This place is fantastic. Authentic Salinas served with love. I had the El Zacatecano Special with Carne Asada an absolutely perfect cheese enchilada and a fantastic taquito. The salsa was slightly spicier than I would make, but really too delicious to leave alone. read more

Super tasty and family friendly. I really like the costillitas with cactus. They are spicy and go great with their Jamaica. My kids like to get carne asada tacos and chips with guacamole. read more

Where do I start... been enjoying the food at this establishment since the early 90's. I do not do Mexican food places since I can cook and make most if not all dishes on the menu. But this place!!! Holy mother of God! Their food has always been fresh tasting, and the chips/salsa one of the better ones. I have taken many of peoples here and they have enjoyed it. Not a single complaint, more of a surprise that they haven't been there before. Chile Verde is hella good! I have my favorite dishes, but everybody is different.. go on and try it all! read more

Bomb super fire caldos on spot even theyr limones are juicy everything is perfect feels you're at home

Definitely a hole in the wall but oh so good! I always enjoy what I order but usually go for the sopes. They remind me of the way my aunt would make them so very nostalgic for me. Parking isn't that great but you'll find a spot read more

Delicious authentic food. Excellent service. Very small and quaint restaurant. Best Chile relleno EVER!!!

If you want traditional Mexican "cantina" food in Salinas, El Zacatecano is the best. The ambience is also just what you would find in any Mexican town I've visited and the service is great. The only difference is that they accept dollars instead of pesos. Whether its a taco, enchilada, sope, chili relleno, carnitas, chili verde, or a burrito, you can't go wrong. Their rice and refried beans are the best. The rice is so light I would not be surprised if one evening it simply levitated off my plate. read more

Food is delicious. Service is great. Would definitely recommend. I love their chilaquiles for breakfast and the Zacatecano plate for lunch/Dinner read more

El Zacatecano is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Salinas. This place offers authentic Mexican food and is always amazing! I love the cheese enchiladas and chicken flautas! read more

This place is excellent for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Sketchy neighborhood, but authentic Mexican food.

I've been eating here for years. El Zacatecano has an at home feel. Wonderful customer service, and delicious food. I always recommend to friends and family and eat here every chance I get. This is and will always be my favorite restaurant. read more

All I can say is Yum yum, and yummy. A must try. Everything is so delicious. The service is excellent, and the waitresses are so friendly. read more

This little hole in the wall seems authentic, I'm sure it could be a lot better and has so much potential but my experience was not great. I went with my mother at 11am for breakfast, we ordered within five minutes and our food took 45 minutes to get to our table, we were starving. I seen some man leave because he was waiting too long as well, we almost joined him. We noticed some people who came after us got their food first, I'm sure the cooks just have no sense of time and don't know what order comes first. When we finally got our food my mother shockingly enjoyed her plate, I'm sure she was just too shy and hungry to say anything but my plate was a disaster, looks amazing in the photo but looks can be deceiving. I ordered the chilaquiles con huevos, and if you enjoy having your mouth on fire and an upset stomach then this is the plate for you ! I have had spicy chilaquiles before but this was off the charts, they must have made a mistake because this was not edible at all, it was extremely spicy, after three bites my stomach starting hurting, they should make you sign a waiver before eating that. They also should call that plate the chilaquiles challenge because I don't see how someone can willingly finish that whole thing. The portion of the sour cream and queso fresco they give you is way off, they need to serve you a pound of that stuff so you can try to cool off the devil you will feel in your mouth. The rice and beans tasted a couple days old, the lettuce they give you on the side also tasted left over. Maybe I'll give this spot another try if I have the time to wait. read more

El Zacatecano - Machaca con huevos - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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Normally the food here is good, but yesterday I ordered tacos de carne asada, but they were terrible the carne was so burnt, like it was reheated it tasted bitter, tortillas were tough like tostadas. Do not order tacos here! read more

Always great. Friendly service and excellent food. Take out was ready quickly and correct.

Good Mexican food can't go wrong with Zacatecano plate good menu seafood 7 mares is my second plate

Good traditional spot. Good prices. Good food. Good service. I go here often and it always satisfies

La comida siempre deliciosa porque siempre venga aquí. Pero el servicio al cliente está horrible. Las doñas que sirven a los clientes no todas pero varias son bien sangronas. Y ya e oído varias veces que en cua to se van ciertos clientes empiezas hablar mal de ellos. El dueño de ahí debería contratar nuevas personas porque las que están ahí varias no todas lo estan quedando mal. read more

The food was decent. Except for the fact that I had a hair in my melted cheese. The service was ok, my order was placed wrong and the waitress wanted to prove she was right and I was not. I specifically asked for the vegetarian meal plate and she jotted down a meat taco. It was sent back and I got a discount (for the hair) and I got my cheese quesadilla in place of the meat taco. I won't be returning their. It wasn't the experience although it should be (why argue with paying customers) I simply was not that impressed with the food. Like I said it was decent not as exquisite as other reviews say. read more

This is a whole in the wall restaurant! If you want authentic mexican food, this is the place to go! The Zacatecano plate is to die for, highly recommend! read more

We were a party of two, we got there at 9:30AM, as we entered the building we were greeted by two servers. We sat in the lower dinning section. Server was very attentive. I ordered the Nopales con huevo and my husband ordered the Menudo con pata. The Nopales con huevo comes with a side of delicious rice and refried beans, the seasoning was on point the Nopales was not overwhelming with flavor it was just right. The Menudo comes in a small and large option, we got the large Menudo. It was full of flavor, was not watered down like most places. As we waited for our food, I did notice that many people around us were getting the Caldo De Res, so will have to try it on our next visit. I would recommend this place for anyone who is looking for great authentic Mexican food, they specialize in Mexican hot plates, so if your looking for street tacos, I would look somewhere else. Excited to come back to try other items from the menu. read more

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Tasty authentic Mexican food that is delicious. The green chili all meat burrito is excellent and would have this again. Located in an area not traveled by tourists but worth the effort to eat here. Like the cumin in the chili verde. Prices are inexpensive for the quality and quantity of food you get. read more

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Hubs and I were looking for a good Mexican meal as we haven't had Mexican cuisine in a few weeks. Thanks to other yelpers we found this place! Yum yum yum! We both ate to our hearts and stomach's content and both ready for naps afterwards. We both were thoroughly satisfied. The meal started with some fantastic salsa and chips with limes. Seriously some of the best salsa...we got two little bowls of it. My husband got the 7 mares---which was a big bowl of soup with seven different types of seafood inside. Within the bowl were the biggest clams I had ever seen! The flavors were cooked to perfection within the soup broth. I got the special which consisted of a cheese enchilada, a chicken flauta, rice beans, and some beef! I think the beef was a little over-cooked but still tasted great. Both meals came with tortillas. If definitely recommend this place to any other yelper looking for a good, cheap meal. The inside was clean, the waitresses were very friendly and efficient and also came back to check on how we were a few times! Nice job! Yelp 22/100 read more

El Zacatecano - Special - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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Food is really good. Best I've had in awhile. Small hole in the wall. Could use an upgrade but food is good.

What can you say about El Zacatecano that hasn't been already said. It's hands down the best Mexican Restaurant in Salinas, what many people don't know about Mexican cuisine is that very much like in the States its also regional. My ancestors are from the great state of Zacatecas which is known for their flavorful recipes. I been coming here close to 15 years, same waiter, same owners. It adds to the effect, you feel like family and you don't have to have been coming here for years they always treat you the same weather is the first time or you 100th. Some of my favorite dishes are the chile verde burrito plate, albondigas soup and enchiladas. I have never ordered something I didn't like, they also recently started serving breakfast which I cant wait to try. Insiders tidbit: A few years back they had to change their name of Pancho Villa due to some legal battle, from what I understood one year it would be called El Zacatecano and the other Pancho Villa. I have not seen the Pancho Villa menu's in a while (they never changed the sign outside). read more

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BEWARE: Just Okay! Clean little place with nice efficient staff. The Latino jukebox music was nice. A few sour carnitas pieces sent me to the toilet, in no time. Salsas were nothing special. Tilapia was okay. Expected better for east Salinas. read more

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The food is delicious, there's a lot of flavor in their kitchen! I have had several of their entries and it's hard to say which is my favorite. Their Chile Verde burrito is a lunch go to, you just can't stay away from it, but their Carne Asada fries are the best in town! My dinner favorites are the fried whole fish and Friday's hot item pork short ribs with nopales, it sells out quick! The birria is authentic and by that I mean Birria de Chivo (goat) it has just the right kick of spicy and very flavorful with hand made tortillas! You will not be disappointed! read more

The food is good and authentic but not the best service that's for sure.. Service is just as important as quality and taste of the food. read more

I've been eating at this family owned restaurant since I was a kid. Started out in Soledad and I went to school with the owners children. The food is amazing, portion size is extra generous, and wait time is minimal. Waitresses and staff are always friendly and remember us. My go to favorite is the #3, a cheese enchilada and vegetarian sope! There's always leftovers for my lunch the next day. I would recommend this place to all. read more

The food is great it the people that sometimes are rude ! Service has grobut please don't forget that the customers makes it happen. It's just that I been going there for so long. read more

BEST FOOD EVER. Been coming since I was little and it has never disappointed. Although the restaurant is a bit small it is definitely worth it. Such comfort food. Service is always amazing and your served quickly. read more

Had not been here in 10 years. Pleased to have the carne asada tacos. Solid home made tacos just like I remembered when I was younger. I started coming here in the mid 1970s when I would visit my uncle. The tacos brought back memories of my youth and spending time hanging out with family eating legit homemade Mexican food! read more

I love that they've turned their parking lot into an outdoor restaurant. The pandemic can't stop them. One of the best Mexican food restaurants in town read more

Good enough! The real deal here. Tasty authentic food. Set in east Salinas adds to the whole experience. The story here for me was the kindness of a lady and her two daughters (I'm thinking). They came in after us and sat at the table next to our table. It was busy and our waitress was getting around to us. The ladies waitress was bringing there table chips and salsa. She quietly told the waitress that we sat down first and haven't yet been helped. So nice and a wonderful example to her girls. Last line... I'll do it again. read more

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in town. I usually get the Chile verde burrito or a quesadilla and am never disappointed. Portions are more thanfair, staff is friendly, and the food is great. Can't ask for much more than that. read more

The camarones a la diabla smack every time! Good sized shrimp with a sauce that makes you enjoyable sweat!

This place has awesome breakfast burritos, and the location feels like Mexico! I highly recommend it if you're trying to get some good authentic Mexican Food read more

I usually love their food, but today, the caldo de res was not good. The caldo was flavorless, and the pieces of meat had more fat on it than meat. Sad to say, I am sadly disappointed. read more

Great home cook food. Feels like home and you like home too. Awesome caldo de Res but their enchiladas are great. Will return

Authentic Mexican food! This place doesn't disappoint when you're wanting real Mexican food. Chile verde is delicious. My boyfriend always gets the Zacatecano plate and it hits the spot every time. read more