Hands down the best authentic Mexican restaurant in the Solana Beach / Del Mar area. I have been coming to this restaurant for years. It's always has great service, great food in a great atmosphere - a big, old spanish style house. never have had to wait for a table. They have a great patio area and very friendly staff. They make amazing margaritas. chimichangas, taco's and quesadilla's. The food is a great value and you are sure to have a great meal.

I have been going to Fidel's for years. I can eat there for ridiculously cheap. My order is a small bowl (might be a cup even) of chicken and rice soup. It comes with avocado and tortillas with melted cheese on them. It's way more than enough, though I will say that the last time I was there I thought it was too salty. And I always have a cadillac margarita...or two.

Now that most of our friends have kids, it's still a great place to go. Kids love it and there's plenty of noise if they squeal a little here and there. If we go with a few other families there's a room kind of all on it's own downstairs that we've been lucky to score every once in a while.

I also think the place is pretty reasonably priced overall and the food is reliably good. It's not americanized mexican, which we're not huge fans of. It can also get crowded so we try to go there on the early side, but with kids that's easy. We would eat here way more often if we lived closer.

I love the food here! Fidel's is awesome - I love Mexican food and tend to go to the 'taco shops' which are usually more authentic than the restaurants (think Chevy's/El Torito) but Fidel's is totally authentic! <br />
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And they have an awesome lunch special: choose between a taco, enchilada, tostada and burrito; comes with rice and beans and a margarita or beer or soda for around $10 - can't beat that! <br />
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If you like spicy be sure to ask for their hot sauce. It's an orange color and pretty tasty but also very hot, so be careful!<br />
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From what I understand, the restaurant used to be a house that's been transformed into a restaurant - there's weird staircases and levels and inside and outside seating so you can get lost in the restaurant, but the friendly staff should help you find your way. It has festive decorations and it's a fun spot to enjoy a meal and some margaritas!

I love "Fidels" and have been coming here for over 20 years. I really liked their food, but I don't think it's "transcendently great" per se. To me, the allure of Fidels is in the overall experience: the unusual, house-like structure of the place (and its "Rosarito" decor), the very good (but not great) food, and the off-beat location in Solana Beach. All combine to make a great, unique experience which is somehow more than the individual parts. I'll elaborate:

When I was a teenager in Del Mar in the 1980s, this was sort of our version of Old Towne. Back then the area it is located in, Eden Gardens, was also a little dangerous. So that added to the allure in a way. It was sort of weird that this very popular, family-friendly mexican restaurant was located in this little corner of Solana Beach that was off the beaten path and that left you a little worried for your car as you went inside.

Inside, "Fidels" is surprisingly big, with multiple levels and a nice outside courtyard area, too. Another reviewer said its decor is reminiscent of Roasrito, and I agree. Though I would say it's a mix of that and the old "Casa Di Bandini" in Old Towne.

It's a credit to the food at Fidels and its ambiance that it remains crowded to this day, especially at peak times like weekend nights and during racing season. I just avoid it entirely during peak times now, though, because the wait can be interminable if you go then without any reservations.

Another problem with waiting at peak times is that there are tons of other people waiting, all crowding the bar and making it hard to even get a drink while you wait. But there's an easy solution to that: just don't go at peak times.

Fidels has really good authentic Mexican food!

Their restaurant is very large - very much like a maze! The food is very good, their menu is large! They pretty much have every Mexican dish I can think of.

I went with a large group and they were ok with us being loud and just hanging out. Unfortunately, they had "forgotten" a couple of our orders when they brought out our food, but once they realized we were missing food they quickly brought out the missing dishes. Their portion sizes for their dishes are huge - I couldn't finish my plate!

Fidels has delicious food but it's a bit more expensive than I want to pay for Mexican food.