hmmmmm

   djsj21643 - 12/29/2006

Food was acceptable, the staff gave the impression that it wished it was anywhere but with you. Maybe because the place is on an old pet graveyard and the dear departed have come back to be objectionable?

Awesome atmosphere

   amyg11 - 04/03/2006

It has such a great atmosphere with the outdoor dining, pond, waterfall, lights, flowers on every table. The food is served nice and hot, each entree has a distinct and wonderful flavor as do their many homemade sauces. The servings are plentiful, and there is something for everyone. Hacienda de Vega is by far the best Mexican restaurant around.

Best Mexican in San Diego

   wmpesch - 12/15/2005

Wonderful, romantic Guadalajara style hacienda serving authentic (non Tex-Mex) food with terrific magaritas on a patio surrounded by large trees, a pond with waterfall, and serenading musicians!

It just doesn't change

   cimmerones - 08/19/2005

Hacienda de Vega continues to be the same. So so food, expensive drinks, HORRIBLE service. On my recent visit, we waited 10 minutes before finding someone to seat us and then waited another 15 minutes before anyone even acknoledged us at our table (the restuarant was not crowded). Had to ask for everything--water, chips, salsa, etc. Appertizer was somewhat cold. They tried to serve us both the wrong appertizer and entree. For 2 people who each had 1 drink, split an appertizer and each had a salad the bill was $50. The out door setting is nice, but that's the best thing I can say about this establishment. Will not be going back.

Good & Bad

   djlcjl353 - 06/17/2005

The resturant location, setting, service,etc. is very good. However there are a few things we don't care for, a couple of which are as follows:
- The outside dining area is quite nice, but the dining tables are not very comfortable to sit at -- i.e., very little leg room the way they are built.
- Music on the patio is a nice touch, but the type of music played and the instruments used are out of place in a Mexican atmosphere. They could do better.

too expensive, food bland

   dbenton760 - 04/18/2005

The food was bland, too expensive, especially the drinks. The portions were so small for the price. I woulden't recommend this place, I'l never go back...

Verry Good

   only1intheend - 03/15/2005

The best and most authentic mexican food i have ever had. The service wasnt the greates but it was good. It's a really good idea to make reservations on the weekends; they get really busy, and it's hard to get a table and good service without one. And the atmosphire was amazing, it felt like mexico. Live band is good too. Well worth the wait and the price.

Visit Mexico, then write your comments

   aquaticwriter - 01/31/2005

There are so many responses listed here that are just so poorly thought out. As someone who has been to the restaurant a couple times, and who has seen the dismal state of upscale Mexican choices in this county, I feel obligated to dispel some of the comments listed below. I'll begin with the easiest: yes, it is a bit hard to find at night, but the only solutions are for the restaurant to put up a tacky tower sign that befits a Denny's more than a nice restaurant, or for the city of Escondido to step up and install better street lights. As for the alcohol pricing, by the way many of the people here were speaking, I was expecting outrageous prices, but when I visited, I found them to be comparable to many of the popular moderately priced restaurants of downtown or along the coast. I think what you're hung up on is the prices of their specialty margaritas, which all use top shelf liquor. If you want a regular margarita with well tequila, it'll be cheaper—they have a full bar, you don't have to order the specialty drinks. As for the person who gave them 2 stars in December of '04 even though they only visited when the place first opened around early '03, you should really re-visit before passing judgment. Every restaurant is a little shaky when they first get started. Finally, for the person who claims that they went from a "strange" menu to a "more traditional" one, please visit Mexico. Don't go to Tijuana or any touristy spots, but rather the real Mexico that doesn't prepare a lot of food for Americans. That's where this restaurant's menu came from—or did you not ask someone who works there, or someone from Mexico, or not read the flap on the menu that explained all that. The "more traditional" stuff they added was because (as I found out by simply asking one of the employees) many of the people who visited wanted the Americanized dishes like enchiladas and tacos. It's no big deal if you don't like the place--I personally think it's really good, though not the best ever--just don't knock an enjoyable restaurant when you haven't put any thought into what you're saying.

Just not that great

   chendri887 - 01/11/2005

The food here is very average, substandard Mexican fare, in my opinion. It's just no different than a kind of franchise Mexican place like El Torrito's, contrary to all the hoopla the reviewer posted on the site. Also on the minus side, the place is nearly impossible to find at night, with limited parking. On the plus side, the ambiance outside is really nice, but, because the food is so, well, blah (except for the chips), it's a place I wouldn't really consider coming back to. Sorry, Hacienda de Vega.

Fantastico

   crazydrumminfool - 01/04/2005

Hacienda de Vega is a great place for a date, the food and the service was fantastic