El Adobe de Capistrano is a restaurant in a genuine 1797 adobe building on Camino Capistrano, one of the oldest surviving commercial structures in California. The building was originally a courthouse and later a saloon; it became a restaurant in 1948 and has been operating continuously since. Richard Nixon dined here regularly when he was at his nearby San Clemente estate — his preferred booth is still pointed out to visitors.
The food is straightforward Mexican-American — tacos, enchiladas, margaritas — served in a dining room with stone walls and thick wooden beams. It is worth visiting more for the building than the food, but the atmosphere is genuinely historic rather than theme-park, and the outdoor patio is pleasant on warm evenings.