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Recommended Reviews - El Califa
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Excellent sitdown taco spot with table service. Al pastor was perfect. Rib eye was also good - but a little pricey / would say it's not the essential order here. Loved the smoky salsa! 4.5 stars.
First meal in Mexico City and I can say it was a success. After a long travel day El Califa was recommended by our concierge as somewhere local good and accessible when we needed it. As a party of 6 we were glad to be able to get immediately seated specially when the restaurant was as crowded as it was. It was busy it was lively it was a place where you felt like you should be. We had meat eaters and we had vegans in our group. They have a full vegan menu page which was refreshing. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the salsas they put on the tables with the chips weren't flavorful and good.
I came to El Califa for a quick solo lunch and ordered a costra with arrachera (skirt steak), taco with costilla (rib) and taco with ribeye. I was most excited for the costra which is a layer of crispy cheese wrapped around a filling like a tortilla. I loved the arrachera which was my favorite meat of the 3. The costilla and ribeye tacos were a let down though as both cuts were very thin thing and a bit overcooked and dry. The meat itself didn't have much flavor either and I ended up wanting more meat and flavor. It's pricer than most other casual taco spots and although the restaurant environment is nicer, honestly there are way better spots to eat in Mexico City I wouldn't come here again.
Taqueria el Califa is a local chain that (according to a friend who lives in CDMX), has been around for years and was one of the original taco restaurants known for bringing delicious Al Pastor tacos to a more modern dining atmosphere. Arriving off the plane and staying at a hotel nearby, this spot came up as an option since it was open at 2pm, not too crowded (maybe 65% full) and was decently rated on G-maps. While not the best tacos I had on this trip, I'm appreciative of this intro to CDMX! We ordered: - Tecate $74*: a local beer that you can also find in the US. It's a crisp and refreshing lager, with a clean malt flavor, subtly sweet. - Mexican Coke $50: a slightly different and sweeter flavor than coca-cola we have here. - Cafe de Olla $50: Mexican coffee brewed with cinnamon and brown sugar...mmmmm. - chicken soup $114: a rich, warm broth with lots of chicken flavor, a little rice. Very tasty. - several different tacos $ varied 32-87: their Al Pastor offerings were the highlight, wholeheartedly recommend these--tender, juicy with good flavor, terrific with pineapple, onions and cilantro. The bistec, pork chop and guana tacos were meat grillled in their natural juices with a pinch of salt. You could taste the freshness of the meat though you really have to add the toppings and salsa to get a balanced taste. The meat by itself on a tortilla is on the blander side (and probably not how it's meant to be eaten lol). Four different salsas are provided with your meal, tamarind, red, roasted, and green sauces which each had a terrific depth of flavors and an increasing level of spiciness. I enjoyed each one with my favorites being the roasted (the roasted tomatoes, chilis and onions really stood out in this) and red sauces. The green one I could only use a few drops--spicy food lovers would appreciate! For the tacos they bring the toppings (diced onions, cilantro and pineapple) out on a separate plate so you can personalize the amount you add. The staff was very attentive and were always watching the tables for finished plates, ready to clean up, pour water, ask if our meal was ok. Very quick service! The restaurant functioned like clean and well-oiled taco machine. If I were hungry and in the mood for a casual bite, would drop by here again! *all prices in pesos.
This place was awesome. Friendly, professional staff, great service, good prices, delicious tacos. Vibe is really chill too. Comfortable and laid back place to grab some great food. 10/10 would go back. The pastores tacos were my fav!
Love el califa for the simplicity of their tacos. They have very tender simple flavored, not over condimented meat that is extremely tender. Even their tortillas are super tender and don't break and I think that's what some ppl don't see. These aren't the typical over sauced tacos but the point is to enjoy the quality of the meat. They provide you with three sauces that aren't spicy but only flavorful. I love the queso tacos that is also served in a thin layer. They have amazing service and their waiters are very attentive!
Honestly, I don't get the hype. Food is expensive even by California standards. Meats were dry. Taco overall was meh. Also not a fan of the cheese w taco. Overall just a very mid experience and it felt like a tourist trap. There's way better tacos in cdmx for much less!
The food was great! Very tasteful and authentic. A must try! I simply wished there were menus in English, it would've made ordering easier and quicker
Excellent place! Todo súper riquísimo. I really liked doing tacos differently - lettuce instead of tortilla, pita bread instead of tortilla. And the pollo al pastor was really good! My favorite was their tamarindo salsa. Delicious. Service was okay, a little slow I thought but just because it was SO PACKED so I understand. The vibes were great, good music and lots of lively people. La sopa de frijoles con esas tostadas, wow!
Good food, good service and open till 4:00 AM. Gotta love it. Oh and they have a Michelin Star
Best taco ever! Simply outstanding. Went back several times. Nice on the inside. Wait staff was great. Menu in English. The costras tacos (a taco with the meat in the middle surrounded by a wrap of cheese that is caramelized on the griddle - pure magic). Got several other things but kept coming back to the costras. The sirloin one in particular was my favorite. Fantastic!
This is a taqueria chain in CDMX, and it was great! A nice sit-down taco spot. Clean, modern feel. Service was superb, our food was brought out quick. Pretty content with the experience, quick and easy. And the tacos were good!
El Califa is a great late night taco spot especially after a hard night of partying. I remember that I was at this restaurant a couple of years ago and was still as good as I remember it. I was happy to get a variety of tacos such as their chicken, pastor, steak, and pork chop. I couldn't help but try all the various salsas that they presented to me in the little bowls. The tacos were really delicious. To top off my indulgence, I had their chicken soup which was also great. This is a must visit when visiting Mexico City. read more
2 years ago
El Califa is Spanish for "safe for non latinos to eat here" The restaurant takes the concept of a taco stand/shop and elevates it to upscale restaurant status making it less scary for some not familiar with CDMX taco offerings. Food is good, yes. A bit over priced. When you sit down just take a look around at who's eating here. This is not a "locals" taco shop. Service wise it's on point. There are tons of workers waiting to take your order, replenish your drink or chips order. Guacamole was really good. For a first time visitor to Mexico City who wants to dip his or her toes into the taco game, this is not a bad place to start. read more
This was one of the better tacos places we visited while in Mexico City. We ordered the Al Pastor because how can you refuse when the rotating meat was the first thing you saw walking in. I also ordered the flor de calabaza quesadilla which was a great vegetarian option! But the best part was the different micheladas cocktail options they offered! We tried 4 of the 5 options and they were all delicious! Service was quick and great! Wish we had those micheladas cocktail options around here! read more
This place was just okay. The highlight was definitely the chuleta costra. The taco al pastor did not have that much flavour and the side sauces were just as bland. We also had to get a table outside because the smell inside the restaurant was very intense. The service was absolutely amazing. read more
Overall, the food was good, it just wasn't amazing. There are way better tacos in Mexico City. The horchata was delicious though! I will say is it's a convenient spot for decent food if you're staying near the angel or stopping by to see it. The staff were nice but we ended up finishing our guacamole and chicharrón de queso before we ever got our drinks. We had also asked for extra plates and never received them. read more
4 years ago
Food was great. Ordered the frijoles de olla, nopales and a carete of queso. The tacos are mini but huge flavor. read more
2 years ago
This place is great, I'll definitely want to come back. It was clean, bright and the table we where we were seated had comfortable cushioned benches, other tables had wooden seats. The service was friendly and attentive. We had beef sirloin tacos, a beef crusta and a cheese taco topped with al pastor meat. The soup was so flavorful and comforting. All the tacos were delicious. Our table split a piece of guava mousse cake for dessert, it was light and not too sweet. The decaf Americano coffee was also good. read more
2 years ago
After some bars/clubs, I came here with friends on a drunken Friday night (technically already Saturday since it was 4am!). All I remember was being really happy to have some delicious tacos to eat. Very glad this place was still open at such late/early hours. Lots of seating available. Fast service. Would come back again! read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
Best taco restaurant in town. I would like to recommend you try vegetarian tacos!! Local people suggest to visit. They were right!! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
This place is located at a very busy area, but not packed. Clean and open space with a lot of natural light. The service is fast and great. And they do offer English menu even the staffs speaks limited English. Their signature is the Pastores, the only few places still keeps it original. The crust category is also great, it preserve the meat very juicy inside. The black bean soup is delicious. They also have good selection of beer, soda and some fresh juice, price is very reasonable. read more
6 years ago
Delicious food! Plenty of seating indoor with tables distanced nice. The service was so friendly. My coffee got cold so the lady brought it back hot but then the cup was too hot and without asking she brought me a new one so I can keep drinking. The costras al pastor were so filling and delicious. 3 was too much for me but with the lime, everything was just right. I also ordered a horchata which was super good too. I would love to come back read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
Interesting fried cheese tacos. I will definitely come back. Nice place for lunch. Thank you for reading read more
Came here for the Costras, which is crispy melted cheese filled meat of your choice (I picked al pastor, but the bistec seems popular also). It's served on tortilla which was the only disappointing part of it. They have 4 different salsa to choose from. Definitely something different worth trying. Restaurant is big and clean with good service. read more
2 years ago
Me and my boyfriend came here today for a late lunch, and the place was still very busy. This restaurant is popular for a reason, and we we needed to find out. The restaurant is set-up like a modern cafeteria, complete with large flat screen tv's and the typical dining room table and chairs. There are no booths or a bar with barstools at this place. Even though it was busy, we were greeted at the door and brought to a nice table on the side. Unfortunately, this restaurant doesn't have outdoor seating line some of the adjacent restaurants. I figured that I would order something safe, which were two tacos de bistek. He ordered two gringa tacos which consisted of pork and cheese. For drinks, we both got bottled water with a glass of ice. His gringas tasted much better than my beef tacos, which seemed a little bland. It was good nonetheless and I managed to finish all of it! We had a nice experience here, and the staff people here are very attentive. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
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5 years ago
Great find in the La Reforma neighborhood. Great service. Delicious food. Reasonable prices. I really enjoyed the Taco al pastor, rib-eye costra & the flan. I recommend a visit! read more
4 years ago
One almost fail-safe way to determine if a taqueria is legit or not is to try their Al Pastor Tacos. If those are delicious then they're likely doing something really right but if they're subpar then you might want to head for the hills. Truth be told, El Califa wasn't exactly atop my list for taquerias to visit while in Mexico City but my driver from the airport to the hotel I was staying at ranted and raved about this local taqueria that was a mere 3 blocks away from the hotel. For the aforementioned reason I had to order their Al Pastor tacos; they didn't disappoint based on the expectations I had coming in because of the driver's review. The split roasted pork marinated with chile contrasted perfectly to the sweetness of the pineapple wedges. Highly recommend if you're in the area on the hunt for some tacos! read more
4 years ago
Best tacos and ambiance in the area!! A little pricey, but consistent. Their desserts are to die for too! read more
Ugh, SO good My favorites are the ribeye and the skirt steak The cheese tacos are good too But SO much cheese My stomach hurt Unfortunately their salsas are not as good as El Farolitios. They don't even have pico Pro tip: the tacos come plain but if you ask They will give you onions & cilantro read more
My party of 3 was struggling to find a good (and reputable) taco shop open at 11pm at night - my other choice sent us to a very questionable part of town! We arrived and were seated promptly, ordered a round of soft drinks and guacamole to start. Loved how they gave fresh tostadas and the best salsa. Out of what we ordered, the taco al pastor was probably the best in terms of flavor. It's a personal preference of mine to have the beef cut up a little bit, but it was still delicious. All in all a great option in a safe part of town. read more
7 years ago
El Califa stays busy at all times of the day! My friend and I arrived at 8 PM last Saturday and the restaurant was busy but there was no wait. There were a lot of Americans, either tourists or students studying abroad. HIGHLIGHT: the Pastor taco was only 18 pesos. I tried the ribeye taco, the pastor taco, a mushroom and cheese quesadilla, and another beef taco. My friend ordered 3 pastor tacos to start. The food came pretty quickly. We gobbled them up while sampling the four salsas on the table. The dark smokey one is divine! The tacos are on single tortillas and go down easy. We ended up each ordering two more tacos, two ribeyes for me and two more pastors for her. There are literally thousands of reviews of El Califa online and for a reason. Other than this location, there are two others in the city. I would recommend that you try it out as the food is quick, delicious, well-lit, and affordable! read more
4 years ago
Ribeye tacos were delicious, so much I forgot to take a picture until I had one left. Quesadillas were very good and pastor was very well seasoned. We enjoyed them so much we placed two back to back Uber eats orders. I thought they were on the expensive side, but very tasty. read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
Delicious tacos specially al pastor! Loved rib eye costra and grilled cheese with nopal and if you like Clamato, then order one or two very tasty. read more
8 years ago
El Califa is apparently one of the most well known taquerias in Mexico City. Since they attract plenty of tourists they accept most major credit cards! Don't let the touristy clientele fool you, this gem is turning out scratch, made to order tortillas all day long! The food is not only delicious, you can tell it's clean, cooked well and will be less likely to give you the infamous "Moctezuma' revenge" I unfortunately couldn't partake in ALL of the things I would've liked but my dining companions barely spoke one word once food arrived. I was still in the process of getting over some serious stomach issues and the consume de pollo was just delightful! I ordered it with a side of tortillas and it made for a heart warming, stomach soothing meal. I can not wait to go again (I'll be coming back for work in August of 2018) to really enjoy half the menu! read more
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