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    El Michoacano

    4.2 (74 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican, Seafood
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

    El Michoacano Mexican Restaurant Photos

    EL MICHOACANO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - El Michoacano

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    This place is bomb ! Maria is the best waitress there ask for her ! Fast service feels like home

    Great service food is delicious my go to spot in town Maria is a great waitress, ask for her

    Camarones en chipotle
    sharon m.

    Great service, great food, super cute inside little hole in wall. I would come again.

    Kids burger & fries
    Maria C.

    Food was good just pricey. Micheladas were mediocre. We would come again but not for drinks. Enchiladas verdes were really good

    White fish  yum.
    Jacob N.

    Good atmosphere and delicious food. We enjoyed every last bite. It's hard to believe that this place used to be a DMV. The staff made us feel very welcome and gave us plenty of time to look over the menu.

    Very colorful menu.... Written mostly in Spanish
    James S.

    This is a tiny square cinder block restaurant and has ten booths lining three of it's walls with high backs, which I usually like to sit in but these are not comfortable, because the seats have worn out after time. There are four or five tables in the middle of the dining room and each table is adorned with various hot sauces, salt, pepper, ketchup, napkins, and sugar. We were kindly greeted quickly by our server who brought us a basket of chips, which are seemingly homemade, but very dry for what we are used to from authentic Mexican restaurants. They do taste good though and she also brought their amazingly spicy salsa, definitely not for the weak at heart or tongue. They do not have soft drinks on tap which means you have to buy the cans or bottles individually which can really run up your tab. We have not seen our server since she dropped off our drinks and chips and it would be nice to see her again soon because this also has my mouth on fire and I would love a glass of water right now. We were served 34 minutes later which is quite a long wait for a Mexican food restaurant. Richard ordered a fried chicken burrito thinking that it would come out as chicken strips but it actually came out as bone-in fried chicken with french fries and refried beans and tortillas so he had to rip the chicken off the bone to make his burritos tacos. He described his food as wholly acceptable. I ordered a vegan burrito with all the vegetables that they have to offer, black beans which they don't have so I had to have the whole pinto beans and rice that I made sure they didn't use chicken stock. She brought it out dry, which may be my mistake I may have forgotten to say a wet burrito. It was actually one of the best vegan burritos I've ever had. The bomber now that it's been over an hour since we've been here and we have been finished with our food for the last 18 minutes. We are just sitting here waiting for the check. Are beverages or empty our server is taking care of a multitude of other customers. I certainly do not blame her this is clearly a management issue they have more customers than they are willing to staff for. I don't want to have to ask for the check because I'm doing a review on this place and I want it to be 100% honest. I couldn't take it anymore I called for the check I certainly don't blame her as she is swamped but I do blame the owners or managers for horribly understaffing this restaurant. So why three stars you might ask, I have to say that the food is really good and that's about the only saving grace of this establishment the service is horrible and not to the fault of the server, the wait time is horrible and not to the discredit of the server nor the cook this is all bad management. Will I be back? probably if I have the time and want some good food and don't mind wasting some time.

    This is guacamole.

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    2 months ago

    Had chicken fajitas- yummy great sized portions. Celebrated my birthday lunch. Took goodie box home and enjoyed another meal.

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    11 months ago

    This place is FIRE the service is good but could be better the food is great, never disappointed me , the inside of the restaurant is great.

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    I ordered the camarones a la Diabla and an Arnold Palmer. The food and service was tops. Nice place for dinner.

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    2 years ago

    Great family! Service is fantastic as well as the food and drinks! I personally love their taco salad with shredded chicken!!!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Awesome food. The people here are very nice and helpful. The food is always good and prepared quickly.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Chili Verde was good service was good atmosphere game. Clean. For a small town like Coalinga highly recommended this place

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    3 years ago

    The food was excellent. Highly recommend. Was in town for a football game and got really lucky in finding this spot.

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    7 years ago

    This was a great stop to eat and refresh. The steak was great and the pork was delicious. Loved it.

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Meal kitsch were first. But now diners can eat on the outside patio. Same great food and service.

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    I love this place! Great chips and salsa, i got the fried tilapia dinner and salad, very good and quick service!

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Great service and delicious homestyle Mexican food! Their flour tortillas have a fresh taste. Very convenient to the main road of Coalinga.

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

    It was alright. No vegan options really. Made my stomach not feel the best after. I tried getting something but it didnt work.

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

    I had a sopa, enchilada, and tostada. The waitress was super nice and the food was good.

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    6 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

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    Pier 46 Seafood Market & Restaurant - Herbed Ahi Steak ($22)

    Pier 46 Seafood Market & Restaurant

    4.3(781 reviews)
    46.3 mi
    $$

    This is one of our stops when we drive from SoCal to NorCal. Perfect stop for a break and great…read moreplace for fresh seafood. We have eaten grilled and fried fish tacos and the fish and chips. All the dishes are filling and satisfying. The fish tacos have a nice helping of shredded cabbage and sauce. The homemade chips with the salsa on the side are nice and crispy. There are tables outside and even though there are a lot of people, there is a lot of turnover so there's always an open table. We always get these two dishes but we'll try other dishes next time.

    Pier 46 looked like the kind of place that should be terrific: seafood case up front, chalkboard…read morespecials, fish-market energy, barrels under the counter, and enough "fresh daily" signage to make you feel like a deckhand might burst through the door with a halibut over his shoulder. We stopped here on Memorial Day mostly because we were in Templeton heading to Trader Joe's to stock up on snacks and water for the long drive home. Pier 46 averaged around 4.8 stars on Yelp, so expectations were reasonably high. Based on what we ordered, that rating feels inflated. The setup is very casual. You walk in, order at the counter, pay -- Apple Pay accepted, at least -- and then wait. No table marker, no number, no sleek system. When the food is ready, a guy in a trucker cap finds you. There's some charm in that, but the whole operation also feels a little outdated. The tables are cheap and old, and the dining area has a bit of that "we've been meaning to freshen this up since 2014" energy. Outdoor seating was available, but it was cold and windy, and I didn't want my fish and chips turning into flying fish and chips. The outdoor area also looked a little tacky and wasn't cleaned immediately after prior parties left crumbs behind. Indoors wasn't exactly glamorous either, but at least the wind wasn't trying to garnish my lunch. The music was good, though. Linda Ronstadt's "Long Long Time" was playing while I waited for my order, and standing there hungry, I felt those lyrics a little too deeply. Dramatic? Yes. But hunger always exaggerates one's sense of time eventually. The food took around 10 to 15 minutes, a little longer than expected but not a major issue. The fish and chips were probably the better item. The batter was light, crisp, and not too oily, and the frying oil seemed fresh. That part was solid. The fries, however, were not really "chips" in the traditional fish-and-chips sense. It was more like a mix of basic fries and sweet potato fries. Not bad, but I ordered fish and chips, not fish and half-fries/half-sweet-potato-fries in a witness protection program. I ordered the cioppino, which came in what I can only describe as a gold-digger pan -- shiny, dramatic, and possibly one real estate transaction away from a Bravo show. The stew had plenty of tomato clumps, a few clams, several mussels, pieces of salmon, and a lot of tuna/ahi. The salmon pieces were nice enough, but the ahi did not do the dish any favors. It was overcooked and dry, almost chicken-like, which is not exactly the maritime poetry one hopes for in cioppino. The broth had a pleasant thyme aftertaste, but overall it wasn't memorable. Cioppino should have depth, brine, garlic, tomato, heat, and a little bit of oceanic danger. This one was more like a respectable tomato seafood stew that showed up, did its job, and then quietly left before anyone asked it a follow-up question. The garlic bread was also underwhelming and a bit too burnt around the edges. Not inedible, not disaster-level, just lacking that satisfying garlic-butter punch. It was more "toast that had heard about garlic from a cousin." The clam chowder was fine: creamy, mild, safe. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing that would make me start writing postcards home either. I had a Pinot Noir with the meal, and that was actually pretty good. No complaints there. Service was sincere and reliable, and I don't have any real issue with the staff. The place clearly has appeal, and the seafood counter looked promising. I could see returning to try something simpler, maybe grilled fish, tacos, or something from the fresh case. But based on the cioppino, fish and chips, chowder, and overall vibe, this was not a 4.8-star experience for me. It did the job, but it won't be especially memorable except for the cioppino arriving in that gold-digger pan. Overall: no major problems, but nothing close to a seafood revelation. A standard 3 out of 5 based on what I ordered, with the vibes landing closer to a lukewarm 2.8. My main suggestion: ditch the dried-up ahi and add more clams and scallops. Cioppino needs brine, sweetness, and ocean character -- not tuna doing a bad impression of chicken breast.

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    Pier 46 Seafood Market & Restaurant
    Pier 46 Seafood Market & Restaurant - Salmon Dinner ($20)

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    Castro's Surf and Turf - Nom nom

    Castro's Surf and Turf

    4.5(269 reviews)
    43.6 mi
    $$

    What an amazing gem this is in King City!! I was coming home from a camping trip in the area. I saw…read morethe reviews, the pictures and I had to try it!! This is one special family owned restaurant. The food is amazing!! The portions are plentiful and the flavors are divine. I was greeted upon entry by a very lovely young lady. She was very nice and provided excellent customer service. I had the bang bang shrimp appetizer and let me tell you....BANG BANG!!! The shrimps were large and in charge. I got at least 6, maybe 7 or 8. I tried to count afterwards, but I mangle my tails looking for all the shrimp meat!! They were so crispy and crunchy. Super fresh and uber delicious. BANG BANG says it all!!! A must have menu item if you love shrimp. I also had 2 of their signature surf n' turf tacos and they were very yummy. Every order that came out for other patrons looked delicious. Everyone had that whoa look on their face when their food arrived. I saw some great looking Michelada's come out with big shrimps on the rim!! They have a full bar as well and every table has a copy of today's newspaper...nice touch. Spectacular restaurant people!! The kind where foodies drive 40 minutes one way just to eat there, because Castro's Surf and Turf is an elite food experience!!

    This was a pit stop before reaching the west entrance of Pinnacles NSP coming from the east…read moreentrance. Saw a lot of hype in the reviews and wanted to check it out. Ambiance: Walking in has the vibe similar to a sports bar but as a sit down restaurant that serves surf n turf. A wooden boat hanging up on the ceiling and themed with space & fishes. Service: The worker was nice, but the restaurant felt like it was understaffed. Surf and turf tacos $6.39 (3.5/5): If I'm being honest, as much as I wanted it to taste as good as the reviews say it is. It was good but not amazing nor bad. It had a good amount of asada and 2 fried shrimp with a tangy sauce. As I was eating it, it definitely needed more sauce, as the orange sauce was not enough. Had to use additional provided hot sauce. 2 is enough just to be kind of filling. All the hype in the reviews, it definetly does not live up to it at all. It's a good spot but not exactly amazing.

    Photos
    Castro's Surf and Turf - Order counter, mid afternoon

    Order counter, mid afternoon

    Castro's Surf and Turf - Surf and Surf N Turf Taco

    Surf and Surf N Turf Taco

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    Fuego Rosticeria - Menu - Drinks

    Fuego Rosticeria

    4.3(52 reviews)
    49.3 mi
    $$

    Great place for dine-in or takeout. Not too formal to bring kids if they are decently behaved. I'm…read morenot Brazilian so I don't know how authentic it is but their Picanha on their Parilla Mixta is great. We get takeout from here every couple months and have never been disappointed. I highly recommend Parilla Mixta #1 and the Sonora Tacos. If you want to get fancy, add the Chicharron con Guacamole. It stretches pretty far in feeding a family with 5 kids.

    I had wanted to try this place for some time, as their Latin-inspired menu seems really creative…read moreand unique in the North County. My wife and I tried it tonight and couldn't be happier. Although I intended to try one of their steak dishes, I couldn't stay away from the lobster Mac & Cheese. It had an amazing presentation, with a petite lobster tail with shell over a plate of delish Mac n Cheese, The steak dishes will have to wait until next time! My wife had a grilled shrimp dish with mashed potatoes and corn, which was wonderful as well. We tried the house margaritas, which were not listed on the menu, but were refreshing and a great price. They also had some great Mexican beer on tap. The owner was our server and she was so gracious and friendly. She made us feel so welcome, The interior was quiet and calming, with the bar area a real standout, We may just eat there next time! Highly recommend for a unique dining experience in the North County.

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    Fuego Rosticeria - Menu - Entrees & Sides

    Menu - Entrees & Sides

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    Fuego Rosticeria - Sing, don't cry...

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    Sing, don't cry...

    El Michoacano - mexican - Updated May 2026

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