VACA

4.5

875 Reviews

$31 to $50

Spanish

Innovative
Good for special occasions
Romantic

Ahmed Labbate and Chef Amar Santana’s inaugural effort is the hugely successful Broadway in Laguna Beach, CA. The pair will extend their influence on Orange County’s dining scene with the acquisition of new space in Costa Mesa’s Park Towers. “Spanish food is influenced by the cultures that have invaded and mixed with the indigenous cuisine. Our goal goes far beyond paella and bocadillos. We will bring Barcelona, Madrid, Andalucía, Sevilla and the Basque to Orange County — just as Broadway has re-interpreted food and drink in Laguna,” said Santana.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

There’s more to explore

Discover countless more restaurants like this one with our app.

Scan the QR code to discover countless more restaurants like this one with our app.

Open app

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Spanish
Hours of operation
Lunch: Monday thru Friday; 11 am - 02:30 pm, Bar open 11 - Close Dinner: Tuesday thru Saturday; 5:00 pm - 10:30 pm Dinner: Sunday & Monday; 5:00 pm - 09:30 pm
Phone number
(714) 463-6060
Website
http://www.vacarestaurant.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Amar Santana

Location
695 Town Center Drive, Suite 170, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Neighborhood
Santa Ana
Cross street
Bristol
Parking details
Self parking in the structure is complimentary with validation both day and night.<br />Valet is complimentary during lunch hours and $7 in the evening.
Additional
Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

100 Orange County Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Sopa de Patata$13.00
Potato and leek soup, house smoked salmon, truffles, crispy leeks
Ensalada de Carne$19.00
Balsamic marinated flank steak salad, golden beets, butter lettuce, hearts of palm, asparagus
Ensalada de Repollo$14.00
Cabbage, kale, Asian pears, caramelized honey sherry vinaigrette, marcona almonds
Salmon a la Parrilla$24.00
Grilled Scottish salmon, roasted tomato vinaigrette, grilled zucchini, baby tomatoes, herb oil
Hamburguesa de Cordero$18.00
Grilled lamb burger, harissa aioli, feta cheese, oven roasted tomato, sumac, red onion, brioche
Hamburguesa de Vaca$16.00
Grilled beef burger, crispy chorizo, smoked paprika aioli, overnight tomatoes, brioche

Bocadillos

Spanish Sandwiches

Atún$11.00
Tuna salad, pickles, radish, watercress, mahon cheese
Vegetales$10.00
Avocado, alfalfa, guindilla peppers, harissa spiced zucchini
Carne$15.00
Roast beef, herb goat cheese, caramelized onion, olive pepper relish
Jamón$14.00
Serrano ham, Pamplona chorizo, piquillo peppers, manchego cheese

What 875 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.5

4.5 based on all time ratings

4.4Food
4.4Service
4.3Ambience
3.9Value

Noise • Energetic

875 Reviews

BT
BillT
Los Angeles
61 reviews
vip
5.0
61 reviews
Dined on August 25, 2018
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We dine out often. The food, service and ambiance was excellent. Creative.
Is this helpful?
CM
ColinM
Orange County
5 reviews
2.0
5 reviews
Dined on July 23, 2018
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Looked forward to this place since we saw the write-up in the OC Register. Was hard to get reservations. Food was good, but pricey. If you're spending that kind of money, I expect the food to be top-notch. It wasn't bad, but didn't meet my high expectations. They also threw in a 3% surcharge for no real reason and said we could ask for it to be removed. Seemed tacky to be "nickel and diming" us on a $200 meal. We paid it, but it left a bad taste. Was great to try once, doubt we will be back.
1 person found this helpful
L
Luvnlife
Los Angeles
91 reviews
vip
5.0
91 reviews
Dined on July 16, 2018
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Love!! Love the food, the ambience and everyone that works there (amazing)! Vaca tonic is the best drink in town! A must! Hands down!
Is this helpful?
AK
AleK
Los Angeles
9 reviews
vip
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on July 7, 2018
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Exceptional food and excellent service
Is this helpful?
DZ
DaleZ
Orange County
1 review
1.0
1 review
Dined on July 2, 2018
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Tres leches had no flavor. Steak was good. Deviled eggs were good. No rice nor beans on menu. Would have rather spent the money at Lawry’s in Beverly Hills. It was such a disappointment.
Is this helpful?
TV
TanyaV
Orange County
4 reviews
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on June 30, 2018
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
Ambiance is nice. With the high price, the food is not as good. Our server was not attentive, she came by only about 3 times, 2 out of 3 were for ordering & the other was to give our bills.
Is this helpful?
AR
AnthonyR
Austin
7 reviews
vip
5.0
7 reviews
Dined on June 29, 2018
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Vaca was a fantastic experience. I took my wife and in laws here for dinner. It was their first experience with traditional Spanish style food. Everything we ordered was extremely tasty. The service was tremendous. He suggested the four of us split a Paella and steak, which was exactly what worked for us. Can’t wait to come back!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Orange County
1 review
vip
5.0
1 review
Dined on June 26, 2018
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I would highly recommend VACA!
Is this helpful?
MA
MinooA
Los Angeles
18 reviews
vip
3.0
18 reviews
Dined on June 25, 2018
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The food took a long time and was over priced
Is this helpful?
JQ
JorgeQ
San Francisco
1 review
2.0
1 review
Dined on June 25, 2018
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The service was good and friendly, however, the food portions were very small and pricy.
Is this helpful?

FAQs

VACA is rated 4.5 stars by 875 OpenTable diners.

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

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

695 Town Center Drive, Suite 170, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Additional information

Cross street
Bristol
Neighborhood
Santa Ana
Hours of operation
Lunch: Monday thru Friday; 11 am - 02:30 pm, Bar open 11 - Close Dinner: Tuesday thru Saturday; 5:00 pm - 10:30 pm Dinner: Sunday & Monday; 5:00 pm - 09:30 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Spanish
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Self parking in the structure is complimentary with validation both day and night.<br />Valet is complimentary during lunch hours and $7 in the evening.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Amar Santana
Additional
Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Chef's Table, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.vacarestaurant.com/
Phone number
(714) 463-6060

Featured in

100 Orange County Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

VACA

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Featured in

100 Orange County Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Menu

Express Lunch

First Course

Estofado de Vegetales

Ensalada de Tomate

Main Course

Panza de Cero

Fideo

Dessert

Panna Cotta

A la Carte

Sopa de Patata$13.00

Ensalada de Carne$19.00

Ensalada de Repollo$14.00

Salmon a la Parrilla$24.00

Hamburguesa de Cordero$18.00

Hamburguesa de Vaca$16.00

Bocadillos

Atún$11.00

Vegetales$10.00

Carne$15.00

Jamón$14.00

What 875 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is VACA restaurant rated?

Is VACA currently accepting reservations?

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information

Featured in

100 Orange County Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day