I really wanted to like this place. I haven't had a good chile verde since last time I made it in my own kitchen and I had high hopes for this place, but was let down. The salt, OMG the salt was so overpowering. I'm sure if I were a local, my cardiologist would tell me to never eat there again. I could tell if they has just eased up on the salt a bit, this would have been a 5 star dish, but because of the salt, I'd give it 3 stars. The reason for the 2 star review is because of the service, it was bad. It looked like they might have been a bit understaffed, but that's no excuse. I shouldn't sit with an empty glass of water for my entire meal. Everything took too long and of the 3 times the waitress came by, she never once offered to fill our water glasses which all but 1 were empty. Just really poor service all around. read more

Tried El Maestro for the first time tonight based on Yelp reviews. The food was delicious! We had a variety off the menu, including chili rellano, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, flautas and more. Not a single complaint. They give you free unlimited chips and salsa and on your first visit, they even include a flan for the table (which was hands down amazing!). Only complaint is that the food took awhile to come out (almost an hour) but of course we had chips and salsa to feast on. We'll definitely be back. The food was fantastic and reasonable. Can't wait to try their happy hour! read more

We were looking for a place for breakfast and found this place had good reviews for their Mexican food so we decided to try it. We got there right as they opened, the staff was very attentive and friendly. We had the Denver omelets with hash browns pancakes. Before that they offered chips and salsa which were really good. Our food came pretty quickly and was tasty. The pancakes were fluffy, and the hash browns were not greasy. The omelet was good, with fresh handout veggies, the only issue we had was with the meat which was a little dry. Some other patrons order Mexican food which looked great. If we get a chance to return I would like to try it. read more

Monday November 9 2015 Wow, what a great find! El Maestro is well hidden behind a construction trailer about 50 yards from Lamps Plus. Landlord needs to provide restaurant signage cuz I've been driving past this place every workday for the past three months. It was only today when I went to Lamps Plus and asked where the nearest Mexican restaurant was. The lady said it was hidden behind the construction trailer about 50 yards that -a-way. So I stopped by tonight for dinner. I was seated and served by the nicest lady, Blanca, who suggested I try chili verde. This being my first time here, I gave it a shot. Man -O-Man was it good. Restroom was very clean, service was excellent and whatever they pay Blanca, they should double it, she's that good. So if you're looking for really good, fresh food, stop by. . . It's really good. For those who posted a negative review, next time go to Taco Bell. Signed, Randy read more

Yum! Great food, friendly service. A little slow...but food was yum. Guacamole was good needed to be fully mashed and a little more salt...chips yummy. I had camarones rancheros ...so good. Lots of shrimp, spicy sauce. With bell peppers, onion, and jalepeno. Kids enchilada was good, and chicken burrito was good size and yummy. Can't wait to go back for margaritas! read more

El Maestro - Camarones Rancheros - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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I would have liked to have given this restaurant a higher rating because the food is excellent. Tonight we ordered a enchilada and a SOPA and they were so good. But this service really took away from our dining experience. We were sat at a dirty table. We had to ask several times for some silverware, napkins Bill, and refills on both water and chips. I didn't like that. read more

Disappointed that they were unwilling to accommodate our party of 7. They tried to squeeze us onto a table for 4 people and when we asked to add a table the waitress said absolutely not. We left and went to chevy's knowing the food would be less than subpar, put the service was so much better!!! Never going back!!! read more

Really tasty food!! I had Chile Verde. The hubby had green enchiladas! The chips and salsa were great! Authentic Mexican food is hard to come by. We found a new place. It's sorta hidden in parking lot. The vibe was relaxing and inviting. Love the interior design! read more

Worst service of my life! Didn't even get to try the food because we were promptly ignored for 30 minutes after being seated. We ended up walking out. Don't waste your money! read more

First time visiting this restaurant. I do not have one complaint, service was excellent and the food was great. We will be back. read more

El Maestro - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

My mom and I come here for dinner all the time (probably too much because they know us here now haha!) Great food, great service, awesome margaritas and a fun atmosphere! read more

I'm her now food was good the service the waitress was terrible , of course were not Causian, Alma is hurting there business. She gave us salsa that was so hot and slammed it on the table and they have paper menus and suppose to throw the one thu gave us one that had stains on it . No fans in us it was hot . read more

Maybe it was an off night... My boyfriend and I decided to try this restaurant after coming across it on Yelp. I'm glad we didn't expect much b/c it delivered the right expectations for us. My boyfriend ordered the COMBINATION PLATTER w/ 1. ENCHILADAS VERDE, 2. TAMALE w/ PULLED CHICKEN, & 3. CARNE ASADA TACO Everything was pretty delicious on his platter besides the pulled pork tamale - it was TOO DRY!! I couldn't really swallow it unless I was taking it down with a big gulp of water. I ordered the GRILLED CHICKEN FAJITA and everything was really delicious until the chicken became a little bit to dry after taking my 2nd bite - sad times - loved the veggie assortment though. I loved the warm tortillas, rice and retried beans though! What ultimately killed it for me was the CUSTOMER SERVICE. Maybe it was an off night but it took forever for our food to come out - like 20 minutes. And our waitress was pretty much nonexistent. We noticed a couple parties coming in that were also dissatisfied - that heightened my dissatisfaction. read more

This is by far our favorite Mexican restaurant in town. We usually come on Sundays and always enjoy the great food but most of all the outstanding service. Blanca always takes care of our needs with a wonderful smile. We highly recommend this place for great food and of course margaritas!!! Happy Holidays...feliz navidad!!! read more

The margarita was wonderful. The brussels sprouts and cauliflower dish very good. Honestly how can you mess it up?! But they were extremely stingy on the salsa and the dip for a huge plate of brussels sprouts and cauliflower. I asked for more which took an act of Congress and when I asked for more again I was informed that's all they gave. As far as I could tell there was one bus boy and one wait staff employee. They never once checked on me asked if I wanted another drink or whether my food was alright. Anytime I wanted anything I actually had to go around to the front door and wait for somebody to acknowledge me and ask them in the doorway to please come wait on me. Not what I was hoping for while I'm dining outside in 50° weather. I will not be back. Sincerely disappointed read more

First time here and place is so damn delicious I had to do my first yelp review. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly, most importantly THEIR FOOD IS BY FAR THEE BEST MEXICAN FOOD. We named it "the hidden gem" the owner and his wife are amazing people. read more

El Maestro - BOMB! AUTHENTIC - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Good food. Good service. Did it blow me away? No Am I likely to return? Good possibility. read more

This is my absolute favorite mexican restaurant. The food is always fresh and the staff is completely awesome. They have great drinks with a very attentive bartender. I always recommend this place whenever I can. read more

The place is hidden however it's a good spot for a good Mexican meal. The service was great and we enjoyed our meal while watching the game and listening to music all at the same time. The salsa is authentic and the real deal, not your typical wanna be "salsa". The portions were just right and is a place I can see myself coming back to. read more

El Maestro - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Yesterday my 22year old son and I went to El Maestro for lunch and we loved it. My family and I have eaten there several times and the food and drinks are very good. The prices are good but the food portions aren't large. Most of the time the seating is in the bar area which is a little small and noisy but if you like sitting in the bar area of a restaurant with sports playing on big screen TV's then you will really like this place. I would give this place a five if the regular dining area was open for seating. The service is good but a little slow if one person is serving everyone. Probably not a place for romantic ambiance or a first date. read more

Blanca is the girl you want serving you! She is Sexy and Fun, professional and has the best recommendations! The crispy steak tacos are the best I've ever had, and quality meat and clean eating. Don Julio shots and Cadillac Margaritas how can you go wrong. Highly recommended and great atmosphere, try it out. read more

Great food, drinks, and service at a great price I definitely recommend the enchiladas de mole.

Came in today around 3pm. There were only 3 ppl at the bar. Did not get a table until 15 mins. Had to ask for a server. Server finally came to great us with an attitude 10 mins after that. We ordered and the salad cane when our course arrived. Overall horrible experience. Also witness one of the guys at the bar literally stumble out of his seat and advised the waitress and she ignored it. read more

El Maestro - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Did a yelp search to find our new favorite Mexican restaurant. On almost every level we loved the chips , salsa, fajitas and tacos. We ordered too much but we got a great idea that the food is consistent. Margaritas were great too. It's our new go to Mexican restaurant in the area. read more

Needed to find a spot to grab lunch as we were heading south. Hopped onto yelp looking for a place to satisfy our Mexican Food craving that was not to far off the freeway and El Maestro popped up. So glad it did, this place was great! Random sidenote, we got off the 85 south at the Almadean Expwy exit. Holy crap batman, that is one heck of a massively confusing freeway exit for someone who doesn't know the area. Talk about poor urban planning if an intersection like that has to be created to support the volume of people going thru there. Anyways, didn't mean to digress. We walked in and the front room of the restaurant was 1/3 full and we were seated quickly. Cute decorations and this is probably a busy spot when there are games going on because there were a lot of large TVs in there. For the food. A salsa fresca and a spicier roasted salsa came out for us to munch on and were yummy. Order #1 The Camarones a la Diabla and it was DELICIOUS with a really nice heat to them. The sauce was so good I almost licked my plate. It came with beans, rice and a salad with a really good cilantro dressing. Order #2 Enchilada with green sauce and chicken. Hubby really enjoyed it and said it's one of the best he's had recently. Order #3 & 4 Kids bean burritos. The kids really enjoyed them and it came with a side of rice and beans. It's priced at only $4 which is a steal. Order #5 Chicken tortilla soup. Very flavorful broth. If we lived closer to this place, I'd be sending hubby for take out to get this when we get sick...a totally comforting dish. Will for sure be going back whenever we pass by. read more

Happy to see that southside has El Maestro. When I was in this area, I would always hope that a place like this would come in. Although I've only been here once, I can't wait to come back. Their employees all greeted my boyfriend and I upon entering and invited us to sit right away. My favorite part of their menu was that they have TONS of choices - all that look sooo good. I can't get over their albondigas soup though. It brought me right back to my childhood when I used to eat this homemade soup at my babysitters house. I also noticed they have happy hour and Sunday Brunch specials, I'll need to be back a few times to try everything that stood out to me in their menu! read more

I love authentic Mexican food, this is not the place. I went there this evening for a dinner with my daughter and only the bar portion of the restaurant was open. They open the second side only if the crowd is large enough. We were there almost an hour and when I left, my ears were ringing with the noise. It had nothing to do with the ball games that were on but the loud noise in the poor acoustics of the dining room. I could not understand her, sitting directly across from me. If you want to bring your friends or your children or significant other just to converse, do it elsewhere. As for the food, it looked fine but it had absolutely no taste. Red Mexican tomato sauce had no taste, and I love Mexican tomato sauce! I loaded up one forkful with beef, tomato sauce, rice and beans and if I didn't personally load the fork, I would not have known what was in my mouth. It is not the place I could recommend on any level except for the service which was commendable. read more

This place is great! I live just a few minutes away and just recently discovered this hidden gem. Delicious food and strong, tasty cocktails. We sat on the bar side (as opposed to the dining room side) and there was a great energy between the music, the crowd and the food and drinks. Chips and salsa were very good, as was my combo plate of Flautas and Sope. I will definitely be back. read more

I really enjoyed the food here. It was a little busy, which I think caused the service to suffer a bit, but I guess that can be said for every restaurant. Ordered the enchiladas and a chevela, and my boyfriend ordered the flautas and some carnitas soft tacos. We were both pretty pleased with our meals, other than having to ask multiple times for some water. I'd go back for sure read more

Delish food, wonderful Friday lunch. Service was spot on. We had flautas and taquitos-chile Colorado was very good. We will be back to sample more! read more

Omg my favorite place to get a margarita and visit with friends... the food is amazing

Been here before, no problem. This time, dining room closed, sat us in the bar. Wow, noisy! Food was fine, except salsa was tooo hot to eat! Asked for something milder. When the bill came, they charged me for the milder sauce! Wow, unbelievable!! Not the dollar, just the principal. read more

When we walked in we we pleasantly greeted and given a choice of setting. We continued getting good service untill it was time to order. In all fairness it was Sunday afternoon and there was just one wait person. The service went downhill from there. Our meal was served al la carte, one piece at a time but we had to continually remind the staff to bring the meal items they had forgotten. The food was good not fantastic. I would go back but now I am forewarned. read more

El Maestro - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Good food, OK service. Crowding everyone into a small bar and leaving an empty dining room is ridiculous. Will NOT return. Assume the crowding is about making it easy on the staff and not about customers. Too many kids running by my table. YUCK read more

Awesome place! The meatball soup is the best in town. The Salas has great flavor and perfect level of spicy. The michalads are the perfectly made and makes the experience complete. The new drink menu is classic and the drinks go great with appetizers. Love this place and I won't go anywhere else for mexican dinning. read more

Customer service was great. Food was amazing. I got the Nacho Burrito and it was so good. There were special deals on drinks on Sunday, $5 on beers and Chavelas. read more

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect! It's a bit of a hole in the wall but worth a try for a Mexican fix! Food was all very good and service was attentive. read more

The service was rather slow, on a slow Sunday evening. The tortilla soup wasn't as tasty as I'd hoped and was lukewarm We won't be returning to this restaurant. read more

Came here for the first time. Alma was our server. She was very nice and friendly. Gave us recommendation on drinks and it was great. Food was also great. Will be coming back for sure read more

El Maestro - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

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A very nice place with good food and friendly folks. Can't really go wrong with it. Very tasty!