The food here is always great, but the service needs serious improvement. Every visit, we end up having to ask for utensils, and the food never comes out at the same time. Today we waited a long time before anyone acknowledged us. Then our drink order wasn't even entered, so we waited another 20 minutes for something that should've been quick. They also forgot one of the meals. The staff is friendly, but the service is consistently disorganized. It's a good place to eat, but they really need to step up their service. read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Birria quesadillas - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

I leave about 5 hours away from here, but I have come 4 times. the first time I went I noticed they had Corundas, from Michoacan, which my Grandma use to make, and I loved. them, so I tried them and they were exactly the same as the other 3 times I ordered them again. unfortunately, I was very sad because this 5 th time they were almost $22, but I think they changed cook, because they were not good. the sauce tasted different, the ribs were very tough, it needed more cheese and sour cream and they only gave me two tiny slices of the poblano chili (rajas). I really don't think I'm coming back. on top of that, they don't give any senior or military discount. the only reason I put 3 stars instead of two is because the cashier was very kind and friendly. read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Corundas de Michoacán. With (tamales) and ribs. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

This is a review for the restaurant's delivery service. Their drivers are horrible. They cut us off and I'm in a car with my 80 year old parents. They nearly hit the front of our car on the 101 freeway. I also saw that they were tailgating several cars in front of us after they cut us off, and were weaving between lanes a lot. License plate number 73293W3. Whoever was driving at 2:20pm on July 31, 2025 needs to be talked to by the managers. The drivers don't care about who else is on the road with them. read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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Tried to phone an order in, person didn't speak engilsh,hung up on me, I WALKED to the establisment,ordered,waited a fair amount of time,inquired about my order, apparently it was sitting on the counter for some time.......Please, just a little bit more attention read more

Our first visit Our server did not bring us water, nor did she give us a cup to pour our drink into. The waitress took our order, and we specified exactly what we wanted and we were brought to us was wrong the asada enchiladas were awful and the meat was order. She became irritated because I brought it to her attention the order was incorrect. At this point, i was afraid to resend my order back because of the look I was given, and the presentation of the food was just thrown on there. The other person ordered potatoes tacos, and they were dried and rubbery. The avocado was not fresh, I showed the waitress the old tomatoes and the hair of the avocado. The bill was $80.00 we couldn't even finish our lunch. THE WAISTRESS AND COOKS SIR PASSED OUR ORDER AND SERVED US LEFTOVER FOOD. BECAUSE ANYONE KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ASADA AND CHICKEN. I paid the bill because it was the right thing to do, and if i didn't it would be on social media. If we decide to ever (ever go back) i will definitely take pictures read more

I ordered a corn tamale. The menu did not say it was a sweet tamale and it was listed along with savory items. I was expecting green chile and cheese and to my dismay it was sweet. It was also served with sour cream. Salsa and grated cheese like you would expect for a savory tamale. I indicated to the server that I did not like it and asked for a pork tamale. To my great surprise I was charged for the sweet tamale. When I asked the server about it she indicated that they were not going to refund it because it was not their mistake. I give this restaurant no stars. read more

Love the new Efrems located on Broadway and Main. Had their Asada tacos. Sooo good. Price was good took. Quick service for take out.

Ordered 4 tacos, pastor, carne asada and carnitas. My fave were the carne and carnitas. The side of hot sauce was nice, too. Nice little kick to it! read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Horchata, tacos from top to bottom: carne asada, pastor, carnitas and shrimp. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

This is actually referring to the new Efrens at Main Street & Broadway, for which there is not yet a place for a Yelp posting. I went with the hope of giving them a good rating. NOT QUITE! There's unfortunately just not a lot positive I can say about this place. The chips came reasonably quickly. They were pretty tasteless, and the quantity of the salsa was ridiculously small. We had to wait a good while for our order to arrive. The enchiladas weren't good, and neither was the chili relleno. They had a large T.V. on, showing Sponge Bob! What age customers are they dealing with? They did come & check on us. . . .when we were FINISHED! A bit late, yes? I left a low tip. Deservedly low! I won't be going back, that's for sure. read more

In my 65+ years of visiting restaurants (from high end down to fast food) Efren's was the most disappointing, worst tasting, literally horrible food I've EVER had! The service was very cold and indifferent. No idea how this place has stayed in business. Do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. read more

The ambiance is magical with a stunning mural. The staff & service was great and the food was delicious and flavorful! We always know when we go to Efren's that we will get some delicious authentic Mexican food! read more

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No frills. No thrills. Nothing fancy, just good old-fashioned old-school Mexican food. Not very friendly. Not really rude. No nonsense approach. Go up to the register, place your order, and wait for it to be brought out to you if you're seated at a table. We asked for specials and it was burritos. We both ordered Carne Asada burritos and they were solid. Nothing fancy. The salsas on the side and the marinated jalapeños that we asked for made it an extra memorable experience. If you like hot sauce, get the red, smoky, enchilada-looking, HOT salsa. Wow! read more

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This restaurant is so horrible ! The employees have no customer service and very rude and terrible attitudes ! It took an hour and 30 minutes to get our dinner because the so called waitress forgot to put in our order ! Also when we did get our food it was cold ! I will NEVER GO BACK ! read more

First time having Efrens breakfast burritos! My husband and I both ordered the same burrito and we both loved it! Tasty and fair pricing! read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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Really good service! They are on top of what you need and will do it like you want it. They are on top of what you need . I love this place . read more

Efren's has been a favorite of ours for years and is consistently great food! The other day had a craving for nachos and was not disappointed! I was ecstatic when I took my first bite and I have to say they are the best nachos I have ever had from a restaurant. read more

My husband has lunch at Efrens at least once per week. My son and I have not tried it, so we thought why not check it out. We were pleasantly surprised. It was delicious I had the shredded chicken nachos, my son had the birria combo and hubby had the enchilada combo plate. All were well priced. Food was flavorful; my sons birria was fork tender. Staff was wonderful, helpful and attentive. My only critique would be I wish besides just shredded cheese that nacho cheese was offered and real avocado or guacamole. All in all great food and staff and we will go back. read more

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There has been too many times I've ordered from here where I say no onion and they still add onion. They cannot follow simple instructions. The food is good, but I recommend you double check your food before you leave because they always drop the ball. read more

I have been dining at this establishment for an extended period. The culinary offerings and service are of exceptional quality.

The Best Shrimp Cocktail! Delicious food! Great Customer Service Everytime! You can order your cocktail how you want it with or without what it comes with. Onions, cilantro, tomato, cucumber, avocado. Same for tacos. They do they best to make your meal how you like it. Like my husband only eats grilled onions! So they make them for him. read more

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Green salsa here is the best. Goes perfectly with every meal choice, from carnita tacos, to asada wet burrito. The service is quick, the area is always clean. Just the perfect go to for a fast meal. read more

This place is trash. If you want a small, puny little lengua Taco for $3.25, then come here. If you want three times the amount for $3 on lengua tacos or Pastor, go to Salsa Brava or Guerreros on Main Street or across from Waller Park. Efrens skimps. read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Trash Lengua Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

This place came highly recommended by many people and when we finally visited we found it was totally worth it. I get the carne asada tacos and the tortillas are so freshly made it's evident in the taste. My husband is a big fan of Mexican food and he thinks it's the best in town. He gets the chili verde and says it's "off the hook good." No frills type of place but lots of care and preparation goes into the food. read more

On last Saturday evening just within an hour of closing, I went into this place to order a sit-in meal of Chicken (Pollo) nachos. The server took my order behind the cashier's counter without even looking at me. I thought it was strange behavior, but I still made my order. I also made a takeout order for my daughter for when she came home after work. As soon as I finished my order and paid $27, I sat down at an empty booth. At the time, I was the only patron in the store. Within seconds after sitting down, the server basically threw a white plate in front of me filled with lettuce, light green liquid I guess they called guacamole, and a few pieces of chicken, which seemed to be hiding behind all of the lettuce. Again, she didn't even look at me. It was pretty offensive, but I decided to try to eat what was in front of me, anyway. Well, the food tasted like it looked... cold, ugly, and very little meat. By this time, a few other customers came in to order. I was so disgusted that I went to the server and asked her to take a look at my plate. I told her that there was not enough chicken or guacamole. I was loosely speaking about he guacamole, because it did not look like the real thing, so I was hoping I was just hallucinating the green slime that was in front of me. Well, she came back about a minute later with more chicken piled on top of the hill of lettuce, and even more of the green slime. The chicken was unlike any I've seen. It was shredded and dry, cold and tasteless. I was already having a difficult night, so I just accepted my fate and dug into the uninspiring lump of food particles. Also, because I had to wait for them to give me my daughter's meal. After several bites, I decided I just couldn't finish it. After the detached server provided the bag with my daughter's food, I was ready to leave. I strongly thought about going up to the server and telling her "Out of respect for this establishment, I want you to know that your food and service was terrible tonight." Instead, I decided to respectfully throw my uneaten food into the trash bin and quietly leave, knowing that I will never return again. In my experience, their food and service is just too inconsistent. read more

The carne asada California burrito is my go to! Delicious every time, I get a little disappointed when they run out of horchata but what can ya do ! read more

me encanta la comida de aqui very clean, y la comida tiene sabor Authentico mexicano delicioso lo recomiendo 100% read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Nuevo platillo 3 deliciosos tacos con papas y carnitas ahogados en su rica salsa y cebolla en escabeche, dos rajas de chile poblano - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

One of the best Mexican food I had in a long time. This is a real homemade very traditional cuisine. Calling how are you? Not like these authentic Mexican restaurants with her dry meets have a sauce dishes. The Corundas were amazing. The tacos ahogados. Los chilaquiles and the menudo. Every chance I'm visit in the central coast, you'll find me there! Recommended 100% and then some. read more

Food is over seasoned with salt Meat tastes like it's out of a can Who puts cheese on a carne asada burrito yet keeps the salsa?! Save your money and time They suck Surprised people in this area don't know better Also their over the phone customer could use major improvements Not going back read more

Plenty of seating. Good for groups. Beautiful murals. Can pay with credit. Pork tamales are amazing! Masa is moist enough, plenty of pork inside and delicious. I will have to go back and order a full meal. I just got the tamales to-go. Need time to taste their salsas, refried beans and rice! I have had the food before just as part of catering. The place is very clean, the staff works quickly and they are very polite. Portion sizes for meals I saw being prepared were huge. A variety of bottled beers available and they serve breakfast all day. To top it off, right next to a gas station. You can fill in the two tanks then! read more

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The asada fries were the worst I've ever had. No guacamole when requested it, no cheese also requested it (they put it on the side, who puts cold cheese on the side the point of the cheese is to be melted with the food) it had more chopped lettuce and tomato then meat. The meat was also flavorless. It was very disappointing I asked for simple instructions fries, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and meat they added other toppings that I didn't request. Waste of money. Also don't DoorDash this restaurant it seems they don't read the special instructions and do what they want and not what the paying customer wants. read more

Hands down the worst torta I have ever tasted. The tacos were also not good, my two year old son who loves tacos spit it out and his words were "it's nasty mommy". My torta was soggy the bread was not crispy what so ever, and to top it off they forgot the guacamole. It was so soggy I had to pick the meat out. read more

Efren's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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Pass on this place. The portions served for the price of the food is not just disappointing, it boarders on insulting. Stingy. You pay for extras, $2.25 greasy chips and a tiny 1/2 tbs of salsa in a tiny plastic container, a $3 side of beans with no cheese. I ordered a "large" Birria $12.48, which had enough meat to make exactly 2 tiny mini tacos. That salsa came in an even tinier cup and was not even half full. I specifically asked for extra, but I didn't need it because I ran out of meat. Do not order the Birria cheese tacos. They also do not come with meat. This place is a rip. I will never come here again. read more

The food was not very good. We ordered 2 cosidos and a chile verde quesadilla. The pork meat in the quesadilla was not tender, in fact it was dry. The cosido was ok but the vegetables were added after the cooking process which made the dish tasteless. The service was good but the food wasn't. read more

This place has the best tacos, food is always fresh, I love the tripas ones, the best in Santa Maria

Ordered $40 worth of food through DoorDash and what a mistake that was. Taquitos were soggy and bland, filling was too dry to eat, and the toppings were not fresh in the slightest. We tried the chorizo, pastor, asada, carnitas, and cabeza tacos. All were extremely dry except the cabeza. No salsa served on the side....what a complete waste of money. Never going back here again. read more

Came in to try for lunch. Had the Taco Tuesdays: 2 carnitas and 2 al pastor. Delicious. Ambiance is typical. Lots of people come for take out. It's a bit loud but it goes with the restaurant. read more

Next time you want a shredded cheese burrito call 805/868-9321. Ordered a bean and cheese burrito. Paid $7.60. There was three tablespoons of refried beans and was filled with shredded, unmelted cheese. BOO! read more

DISASTROUSLY dry food! ZERO flavor! Shame. After all the local TV advertisements two of us decided to try this restaurant ... as we walked in the door I wanted to turn around and leave ... it was a cafeteria, not a restaurant (my friend convinced me to stay). * No Chips & Salsa * No Salsa * Excruciatingly DRY carnitas * Tacos served with a small sprinkle of onions to make it deluxe ( NOT! ). * Spanish rice was dry enough to choke you! Thank goodness for a cold Coca Cola! I DO NOT RECOMMEND unless you relish the torture of dry, flavorless food. $20 for 3 tacos, 1 tamale (inedible), 1 side of dry rice, 1 water and 1 coke. This place doesn't even hold a candle to Taco Bell!!! read more

I order tacos de tripa all the time, I have been going since I moved to Santa Maria. I am glad of finding this place

The ceviche tostada is amazing! I didn't like the horchata that I ordered, it tasted very powder-like and gritty. It's a premix and not homemade. I will definitely come back to try other menu options! The atmosphere is very mellow. They do have a wide selection of food as well as alcoholic beverages! read more