A hole in the wall type of restaurant, it's unassuming from the outside, located in the middle of a…read morestrip mall out of the way in San Mateo. When you walk in, you place your order directly with the cashier. If dining in, they will provide you with a basket of chips and you choose from an open table. The booths are a bit cramped with no space at all between yourself and the table but comfortable enough otherwise. There is a self service salsa bar in the corner - we really liked the creamy green salsa. Had just a slight kick but my 3 and 5 year old both loved it. I got a taco salad which is served in a taco bowl with all the ingredients of a super burrito, minus rice and cheese. It was very good, but the bottom of the shell gets really soggy so you can really just eat the top of the shell where it's still crispy. The rest of the family got super burritos and were very happy - the meat was crispy in some parts and moist/soft in other parts and the ratio of the other ingredients were perfect to complement the protein. Everyone left full and happy. Don't forget to get a sweet, cool, refreshing horchata drink to help wash down your meal!

Some how this place has 4 stars on yelp? Someone needs to explain this to me using small simple…read morewords so I can understand. Food- not good they have all the ingredients, but would it kill them to season their food. A little salt maybe while your cook. I had the torta con papas. Carne asada was not seasoned, it was just meat, avocado, tomato and lettuce, once I added salt, jalapeños and a little salsa it actually tasted like something. In all honesty I can't go back nor would I recommend it to my friends and if your Mexican and you like it que vergüenza. One star because they have free refills.

Been coming here for ages. Have had birthday parties here. Have brought home anniversary dinners…read moreas take out. These people are always friendly. They're always polite and the food is ALWAYS GOOD !! I don't know the secret to happiness but I tell you what - I've never been sad at El Sinaloense !!

Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch. Thanks #inkind for a free lunch ( and in this case…read moredinner at this fantastic local Mexican restaurant near downtown San Mateo. I love El Sinaloense for two things , ceviche and molcajete, which is a mixed grill type of Mexican dish named for the three footed volcanic rock vessel that it is cooked in. This was a molcajete day, despite the fact that I had no one to share the dish with. El Sinaloense has a couple of different versions, with a mix of seafood and meats, but the one I ordered today was their special with charred whole green onions, nuggets of tender roasted cactus ( nopals) as well as shrimp, chicken and shrimp. The molcajete sauce is what makes it special and cheese is added to the dish at the end. It is served with homemade corn and flour tortillas and a side ( very small portion relative to size of the main course, which easily feeds two or even three. That is correct, instead of a small portion of quality protein accompanied by a ton of beans and rice, El Sinaloense loads you up with the expensive, flavorful stuff, using the side plate as an accompaniment as it should be.. and BRAVO for that. At $30.95, for a shared entree this is such a cheap eat, especially when given the quality of the meat and shrimp. Today I sat outside and Mr Cesar took such good care of me. As an aside ( which I specialize in, mais of course ) it is worth noting that this lively establishment seems to be a World Cup mecca, for locals, with Happy Hour specials during games. Anyhow my molcajete arrived sizzling ( also worth nothing that this dish finishes cooking table-side due to it's vessel and is optimally consumed immediately because of the risk of overcooking as it sits. I made two gorgeous soft tacos, one steak and shrimp and one chicken and steak, each with a charred onion, lots of cactus and cheese and a small dollop of guacamole. They were filling and each ingredient sung. I will say that the steak had been rendered a tougher texture by the time I got to the second beautifully wrapped package. Taking my cue from this I opted to consume the rest if the shrimp, which were still perfectly cooked, rather than stuff another tortilla. Julius Cesar took care of bringing me a box for my considerable ( 2/3 of the molcajete contents) and an iced tea to go cup. Paying through the InKind app is seamless, just let your server know and in the case if this establishment, note the name of your server specifically. My points covered all but gratuity and my boys can stretch the leftovers with beans and cheese and make some killer nachos to watch World Cup tonight. 10 stars as a bang for buck- this cost me $7, but 4-+ because that 5th star is still elusive. That being said, I have never had anything but a stellar meal here and although today was a solo dining experience, El Sinaloense's atmosphere and drinks lend itself to a large group experience.

The food the first time I had it was pretty good! We got the huevos dishes that are for breakfast…read more They were generous with salad, beans, rice and tortillas. This time I got the chicken fajitas dish and tbh this would probably push the rating to 3.5. The chicken was okay but mushy. The green peppers and tomatoes were overcooked. You kind of want this dish to be griddled and charred. This was sort of disappointing. The service was really nice! The other dishes did seem good but maybe I'd steer away from fajitas since it was not grilled.

Best super burrito I've had for a longggg time. We got Al pastor and the flavor is spot on! I got…read morethe tacos for taco Tuesday and they allow mix and match of almost all meats except cabeza I think. I tried lengua, asada and al pastor. All were really good but I think I'd rate it asada, lengua, then pastor from least to best. There's lots of seating in the restaurant since it expands to next door. The food comes out at a standard wait time. I rate it 4 stars because taco prices are still fairly pricey for a deal.

We ordered for delivery from grubhub, and the delivwas very smooth…read more Our order was welldone open plqte picanha asada (beef) and open plate frango. The setting of the plate, with fries and beans and rice and meat is very welcoming. The rice was ok, the chicken was not that good, but the beef was delicious. The beans also was not that tasty, and who can complain about the fries. Overall good foos, and will order again.

Great food and service! Loved the steak and the chicken! I recommend trying out the picanha!read more

I heard so many great things about this place that I had to try it myself. There's not too many…read morehigh quality pupuserias around here, but this is a stand out. It's a food truck parked on the street near the corner of the shopping center nearby. Parking was pretty easy on the street or in the nearby shopping center. Don't expect an area to eat or tables unless you're gonna walk down to the shopping center or take it to go as most people do. The staff was very friendly and full of smiles, and I was able to order with my broken Spanish. Food: I wanted to try a variety of pupusas so got the Revueltas, spinach with cheese, and lorocco with cheese. All were very tasty and I would love to try the rest of the menu as well. My favorite by far is the pupusa Revueltas. This is as close to authentic Salvadoran you can get until you try the local cheeses in El Salvador.

Saw the great reviews and knew I would have to swing on by to satiate my craving for authentic…read morepupusas, since I was driving by anyway. Good decision. I ordered 4, all different, plus 3 pastor tacos. After I placed the order, he told me it would be about 15 minutes, great sign since it meant they would be freshly made. The pupusas were all $4 each and simply delicious. Loved the flavor of them and the curtido. I sent out a whatsapp to the family to have them all drop by to try these. Far better than most places around here that I've tried.

La Ronda in San Mateo is a great find! The service was genuinely friendly and attentive from start…read moreto finish, and the menu is impressively diverse with something for everyone (though vegetarians may have fairly limited options). The restaurant was a little more than half full when we had dinner there on a Friday night and the ambiance is lively but not loud. We ordered a variety of dishes and everything was delicious, with very generous portion sizes that left us so full (with leftovers to spare). The ceviches were bright, limey, and tart in the best way, the chicken wings were crispy and juicy, the papa rellena was especially interesting (almost like an inside-out, deep-fried baked potato) with olives and raisins that were a pleasant surprise, and the lomo saltado was as comforting and dependable as it usually is. To top it all off, they even offer Peruvian beers, which was the perfect way to wash everything down. The location is a little bit odd but easy enough to find and park (there is plenty of parking across the main street in front of the BevMo if there isn't any directly in front of the restaurant).

Love Peruvian food and always searching for the best version of lomo saltado…read more La Ronda specializes in seafood, but has all of the Peruvian specialties from beef hearts to chica morada that you would expect. Enjoyed our lunch in a classier environment than the gas station-adjacent strip mall suggests.

We just arrived in Redwood City after 10 hours on the road and just wanted to find something close…read moreby to eat. Found this place randomly on yelp and decided to try it with zero expectations. As soon as we walked in, we were hit by the live music and fun atmosphere. We ordered the NY steak for our daughter. We were going to order it cooked medium for her but most places usually overcook the steaks so we went with medium rare. This place does not overcook their steaks. It came out medium rare and maybe rare in some parts. It tasted great but we did try to cut around the rarer parts for our daughter. She ate half the steak and loved it. I ordered a seafood dish in tomato cream sauce and it was so good mixed with rice! My husband got the saltado with fried fish and that was good too, but maybe the fried fish on fries was a little too much fried stuff. Everything tasted great and service was friendly. I loved the music but it was a little too loud for my daughter even though we were pretty far back already. Definitely want to come back if we ever visit the area again, but maybe bring earplugs for my child.

I've been coming here since I was about 5 years old, and it's still one of my favorite Peruvian…read morerestaurants to this day. My family and I would always come here for birthday dinners or stop by on our way back to San Jose from San Francisco. Walking in always feels warm and welcoming with all the Peruvian paintings and decor throughout the restaurant. One of my favorite things is introducing my friends to this place because they always end up loving it too! The food here has always been consistently delicious and never disappoints and the customer service is great as well! If you're looking for authentic Peruvian food with a welcoming atmosphere, this place is definitely worth visiting.

A bit of a hole in the wall on a neat little business strip in San Mateo east of 101. Absolutely…read moredelicious food. The quesadilla was almost like a burrito - so full of carnitas. Highly recommend.

I've been here a few times now, and it's become a pretty reliable spot when I'm craving a solid…read moreburrito fix. Most recently, I got their super al pastor burrito, and it definitely hit the spot. The al pastor was flavorful with a nice balance of savory and slightly sweet, and they didn't skimp on the portions. Everything was well-packed, and the ingredients came together nicely without getting soggy halfway through. I've also tried their carne asada in the past, which was good as well. Tender and well seasoned, though not the most standout I've had in the area. Still, definitely satisfying and consistent. Service is quick and straightforward, and the vibe is your typical no frills taqueria. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. Overall, a dependable go-to for burritos in San Mateo. Not mind blowing, but solid enough that I keep coming back.