This is a small but delightful restaurant in the fast, casual ethnic food category. There's a lot of Mexican food restaurants out there, which are great, but this restaurant specializes in central American food. If you haven't become familiar with it yet, give it a try! Their pupusa and their tamales are delicious. And you don't have to spend a lot of money to get great tasting food. I only spent $11 for example on my recent lunch there and got two items which filled me up sufficiently. I'll definitely be going back to Cocina Antigua on my rounds through Novato read more

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Delicious Guatemalan food. Many aqua frescas. Had the Plato Antigua and partner had a beef with mole sauce. Beans, guacamole and salsa yummy. Plantains fried to perfection. read more

I stopped here on a road trip, and I was blown away by the service and quality of the food here. The woman who took our order was extremely friendly, immediately greeting us, and offering suggestions and help with looking at all of the various menu options. Since it was morning, we opted for breakfast burritos. She was accommodating and made sure to note down dietary preferences, which included no sour cream on one and no cheese on the other. Wow! These burritos were huge and packed with eggs, ham, beans, and cheese. Whole they were flavorful on their own, the salsa added an amazing touch and hint of spice. The best part, however, were the homemade tortillas which are some of the best I've ever had. Excellent all around and would definitely come back! read more

Food was delicious, and decently priced. We tried the tacos al pastor, cheese, and mixed pupusas, and the Central American breakfast. The coffee was perfect and the guava agua fresca was refreshing. read more

Great place to come with your folks. Loved the food and sweet hospitality. The dishes are pure and hearty. If you're in the area how can you not stop by for a pupusa and fresh baked cookie? read more

Cocina Antigua - T is for Taco - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

It was not overly crowded when I was there over the weekend. We all enjoyed our meals with the refreshing aguas frescas; I had the pineapple and my husband and mom had the guanábana. For food my mom had pupusas, I had the huevos rancheros and husband had the desayuno centro americano. I feel good supporting this small business, plus it's good portion at a decent price. The restaurant was nice and quiet which allowed us to enjoy our time conversing. I look forward to returning soon! read more

Cocina Antigua - Plato centro americano - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

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A humble restaurant with fantastic food, particularly the tamales. Eat in or take away. Rated the best tamales in Marin County. Go Cocina! read more

Found this place by chance while traveling, but so glad we stumbled upon this hidden gem. Authentic and tasty food in a humble and quaint nook that didn't disappoint. We had the bean and cheese pupusas, tacos chapines, and angus frescas. The staff were very friendly and made our meals from scratch. We are stopping on our way back from our travels! Highly recommend! read more

So many things on the menu but if your not familiar with Central American food, it's kind of hard to choose because there are no photos or descriptions on the menu or menu boards. We ended up getting 3 pupusas again. The pork, chicken and zucchini. They all were good and kind of fun to eat because they're like pancakes with fillings. It also came with a flavorful tomato's sauce that I liked because it didn't rely on heat to give it flavor. But my favorite part of the dish was the tiny cabbage salad on the side. The owner brought us an extra plate with another little side of it which I finished quickly . It had so much flavor. I'd like to come back and try different foods but have to educate myself a bit more on Guatemalan cuisine. Lol. read more

Cocina Antigua - Tacos chapimese & pork pupisa - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

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I get notices on my Yelp to try restaurants in my area, this was a recent one. Since we moved here I've really not been satisfied with Latin food choices. I was super excited to see this one..Well I read reviews and tryed some of the locals favorites..No joke the Tacos Chapines are my favorite tacos this far in my 56 years of life. Of course you cannot go without having their freshly made papusas, man they are good and the sauces that come with each dish are really flavorful..We took home some Plantanos with leche"crema" inside..Were going to have them with coffee. But I'm way to full to eat them yet.. The staff, and owners were so welcoming and took time to help us order..I'd eat here again and again..Best place hands down for tacos and Latin foods..Can't wait to try some more items on the menu..For now we are happy and full. Thankyou to the owners and staff working tonight for making our visit, also my Birthday dinner super special and fun.. I highly recommend eating here..You will not be disappointed. read more

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Well, we found this place by searching "lunch" on yelp and we had never had Guatemalan food, but we were feeling adventurous, so we popped in. Small hole in the wall style place, very very spartan, which is fine. Once inside though we immediately became worried, the staff was very cold and unhelpful, someone stepped right in front of us WHILE we were ordering and they started helping them instead of us, which completely blew us away and was insanely rude. The food on the menu looks incredible and we ordered some Pupusas, and Tacos Chapines which everyone was raving about on Yelp, and when everything came it looked as good as promised but tasted SO bland and under seasoned. We didn't know exactly what to expect but we know good food, and this wasn't it. The salsas were spicy but extremely salty which may be authentic but it didn't compliment the food well, the pupusas were tough and it was impossible to bite into them without spilling the cheese inside all over, and everything just kind of tasted the same. When we asked out server for some red salsa they rolled their eyes at us, when asked if they had any beer they just said flatly: "no." There's literally nothing about this experience or place that I can recommend at all, even their custard plantains were very bland and tasted just wrong. I'm not past giving Guatemalan food another try but I find it hard to believe it's supposed to taste like this. read more

Pupusas are yum. Small location, but the food is worth it. Check it out if you're in Novato. read more

Decent restaurant been there a couple of times, there are better pupusas elsewhere in my opinion but for the sake of proximity theirs will do. Service is great and staff is friendly. I give 3 stars just because I haven't had much of their other food so I can't say too much although one time they served out a bad batch of horchata and I asked for a replacement drink because it was very spoiled and sour and they kept trying to convince me that it was just like that and someone left it out for a "bit" and it was safe to drink but it was absolutely disgusting from the one sip I took. read more

Really delicious, hearty food for a reasonable price. Service is friendly and prompt. I was able to get 5 pupusas in less than 25 minutes during the lunch rush which I'm super grateful for. Haven't tried their full menu before but I've had so many good experiences with the staff and I really think they're a gem read more

Very good food, great people. Would be great if they could accept Zelle or cash app to order and pay.

This not a Mexican restaurant but they serve some similar items. I really liked this spot because they have a variety of dishes that you might find in Central America. It's a nice change from a typical Mexican restaurant menu. Since this was our first time here, we ordered several different items. We ordered several flavors of pupusas and tacos. My daughters ordered horchata which seemed to be good, but I'm not a big fan of this type of beverage. I got an al pastor and a chicken taco. Both were good. Al Pastor is my favorite meat choice for tacos. Their version was good. My daughters really enjoyed the chicken tacos and said they'd come back for those. I've only had pupusas a few times before this. They have never ever grabbed me, but I'm always willing to try a new one. I got the pork pupusa. I would not have known it was pork if I hadn't ordered it. It was average and was helped by the side of salsa(?) and cabbage. My daughters also tried the pupusas and also thought they were okay. We all agreed that pupusas weren't flavorful enough. This place was good and we'd like to come back. There are definitely other items on the the menu that we'd like to try. Notes: They have several tables outdoors. They have an attached market. they have very good and long hours of operation. read more

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Talk about a hole-in-the-wall, I knew where this place was and still had a hard time finding it! (PS: Next door to Tommy Salsa). Well, Guatemalan food has arrived in Novato and I couldn't be happier. Always on the lookout for something different, I was intrigued to learn of a new restaurant opening in the shopping center strip known for Redwood Bagel & Tommy Salsa. Today, my wife and niece came with me to check it out. The menu is full of exotic sounding dishes as well as some very typical Central American fare - there are menu photos posted here to check out. I went for the Tacos Chapines, my wife had the Caldo de pollo (gallina), and my niece just had a bean and cheese Pupusa with a horchata. Just the smell of the place made us even hungrier as we waited (not long) for our meals. My niece kept saying "oh yeah I made the right choice" as she wolfed down her pupusa, my wife couldn't believe how much food came for her soup (a bowl of soup PLUS a plate of chicken and rice), and the house special tacos were off the hook! The people at the next table kept asking "What's that? What did you order" and their plates looked just as good as ours! Only open for a couple of weeks as of this writing, I hope Antigua has a LOONG tenure here in Novato. I'm tempted to go back tomorrow and try three more dishes! Just a note - the restaurant is attached to a market, so if you go in the Redwood Bagel side you'll have to walk to the back and make a right to get into the restaurant. Table service was very prompt and everyone seems very friendly! Check it out, something DIFFERENT for a change! read more

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BAD, BAD SERVICE!!- Greasy food! There was one table inside and one out, yet it took 35 minutes to get my food... TWO LITTLE -ITTY BITTY TACOS. 6 people working there at the time. These 2 tacos and a horchata cost me $14.00 bucks - NO CHIPS AND I HAD TO ASK FOR SALSA. The reviews on this place must be fake! read more

Cocina Antigua - $15.00 BUCKS FOR THESE TINY TACOS- and a Horchata that was 90% ICE. SO NOT WORTH IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

The food is AMAZING!!! Staff is also so kind. I recommend the tamales and pupusas they are some of the best I've ever had. The tamales are so moist and packed with flavor. I'm so glad I found this spot and will keep coming back!! read more

This restaurant is great - good combos and popusas. I really wish they would set up a Zelle or Venmo account so people can order in advance and pick up. Food trucks do this and it would make things easier. read more

I order some pupusas and they were so dry and not cooked enough that made me get food poisoning from that place. Hope that the service will improve next time, I will not be returning, there were loud music which made me hard to hear. read more

Needed to grab a quick dinner Sunday night. Was a little busy. Three of us over ordered so much to choose from. Small little not fancy place for very good food. Tried the empanadas. Light and crispy dough with tasty pollo filling. Tamales were for breakfast but bro said we have to try the Guatemalan style. Haha tried two one with rice and the other corn/masa. Both were a creamy consistency and both very good. Then el pastor. Pop was the flavor. Just a little different from what others serve. Pork was not fatty and so tasty. Pupusas. Did I say we over ordered. . Hand made and delightful. Okay last promise was fried plantains. Perfect savory sweet with black bean puree and crema. Will we be back? You betcha we will. read more

The place is good, clean and good friendly service. The food is pretty good too, I would recommend it and I would come again. I came in through the store, I got thrown off by that but restaurant is at the end and it does have its own entrance . The food portions are big so come with a good appetite. The store has a good variety of condiments from Central America a plus. read more

Cocina Antigua - Rellenitos are delicious!! - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

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Wow! What a wonderful surprise! The food, Marvin, the cooks, and rest of the staff were amazing. We will definitely be going back. This is our new favorite restaurant. read more

Cocina Antigua - We had dinner tonight at COCINA ANTIGUA RESTAURANT! It was amazing! Thank you Marvin and the rest of the staff for a wonderful dinner! - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

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Food is fantastic, always made to order, fresh. The ladies at the counter are always super nice and offer great recommendations on the menu. The food usually takes time to prepare, but as said above, that is because it's made to order and fresh. read more

Cocina Antigua - Pupusa fixings - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

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Enjoyed everything we ordered! Tacos Chapines came in a plate of 3; delicious. The pupusas were good; I preferred the zucchini cheese over the mixed pupusas. The platanos rellenos with custard filling was heavy, but yummy. Definitely more than enough food for two. I cannot wait to come back and try the other dishes on their menu. Restaurant is connected to the market. If you go through the market, the entrance to the restaurant is in the far back right corner. read more

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Great food if you're craving Salvadorian. I ordered the Pupusa's (pork and cheese, and bean and cheese) and they were good. Nice and fresh, made to order. Also a side of rice and horchata. Nice authentic taste. Service was ok. Some were nice, some didn't even acknowledge me. Owell, I'm there for the food anyways. :) Sorry no picture, I forgot to take one. Too hungry. Lol. read more

Really wanted to try Garnachas since I didn't get to while visiting Guatemala. This place did not disappoint. Craved the Rellenitos so I ordered that as well. Tastes just like the ones I had in Guatemala. There's a lot of things they offer on their menu, and it can get overwhelming. But I came here specifically for these 2 things. Must try if you're nearby and are looking for something different. read more

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Look here everyone...and I cannot emphasize this enough...you are majorly missing out if you do not go to Cocina Antigua! I think I almost cried while eating their caldo de gallina (chicken soup), torta (sandwich with meat, cheese, beans, veggies), garnachas (highly recommend) and pupusas de loroco with cheese. The pupusas were stuffed to perfection and were not overly greasy, and they did not have too much masa like I find in other restaurants. I even got a bag of shecas, which are fluffy, lightly sweet bread with anise. Puchica! They were the real deal. I will be coming back here often. My only complaint is that my wallet might be suffering a bit. Step aside Mexican restaurants in Novato, you have HUGE competition, and Central American food is here to stay! read more

Cocina Antigua - Pupusas, caldo de gallina, and shecas de anís. - Latin American Near Me - Novato, California

Novato's only papuseria. Quite possibly the first in Marin -- unless you count sidewalk vendors. Cocina Antigua feels like the real thing. We got the three papusas for $12.50, one with beans, one with chicken and one with pork. New to papusas? They are a gooey filling in a thin, crispy crust. As the sign says, they may be the local specialty of Central America. Get them now and you can have discovery bragging rights over your taco and burrito loving friends. The staff is friendly and able to explain what their items are made of and there is a menu in English. Want to make papusas at home? Good luck getting the thin crust crispy. But you can try with the ingredients from the adjoining market. read more

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I used to love the pupusas from this place but lately the pupusas are so salty that I'm unable to eat them, sad that the quality has changed and the prices are really high read more

I had high hopes but it did not materialize. I had the Special of the Day and my son had a whole fried fish. He said it smelled old. My plate of a thin steak, a chicken fillet, one sausage and 2 small shrimp was dry and not tasty. The other things on both of our plates were good. Our bill with 2 sodas came out to $61. I was trying to give my son an adventure into Latin Cusine but it backfired as the place does not seem to understand minimum fresh food and ambiance. For one, they moped the floor with a foul smelling mop while people were eating, forcing us to eat outside that had 3 cheap flimsy and wobbly tables. You could not cut your meat without shacking the whole table. Overall, you felt like you were eating in a poor country restruant. It was comical to sad. Even the Restroom was blocked off for mopping with that smelly mop. I'm sure they have some excellent dishes that I am eager to try but next time I won't invite anyone to go with me as the chance of them being disappointed is great. They have been around for a few years now so they should have worked out the bugs by now. Restruants that serve beer and Margaritas just don't have have these issues. read more

I hate leaving poor reviews for local restaurants. However Cocina Antigua was a disappointment. The staff was friendly and the restaurant, tho small, was clean. The food was poor. Part of the fault was my own. I expected simple, classic Mexican food. Once I arrived and looked more carefully at the menu, I saw that it was Guatemalan. Even so, I was happy to enjoy a new to me experience. We asked about enchiladas and were told enchiladas were available. The waitress insisted enchiladas and tostadas were identical. So we ordered a tostada. After a lengthy delay we were served a small plate of cold shredded chicken with a shredded carrot and red pepper-nothing more. The restaurant seems to specialize in take out-at least that seemed to be the focus. Again, I regret leaving this review but I owe it to others to share my disappointment. read more

My husband ordered the chicken soup and a chicken burrito. he raved about the soup, it comes out with the separate components grilled chicken,rice, a small portion of pico de gallo type thing and rice, then the broth with chunks of vegetables. He said the burrito was pretty good. I had the chicken tostadas, and the flavor of the shredded chicken was outstanding. They come as a plate of three. We sat outside and had our dogs, they were dog friendly. John the waiter was very hospitable. We will go back and try some more menu items at this delightful little place. Nothing fancy, just good food and good staff. read more

Excellent Guatemalan Juevos Rancheros. Terrific breakfast. We'd gladly stop in again. The lunch and dinner food looked great as well. Early morning was super cold in there, and there's not much ambiance. And the coffee wasn't good. But, the tortillas and rest of the Juevos Rancheros were so good! read more

Amazing food! And very sweet staff. It was semi-crowded at 8:30 which made me happy since many of the restaurants in Marin County are dead by 7 PM. We ordered the Quesadillas, and Tacos Chapines which were made with their in-house tortillas. My husband and I were both so impressed. Can't wait to go back. read more

15 weeks prego... woke up with the need for zucchini pupusas. I don't know why or how, but my everything depended on eating it. Think the last time I even had a pupusa was 10yrs ago ‍ Found this spot on Yelp. They have a little market attached to the back too. Place looked clean, staff was friendly and lead me in the right direction (I walked into the market first). The papousa hit the spot perfectly. It was fresh and delicious, I even watched them making it! My only wish is that they would have the prices listed or visible so you know how much your spending as you are placing your order. Will be back soon, even if it's not a prego craving. Sadly, no pictures to share, because as soon as they cooled down enough to not burn my tongue, both pupusa were inhaled. read more

We had a great time, our small family of three. The service was fantastic from the moment we sat down, the tortilla chips were made in the house and the guacamole tasted really fresh with big chunks of jalapeño in it, but not too spicy. We ordered three pupusa's and five tacos, Al Pastor. The pupusa's are definitely what they are known for, they have delicate flavor combinations like zucchini and cheese and squash blossom, and they were grilled to perfection. We actually thought the Al Pastor was quite delicious as well, and the tacos were of a good size. Will definitely be back! Highly recommend stopping into this place, for a quick snack, to go, or sit down as well. The friendly service really stood out. read more

Fast and friendly. Nice space. Got Papusas bean & cheese and Pork and cheese. Soooo good and the salsa was fantastic too! Will definitely be back. read more

My family and I were looking for restaurants and this one came up. It is hidden around the corner. Good service, very friendly and kid safe. The chicken soup and the plate were good. I was a bit disappointed with the Pupusas and the Pan con pollo, it's not Salvadoran authentic like how it was advertised to be. The Pupusa had more cheese than pork and the chicken was way to shredded, it tasted more like a torta, might as well order that at that point. That's my only complaint. Sell better Guatemalan food than other cultures. Their shop in the back has a variety of Central American foods and spices, so I'll definitely comeback for Ailey the mini market/shop. Mi familia y yo estábamos buscando restaurantes en novato y miramos este. Está escondido a la vuelta de la esquina. Buen servicio, muy amable y seguro para los niños. La sopa de pollo y el plato estaban buenos. Me decepcionó un poco las Pupusas y el Pan con pollo, no es auténtico salvadoreño como se anunciaba. La Pupusa tenía más queso que puerco y el pollo estaba muy desmenuzado, sabía más a torta, en vez pidan eso. Esta es mi única queja. Vende mejor comida guatemalteca que otras culturas. Su tienda en la parte de atrás tiene una variedad de alimentos y especias centroamericanas, así que definitivamente volveré para ya, la minimercado/tienda. read more