DON SEBASTIAN MEXICAN RESTAURANT
ADDRESS: 42040 50th Street W, Quartz Hill, CA 93536
My friend Hoang and I were looking to get some dinner one night after work, and both of us were feeling in the mood for some Mexican food. Neither of us had tried any of the local Mexican spots in town, so we hopped onto Yelp to check it out. Don Sebastian popped up and seemed to get some pretty good reviews, so we decided to head on down there to give it a shot.
I will say that if you’re headed there for the first time, just be aware of some other storefronts near it so you know when you’re getting close, since it was pretty easy to miss the turn into the parking lot driveway. Once you’re inside, it seems like there are multiple dining areas set up within the restaurant, although the one where we got led to seemed slightly more confined.
There are a lot of choices on the menu, that is for sure. Burritos, tacos, enchiladas, along with meat and seafood dishes, it took me and Hoang a few minutes going through the different options before we were able to decide. I went with my usual go-to of a Carnitas plate, with a special request for the pork to be extra crispy. We also decided to get a plate of the Al Pastor Mini Tacos as well, to act as our appetizer.
I can’t quite place what it was about the dining area that made me feel a little more squeezed in. There were four-person booths on either side of the room, with a main walkway through the middle that was probably the width of two people. Maybe it was the fact that the restaurant looked pretty large from the outside, but this room felt a bit more enclosed, kind of clashing with that mental impression.
Our waiter brought out some complimentary chips, along with salsa and queso bean dip, not long after we put in our order. I thought the salsa itself was pretty good, although it was more on the liquid side, so you had to be careful it didn’t run off your chip after you scooped. The queso bean dip, however, was a pleasant surprise. Earthy flavor from the beans combined with the creamy texture from the queso. I preferred the bean dip over the salsa, even if I probably shouldn’t have been eating the queso with trying to avoid dairy.
The al pastor tacos rolled out next, and that plate of food looked fantastic. Each taco was double-wrapped with corn tortillas, with a generous amount of al pastor, diced onions, and chopped cilantro. It was served with a guacamole / pico de gallo mixture, along with another type of salsa and lime wedges. I tell you what — getting a bite with all of those flavors combined really hits the spot. Savory and umami flavors from the al pastor, along with the bite from the onions and cilantro, while the guacamole / pico de gallo provided a nice creamy texture. The acidity from the lime was just enough to help accentuate each bite.
We were still working our way through the al pastor tacos when our main entrées arrived from the kitchen. I could tell that the kitchen honored my request to make the carnitas extra crispy, just by looking at them. The pork was served with Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, and a set of corn tortillas. I was able to completely clear out my container of tortillas making those carnitas tacos, with every component on the plate contributing into the taco. The shredded pork definitely had those nice, crispy edges to it, while the rice and beans added a savory flavor as well. The guac and pico de gallo helped to add that bit of freshness to each bite, too.
I didn’t really have any expectations of the place when I first walked in, but I do have to say that the food really stood out for me. Those al pastor tacos weren’t messing around, and I think it slightly edged out the carnitas plate for my favorite of the night. Based on what we read, it sounds like the restaurant recently re-opened under this new name and new management. If this is the type of food they are going to be putting out, it’s safe to say it’s a great start and I’m certainly looking forward to coming back.
Let’s now take a look at the Don Sebastian Mexican Restaurant Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Al Pastor Mini Tacos **
Four tacos with al pastor, onions, and cilantro, double-wrapped with corn tortillas. Served with guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, and lime wedges.
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** Carnitas Plate **
Carnitas (cooked extra crispy by special request), served with Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Includes taco tortillas (corn or flour at your choice).
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And finally, here are my rankings for Don Sebastian Mexican Restaurant:
Food: 4.75 / 5
Flavors were excellent, portions were generous, and menu options were plentiful. The al pastor slightly edged out the carnitas for my favorite food of the night, but the quality of the ingredients in all of the dishes seemed really fresh.
Atmosphere: 3.25 / 5
The smaller dining space that we got seated in just gave me a bit of a strange vibe, almost feeling too enclosed. This was especially since, from the outside, the building looked like it had more room inside overall.
Service: 4.25 / 5
Our waiter was very polite and came back to our table a few times to check on us and see how the meal was going. The food also seemed like it was really cranking out of the kitchen, and I didn’t feel like we had to wait too long at all.
Price: 4.25 / 5
Even though some of the entrées were priced on the higher side (my carnitas plate was $20), I thought that for the quality of the food and also the portion size, the value was certainly worth it.
Overall:
16.5 / 20
(83%)
Categories: California, Restaurants
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