Cinco De Mayo 2022: 20-Plus Food & Drinks Specials In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Throughout Orange County, Mexican food is practically a daily staple for locals.

And for those looking to toast Cinco de Mayo, with steals, deals and specials, there are ample opportunities at eateries around the O.C. region.

Cinco de Mayo this year falls on Thursday, May 5 — an annual celebration commemorating Mexico's 1862 victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla.

Check our annual dining guide to see what some Mexican restaurants near you are offering. Or scroll through the photo slideshow at the top of this post to view the delectable dishes.

If you know other neighborhood places with Cinco-worthy offerings, share with Patch readers in the comments section.

Olé to the day!

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ACAPULCO: Celebrate with $3 tacos — chicken, steak or carnitas. Festive margaritas also will be served. Location in Costa Mesa.

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APPLEBEE'S: Toast the day with $5 springtime sip special - the "Rock & Berry Rita," a strawberry margarita featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s ultra-premium Teremana Blanco Tequila. Info. Location finder here.

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BAR LOUIE: Cinco de Mayo specials include $3 off the limited-time Tostada Burger & $5 Cinco Ritas. The Tostada Burger features burger, mashed black beans, grilled jalapeños, cheddar, crispy tostada, guacamole, lettuce, pico de gallo & Hotter Than Hellion crema on brioche bun. Location in The District in Tustin.

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CHA CHA'S LATIN KITCHEN: The O.C. eatery will celebrate May 5 with live Latin music & its Mexican specialties including lobster tacos (on dinner menu) & specialty margaritas. Reservations here. Locations at 110 W. Birch St., Brea, and 13126 Jamboree Road, Irvine.

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CHRONIC TACOS: Participating locations are featuring all-day, May 5-only, Cinco de Mayo deal: $5.55 for 2 Taco Plates with drink purchase. Available in-store, online or via app. One per customer; price may vary by site. Excludes fish, shrimp, steak & Beyond Beef. Info here. And on Saturday, May 7 in Menifee, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at 27559 Newport Road, new store's grand opening to include meet-and-greet with Jackass legend Wee Man, free tacos to first 50 in line, plus 15% off pricing all day & more. (Details in flyer included in photo slideshow at top of this post.) Locations throughout Orange County.

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DEL TACO: A Cinco de Mayo, BOGO deal offered for rewards members. Buy one "Epic Burrito," and get one free when ordering via app or at deltaco.com. Rewards members can choose from such "Epic" burrto options as Loaded Queso, Fresh Guacamole, Cali Bacon, Crispy Chicken & Guac or Beyond Fresh Guacamole. The deal is Thursday, May 5, for those with Del Yeah! Rewards registration. One offer per guest & not valid with other discounts, coupons or third-party delivery. And don't miss latest "under $2 menu" & Poppers drinks back for a limited time in Purple Pear Lemonade Poppers & Purple Pear Sprite Poppers. Find nearest locale here throughout Orange County.

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DESCANSO RESTAURANT: Mark Cinco de Mayo on May 5 from 11:30 a.m. to close, with Central Mexican street-inspired cuisine from Executive Chef Fonzy De Zuniga. Happy hour, 3 p.m. - 6 p.m., to feature live Latin music & such specials as Taco Skillets ($8), Elote Asado (grilled white corn $6), Carnitas Bean Dip ($7) and Choriqueso Verde ($9). Drinks deals planned, too, with $5 wine by glass, $4 bottled beers & $6 or $7 margaritas, including the Cucumber + Sal, the Watermelonrita & Olvera Street Margarita. At 555 Adams Ave., Costa Mesa. Book here.

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18BLU & BAR RAYA AT RITZ-CARLTON, LAGUNA NIGUEL: The cliffside restaurant & lobby bar are offering specialty tacos paired with signature margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Among highlights: carnitas tacos (with pineapple pico, salsa verde, radish); steak tacos (with black beans, cabbage, cotija, cilantro, jalapeno, pickled onion & chipotle crema); tempura avocado tacos (with corn, chipotle crema, pickled tomatillo, cotija); piloncillo shrimp (with chayote slaw, sesame, lime & cilantro). Drinks include Smoky Blackberry Ginger Margarita & La Pina Margarita. Margarita & casamigos flights ($20) Thursday, May 5 – Sunday, May 8. Taco flights ($18) available only Thursday & Friday, May 5-6. Location: One Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point.

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EL MERCADO MODERN CUISINE: Dine out Thursday, May 5, 5 p.m. - 2 a.m., with Taco Thursday specials, plus Executive Chef Fernando Franco's trio of specialty tacos for $12 & $8 house margaritas. Live music 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. & DJ from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reservations online here. Location: 301 N. Spurgeon St., Santa Ana.

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EL POLLO LOCO: The fire-grilled chicken chain teams up with Tapatío to ring in Cinco de Mayo. Diners on May 5 can score free, custom El Pollo Loco x Tapatío bottle with orders placed on restaurant app or website. (Offer is for digital orders only & not available ordering in restaurants.) Giveaways via El Pollo Loco Instagram to be given out every five minutes for five hours straight, beginning at 12 p.m. Also offered May 5: two premium tacos for $5. Register for Loco Rewards to participate. Locations listed here.

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EL TORITO: Specials usually reserved for Taco Tuesdays will be offered May 5, with $3 chicken, steak or carnitas tacos. Locations throughout Orange County.

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EL TORITO GRILL: The upscale, Mexican-inspired spinoff from El Torito will offer dine-in patrons $3 tacos from 3 p.m. to close, plus specialty drinks, including margaritas & cocktails, at satellite drink stations throughout the restaurant. Mariachi will perform 4 p.m.-6 p.m., followed by DJ 6 p.m. to close. Online ordering will not be available during the day. At 555 Pointe Drive, Brea.

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GRACIAS MADRE: Cinco de Mayo extravaganza planned 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 5, with DJ, mariachi band, raffle, taco cart & more. Dine & sip at the sidewalk lounge, satellite bar, high-tops & taps station. A percentage of proceeds from select cocktails sold will go to “No Us Without You” charity, supporting those in hospitality industry. Restaurant website. At 1617 Westcliff Drive, Newport Beach.

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LAS BRISAS: For Cinco de Mayo, the cliffside restaurant will have live music 5 p.m.-8 p.m. and happy hour from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. for dine-in at the bar area. Happy hour menu includes white shrimp and crab ceviche, nachos and elote, along with variety of margaritas. Online ordering will not be available during the day. At 361 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach.

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MAS VEGGIES: The vegan taqueria is hosting a Cinco de Mayo BOGO deal. Buy one burrito using code CINCO & get one free on May 5. Plant-based Mexican menu options include Chickin’ Tinga, Smokey Mushroom & Crispy Baja Fish. Offer is not valid through third-party delivery services & cannot be combined with other offers. Website here. Find locations in Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Tustin.

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MIGUEL'S JR.: Bean, rice & cheese and bean & cheese burritos will be $1.99 all day on Cinco de Mayo. For an extra kick, try limited-time Fiery Habanero menu, featuring housemade Fiery Habanero Hot Sauce that adds more flavor—and heat. Website. Order for dine-in, take-out, drive-thru, online ordering or delivery. Find restaurants in Orange County.

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ORANGE HILL: In honor of the holiday, the hilltop restaurant will feature three festive, craft cocktails, including the "One in a Melon" (Don Julio Blanco Tequila Watermelon and Pink Himalayan Salt), "Some Like it Hot" (Del Maguey Mezcal, Strawberries and Habañero Essence), and "Dave’s Margarita" (Milagro Reposado, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Lime). Book here. Located at 6410 East Chapman Ave., Orange.

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PEI WEI ASIAN KITCHEN: Ideally timed for your Cinco fests, Mongolian Chicken Nachos, a creation from celebrity Chef Jet Tila, are back for $6.95 through May 8. The dish combines Pei Wei's Mongolian sauce, crispy wonton chips, chicken, Sriracha mayo, cilantro & scallions. Links here for ordering. Location in Tustin.

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QDOBA: The fast-casual, Mexican chain offers free, hand-crafted guac & signature three-cheese queso with every entrée — every day. So keep that in mind on Cinco de Mayo! There are catering options, too. Website. Find restaurant at Chapman University in Orange.

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RANDY'S DONUTS: It’s the return of the Cinco de Mango Donuts! Beginning May 1, the all shops will start selling its Mango Tajin Donut ($3.35) — a mango marmalade-filled, raised doughnut topped with mango and tajin-flavored icing. Called an "instant favotie" last year, the doughnut is available throughout May. Website & order links here. Locations: Costa Mesa; Santa Ana.

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RUBIO'S: On Cinco de Mayo, take $15 off orders of $75+ using code LSM519 at checkout. Or hang on for National Shrimp Day fest, Monday & Tuesday, May 9-10, when all shrimp entrées are $6.99 with purchase of drink. Enter coupon code TASTY with order via app, online at Rubios.com, or scan the coupon here. Shrimp entrées include such faves as Chipotle Honey Argentinian Shrimp bowl, burrito or two-taco plate, grilled Red Argentinian Shrimp, Salsa Verde Shrimp two-taco plate, Shrimp & Bacon burrito, or Mexican Street Corn bowl with grilled shrimp. Location finder here.
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7-ELEVEN: Spice up your Cinco celebrations with the new, limited-time Mini Spicy Breakfast Empanadas, featuring sausage, egg, cheese, peppers & spices in flaky, buttery crust. Three empanadas & any-size coffee are $4 for 7Rewards members. Available at participating stores through May 24. Website here.

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SOL MEXICAN COCINA: An exclusive Cinco de Mayo menu offered May 5 for dine-in only, 3 p.m. to close, along with live music. Among offerings: Naked Guacamole (avocado, cilantro, lime, onion, serrano chiles & tomato); Chorizo & Mushroom Con Queso (epazote, cheese, serrano & scallions); Taco Vampiro Asada (double tortilla stuffed with carne asada, cheese, serranos, scallions, guacamole, pico de gallo, chipotle sauce & cotixa); Taco Plates with two sides — black beans, red rice, quinoa salad or spicy slaw. Locations in Irvine & Newport Beach.

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SOLITA TACOS: To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a limited, dine-in only menu will be served 3 p.m. to close, with such dishes as: Ceviche Tropicale (raw fish, lime, serrano chiles, cucumber, tropical fruit, salsa fresca & avocado); Spicy Shrimp Taco (shrimp marinated in sriracha & garlic, guacamole, salsa verde, mango salsa & lettuce); Street Taco Plates with two sides —rice, slaw, Yucatán-style refried black beans or spicy charro beans. Live music, too. Location in Huntington Beach.

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THE PIE HOLE: Mexican Chocolate lovers can enjoy the bake shop's Mexican Chocolate Pie, by the slice ($7.50), whole pie ($45) or "Pie Pint" (pint jar filled with classic ice-cream flavors, house made crumble & Mexican chocolate ganache, $15). Pies & pie pints available at all locations for in-store & online ordering, or nationwide delivery available via Goldbelly. Locations: Anaheim; and Orange.

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TOPSIDE ROOF DECK: Celebrate May 5 with 360° views of harbor, peninsula & beaches with Cinco de Mayo menu from Executive Chef-Partner Riley Huddleston. Among festive specials, alongside regular menu, are: taco duo with carnitas taco & carne asada taco; and such cocktails as El Durazno with Herradura Blanco tequila, & white peach puree and signature Topside Margarita, a house-madepopsicle. Reservations online here. Located at 3300 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach.

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ALSO SEE: The 'Guactail' Cocktail: Toast Cinco De Mayo With, Wait ... Guac-What?

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