I've been to Comal at least 5 times, but as the other recent reviews also reflect, it's really gone downhill. We arrived on a summer weekday evening. I had tried to make a reservation and no tables were showing up, but my husband wanted to try. During the summer, when the undergrads are away, most restaurants are never full. Sure enough, the restaurant was 1/3 empty. I asked why the open tables were not showing up online and she said not all the tables are reservable or show up... ugh seems like a terrible system then. We had problems with just about everything we ordered. We got an appetizer, a vegetable side, and a large meat entree for sharing. - Horchata - I asked for low ice and got a 1/3 cup. I asked the manger about this and he said that's how much horchata you get with no ice. I returned it. - Green beans. These came before our entree instead of together. Half of the beans were raw. I complained and they were willing to take it back, but we had waited about 45 min already for our entree so we ate it. - Entree - I inquired about this 3 times. Our waitress did not stop by to update us. I honestly thought they forgot to put in the order. We didn't get an apology or anything. It's important to note that this is a restaurant where tipping is not optional (it's included in your bill). I think this contributes to the problem. We always tip 20% or more and maybe every few years have questionable service and tip 10%. This was a situation like that, but when there's no accountability, service goes down. read more

Comal - $5 horchata - 2/3 empty - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cute place with yummy food and veggie options. Great service and appreciated the high standard of food prepared and presentation and the delicious cocktails. Definitely a great place to have dinner with friends. Also, they have a takeout next door like an upscale chipotle. Definitely want to try some time. Yum. read more

The ambiance at Comal is lively, and the service is friendly and attentive. But the food is godawful, a pale imitation of genuine Mexican food bereft of flavor. The bland guacamole lacks both salt and spice and thus leaves no trace of taste on the palate. The unappealing pickled vegetables appetizer was hard and unpleasant to eat. The fish tacos were dry and flavorless, and the enchiladas lacked any zing at all. And the prices are sky high for food of such limited quality. I cannot for the life of me understand how the restaurant garners such high reviews. Maybe the reviewers have never had real Mexican food. read more

So...... went there recently on a Wednesday evening approximately 5 PM. The two hostesses were very rude. Asked if we had a reservation. We did not there was maybe two parties in the dining room and five parties on the patio. We asked to sit on the patio and were denied? They set us in the dining room and there was no air conditioning The waitress came and was very condescending, correcting my pronunciation???She put water on the table and then came back and knocked it over which went on my wife's phone! chips guacamole, and salsa was good chile relleno was decent....... accept for the fact they put lettuce on it? Super weird (we live somewhat close to the Mexican border and NEVER HEARD OF THAT ONE)??? Fish tacos so so...... margaritas were good but extremely overpriced! And to top it off they charged an automatic 20% tip NEVER EVER AGAIN, first and last time!!! read more

Very pleasant experience eating here. Saturday evening was busy so reasonable wait, but server was very friendly so no issues there. The set up is pretty nice and lively vibe inside. Food was very well seasoned and even the kids were not picky at all. They actually ate everything so they really enjoyed it too. read more

Comal - Bone - in twenty - two ounce ribeye - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I was feeling kinda sad today. I didn't want to make dinner. I didn't want to go out for dinner. Sigh. So I DoorDash Comal. And now I have to go to this restaurant!! I ordered a chicken burrito, a next door salad and chips w guacamole and salsa. Sweet Lord in the Manger! I have been healed. As soon as I broke into that crisp crunchy fresh salad with that green dressing I began to smile. And the chips are real not from a bag with guacamole that I'm sure was made just a few hours ago. The kicker was the size 7 1/2 foot they said was a chix burrito. I cut it in 1/2 but lapped up the smoky warm heat from the red sauce that came with it. Now I'm happy. And I have a meal tomorrow that will make me happy. I am ready to take on the world! Thank you Comal from bringing me back with your hug of sustenance. read more

I had made a reservation at 6pm for a Friday night for 2. We arrived at 6:10pm and were seated in the back. They have a huge dining area. The outdoor patio is really nice. It was pretty crowded but you could still hear and have a conversation with the way the tables are spread apart. Many servers working and service was fast. Each table was given a bottle of still and sparkling water. I wasn't sure if the sparkling was complimentary because I usually have to pay for it but was surprised it is complimentary! Not as fizzy though compared to getting it prebottled. They have a daily menu. We ordered the following: -Tamales with wild mushroom and mole. It came out at 6:21pm. This was my least favorite. Not liking the mole sauce I guess. Something in the seasoning. I also haven't tried a lot of mole in my life. -Rock cod tacos. Also came out at the same time, 6:21pm. Homemade tortillas and nice chunks of tender fish. With a side of pickled veggies. - Adobo shrimp quesadilla which came out at 6:30pm. By then we were pretty full. It was a huge portion, ended up taking half to go. It had both small and big size shrimps. Wish it came with a side of salsa tho. - jicama and cucumber cocktail. This was refreshing and yummy, but not that strong. If I visit again it's nice to know there will always be something new to try with their daily menu. read more

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Mexican people don't eat duck, what on earth are they thinking serving this and calling it Mexican food? Idk who is running it but it is definitely not anyone who appreciates or respects real Mexican food. read more

Ambiance: 5/5 The decor and the vibe in the restaurant was amazing. I found myself staring at how beautiful the restaurant was decorated. The restaurant also has an outside area in the back that has perfect mood lighting at night. All of the staff was amazing and the vibe in the restaurant felt very relaxed. Food: 3.5/5 I had the Wood-grilled rock fish tacos and they were just okay. The fish was a little dry and it also lacked seasoning so it was quite bland. I used some salsa from our appetizer to add some flavor. Speaking of the appetizer, my party and I had the guacamole with 3 salsas. The Guacamole was absolutely amazing and tasted so fresh. The salsas were also excellent and they had varying levels of spice. We also had the grilled sweet corn (not pictured) and it was hands down the best grilled corn I've ever had. I highly recommend ordering this dish when you come here. Service: 5/5 All of the waiters and staff members were very friendly and helpful. Despite having a packed restaurant, our waitress was very attentive to us. The other restaurant members were friendly as well. They cleared our plates very quickly and promptly. Excellent staff. read more

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The reason this restaurant charges a mandatory 20% service fee is because no one would tip otherwise. The service is horrendous, and the waiters are more cold and stiff than a plank of frozen wood. The portions are so small that you'd be forgiven for thinking you're in Japan, and the food is not as good as it looks. Like a cupcake with too much frosting, this restaurant looks good in the moment, but will leave a bad taste in your mouth afterwards. read more

Comal is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in downtown Berkeley. It has the tastiest drinks, the nicest servers, some of the best ambiance, and is centrally located. We take about half of our visiting speakers here. At this point I've had practically everything on the menu and nothing has been a miss yet. Can't go wrong! My fav thing is the for-two steak. If it wouldn't look so bad, I would get it solely for myself. It's delicious! read more

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Came here on a Friday night to try out this Michelin rated restaurant and was very disappointed. How they attained a star is beyond me. The ambiance was nice and lively, the service was alright and the food was no bueno... NOT good. 20% gratuity is included in the bill. We had the white shrimp ceviche as an appetizer which was alright. Also had the Tlayuda and Duck Enchiladas. The tlayuda we've never had before and seemed to be some sort pizza type dish which had burnt Brussels sprouts. The enchilada sauce tasted like the cheap ass canned enchilada sauce you get at Safeway or Luckys. read more

Comal - White shrimp ceviche and a Palomaesque - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Excellent menu that changes frequently. It is elegant, creative, and unique but still authentic to Mexican cuisine. The portions are a good size and fair for the area. Customer service was great, we were served and seated quickly by a friendly host and waiter. The restaurant is mellow but maintains an upscale atmosphere without being pretentious. Great well rounded restaurant! read more

Comal - Tlayuda - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Overpriced, bland and nothing, repeat nothing like what you'll experience at a real Mexican Restaurant. These cooks, chefs should be embarrassed to call this Mexican Food and or need to visit Mexico again. read more

Have been to Comal in the past and the experience and food were good. Our service this time was very good so a shout out to Alfredo. What was disappointing they were out of 3 dishes on the menu. We were there on a Saturday for a 7:00 pm reservation. We wanted the duck enchilada which they were out of and were substituting corn instead. The duck enchilada was $17 so we expected with a substitution of corn it would be less since the cost of duck vs. corn is substantial. No, we were charged the same amount for the corn enchilada, that's not ok! Comal charges a 20% service charge instead of tipping which we are ok with. What is not ok is to tax the service charge, see the attached receipt. read more

Comal - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

I just got home from dining at Comal and I couldn't wait to review this place! First of all, the restaurant is very clean and there's both indoor and outdoor seating. They have a very long drink list with many interesting tequilas and mixed cocktails. We had a retirement celebration for one of my colleagues and sat in the private room downstairs. It was set up with one long table (two long tables connected). I love that we had such a nice intimate setting for the gathering. Service and food were both wonderful. I cannot wait to come back again! Before we even sat down, the appetizers were already set up: chips, salsas, guacamole, shrimp ceviche, pickled vegetables (the only thing that wasn't too popular with our group). Then once everyone had arrived, they started serving us one to two courses at a time, family style for sharing. The Ensalada piccata and spicy watermelon salad came out first, both very refreshing. Quesadillas with mushrooms were interesting, I never had veggie quesadillas like this before. Pork and beef albondigas be adobo was like a meatball in mole-like sauce. I thought this was the main course already, but then came the roasted chicken and Guadillo adobo pork spareribs. The spareribs were probably my favorite, super tender and flavorful. Rice, black beans, and tortillas came as sides. And to end the meal, we had flan, chocolate pudding, AND rice pudding! Boy was I stuffed! And we had leftovers so they set everything on the side with empty boxes for us to pack thing to-go. How thoughtful! read more

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Service for my drink was excellent, but after I saw on the menu that they charge a 20% Service charge in lieu of tips, I didn't order further. The customer is not responsible for the wages of the hospitality industry's employees, but the customer has been hoodwinked into thinking that. uggh. We have to pay 20%, even if the see Service is bad, so what does that tell you. Their staff will not care eventually. read more

My party arrived at Comal. We checked in for our reservation. We could not be seated because we were 4 minutes early. We were asked to step aside and wait. Two other parties arrived while we were in the penalty box. They were seated immediately. The experience was confusing. I found the food ok, but certainly overpriced for what it was. Also, I had to eat later because portions we small. Then, regardless of how you felt about the experience there was an automatic 20% tip added to the bill. Once we were seated the wait staff was great...I would have gladly tipped them for their efforts. The compulsory tip was a bit to forward, and eliminates the meaning of a tip to recognize performance. read more

This place was super cute and had a very cool, casual-chic vibe. Love the outdoor space in the back with string lights too. The food was tasty, cocktails were well made and our waiter was very friendly. Overall seems like a solid spot that I'd go back to again. read more

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Fabulous everything! Delicious food. Great service. Wonderful location. Terrific drinks. Beautiful space. Bravo!

My friend & I initially came just for drinks, so we sat in the open seating at the outside patio. There are lots of open seats & even a fire pit. The bartenders were ver nice & let us know we could take a seat at the bar if we wanted to order from the full menu. We ordered the papas fritas which were delicious with the chipotle aioli. Will be coming back again to try their meals! read more

Comal - Cocktail Al Pastor, The Comal Swizzle - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Very nice place. Been there for a wedding and it was the best Mexican food I had ever had for vegetarians.

Comal is a nice restaurant but there are a few improvements that need to be made. It's easy to access via the 51B, 79, and 18 bus lines and BART since it's just a stone's throw away from the Downtown Berkeley stops/BART station. There's street parking nearby but it can be sparse on busy nights so definitely account for that. I ordered some pork tacos and they came with avocado, corn, and cilantro. My partner ordered the rotisserie chicken tamale with mole. We also got some chips and salsa for the table. Everything was decent but the issue was just that -- the food was only decent. There was barely any avocado on my tacos (only one of them had a slice) and the tortillas were so soggy that I had to eat the rest of the tacos with a fork... The flavor of the pork was good but not good enough for me to justify spending $15 for two tacos. The chips and salsa were good as well but it's kind of egregious to me that they can tack $5 onto the already $6 cost just for pico de gallo. The service was speedy and friendly and the ambiance is great. If anything, I think it's worth checking out if you're in the interior design/architecture field because it's such a well-designed restaurant with great audio engineering (arguably, the interior is better than the food). I may or may not come back. It's nice enough to visit for the ambiance alone but the cost and quality of the food may make me just choose another (cheaper) taco spot nearby... Perhaps I'll go to Comal Next Door to try out some of their less pricey options. read more

Comal - Pork Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Came here with a group for dinner. It was absolutely delicious. The food was abundant, the salad was delicious, I enjoyed each section of food and the drink I had. Service was fast and even though the had to substitute a few dishes, we had a great time. The back patio is a great place to sit out by the fireplace with heaters outside if it cools down. read more

Had a solid dinner at the bar. Andre, the server, had great tips. The enchiladas are some of the best I've ever had. read more

Comal - Wine list. The white Ribera was really great - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Kinda unfair to charge a 20 percent service fee, and then have to hunt down your server. But the guac, spit-roasted chicken, tortillas, and salsas are great, and the space is very inviting. read more

Located in downtown Berkeley next to the popular Lucia Pizza, Comal--with Chef Matthew at the helm--used to be a solid upscale Mexican restaurant. As time passed, its quality declined. That was 5-7 years ago. We walked by Comal recently, and were pleased to see it alive and well. Its interior looked trendy and appeared to have good vibes, so we decided to give it another try. We did not have a reservation on a Saturday evening, but the communal table and bar are for walk-ins (which I appreciate). We ordered 3 appetizers and 3 dishes. The ceviche white shrimp with chips has vibrant green color, and good flavor. Eggplant and pumpkin seed dip with fried plantain, the plantain chips were crunchy but over-fried and tasted bitter. The dip fell short on flavor as well. The meatballs used to be our favorite. This time around they were tender, but the sauce was bitter. The pork belly taco was quite good. Taco with grilled rock cod, the fish was fishy, and a bit dry. The taco shells were soaking wet and fell apart. I had to eat it with fork instead. All taco shells were kind of dry and flavorless. The tamale with rotisserie chicken: was good, but nothing to write home about. The molé sauce is the key to this dish, and it did not have the rich and complex flavor of a good molé. The cocktail Al Pastor looked good on paper, it tasted good, but failed to "pick me up". The good: the ambiance, the service, and the tipping system. I appreciate fixed tips, I only wish they would incorporate gratuity into the price of each dish on the menu. It would save some hassle, just like in European restaurants. You pay what you see. The not so special: the food. I wanted to find Comal doing better. As an upscale Mexican restaurant, the expectation is that its food would be elevated. Unfortunately, it did not wow us like it did years ago. The menu and food were a bit tired and boring. They lack the vibrant flavor of Mexican cuisine. Today there are plenty of excellent taco trucks and authentic Mexican eateries offering incredible Mexican food. We are a lot more accustomed to authentic Mexican cuisine. Comal may need to revamp its kitchen and refresh its menu, either modernize its recipes to be more distinguished, or keep traditional Mexican food but do it well. read more

Food was excellent. Very tasty. Nice ambiance. Delicious cocktails Lets discuss the prices $$$$ read more

My husband and I went for a date night to this place. It's super cozy and clean. the food is delicious very fresh. we sat at the bar as we didn't have a reservation. However, the food service was very quick and we were out of there in an hour with dessert. They have a very cute outdoor area for just drinks and mild snacks.. read more

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Comal is a great spot to hangout with friends but their food is mediocre. I ordered chicken tacos and I have to say that those were the first tacos in my life that I did not like. Their desserts are ok, I tried all three. read more

*Open for outdoor dining, indoor dining, and takeout* I was quite surprised by some of the negative reviews on Comal as I had a great experience. While waiting for our table to be ready, we sat outside in the back at a table. I really liked that you could order from those tables to pass the time. We ordered cocktails, chips, and guac. When we were seated, we ordered the Spit-roasted whole chicken platos fuertes. This dish was so delicious! When is the last time you had a whole chicken that wasn't dried out? That's hard to find! This chicken was so moist and seasoned so well. It also came with black beans, rice, tortillas, and fingerling potatoes. With these sides, you can eat all separately, or make tacos :). The cocktails were delicious as well, especially the margarita. read more

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Amazing cocktails, great food, amazing ambiance. A little pricey, but worth every penny. read more

Comal - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

I haven't enjoyed a meal like this in a long time! I had never heard of Comal until a friend invited us to dinner here. I'm so thankful she did because everything was amazing! The space is gorgeous. I recommend asking for the back patio if you can! Our server was amazing! I put my ordering completely in his hands and ordered what he recommended. For my cocktail he recommended the Comal Swizzle with mezcal. IT WAS A HIT! Very tropical and very delicious! For my main we went with the carnitas tacos. The fennel slaw ontop was a delicious surprise! The pork was so tender and moist. Just all around a delicious taco. Lastly our friend insisted we order the Chocolate Budin and it was what dreams are made of. If there is one thing you absolutely need to order. It's this. read more

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I would recommend- but more for the amazing ambiance and good service, than the actual food. The decor and dim lighting sets a vibe and hits the spot! The rear of the restaurant opens out to a garden (at night the lighting is the best) and made me think: this is a hip spot in Mexico City! The sound-system is super high-grade: take a look at the mini-mics and individual speakers dangling above the walls (& the clever noise-canceling efforts by the art) and you can see this is a venue not just for food! And Juan our waiter was so helpful and friendly in helping us through the menu and with recommendations. Must admit - I was expecting to be slapped with flavors, but they never came. The rockfish tacos were terrible: not just because of the one taco which everything soaked and fell through-- not at least have a double layer?!-- but the flavor was just bland. Having pickled carrots and jalapeños on the side to add flavor was useful, but I just would have expected the filling to be able to stand alone in the flavor-dept! Tamales - meh! I started to switch off at this point, especially as other parts of the restaurant were taking my attention. I would recommend Comal in Berkeley: great spot to take visitors from out of town! (But I would manage expectations on flavorsome foods). read more

The best way to experience a Cal Football game. Get dinner and a drink... or two... and walk it off up to the stadium. INCREDIBLE food.

We used to love Comal and went there for fun date nights and group dinners. The food quality has gone way downhill. The cocktails are still great as are the chips and guacamole. But otherwise, the food was not good and was way overpriced. You're better off saving your money and eating somewhere else. read more

Staff automatically get 20%- tons of staff entitled attitude- as someone who has spent years in the area (grew up in socal and norcal) and once upon a time worked in the hospitality industry- its sad to say the vibe has not changed. You should want to pay for kindness and thoughtful expression but leave there from the attitude. Food tastes the same for years (brava on food consistency). Maybe its the areas pretentiousness LOL- triste. read more

I promise you... your local mom and pop taqueria is making much better food, without the pretension, wait time, or $200 check, with a tip that's optional. I came to Comal for my birthday, it was also my first visit; as many have noted they simply do not care. We made reservations, arrived early; their online agreement charges you $25 per person if there's any slip ups. We then waited over 20 minutes with an elder who can't stand that long. We had to fight to get him a chair so he could finally rest his legs. No real apology. Hostess: "Well we're busy" me: "yes I know that's why we made reservations". I was looking for some way they might show us it mattered to them how long we waited but it never came. No discounted desert or appetizer. No meaningful apology. I've worked as a server and that's pretty standard. Things happen and it's understandable being extremely busy but you can always show guests you care when mistakes are made and that's what always kept my regulars coming back. As others have also mentioned they receive a 20% service fee regardless. I'm generally in favor of this but for Comal it's an incentive for the servers to comp nothing when some things should be comped with no recourse if they provide bad service. Our server was nice enough. She made some stuffy comments. After all that the tacos were super soggy and came out kinda cold. read more

It was July 4th, and we were looking to escape the heat in Walnut Creek. We headed to Dona but discovered they were closed, so we called Comal. They said they had plenty of room, so we headed over there. Anyone giving this restaurant low marks for not being "real" Mexican food is missing the nuance of artistry and pride in cooking. This food was nothing short of amazing. From the ceviche and the plantains with eggplant pumpkin seed hummus to the roasted chicken tamales and carnitas tacos with nectarines, each dish was better than the previous. The drinks were masterful as well. Great ambiance with a great aesthetic. Service was spot on and the food came super quick. We will be returning. read more

Comal - Tacos con carnitas. - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This place gave me the worst food poisoning I've ever had in my life. I would never come back.