El Sinaloense - San Mateo

4/5 stars

We were originally going to take my visiting in-laws to Don Pico's. They live in NY and you know they don't have great Mexican in NY (compared to Cali). Don Pico's was my favorite Mexican restaurant when I worked in San Bruno, but the recent reviews told a sad story. Hubby and I decided to take a chance with El Sinaloense instead and it was exactly what we were looking for: family-friendly and tasty!

Hubby and I arrived about 15-20 minutes before his family. We checked in with the host and asked for a table for 6 before sitting at the bar with warm tortilla chips & good, spicy salsa. They served thin tortilla chips which are my favorite kind! We decided to share a pitcher of margarita ($26) and it was great fun! Not that artificial stuff. We ended up ordering 2 more after his famly arrived. The service, especially Mario, was warm too, albeit a bit slow. Mario even squeezed extra lime into my margarita for me :) I'm def a fan of this place now! It's small, with loud, Mexican music, and legit dishes.

The food was SUPER tasty! I ordered fajitas with shrimp, chicken, and steak and it came with flour tortillas, beans, rice, guac, and sour cream. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and the whole plate was deliciously seasoned. It could've used more shrimp... My family shared the shrimp & octopus ceviche as an appetizer (because El Sinaloense is supposedly known for their ceviche) and even though it was weird that it was served with a side of mayo, it worked. My hubby's molcajete was bubbling when it arrived at the table. It had a tasty sauce. Overall, I was very pleased with the food. Hit the spot!

It was great place to start Christmas break with my family :) Thank you, El Sinaloense!

(2015)

Elote Cafe & Catering - Tulsa, OK

1/5 stars

I should've turned around and left as soon as I smelled this place. It sort of smells like rotting garbage...

1. My margarita was WAY WAY WAY too sweet!
2. The corn tamales were even sweeter than the margaritas! They tasted like dessert!
3. The elote tasted like it was previously frozen. The mayo was no bueno.
4. My father-in-law and I got horrible food poisioning...

Yelp fail.

:(

(2015)

Javi’s - Santa Ana

3/5 stars

Yeah, surprisingly yummy for airport food!

The chips reminded me of Chevys and I mean that in a good way. I love thin tortilla chips fresh from the fryer. The salsa is super spicy (pro), the margaritas were super weak (con). Another con: the service was fairly slow. Thankfully, we weren't in a rush to catch a flight. It would've been a major problem if we had been.

The steak in the tacos was cooked really well! And they were generous with the meat. It came with tomatillo salsa and guacamole. I also liked the fluffy, flavorful Spanish rice.

Expensive, but at least it was good airport food.

(2015)

La Victoria Taqueria - San Jose

5/5 stars

I finally made it to La Vic's! La Vic's is the kind of taqueria you hear about when first moving to the Bay Area. Their orange sauce is the stuff of legends and it certainly lived up to insanely high expectations. Seriously, what's in that stuff? Lard? It's the definition of mmm mmm mmm.

Instead of ordering mediocre, overpriced food at the Shark Tank, we got burritos to-go after our very first Sharks game. We somehow beat the late-night crowd and were in and out in 5 minutes. Score!

We came home happy with heavy carnitas and al pastor burritos. The al pastor was spicy! I didn't expect that. My favorite part was the flour tortilla that had been toasted on the flat top. I love it when taquerias do that. These are flour tortillas you can't get at the store!

Are flour tortillas greater than bread or vice versa?

(2015)

Viva Taqueria - Santa Clara

5/5 stars

I'm going to do something really BOLD. You ready?

I declare Viva Taqueria's al pastor burrito as the best in the South Bay. (Jury's still out on the carnitas burrito.)

I know that's saying A LOT. There are an incredible number of incredible taquerias in the area and I haven't tried them all, but of the ones I've tried, Viva just blew my burrito mind.

I judge a burrito by its tortilla and Viva's was NOT soggy, it didn't fall apart, it wasn't dry, and it was the perfect texture. It also didn't taste doughy and had the perfect hint of grease :)

The al pastor is incredibly flavorful. The pineapple really shines and the pork is just perfectly cooked and seasoned.

The burrito is perfectly assembled. The ingredients - rice, refried beans (you have to ask for refried, burritos usually come with pinto), cheese, sour cream, and guac - are all EVENLY distributed so you get a little bit of everything in one, delicious bite. No huge chunk of rice hiding in a corner (a con of mine).

Service is friendly and chips are plentiful. I love, love, love the avocado salsa. The red salsas are also really good. One is mild and the other, the deep red one, is spicy and smoky.

Yeah, Viva ftw.

(2015)

Reposado - Palo Alto

3/5 stars

I was pleased to finally try this place. I am not sure I'll return because it's pretty pricey, but the guacamole was VERY good. Maybe some of the best restaurant guac I've had in this area. I may just come back for guac and margaritas. The margaritas were also really well crafted. There was a sort of elegance to them.

I had the carne a la parilla and was disappointed to find it pre-sliced. I'm not a fan of pre-sliced steak. I think it loses its juiciness. So the hanger steak was a bit dry. The whole plate itself was a bit unmemorable.

IN A MOUTHFUL: I'd rather go to Vive Sol, but I'm considering giving Reposado another chance...

(2015)

Casa Lupe Restaurant - Campbell

5/5 stars

UPDATE :)

My hubby and I's new favorite neighborhood joint. It's clearly family owned and the service is super friendly. They remember you here.

Problem is: my hubby and I have trouble ordering anything new because we now have favorite dishes here. The enchiladas with eggs on top is pure comfort food. Get the enchiladas with cheese because I think they work best with the red sauce and the magical runny eggs. They also serve huevos rancheros all day and their rancheros sauce is the best I've ever had. Incredibly rich, creamy, and tasty. I took my parents here for my birthday recently and my mom won't stop taking about the green sauce they top their burritos with!

The regular salsas are too spicy for me but if you ask, they have a delicious mild salsa that's thick and hinted with oregano. They also have pico.

The sangria is good, but if you're feeling extravagant, order the Cadillac margarita with the mini Corona. Go ahead and pretend you're on Spring Break.

***

Yay! I love trying new Mexican restaurants. Even better when they turn out great, great, great!

After an extremely long day of shopping (fyi: couch shopping is hard), we didn't want to deal with the wait at any of Santana Row's restaurants, so I yelped, hoping for a good place for margaritas (to celebrate buying a couch), and ta da! Casa Lupe. The guava margarita was yummy (fyi: it also comes in large), but the red sangria was freaking awesome. And the food was okay to solid, but very plentiful. I had the catfish fajitas and the fish was fresh and there was a ton of it. It was a tad too salty, but the margarita helped with that. Only con was that I wasn't a fan of the salsas.

The atmosphere was fun and laid-back, the service super friendly. Am adding this to my Mexican restaurants repertoire for sure.

(2011-2014)

Tacolicious - Palo Alto

3/5 stars

Pros: the chili con queso, the different salsas, the fish tacos

Cons: the margaritas did not taste good and the service was SUPER SLOW even though the restaurant wasn't even busy

(2013)

Jalisco Taqueria - San Jose

3/5 stars

Bookmarked this place awhile ago. Had no idea it was my hubby's favorite chicken burrito hole-in-the-wall. We stopped by on his birthday for a treat and he was happy as a clam with his burrito, the salsa, and a squeeze of lime. I ordered the quesadilla hoping it would be more like a giant, pillowy soft taco (a la La Costa), but it wasn't. Next time I'll stick to the chicken burrito (the chicken is really moist) or the nachos with fake cheese. Mmm. Fake cheese is the best.

They're open till 3am! Wowzers!

(2013)

Agave Mexican Restaurant - Healdsburg

3/5 stars

Since we were going to do an Über fancy brunch (and because Scopa didn't answer their phone after 2 tries), we decided to try Agave for a chill, belated-birthday dinner for my hubby.

The Mexican food wasn't awesome, but it was pretty good. I liked the chips, guac, and salsa. The service was also really nice! They accidentally took our guac before we were finished with it so they gave us some more.

My hubby got to try something he's never had before: the Molcajet. It had shrimp, steak, and chicken in a red sauce and was served in a mortar. It was huge! He liked it a lot. I had the burrito with carne asada and it was only okay. The steak was a bit dry and the burrito as a whole was fairly bland. My MIL ordered the veggie enchiladas and seemed to enjoy the diff veggies it was filled with (zucchini, cauliflower etc).

They seem to carry a lot of tequilas. They had my favorite - Frida Khalo silver.

Overall, if you're looking for some good ol' Mexican to sop up all that wine-tasting, Agave is a good choice.

(2013)

Tortilla Jo’s - Anaheim

3/5 stars

I am not a fan of Downtown Disney. I'd rather eat a turkey leg (seriously tastes like ham) or a clam chowder bowl in Disneyland than spend the money and be disappointed with the fare at Downtown Disney. Also, for just a little more money, you can get some incredible appetizers at the Tiki Lounge (Disneyland Hotel) or Napa Rose.

BUT, we had a very large group for a very special birthday (my bff's 30th) so Tortilla Jo's it was. And, I gotta say, it was a wonderful choice. The service - even though gratuity was already included - was soooo nice! The guacamole was some of the best I've had (and it was so simple! I bet their mortar and pestle is sprinkled with fairy dust ...) and the pitchers of margaritas were solid (and $40 -- not so bad for Downtown Disney, IMO).

So, if I must eat at Downtown Disney, it, from now on, must be Tortilla Jo's.

(2012)

Nick’s Crispy Tacos - San Francisco

5/5 stars

I dream about this place. If I was a person who walked in their sleep, you would probably find me here at weird hours.

I think it's the guacamole to taco ratio that makes my heart go pitter-patter and my mouth fill with drool. Oh, and the corn on the cob COVERED in cotija cheese is sinful. And spicy! I wish Nick's would open a place in the South Bay. Taco Bell just doesn't cut it even if they DO have the Doritos taco.

Margs are solid -- I once smiled at the bartender and he made mine extra strong. Ha!

(2012)

Monico’s Taqueria - Wailua, HI

5/5 stars

I kinda wish we had eaten here every single day of our Kauai honeymoon. Best fish tacos I've ever had in my life.

We found this place because of Sunset magazine. We sat at the bar and chatted it up with the owner's wife. She was an awesome, awesome woman and treated us so well. She even gave us a deck of playing cards as a small honeymoon gift.

IMO, there are two things that *make* a fish taco. Fresh fish is #1. If you screw that up, then there's no point. #2 is the sauce. Monico's white sauce is some super secret surprise. The fish tacos are drenched in it, but the fish still maintains its shape and crunchiness. Oh, and the pinto beans were homemade and silky. Darn! I wish we had eaten here more than once!

Maui may have the Four Seasons, but Kauai has Monico's.

(2012)

El Farolito - San Francisco

1/5 stars

I came here with some visiting New Yorkers who had heard about this place. I think El Farolito is supposed to be one of the Burrito Gods of San Francisco or something. And yes, the burritos are solid, but nothing special. I mean, you can get an extremely well-made burrito with delicious carne asada or carnitas in a ton of places in California (thank God for that). But what really stood out for me was the mighty quesadilla. I have learned, by dining in Mexican restaurants where actual Mexicans eat, that quesadillas are not just thin, lifeless flour tortillas with melting yellow cheese in the middle. Heck to the no. True quesadillas are more like monster soft tacos. The exterior (the flour tortilla) should display an array of beautiful, golden markings received from being pressed to a hot griddle while the interior should be filled to bursting with meat, cheese (usually white), and avocado. The carne asada really shone in the quesadilla.

My only problem is that this place is extremely filthy and they allow the homeless to come in and attack you while you eat. One star because the owner should probably do something about this. Oh, and there's powder in my horchata.

(2011)

Aqui Cal-Mex - Cupertino

2/5 stars

I want to like this place, but their food is SO bland. Can't healthy food be tasty?? The swirls are quite dangerous though and it's one of the few places in Cupertino where you can dine outside. And they're really nice here and the aguas frescas are yummy. I also like their salsa bar. Truthfully, I wish I could order their drinks, but eat at Smokeeaters...

(2011)

Sancho’s Taqueria - Palo Alto

3/5 stars

This may be oversharing, but I'm the type of person who needs to eat spaghetti after watching Lady and the Tramp. I get this intense craving and it's all I think about.

So, when my mom texted me from San Diego gushing about fish tacos, all I wanted was a fish taco. Specifically, I wanted fish tacos from Nick's in San Francisco. But because I didn't feel like battling rush hour to SF, I looked on Yelp for some place closer. Btw, I gotta tell you, It is NOT easy to find a fish taco in this here town. Seriously, what did we do before Yelp?

After doing a quick search, I found Sancho's and headed over there even though I was due at Pampas for Happy Hour soon. But I figure I could put my body through just one lil' taco. The crazy things I do for food.

So I got my taco and ate it in my car and was blissfully happy :-)

It was lightly fried, which I liked, and Sancho's was really generous with the fish, but I kinda wish that the batter was seasoned. I guess that's where the sauce came in (which was good), but the pico de gallo wasn't anything to write home about. And I would've liked another flour tortilla (because there was so much fish!) and a lime wedge instead of lemon.

It definitely wasn't an exciting fish taco, but it satisfied my craving (for about $4).

(2011)

La Costeña - Mountain View

4/5 stars

When I asked for a carne asada burrito, he took out a slab of raw steak and threw it on the hot grill. No re-heating pre-cooked meat here! The flour tortilla was placed on the grill, too. Way better than just being steamed.

I got refried beans (they're really good beans, btw), moist spanish rice, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, cilantro, extra onions, corn, pico de gallo, and shredded lettuce. All for under $8! They have more fixings than any other burrito place. There was also black beans, grilled peppers, olives, and lots more salsas.

I don't think they season the beans or steak, but combined with everything, they don't really need to It just all tastes really, really good and fresh.

I have to admit that the burrito wasn't as flavorful as the ones at Chavez supermarket (my favorite place for burritos and horchata), but it's a solid, heavy, non-greasy and definitely better than La Bamba's next door burrito.

La Costena is a hole-in-the-wall that doesn't have any character, so just grab and go.

(2011)

Taqueria La Bamba - Mountain View (closed)

3/5 stars

After 5 years of hardcore burrito devouring, I finally tried La Bamba and it was good, but ... what's the big deal?

I thought I heard something about the tortillas being "pancake-like," but maybe that was a thing of the past. The carne asada was tasty, but didn't blow me away. Beau's chicken was boring and on the dry side. Salsas weren't unique. Beans and rice didn't shout: Remember Me.

Yeah, they're kinda big, but I devoured mine in less than 20 mins while walking from La Bamba to St. Stephen's on the Green so ... they weren't that big. Honestly, I prefer Los Charros down the street. BUT! My favoritest of all burrito shops is in the back of Chavez Supermarket in Sunnyvale. Can't beat being RIGHT NEXT to a butcher (now THAT'S some special carne asada). Their tortillas are also better, IMO. Oh, and their horchata.

(2010)

Vive Sol - Mountain View

5/5 stars

How have I not yet written a review for this place? Vive Sol is my favorite date place!

There are a ton of awesome taquerias in the Bay Area, but since most of them are fast food-y / hole-in-the-walls, they may not be best place for a nice date. That's where Vive Sol comes in.

They have a tiny bar area, but they serve the best margaritas in the area. Fresh-squeezed lime juice really does make a difference.

Their chips come with not one, but 3 incredibly fresh salsas (my favorite is the bright red one, very smoky). They specialize in sauces and it shows! Try: the pollo guajillo (Grandma's special!) or the enchiladas with guajillo sauce. It's sour-cream based, rich, and decadent. Really, really tasty. (oh. hello saliva.) If you don't want something too creamy, try the enchiladas suiza with both red and green sauce.

If you want to order an appetizer, their guac and mushrooms con chile seco are my picks.

Service is friendly and the restaurant is warm, cute, and inviting! I can't wait to go back again and again ...

(2010)

La Costa - San Jose

4/5 stars

UPDATE :)

Been back multiple times since my first visit ... I'm a huge fan of their quesadilla. Their quesadilla isn't flat, it's more like a gordita. The flour tortillas are pillowy, more like flatbread (my favorite part) and filled up nice and thick with cheese and your choice of meat (+ avocado, if you pay extra).

La Costa's quesadilla + sangria + tanning by the pool with a friend = awesome summer days.

***

Mexican. Check!
Fast. Check!
Authentic. Check!
Cheap. Check! Check! Check!
Taco Bell, it looks like you've got some competition. Actually, this is probably where Mexican people go when they want fast-food.

ATMOSPHERE: We parked, walked around the corner, and blinked. Where was the inside part? To my surprise, there is no inside. The colorful restaurant is outdoor dining only. They've got a good number of tables though - probably better in the summer. It was kinda cold, but oh well. When in Rome... The menu was hand-painted on the wall, nobody spoke English, and there was Mexican music blasting out of the speakers. I had a big silly grin on my face. This is gonna be fun!

FOOD: SO CHEAP! Dirt cheap. Almost everything is $5 or less. Score! I ordered the chili verde plate and the bf ordered the "talked about" shrimp ceviche and a carnitas burrito. Food came out nice and hot. My chili verde consisted of huge chunks of pork, rice, beans, tortillas, tomatoes, radishes, and lime wedges. I also got extra sliced fresh avocado for a dollar. Yum. The pork wasn't too fatty and very tender. The sauce wasn't as savory or as flavorful as I would have liked it, but hey, I got this whole package for 5 bucks so I can't really complain. Beans were really runny, but decent. Didn't like the rice at all - way too dry. The bf loved the shrimp ceviche, and for $3.50, they weren't skimpy on the shrimp! His burrito, for $3.75, was solid - more squat and wide than long. I took a bite and it was tasty - though way too spicy for me. If you don't like spicy, don't get the salsa added to it.

IN A MOUTHFUL: Cheap, super friendly, and good - I don't really see any problem with that!

(2008)