Las Olas

San Diego, United States

3.4

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 619-222-6600
Website:
www.lasolasmex.com
Address:
3924 W Point Loma Blvd, San Diego, CA, 92110
b/t Sports Arena Blvd & Groton St
Midway
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.2 miOld Town Transit Center
1.4 miTecolote Road
1.5 miMorena/Linda Vista
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Today

Today –
Local time (San Diego) 02:37 Tuesday, 3 June 2025

Business hours

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Tuesday –
Wednesday –
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Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Las Olas Mexican Restaurant, located in the Midway Towne Center in Point Loma, near SeaWorld, the Valley View Casino Center, San Diego Sports Arena and downtown San Diego. The menu allows customers a wide variety of options: Build your own seafood, chicken, pork, or carne asada tacos, enjoy delicious favorites like roasted chili relleños stuffed with fall-​off-​the-​bone-​tender carnitas, or delight in our seasonal grilled vegetable enchiladas. It’s honest food, prepared fresh daily from scratch with wholesome ingredients — never powdered or granulated spice mixes like others tend to use — and their customers appreciate it.

Want a Margarita or an ice cold beer? Las Olas Margaritas are famous, and many of our draft beer selections are from San Diego’s own incredible breweries. Try the house infused roasted pineapple and jalapeño tequila in a Pineapple n’ Chile Margarita some time. It’s unique and delicious.

Thanks for coming in!

History

Established in 1981.

Since 1981, Las Olas Mexican Restaurants have served fresh authentic Mexican food near the beach!

Now open in Point Loma, San Diego, conveniently located near Seaworld and the Sports Arena (Valley View Casino Center), just off the freeway close to 8 west and I-​5, with plenty of parking.

Please join us for margaritas, lunch and dinner specials, full bar and craft beers, Taco Tuesdays, Happy Hour Monday thru Friday till 6 pm, group parties, dog friendly patio dining, great service, and an amazing atmosphere!

Meet the Manager

Tim R.

Manager

Owners Dave Murphey and Pete Johnson are very excited to announce a third location opening in Point Loma at The Midway Town Center 3924 W. Point Loma Blvd. at the corner of Sports Arena Blvd.

Dave, a Point Loma Pointer, and Pete, a La Jolla High Viking, developed their passion for great Mexican food while growing up close to the beaches of Mexico and taking routine surf trips down to Baja and into mainland Mexico. Since those days, they have been serving up their passion for authentic Baja Mexican food to happy customers for over three decades — a fact Dave and Pete are very proud of.

Nearby

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20 reviews of Las Olas

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Place rating: 2
Chicago, IL
First of all, the cheaper food items are totally over priced. For example, a salad or a plain vegetable burrito is the same price as a chicken burrito supreme with the works. And it’s not like a good, really fancy salad either. The rice was both dry AND undercooked on all plates. Cabbage salad didn’t taste good at all. The margarita had such a weird taste, I didn’t even finish it (even though it was $ 6 for a very small glass). It was like drinking a cup of discount sweet and sour mix. It’s like they price the food/​drinks as if it’s a really great quality place, but then the food is just not. Also, we were placed at a table in this awkward part of the room so dimly light we could hardly read the menu!
I WILL say that the staff was very, very, very nice though.
Place rating: 2
Stevenson Ranch, CA
Service was good, but food did not meet my expectations. Food was bland, I wasn’t impressed with the chips and salsa. (Salsa tasted like it was store bought) I order the ranchero. It came with 2 tacos, 1 carnitas 1 steak 1 cheese enchilada beans and rice. (not much flavor. I asked for spicy salsa and they brought me Tabasco. Really??? I expected authenticity. I won’t be back.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Love this place. Their happy hour is amazing. The margaritas were huge. So glad that I had someone with me that was able to be DD. I love their tortilla soup. I have been trying to recreate their recipe since the first time I tried it. It’s easier and cheaper to just buy it and be happy.
Place rating: 5
Spring Valley, CA
Came here to celebrate a birthday with the family. Food was great, location can’t be beat, house margaritas were delicious! We will be back… Next time we will wait to sit right by the window though to get a front row seat for the views
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Pleasantly surprised with this restaurant that we stumbled across. I ordered a huge chicken tostada and it was very tasty and filling. I could have probably ate half and took the other half home.
They also had some kind of a mango (lime?) mojito that was pretty incredible. Coming from someone who hates sweet alcohol drinks, it was pretty awesome that this drink wasn’t too sugary.
Place rating: 5
Portland, TX
Couldn’t resist. Love this place. Had an issue in the past that made me not want to come back, but it’s never been repeated. Always greeted well when I come and the lunch specials are great!
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
Took my mother here for huevos rancheros –our favorite Mexican breakfast dish. We were in consensus it was the worst huevos rancheros we have ever had. First, the eggs were undercooked with a lot of white yucky egg gook, second, they topped it with a red sauce that tasted like spaghetti sauce, third, they served it with corn tortillas & didn’t ask if we preferred flour (which we did). Last, the coffee was cold and I was never offered a refill. Breakfast is clearly not their specialty, sad to say. What a disappointment. I have eaten at the one in Encinitas (lunch) & liked it. I won’t return to this location.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
All this place is missing are some pieces of flair on their wait staff.
Located at the corner of sports arena and west point loma, las olas reminds me of the popular casual dining chains from the 90’s. The food isn’t exciting, but it passes off as better than fast food for a much cheaper price than what you’d pay at other sit down restaurants.
Chips and salsa come with your meal. The salsa was clearly jarred, but not the worst I’ve tasted. It’s palatable. The iced tea though, BEWARE. They don’t warn you that it’s that crap passion fruit iced tea. yuck.
I ordered the one chicken enchilada combo with rice and beans. I like that I could make a meal from one enchilada. It was the perfect size when I was just a little hungry. The enchilada didn’t taste frozen, a plus! It did taste, though, like they created it with premade chicken and canned enchilada sauce though.
I don’t see myself returning here, but I do believe that there is a consumer base for a restaurant like this. Just not from me.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Las Olas has great food and service in a nice atmosphere! My main complement is that they were so willing to help me get a dish without cilantro. This task can be like pulling teeth at some places. I had the Azteca tacos, which were two chicken tacos with caramelized onions in a spicy sauce. The chicken was perfectly crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. The sauce and onions were also bursting with flavor. I added a side of their epic gauc (mainly epic b/​c it didn’t have cilantro) and some shredded lettuce! While the rice and beans were a bit of a snooze, the tacos were some of the best I’ve had!
It wasn’t too crowded on a rainy Sunday afternoon, which was great because we didn’t feel rushed. We were able to sit and talk after our meal for a bit. Our server and the manager/​owner guy were both very helpful. Super quick to bring refills and other requests.
The atmosphere was nice with some plants to break up the seating areas. They have cool lights hanging made out of tequila bottles. Overall, this place is great family-​style casual dining. It’s not super hip or interesting, but a great place to go with your family!
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
How do I describe Las Olas??? Not a taco shop, but not authentic Mexican food either, kind of a good compromise of the two.
Nothing about any of the food says «Real, Authentic, Home Made Cuisine» but it is pretty decent. The chips & Salsa are terrible, I’ll tell you that right now. Don’t bother with them too much because you will end up getting charged for any additional servings of chips.
All of the other food items I have tried though have been great & really hit the spot. I don’t feel overly heavy & greasy after eating here, which is a plus! I’m a fan of their enchiladas, which have a nice bit of creaminess to them. I recently tried the Chile Relleno & it was very good! I do have to say one of my favorite things is the fact that I can get their cole slaw as a side item, nice change from the usual beans & rice.
Margaritas are average, refreshing!
Place rating: 2
Valhalla, NY
Atmosphere was nice. Very authentic Mexican look, and quick seating upon arrival as the restaurant was empty on a Friday night. This made us wonder as to why it was empty but we soon found out.
Chips were warm and very crispy. Salsa was bland and watery and guacamole needed flavor.
Our food took some time as it was evident that the kitchen was backed up from the dinner rush it was experiencing. Our good was bland and vegetables were fresh as they were still uncooked.
No dessert because I guess they closed early due to the exhaustion they felt during their dinner rush.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
Fish tacos still $ 3 during Happy Hour?.. kind of steep to be called a discount and only means the regular price is overpriced. I still tried them though and the yogurt sauce served on top, I must say, is pretty good. The house margarita wasn’t very strong at all… just awfully sweet and tart.
We’ve been a few times now, all in the evening, and this place was pretty empty. Good for us because the wait for the food wasn’t very long.
Foods not terrible, so we’ll more than likely return… just wish there was more to choose from during Happy Hour. That menu is pretty short and not much to shake a stick at.
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
The charbroiled chicken tacos were amazing. Super flavorful and just overall delicious. The beans too.
The Chile Relleno burrito was good. Not bad, no great, good.
The rice was nasty. It honestly tasted like rubber. Could be better. Needs more fresh tomatoes. Tasted out of a box.
Come here if you enjoy seeing white people every where. My boyfriend and I were the only two people of color here.
Overall it was a good experience. It’s a bit stuffy inside but we’d come again and hope the rice is better. Bathrooms smelled good.
Place rating: 1
San Diego, CA
The food wasn’t good
Tortillas were hard
Potatoes tasted like from a freezer bag
My husbands fish tasted plain
Place rating: 4
Ashburn, VA
We went to Las Olas for lunch based on the recommendation from some friends of ours, and we weren’t disappointed. The food and service here are exceptionally good.
I loved the chips and salsa. I loved the tacos. The menu had a lot of stuff that sounded really good and I wanted to try one of everything. It wasn’t your usual Mexican restaurant menu with all the same stuff on it. I had a hard time deciding and really wanted to try the chili relleno burrito, but decided since it was just lunch that I should go for something lighter like the tacos.
We sat outside and it was a very peaceful spot for lunch.
The servers were very friendly, prompt, and professional.
All in all, it was good stuff. I’m very glad we went.
Place rating: 2
Del Mar, CA
My wife and I were in the Point Loma area a few months back and decided to stop in as we both had a craving for Mexican food. I kept telling my wife about their Cardiff location and how good they are so we figured that we made the right choice, however, we couldn’t figure out why there weren’t more people in there since it was dinner time. I soon found out why. While the chips and salsa were good, the food was very bland and lacked flavor. We were tempted to send our dinners back but decided to chalk it up to experience as we aren’t normally the complaining type when we go out to eat. There are tons of Mexican eateries in San Diego County including a few taco shops near Las Olas. I would head to one of them instead!
Place rating: 2
San Diego, CA
My friends and I came here to try a new place. I have really mixed feelings about the place. Our bartender, Morgan, was really nice and awesome, but our server kind of felt like she wasn’t all there. The outdoor patio seating was nice. My friends and I enjoyed sitting out there to enjoy the consistently nice weather.
Chips and salsa: Free right when we sat down. The salsa was good and the chips were crispy, but then again, can you really complain about anything that comes for free? Nope!
Guacamole: This tasted okay. It felt that there was something missing. It looked nice presented in a tortilla cup, but it was really oily.
Chimichanga: This was simple and tasty. The beef was really juicy with a nice flavor to it. The side of cabbage salad was nothing to write home about. It had a creamy vinegar taste similar to a thicker vinaigrette with cracked pepper. The refried beans were pretty good.
Overall, our service was pretty bad, but the bartender made up for it. The atmosphere of the outdoor patio seating is nice. The food is okay, but feels like there is something missing. I don’t know if I’ll be back here. It wasn’t horrible, but being surrounded by competition all around… I find it hard to come back.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I really liked this place. we didn’t know that happy hour was going on and they have a lot of good stuff on their Happy Hour menu. We ordered the nachos and a quesadilla. There was so much food it was enough for a whole meal. we even took home left overs. The waiters were so on top of thing. I would definitely go back.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Come here all the time, I love this place. I swear every time I come the food gets better. The staff is awesome, you can definitely tell everyone enjoys working there and that to me is pretty rad!
The most recent time I dined here I was encouraged to try the seasonal lobster dish. Which didn’t take much convincing after I heard word lobster. I was torn between the burrito and enchiladas, but eventually went with the lobster enchiladas. And I must tell you, they were out of this world. I will be back very soon, most likely for a lobster burrito and that chile margarita of course. Yum.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
Count me in for the Pineapple Chile Margarita. This is a tasty drink fo sho!
Sweet pineapple flavor with a kick of Jalapeño. Yes. I will have a second one!
Overall a fair place to drop in and have some bites to eat. Portion sizes are good. Taste is average. Nothing knocked my socks off.
Outdoor seating is available which was nice on a breezy Saturday afternoon. I stopped in for a late lunch. The place wasnt that busy at the time. Service was excellent and fast.