love this place everytjing i've ordered so far is delicious. my to go entree is the chilaquilles they are sooo yummy

The service is excellent and so is the food. The chile verde is the best anywhere. If you can't decide what to have, the Zacatecano plate is a sure bet. read more

We haven't had anything so good as El Zacatecano in many years. I grew up in Los Angeles and can remember several excellent Mexican restaurants. Yours is a great one in the city I read so much about when I was younger. The cheese enchilada and chili relleno were just wonderful. Thank you, and you are reasonable. read more

The best! For caldos, enchiladas, seafood, and so much more. My favorite dishes are the huevos con nopales or the machaca for breakfast, and the fried fish for lunch or dinner. Their rice and beans are made perfectly. The waitresses are very attentive and friendly, the owners are often present and they too are very accomodating. You know this restaurant is the best because Mexican people eat there; my parents who would rather eat their own Mexican food at home would only go to this restaurant if they went out to eat. read more

WOW! Is what I have to say. I just love their food. Even tho the place is small and cramped the service is excellent and their enchiladas are to die for! I've eaten at a lot of Mexican restaurants before. No where can I get enchiladas that compare to theirs. Will definitely go back again for more! read more

The service here is friendly, the food was good. Minimal space inside if you want to order to go, especially when it is busy.

Hands down the best Chile Verde around!! Great prices, large portions, very delicious and authentic!

First time here. Had lunch with my hubby. Salsa had really good flavor. I had a chili Rellano and beef enchilada. One of the best Chili Rellano I have ever tasted. Enchilada had good flavor also. Everything was homemade. Hubby's Chili Verde looked yummy, he said it was really good. We will definitely be coming back.. read more

Food is great, as authentic as it gets in Salinas. Always packed and it's a small space, that's the only reason I give it 4 stars. Good service. read more

Came here with my husband for dinner. We both ordered combination platters and they were fabulous. So much food! Service was excellent.

I had the chile verde and a friend ordered a carne asada dinner. These plates were served in 10 minutes, and the dishes plus tortillas were fantastic. Even the beans and rice were so delicious, as I scooped them up with tortilla chips. All the great reviews on Yelp are well deserved. read more

I would definitely recommend this restaurant to those who want to try a taste of real Mexican food.I'm always picky when it comes to Mexican food but this place always satisfies.They have a good variety of choices and their prices are very good for the amount of food you get.As much as i love this place they really need to remodel the restaurant a bit,looks really ghetto from the outside. read more

Oh my gosh I'm so full. Found this place via yelp. Thanks to wonderful positive yelp reviews before us this is where we decided to have our road trip lunch. Very authentic. Reasonable prices. Very friendly service. Salsa had a nice fresh taste with a spicy kick. I ordered a crispy taco that was tasty and fresh. Best of all when the woman who served us saw my love for chips and salsa she sent me home with a doggy bag with more. read more

Umm this place is OKAY. Everyone exaggerates, the food is NOT 5/5. I had a taco dorado, sopes, horchata, and a soft taco, beans, and rice. The food doesnt have much flavor(to my taste buds) White ppl will probably think its delicious. I am mexican, I know how to cook, and tbh this is not suuuuuper good mexican food. read more

I've been eating the chicken enchiladas and chile relenos there for twenty years, I keep going back. What else is there to say

I have not eaten food this good outside of Texas since I left there back in 1998. Yes, some would consider this place a "hole in the wall" with the bars on the windows and all, but don't be intimidated. In addition to the main entrees tasting amazing, simple things like homemade refried beans and corn tortillas, plus the fresh, yummy salsa just "seal the deal" for me and my family. My son is an extremely picky eater and finished more food than usual here. read more

Was in the area and was looking for a Mexican place to eat we stoped here and my boyfriend was unsure because of the area but it turned out to be an amazing choice first the salsa and chips were amazing that will tell you a lot about a place and the rice and beans were also good we were both satisfied with our meals and will definitely becoming back ! The price was a little expensive for what the place is but amazing food ! read more

The best carne asada. They use sirloin beef. Their house plate is great. A nice hole in the wall Mexican joint

This place is GREAT!! Fast Friendly service, delicious food. I had the combination sopas and taco. He had enchilada, WE WILL DEFINITELY be back and cant wait to bring our out of town guests. YUM!! read more

Yummy and unassuming, extremely friendly service. Went here twice in one weekend when passing through Salinas. Fantastic salsa with the chips, loved the burrito with nopales and huevos. My meat-eating friends especially loved the carne asado taco plate. Not overly greasy or heavy, good portions and value. Setting was nothing fancy but clean and bright. Wish they had horchata or aguas frescas, but really can't complain as everything else was great. read more

We went to try this Mexican as it received lots of praise on Yelp. All I can say is that the service was fantastic, the food was very good and for the price we paid, we were more than satisfied. Brilliant and highly recommended. read more

My wife says they have the best Chili Verde in Salinas. I would agree. I have had a number of their dishes and all of them were delicious. The place is small and parking is difficult but it's worth it to give them a try. Family owned and friendly good people. They would get 5 stars if the place was larger and the parking was better. The food is 5 star. read more

We go here for their shortribs and nopalitos plate and their liver n onions. Yum! Their soft tacos are delicious. Shrimp w cucumber is another favorite. Staff is always friendly and very attentive. Place is small, tables are close together read more

Good food, but very bad service. Used to be a big fan for many years, but after our latest visit, it was really, really bad. Waitress never came to check on us. My husband spilled his drink all over, so I went to the front counter to let them know..Still no waitress. Needless to say, this was the first time I left no tip. Doubt if we will ever go back. However, if you like good food with bad parking and bad sevice, this is the place for you. read more

Excellent little place. It does not look like much from the outside, kind of a little hole in the wall. When you enter this environment you are welcomedwelcomed and greeted with a smile.The service was prompt and the prices are fair. My dish was excellent and authentic. I would absolutely go here again. read more

Delicious! Great value for the price. Its a small place and was full on Sunday afternoon. We'll be back again.

Undoubtedly the best Mexican food in Salinas. My family has been eating here since before I was born. To start off, the owners and employees are among the nicest people in town. The restaurant itself makes me feel like I'm home. The food is delicious. 10/10 would recommend. Their warm corn tortillas are homemade and something I would sell a limb for and the dishes themselves are equally delicious. On top of that, they have vegetarian options! Their agua frescas are also good. Honestly you can't go wrong. read more

Best Mexican food in Salinas. Only thing I haven't tried is the seafood because I don't really like Mexican seafood unless it's crudo.

The absolute BEST Mexican food in Salinas and with very generous portions and personal waiters. They really make you feel like family there. Reminds me of home. read more

Been here many times over the years and have always had a good meal. This is our go to for sit down Mexican food. I always get the same combo plate Chile Rellanos Chicken enchilada and if I'm real Hungary a shredded beef taco. Their rice and beans have a lot more flavor (garlic) for one thing than any other Mexican restaurants. Don't come here for the ambiance it's the barrio but safe. Come for the food. read more

Stopped here on way back to LA after trip to San Jose. Good food. Worth it. I had Chicken enchiladas and the hubs had the El Tac plate. He had a taste of everything and there was nothing left on his plate. Good food. Service was a little slow, but worth the extra ti read more

If you are looking for REAL Mexican food, cooked and served by real Latinos all being some of the nicest folks you could ever meet all with no frills...Just great REAL Mexican food and really nice folks, then you have found the right place. We found this REAL Mexican restaurant (joint) eighteen years ago and have been loyal customers ever since. Its the REAL Mexican Food and the forever really nice folks who own and run the place that keeps us coming back. read more

I'm surprised by all the 5 star reviews. Yes, this place is good, but not THAT good. Had a pretty OK machaca breakfast. Wonderful rice, beans, veggies. Good service but nothing special. Was disappointed with chili relleno. It wasn't bad, really...just different than what I consider to be the gold standard. It was on the small side, and not very thick. The sauce was quite different than what I consider traditional CR sauce. But who knows. I definitely want to return and order some different things off the menu. The prices were very reasonable, but I didn't think the portions were especially big. My friend ordered the chicken burrito...he said it was great but went out the door still feeling a little hungry. read more

The wife loves the Menudo. I like everything! Salsa was legit. This place is packed with people on lunch time, but it's worth the wait.

This place is killer serio I'm from Zacatecas is my first time eating here I will come back I say is killer

Authentic delicious Mexican food! Great customer service! Shrimp cocktail was yummy and so their horchata!

Authentic Mexican food prepared & served by friendly folks. Cozy place where you're certainly to be surrounded by the locals. Additional parking can be found in back. Tasty food & fair prices. Good Stuff! read more

This place is amazing! It is clean as a whistle and the type of joint I like to eat out-a hole in wall place with authentic food where the locals eat. We had liver and onions and shrimp rancheros (I think that's what it was called....it was sauteed with onions tomatoes and serranos) The portions were very generous, the meat was so fresh and flavorful, and it wasn't over salted, which usually happens with Mexican food. The service was super friendly and attentive and everything was done with love. Only in Salinas two days and will be going back for sure :) read more

Omg the BEST flautas and salsa I have ever had!! And my husband had a shrimp enchilada and another time he had a steak fajita which he says was the best Mexican he has ever eaten! like it tasted like it was mad with love, like somebody's mama or abuela made it special for me:-) I must confess, I have an addiction to Mexican and southwest foods. I can eat them every single day no problem. My husband is an Asian food addict. But out of the many restaurants across the south and west side of this country I have been to, I must say Zacatecano has my number one vote! My husband even picks this place last time we ate out over Korean BBQ which is his absolute favorite! The waitress was awesome too! Being a former waitress myself I notice Everything at restaurants and when I dine out I always make sure I give great tips for great service and our waitress gave excellent service! The very first waitress my husband has not complained about at all! And actually complimented which has never happened lol. We didn't have to ask for Anything! She automatically brought refills of salsa, chips, drinks, and napkins. My husbands glass never went empty which is usually his main problem with dining out. And of course the food was the BOmB!!! Every ingredient was perfectly portioned and seasoned and i didn't even have to ask for more sour cream! Omg i sound like a fatty lol. We live all the way in Monterey and have planned to make this our new go-to place! Just talking about going again makes me excited lol! I will be honest and say though if you are just going for atmosphere and not food and service, this is not your place. The decorating isn't very festive, pretty, or bright. The music may or may not be on and it's usually like rock and roll oldies lol. But like I said everything else is beyond awesome so it really makes up for lack of visuals:-) read more

I've been coming to this place for many years with my family. As an adult now I've tried to come here with my fiance and the service was EHH, the food made him sick. But then I tried it on my own for lunch and it was GREAT! It seems to be a hit or miss. I love the beans and enchiladas rancheras. read more