catered by them! Everyone who works there is efficient and pleasant as well!
Review Source:Cannot in my right mind go over 3 generous stars for this place. Yes, it's in Balboa Island and there aren't many cheap choices there but it's just not that great...
It's one of those home style Mexican food places. I opted for the carne asada burrito and it was a pretty average burrito. Does having a carne asada burrito on Balboa Island make it better? Not really...
I did notice their specialty is the chicken soup, so if I get a chance to come back here, I would give that a try. I saw a lot of people coming in to order that soup.
Martin Jr knows customer service. Â We went in and gave them an order for 11 various menu items. Â They work fast to get your order out but unfortunately left one item back so I had to go back. Â He didn't give me a hard time, like "where's my proof?, etc." Â He just apologized and fixed up my missing item pronto. Â Will def go back just cuz they are such nice folks. Â So yes, this review is for service only. Â As for a authenticity goes, I may be prejudiced cuz it's not what I'm used to but it's decent and well priced.
Review Source:We live on the island, so we are Picante Martin's regulars. Â We love it and eat it pretty much once a week and it never gets old! Â
My favorites are the Famous Chicken Soup (so fresh and delicious - perfectly seasoned) and the Tostada - shredded chicken yum!
And if the food was not good enough, the service is even better- such sweet people!
TIPS:
-CASH ONLY so come prepared.
-CARPOOL This place is in Balboa so parking is a pain.
-SMALL GROUPS This place is a little hole in the wall.
I can not believe I lived in Newport Beach for nearly two years before discovering this spot. Forget Chronic Tacos (which is good), this is the closest thing to an authentic mexican food spot in Newport.
They are busy every time I have been there and I always have been lucky enough to snag a table, but I always spot some people eating on the bench outside. Many people phone in orders and take their food to go because the spot simply gets too packed, especially on the weekend.
The staff is always very friendly and the food is great. Try the torta. yummmmy
**CASH ONLY**
**seating is limited, so you may want to skip on weekends**
My GF and I spent an early evening on Balboa Island pretending to be locals. Â We walked along Marine Ave and window shopped, and when we passed by a restaurant, we would study the menu like we were interested. Â We had already decided beforehand that tacos was what was for dinner.
So we stumble upon Picante Martin's and notice fish tacos on the menu. Â My GF isn't a fan of fried fish tacos, so it came as a pleasant surprise that at Picante Martin's, the fish tacos are grilled--tilapia to boot. Â I order 2 fish tacos, a bowl of their famous chicken soup, chips and salsa, and a small soda.
Yes, you will be charged for chips and salsa.
The soup comes with either a side of corn tortillas or tortilla chips. Â I went with the chips because it's better to dunk in the soup, kind of like fried wontons in wonton soup. Â The fish tacos are large and the fixins aren't skimped.
However, I've had better soup at Islands Burger and better tacos at Wahoo's. Â But that doesn't mean that this place is no bueno. Â Far from it. Â Being the only Mexican restaurant on the island doesn't guarantee good food. Â They could mail it in, but they don't. Â The soup is definitely home made and has chunks of pulled chicken and a plethora of veggies and it's huge.
I'd eat here again if I were on the island...
This Mexican place on Balboa Island in SoCal was a good find. It's a little small and no frills so don't expect anything fancy but the service is friendly and the food is fresh. I couldn't make up my mind so I ordered off the a la carte menu. I had flautas, taquitos, and a soft taco. Â I was little disappointed because I had such high expectations going in. Nothing blew me away but it was good. Would definitely check it out again
Just be warned that it's cash only.
The chicken burrito is one of the best if not the best burrito I've ever had. My only issue is that they don't give you any tortilla chips. You have to pay an extra $1.50 for a small bag of chips & some salsa! Â That is SO cheap! Â Come on.... a few cents for some tortilla chips would have made this burrito a perfect meal.
They dont give you a reciept either so if you need 1 make sure to ask.
Maybe if we at all ask them to quit being so cheap and put a few tortilla chips with their food, they'll change.
THE GREAT: Â This family-owned, hole-in-the-wall has great food! The nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and bean burritos (wet, i.e. enchilada style) are fantastic! Staff is super friendly too!
THE OKAY: Â Seating is horrible when they're busy, so think "take-out," or be on your best "they're about to leave so we can take their table" spotting game. Â
THE BAD: Â They charge for chips and salsa. Â Would be nice if those were included.
It's the only thing Mexican on the island. Â It's sure not the same authenticity that you can find at other Mexican places, either. Â Yet, it's probably the cheapest restaurant on Balboa and truly is popular with the local crowd. Â The number of phone pickup orders was astounding. Â The lady behind the counter was nice and helpful. Â Overall, the food was ok, but the atmosphere and service made up for it.
Review Source:Only "Mexican" food place in the area so it's gotta be good right?! Â ehhh, es OK... Â I've had the Carnitas Burrito, Breakfast burrito, and an Al Pastor taco. Â The rice in the burrito was bland and mushy. Â The meat wasn't bad and the beans were just beans. Â The Al Pastor in my taco was just OK as well. Â It was a bit mushy and the flavor seemed a bit off. Â As for the cheese and lettuce in the taco: what the hell was it doing in there?! Â The Breakfast burrito is pretty good, but it's kinda hard to mess up a breakfast burrito. Â
The thing that I'm mostly stoked about on this place is the fact that they carry real-sugar mexican sodas in the fridge. Â They have Coke, several flavors of Jarritos sodas, and others kinds that I'm sure to try. Â NOT DOWN WITH HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (and not down my belly, more like, down the drain)!
This is some of the best mexican food I have ever had. I am so lucky to work close to this place because it is amazing. Its cheap and fresh and just so damn good!!!! Their flour tortillas are like Jesus's Blankets...perfect crusty browned bits and delicious chewy goodness wrapped around- what must be Jesus's chickens from his chicken coop. The chicken soup is the best lunch. The breakfast burritos are the best I have ever had. Ever.
Review Source:I'm reluctant to share info on this place because it gets crowded enough as it is! I eat here at least a couple of times a month. If you blink, you'll miss it, but you'll be sorry.
Food is good, fresh and cheap (for NB standards), perfect combo. I love that it's family-owned. We miss Martin; my son used to love to sit and chat with him.
There's an ATM just a couple doors down, but sadly the B of A ATM machine was gone the last time I was there a week ago, so be prepared with your cash.
I always order tacos a la carte (big tacos) and LOVE their soups: big and yummy!!
Good mexican food, friendly staff, and cool ambiance.
There will be a line, so be prepared for that. But aren't the best places you've eaten at always crazy crowded? I took the whole family here and they loved it. The sopes were addictive, and the torta was sublime. The out of towners (Alabamites) who were with us were in heaven! They'd never had anything remotely like P.M's! Love love love!
I love the food here. Its a nice mom and pop shop and it is located right at Balboa Island.. Great location, but parking can be pretty annoying here...since it can get really crowded here especially during weekends and during the summer.
Everything that I have gotten here is always delicious. Very fresh and delicious. I love the sopes here with carne asada. So good! They are super friendly here and seating is very limited here..its a tiny place and can be pretty crowded.
CASH only here also!
Worked on the B.I. for years. The family is the best. Miss the Pops. Always a friendly and gracious owner. The food is amazing and fresh.
Burritos are amazing!
Chicken Flautas are my all time favorite!
Be warned though: They only take cash. There is an ATM right across the street though.
I am thoroughly convinced that everything tastes better with avocado slices delicately perched atop (my latest examples being a slice of thin crust anchovy pizza from Pizza Hut, and chicken noodle soup. I kid you not, I ordered chicken noodle soup here at Picante Martin's one time, and to my surprise, it came with avocado slices on top. I had my doubts at first, but they were immediately dissipated by the first bite into this bliss).
WIN WIN WIN!!!! Balboa Island is a quaint little neighborhood with lots of history, so I'm sure there's lots of treasures to be found, but I would consider Picante Martin's one of the gems of the island.
I have loved every single thing I have ever tried from here, there is just so much love to go around. The interior feels like you're in someone's home, and it's also very small, so just order to-go and enjoy your food outdoors if there is no where to sit.
big portions, so come with people you love. The plates are generous, the rice is addicting, there is just the right amount of cheese sprinkled on top (Mexican food should not be swimming in cheese, Picante Martin's does it right), the salsa is in the absolute perfect spot on the spectrum between mild and spicy, the list just goes on and on.
Finally checked this little hole in the wall out the other day.
My husband got the shredded beef burrito combo and I got the two item combo with a beef taco and chicken flauta. They came with standard rice and beans.
The shredded beef in his burrito and my taco was freaking so good, super moist and flaky, we both loved it. The shredded chicken in my flauta was even better! There was some kind of delicious mix of spices and maybe peppers in there. It almost tasted creamy, it was delicious!
The guacamole was too chunky for my tastes, I want a majority of avocado in my Guac, not huge chunks of onions and tomatoes. The beans were yummy, rice had a lot of flavor, salsa was average as were the chips.
We got all our food for $19 and there was a lot of it. Oh and its cash only, but there's an ATM right next door.
Do yourself a favor and go here. Family owned business with absolutely bomb Hamburgesa Mexicana and Picante chicken soup(can't remember the exact name atm) but its a nice spin on chicken soup. Well priced, great ingredients, and fast. Limited space for eating in, but theres enough places to sit down and eat on balboa island with a nice view. Though it is beach so be sure to bring a jacket for later hours.
And Balboa is just a nice place to go in general. particularly for casual dates. Also most stores there are dog friendly. A lot of the store owners have there dogs with them its fantastic.
So i was introduced to this place by my mom when we went out on a little family outing to Balboa Island before my Grandma went back home to Japan. Usually, my mom takes my Grandma to fancy places... in terms of Mexican, its usually Acapulco... which i hear is very Americanized.
Naturally, i was surprised when she took us to this hole-in-the-wall restaurant. . . what good could this place be? There were hardly any seats, it wasn't all that aesthetically appealing (except for the paper money display and the mickey/minnie mouse posters in the bathrooms haha) and at the time, there was no music playing either. However, the place was very very very crowded, so i figured it MUST be good if its going to catch a crowd like this.
I was right. My god was i wrong when i judged the place by it's appearance.
i am NOT afraid to say, that the Tortas de Carnitas at Picante Martin's Mexican Restaurant was THE best Tortas de Carnitas that i have ever had in my life. So how do i explain this... hmm
1. Ooooo my god, it was like a fricken make-out session in my mouth.
2. A huge slap in the face that woke me up from a horrible nightmare: which was a dream where i had not eaten these tortas yet.
3. Indescribably good.
But anyways, the tortas really hit the spot, i came back and told Martin (the.. owner?) that i am definitely going to come back (an hour away for me) and that his tortas were the best i have ever had.
So i came back a month later and took my gf with me. Now... shes very very keen when it comes to taste, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Mexican food. I was pretty nervous cause she seemed disappointed when i drove an hour to Newport just to go to a hole-in-the-wall mexican restaurant. I'm sure the same thoughts went through her head except she really resents Americanized Mexican food, which she probably thought Martin's was because of the fact that it was in such a rich neighborhood.
...lets just say anyone who wants to go to Picante Martin's Mexican Restaurant has HER approval that their food is legit.
Go get some, trust me. You will not regret it.
Just go.
This place is great. Â Even though it's on Balboa Island, it has the hole-in-the-wall feel and the people that work there are so nice. Â It has been around forever and you can tell the community loves the place.
I always get the Enchiladas Suizas, which you can never go wrong with. Â Also, they serve a wide range of Breakfast Burritos until noon in case you are hungover.
We have been eating at Martin's Picante since they opened. The Chicken Soup is out of this world! Everything is fresh and natural. It reminds me of our trips to Mexico. Â The food has never disappointed my family. This is not a sit down restaurant even though there are a few tables, but you are on Balboa Island! Go sit on a bench over looking the ocean!
I have read some of the reviews here and think they just didn't  know how to read the menu, no offense. Cilantro at a Mexican restaurant? Why yes there is a lot. The salsa is made fresh, I have never had pizza sauce there like the one reviewer wrote. If you don't want your taco greasy than order a soft taco, guess what no grease! You get what you order and when you order what you want or tell them what you would like you will get it and it will be some of the best Mexican whole in the walls you have had!
After a long trek from the ferry, we wanted to get some tacos before getting the famous Balboa Bars n frozen bananas at the establishments next door. I ordered a beef taco n chicken tamale combo. It came with rice n beans, chips n salsa. The salsa kinda tasted like pizza sauce to me, but my friends thought it was really good. The taco wasn't as greasy as other one's i've had from the late night joints. The beef was tender n went well with the lettuce. The tamale was okay. The chips not warm but still nice n crispy. My combo plate and drink came out to be almost $10.
The restaurant itself was made for take out. It's very small and their are only a handful of tables. There are benches outside that you can sit on and eat with trays on your laps.
All in all a good place to go for your mexican food fix if you're in the area n you want real food in your stomach before indulging in the delicious frozen treats next door. But there are definitely better places off the island.
I have passed by Picante several of times while visiting Balboa Island and tonight I decided to try it for dinner. I have to say, it is not bad at all. The food is pretty authentic. I thought it would be more of an American Mexican place since it is in the Island but I think it is as good as if you were going to a whole in a wall place in Santa Ana or the Mission District (in SF); it is not as cheap, however, but still affordable.
I ordered the soft taco combo which comes with one or two tacos, beans, and rice ($6.75). I didn't want to stuff myself so I went with just one fish taco but you can get it with carne asada, carnitas or chicken. Even though the taco came filled with the standard lettuce, tomato and cheese, I think I should have chose another protein. The fish was okay; it was  thin and a little bland but I still ate it all. The beans and rice were delicious. Even though the fish taco was okay, I think i was so hungry, I finished that up plus the rice and beans. I left my plate cleaned without a crumb.
My friend ordered the carnitas combo which comes with rice, beans and a choice of tortillas ($8 something). She didn't clean up her plate like I had so I tried some of her carnitas and it was decent, it could be a little more moist but with the salsa that comes with it, it made up for it. I think maybe the next time I go back, I will choose the carnitas tacos.
The lady who took our order seems pretty sweet.
Even though I lived on the Island, I never really ate here. I always just wanted to drive to Alejandro's. Silly, huh? I never really ate here until one day I woke up on Saturday to see my roommate grinding on what looked like the most dank burrito ever. Breakfast burrito with carne asada and a side of guacamole.
The following Saturday I woke up my roommate so we could call in the order. He was like, "Martin totally gives me props when I order this burrito with carne asada and he knows I always want guacamole on the side." He calls: "Martin, it's me Mike. Can I order two breakfast burritos. But add carne asada" "Ohhhh, muy bueno," Martin replies as Mike points to his phone with a look of 'see i told you' on his face. "With guacamole too right?" Martin knows what's up.
I always hated eating there, but since I lived on Onyx, I never had to. To tell you the truth though, I would never eat here if I didn't live on the Island. But I eat at Alejandro's, who am I to say?
I like this place. Â The food is good and simple. Â You want a greasy and filling crunchy taco with the basics, you got it. Â The house soup has alot of good, fresh ingredients. Â The location can't be beat.
They looooove cilantro on the tacos and on the soup, so watch out for that. Â
However...
the layout is terrible. Â It's about the size of a shoebox with very few tables, only one really holding more than two people. Â This is definitely a take-out place, especially in the summer or at peak hours. Â It got a little stuffy, but the food was worth enduring it...mostly.
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