Eats - Mexican

Alberto's
956 Park Ave.
San Jose, CA 95126-3034
408/288-5928
Rating: **
I love this dive for some reason. It might be because they serve sopes, which I haven't had since I left LA, or that the food appears to be cooked by someone's mom. It's not pretty, but these homey dishes are prepared the way I think they are at home (uncompromised). The tiny dining room was recently separated from the bar area, which cuts down on the ambience a bit, but you can still overhear the soccer match on the TV.The restaurant is conveniently located across the street from Leather Masters (a leather fetish and general gay sex supply store), so you can pick up some Eros and condoms, then cross the street for pozole. 06/05/01

Aqui Cal-Mex Grill - Willow Glen location
1145 Lincoln Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125
408/995-0381
Rating: ***
Surprisingly good micro-chain of Mexican-California fusion foods. The specials are interesting and the ingredients are top-notch. Unfortunately, this place suffers from the weird American habit of making everything "healthy" so the flavor isn't always there. Still, it's a decent place to pick up a quick lunch or dinner, or have a casual bit on the open air patio out back. 06/02/2002

Consuelo Mexican Bistro
377 Santana Row
San Jose, CA 95128
408/260-7082
Rating: ****
My friend Cevin took me here for the first time, and we've been back many times since. Conseulo's does what I've always wished a Mexican restaurant would do, and that's cook traditional (or sort of traditional) dishes using top quality ingredients, and having the smarts to charge people for it because it's worth it.

NOTE: You order sides separately from your entree. Everything we've ever ordered has been very good (except for the small tamale appetizers, which you can skip), service has been good to excellent, and the we leave happy. We were just there in early May 2006 for dinner, and everything (carnitas, scallops, etc.) were very good. My only complaints are with presentation (sloppy for these prices) and the noise level within the restaurant. Dinner for two: $57 with tip. Support this place! 05/11/2006

Update: Feb 21, 2007 We return for a splurge dinner to celebrate my new job at Saba at one of my favorite San Jose restaurants. We had guacamole (I'm starting not to mind the show biz of the tableside prep), ceviche (very nice), pollo rellena huiltacoche (chicken with corn smut, which has an unusual flavor), carnitas (my fave), arroz platanos, friejoles negros, and nieve fruta and flan to finish it off. Did we actually eat all of this? No. A lot of it came back with us in the car. Service is considerate, although slow during busy times. Before tip: $74.70.

El Charro Restaurant
799 S. 1st St.
San Jose, CA 95113
This is in my neighborhood, and I was dying to try it because it's like being teleported back to the 50s. The inside and outside are vintage without irony. This is really a seafood restaurant, although you can order the typical Mexican dishes as well. We had a beautifully cooked fish and the carnitas, which were good but not fabulous. ORDER THE SEAFOOD. Before tip, dinner for two was $21.33 which is a serious bargain. August 15, 2007

El Grullense
2148 Story Rd.
San Jose, CA 95122
408/259-3814
Rating: ** (mostly because of their business hours)
I chanced on this place because the guy that I'm seeing was doing his laundry next door at the lavenderia, which interestingly uses the same chip-on-a-debit-card technology used by American Express Blue cards. Anyway, we were hungry so we wandered next door and found this place open (the hours on weekends are extraordinary—8 a.m. to 4 a.m. I had two al pastor sopes, which were okay. The shell was a little heavy and the meat wasn't very flavorful. My friend had the same sope and a taco. The menu is pretty extensive for a sobering up place, and included some Michoacana specialities, which we couldn't decipher. The staff was very friendly and very pretty. A special note: while we were ordering a transvestite in full drag walked in and ordered, and no one gawked, laughed, or raised a fuss, which I thought was a very, very good sign. There are three El Grullense locations, the other two being on 1175 E. Julian and 1696 Berryessa Rd. 01/26/03

La Michoacana
251 South B St.
San Mateo, CA
650/348-9610
Rating: ****
It's rare to find a restaurant that makes handmade tortillas, but this is basically the only reason I come to this small restaurant. The tortillas, which are served without fanfare, are thick and delicious. The room is split into two levels, with most of the tables being upstairs, directly above the kitchen. The chile verde and colorado are good, as are the beef tacos. 08/02

El Mezquite Restaurant
2323 The Alameda
Santa Clara, CA 95050
408/243-1357
Rating: **
This is a small, mom-and-pop restaurant a few blocks from my house, so I stop by regularly when I don't feel like cooking. The stand out is the carne asada plate, topped with grilled onions, guacamole, and salsa. I've been eating a lot of the chile colorado lately, and it keeps well, preserved by the pools chile oil. The homemade mole is good, although sometimes a bit overcooked. The burritos are a bargain, and the meats are usually juicy and flavorful. Homemade menudo is available weekends, although I've lost my taste for this style of tripe. 06/20/2002

La Milpa
107 N. Milpitas Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035-4404
Phone: 408/945-6540
Rating: ***
A very good family restaurant, especially for lunch. Whenver I go here I typically order the chicken mole enchiladas, which are dark, sweet, and topped with raw onion for balance. The other items on the menu are good Mexican-American food. Very reasonable prices, but it can get busy evenings, even during the week. 06/20/2002

La Paloma
2280 El Camino Real
Santa Clara CA
408/247-0990
Rating: *
I'm not sure why this restaurant is so highly regarded. It must be because it's easy to find and everything is covered with cheese. This is straight ahead Mexican-American food—cheese-laden, sour cream covered, on the bland side—which is why I usually have a difficult time finding something I want to eat. If you want something safe for your cousins from North Dakota to go to then go here, but beware: it's popular with screaming babies. 02/2002

Left At Albuquerque
1100 Burlingame Ave.
Burlingame, CA
650/401-5700
Rating: *
A chain, and not a particularly good one. They do have spotless bathrooms. 06/2002

Lucy's Tamale Factory
974 Story Road
San Jose, CA 95122
6 a.m.—10 p.m. daily
408/275-8262
Rating: ****
We stumbled on this place when buying baguettes and paté at Lee's, whose Story Road location is in the same shopping center. This is mostly a takeout joint, with a counter, two small tables, and a refrigerator with Mexican sodas. The pork and chicken tamales are very good, the best I've had in San Jose. Admittedly I haven't had a craving for Mexican food in a year or so, but we bought these at 2 p.m., which means they were probably put into the steamer much earlier and the masa was still fairly light. The pulled pork filling was a bit dry, but the pulled chicken was still moist and nicely spicy. They sell the tamales—pork, chicken, corn, sweet (with raisins, etc.), jalepeno and cheese—either individually or in batches of 15, so it's an easy way to feed a horde. 05/25/2003

Los Mexicanos
Restaurant y Taqueria
2651 Senter Road
San Jose CA 95111
408/280-5534
We stopped here because it's on the way to my uncle's house. There's also a really interesting Vietnamese bakery at the other end of the strip mall. They have some really unusual meats here, including something I can't really identify but is similar to tripas. This is the main reason we go back. The key here is that the tacos are regular size (not Taco Bell size) so you can try a lot of them. The other dishes that use the same meat are very good and are served in big portions, e.g., the burritos, although they add everything for you if you don't speak Spanish. They advertise their one-pound burritos, but I don't know how anyone could actually eat something like that. Fixings are on a small counter on the far wall from the ordering counter. Order, sit, enjoy. It's cheap, quick, and very good. Feb, 2007

Ofelia's Taqueria
3019 N. Tracy Blvd. (near Hwy 101)
Tracy, CA 95376
209/835-0852
Food: *** Service: ****
Stopped here by chance on the way home from Sacramento, and I'm glad I did. I chose the birria, which I didn't realize could be either beef or goat. I chose beef, which was delicious. The chunks of meat are good-sized and the serving is large. I had it as a soup ($8.95), and the broth was light and lovely. Tortillas are good, although pressed not patted. The papaya agua fresca ($1.95) was just the thing on what turned out to be a hot day. July, 2010

P.S. The only reason I used to take this exit from Hwy 101 is because it had one of the few remaining Long John Silver's fast food joints; the chicken planks are exquisite when they're not overly greasy.

Pancho's Mexican Grill
3440 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA
415/387-8226
Rating: **

Pancho's Mexican Grill
3440 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA
415/387-8226
Rating: **
We went here because it's across the street from Pier One, and I wanted to go look at what they had on sale. This is a tiny mom-and-pop joint, but the food is quite good. It's not up to San Jose standards, but the meat was tasty in our carnitas tacos (not dry) and the salsa was pretty good. Cute cook. Two carnitas burritos were $10.61. 08/27/2006

Plaza Garibaldi
1170 East Santa Clara St
San Jose, CA 95112
408/298-0121
Rating: ***
My friend Cevin took me here for dinner on a weeknight. First thing: don't order the guacamole, which was probably the worst I've ever had. Second: do try some of the odder items on the menu. I had a an interesting Michoacan dish with chicken and a layered tortilla "lasagna" covered with a delicious queso seco which I really enjoyed and haven't stopped thinking about. NOTE: I'm lactose intolerant and the cheese didn't bother me one bit. My friend's chili rellenos was also quite good, although I only had a bite. I would actually just skip the appetizers and order an extra entree if you're really, really hungry. Portions are generous and prices aren't outrageous. 09/16/2006

Taqueria Reina
1550 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA
415/431-0160
Rating: ***
A hole in the wall we found because it's an easy walk from the SoMa gay bars. They serve cabeza (cheeks) which is pretty unusual outside of the Mission District, so that's what I had along with some el pastor. Both were good, not great but the perfect snack. This is basically a take-out joint, but there are rows of simple tables if you don't feel like braving the wind. SPECIAL NOTE: The building this place is in has some of the most beautiful gold leaf work I've seen in the city. LOOK UP when you walk in during the day. Oct 18, 2008

Taqueria Tres Potrillos
670 N. Fair Oaks Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA
408/735-8657
Rating: ***
I went here with one of our VPs for lunch. It's good with super fast service despite the crowds and lunchtime line. I've had the carnitas burrito (good, but a little lean for my taste) and the al pastor burrito (both $5.25). Sodas are $1.50 for some reason. If you're a light eater like me, you'll have trouble finishing these at one sitting. This is strictly a mom-and-pop operation (the cashiers have the same striking blue eyes) and seating can get tight at lunch. July 24, 2008

Victor’s Mexican Food
210 Townsend St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 495-7018
Rating: **
Stopped here because the place that replaces my car windows (one of the dangers of having an obviously gay license plate cover) is two doors down. Small carnitas burrito was okay on meat but rice and beans are de facto rather than an option. I think the server gave me the less fatty pieces, which of course meant that they were a bit on the dry side. The most interesting thing was the fruity salsa which is available at each table. It was a lot like a faintly spicy, faintly sweet, faintly fruity apricot jam. Oct 18, 2006

CLOSED - Zazil Coastal Mexican Cuisine
845 Market St. Ste 400
San Francisco, CA 94102
Rating: ****
We stopped here because we were looking for the new Harry Potter. We had guacamole (prepared tableside which seems to be the unfortunate trend), callos de hacina (recommended), and arroz a la tumbada (also recommended). We finished off with arroz con leche and budin. The latter is a corn pudding, not always sweet, but it was here and it was delicious. Two coffees rounded out dinner. The set up of the restaurant is sort of odd because it tries to recreate patio dining in a mall, which unfortunately gives it the feeling of a really nice food court stall. Service was first-rate. The pricetag was high: $80.29 before tip so we won't be going here much. July 21, 2007

UPDATE Aug 10, 2008 - We return for lunch after an incredibly boring movie called "Wall-e" which I'd only recommend if you wanted to torture someone. We had the tostaditos sampler (fish cevichi, pork with chipotle (we think), and something else I've forgotten), a tamal verde, cochinita pibil, and a grilled halibut (the monthly special). The halibut was beautifully cooked—moist, but not transparent. My cochinita pibil-style was good, but not something I'd need to order again, and I'd definitely stir in the fruit salsa they provide for some acid to balance the meatiness. Total with coffees $63.56 before tip. Waitstaff is good and the busboys are super cute here.