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South of Nick's - San Clemente, San Clemente, CA

South of Nick's - San Clemente

4.8
4.8
1939 Reviews
$30 and under
Mexican

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 53 times today
  • Lively
  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Good for special occasions
An essential stop in Orange County for Southern California Mexican Cuisine.

South of Nick's Mexican Kitchen & Bar features Classic Mexican favorites, prime steaks and seafood with a So Cal twist. Fine Tequilas & Margaritas

Our food and drink meets the highest standards of quality, freshness and seasonality and combines both modern-creative and traditional styles of cooking.

Nick’s is dedicated to perfecting the dining experience through continuous innovation, offering the highest quality food and beverage, and executing impeccable standards of hospitality. The deeply instilled Nick’s culture is personified by its Ladies and Gentlemen – professionals who share a single focus and are inspired and committed to offering great service and creating positive memorable experiences.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (949) 481-4545
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Omar Gonzalez
  • Catering
    http://nicksrestaurants.com/catering-events/
  • Neighbourhood
    San Clemente
  • Cross Street
    El Camino Real & Avenida Del Mar
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Entertainment
    Join us on the 1st Sunday of every month while Mariachis fill our dining room with live music.
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 1,939 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.6Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Orange County

    Mexican

  • South Orange County

    Mexican

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
At South of Nick's in San Clemente, you'll savor "absolutely incredible" food with standout dishes like shrimp taquitos, pork carnitas, and seafood enchiladas. The "service is top-notch" and the "ambiance is delightful," creating a dining experience that is "worth the wait." Make sure to try the "best butter cake" for dessert.

1,939 Reviews
  1. John

    Central Coast

    23 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    23 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and service as always we love South of Nick’s

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  2. Molly

    Orange County

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great evening as always at south of nicks. My coconut margarita was fabulous. The chips and salsa very fresh and filling. The chicken taquitos were out of this world.

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  3. Lorraine

    San Diego

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Another great night at South of Nicks. Food, ambiance and service are always top notch.

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  4. Steve

    Orange County

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The was delicious and the service was perfect! Thanks Joe!

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  5. Stephanie

    Las Vegas

    98 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    98 reviews

    Dined on December 1, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great spot - reliably good! Love the salsa/bean dip trio!

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  6. Sam

    Orange County

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 1, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We love South of Nicks! The food and drinks are consistently great and the service is always top notch! Always a treat! Carne Nortena is one of our favorites, but we tried Shrimp Cabo and chicken chipotle enchiladas today and they were both delicious! Great restaurant! It won't disappoint!

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  7. Mandy

    Orange County

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 1, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    The greet: awkward just said hi and stood there.. had to introduce ourselves and what we were celebrating. My step mom asked a question about a cocktail but did not order it. Asked sever to give a second to decide on drinks. Moments later, that cocktail shows up at our table, not a big deal bc we are easy going. But the rest of our party (3 people) still had yet to order a drink. Even the antipodes was bright out immediately. But me and my husband waited and had to ask 3 times for reg water. 20-30 minutes of sitting without even ordering a drink, meanwhile the server was circling around taking care of the other tables around us. Had to stop her on her passing to say hi can we order drinks? She said “yeah I was giving you guys a minute, maybe too many I guess.” Nicks is known for its impeccable attention to service and verbiage in doing so.. I used to be a server at Nicks. No starter was suggested. Zero suggestions made on the menu. We had to again stop her to get our dinner order in. There were complications with my order and I would say all around the food was blah. Nothing to go back for. Yuppy gringo stuff. While eating dinner the lights were turned low, and as a young person with good vision had trouble seeing what was on my plate. We ordered another glass of wine. It never came out. Waited for another 20-30 minutes and by then we wanted to close out and leave. When we asked for the check, we noted the glass never came so to be sure it wasn’t on our bill. She admitted she forgot. No birthday cards ever came out. It was noted on the reservation that we were there to celebrate my father’s and my own birthday day which was the day of our reservation. Also upon boxing our food she suggested I take home my side of the street corn, she took the plate and my side was never boxed or brought out to me. A mediocre meal and incredibly poor service for $215 with tip. I would’ve had a better experience, and money well spent in an authentic Mexican restaurant.

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  8. Dianne

    San Antonio

    7 reviews

    3.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on November 27, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We’ve been here several times in the past, but this experience paled by comparison. The appetizer was really good, but after that, the flavor was lacking for us all. Maybe it was a bad night!

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  9. Brooke

    Orange County

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 24, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The enchiladas divorciadas keep us coming back because they are cooked and presented to perfection every time. We also love to share the butter cake- best dessert around!

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  10. Barry

    San Diego

    134 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    134 reviews

    Dined on November 18, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love this South of Nicks. Great ambiance, incredible Service and we were so lucky to have Monique guide us through the awesome menu selection with the best attitude and amazing knowledge of all the ingredients in every offering. She was so attentive at all the right times. Great . Thank You Monique. Thank all the Staff at S of Nicks. You are awesome!!!!!!

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FAQs

South of Nick's - San Clemente offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (949) 481-4545.

South of Nick's - San Clemente is rated 4.8 stars by 1939 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 53 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for South of Nick's - San Clemente

110 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    El Camino Real & Avenida Del Mar
  • Neighbourhood
    San Clemente
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Omar Gonzalez
  • Entertainment
    Join us on the 1st Sunday of every month while Mariachis fill our dining room with live music.
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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