Decent, Clean, and Friendly Neighborhood Restaurant - Sabroso! Mexican Grill

I had no idea that Sabroso was featured on Food Networks Diners Drive-Ins and Drives until finishing the meal and seeing this signed picture on the wall -

The show was premiered on July 11th, 2014 with the host Guy Fieri cruising down southern California. Well, I was already happy with the service and decent food even without the celebrity halo. The TV show only further proved that Sabroso was indeed a nice neighborhood joint whenever you feel like some Mexican grill dishes.

A typical exterior for a simple SoCal restaurant sitting inside the plaza -

Clean and bright settings -

Happy hours available Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. -

Other alcoholic beverages -

Sabroso opens at 9 on Saturdays and Sundays, so if you are a huevos rancheros or breakfast burrito lover, here's a pretty decent place to start out the weekend -

Click on the image for an enlarged view -

Couldn't quite guessed some of the Spanish words, but our waitress was very friendly and answered all my questions with a bright smile on her face.

Mexican beer Modelo Especial $3.95 -

Light and slightly tangy, a good choice to accompany the day time meal.

Compliment salsa and chips -

The green colored salsa is the mild one. The red salsa on the other hand, is the devil kind carrying some heat. In fact, it has an aftertaste similar to Chinese spicy hot pot, pretty interesting.

Menudo soup, served with either fried taquitos or handmade tortillas $8.95 -

Think beef stock with a touch of Mexican flare. The flavors are not as strong and spicy as expected, not a bad thing though. 

The freshly chopped onion brightens up the flavor -

Sabroso also uses hominy in their menudo soup (basically dried maize kernels) -

Picked fried taquitos for the soup, but personally I love to eat it with salsa instead -

House specialty comes with salad, handmade tortillas, rice, and beans (black or Peruano). You can choose one of the following dressings for the salad: ranch, Caesar, balsamic, thousand island, Italian. Decided to go with Italian -

House specialty: pork chile Colorado $10.95 -

You can choose between smoky red sauce or the much milder and slightly tangy verde option. 

Tender pork with all the seasonings absorbed within the meat. I'm usually not a big fan of black beans because sometimes it gets a floury and mushy texture, but not for Sabroso. I think 1/3 of the beans went down to my tummy, might sound little but that's a milestone for me.

Antojitos with enchiladas, tinga (shredded chicken), no beans but doubled the rice, both red and verde sauce $8.95 -

See, never a big fan of beans so I got double rice instead, also asked for extra salsa to pour all over the rice. 

The food here is decent. You won't find the hardcore local stuff at Sabroso, but similar flavors are definitely there. The nice staff and clean environment are pluses for this place. I would love to revisit over and over again if Sabroso is close to home or work - a good neighborhood Mexican grill restaurant. 


Cindy's Rating: 6 (leaning towards 7 because of its wonderful staff)


Sabroso! Mexican Grill
13129 Harbor Blvd,
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 537-7080
http://sabrosomexgrill.com/

Business Hours: 
Mon to Thurs 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. - 9 a.m.