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    Cali Spartan Mexican Kitchen

    4.5 (454 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Cali Spartan Mexican Kitchen Photos

    Business Info

    CALI SPARTAN MEXICAN KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials
    Good for groups

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    Super Soft Tacos
    Jessica N.

    Arrived here on a Friday night and got seated immediately! The quality even compared to downtown is the same and consistent. I'm so glad I don't have to go to dtsj anymore for Cali Spartan. I tried the super soft tacos this time since I got dental work and they are soft indeed. I'd totally recommend if you also want less carbs haha same thing but just a thinner tortilla. I look forward to coming again whenever I crave tacos or Mexican food!

    Double meat burrito
    Kaylee T.

    I got the double meat burrito and a horchata. The service was fast and Jesus was very nice, he noticed me standing and waiting for my take out and he pulled out a chair for me. I have always gone to the Sparcos near SJSU so this was my second time coming here. The red sauce is fire as always, and the burrito was packed with beef. I think the horchata here tastes sweeter than the one near SJSU but it is still yummy.

    Menu January 2026
    Emily W.

    I love Cali Spartan, I recommend this spot to everyone! I've been to the downtown San Jose location, blossom hill location, and this location plenty of times and it always hits. I usually get the big crispy tacos which are delicious. Perfect crunch from the crispy shells, flavorful toppings, kick from the orange sauce, and juiciness from the meat. Can't get any better than that. I love the carne asada, pastor, shrimp, and lengua. I usually also share the Cali fries which is a generous portion that can definitely be shared between 2-3 people. Service is really friendly and quick here! Indoor and outdoor seating both available.

    Orange sauce
    Daniel F.

    Ordered 3 soft tacos with pastor, birria, and asada. The tacos were generously packed full of the meats and other toppings, which were good so flavorful already, but their orange sauce took the tacos to a whole new level. The sauce was a perfect blend smoky, tangy, and slightly spicy. The sauce is so addictive and a must have here!

    Big Crispy
    Victor L.

    I ordered the Milanesa plate and it was not good. The breading was coming off, there's absolutely no crisp, and zero flavor. I've had amazing Milanesa in tortas at other establishments but it doesn't go well with rice and beans here. However, the rest of our meal was adequate and I think this place is great if you stick with the non-plate dishes. Food (3 stars) + Crispy tacos look pretty good for $15 and my friend seemed to enjoy it + Nachos meats are on the drier side but if you put their orange sauce it's pretty bomb + Orange sauce has a nice smoky flavor and spicy. It beats La Victoria. My favorite sauce! ~ Birria burrito is a good size and nice balance of beans and tender beef - Milanesa does not work for me and for $22 I felt like I threw my $ away - Refried beans is lacking depth in flavors. Service/Ambiance (4 stars) + It's well staffed here with engaging waiters + Good location, sit down style restaurant The name of the restaurant really fits the food they serve. I can't say it's authentic Mexican. It's more California infused Mexican style food. They make good fries and I hear their nacho fries are pretty good.

    Rice and michelada shrimp
    Rahul A.

    Ordered takeout I enjoyed the birria and carne asada super burritos from Cali Spartan. They were tasty and had plenty of meat, though not as tasty as the burritos from the downtown location. Michelada shrimps were bland, overcooked and the sauce tasted identical to tapatio. They also do not have good packaging for them so the sauce will spill out of the container. The rice was also very dry and had an undercooked and floury taste. While they have an unlimited salsa bar for dine-in customers, they are oddly stingy with their salsas to-go. If you want a salsa verde, you will need to trade them one of your other salsas.. Another odd limitation - they absolutely refuse to put chips on the side for nachos. I often order nachos like this so they don't get soggy during transportation, and have never had an issue with any other taquerias

    Carne asada fries
    Brian T.

    Popular taco chain in downtown SJ opened up in Evergreen! Great place for Mexican food and decorated with Christmas spirit. Lots of seating but we ordered on the phone for togo. Friendly staff. Known for their crispy tacos and orange sauce we got carne asada and al pastor. Carne asada was grilled well and al pastor had good flavoring. Comes with a creamy slice of avocado for a crunchy and flavorful bite. The birria taco comes with consome and was well balanced of rice and meat. Lightly crispy tortilla and tasty birria meat. Carne asada fries was loaded. They use the crispy seasoned fries and go great with the orange sauce. Also topped with lots of jalapeños. Would come back for the crispy taco and orange sauce!

    Stephanie H.

    Every time I come here the food always hits! The service was quick and friendly! We were seated quickly. We order three super tacos with lengua and asada. It was delicious, I enjoyed the avocado on top, but I did think they were slightly on the smaller side. For. The sauce bar, there was a lot to choose come, such as pickled onions! We also ordered fries and they were pretty good! Overalll I recommend this place!

    Asada fries
    Judy V.

    Good bye Iguanas! Hello Cali Spartan, welcome to the neighborhood! I am so happy for this new location since it is closer to home and we don't have to deal with the sucky parking lot in downtown. Our go to order from here are the carne asada fries (so good here), burritos, crispy tacos and peanut butter horchata! The peanut butter horchata is sooo good. If you like peanut butter, get this!

    My experience was excellent. From the moment we arrived, the staff was very friendly and attentive, always making sure we had everything we needed.

    Diabla shrimp
    Omar N.

    This is a nice sleeper restaurant in the evergreen area near evergreen valley college...took over the old 'iguanas' joint It is a low key taqueria that serves your favorite mexican foods. There is a salsa bar in the corner and they also offer cocktails and beer which makes for any great restaurant. Their menu is not overwhelming and their prices are decent for the area. Wait staff is attentive Restaurant is clean Plenty of seating

    Carne asada fries
    Steph C.

    Ordered carne asada fries to go. It was my first time trying it there. To be honest it wasn't for me, I feel like they skimped out on the cheese and I wasn't a big fan of the jalapeños on there. But to each its own. If I come back I'd ask for extra cheese and minus the jalapeños.

    Gil P.

    Definitely a good taco truck,the food was delicious can't go wrong here! They have a good selection of items to choose from. But I stuck with their Tacos I recommend this truck if you're in the area!

    Soft Tacos (3)

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    2 months ago

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    Saul M.

    It's an honor to serve you, thank you so much for your support.

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    3 days ago

    The atmosphere is pleasant and clean--ideal for enjoying with family, friends, or a partner. I would certainly highly recommend it.

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    Ask the Community - Cali Spartan Mexican Kitchen

    Do they take card/contactless payment?

    They take card. I used my Apple wallet to pay for my meal.

    View All 3 Questions

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    Añejo Cantina & Kitchen

    4.4
    (515 reviews)
    9.9 mi
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    Its nice to try and find new places to eat, my friend did the research and decided that this would…read morebe the place to try for our next get together. We met on Saturday for lunch. Plenty of parking available since the restaurant is in a strip mall. It wasn't too busy when we got there, but then it started picking up. There was only one server working and she was really hustling to meet everyone's needs. Plus, she was friendly. I had the carne asada burrito, it was good but nothing over the top that made it stand out. My friend had enchiladas with mole. We were most excited about dessert and decided to share the churros and Tres leches. It was a nice touch that the churros and Tres leches did not come plain, a little pizzazz since they were both served with berries, whipped cream, and a cajeta style sauce. Both of the desserts were so good and a perfect touch of sweetness.

    Second time dining here, the experience this time was more positive. We walked in around 6PM on a…read moreFriday night and there was no line and only a couple of tables occupied. We ordered right away and were served in a timely manner. Chips and guacamole - 5/5 Chicken Mole plate - 3/5 Enchiladas- 3/5 Ordered lemonade for drink, which was never served until we asked for it again, towards the end of our meal. The service is not the best and you have to try hard to catch the servers attention. The food was better this time, but not as good as many other Mexican restaurants. It is not what I consider authentic Mexican food.

    Photos
    Red enchilada
    Red enchilada
    Guacamole
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    Zona Rosa

    Zona Rosa

    3.9
    (1.8k reviews)
    8.1 mi
    $$

    For a while, Zona Rosa was one of my favorite restaurants, the food was delicious, it was a great…read moredeal, and the portions were big. Unfortunately inflation and the economy has changed the prices and food sizes, but at least it still tastes good. Some of my favorites here over the years have been the salmon tacos, Esquites, Enchiladas De Camarone and suizas, and the bacon guac. I used to not bat an eye and order whatever I wanted, but now I do have to think a little bit more so that the bill doesn't get too high. This location has a super cute front patio, it's bright, light, and airy, transporting you out of San Jose and right to a vacation mode. Even though it's on a pretty busy road, the traffic isn't usually distracting. Parking in the area can be hard, there's a couple paralele spots and then it's all neighborhood parking on the side of the street with the restaurant. Across the street can be a little bit easier.

    Still one of our favorite restaurants, even though we don't eat out as much as we used to…read more We came here on Father's Day with a friend visiting from out of town. They have seating out front inside and in the back, but the place was pretty full. Nonetheless, we were seated quickly as we had a reservation. It is a good idea to call ahead and make one. The prices are high, but hopefully all their people are making a good living and the portions are enough for our appetites at least. I had the shrimp enchiladas, and my wife had the vegetarian tacos with a side order of scrambled eggs. There was nearly a mixup as the waiter thought we wanted to order an egg taco and that's considerably more expensive but we got it straightened out with the maitre D. We also shared a Paloma cocktail with which has a pretty color and delightful taste.

    Photos
    Beautiful place
    Beautiful place
    The 5 taco plate
    The 5 taco plate
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    Tulum Mexican Kitchen

    Tulum Mexican Kitchen

    3.8
    (444 reviews)
    5.3 mi
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    Came yesterday for the first time & they had a DJ outside spinning good mixes…read more We went to the front & was seated right away. Our server was Sebastian & he was super friendly, attentive & recommended us the goods. My favorite here was their enchiladas - red & stuffed with chicken tinga. It also came with a side of rice & beans. The pickled red onions that came on top was delicious as well. My daughter even loved it & she's super picky about her onions. Drinks were good, the michelada with the shrimps - fire. Paloma - not that strong for the price you pay, but it was still alright. Guacamole - my kids loved Sebastian recommended us the coffee to-go, super flavorful Overall good vibes, great service, good food Will recommend.

    Our reservation to another place didn't work out for us so I called Tulum the afternoon before our…read moreholiday outing and the woman on the phone picked up promptly and noted they could accommodate a 12 person group at opening. This made it so seamless to reserve here. Our group got there at opening and our table was ready and most of the group was already seated when we got there. Drink orders were flowing as the waitress caught up to me and I got a cafe de olla. We browsed the menu and the more I looked the harder it was to pick one thing. I ended up choosing chilaquiles with a bandera sauce and carne asada as the added protein. The rest of the table got all different types of dishes from carne en su jugo to birria to omelettes. While we enjoyed each other's company sipping on our cafecito I enjoyed the ambiance of the space. Nicely decorated for the holidays. Since it was opening time it wasn't as loud as I imagine it can get in there. The sun did shine on the faces of those facing the windows which was not enjoyable for them. There was no way to cover the sun either since it was coming in from the top windows with no shade. My food came out along with the rest of the plates and we went right in to enjoy them. My favorite chilaquiles was covered in the white sauce. The red and green were good but the white sauce was my favorite. The carne was cooked well but I could taste it wasn't marinated or lacked flavor. I didn't get a knife to cut the meat so it was very difficult to enjoy a piece with my chilaquiles. It was hard to cut with a butter knife. I thought it would be a piece of steak but it was a piece of carne asada. Eggs were scrambled and cooked well. The whole plate was filling, had flavor, and was a good portion. The cafe de olla had a good flavor but a tad sweet for my preference. The space in here is a vibe. A fun place to enjoy large gatherings. I came for breakfast but will update when I come back to visit for dinner. Bathrooms are clean. Staff was welcoming and efficient in taking care of our group. Hospitality was a 10/10. Parking in the am was a breeze but at prime time I can see it being a complete nightmare so plan accordingly. I enjoyed my visit and will come back to check out the dinner menu.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Mini Birria Pambazo
    Mini Birria Pambazo
    Spicy Chicken Sandwich

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    LUNA Mexican Kitchen

    LUNA Mexican Kitchen

    4.3
    (3.3k reviews)
    8.2 mi
    $$

    Food and service excellent! Atmosphere is fun too. We go there every time we visit! The grandkids…read morelove it too!!!

    I've been wanting to try more Mexican food and stumbled across LUNA. The outside patio seating was…read morepleasant and perfect weather during my visit. As I entered the restaurant there was the aroma of fresh tortillas being made. Upon sitting down I was presented with fresh homemade corn tortilla chips along with two salsas (mild and medium) Tortilla chips were thick with just the right amount of crunch. Tasting the green (mild?) salsa was my favorite. It had a great tomatillo flavor with a creamy spiciness. It was a good reprieve from my main dish. A Paloma was my drink of choice this time. I'll preface this by saying I'm not a fan of tequila but when presented with the cold clay mug rimmed with salt and topped with orange and grapefruit, I was impressed. It was delicious, so refreshing, fragrant, and cold! A nice counterbalance to my meal. Chilaquiles was a dish I wanted to try. They had delicious chips again cooked in salsa verde. Covered with eggs (any style) fresh crema, avocado, and onions the chilaquiles exceeded my expectations. So simple yet so flavorful. Mixing up quantities of ingredients in each bite made for a delicious experience. My favorite element being the sharpness of the onions which cut the richness of the dish. I'm generally not a fan of refried beans but these ones had such a unique and satisfying flavor which complimented the dish well. My server, Luis was very helpful and quick to check in and make sure I was doing okay! I cannot wait to try out their fish tacos and various drinks from the menus next time!

    Photos
    - Guacamole  - avocado, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime, chicharrones
    - Guacamole - avocado, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime, chicharrones
    Bacon Wrapped Camarones - wild jumbo shrimp, bacon, queso Oaxaca, jalapeño, pea shoots, cabbage salad
    Bacon Wrapped Camarones - wild jumbo shrimp, bacon, queso Oaxaca, jalapeño, pea shoots, cabbage salad
    - Chocoflan - rich flourless chocolate cake, topped with flan, seasonal berries, whipped cream

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    Cali-Spartan Mexican Kitchen

    Cali-Spartan Mexican Kitchen

    3.8
    (605 reviews)
    6.4 mi
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    This place is so good. I'm glad to have tried it. I used to eat a lot of Mexican food when I went…read moreto school in SoCal, which is where I encountered Carne Asada Fries, so I make it a habit to get it at any restaurant that has it. CaliSparkles (what SJSU people call this restaurant), has it. SERVICE We came here on Saturday June 6th around noon. Quick to seat, took a bit to get our orders, but the waitress forgot that we asked for the check and to go boxes when we were done and didn't give us everything we asked for when we reminded her. In fact, all the servers vanished at the same time, and came back at the same time. FOOD Tacos are well priced ($3.50 for 1, $9 for 3 tacos), and I haven't seen that good of a deal in a long time. This is what they're known for and what most of my cousins ordered. Otherwise, one ordered a Super Burrito, and I ordered the Cali Fries with steak. It was soooo good. I loved that all the tacos and the fries came with avocado, some type of sauce, and tomatoes (I believe). Will def be back if I'm ever in the area.

    By far the worst service ever . I asked for a cup of ice…read morewhen the server came to give us the food, and we waited over 30 mins. I was almost done eating my food and still no cup of ice with water , I look up to see if I could get my servers attention and all 4 servers are at the bar chatting , laughing , gossiping and NO attention to the tables at all. There's about 10 tables right now being served. Food was OKAY, nothing special. I won't come back here again. No one came to check up on us after they served us with our food . We needed re-fills that we never got on our drinks .

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    You can watch your favorite sport!
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    3 crispy tacos
    3 crispy tacos
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    Birria Tacos

    Cali Spartan Mexican Kitchen - mexican - Updated July 2026

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