Absolutely love places like this! Feels like a little piece of Mexico. The food is fantastic! Tacos dorados with carnitas and potatoes dressed up in lettuce, sour cream and cheese. My lady enjoyed the chicken mole. Now the carnitas are the star of the show with the handmade blue tortillas. The carnitas pack a lot of flavor and very tender. Edwin was a gracious host and the ambiance is perfect. Great little spot with lots of flavor. Also the green salsa packed some heat. Must try if you are a fan of carnitas. read more

Such amazing food, the moment you take a bite you'll fall in love. Their quesadilla de chicharron prensado is to die for. The pork is flavorful and it's got just the right amount of crispiness to it. Their salsa verde is the best to go with the quesadilla. I'm bummed this place is just so far from where I live, but the next time I'm in Richmond this is the place to visit. read more

Carnitas El Canelo - Quesadilla de chicharron prensado - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

We got the carnitas tacos and they're HUGE! The green salsa is spicy but hella good. The carnitas were delicious! I also got the strawberry horchata and the lime cucumber agua fresca. The owners, wife and children were beyond friendly and helpful with their food options. Definitely recommend for anyone to try! read more

Carnitas El Canelo - Strawberry horchata - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

See all

A place that is easy to instantly fall in love with. Dad's on meat braising duty, mom's on tortillas, and the son was a wonderful host who explained the menu items, the care they put into sourcing ingredients, and made me feel at home. They take a lot of pride in where they get their cemita bread, cheese (Los Angeles) and Pulque (Mexico!) This carnitas taco is the best I've had in Oakland. I ordered it with the braised carnitas and chicharron. Soft, blue corn tortilla. Salty sweet sweet. Delicious braised meats. Vibrant and tasty salsa. They serve from here on weekends only but they have a truck nearby that's open during the weekdays - you can check their instagram for hours and exact location. read more

See all

Their food is delicious. The quesadilla with carnitas are on point and the salsas are amazing. Everything is fresh and authentic. Aguas frescas are very good as well. The service is great. read more

Carnitas El Canelo - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

The food is very yummy and the people here are really nice, came after my practice and was full after, they even gave us a free agua fresca. The location is really convenient. read more

Carnitas El Canelo - A torta de al pastor - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

Great small family-run business! Their setup is across the street from the address that is listed, I almost missed it haha. I appreciated their helpful breakdown of the menu. The cemita was so good, very flavorful and quite huge. They gave red and green salsas on the side, both pack a punch (especially the green one)! As of now they're only open on the weekend unfortunately. Will be coming back to try out more of their dishes for sure! read more

Carnitas El Canelo - Menu as of 5/11/24 - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

Great food and carnitas are the right texture not greasy at all. Would eat here again.

It was okay... pambazos were off the menu, which was the reason I came to try this place out. My cemita wasn't hot and didn't taste very fresh. The guy taking my order was really nice though. The restaurant is basically in the garage, which is totally fine. The TV was playing a channel of people dancing. Actual music or a game would have been better. read more

They've been parking their food truck in Martinez on Alhambra Ave for a few months. Absolutely fantastic tacos and a wonderful staff. Ate there for dinner last night and came back for lunch today! read more

We read about this home based taqueria in the SF Chronicle and it took us awhile before we made it here. Wish we had done so earlier. The food here is the bomb. Better than many of the regular Mexican restaurants we have been to. Because this is a home based business, extra love and care is paid to the food and it shows. We ordered two carnitas tacos (one with regular pork, the other pork rinds), Cemitas (mexican sandwich) with breaded pork and ham, quesabirra tacos (4 to an order) with consomme, and a cucumber/lime aqua frescas and a corn/strawberry horchata. The carnitas taco here is huge, about the size of a regular paper plate, and the blue corn tortilla they used was fresh made. They don't skimp on the meat. Portion was very generous. Toppings include avocado, chopped slaw, and cilantro. Red onion slices were on the slide, and we asked for the red and green sauces on the side as well. Both the regular pork and pork rinds tacos were delicious. The carnitas were well marinated and tender. Watch out for the red and green salsas cuz both are spicy! It was a good thing they cut the Cemitas in half, cuz it was also huge, like the size of a person's face. The breaded chicken was perfectly fried and the thin cut ham added to the taste. The proteins were complemented with some kind of red BBQ sauce. The quesabirra tacos were cheesy and the consomme broth was rich and aromatic. The drinks were refreshing and they were served in large beer mugs, and they kindly refill them for us. You can't expect much ambience in a home based restaurant. It is basically few tables (with table cloth) under a covered awning erected in someone's front yard, but it was still charming with some tasteful decor, and a large screen TV in a corner with salsa dancing playing on the screen. The great food more than make up for the lack of ambience. Servers were really nice. Parking is on nearby streets. read more

See all

I ordered a cemita and honestly I wasn't expecting much. To my surprise this made me feel like when I was little, eating cemitas in Puebla at our favorite restaurant by the ADO bus terminal. It doesn't get more authentic than this! Congratulations to this business and bless the hands that made this cemita. Can't wait to tell all my friends and family about this jewel I've found. read more

Carnitas El Canelo - Cemita!!!!! - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

Excellent food! I ordered a carnitas taco and a strawberry horchata. The taco and the horchata were both huge and delicious. The meat was moist and the tortilla homemade. The service was prompt and friendly. I went with a friend based on a SF Chronicle recommendation. So glad we did. I highly recommend Carnitas El Canelo. read more

Decepcionante y overpriced. La cemitas es solo un intento del platillo original, el pan de cemita no era fresco, la milanesa de res parece una tarjeta de Pokemon de lo mas delgada que te imagines, las hebras de quesillo escondidas entre lo que parece un papel de carton doblado de carne! Que no sabe ya a carne sino a una especie de carton para quien piense a que sabe el cartón! Pero le da al menos sabor una rebanada de Jamón convencional. El aguacate estaba golpeado y ennegrecido y el valor de la ejecución de esta pseudo operación es 20 dólares por orden, acompañadas de rabanos mal rebanados y dos rebanadas de limones secos y mal cortados. Esto esta lejos de ser un emblema Poblano y se convierte en una pesadilla. En donde esta el pápalo? No soy de Puebla pero esta representación fue hiriente al paladar! Por favor ya no les pongan semitas. Si quieren hacer algo destacable y original y es crítico l-constructivo para su mejora! Levanten su calidad si representan la gastronomía de un Estado! Si no hagan burritos nada mas! O el ridículo:) muchas gracias por no leerme y odiarme pero es la verdad:) primera y ultima vez que los pruebo y me gusta apoyar lo que es bueno. Sea esta mi decepción. read more

Just serving on the weekends. Very friendly - excellent food. I could eat here everyday!! read more

Carnitas El Canelo - Aqua fresca del dios!! Yum!! - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

The mexican food quality in Richmond is genrally a dissapointment for me. El Garage being the only go to spot for me in Richmond. I was pleasantly surprised the Quesabirria here is a virtual tie with El Garage, consome is excellent. The regular tacos are huge, think of a burrito with no beans and rice. I give it 7 out of 10. The tortas are also very good, breaded beef is 8.5 out of 10. All the salsas pack a spicy punch. Give this place a try, you should like it. read more

The food was good but it was insanely expensive. $65 for two entrees and 2 horchatas. read more

Went here after reading the review in the SF Chronicle food section --and are we glad we did! The food was amazing, and the people & service were wonderful. It is setup literally in front of someone's home in Richmond and so seating & parking can be a challenge, but if you're looking for delicious and authentic comida Puebla then do not let that deter you! read more

See all

One order of tacos dorados and 2 carnitas 1 Fresca 45 wow was a bit too crazy price, and the food is not really good I'm sorry but but I think I can get something better for less money read more

Carnitas El Canelo - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

Good spot for carnitas. Guac was spot on also with a little salsa. Parking is a little tough in that area.

Very nice customer service! Food was good and I enjoyed how they accommodated a kids plate for my children!

Food is very delicious. Everyone there is also very nice. I would recommend this place to anyone.

The food is incredible. The mole is legit and we ate until we hurt ourselves. Also, handmade blue corn tortillas? For real. Sorry no pic. We ate it all before thinking to take a pic read more

Definitely a hole-in-the-wall and one worth looking for. Very tasty carnitas in an excellent homemade blue corn tortilla. Not the greatest seating or restroom facilities but, well, it is a small front yard under a tent. Get over it and just enjoy the food! read more

This was my first visit and so happy I stopped by. The carnitas are flavorful and juicy. The red salsa is spicy and the final touch is the delicious handmade corn tortilla. And a special thank you to Edwin and the family. The were super nice and welcoming. I look forward to returning and trying something new on the menu. read more

one of the best carnitas I've ever had. The micheladas are so tasty and refreshing. the hend maid tortillas are fresh.

Best carnitas I've ever had. It's clear the owners know what they are doing and are very, very focused on the details. My taco (in a home made blue corn tortilla that was freshly made) had a fine tuned, perfect balance of flavors. Will make a point to go back to this place. read more

One of the best restaurants in Richmond everyone is so friendly and helpful 5 out of 5 stars hood real Mexican food

Great tacos but. .2 tacos,1 cheese quesadilla and soup for $57....crazy price. Be sure to check before you order.