I'm a snob when it comes to Mexican food because I love it so much. This restaurant did little to impress. With the whole Covid-19 freak-out, only outdoor dining is available. Fine, I get it. Buy more shades for your patio! People were baking outside! I was alone so had to sit at the bar, which was black granite so hot you could easily fry an egg on it....huevos rancheros anyone? Service was fine, staff friendly and prompt. Immediately served chips with refried beans, red and green salsa while I had a beer and waited for my tacos. Not bad at all. The al pastor was very good and was just about to try the carnitas when disaster struck. A very long black hair was sticking out from the refried beans. I'm not squeamish but that ended my meal right then and there. Hey, it happens. I was comped my meal and beer which was appropriate. The restaurant showed signs of being good but failed by a single hair. read more

After much deliberation I decided to leave a negative review for my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Coronel. The food is above average taqueria fare...I enjoyed hundreds of meals there over the years, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week! The servers have always been kind and helpful. My issue is with the drink pricing. About 6 months ago I ate there during the restaurants Happy Hours time. Had a couple margaritas. When the bill came the price for the margaritas was the usual dinner menu pricing. When I brought this up w the server she said that I had to specify that I wanted a "Happy Hour" margarita, which is smaller. I've never seen Happy Hour pricing operate that way, but everyone has the right to run their restaurant the way they choose. I spoke to the owner about this...he offered to change the bill this time but made no promises going forward. Today I had lunch at El Coronel and encountered the same problem. The bill for the margaritas reflected dinner menu pricing even though I had been given a lunch menu, which lists a $4 lower price per drink. When I brought this up with the server he left to speak to the manager. When he returned he said that he could not change the price because the cash register was programmed to the higher price. Higher than the listed price on the lunch menu, which is where we ordered our drinks and food. I feel this is abusive and will not be going back. A long time, loyal customer who had recommended El Coronel to many people. Sad. read more

went in right before closing server , Adrian was very attentive & friendly he checked on us frequently without being intrusive bar drinks were great the food was amazing & came out in a timely manner definitely recommend mocajete a la diabla & chicken tortilla soup the decor & the ambiance was great will definitely be back read more

Best Mexican food in sonoma county!!! Staff are amazing, food is perfect. I could eat here every day!!!

This place is a must! Not only were the food and drinks amazing, but the staff was so friendly and personable. The manager came to check on us periodically and being it was my best friend's birthday, gave us free shots and dessert. This place does not allow your water or dip to go empty. Oh, and they give you 3 kinds! Salsa, beans, and guacamole. They make you feel special with how well they take care of you and frequent your table to make sure all is well. Would absolutely recommend coming here! read more

Big plates, fast service, family friendly and A plus margaritas! I love that they serve chips with salsa and a bean dip, and the portions are always huge. Love these guys! read more

First time customer, went in and was seated immediately. The hostess was friendly but unfortunately when I pointed out to her that our table was dirty and need to be cleaned. She said she would get someone to clean it. I know it's not the hostess job to wipe down the table but they had no one else in there waiting to be seated, in fact the place was basically empty! So why are we being seated at a dirty table? Before we knew it we had chips salsa and beans placed on top of this dirty table. Next we are handed menus that were sticky and dirty, it's just really gross us out! At that point we decided to find a different place for dinner. For me if the front of the house is this bad, I don't even want to know what the kitchen looks like! read more

I am not sure if this place is under a different owner, it's been a while since I've last come here. Food didn't taste right mind you I was hungry, service was eh! I wouldn't go back! read more

The one star is for the cocktails - spot on Margaritas, and a pretty convincing Mai Tai among others. The food - rice was served cold, and mushy, as though it had been reheated multiple times. My tamal was also luke warm at best, as was my hard as a rock chile relleno. Sad, because the staff was really nice and attentive. Hope they fix the kitchen. read more

Got there, waited for about 10 minutes. 3 different workers passed by my family and I and they didnt even acknowledge us. Had they said "I'll be right with you" we would have waited longer read more

One of the best Mexican food places around. The staff has always been friendly and quick. They have a nice sized patio which is perfect on summer evenings. They also have a food truck for catering and if you have a job site they can also come out to it. I'm hungry just thinking about their perfectly seasoned and cooked Asada in their burritos and tacos. The tables and chairs are colorful and festive. Do let them know if there is a large group it's just having manners. read more

after an agreement with the bartender in person outside of her job we discussed the last episode at this restaurant and I want to express here for all the diners my sincerity and a true apology to Nataya Hernandez because she tried her best to make my lunch the right way. All she wanted to do is to serve me but I got confused because I thought she was on lunch so now clarifying that she wanted to take care of me while I was there I truly believe that she was 100% honest with me. I remove my comment and I hope the management team consider this change of mind and forgive Nataya for the misunderstanding. My experiences there overall have been 4+ stars so I'd like to come back and be attended by Nataya Hernández. read more

This is my go-to restaurant for Mexican food in the area-first off the margaritas are amazing. Then when you get your chips and salsa it comes w a dish or refried beans as well-perfect little starter. After that, I really like the food. The carne asada is great, carnitas as well. Mole enchiladas is probably one of my fav dishes. Then there's great salads as well. Can't say enough about this place-the people are very friendly and there's a great outside patio if fresh air is what you're looking for. read more

Came here last night with the whole family and had a wonderful time. My mom and I shared a tasty margarita with an added shot of tequila, which was definitely needed. We also tried a Cantarito (bottom of drink menu) and loved it. It's full of yummy citruses and a little hint of sweet carbonation from the sprite. It's rimmed with, I am assuming, Tajin adding that spicy salty flavor goodness. I'm hooked, get this drink! The food, however, was not as exciting as I had hoped. My grilled chicken taco was so spicy that I couldn't finish it. But, my shrimp taco was fresh and seasoned to perfection. The standout was definitely the service. They were all around great! They got our order perfect and made accommodations to our somewhat strange requests. I will have to force my family to go out to eat more often just so we can return to El Coronel! read more

Very friendly service, great outdoor patio dining! The food is good, beautifully plated. Very comprehensive menu with lots of seafood. Lots of parking! Three salsas delivered with generous amount of chips! Almost instant service ( I'm here at 12:45 on Sunday). read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - Patio dining. Perfect day for outdoor dining! - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

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Stopped in again last night for dinner and there was only one waitress. That being said the food was terrible, the chicken quesadilla was NOT fresh and it sat on the counter for 5 to 8 minutes, maybe that's why the chicken tasted not fresh and the cheese turned from metlted to stiff/cold. The table side guacamole was actually made behind the counter and out of our view NOT at our table as it should be and has always been in the past and it states that in the menu.That was not fresh either and tasted unfresh and nasty. We took a bite then returned it to our MIA waitress who was very friendly and nice but busy at other tables. She had to wait on all the tables by herself and unfortunately we paid the price. She did take off the tableside guacamole which was the right thing to do. All this being said, since we had several not good food quality visits here, we will not be coming back to this restaurant. The Two Stars are for location and atmosphere!!! read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - They are back to cooking it right... Very tasty food... - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

This checked all the boxes for us. We're visiting from out of town. Food is classic Mexican but really good value. Flavorful. Spicy but balanced. Chips are crispy and seem house made. Service is good. Ambiance might be the only area to improve. Overall great value read more

First let me say you need to update your menu you have online because the prices are actually a lot higher on your menu, which is ridiculously expensive. The lunch menu is very minimal. I had a cheese enchilada with rice and beans with a $2.99 side ground beef taco. The ground beef was a joke. It looked like it should be poured over pasta. You could not pick up the little tortilla to eat was not what I would ever consider a taco. The enchilada was so blah and tasteless. The chips were dark like over cooked and not good. I asked for extra salsa and got the smallest little amount Service was okay nothing great. Complete disappointment read more

I ordered the taco salad and it was completely tasteless, which is odd because it *looked* delicious. The tortilla shell was cold and kind of stale, like it had been sitting out for a few days. The rice was bland and room temperature and the lettuce was OLD. There were a bunch a limp slimy pieces of it that I had to pick out. They also didn't serve pico de gallo with it, just some overly refrigerated tomatoes. Honestly, the glory that is the taco salad lies in its delightful contrast of temperatures and textures- and that was sorely lacking here. It was $10, which, in my opinion, was a rip off for something so haphazardly thrown together. I could have gone to Taco Bell and saved myself some $. The high point of the meal was the free bean dip. The appetizer should not be the best part and I won't be returning there in the near future. read more

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet! We love El Coronel and have been going here for years. This is a great place for a sit-down, authentic Mexican food experience complete with delicous (and very reasonably priced) margarita(s)! We have always loved El Coronel, but after going again last night, it's clear that they have really stepped up their game. They've always had delicous food and great margaritas, but they have now added some wonderful looking desserts and other small touches that make the place feel really special. For example- the drink menu is now in a nice leather cover. Small thing, I know, but it just adds a nice little bit of polish. Also, the manager is on hand and makes sure to stop by and see how everone is doing. My favorite items: The fajita quesadilla and the fajita taco salad. Both are awesome! The fajita meat is very tasty and nicely marinated- tender, and not too fatty. I have yet to have any of their seafood dishes- but they always look good. Maybe next time. Their menu of margarita options is huge - with dozens of different tequilas to choose from. Price ranges from $5.75 to $8.50- pretty reasonable, especially considering that they are large. The wait is always minimal, but the place is always hoppin'. A nice, friendly vibe and good service. You are going to leave full (in some cases- about to keel over) but it is SO worth it! read more

This is the closest Mexican restaurant to our house so we have been here a few times and will probably be back again but I will say we would definitely come more often if the service was a bit better. The food is generally solid. They have fantastic chips and salsa and they serve them with a little side of refried beans that goes great with the green salsa. We've had quesadillas, tacos, chicken tortilla soup, and chile rellenos, all of which were good. My biggest complaint is the amount of time you have to wait for anything is usually surprisingly long and that's if they don't forget to bring it. The saddest thing is that whenever we talk about it to other locals they usually say, "you mean the place with the good food but bad service". I've heard that probably 5 or 6 times from different people. Definitely something that should be addressed. read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

We continue to love one of our local gems El Colonel. We are so impressed with this family run restaurant that has adapted and reopened their patio during such a difficult time and still offer consistently wonderful food, service, and delish margs! Try the Mary's Margarita when you stop in! You'll be so glad you did! read more

The food is delicious. I think the menu and offerings have changed over the years but it is still solid. They have finally improved the dorado (hard) tacos to a fresh made shell. At least more fresh than out of a box like from the grocery store. The start you off with a bean dip and some salsas. Always love a good bean dip. I love their carnitas plate. I have never had a bad plate of food here. They know their way around the kitchen for sure; however, their service is another story. I have yet to have a meal here and leave happy with the service. There is always something that stinks in the process. No refill on my drink, no check in after the food is served, something is missing, waiting forever for the bill, waiting forever for initial service. I've been going for years and we continue to go because service aside the food is delicious. I just wish both were stellar. read more

My boyfriend and I were staying at the Fairmont Inn & Suites, LITERALLY next door to this place, so we decided to come by for dinner when we didn't see anything appealing on our walk in downtown Sebastopol. I'm a picky American-style eater so I can be a little apprehensive when coming to a more "authentic" Mexican restaurant but I was stoked to see the first option under quesadillas--a flour tortilla with your choice of meat, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. It was like they put that menu item together just for me! Lol They were absolutely delicious although the guac was a little too authentic and chunky for me. I guess I'm just used to the over-processed grocery store type. I loved the margaritas! Seemed like just the right amount of alcohol to get a slight buzz out of one :) I saw a review claiming they're "machine-made" but WHO CARES? For $6.25 it's cheaper and tasted much classier/stronger than what you get at Chili's type places. The only let-down was the service. Not horrible but definitely not good. Our server was friendly and everything came out with good timing but after that she was non-existent. I flagged her down to ask for the check, a to-go box, and some extra sour cream and when I got the check I discovered she charged us $1 for the sour cream and never said a word. I would have paid it either way but, well, a better server would have mentioned the extra charge. I had to flag her down again to pay. So the service isn't great, but the food and drinks definitely are. Oh my god, AND they have a happy hour with $3 margaritas?! Sigh. Enjoy it, Sebastopol. I wish I could :( read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - Margaritas and salsa options - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

This restaurant's food has zero flavor and I mean zero. The portions are huge but there isn't much flavor. I have eaten burrito and tacos many times from taco trust and other different restaurant but this place food didn't satisfy me. Food was very expensive and not worth the drive. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

Went on Mother's Day, seated right away, friendly and attentive server, constantly good food!

This place showed promise but turned out to just be a waste of time. Stood by the front door for 5+ minutes before even being greeted. Sat down for a while before getting an order in. After about 15 minutes, finally got chips, salsa, and a water. Another long wait to order a margarita and a fajita style salad. I was told the marg would be a while due to lack of 'lemon juice'???? It came out before too long and basically tasted like a virgin. I was then served the wrong salad but they were friendly and seemed to be lacking in staff so I said I would just deal with it. I then asked for another shot of tequila for the weak-a-rita and it didn't come after 10 minutes so I asked again. Another long wait and I was finally just done with this place. The two young kids who appeared to be the only ones working were nice enough but I say avoid at all costs. read more

Excellent food, cocktails and service! Highly satisfied! The shrimp and crab enchiladas are absolutely delicious! read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

I've eaten here twice now. It's pretty good. They serve bean dip with their chips and salsa which is always a nice surprise. Their salsa is seriously excellent! The servers remind me of sales people. They will do their best to add guacamole to your chips and salsa. "Do you want some guacamole?" I don't think that's a bad thing but they should finish the question by siting the price for the guac. I was really craving crunchy tacos which is rare for me. I ordered one soft taco al pastor and a shredded chicken crunchy taco. My son ordered a ceviche tostada. When the meals were delivered my plate included beans, rice and a salad which I didn't order. I wanted 2 tacos a-la-cart. It almost felt like they did that on purpose because a 2 item combo plate is $12.99. I spoke up and was not charged for the plate (how many would not speak up?) I was seriously disappointed that the taco shell was a mass-produced store bought cheap taco shell similar to what you'd get at Taco Bell. The tostada shell was also one of those mass-produced shells. Very disappointing! The al pastor was good though. read more

It was a HOT day and there was no a/c but that aside... we were very pleased with our meal! This restaurant has festive decor, friendly staff, tasty food, tons of choices, and good prices. Enjoyed it! read more

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Nice decor, great parking. But there's really not many vegetarian options. The portabella fajita was seriously overpriced at $18.25 and lacked any flavor as well as being too greasy for my tastes. My friend did seem to enjoy her carne asada tacos and the service was friendly without being intrusive and quick. read more

If I could give 0 starts I would. I was honestly very disappointed with my food.I loved this places and it was my mother birthday and I called and placed an order and the lady was very polite. Due to Covid is take out only. I ordered about 7 plates of food. The food was definitely old. The avocado on my plate was black was way over due. The chips were steal. The beans had a weird taste to them and definitely had time. Rice was undercook was hard. I was very disappointed because I loved this place. I ordered a kids meal and was a burrito. The burrito meat was steak and the steak was hard and was unable to be chewed. Not just was the food old but the flan that I order had an order to it and it smelled like rotten milk. Everyone was unhappy with the food and couldn't eat it.I don't recommend going here. I called the health department because you should not be operating with food that has expired. I understand is Covid and is hard times. For the price they charge should be fresh. read more

Great atmosphere; Cassandra greeted us as soon as we arrived with an awesome and festive attitude; Steak and Enchilada & Ceviche were tasty ( Nacho ); margaritas were on point ( thanks to Alex ) and of course Marisela's service was excellent. Congratulations to ownership for the improvements. read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - Mary's Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

Took my 4 year old here to reward him for good behavior. We ordered the deep fried ice cream and he officially declared "this is the best meal I've ever eaten"! Doesn't get much better than that! Don't worry, he was heading to grandma's house after this so I wasn't too worried about the sugar overload. Bright and friendly restaurant, good chips and salsa too. read more

El Coronel Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Sebastopol, California

Great food. I work in the trades so I actually tried one of there food trucks first and liked it so much that I had to take the wife to try it now it is a family favorite will always be willing to go in for a family dinner the rest of my family is hooked on it too read more

Excellent food and friendly staff. Burritos are GIGANTIC!! They have a great outdoor space too! read more

The best in Sonoma County. Carnitas plate is worth getting every time and green/red salsas are amazing.

The best Mexican restaurant in Sonoma county , I love the micheladas and the shrimp tacos are really good too

Thursday 4/22/21 @ 6:30 pm Take out: Chicken tamal = mushy/gritty and odd tasting. Asked for no red sauce on top, so they smothered it with jack cheese. You don't put jack cheese on top of a tamal. Regular shrimp burrito = Asked for no red sauce on top, they put red sauce on and then scraped it off. It was wet and mushy by the time we got it home. Grilled Chicken Nachos = Meh/flavorless. Disappointing. Thursday night cook could use some retraining. read more

They came to our work party and the food was GREAT. way better than the restaurant...wouldn't go there except to have a margarita on the patio in summer read more