This charming restaurant is a real treasure in San Fernando. It is not a corporate entity, but a family owned business. My family has enjoyed eating here for over 20 years. Enter from the back, enjoy the paintings done by a well known San Fernando artist, a US Vietnam vet, the late Federico Blanco. Continue down the hall to the dining area. Beautifully decorated with warm colors, culturally significant and welcoming. There are booths around the perimeter of the room and plenty of tables and chairs. We are always greeted and seated upon arrival. The menu has great choices. The food is authentic and delicious. So many choices! Chile relleno is one of my favorites. But there are wonderful beef and pork selections. Recently a friend loved her chicken mole! The desserts are also great, so save room for cheesecake or carrot cake. And next door is a little bakery, so pick up something to bring home! This is a great restaurant to have a party or family get together. I have done both. I hosted a Cinco de Mayo luncheon with 35 ladies, some of whom had never been to that part of the valley. They loved it. Go and enjoy! Parking in the back. Support small local family businesses. read more

Waited for our food 35+ minutes Tortillas were not cooked properly Took 15 min to get more tortillas. Horrible food service. read more

Cold food, rice was terrible with NO taste/flavor at all, five of us all served within 10 minutes from each other. Nice waitress but manager or owner needs to learn how to cook and serve real Mexican food. Tasteless, dry enchiladas that I can make better at home. Don't come here if you want to be disappointed. Original owners were fabulous! Too bad these people bought them out with no restaurant experience. read more

It was meh. It didn't impress me that much. My bro and his family come here often. I guess it's just not go to place for Mexican food. The service was ok, generic you can say. The ambiance is a 7/10. I don't know what it is but something about this place lacks something but I can't put my finger on it. I'll prob come again to try another place and then maybe update my review. read more

El Abuelo , is as authentic as can be out here in the San Fernando Valley, great service, good food , beautiful ambiance read more

El Abuelo Restaurant - Chips and spicy chile - Mexican Near Me - San Fernando, California

I ordered a cheese enchilada plate and a tostada to go, no flavor whatsoever. I don't know which was worse, but one thing I know for sure with all the Mexican food served throughout, this is not the place to go. read more

It's been a while since we have visited el abuelo, it was delicious and can always appreciate and enjoy homemade corn tortillas and salsa I enjoyed chorizo con huevo plate. I was also a fan of the potatoes vs traditional rice. The Waiter was nice and friendly and offered coffee refill. read more

El Abuelo Restaurant - Chorizo con huevo - Mexican Near Me - San Fernando, California

Customer service has been great. This is the 3rd time i have been here, and food has always been delicious. Today I ordered several soups, and carne en su jugo. That was delicious and was packed very carefully. I appreciate that. Never had any issues. Food is hot and fresh. read more

El Abuelo Restaurant - To go: carne en su jugo.. yummy - Mexican Near Me - San Fernando, California

came here because i heard the coffee was good, i guess i should have just got it to go since that was the only good thing about this place. we put our name down for a "list" and was told the wait would be 15-20 minutes. we went outside to wait and once out there a different worker (without the "list") started just randomly sitting people. after 35 minutes of waiting and seeing so many people that came after us be seated, i went to go ask the worker with the "list". he pulls out a piece of paper with everything crossed out and we were magically "next" all of a sudden. once seated food was generic at best. took 15 minutes to get an horchata, had to ask for napkins 3 times (which never came). terrible experience avoid this place at all costs. read more

Great food at a reasonable price. The service was excellent and the vibe was very homie and influenced by the community. Definitely returning to try other items from their menu. read more

El Abuelo Restaurant - Chicken, peppers, rice & beans - Mexican Near Me - San Fernando, California

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The food was lacking flavor, I got a simple asada burrito and was dry, the rice was not very flavorful and too much tortilla. I didn't finish my plate, neither did the wife. My daughter's chicken nuggets were best. Nice clean place and service was great! Try it once. read more

They need to get cooks in there who know how to season the food and serve it up once plated hot and fresh. The servers need to be more attentive without attitude and service with a smile goes a long way. The customer is there to enjoy good food and service. The ambiance is a little "drab". I am sure if the servers were more friendly and happy to have you going to their restaurant the ambience would be better. read more

We used to come to El Abuelo with our grandparents. One of our grandfather's favorite was the carne en su juego. I was very disappointed. It had no flavor it seemed like they just tossed it together and the video was also missing flavor. The waitress kept forgetting to bring out all the food and 10 minutes later when my parents were half way done they bring me semi warm flavorless food which I didn't bother eating it and since she only came back once to bring chips and salsa and that was that. The waitress needs to pay more attention to all her customers not just the ones that coming in. read more

Went on a sunny Sunday at noon. The service was so-so. It took about 10 minutes to be acknowledged that we were waiting to be seated, but when we were seated our server was kind. The food was good. My favorite was the queso fundido. It was cute to see that they brand the tortillas with the restaurant name. They have no AC, so it is warm in the summer. read more

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Came here Saturday late afternoon. First timer, and tried mole poblano. Aka chicken mole. The sauce was really good. Beans rice all good. Wash it down with the red juice. I will be back to try other things off the menu. Must try if you ever in the area Big enough for a small party. Service is good that's a plus. And love the name of the restaurant. read more

They were not shy on the liquor way worth it. Husband loved his Chile Colorado and I loved the Mole read more

El Abuelo Restaurant - Mango Margarita - Mexican Near Me - San Fernando, California

Came for a lunch meeting with a client. It's probably as good as any number of the very similar places in San Fernando. The menu offers nothing unexpected - it's what you knew would be there. Same with the food. Chips and salsa are ok but not great. I had a quesadilla with an addition of carne asada. It was OK. The guac and sour cream on the side was very necessary for a pop of flavor. My client had an enchilada combo plate. It looked like any enchilada combo plate you would get at any American Mexican place in the US. He said the rice was unusually good. There is a free parking lot in the back of the restaurant. Now that is nice! And it's what I remember most - so there you have it. Not a bad meal at all, just OK. read more

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Found a hair in my bacon wrapped shrimp, a random fry in a plate of carne asada, and my horchata had leftover chili inside the cup. Make sure you inspect the food before you eat it, nice staff but the food was prepared very sloppily. read more

We found this place on Sunday and went for lunch, service was slow and I ordered margarita taco and tamale combo! Margarita came in nice glass but not much alchohol! The tamale lacked flavor, where's the green sauce! Taco good! Comes on big plate but small portions! The salsa was the best part! I won't be back! San Fernando has so many Mexican places! read more

I have not been to El Abuelo in several years, however we were in the neighborhood and stopped by. I believe the restaurant is under new ownership, but the food is still great. It was not as busy as it was in years past, but the staff were courteous and efficient. read more

The food at this restaurant was not authentic Mexican food. At best it could be called generic Mexican food. The tamales seemed like they were warmed up in a microwave. The service was OK. The ambience was great, but the food was terrible. read more

The chips are mediocre and the service also. Seems like they don't have enough staff. People have to wait longer than 30 minutes for food. We ordered a caldo and it tasted like water. The rice was the worst rice I have ever had. The only thing they have going for them are their stamped tortillas. I hate Taco Bell but at this point go there instead of El Abuelo. read more

The only things I would order again if I came back would be the mole poblano with rice, chicken taquito tapatio and house made corn tortillas. read more

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Terrible food. So disappointing. It use to so good and authentic. We have been going here for decades. We went a couple of days ago and we were so disappointed at the food. My granddaughter had sopes they were so oily and wet the feel apart. I had a hard shell taco and enchilada, it was socked with some red sauce the sopes also had this same oily red sauce. My husband had carne asada, it was dry and looked like it had been sitting for a while. Never again!!! read more

Came with my family , everything was delicious & the employees & owner very kind people. Would 100% recommend to anyone near the area. The environment was nice & very clean restaurant. They came and asked how we were & if we needed anything every so often. Will definitely be coming back ! read more

Quisimos tratar este lugar por primera vez para empezar nos sentaron y estuvimos esperando casi 10 minutos para que nos tomaran la orden pedimos un aperitivo y una de las meseras lo puso en la mesa de al lado nosotros tuvimos que decirles a los clientes que era de nosotros y cuando trajeron la comida nunca regresaron a checar si necesitábamos algo la carne estaba súper seca muy cocida los camarones cocinados de más pero no pudimos decir nada porque no regresaron a ver si ocupábamos algo en general una decepción $80 que sí me dolió haber pagado porque ni siquiera me comí los camarones. read more

Food is always good. Service can be a hit and miss depending on who is working that night. The place makes you feel at home.

Service was beyond expectation! The ambience was very enjoyable! My mother and I both had Menudo and it was the best I've had in a long time! We're from the Fresno CA area and we were passing through. I want to go down south just to go back and have more of the delicious food! Everyone seemed to be happy and enjoying the experience there. 10/10 from me read more

El Abuelo Restaurant - Menudo no pata no hominy - Mexican Near Me - San Fernando, California

A co-worker of mine recommended this place, so I tried it out with my hubby. We ordered the queso fundido, carne en su jugo and the mole poblano. My husband and I shared, and we both really enjoyed the carne en su jugo. Their homemade tortillas were amazing and they even stamp them with "El Abuelo" on it, which we thought was cool! The mole was delicious and I was so full off of it that we took some leftovers home. They have TVs set up throughout with various sports channels and the restrooms were clean. The staff was very attentive and friendly. I would definitely go back to support this business and try other items from their menu! read more

amazing service!!! the food was amazing, they treat you like family and the ambience is just so cozy. i love this place!

Caldo de albondiga is amazing!! Albondigas are off the chain. One of my favorite places to visit. read more

I truly enjoyed my first experience at this establishment. The service provided by the waitresses was wonderful, and I found the Mole enchiladas to be absolutely delicious. My son particularly loved the albóndigas, and we both thought the salsa and michelada were exceptional. Additionally, I appreciate the reasonable prices, especially compared to other places that tend to be more expensive oh and I have to mention is a very peaceful place the ambient is so peaceful. read more

I called ahead of time for phone pick up, went to pick up and still waited. When I got home, order incorrect. I got 2 chilaquiles and 1 caldo de albóndiga. Caldo really good, chilaquiles didn't really have egg and very basic. Staff was nice. read more

Friend picked up some birthday dinner from here this past Friday and it was absolutely good to try this place out. The carne en su juego was so delicious. The caldo de res was just right on a night that that was cold. Empanadas Tlaquepaque de beef were yummy. Also tried their queso fundido con chorizo, it was so so good with their homemade tortillas. Can't wait to try some of their other options, try them out, great place for good food. read more

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Don't come here. Overprice and underserved. No vengan aquí. Caro y con mal servicio. We came here and ordered three plates that included rice. When plates came to the table, none of them have rice. When asked where is the rice, they said there is no rice. No option was offered on switching with something else or communication was given prior to bringing them nor a discount was given to the original price even when essential item of the plate was missing. I was starving, so we ate. However, this shows lack of customer service. Not coming back. Save yourself from a bad experience. Llegamos y pedimos tres platos que incluían arroz. Cuando los platos llegaron a la mesa, ninguno tenía arroz. Al preguntar dónde estaba el arroz, dijeron que no había. No nos ofrecieron cambiarlo por otra cosa ni nos avisaron antes de traer los platos, ni se aplicó un descuento al precio original a pesar de faltar un elemento esencial del plato. Tenía mucha hambre, así que comimos. Sin embargo, esto demuestra una falta de servicio al cliente. No volveré. Evita una mala experiencia. read more

I gave them two stars because the service was very good. But, a restaurant also should have decent food. This Mexican food is poor. Amazingly, they did not know how to blend a margarita. Really??? It came with no ice at all. Not even cubes? My cheese enchilada was a quesadilla with a bit of blah sauce. Really badly done. My son's tacos were very dry. No sauce of any kind. We do a lot of Mexican food here in Sylmar and we know decent. Their prices were fair. The food was.... well, they need a new chef. Really disappointing. We came here from Tres Hermanos because TH has become absurdly expensive. I guess you get what you pay for. We will not return to El Abuelo Restaurant. read more

This place is full of rodents, had the worse experience of my life when a stood and asked the waitress for a refill and rodent came out jumping out of a pull out drawer where they had spoon and tea bags. I was embarrassed for taking family and friends to this place for a bday dinner. We all were so disappointed and grossed out. Restaurant was close after that for only 1day. Which I'm sure this wasn't reported to the health department. read more

Unfortunately I cannot give this restaurant more than two stars. I know that it's been open for a long time, but the food is beyond subpar. I went there for lunch not too long ago and was extremely disappointed. The chips were stale, the triplesec in the margarita mix tastes like it went bad a long time ago. With all of the options in the area I would definitely not return to this location or recommend it. The only reason why I gave it two stars in the first place is because all the people there were very nice. But you can't eat "nice" for lunch. read more

What Happened To This Place Use To Be One of Our Favorite Places To Eat, We Were Seated Fast Got Chips And Salsa And Drinks But Incredibly We Waited 30 +++ Mins For Our Plates I Thought it was longer, Wife Got Manchaca Serving Was 1/2 The Size From Last Time And Worst part it Was Luke Warm Not Steaming Hot like The Menudo!!! I'd Think I'd really Have Hav to Be Hungry To Came Back read more

I've been coming here for years, I recommend the horchata,carne en su jugo and the corn tortillas :)