Good Mexican food restaurant, nothing extraordinary but food is ok. I've been here more than a few times. Nothing really bad to say, service is good. Kind of place to go when you want basic Mexican food and not looking for anything fancy. Michaladas are good, again just basic good enough food. I would recommend as a good family restaurant that could use remodeling but that can be said about most small family restaurants. Try it for yourself when you're in the mood for burritos, tacos, enchiladas, etc. read more

I give this place five star. Excellent service, delicious food and awesome michiladas. read more

Casa Alvarez - Mexican Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

3.5 STARS. It's been awhile since my last review! It's about time for an update. I've been here a countless number of times since my first review. I've had both good and bad experiences the last few years. The food has always been consistently GREAT, but service has not. My friends and/or family and I have ordered to go most of the time and have eaten in the restaurant a few times. Casa Alvarez has prepared our to-go orders incorrectly on a number of occasions, but it's a good thing we have always checked our bags before leaving the restaurant, so we wouldn't have to make a second trip back if we were to find the mistakes upon returning home. The restaurant has rarely ever been apologetic about the mistakes, but at least they would correct them. It just takes extra time and patience, which can be frustrating when you're so hungry to get home to eat!! There's never been any compensation for any of the mistakes, which is fine, but to say the least, it would have alleviated some of our frustrations. Prices have gone up on almost all of the menu items, but that's expected since the cost of everything seems to be going up due to inflation and higher expenses in general. They offer some good lunch specials for awesome prices which are available from M-F: 9am to 2pm! I like getting their small, wet, Chicken Burrito for around $6.35. I've tried many of Casa's dishes over the past few years, and here are some notable ones: - Pollo a la Naranja ($12.95): Tender pieces of grilled chicken over rice. Topped with this delicious orange sauce. - Arroz Con Pollo ($11.95): Tender pieces of chicken and rice topped with ranchera sauce and pico de gallo. - Chicken Salad ($9.95): Fresh lettuce with marinated grilled chicken, tomatoes, and cheese. This dish sounds so simple, but it's HUGE and it comes in this huge, crispy tostada shell. I like adding avocado as a nice touch. Super filling and delicious! - Combinacion de Burritos ($9.75): Two small burritos filled with your choice of chicken, beef, or pork. Topped with sauce and melted cheese. Served with rice, beans, and sour cream. One of my favorite things to get here!! I love their shredded beef and tender chicken burritoes. I also add guac/avocado in the burritos to make them even more tasty! read more

It's my first but I hope yelp post this.. Food is really good here!! It was on point. I ordered a menudo and it was good. My boyfriend had a platter. But service was rude and as being on food service myself I expected much better. We were judged and treated poorly just because of being gay. I'd rather been refused to be rendered service than them seating us and makings feel uncomfortable with a server giving their gay guests the look like we are disgusting. As a food enthusiast you look up to not only good food but a good service hence we are paying not only for the food but the whole restaurant experience!!!! Never wished anyone bad but God bless this place but I'm never coming back!! read more

Food: I ordered the carne asada burrito and my GF ordered the enchilada, Chile reno, with rice and beans. I thought my food was good as the meat was nicely seasoned and cooked. They added quite a bit of refried beans in it. I also had a bite of my GF chicken enchilada. I thought it was okay. My GF on the other hand, felt the food tasted bland. Food rating: 3.5/5 Service: The service here is pretty good, we were nicely greeted by the hostess/cashier and our waiter was very nice. Service rating: 4.5/5 Price: My burrito I think was $8-$9, while my GF dinner combo was probably $11 Overall: I enjoyed my food here; there isn't a lot of Mexican places that we know of in the Rowland Heights area. Plus the service here was good. I would come back and sample their other dishes. read more

Smh..... Casa Alvarez has really gone down in food quality. Back about 3 to 4 years ago it was on top of its food and the passion that went into it. Now the food has gone down in taste, and the prices have increased. It is just not worth the value anymore. RIP CASA ALVAREZ. There 2 other local choices that I go to now. read more

Best Mexican food in the area to go. Owner is always there (shows he wants it right!). All the dishes on the menu are good. The bad posts are from entitled Millennial's who expect to be catered to. The owner won't, he caterers to the regular crowd who have been coming for years when his Dad Frank owned the place- same great food. read more

We decided to come here after grocery shopping and let me just say it was the best decision ever. We were greeted by very friendly staff who were very patient and smiling the whole time. They brought us water and chips and salsa right away which was great. I ordered the carne Asada enchiladas with green sauce and a jamaica. The guacamole that came with the enchiladas was nice and creamy. The enchiladas was packed with meat. We were debating between trying the Jamaica or the horchata and I can say that the Jamaica was a good choice because it was very fresh. It didn't taste too sweet or artificial. Next time I come back I will try the horchata. Overall the service was great, everyone was very friendly and the food was very comforting. It's hard to find places that offer such great service and great food. read more

Casa Alvarez - Mexican Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

I finally had an opportunity to try this little gem this past weekend...and I LIKED IT! First off, a pitcher of their house margarita is $12. Secondly, their free chips and salsa is AWESOME. Third, its running distance from my house. Check!Check!Check! From the outside, it looks a little ghetto, but once you're inside it looks like a cute little family establishment. They have an extensive menu, full of seafood and meat options. Amongst 3 people, we ordered the campenchana for starters, then the carne asada plate, shrimp enchiladas, and a chicken tostada salad. Everything was pretty standard, but I really enjoyed the campenchana. Prices and portions were reasonable. A must try if you live in Rowland and are craving Mexican! read more

I love this place! It's really good quality and big portions, I have tried many dishes here and they never let me down. My favorite is the Chile relleno burrito and the shredded steak burrito. I go there for taco Tuesday and get 2-3 tacos, there tacos are BIG. You should definetly try it out. This is not a modern fancy design looking restaurant, they have been there for ages. read more

This place is g-a-r-b-a-g-e. That's my honest assessment. Everything is overly greasy or cheesy (or a little bit of both, when it comes to the melted cheese on their probably canned beans). It's tasteless, heavy and a waste of calories/money. I've been here several times over the past 8-9 years because it's location is convenient to work and some folks like it (which perplexes me to no end). To each their own but ... really ... one has to lower their standards a good amount to consider this as passable Mexican food. I'd rather eat Taco Bell. For better options, try Mikasa, Osuna's, Taco Del Rio, Senor Baja ... anything but here. read more

Seems as though the food AND service has been going downhill fast since my last review. It seems like the same employees are still there, but it's been bad lately. The last couple times we went, we've had to wait way longer than before to get our orders taken, and the wait to get our check was so long that I had to go to the cashier and see if I could just pay for it there; I couldn't even find my waiter to ask him for the check! On top of that, some of the food isn't as good either - the arroz con pollo which used to be my favorite was changed - it wasn't the shredded chicken that it used to be, but instead pieces of chicken, which wouldn't be so bad if the chicken itself were tender, but it wasn't. It's a shame because this used to be one of my favorite places. Now when I feel like Mexican food I just go elsewhere. read more

Great, quick service. Not many Mexican food restaurant near home and this always hits the spot. Their fajitas are really good.

Casa Alvarez is the epitome of a family owned restaurant! The food truly has an authentic taste to it and more importantly the customer service is impeccable. Before I forget... the lunch specials are unbeatable for the portion of food served. This place is a must try, you will not be disappointed! read more

I've been here a few times with co-workers and only during lunch time. It fills you up and depending on what you get, it is a solid bargain. I've had a few things and the best is their asada salad. Good amount of meat. Good salsa is a plus but overall it's nothing to really write home about. read more

I only order to-go for the office. It seems that they always get something wrong on the order. There have been times I've had to drive back to the restaurant for them to correct the order. Once they forgot the order completely and I had to wait an additional 20 minutes for them to cook the order (totally defeating the purpose of calling in the order in the first place). The food is just ok so I guess I've been a glutton for punishment coming back. Today they missed 1/3 of the order completely. When does it stop? When I stop patronizing the business? Ridiculous. I complained to the waitstaff and they apologized and asked for me to give them another chance and I'm like I've already given you chances! Dang, I gave them plenty of chances but they just end up playing with my emotions by consistently messing up the orders! The waitstaff is friendly but they can't seem to get my orders straight. Sigh. read more

This place is amazing. Can't go wrong with the burritos or wet burritos. It's also a great place for Mole (Mo-Le), on top of a chile verde/ pork burrtio. The Chips and Salsa are never ending goodness. Absolutely wonderful service. Best Mexican restaurant in Rowland Heights area. read more

This place is okay. Nothing spectacular. Large portions, but the flavor is a bit lacking. The food fills me up, but I'm never satisfied after eating here. Staff is nice. Don't know if I'll keep coming here. read more

So let me start by saying I have been a long time patron.. The food has for the most part been pretty good.. The service has always been mediocre.. Lets get to my recent experience: Sunday morning I was in the mood for menudo.. Placed a to go order for 4 menudo's.. 3 of them without the meat (tripe).. I repeated myself just to be certain she got it.. I hate the meat but love the soup and corn.. Pick up my food.. Totally excited to have Sunday Menudo. Drove home opened it up and each and every one of the orders was WRONG!!! all had only meat.. Call them up told them the order was wrong and I will be coming back for a corrected order. Drove back to Rowland Heights from West Covina and guess what folks! When I check the order it was still wrong!!! OMG.. Thank good ness I checked. The staff was so rude.. They acted as if I had done something wrong.. I just paid $30.00 for and its wrong for the second time.. When I asked how would they compensate me for the huge mistake .. they said we will give you desert...What a joke.. I guess they just don't care if they loose a customer.. To bad.. For them.. read more

We were in the Rowland Heights area visiting a customer when suddenly hunger struck pretty hard. We were debating between asian food since this is the place to be for asian when we came across this small mexican restaurant so we decided to give it a try. Like most mexican restaurants they start you off with a basket of chips and salsa. Chips were warm and crispy and the salsa almost tasted like ceviche, yummy! I ordered a dish called "Carne en su jugo" which translates to "meat in its juice". I was expecting something brothy looking but instead I got a bowl full of a green sauce. Honestly, it tasted and looked like beef green chili. I have to say, though, that the sauce was very tasty and the beef was super tender but the meat to soup ratio was way off. The dish came with a side of peruvian beans and corn or flour tortillas. Good size portions and very filling. I asked for a soup container to go and brought the left over salsa with me to munch with chips later on this week. The bathroom was decently clean. Could have been a bit better but I know that it can be difficult to keep up at lunch crowd hours. Overall a good experience and for sure I would come back if in the area. read more

Casa Alvarez - Carne en su jugo with peruvian beans and bacon bits. - Mexican Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

See all

I ordered the Taquito Ranchero plate , and my husband had the shrimp quesadilla. Both were really good . read more

Casa Alvarez - Taquito Ranchero Lunch special . - Mexican Near Me - Rowland Heights, California

See all

Wine sangria margarita was absolutely amazing! Carne Asada was okay. Carne Asada burrito was big.

Menudo was great My wife had the chilaquiles which were awesome I have been coming here for years but had not been here in a while Did not disappoint read more

if i ever want sit down mexican food instead of that hole in the wall good stuff, i come to casa alvarez their food is pretty good but for mexican food i guess it's kind of pricey since it isn't some 24 hour stand, but i guess you pay for service and those delicious free chips n salsa.. it's not EXPENSIVE.. just.. more than what you COULD be paying i think the portions are pretty big..since rice and beans usually comes w/ what i order. read more

man oh man!!!!! i love this place!!! chile rellenos are to die for!!! rice & beans are so delicioso!!! Not to forget the bottomless chips & salsa.... I go here a lil toooo much!!! I'd recommend it to anyone & everyone!!! read more

When you eat at a place for every family birthday, holiday celebration and "life achievement celebration", you get tend to get a little jaded. Not with Casa Alvarez. Although I visit AT LEAST five times a year, I never grow tired of their authentic tasting Mexican dishes. My favorite: the wet chicken burrito. It's packed with chicken, beans and rice. They top it with red sauced and globs of cheese. The sour cream (which I always order on the side instead of on top) is like "icing on a cake". On days when I'm a little more than hungry, I can put away the entire thing (and it is a BIG burrito). I haven't had anything here I didn't like: Carnitas, Carne Asada, Shredded beef tacos, on and on and on, you won't find anything here that is inedible. The major "plus" here is that they give you an endless supply of chips and salsa, and the salsa is really good. Stop by, try Casa Alvarez, and if you see me, say hi, and let me know if I steered you in the right direction! I'll be the dude you see in my profile pic sitting around with a group of about 7-10 people in towards the center of the restaurant (yes, we have our own table when we go). read more

I got the 2 item combo plate for only around $10. I got the pork tamale and cheese enchilada. The enchilada was really good. However, the tamale was extremely dry and stale. It wasn't even flavorful. I tried putting on hot sauce to make it taste better but it was the same. The texture was rough too.. I do like the atmosphere here. It's very clean and nice. Fast service too! read more

What happened to this place? Use to be one of the best on my family's list of regular dining places. Around the same time the place flooded and was closed for clean up, I think the owners changed. Their great home made chips have been replaced with store bought cheapies. The dinners use to come on piping hot plates, and now the food is mediocre at best. Even though I'm on their regular coupon distribution area, I still avoid this place. Buy one get one free..., no thanks. Senior Alvarez, Please come back. read more

When we first moved to the area, we were craving Mexican food but weren't really wanting to drive out of the neighborhood. That was 14 years ago. Back then the steak picado was great and so was the free chips and salsa. Fast forward to around 2002, the food changed. The salsa is not so great, too much black pepper in it, the chips ARE always stale with no salt and finally, my beloved steak picado is yuck. Their taquitos and guacamole have always been gross, something about their guacamole being too lemony with no flavor. What I do like from Casa Alvarez is: Albondigas soup w/ side of rice Chili Verde wet burrito Two shredded fried beef tacos w/rice and beans Cheese enchilada plate Shredded beef enchilada plate and last but not least, the number 18 for breakfast. The best chips and salsa in the area would be over at Uptown Mexican Cafe on Gale. They have fresh, salted, chips with two kinds of salsa - hot or mild. YUM! read more

Ok...I'll admit, the food is very good and that is what a reviewer perhaps should emphasize, but, I must say, the service here is so sporadic and somewhat useless that it detracts from the eating experience. We've eaten here maybe 6 times in the last few months and had shi**y service 5 of the 6 times. The waitress takes the order, drops off the food and is never seen again until I go to the counter to find out why my check hasn't been delivered to the table when we're ready to pay. Apologies abound by the check out guy, but the service never gets any better. We're not going back, not because of the food, but because of the service. Lots of potential, but they just can't make the rubber hit the road. UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE....................... I must say the service has gotten noticeably better as of late...whew, the food is so good, I was afraid they'd kill the business with poor service. Congrats to the bro's for fixin the problem. read more

Service is always great. Chips & salsa are really good & i love their lunch specials as they are the perfect portion & price . i love getting their beef wet burrito or enchiladas. food comes out really quick too. can't really ask for more. :) read more

This place is really good for mexican food. It's a sitdown which is good-- The service is really good and the people are really nice (: I like to eat this place on occasion. I love their chips and salsa that they give for free. But overall I love this place. read more

AMAZING WET BURRITOS AND GREAT SERVICE! Carnitas wet burrito with red sauce is super good!!! Also horchata is really good! Loved it!

Over priced, bland Mexican food. $19 for Fajitas, Chimichanga did not have cheese on it. The complimentary chips and salsa were good. No wonder the place was empty at 7PM While the service was great, the food was not. read more

Catering order review only - Good food, but I made a catering order and they did not have order ready in time. I'd recommend calling to confirm your order is ready by the agreed upon pick-up time before driving there to pick it up. I'd like to give this place another try and dine-in though read more

I was there for breakfast on Sunday morning with two other guests. I ordered the Alvarez omelette and it came with a side on mashed potatoes and refried beans. I was very disappointed because the egg was cold, it had no flavor, and I am pretty sure the beans were Rosario canned beans. The tortillas were like mission tortillas. The other two guests were also disappointed about their menudo. The waiter was well mattered and polite, we'll give him five starts for his survive and zero stars for the food. P.S. If you want really want good Mexican food and good service I recommend you to go to Fonda Don Chon in Covina. read more

Friends and I had met up in the morning nearby at Frank and Son and decided to get something to eat. My friend suggested Casa Alvarez since she had seen the place a number of times in passing. We were sat when we walked in, waiter came by asking about drinks. We all ordered a variation of the same thing, two enchiladas with rice and beans. I had two cheese, one friend had one beef and one chicken and for the life of me I can't remember what my other friend had. Our orders also came with soup or salad. Two of us got Albondigas and another friend got the salad. The soup was ok. Came in a cup the size of a small coffee cup. Flavor was kind of bland and it had only two small meatballs and packed with onions, carrots, celery, etc.... Our food showed up and it all looked pretty good. The cheese on the enchiladas and beans was had that baked look which I like. Took a first bite of the rice and thought "hmmm, kinda bland". There's that word again....bland. The beans were good, so I went to the enchilada. That word comes up again.....bland. The sauce had no real taste. No real zest. My friend who ordered the beef and chicken enchiladas I could tell was not impressed with hers. She pulled the chicken out of one of the enchiladas and remarked how.....that word again....bland. I did end up eating all I had since it wasn't terrible, I've had worse before. I decided to try the Flan. That was pretty good. Could have used more caramel sauce, but I liked it. Anyway, since this place was some 35-40 miles from where I live, it's easy to say I won't be going there again if for some reason I'm in the area again. But, if I am, I'll definitely find someplace else to eat if I want Mexican. read more

We were in the neighborhood after going to a funeral nearby. Googled Mexican food and this place popped up. Good food, good service, very clean! read more

I've came here for years and absolutely love the food! It's a little pricey for Mexican food but makes sense due to their expensive rent. Plus, it's one of our only Mexican restaurants in the city! Staff is very friendly and I give the staff 5 stars, minus maybe the owner. I just think dealing with the public isn't his thing. The portion size is huge and always tastes fresh! I've been to so many Mexican restaurants and this by far is my ultimate favorite! read more

It's semi cheap. My elderly parents were dying for something like chain Mexican food like El Torito - and so we came here. Despite everyone's age this is probably mistaken for gas station bomb burritos. The chips: taste like day old cafeteria chips. The beans were so dry you could stick your fork in it. The guac: so bland it tasted like rice. Not sure how that is possible. The salsa: bottled. Pros: 4 dollar Bohemia! read more