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    El Chapin

    5.0 (1 review)

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    6 years ago

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    El Sinaloense

    El Sinaloense

    4.0
    (805 reviews)
    2.9 km
    $$

    Been coming here for ages. Have had birthday parties here. Have brought home anniversary dinners…read moreas take out. These people are always friendly. They're always polite and the food is ALWAYS GOOD !! I don't know the secret to happiness but I tell you what - I've never been sad at El Sinaloense !!

    Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch. Thanks #inkind for a free lunch ( and in this case…read moredinner at this fantastic local Mexican restaurant near downtown San Mateo. I love El Sinaloense for two things , ceviche and molcajete, which is a mixed grill type of Mexican dish named for the three footed volcanic rock vessel that it is cooked in. This was a molcajete day, despite the fact that I had no one to share the dish with. El Sinaloense has a couple of different versions, with a mix of seafood and meats, but the one I ordered today was their special with charred whole green onions, nuggets of tender roasted cactus ( nopals) as well as shrimp, chicken and shrimp. The molcajete sauce is what makes it special and cheese is added to the dish at the end. It is served with homemade corn and flour tortillas and a side ( very small portion relative to size of the main course, which easily feeds two or even three. That is correct, instead of a small portion of quality protein accompanied by a ton of beans and rice, El Sinaloense loads you up with the expensive, flavorful stuff, using the side plate as an accompaniment as it should be.. and BRAVO for that. At $30.95, for a shared entree this is such a cheap eat, especially when given the quality of the meat and shrimp. Today I sat outside and Mr Cesar took such good care of me. As an aside ( which I specialize in, mais of course ) it is worth noting that this lively establishment seems to be a World Cup mecca, for locals, with Happy Hour specials during games. Anyhow my molcajete arrived sizzling ( also worth nothing that this dish finishes cooking table-side due to it's vessel and is optimally consumed immediately because of the risk of overcooking as it sits. I made two gorgeous soft tacos, one steak and shrimp and one chicken and steak, each with a charred onion, lots of cactus and cheese and a small dollop of guacamole. They were filling and each ingredient sung. I will say that the steak had been rendered a tougher texture by the time I got to the second beautifully wrapped package. Taking my cue from this I opted to consume the rest if the shrimp, which were still perfectly cooked, rather than stuff another tortilla. Julius Cesar took care of bringing me a box for my considerable ( 2/3 of the molcajete contents) and an iced tea to go cup. Paying through the InKind app is seamless, just let your server know and in the case if this establishment, note the name of your server specifically. My points covered all but gratuity and my boys can stretch the leftovers with beans and cheese and make some killer nachos to watch World Cup tonight. 10 stars as a bang for buck- this cost me $7, but 4-+ because that 5th star is still elusive. That being said, I have never had anything but a stellar meal here and although today was a solo dining experience, El Sinaloense's atmosphere and drinks lend itself to a large group experience.

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    El Sinaloense
    El Sinaloense
    El Sinaloense

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    Suavecito Birria & Tacos

    Suavecito Birria & Tacos

    4.5
    (620 reviews)
    1.9 km
    $$

    24k burrito was gas... It def wasn't a typical burrito! rice was replaced w tater tots but so yum…read more Loved the garlic prawn! Quesabirria was yummy! loved all the fillings. Not the absolute best one l've had but still good taquitos were delicious!!! Chicken inside was so tender Guac was yummy! Wish it was a bit chunkier but that's just personal preference. The chips were rly good. Horchata was def my fav drink! Sooo good and I feel like alot of places make it so grainy Service was fantastic and great open space.

    Been wanting to go here for a long time now and I'm not sure that I'm glad that I did…read more The online pics looks amazing and the items that we got were the 24k burrito's (carne asada and al pastor), birria tacos and the churro donuts. I'm an al pastor burrito guy and this one was way too heavy on the spice/seasoning and kinda overpowered everything. Also there was barely any trace of tater tots which I was really looking forward to. My daughters ate the asada and said it was just ok. One thing is that the burritos are smaller than your super at El Farolito but they do pack it in there and it's pretty filling! The birria was actually pretty good and they gave a couple different sauces and cabbage and I would recommend it. I was also looking forward to eating the churro donuts on the drive back home because I thought they would be hot n good but that wasn't the case. They musta pulled them out from under a warming lamp because they were barely lukewarm to cold so that was a fail. Overall, it's not bad, but definitely pricier than most of the other popular Mex spots and now that I think about it, I probably won't go back because of it. There's plenty good Mex around for a lot less $$. I coulda gotten 3 super burritos from Farolito for $35 vs ~$75 that I paid at Suavecito.

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    Grand Dining Hall
    Grand Dining Hall
    Birria out of this world
    Birria out of this world
    Birria Tacos

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    Birria Tacos
    Guadalajara Grill

    Guadalajara Grill

    3.8
    (566 reviews)
    6.0 km
    $$

    A hole in the wall type of restaurant, it's unassuming from the outside, located in the middle of a…read morestrip mall out of the way in San Mateo. When you walk in, you place your order directly with the cashier. If dining in, they will provide you with a basket of chips and you choose from an open table. The booths are a bit cramped with no space at all between yourself and the table but comfortable enough otherwise. There is a self service salsa bar in the corner - we really liked the creamy green salsa. Had just a slight kick but my 3 and 5 year old both loved it. I got a taco salad which is served in a taco bowl with all the ingredients of a super burrito, minus rice and cheese. It was very good, but the bottom of the shell gets really soggy so you can really just eat the top of the shell where it's still crispy. The rest of the family got super burritos and were very happy - the meat was crispy in some parts and moist/soft in other parts and the ratio of the other ingredients were perfect to complement the protein. Everyone left full and happy. Don't forget to get a sweet, cool, refreshing horchata drink to help wash down your meal!

    Some how this place has 4 stars on yelp? Someone needs to explain this to me using small simple…read morewords so I can understand. Food- not good they have all the ingredients, but would it kill them to season their food. A little salt maybe while your cook. I had the torta con papas. Carne asada was not seasoned, it was just meat, avocado, tomato and lettuce, once I added salt, jalapeños and a little salsa it actually tasted like something. In all honesty I can't go back nor would I recommend it to my friends and if your Mexican and you like it que vergüenza. One star because they have free refills.

    Photos
    Booth seating with wall mural
    Booth seating with wall mural
    Super burrito (carne asada, no beans) inside
    Super burrito (carne asada, no beans) inside
    Guadalajara Grill storefront exterior

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    Guadalajara Grill storefront exterior

    El Chapin - mexican - Updated August 2026

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