Dinner This is an amazing place to eat, the service above and beyond. Atmosphere peaceful we lost an item and they went out of their way to check parking lot, bathroom and area we sat. They showed us such care as we had just lost our mother and showed such care for us. If you are looking for a nice place to eat, coming in from Pennsylvania, I could eat there there every week if it was 3,000 miles away. read more

Our visit to El Maestro started on a positive note. There is an outside seating area, but we decided to site inside. The decor is pretty basic, but pleasant. There are a couple of fake cactus at the bar, and a mural on one wall. We were greeted by a host, who was also out server. He was very friendly, and brought us some chips and salsa. The salsa was really good, and I was looking forward to a great meal. Sadly, everything went downhill from there. The menu had a number of items taped over, and it was missing a lot of the items I saw looking at the menus posted on Yelp. I ordered a margarita which tasted like something pre-mixed from a bottle. Mostly just sweet, with no depth of flavor. My chile rellenos were covered in a thick layer of rapidly cooling cheese; that's pretty much all I could taste. The chiles themselves were tough and stringy; it was actually hard to cut them up. I ordered the corn tortillas, which apparently are made fresh in the restaurant. They were good, but a little dry. My friend ordered the Maestro burrito (half beef, half chicken). It seemed to be just the meat and sour cream. If it contained cheese, rice, beans, or anything else it wasn't visible. When it was time for our check, our waiter disappeared. He did apologized when he brought it. Overall, a very disappointing experience and a terrible meal. read more

I don't know what the hell this is, but it definitely isn't Albondigas!!! Ordered Albondigas to go and when I got home, I was very disappointed. Carrots looked super dirty... Literally a waste of money... the soup only had carrots, and a shit ton of chopped celery no other vegetables as it should come with. Everybody knows a good Albondigas and this was NOT it! I felt like taking it back.... I did order rice and beans on the side and the rice looked like it had been sitting out for hours. The beans had no flavor I had to put salt in them.... We obviously pay to eat good and this was just a disappointment. read more

Sam the bartender is great and makes awesome margaritas. Many tv screens. And sports playing. read more

El Maestro - Entrance - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

The steak fajitas are incredible... the best in San Jose. It's all I ever order. Service is always good and food arrive quickly and perfectly. read more

It's an unassuming restaurant tucked in the corner of a shopping strip. The game was on when I arrived, post lunch rush. The salsa was mild and fresh and had a great flavor. I ordered enchiladas mexicana with carnitas and a Mexican coke. The food was fairly priced and the staff was friendly and attentive. The music playing was not too loud and they had plenty of tvs for watching the game. You can sit at the bar or grab a table. Adding this to my weekend lunch list. Look it up and check it out. read more

El Maestro - Enchiladas Mexicanas - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

If I could give a rating in the minus zero range, that's what this place is. From the dead plants by the dirty entry door to the depressing, empty, dark interior, to the abomination they call Mexican food, my advice is stay far away from this place. The Margarita looked like fluffy soap & tasted like whipped sugar!! What a waste of $$$. read more

Food was mediocore at best. My wife had a taco salad bowl that was not good. It was vidually un appealing. I ordered the Colorado beef. No flavor, just spice hot. Our friends got the Chicken burrito it came with very little chicken. They were charged $2.00 extra for chicken in a $19.00 burrito. The service was not good, we had to go to the bar to get wayer for the table. Noone ever came by to ask if we needed anything. Our bill for 4 was $148.00. We will never go back to this eatery again. read more

Came in last week, food wasn't at all what I expected kinda disappointed, had no flavor

Honestly, a slept on place. It's a cozy and intimate restaurant and bar. We went here on a whim since we moved from SSF. They provided chips and salsa right when we entered. The food was just what we needed at the appropriate prices. Fajitas less than $30 is hard to find. My fiancée recommends the pozole. I wish I took more pictures of my food but I was hungry. Service was good too. read more

El Maestro - A finished plate of steak Fajitas - Grilled Stk - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

We have been going to El Maestro for a few years now. They have always gone above and beyond for us, even when they are fully packed. "Alma" has been our go to lady. She treats my kids like family; always remembering their 'special' orders too. We have even used them for a Surprise Birthday Party, and they catered impeccably, no quality wasted on quantity. The location is nice too, not too loud. I would recommend again and again. The bar is nice too, they make some pretty awesome Chavelas. ... Highly recommend Alma and El Maestro! read more

El Maestro - The Catered setup for about 40 people. - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

This spot is easy to overlook--tucked away in a quiet plaza across from Chili's and near Denny's and IHOP. I've driven past it for years since moving to South San Jose and never felt the pull to stop in... until recently. I'm really glad I did. While it may not aim for ultra-traditional Mexican cuisine, everything we tried was seriously delicious. Their Tex-Mex dishes are the standout--especially the fajitas: bold flavor, generous portions, and fairly priced. Honestly, much better than Chili's across the street for the same fare. The restaurant had a lively vibe, service was quick and attentive, and the full bar is a nice bonus. Overall, a great experience and a place I'll happily return to. read more

Homemade tortillas tacos are fire good drinks and great salsa great spot to come to with your family. A hidden gem. read more

El Maestro - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Haven't been there in awhile. Ordered thru DoorDash. The good: delivered in a timely fashion. The bad: the menu is very limited now since change of ownership. The chips were maybe Doritos, beans and rice maybe from a can, the beef in the chimichanga was so tough that it was mostly inedible. No combo plates, everything is ala Carte now. Very overpriced for substandard food. I won't be eating there again. My bad, it appears that ordering thru DoorDash limits your selections but regardless, won't be eating from there again. read more

We frequent this place every few months, and my go-to is their delicious and consistent shrimp fajitas with grilled jalapeños on the side. The chips, salsa, and guacamole are also enjoyable, and others in our group have liked their diverse dishes. We often gather here for friends' birthdays, usually a sizable group, resulting in a higher bill, but the service is consistently good. It's not a fancy spot, but they work hard, and the margaritas are quite good. The bar always has sports to watch. I wish they were open for lunch on weekdays other then Fridays, but the evenings work for us. Convenient parking is usually abundant in the plaza. No significant wait times, and the authentic Mexican food makes it a great spot for a quick and casual meal. read more

Went this last Friday for some drinks and something light to eat since we weren't too hungry. Sat at the bar directly in front of the bartender for about 3 minutes. He never looked up, never said hello so we decided to grab a table. Waiter was nice and friendly. Placed an order for tacos but was told they don't sell them "A La cart". No big deal so we went with the wings and shrimp instead. About 25 minutes later the waiter comes to our table and says the printer was broken and the cook never got our order. 10 minutes later our order came out. The shrimp was ok but the wings were AWFUL. We ordered the spicy garlic wings. They were very small and tasted like they had been drenched in pine sol, garlic and chili powder. We decided to leave the wings and ask for our bill. When the waiter came back with our bill she said she rang us up wrong and had to charge us again. She charged us twice but refunded us less than the two charges. At this point I was over dealing with this place and figured we'd take it up with our bank once the charges clear. I won't be going back to this place, ever! Not sure how they stay in business with their terrible service and mediocre food. read more

Once again we had a great dinner with friends and family at El Maestro. My wife had the pozole and I had the carnitas plate. Both were really good. The service was outstanding. We also had two cadillac margaritas that hit the spot. In all of our visits we have never had a bad meal here. Great service and great food. I highly recommend. read more

I visited this location on two different occasions. Albeit the food was delicious the service was lack luster on both occasions. The place was not busy both times, so I was surprised with the servers not being attentive. read more

Surprised not better reviews. I loved the jalapeño margarita. I also like that you can get the combo plate with only one item AND they offer several choices for how you want the meat prepared, shredded chicken or grilled. Also, the salsa is AMAZING! read more

El Maestro - jalapeño Margarita - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

It was good place I had been there before. But this time we ordered enchilada and the chicken wings. The chicken wings seemed recooked with lots of oil and it was tasteless. read more

Personally, the place is nice, but it needs updating. Today I went to eat with my family. Overall, everything was fine except for the manager's unfriendly and grumpy service. But overall, it's a good place, good food, and good drinks! read more

Food is awesome! Our favorite spot for authentic Mexican in San Jose. Service is great. Grab a table on their outdoor deck with a Cadillac margarita, you won't regret it. One of the few places that makes their corn tortillas fresh with masa. read more

El Maestro - Fajitas - Shrimp Burrito - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Alma is a great manager and is always courteous and kind. The service is amazing the staff are always making sure our needs are taken care of. My family and I love coming here to eat. read more

El Maestro - Camarones al ajo - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Albondigas and homemade corn tortillas were top notch. Soup was delicious from broth to veggies and meatballs. Light broth was very tasty. Handmade corn tortillas were thee beat Ive had. I would order a stack of these. read more

El Maestro El Sucko! Terrible service for my party of 13, but of course they are guaranteed the tip. Our bill was like 4 bills and we had to go grab workers for salsa, something needed, and hey our burrito is not what was ordered. Sad they just didn't care or have the staff equipped for large parties. Never will they get our business again!! read more

We really like the food here. Our kids like to eat here to. Always busy, sometimes it's hard to get a table. Very good drinks. Sometimes we do to go but it's not the same. Definitely rather eat at the restaurant. read more

I was sick & was craving tortilla soup. This place made my entire day! Thank you!!!

The food is so flavorful and the staff is wonderful! There is outdoor seating set up due to Covid, and they have music playing to help the ambiance. Their playlist was awesome! The green salsa that comes with their chips so amazing. It's the perfect amount of heat. We ordered fajitas and a combo platter that had a soft taco and an enchilada. Everything was fantastic. All of the food tasted delicious. We will definitely be back. read more

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The food was ok but the service was bad they forgot our food we made reservations and they put us in a corner when they had the big restaurant they could of put us in a spacious place to sit it was a Christmas dinner disappointed read more

As much as I love there food... there attention to detail through Doordash is horrible. I had ordered a 2 item dish w/ 1 chicken enchilada, and the other a cheese. They only gave me cheese. On top of that, they didn't give my dasher my horchata. I was disappointed and had to request a refund. So with this experience, beware. read more

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Quite candidly, that entire dining experience was a disaster. But, I always want to start positive so I will say that the hostess/waitress Sabrina was nice which is the one positive note on an otherwise 0 star review. 1. The carnitas plate literally had less moisture than beef jerky. I had to drink my mediocre margarita to swallow it. I left 80% on the plate and ate the beans and rice. How do you dry out carnitas??? Really? 2. Two hours for two people and most of it was spent waiting. 3. The music is too loud for the staff to hear the order. Or for people to talk to each other. 4. Retraining staff is necessary, there were patrons getting up and walking to empty tables to get silverware. This is so basic it's a sad fail. I watched this happen at least four times. Not an exaggeration. I'll just stop there, this place needs to close, retrain everyone and reopen for a fresh start. Or don't, I'm not coming back, this is the single worst review I have had to leave in 20 years. Way to completely BOMB cinco de mayo!!! read more

Sitting here now after having dinner and two drinks Taco salad was awesome with chicken. Perfect amount of everything. Beer came in a frosted glass so cold it had ice in it!!!! I did want more chips and salsa which they never ask for but I'll still give them five stars for everything else. Everybody goes to a Mexican restaurant for chips and salsa. read more

Casual ambience, music in the background & very good chips & salsa. We enjoyed our dinner. read more

El Maestro - Chili Colorado - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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Hubby and I were excited to try this place, so headed over there to check it out. There was a decent amount of people there and all tables full in the first room, except for 1 dirty table and 1 clean table. The waitress came over and told us it would be a 5 minute wait until she could seat us. About 7-8 minutes later, a party of 4 walked in, and the waitress appeared to know them and said hello and escorted them to be seated at the available table. Hubby went over to tell them we had been waiting and she responded "We'll seat you right now" and sent him back to continue waiting. If there would have been any kind of an apology, we probably would have waited just a little longer but since there seemed to be no consideration for us, we left... and Found a different really good Mexican restaurant near by. read more

Best Mexican food in the area! And wonderful service. Excellent margaritas. Outdoor patio is great for a Friday afternoon.

We went here for my brother's birthday as it was his choice. I ordered flautas filled with carnitas. The plate came with guacamole, sour cream, beans and rice. It was good. I think I'm going to order it again but with carne asada next time to try something new. The birthday boy orders carne asada fajitas and they looked delicious. He wasn't able to finish the fajitas and took it home. Other sibling ordered quesadilla. Other sibling ordered a Tamale. And last individual who went ordered the appetizer-Pat's shrimp plate. Oh almost forgot I got an agua de Jamaica and it was great! Not too sweet! Perfect flavoring! Staff were friendly and helpful. Parking was easy. read more

Amazing drink selection. Definitely the spot to go to after work. Food was awesome and didn't have to wait to be seated or get our food. Great experience. read more

First of all, let's set expectations. I am reviewing this as "americanized" Mexican food (i.e. the burritos/enchiladas/tacos that we all love, but that may not be as close to authentic as one would think). For that type of food, this place is excellent! I brought a group of 6 friends here for dinner before we went bowling. It was a bit hard to find, but really cute on the inside! Loved the decor and the plates that looked like open books. So cute! The drinks took a bit to arrive, but were quite good - we all got margaritas. Food-wise, I ordered the enchiladas in green sauce (I don't remember if they were listed as suizas or verde on the menu), and ate every little bit of them! Great flavor, lots of sauce and cheese and meaty goodness. Just how I like it! The food that my friends ordered all looked good too, and everyone's plate was clean, so I have to assume they enjoyed it! Personally, I find it fairly hard to find Mexican places in SJ that are sit down, have drinks, and where the food is decent (if you know of one other than this, let me know...). This place checked all three boxes for me, so five stars and I'll definitely be back! read more

El Maestro - Crispy tacos! - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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We celebrated a birthday last night and decided to try a nearby restaurant owned by a local family. El Maestro (on Blossom Hill at Almaden Expressway) was enjoyed by us all. We started with drinks from the bar that were tasty, chips and salsa that pleased everyone, and then our entrees arrived and the table got noticeably quiet as we tucked in. Tables are available out front on warm days and there's lots of space inside on cold nights. Serving portions are hefty and the staff if gracious. All in all, we had a great time. read more

Pretty decent Mexican food. This was the first sit down restaurant I've been to since COVID and they have a great parking lot set up with a shaded tent and spaced seating. We enjoyed our margaritas - esp the jalapeño one! We also ordered grilled shrimp tacos, which were served on homemade tortillas and steak enchiladas with verde salsa. The steak was marinated and tender. And the enchilada sauce was really delicious. The chips were also served warm and the salsa had the perfect kick. I'm knocking a few stars just because the service was reallllly slow and not at all welcoming. read more

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