Casa Escobar

by Kristie S.

I guess I shouldn't review this place, since I've never actually tried the food, but I'm going to anyway.The only reason I'm giving it two stars is because of the nice decor.  The chips were ok, nothing special.  And we never got salsa.  Even after asking two different people repeatedly for it, it never showed up.  So we sat munching on plain tortilla chips for about 15 minutes before a server came over and told us they were closed.  What?!?  It was 5pm on a Thursday!  She said their "system was down".  What the hell does that mean?  Is that code for "the health inspector just shut us down"??  And wouldn't you think the MANAGER would have told us?  No, he sent the poor young server, who was completely embarassed, to break the news to us.  A good manager would have apologized profusely and begged us to come back another time.  Nope, not at Casa Escobar.  The manager never said one word to us.The whole thing was very bizarre.  I'd like to give them another chance, but I'm just not sure.  And to top it all off, this was supposed to be my birthday dinner!Note:  Our trip to this restaurant was over a month ago, so hopefully they've fixed their "system".

by Laurie L.

RIP Casa Escobar....went there for lunch yesterday and they were gone like farts in the wind......it was a sad day.Phone number is disconnected.

by Benny E.

I never thought that I would have a hard time finding parking in Downtown Oxnard, but alas the time has arrived. We wanted a quick bite close to home since the grandparents decided to watch the kid for a few hours. So we drove downtown and settled on Escobar. After circling the entire block a few times we found parking close by. I could have parked in the parking structure, but was too lazy to walk. Walking in the hostess desk immediately faces you, off to the left you catch glimpses of a well appointed bar through a arched entry way. The right leads to the main dining room. As you walk in I must say the decor and ambiance is beautiful. A + for restaurant design. Horseshoe booths line both sides, with tables in the middle. Recessed low lighting, and hanging decorative lights set the right mood. The Decor is old world Spanish/European, with thickly framed mirrors and pictures against stone covered walls. The back offers separate lounges, with rich fabrics. Really beautiful. The full bar is complete with Flat screen TVs. The salsa serve with chips was good, with the right blend of spice and flavor. I ordered a Mojito and the Fried Talapia. The meal also came with a choice of Soup or Salad. We chose the soup, I the Albondigas and my wife the Tortilla soup. Both soups were Delicious, and I wouldn't have minded a bowl of either for our meal. Too my surprise the Fried Talapia was...well a fried talapia THE WHOLE THING. My wife just about split a rib holding back the laughter as the waiter presented me the Catch O' the Day. I wish the menu would have said as much but oh well, I'm a good sport. I never had a fish like this. It was very good, though and I did enjoy "Nemo". My wife was underwhelmed with her tamale but enjoyed the enchilada, and beans and rice. This is our second trip here, and this is defiantly a case of style over substance. The food is good, and I am sure there are better items to be had on the menu but ultimately the flavors are just a little too mild for me. In a city with dozens of Mexican restaurants it is hard to compete, but where Escobar has the edge up is in the style and mood that they set, and that cannot be discounted. There are not too many really romantic restaurants in the VC that you can take a date and still order a Taco combination plate. The service was Great, our server Richard was very attentive and nice, as was the hostess. So give Escobar a shot..if you can find parking : )

by Rachel R.

Casa Escobar left me full of surprises. I've seen this place in passing, never really interested in checking the place out. A few weeks ago I got a Text message from one of my closest girls about her 21st Birthday Party. She told me she was having it at Casa Escobar. I was kind of skeptical at first wondering what this place was going to be like.. So last night was the party. She reserved the whole patio which seats about 80 people. I was kind of surprised at the decor in this place. Nice, dark and dim.. The patio has glass tables and these heavy Iron chairs. What also surprised me is its somewhat of a Hookah Bar. We ordered four Hookahs which btw were huge. The waitresses who looked younger than I was were very attentive and very polite. I appreciated that a lot. And there was none of that uncomfortable "did everyone put in enough money?" Every order received their own receipt. I only had a Cinnamon Twist from the bar which IMO had a good amount of Alcohol. I also tried a bit of their Pina Coloada, Bahama Mama and Lemon Drop martini. They were good, but I'm not much of an Alcohol drinker, so I wouldn't know if it really had the right amount of alcohol. Boyfriend and I decided to try out the food so we shared a Combo Platter which was a choice of enchilada (beef or chicken), a Taco, and a Chile relleno. The Taco meat was shredded beef and was a little tough, but spiced really nice. The Chicken Enchilada was seasoned deliciously which was another surprise to me since most enchiladas I've had are less than memorable. I raved about the chicken every bite.  The Chile relleno was made with Poblano chilies (I'm more of a Anaheim girl) and was pretty good, but way too spicy for me. Especially towards the top of the chile. They didn't take out the seeds. Boo. My only real gripe. Chips and Salsa were yummmmy. We asked for seconds =) This night in particular it turns into a night club. The DJ Plays a lot of the Spanish music and only a few Hip Hop dance songs.. and one really cheesy country bumpkin line dance song. That needs a little improvement, but I kind of understand seeing who they were catering to. The dance floor was a little small also. People kept coming into our private party, but I guess they would since there was really no indication that there was a private party going on, which kind of annoyed everyone. The Owner was really nice to most of us the beginning of the night, My friend really buttered him up but she's just a great people person (LOL)  Towards the end, he got kind of nervous about possible underage drinkers here and personally himself would ask a few of the people for ID's but there were no big problems. All in all the place was fun. I stayed in the patio the whole time and only walked through the actual inside a few times to go potty. I even texted a friend of mine from out of town to tell her "I know where were hanging out in Oxnard when you get back" which...... had to be my last surprise... a decent place for us girls to drink, eat and dance...IN OXNARD.