This little spot is a must for if you're in Salinas and in need of some authentic tacos. The flour tortillas are fresh, homemade and simple but delicious. Carnitas tacos had some of the best flavor I've had in a long time. Free Homemade chips and salsa while you wait are a must too. read more

El Zacatecano - 4 tacos plate--I think 2 carnitas and 2 beef - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Love this place! The platter El Zacatecano is the meal to try here. It's a small place with a home feel. We always get great service and delicious food. You have to try this place! read more

I came here as a friend had said to me "you really gotta go try their tacos" and boy was she right!!! I personally love tongue tacos as the meat is soft and never fried. I ordered 4 tacos as I didn't know they hand make the tortillas as regular size, but I did eat all my tacos and everything was just right!! The restaurant sits inside a convenience store and it seem just a bit awkward as their customers are right there next to you doing their shopping, but it's all good. The service was excellent too. I will definitely come back. read more

Stopped here on way to Oakland. Very good. I recommend the chile relleno. My brother had the menudo and enjoyed it.

Not impressed with the quality of food. I ordered Birria and It lacked flavor and meat. The broth was full of fat. Could not eat it at all. To top it off the owner (an older lady) needs to improve her customer relations. Very rude. read more

I came here last month and I have to say everything about this place was amazing! The portions were generous and the lady there was oh so nice! I spoke in broken Spanish to her and she taught me some new words as well :D read more

Thanks all you Yelpers! Found this gem via your recommendations. Had the Campechana, muy sabroso! Generous, fresh and not too sweet! Don't be put off by the buildings exterior. Once inside, this little restaurant is clean and comfortable as can be. Definitely a mom & pop place where you feel like family. Got to talking to the owners Gab & Tanya, the restaurant has been in the family for many years and passed down through the generations. Can't wait to try the Abondigas Soup! I assure you, you'll be happy to spend your money here for a tasty meal! read more

Great little locals joint. Homey, friendly, delicious, a fairly large menu, always a couple interesting & authentic specials, Mexican Banda music, the whole..enchilada. Surely my favorite sit down Mexican meal in Salinas. Vamanos. read more

We went to this place based on its high rating and we wanted Mexican food. The food was delicious! I got a cheese quesadilla and a shrimp tostada. The quesadilla was fine but shrimp tostada was really good. Shrimp was perfectly cooked and the avacodos were nice and ripe. I wish this dish came with some limes, however (they provided some read sauce they called ketchup that I didnt try). My companion had a beef sope which he described as delicious. He also had a bowl of pozole soup which was awesome. Everyone in the restaurant was ordering the pozole and for good reason. So food = great but the restaurant was freezing. It was a cold night and it felt like the ac was on...Overall, would definitely return. read more

I stopped by on my way back home to the bay area from a weekend on the central coast. Not normally the type of place I would stop in based on looks, but thanks to Yelp I found a great local joint. The owner knew the minute I walked in that it was my first time--I think he thought I was lost as he seemed surprised when I sat down. They were out of Pozole and Caldo de res (Sunday night), so I order the Seven Mares and was not disappointed. Tasty, authentic Mexican food! Gabriel, the owner and I struck up conversation about how many new customers had stopped in thanks to Yelp. He shared that he felt obligated to advertise with Yelp to say "Thanks!"--I told him, no need to advertise, just keep up the yummy food and the business will continue. He was super friendly and very conscientious. Highly recommend this place if you're looking for a yummy sit-down, authentic Mexican meal! read more

Went here the other night with a large group (11 people) and no reservation. The staff were super nice and accommodating - even bending over backwards to find a good angle to take a photo of the whole group! The chips and salsa were good; we inhaled them. The guacamole was great. Favorite dishes seemed to be the Chile Verde and Chile Colorado burrito plates, which were both swimming in delicious sauces and came with sides of beans, rice, and a small salad. read more

Seriously, this place rocks. They don't speak a lick of English, but that's part of the charm and you know you're gonna be getting some kick ass authentic food. Great campechana! read more

Yummy chile rellenos. Very plain place a little cold inside but the food was pretty good!!

I like that I am the only gringo in the place. True authentic Mexican food. You might have to wait

We took a chance based on other Yelp reviews and stopped at this little store front restaurant...omg!!! I just had the best fried fish in America! (OK, my sample size may be small) The un-battered, deep fried whole tilapia was crunchy on the outside and perfectly moist and flakey on the inside. My boyfriend had a chicken burrito and said it was full of flavour and one of the best he'd ever had...great prices and good food plus friendly service!! Our next stop here will be pre-planned! read more

Best Mexican food in town. Staff is great and so is the vibe. I feel like home and my grandma is cooking me some Chile colorado in the kitchen. read more

My friends and I were just visiting and found this place on yelp. The waitress was really nice and put up with all of our questions (mostly translation questions). The food was SO GOOD. I have never had such good chicken enchiladas and my friend's green verde burrito was also excellent. The sauces here are fabulous. read more

My family rolled thru salinas and found this diamond in the rough,this place hit the spot with freshness of the meat and vegatables.Fresh tasting salsa,shredded beef out of this world.You will enjoy their food for sure....p.s. very traditional taste... read more

This place is so good, even the beans are bomb. The place might not be in the best location as It can be hard to find parking but it is totally worth it. I recommend trying their dish "Zacatecano" delicious! read more

Always ate here as a kid. Ditched school for it. The place is small, but don't let that fool you. Anything you get there is fresh and tastes home made Go for the chicken enchiladas and then go again for the menudo. Seriously GO!! read more

As a proud zacatecano I must say this is one of my favorite mexican restaurants not only for the outstanding service but for the killer food they have on the menu I always get enchiladas with beans, rice,sourcream,Guacamole and some flautas with a tamarind jarrito they also serve seafood, pozolo and menudo on weekends for all you hungover guys that need something to get you feeling back at 100%. The prices are ok we get hooked up by the owner just for being paisanos. The artwork and picture frames are cool makes you feel like your in Mex. The downside is the parking space u might have to park across the street or a block away but its worth it. Good for breakfast and diner :) read more

Hooray, Yelp. We found another great restaurant. Friendly staff, we ordered a la carte and everything was great. No surprise, all the cheese was white (Monterey) jack. We had crisp chicken tacos, flautas, cheese enchiladas, tamal, and chile relleno. Everything was great. Great service, too. Don't be taken aback by the appearance of the building- the inside is clean and friendly. In business for 35 years, so they must be doing right. read more

El Zacatecano - Great, fresh Cal Mex food at Zacatecenos - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Traveling with a good friend from Santa Barbara back to the bay area. We were starving and needed a break. She looked on Yelp for a good restaurant in Salinas and this restaurant caught our attention. It was well worth the stop! I ordered the regular bowl of menudo. It was by far the best menudo I have tasted since I was a little girl eating my grandmother's menudo. We had excellent service and the waitress made us feel like we were right at home. A wonderful family atmosphere. read more

The best mexican restaurant in California period. I come from Hayward just to get great authentic food. The service is great and they treat you just like family. I will tell anyone to visit this place. read more

What a great little hole in the wall... Authentic food like Abuela (grandma) used to make and what great prices! I recently ate here two weeks in a row and then came here again this week. As I sat down, the nice lady behind the counter smiled and then asked me "Do you want your usual carnitas plate with ice tea?" or if I was going to try something different. Guess I'm a little predictable! read more

Meh. I think it's the best you can get around here. We ordered the pozole and huevos with nopales. But it was fresh and came with tortillas de maiz from scratch. The house salsa was chunky with lots of onion and the chips were processed. They could up their game by frying chips in house and offering fresh juices. read more

Located in the Alisal District in Salinas this mom and pop restaurant is a Great place to eat real Mexican food! Staff is very attentive and friendly.I really like their meatball soup. It has a variety of fresh veggies . Also, try the shrimp soup is very yummy too. Overall the place is great! read more

We stop here on our trips back/forth to Paso. We call it 'grandma's house because all the chefs are sweet older women AND everything is yummy home cooking. Chile verde dinner or burrito , seven mars soup, all fantastic. read more

Just tried the tacos here and they were really good. Nice little cozy place. Even though it's on a busy street it feels hidden. They have plenty of dishes will be coming to try out something else. read more

Found this place on Yelp and so happy that we did. Ordered the pozole & ranchera cheese enchiladas and both were equally delicious and full of authentic flavors. Looking forward to trying out other dishes from there. read more

After seeing the great reviews I stopped by for lunch on the way through town. Had the beef enchilada and I would say it was pretty standard Mexican fare. It was smothered in cheese and came with rice and beans. Service was super friendly and helpful. The Mexican hot chocolate was top notch. read more

My go to Authentic Mexican Grub in Salas never disappoints. I have been coming here since the 90's and maaaaan it's always on point. We have tried a variety of dishes from the chile verde back in our pork eating days to chile rellenos, menudo and El Zacatecano Plate (carne, beef flauta, cheese enchilada with rice & beans). Prices are decent, customer service is good even though they speak spanish but when it comes to food and ordering there is no language barrier ha! It's in the East Side in a little hole in the wall but most def worth the trek. We usually park to the right in the Market parking lot. I love how their food is authentic, not salty and taste clean not greasy and portions are just right!! Writing this review has me drooling and fienin' to go back till then I will look forward to getting my authentic Mexican food fix in the near future!! Kudos to the chef and the staff!! read more

See all

Not too long ago, my friend introduced me to this place for their chili verde cheese enchiladas...and boy was my mouth happy with the bold flavors of the chili verde and the ooey gooey cheese. I would have to say this is my favorite enchilada shop around, not only does this place offer bomb enchiladas but some pretty amazing shrimp diablo. Be warned that these can get pretty spicy, so you'll have to inform the waitress. But lets get back to enchiladas, they also offer the traditional red sauce, but don't do it! I highly suggest the green sauce. The plate comes with rice, beans smothered with cheese and two enchiladas with a lil side salad with some salsa on it. I can literally lick the plate clean if I could, the only thing that I don't care for is their rice. But overall its two thumbs up for me. Especially with having a friendly staff is always a plus, checking if my water needs to be filled or if my chips and salsa needs replenishing. read more

El Zacatecano - Cheese enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

See all

Glad I learned on Yelp that take-out is a good idea at this place, which probably has bars on the windows for a reason. It is a tiny place, but smells wonderful and the food was yummy good. The chili verde was excellent, however. One of us who doesn't usually finish a plate full of food had their huge house special and ate every bite (except the enchilada, which he tried to give me and I couldn't eat it either...that was the only thing we did not like.) Don't try to cut the steak with the take out utensils, but I knew that and went across the street while they were making our order to a dollar store to get real cutlery. The beans and rice were perfect both in texture and flavor. Would have given 5 stars if they had offered any kind of discount items, as they are a bit pricey and did not have any kind of senior or early bird discount or anything. read more

Good menudo and Rancero Eggs. The salsa and chips are awesome!

Great place, friendly service and the food was good i had a lunch crispy taco it comes with rice and beans and was filling.

This is good Mexican food. Having grown up on the border I miss good Sonora style cooking and this is pretty close to home cooking.

Love this place! The food is so comforting and just hits the spot. I love their cheese enchiladas. If you want authentic Mexican food with great service this is your place. read more

Excellent food the salsa is awesome! Love this place !!! The beans the beans can't say enough about the beans just like grandma used to make!!!!! What a hidden Gem so happy I found this place!!!! Thank you for a remarkable experience!!!! Finally found real Mexican food!!! read more

This place is small and crowded. With that being said the food was delicious and worth being a little close to each other. The staff were attentive and friendly. Again the food was amazing b read more