Javier's - Newport Beach (Crystal Cove)

So I decided to meet Cayla on her lunch break and go to Javier's in Crystal Cove.  We met at 3:30pm for what I call "linner" (a combination of lunch and dinner).  We sat in the main dinning room.  I really like the ambiance of Javiers, although I like the look of their location at the Irvine Spectrum Center even better ;)  The atmosphere is very dark and traditional, but with a modern twist.  I especially like their fountain that is made of a wall of wine type bottles that slowly drip water into a small pool below it.  Very cool!  Great views of the ocean across PCH too!

To drink it was Pacifico with lime for me and Cayla did the responsible thing while on her lunch break and went with a soda.  Started out with an order of chips and guacamole.  The guacamole NEVER disappoints here, SO GOOD!  The chips always come out hot and are just moist enough to help the salt stick :) 

For lunch I had one of their combination plates.  I chose a cheese enchilada, shredded beef hard shell taco, and green corn tamale.  For the side, as always I went with all  rice instead of beans and rice since I HATE beans.  Javier's didn't disappoint as usual.  Their shredded beef taco is my FAVORITE taco anywhere.  To me this is as good as a taco can get.  It has a generous portion of shredded beef, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and cheese on it.  It is always juicy and never dry!  On an interesting side note you can also get the same exact tacos at Tortilla Flats on Lake Mission Viejo.  You may wonder how that is.  Well I'll tell you, years ago Javier started out working at Tortilla Flats before he could open his own restaurant, so when he did leave he brought with him a lot of the recipes.  This is seen in a lot of their dishes.  And know you know ;)  Anyways, back on topic.  The cheese enchilada was so cheesy it was amazing!  The green corn tamale didn't disappoint either.  It was a generous size and tasted GREAT!

Cayla had the taco lunch.  It had two shredded beef tacos, rice, and beans.  Cayla said they were awesome!

Javier's consistently has great food and has a great vibe and ambiance.  I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone and will definitely be back!

What's YOUR favorite Mexican restaurant in OC!?!?