Vaca is a breath of fresh air around Orange County. They create beautiful, unique sharable dishes. Come and order a bunch and let everyone have a bite of each. Most of their plates are tapas style, so only a few bites, but they are wonderful. There are a few larger dish options but I feel like Vaca is at its best when you bring a group and have fun with all their smaller sharing plates.
I've been here more than two handfuls of times and is one of my favorite restaurants so I have to give 5 stars. However, the service seems to be lacking recently as I've noticed new server faces and prices including valet have increased. I usually if not exclusively come here for celebrations, anniversaries, birthdays, and the like. I've tried almost everything except the cured meats because I can't ever resist the tapas and paellas. My favorite thing is the tapas with the foie gras sauce, I'd have just the sauce as a gravy for thanksgiving if I could. The cocktails are also amazing. I recently visited Spain so the paellas at Vaca are just ok by comparison but highly recommended trying nonetheless. I typically order 5 tapas and drinks or 3 tapas and a paella. I feel the ideal experience is for 2 people as my last experience with 4 wasn't quite the same as I'm used to. Overall this place is great and I definitely recommended making reservations on Resy.
![4]( "Recensione")
Came here from a recommendation and had a very pleasant evening. My husband and I agreed it was a high 3 out of 5, so we rounded up to 4. We ordered embutidos to start with jamòn serrano fermìn, ibèrico chorizo, and 3 cheeses (manchengo, mahon aged 12 mo, and caña de cabra). All of these items were delicious and the accompaniments were also delightful.
From the tapas we ordered pulpo a la gallega, piquillos rellenos, and panza de cerdo. The pulpo a la gallega was incredibly tender and delicious and probably my favorite dish. The piquillos rellenos we also delicious, but I think my husband enjoyed them more than I did. I'm not sure I was too fond of the cheese it was stuffed with, so that is my personal preference and not a mark as to the quality of the food. The panza de cerdo was probably the most disappointing. Unfortunately, this was far over-cooked. The meat was horribly dry and chewy and the sauce did very little too remedy the texture. We abandoned it after each having a small piece.
Since we were celebrating my birthday, I received a special almond cake that's off the menu. Additionally, we ordered the tres leches and churros for dessert. (We wanted to try them all and our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs). The almond cake was absolutely delicious. It was a small, dense cake that was not too sweet, but balanced perfectly. The tres leches was very well made and the fruit accompaniments were fresh and went well with the cake. The churros were churros. They were delicious and made fresh, but nothing too special about them.
The dining area was a bit cramped. We felt like all the tables were practically on top of each other. The restaurant is pretty small, so it makes sense they were making do with the room they had, but it was a little uncomfortable and the table next to us did start to get very loud as the drinks came out.
Best Prime Meat and Tapas in Orange County.
Lamb meatballs and the bacon wrapped dates were so flavorful.
Have to try Tartar De Atun. Its heavenly.
Ask to sit on the back patio
My friend and I recently visited the bar and had a wonderful time.
Our server was incredibly knowledgeable about gin, and she helped us to choose a variety of different gin drinks to try. We learned a lot about different gins and how they taste.
The atmosphere at the bar is lively and fun, and it's a great place to meet up with friends or go for a date night.
![5]( "Recensione")
I'm glad you had an amazing vacation in Costa Mesa! The dining experience was truly outstanding, with several dishes that exceeded expectations. From the moment I walked in, the ambiance was inviting and the staff was attentive. The variety of dishes on the menu was impressive, and each one was expertly prepared and bursting with flavor.
The chef's special, a succulent seafood paella, was a delightful symphony of fresh seafood, perfectly cooked saffron-infused rice, and an array of vibrant vegetables. It was a true highlight of the meal, leaving me craving for more.
Another standout dish was their signature grilled steak, cooked to perfection and accompanied by a medley of roasted seasonal vegetables. The tender, juicy meat combined with the rich flavors of the vegetables created a perfect balance of taste and texture.
To top it off, the dessert selection was simply divine. The indulgent chocolate lava cake with a molten center was pure bliss, and the tangy lemon tart was a refreshing and delightful way to end the meal.
Overall, the restaurant in Costa Mesa provided a 5-star dining experience with its impeccable service and delicious dishes. I can't wait to return and savor more of their culinary delights. Highly recommended!
Party of 6 went for dinner on a Wednesday evening in July. We had an outdoor reservation and were seated quickly upon arrival. We started with a bunch of tapas, and they were all pretty good. I especially liked the lamb meatballs. Then, we had a steak and a seafood paella to share, followed by churros. Food was okay, some of the steak was real good. Service was a bit slow, but friendly. Came to around 120 per head including tips and taxes. Had a bottle of red wine for the table as well.
This is the best meal I've had in a long time, and that is saying something because I used to live in Chicago and have been to some great restaurants. We were lucky enough to walk in on a Saturday night and only have a short wait to get 2 seats at the bar. The bartender was very attentive to us even though she was so busy. Both cocktails I had were interesting and delicious, along with being beautiful. The tapas style made it easy to order just a of couple things at a time and enjoy them before moving on to something new. Everything we ate was amazing, but my favorite was the bone marrow with beef cheek. The meal wasn't cheap but was worth every penny.
I loved their service. Our waitress came from time to time checking if everyone was happy. My water glass was always refilled in time (and yes, I drank a lot).
Food... We ordered erizos con huevos (sea urchin scramble eggs), carpaccio de carne (beef carpaccio), hueso al norno (bone marrow), calamares (calamari steak), and also paella de mariscos (seafood paella). They were delicious in general and nicely presented.
We loved the beef carpaccio (especially for the well balanced truffle-yuzu aioli) and bone marrow the most.
Flavor of sea urchin was somehow lost (it was more egg-forward) and we thought it a bit too salty for us.
Calamari was great, really crispy and lightly breaded. However, it was a bit pricey for such a some portion (around 6-8 pieces).
Seafood paella was good, but there was too much green onions masking other more subtle flavors.
We enjoyed dining there and will be back to try other dishes.
My fiance and I came here to celebrate our new jobs and we were blown away. The food was unbelievable, I think this is the best steak I've ever had in my life. Getting to pick your own steak from the case is a real treat.
We also got a couple of tapas which were delicious. She got the Paella, which was a huge portion and absolutely loaded with all kinds of meats. The rice was cooked to perfection.
Service was great, ambiance is lovely, I think my only complaint was our table was pretty small and wobbly, not ideal given the price of the meal, but a minor gripe at most.
If you're celebrating or trying to impress someone, this is the place to go. We'll absolutely come back for sure. I may go try and find another job just so I've got an excuse to back 😂
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes