I ate there for the first time. The food is okay, not great. I got camarones a la diabla but requested a lower spice level. The sauce wasn't very good. The shrimp were not peeled. I got horchata and it was too sweet but I know that's common. read more

This was my first time here and my last time here. Worst service ever. They took a very long time to take our order more than an hour to just take the order. Forgot to bring my drinks and had to eventually get up to grab them myself. read more

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE AT ALL , The food was very bad It took them almost an hour to bring the food , we order a birria and they served it plain no tortillas and hardly any meat , we also got a burrito and the beans was cold , the cheese was not melted , they mess up one of our orders and to remake it it took them about another 45 minutes , we also requested a few basic stuff like tostadas juice etc and said they didn't have any , The lady there was not welcoming she seem mad and in a very bad mood I believe it was the owner ) also the food there was very expensive, bad experience NEVER coming back here !! read more

El Palenque Grill - Birria - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

I wish I can give this restaurant NEGATIVE 5 STARS!!!!! It took them a hour for our drinks and chips to come out and horrible service. The food and ambiance was horrible. read more

The food was on point sorry hubby and I both ate it before the pics but will be able to show you my left overs tomorrow.. I took all of it for my lunch.. it was that good tonight. This chef was on point.!!! Al the way to the beans (frijoles) to where we had ordered an extra side to go.. the service not much English but did very well considering.. she spoke better English then we did in Spanish . She was great wish I got her name. The setting was loud tonight because of Karaoke but we sat outdoors and it was perfect. Thank you again and we'll definitely be back soon.. thank you for your service and going above and beyo read more

El Palenque Grill - The place to eat really good Mexican food. Better than Chevy's.. - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

Great place for tacos i come here almost everyday for my lunch break!! friendly staff def recommend. Tortillas are homemade also! read more

El Palenque Grill - Carna asada tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

we got greeted with chips and said there was a salsa bar and we went but it was empty they could of atleast refilled it they had a nice selection of salsas but hardly any... . I ordered my son chicken and fries it was really good. I had a plate of birria and it was very good with the consomé on top, came with refried beans and rice n Freshly made tortillas. My bf had a plate of quesabirrias and it was really good also. The food was great just the service a little slow but the lady was really nice . read more

I knew I should have picked Spanish instead of French for my high school foreign language elective. Now a century later, I ain't ordering Crepes Suzette and only have primitive hand movements to communicate with the young server here. Yep, no English is spoken here, and while that would have riled Trump, it just added to the ambiance of this pleasant little restaurant in Richmond. Besides, the menu was in English and had plenty of pictures, so it wasn't like I was starving. I started with the $3 Shrimp Taco, their priciest one by a dollar. It was nice and crunchy with the shrimp nestled in cabbage drizzled in an aioli that tasted like 1,000-island dressing on a grilled corn tortilla (photo: http://bit.ly/2uTU2GL). I followed it up with the $12 Primavera Salad which tasted a bit more Californian than Mexican with mixed greens, beets, walnuts, queso fresco, and at least eight grilled shrimp (photo: http://bit.ly/2uTgEr1). A delicious and unexpected dish of freshness at what I was worried would be a standard taqueria. Definitely worth looking for if you're in the area. FOOD - 4 stars...nice crunch to the taco but the primavera salad was a scene stealer AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...pretty spacious with a solid salsa bar (photo: http://bit.ly/2OXFDCO) SERVICE - 4 stars...nice, who needs a common language? TOTAL - 4 stars...practice your Spanish in the heart of San Pablo RELATED - Looking for places to eat in San Pablo or Richmond? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2VyCP18 read more

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Dont waste your money or time here at this place. First of all, the service was horrible and the waitress was RUDE. Nobody approached us for many minutes upon arriving so I had to grab menus for my table myself. Then the lady serving us would walk away from the table to do other things while we were ordering!! The burritos were decent, but the shrimp plate was definitely not worth $17. On top of everything, we went to pay and were being charged $15 over what the menu said. Upon trying to dispute the charges with the same lady, she said that the menu prices are "old" but could not provide us with any updated prices. The reciept did not have any of the items we ordered either, only a "personalized item" price. Be careful they are not trying to over charge you if you have to go here!! Not to mention the BLACK MOLD growing in the chip basket they served us. With no barrier between the mold and the chips. We ended up paying $80 for 2 burritos, 1 shrimp plate, a kids side of fries, and 2 aguas frescas. Never going here again. read more

Review for takeout order on a Sunday lunch, April 2023: - ordered 3 regular tacos ($3/taco): chicken, pastor and beef - nice tortilla, fluffy and soft - good meat, onion and cilantro ratio on each taco Would go again! read more

I found myself in the area on a business trip and I figured I'd do my best to hunt down a good meal and trust me, this spot will not disappoint! For starters their chips and salsa are outstanding but let's focus on what you really want to know... The tacos! As the plate approached my table I could see the chopped up pieces of steak and pork just glistening almost like meat diamonds... These gorgeous jewels of protein were embraced by handmade corn tortillas that had a fluff to them that is almost impossible to describe. The meat was ridiculously tender, juicy and the food was so good I was tempted to keep devouring more of it even though my stomach had reached its limits. I'm telling you, check this place out, bring your appetite and I promise you, if you enjoy a good taco this spot is definitely a place to visit! read more

El Palenque Grill - Asada & Pastor Tacos - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

Browsing through all that's in an area that's totally new to me can often be kinda like rolling the dice on finding something good or not as it's usually hit or miss but here was like wow that was good! Coming here I wasn't to sure what to expect but as soon as I walked in I was greeted with smiles as I took my seat it wasn't a few minutes later that my server came over to give me some chips and salsa as well as a menu and from then on it was all food as it should be! Honestly it was soo all about the Yelp Check-In here as I received a few corn jalapeño cheese balls that were just oh so scrumptious like that is just what I needed to start off with just oh so good! Of the menu I totally went with the enchiladas that came with rice and beans what a good choice that was it came out kinda quick but wow they were good some of the best enchiladas I've found at a random spot in quite some time I ordered one chicken and one cheese both were delicious like perfect in the way they should be so much so I wish I had ordered another one to take home like they were seriously that good! My whole plate was scrumptious the service was awesome and the whole experience was just downright yummy for a new place like this I definitely see them doing well in the future! Overall yummy food awesome free check-in offer and just all around good hopefully I'll get to come back to this spot again sometime as it's worth it just for so many reasons! read more

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A Facebook friend who is also a member of a monthly lunch meet-up group I belong to raved about this restaurant. They recently participated in the San Pablo's Restaurant Week; it was the ideal time to try them. The interior of this restaurant is decorated with really cool looking roosters. There is an outdoor patio. The service is prompt and friendly. It is easy to park in front. There appears to be a parking lot next door, it might belong to another business. The special restaurant week menu: steak and shrimp, along with a soda, warm tortillas, and salsa & chips. This is also a regular menu item. The salsa bar has a nice selection to choose from including cactus. I'm not sure if it was because I filled up on chips or ate all of the yelp check-in order for the wonderfully tasty jalapeño and corn cheese balls they brought a full order with fries for us to try. I could not eat the steak and I thought it was a bit tough. I did take it home and the next day cut in strips put some salsa on it and wished I had another order. On return visits I tried the tacos and a chili relleno, I like the relleno, and the taco was okay. I keep coming back for a full order of the jalapeño cheese balls with fries the menu did not mention the corn. The fries are perfectly cooked; the cheese balls are spicy with a hint of bacon with a medium-hot dipping sauce that is not on the salsa bar. I wash all this great food down with a Tamarindo Jarritos soda. Although I suppose this is not a healthy meal, it tastes so good I don't care; it is a guilty pleasure for me. read more

El Palenque Grill - The jalapeno cheese balls are delicious. - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

Came here on Fathers great experience much better than the last restaurant that was on this space. Great service and good. Nice Salsa bar. Food was well seasoned. Home made tortillas. We loved it. 8 months later February 2020 I have been here four times since my initial visit and the food and service are still great read more

El Palenque Grill - Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

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Worst place I ever ate at. There's way better spots in the rich.. And it all started with the waitress telling a simple lie. I began with asking for just a Coke. She brought out a bottled Coke half liter!!!! I asked if I can get a can Soda instead of that huge half litter coke she brought me( she brought me the most expensive one)and she told me that there weren't any canned sodas. Once she took my order, I got up and checked myself, and there were multiple options for canned sodas, Also the food I ordered (a super burrito) which should include cheese and sour cream, regardless of the meat you choose when I took a look at my food it had ingredients missing, but she still charged me for a super burrito. All in total, my mother and I ate. 1 birria plate, 1 super burrito, 1 can soda, 1 bottled Mexican drink.. and paid $45 for a meal and service that was not even good....never going back again. There's way better places to eat in Richmond this place sucked ass read more

food tasted terrible, too expensive for portions, service was ok. I'm just hoping they were having a bad day cause the best thing they served was salsa read more

I had the fried fish plate with black beans and rice and ensalada. The fish didn't come with a sauce and the rice was ok nothing fancy. My cousin had the chicken enchiladas with the green sauce. And my other cousin had the steak super nachos. His nacho were big and looked very good. We requested the complementary cheesy bites after checking in on yelp ( they were not what I expected- will not get them again) I did enjoy the salad of nopales at the salsa bar!! read more

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Excellent salsa, quick and friendly service, solid tacos, clean establishment, what else do you need? Nothing!

Everything was so good! We had fajitas and enchiladas here the other day. Our waitress was so nice.Good service good food. Going back today to pick up some burritos for National Burrito Day! read more

El Palenque Grill - Chicken Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

We finally have a great and innovative restaurant in the Area. I wish that they are very successful. Tonight we started by asking for an agua de horchata and an agua de Jamaica. They were both super refreshing and had just the right level of sweetness. Often I find myself not drinking the aguas de savor at most restaurants as they are extremely sweet and not bearable. Not the case this time. They were delicious. For the good we order the jalapeno balls. I like this creation! It is so tasty and it just makes my heart rejoice that a restaurant tries new things in the area and not just does the same old Mexican plates. Kiddos to you Palenque team. We also ordered a taco de barbacoa which was delicious as well and also a plate of carne asada which my wife very much enjoyed. Overall everything was excellent and I haven't gotten to the service. All the team was super friendly. The restaurant is family owned and I gotta say they are doing a fine job. I'm so excited for this restaurant and I hope they are very successful! read more

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Used to be good; they are now being cheap and they don't serve the food as they should neither does the food taste like anything.

I ordered a regular burrito and asked for lots of avocado. Price said $7.00 on the menu. I ordered a horchata and my total was over $13.00. There was so little avocado in my burrito, not even a regular serving size. Either I paid $5 for the horchata or extra money for lots of avocado I never received. I hate ordering food you can't see then later discovering that what you paid for isn't what you got. Restaurants might think they are saving money like this but not when the customer never comes back and word gets out. I don't mind paying for extra but it really makes me mad when I do and it's not there. read more

Amazing and authentic food. Very welcoming environment and staff is always friendly and fast service !

This place is a joke just look at the layout of the restaurant. The food was horrible I didn't know if I should eat it or go to the bathroom and vomit. The rice tasted bland the fish was overcooked the frijoles was nasty with no flavor and the tacos that we were served didn't have any flavor in the dish...this is not a real Mexican restaurant this is a texmex it's a joke to me read more

Horrible ! Barely put any onion & cilantro ( I had 3 quesabirrias ) toppings were only enough for barely 1 taco . Asked for extra & they charged me . Food wasn't good either I'm only taking leftover for my dog . My husband ordered 4 steak tacos & it had so much fat & the meat tasted old . Honestly never been so disappointed . Michelada was alright , they served it warm with no ice , I had to ask for ice hopefully they won't charge me for the ice either lol . horrible food & service . Never comming here again if I can give it no stars I would I don't understand how this place has over 4 star rating lol . read more

El Palenque Grill - a hand holding a check - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

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Fire! Very fresh and authentic. I'm from SoCal, been looking for a good tasting Mexican restauran in the bay! This the first and it is great! Very nice employees. It's a must try!! read more

Had a good meal. Tacos were ok pasole was ok and all of the people with me enjoyed the food as well. My wife loved her vegetarian burrito and her chicken taco. My father in law was so so on his Chili rellenos. The salsa bar was really good. And the free either check in cheese Jalapenos bites with frys were nice. Would I go back probably not cause of the distance from my home but if they were closer probably. read more

El Palenque Grill - Menus front - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

Everything was good until we got our order of California fries. The menu stated it came with guacamole for same price, when I asked for it she added avocado instead and said it would be an extra cost. When we got the bill we were charged $.55 + per item on top of the 9.75% sales tax of the total. They also charged more than menu stated. When we asked about it the cashier stated it was fees that the "clover" tablet cashier charges for using the device which is not anywhere on the menu and also not the customers problem. She ended up taking over $10+ in fines and extra fees and only was willing to return $5.50 after a long discussion over it. If she overcharges each customer $10+ in fees she makes pretty good "free" money from us and doesn't state any of that anywhere in her restaurant. She was rude and unfriendly about the situation. Never again will we go eat there read more

We came to this establishment on Saturday December 7th, 2019. The venue: It's a really neat place! It is rather small, but it was able to seat the 6 people in my party comfortably. I do imagine if it was busier it would have been more difficult to seat us, but I love small local restaurants such as this one, so i didnt mind. I also love the decor. The service: The waitress greeted us and took our order right away, I was able to get my free appetizer without hassle. Everything was great. The food: The jalapeño corn balls were delicious! They were really hot. All the people in my party got the molcajete. Here's why I knocked off a star. The presentation was ok, but the food just wasnt hot (temperature) enough. When I have had molcajete at other locations, they are always boiling, even the salsa is bubbly, but this one was room temperature warm, even the meat was cold. Also, the food really needed some salt! The tortillas on the other hand were hand made and fresh! We will be coming back. read more

I usually do not leave reviewed even though I eat out a lot but this one definitely deserves a review. I ordered delivery, Camarones a la diabla, the food arrived quickly and was still hot upon arrival. Unfortunately that was the pinnacle of this experience, the shrimp were way over cooked! they were like a rubber puck, and very chewy. The sauce was good however there were no onions, just basically, beans, rice and shrimps in sauce. Nothing special or extraordinary but the shrimp being over cooked really ruined the dish and I do not recommend ordering this particular dish. read more

I enjoyed their food very much. The fish was crispy and deliciously flavorful. The beans are truly homemade and not out of a can. The salssa bar had thre or four choices to chose from. Chips where crispy and the enchiladas had a hint of spicy perfect with the michelada. The grilled shrimp was very tasty. Their yellow cOrnn tortillas just hit the spot. I wilL be cooking backk. read more

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We came in on a Friday night the place didn't look busy. The waitress was very nice and attentive. Great customer service! One star less because of the food. I had a plate of enchiladas I didn't like sauce very much it lacked flavor. I did however like a michelada I ordered, very yummy. read more

El Palenque Grill - Micheloka - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

This is a wonderful Mexican Restaurant. The food is fresh, tasty and reasonable. The atmosphere is great. The service is great, timely and very friendly. Haven't tried their Karaoke Friday's and Saturday's but hear it's great. Overall, this is a great Mexican Restaurant with great people. read more

I was told to try another Mexican restaurant down the street from El Palenque Grill but upon arrival, and after reviewing the other restaurant's food pictures on Yelp, I decided to try El Palenque instead. The interior looked clean and relatively new. We seated ourselves and were promptly brought menus and warm tortilla chips. The waitress told us to try the various salsas from the salsa bar which had mild red, hot, tomatillo and a dark red (possibly chipotle or guajillo?). The hot and tomatillo salsas were my favorite. My partner ordered the mixed meat fajitas which came with a generous portion of shrimp, steak, chicken, bell pepper and onions. It was served with the "works" including tortillas, rice, beans, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. I made an off menu request of cheese and onion enchiladas which the kitchen was happy to accommodate. I was offered jack cheese or queso fresco and I opted for jack inside the enchiladas. Unlike many other enchiladas I've received over the years the plate was hot and the cheese was fully melted very hot. When ordering, I debated between red sauce or verde and ultimately opted for the red however I will definitely go back to try the verde enchiladas. The burrito and nachos are also on my list to try during a future visit. The portions were extremely generous for the price and despite my partner's concerted effort to finish his fajitas he left with enough leftovers for lunch the next day. Next time I'm in the area and in the mood for some authentic Mexican food from a family owned neighborhood joint I will definitely go to El Palenque Grill. read more

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This is was wonderful. I showed up during that time of day between lunch and dinner and everything was amazing. Delicious barbacoa in both steak and in a soup. Lots of lovely sides, hot sauce is spicy, but well within that thin wire of what is hot and what is plain wrong. Beer, coconut water, sodas, or aqua fresca, let them know what you want and you'll get it. read more

The shrimp and the fish tacos were excellent. The restaurant was very clean and well organized. The cactus salsa in the salsa bar was a great addition. I am looking forward to returning. read more

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Nothing exciting. Meat was not fresh, portions were small. Taste was bland. Service was good though

Excelent costumet service, clean, and everybody was really friendly when I step in. I looked at the menu an they have some new items that you wont find a regular taqueria. I decided to go for the "gallo" burger. Hot and criapy bun, tender and juice meat. Jack cheese on top and chipotle mayo. Burger was really amazing. I also saw they have some nachos made out of crispy pork skin, I will get those next time. Good place to eat, and goos service! Keep it up! read more

El Palenque Grill - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

This was my second trip to this little gem. The restaurant is always clean and neat. Don't let the small size fool you, there are some big flavors here. The carnitas were perfect! The enchiladas are always great. I can't say enough good things about this place. I'll be stopping here anytime I'm in the area. read more

El Palenque Grill - Mexican Near Me - San Pablo, California

Súper recomendado, el servicio es excelente y la comida nos encanto! Definitivamente volveremos