Love the laid back approach this restaurant has. Great food. Expect a little longer to get your food but well worth it for the taste. Friendly workers, cheaper food. read more

Great, super fresh Mexican food. Not fancy, just great seafood and steak, and great service. Loved it!

Overpriced and the food used to be better. Seems like this place is just taking advantage of their location. Last time I came here it was for take out, I paid over $70 and the food burnt through the styrofoam so the food was ruined. Really disappointed that Cafe Del Sol isn't the same as it used to be. read more

Just looking for a spot and came over. As a vegetarian I have found myself all over food and have sampled a variety of Restaurants across the bay. This place has experience, energy and best of all LEGIT food. All fresh and brought out an authentic Latin experience, and my wife (not vegetarian) agreed this was a new favorite and Def spot to add to our list when we host family and friends from all over the world! read more

The restaurant is small and cute right on the corner of the street. The food was good. Several seafood dishes. Service was slow because they were short handed when we visited but they did their best with the staff they had. read more

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This is a small restaurant that does maybe 2-3 dishes well. Everything else is either mediocre or bad. If you come here, I would recommend to stick to seafood entrees, like the seafood enchiladas or grilled shrimp. That seems to be the chef's specialty. Everything else feels like a poorly executed after-thought. For example, let's talk about the salsa that came with the chips. You get a salsa verde and what looks like pico de gallo. Neither of these are spicy. The pico de gallo is more like lightly sauced diced tomatoes, but it was OK. The salsa verde, however, is embarrassingly bad. It tasted so different than what I expect, that maybe this was meant to be something else. Either way, it wasn't worth eating. My wife ordered the seafood enchilada and a bowl of soup, while I ordered the garlic shrimp. The enchilada and shrimp were both good, although I think I enjoyed the enchilada more than the shrimp. The bowl of soup was pretty horrible. We came here during lunch, and they only had 2 employees: the chef and the waitress. Service was a bit on the slower side, but it wasn't too bad (understandable given the small staff for a weekend lunch). We live in Mountain View, so coming out here is a bit of a trek. Given our experience, I don't think it will be worth visiting again. read more

Wow. 357 people have given this inauthentic Mexican restaurant an average of 4 stars?? Two things here...first-mozzarella cheese for a cheese enchilada? Next-how is this tiny ramekin make sense for salsa and chips? (Chips that were waiting at the table for us before we sat down mind you). SMDH. I'm beginning to question how a place like this gets such high rating! Are there so many people that come to this area and say this is 4 out of 5 star Mexican food bc they've never had good Mexican food? Holy cow this was terrible! Save your money. The other green salsa was some oiled down oregano concoction. The other ramekin of salsa had giant tomato chunks. The guac needed salt, lime, jalapeño....anything! The taco had over cooked steak. If this were my own restaurant, I would bow my head in shame for the mess that I had here today. read more

Cafe Del Sol - Just no...neither tablespoon of salsa tasted anything like it belonged in a Mexican restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Loved the food, loved the ambiance, loved the service. We got the shirt ribs and beef tostada salad. Noms! presentation of the food and the sauces were amazing. They've got down their recipes for their meat dishes we tried. I still have it 5 stars for the main courses, but my caveat is the flan was mediocre and disappointing. Too spongey, lacking silky smooth texture that makes a flan memorable. In spite of that one faux pas - still a wonderful experience, and I'll be back for more! read more

I have been looking for a great tasting Mexican Seafood restaurant for a few years in the Bay Area. None have come quite as close as Cafe Del Sol. The food is rich with flavor, uniqueness and personal attention to each dish. The staff and chef are very friendly and attentive. The location is hidden and small but very bright and refreshing on the inside. I ordered the Enchilada De Mariscos and it was absolutely amazing. The refried beans are perfect, as I can always tell good Mexican food by how the beans are prepared. Such a staple is complimented by the side guacamole and rice. The chips and salsa says it all once you have sat down with in your first 5 minutes of you visit. Trust me, you will be coming back for dinner after your first lunch at Cafe De Sol. read more

Chinese food...Filipino food.. and Mexican Food have one thing in common. A vast majority of these cultural cuisines are diet breakers. Its hard to scan through the menu and decided whether a hundred more calories is worth the added minutes on the treadmill. On this lunch visit with my buddy Mika, I hesitated for a bit. I had the calculator running through my mind as I added up today's lunch. Chips and salsa were already added to my hunger pains as I steered away from the tantalizing enchiladas and taquitos ( I was eyeballing the other dishes next to us ). Finally, I made my selection - the Burrito. I know not the best choice. But wait....substitute the chicken, pork, and beef with the shrimp. Yes, they serve shrimp (close to prawn size). I was pleased with the freshness and new flavor of this seafood burrito entree. Minus the baked beans ask for the Spanish rice instead. The presentation was well generous keeping my appetite within means. I am sometimes bothered that a light lunch will get me hungry again in a few hours. Instead, I didn't regret having a wholesome healthy lunch here and stayed within my calorie limits. However, I didn't do a very good job in the chips and salsa department. I know went well over 15 chips. Ambience: Small intimate setting with pleasurable dining space making it perfect for business lunch visits and dinner dates. Business casual is a plus. We were surround by business patrons on this day. Helpful Staff: Now this is where they need improvement. Three stars because of short hands. We found ourselves waiting quite a bit and looking at the watch. As I understand this is a family owned restaurant. I'm suggesting another visit on my behalf to see if service will be better. Parking: During lunch, I would suggest to arrive here by 11:30am. There's street parking around the restaurant but tough to find open spaces. We got lucky to find a parking lot within walking distance. read more

Cafe del Sol is small and crowded but wonderful. Very tasty Mexican food at a reasonable price. The mojo de ajo (garlic sauteed shrimp) is particularly good. The Sangria is good too. I live in Menlo Park and come here regularly. read more

I had a stressful day in court and hadn't eaten in like 10 hours. I needed sustenance, and Mike wanted Mexican. i wanted rice. We eventually agreed upon this place based on the 4 star reviews. I'm sorry to say, but i absolutely hate mexican food. I hate it to the core. Everyone in my family LOVES it. Well, tonight I can say, this restaurant turned me around and turned me on to Mexican Food, their way. Oh my god, my mouth is watering at the thought. The restaurant is located across from Su Hong Express. The service was beautiful and attentive. They were on their game and I had a headache and needed food. Excellent service As soon as we sat down, a beautiful plate of chips, guacamole and flautas, and complimentary mind you, was set before us. The flavors, crunchiness, creaminess on that plate, was a 4 star in itself. We both were impressed. And I am not easily as impressed as Mike. Quesadilla de camaron- fresh large prawns, light cheese and wonderful mango salsa. The flavors in the quesadilla and the mango salsa, crunchy and sweet and fresh succulent prawns were awesome. I was beaming with happiness at that point. I was smiling with joy. Outstanding Chicken soup - large chunks of chicken, rice floating in a lovely flavorful and savory broth Beef fajitas - solid Seafood relleno with cilantro rice and mango salsa - my god now this was a seafood wrapped in a package. Fresh prawns, fish, wrapped with cheese in a chile relleno and fried to perfection. The creamy aioli complemented the relleno well. The Cold mango salsa was dreamy. Everything was a flavor explosion In my mouth. Now people who know me know that I hate Mexican food. But this place Rocked my world I love you Cafe Del sol. you are my hero. read more

Café del Sol is a neat little gem among the warren of restaurants in downtown Menlo Park. Customers will be pleasantly greeted with a cozy ambiance, genial staff, good food, and fair price. Being the curmudgeon that I am, I have to subtract one star for the lack of convenient parking. Sorry! read more

HOLY MOTHER! Hands down the best Mexican restaurant in the bay area. And if you read my other reviews, you know that this is not over-praise or me being dramatic. Also, I lived in Arizona (mexican food central) for 2 years so I know my mexican cuisine. The food was amazing! PERFECTLY cooked. I will say there aren't too many veggie options but the ones they have are excellent. For veggies I'd recommend the veggie enchilada with mole sauce or poblano relleno. For chicken lovers, the mole poblano is awesome. The service was attentive, excellent and helpful. Thank you. Also my recommendation to the restaurant would be to include Chihuahua cheese in their menu. It would seriously MAKE the menu. Thank you for an awesome experience! read more

This is hands down the best Méxican restaurant on the Peninsula. Unlike a lot of cantina style restaurants, this is more fine dining. The seafood is always perfect, and the green salsa is fantastic. Great for families and kids, the kitchen is very accommodating for even picky tastes. This is a regular place for us, and the quality is fantastic, always. read more

A friend has been raving about Cafe Del Sol for ages and ages ... Me, being the Mexican food snob that I am, always shoved off the idea of venturing out of my fave zone. But finally one eve he caught me at a weak moment. "Ok. Sure. Let's meet at Cafe Del Sol." I mean it's Mexican food. It's gotta be good, right? Well, it's good. But just good. I was definitely not won over by their offering. It's pricey - too pricey for what I think you get. My fajitas were served swimming in oil. They did serve us 2 taquitos right when we sat down - that's cool. But I learned that was in lieu of chips & salsa. We had to pay for that ... What? I'm sorry. I draw the line when a MEXICAN RESTAURANT makes the customer PAY for CHIPS and SALSA ... That is just a crime! And there was only 1 type of salsa to choose from. Let me correct myself: 1 chunky salsa (very mild) and 1 other type of salsa (also very mild). Bummed. read more

I came back with Ken and we had dinner here on a Friday night. Their food is modern but tasty. They placed stuffed taquitos as a starter instead of plain chips and salsa on your table. Nice touch. Ken had the seafood enchiladas while I had the chicken adobado. Ken loved his dish so much, he inhaled it with a smile. I, on the other hand, did not like my chicken adobado. It was meh. Although I was quite pleased by how the chicken breast was tender and juicy and the serving was quite large. I wished I had ordered the red snapper tacos. Ahh maybe next time. I'd come back here again and not order the same dish twice. read more

Came here for lunch one weekday and was pleasantly surprised. Don't expect traditional Mexican food, for that try a taqueria in Redwood City. This is more "fancy pants" Mexican. Interesting flavor combinations and new takes on old favorites. I had a chicken burrito that had some interesting Indian spices in it. Also I loved the green salsa they served with chips. Overall the food was great and for lunch the prices were very reasonable (not really anymore than a burrito at the taqueria). I'd like to try them out for dinner some time. The restaurant is very small so it may get crowded on the weekends or evenings- there was no wait for lunch on a Thursday. read more

It's Sunday night and we're jonesing for Cafe Del Sol. Sadly they are closed. Just the thought of their mouth watering chips and salsa makes my stomach growl. Their entrees are also delicious, presented in an upscale way and made with meats that are seasoned slightly different than your typical Mexican place. Do yourself a favor and go check it out. read more

3-star food; 1-star service First impression was not great. When you walk in the door, the first thing you see (and smell) is the bathroom. While you wait to be seated .. yep, the bathroom is right in front of you. Some people weren't sure if we're waiting for the bathroom or to be seated. The 2 of us arrived at around 6:30 PM and were seated within 5 minutes. Our water was brought out 1 at a time -- first my friend got a glass of water then a few minutes later, I got one. Hmmmm ... odd. The server took our order and said he'll be right back with some chips and salsa. So far so good ... 5 minutes later, nothing ... 10 minutes, nothing .... 15 minutes ... no water in glass, no chips or salsa, no one came by to check, nothing ... 20 minutes later ... ah, the food arrived. At least the kitchen was doing its job. Maybe the food would've tasted better if we didn't have to wait so long for any kind of service. Finally, the water guy came by ... to fill up the water glasses for the table behind us. When we were done with our food, the busser / water guy came by to take the plates. That's when he filled up our water glasses. Then, the server came by and looking at our table, asked us if our food had arrived. This place has 1 server and 1 busser / water guy. They obviously could not handle serving a small dining area. If the food was great I would put up with the poor service to come back. But there's plenty of good Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area, so this one will not be getting my business in the future. read more

I initially came to try this restaurant based on the favorable yelp reviews. The food here is decent and the service is okay. I've been here twice and have tried the following: Poblano Relleno (B+) "Roasted poblano peppers stuffed with grilled seafood. Served with chipotle tequila cream sauce and cilantro rice". I love Chile Relleno so I was so excited to try this dish. This was decent but both times it was luke warm and still cold in the middle. A little disturbing since this is seafood. Red Snapper Dorado al Mojo de Ajo O Ranchero (B+) ~ "With mango salsa and cilantro rice". Not bad but not that flavorful. The mango salsa was good though. Spare Ribs (B)~ "Cooked in a sweet and spicy chile sauce served with guacamole, rice and refried beans" These were okay but very heavy. The sauce flavor just didn't do it for me. Guacamole (B) Regular guacamole. Not particularly special or flavorful and it was a little expensive for the portion size. Black Bean Soup (C). This was pretty terrible and completely underwhelming. In all honesty we should've sent it back. It had no flavor and looked like some black beans were thrown into the bowl from the can and heated up to be lukewarm. We ended up trying to salvage it by dipping some chips in it. Do not recommend. Service is not that great. I agree with the reviews below that they either are understaffed or do not know how to manage tables. We stood there as servers passed us for about 5 minutes before we were seated. The restaurant was not even very crowded during this time (maybe 3 tables besides us?). We had to flag someone down to ask for menus, flag someone down to order, flag them down for water refills, and flag them down to pay the bill. Conclusion: Cafe Del Sol does have a nice ambience but that doesn't make up for the other factors. I would be open to coming back but service and food would have to improve. read more

The good: Good rice. Good mango salsa. Nice sear on the shrimp (camarones a la plancha). The "eh": too much plate decoration with sauces makes it hard to place your utensils on your plate. The shrimp could have been cooked a little less. The potato taquitos were overhyped in the other reviews--needed more seasoning. The guacamole was good, but not great. read more

We stopped in here a couple months ago and while we were having another great meal the owner recognized me from this tiny little picture on Yelp. He came over and thanked us, we talked for a few minutes, and he even brought us dessert to say thanks. People say "class act" too liberally sometimes, but in this case it fits. It's nice to go to a restaurant where you know, consistently, the food will be good. But it's pretty extraordinary to see that kind of personal attention from an owner when you're not a big shot or regular. Thanks! read more

This is the Mexican restaurant I like to go to to impress friends of my great restaurant knowledge. I like everything, burritos, tacos, enchiladas. I especially like the shrimp quesedillas here. yum city. Beware the home made chips! You get refills and completely filled before what you ordered shows up. The order is not slow, I just inhale the chips and salsa, ask for more as if I am addicted, and inhale more. Not fun starting a huge burrito with a bellyful of chips busting out all over. read more

This place is excellent! Always a good experience. Friendly and accomodating staff. Delicious food and great service. Highly recommend!!! read more

This is probably the worst dining experience I got. Called restaurant on Thursday, made reservations for 11 people table for Friday's company group lunch. Checked in Friday morning, nobody picked the phone. And when we arrived there, the restaurant was closed. We didn't get any notice on it. read more

IN LOVE. Did you hear me?? IN LOOOOOOVVVVEEEEEEE. This is one of my favorite restaurants to go to in Menlo Park. The food is delicious and the service is always perfect. They make really good Mexican food and have a great selection of wine and drinks. I always leave here feeling satisfied and not feeling like I just inhaled a ton of greasy Mexican food. Go! read more

My work amigos and I recently moved to a new office in Menlo Park. We were quite pleased to find this place just a block away. Food was tasty, and I'm especially pleased with the juiciness of the meat. Beautiful food presentation as well. Staff was quite friendly, but I do agree it could be a little more attentive. Personally, I don't like to give low ratings just because an order was wrong, or service could be better if the food is still very good. The food makes any it all worth it in the end. I plan to make this a consistent lunch spot during the workweek. read more

I'm writing this to the owner of Cafe Del Sol. My partner and I ate at your restaurant last night after having taken a one year break. We've eaten at Cafe Del Sol at least 10 times and each time I leave wanting more and better. It happened again last night - here's why: - Prices and portions are out of whack. Grilled shrimp $18.50 comes with 6 shrimp, a cup of rice, 1/2 cup of mango "salsa" and some lettuce. Ingredient wholesale, $3. That's a huge markup. How about "surprising and delighting" your patrons with 10 shrimp or a side caesar or a baked rice dish to go along with the shrimp. As it is, it's salty, fine and crazy overpriced. - The "famous" seafood enchiladas. My partner ordered - one large enchilada, 3 tablespoons of seafood. Again, fine but $18.50?? - The "wine" selection - red and white. Yawn. - Chips and salsa - not provided. Chip and Guac - we ordered. 30 chips, 3/4 cup of guac. $12. Bland, boring, uninspired. - The music system is broken. It's been broken for years. If there is background music playing it is either (a) muffled by static, (b) inappropriately loud or (c) off/on/off/on irritating. Spend $100 and get a new system. - Your window blinds. Some are broken, some are missing, all are dirty. Again, show your customers you care and spend $250 and get new blinds online. They're cheap but noticeable. www.blinds.com - The space. Clearly this was once a hair salon or small retail store. Do something to make it more welcoming and homey. A box of paper table coverings blocking the side entrance isn't welcoming. The scuffed and potholed floors look bad. I think you've grown bored of owning a restaurant. The food is bland, overpriced and uninteresting. The menu is tired. The staff is bored and disinterested. If you want to be in the restaurant business with a great location in downtown Menlo Park - act like it. We'll probably wait another year and give you one last try. Fingers crossed. read more

I remember back in the day this was a Vietnamese restaurant. I didnt expect much of the place but was pleasantly surprised. Came for lunch one day for a quick bite. Got the Arrachera; grilled hanger steak served with grilled jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, brochette, rice and refried beans was super tasty. I dont know what's in the seasonings exactly but it was definitely solid. The space is a bit eclectic but with bright colors and elegant. There's a diamond in the rough in certain places and Cafe Del Sol definitely qualifies in this part of Menlo Park read more

My first time here. It was more like 3 1/2 stars, but that was based on the carne asada in the taco. Everything else was outstanding. I didn't have any issues with the service. I had the "el combo". Taco and enchilada, with choice of beef or chicken.. First comes a complimentary tacquito. Although the filling was decent beans, the guac/sauce was very very good. I loved this (and did I mention complimentary?). I usually stay away from standard taco enchilada fair at Mexican restaurants, but it was what my tummy was calling for. The taco was good, although the carne asada was tough but flavorful. Minus 1/2 star. If this was better they would have earned a real 4 stars. The chicken enchilada was very good with a very red sauce on top, and very well seasoned chicken. The beans and rice are as good as it gets. The beans were flavorful with authentic queso mexicano. The rice wasn't typical orange spanish rice, but green in color, and a more cilantro flavor. The guacamole was excellent. Also beware - Beer and wine only. I am definitely coming back. read more

A different Mexican food experience that what you would get a little further north in Redwood City. Most of your standard Mexican options but with little twists on the traditional flavors. Our waitress was a little surly, think she was the same one that Grace K had. Taquitos instead of chips and salsa? I'm ok with that. I got El Combo with a carne asada taco and a chicken enchilada. The carne asada was very good except for a few chewy fatty pieces and the enchilada was decent, I would have preferred a less sweet, more spicy sauce. Hubster liked his fish tacos, one was salmon and the other was some white fish. The white fish was very good (I tried some) and Hubster said the salmon was good, but paled in comparison to the other fish. A nice place, but the food wasn't anything outstanding. A lot of white people in here, I guess that says something. read more

Poblano Relleno was the rare type of wonderful that has the power to make this your favorite restaurant after one bite. Service was timely but nothing special (they called me and my girlfriend and another lady "guys"), ambience was lovely except that the CD kept skipping, parking was a little tricky, but none of that mattered because the food was sooooooooooo good! read more

Cafe Del Sol - Poblano Relleno - Mexican Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Great food. Super nice workers. Easy in/out. Not your typical Mexican restaurant. Think gourmet Mexican food. From the free mini-appetizer to the large sized portions, you'll be pleased with the food quality and portions. Funky (fun) environment. If you're local you're bound to run into a local friend while eating. Try this restaurant. read more

First and foremost it should be noted that this restaurant specializes in *fish*. Unfortunately, my husband is not a fan of fish. So, his options were somewhat limited. He ordered the mole chicken, and it was just OK. It was both spicy and bland, a strange combination. Adding a bit of salt made it tastier. My dish, on the other hand, was wonderful. I ordered the shrimp with garlic sauce. The sauce was amazing. The shrimp were cooked perfectly. My only gripe was the ratio of salsa to shrimp. There were only 6 shrimp and then 2 mounds of salsa on the plate (one mango-based, the other tomato-based). The salsas were great, but I felt like one more shrimp should have been added to the plate to create the perfect harmony. A few extra notes: - We had a fairly long wait. It's a small place, and the waiters were running around like mad. Get there early, or make reservations (if this is possible?) - The seating arrangement was kind of odd - the restaurant is divided into 3 rooms. Two of the rooms have a really nice atmosphere and decor, the third was really bright and right near the kitchen. I'm glad we didn't sit there. - The taquito and chip appetizer was really good! Everything about it was perfect. It's a really nice change from the regular chips and salsa that are served at other Mexican restaurants. read more

This is without question one of the best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area. The best dish in my opinion is the seafood enchilada (i think it's called enchilada de mariscos)... i forget the name bc I now just get the veggie burrito which is also excellent. The chips and salsa are also the best of any restaurant in the south bay. They improved their green salsa which I used to not like very much so both of their salsas (tomato and green) now are awesome. Between this restaurant and Fiesta Del Mar in Mountain View, they are pretty much the best in the South Bay and possibly all of SF Bay Area. It's funny bc this restaurant used to be so hidden, not many people knew about it 2 years ago but somehow the word got out and even though there's construction you actually have to wait to get a table sometimes now. Anyway, the secret's out and the people at the restaurant seem to be very nice so I'm really glad that they are starting to get the traffic they deserve. read more

Terrific, fresh food. Great flavor, and not heavy, cheese-drenched stuff. Very reasonably priced, too. This place is an amazing find. I almost don't want to write a positive review because it'll just make the place harder to get into. The best Mexican restaurant on the Peninsula, bar none. UPDATE: Upon further review, I feel that this is the best Mexican restaurant in the City as well. Sure, you can find fancier and more expensive Mexican, but not better. read more

Three stars for the quality of ingredients. You can really tell. I crave their salads all the time! Juicy marinated chicken, roasted skewer of vegetables, on a tasty salad! Fabulous Negative -2 stars for service. Please hire more staff! That is their only downfall, otherwise this restaurant would have so much potential. read more

This is the best Mexican restaurant ever. The burritos and fish tacos are out of this world and the service is wonderful. I go here at least once a week, highly recommend! read more

So the food is mediocre which is why I give it 2 stars. First off, the chips and salsa and chiquitos they gave as an appetizer was definitely a plus since they didn't just give us cheap chips and salsa. Other than that the food was just not good. I ordered the chicken dish under the mole since it was supposedly not spicy. It was spicy and I hate spicy (it was probably mild but I can't stand mild either). The chicken was bone dry and just yucky because the sauce was just poured on dry chicken. The grilled veggies were acceptable as were the beans and rice but come on. I've had good chicken dishes at Mexican restaurants that were marinated. They need to marinate their meat. My date had the mole and complained of the same thing: Bone dry chicken..YUCK! Each of these dishes are $13.95 or so which isn't cheap! Other than that we did not order any beverages besides water. The service was good since they refilled my cup 3 times due to my intolerance for spicy foods which did not help my chapped blister lips. Would not go back. read more