This dingy little bar has enthralled it's reviewers with plenty of booze and flavorless food. Space is very tight, expect to sit back fat to back fat. Putting their best foot forward with a greasy bowl of chips and a 'salsa' that looks & tastes like a bowl of Siracha (bad breath flags go up immediately. The menu is lifeless & very limited, plus pricey for a combo. My tamale was so blah & machine made I gave up 1/4 of the way through. My partners 'chili relleno' was the old magazine recipe for baked scrambled eggs with a can of diced green chiles. The whole thing is reminiscent of 1970's fare typical of immigrants valiantly trying to support there families with no cooking talent. As long as you're knocking down booze, this might be good to you. Our 2 combos w/ water were $30+. Try Palapas

Small and seating is hard to get in and out of, can be loud at times as well. Can get really busy at night. Food is flavorful and some of the better mexican food in this area.

Our group of six was a little crowded but that is part of the fun. We found the food to be very authentic and tasty. The service was excellent.

The Guacamole was chunky and good, but needed alittle more garlic. The refried beans were different as they are cheese infused. This is all I had.
The salsa was muy caliente...(for my delicate palate) :-)
Kind of cozy with the X-mas lights right now. Very loud, it was hard to hear. The bar was busy and happy.

I would go back but I'm a veggi...so don't eat the carne y pollo and can't comment.

Enjoy!

After reading previous reviews and hearing about the long line of diners waiting to eat here...my expectations were quite high. We were camping at Seacliff State Beach - within walking distance to Manuel's. I was excited to give it a try!
I found the food to be uninspired and the menu was filled with average/common Mexican food choices. There was nothing offered that was different from most Mexican-American restaurants throughout the west. The food was (chicken burrito/chicken chimichunga) fine, rice and beans fine and the margarita fine. Nothing exceptional, nothing exceptional offered and not even an exceptional view (seeing that we were on the coast). I do not understand why anyone would wait to eat here.
The service was good and the food was hot. If this is all you need in your choice of Mexican dining...then this is the place for you.