Excellent food, my favorite is the Mojito chicken bow. My hubby loves the meat plates and their…read moreplantains are incredible. Their Service is top notch and the music is THE BEST!!

This place makes me want to visit San Mateo just to eat here!…read more I am currently on a very difficult journey to try everything on the menu, but the problem is I keep wanting to reorder the same staples, especially their famous Cubanos. Everything I've tried has been delicious, and the sauces are seriously amazing. They make their own chimichurri sauce, a super spicy habanero sauce, and a creamy white sauce that somehow makes every bite even better. The fresh juices are also worth trying. You can tell they're actually fresh. This spot is flavorful, memorable, and absolutely worth going out of your way for.

We have been there before, great service as usual. Little on…read morethe expensive side, bring your appetite

I love this place. I love it so much me n the wifey celebrated our 10 year anniversary here. Just…read morelike a successful marriage, consistency is the key. And that's why Espetus is so special. Because they are so consistent in both providing fantastic service and beautifully cooked meats. This place has heart, specifically delicious chicken hearts! If you are a meat lover welcome to Heaven. Just writing this review makes me want to go back already. Don't forget to save room for the grilled pineapple!

Una tarde muy agradable. La comida, excelente y la atención de Jonathan maravillosa !read more

It was my first time and it was absolutely delicious Gonzalo my waitress was very courteous and…read moregave us and excellent service it was my mom's birthday and she was very happy and love the food and drinks I'm planning to comeback soon....

Must-try birria spot - I keep coming back for a reason…read more This place is on my list of must-tries for Mexican food, and I've been here countless times at this point. The beef birria tacos are SO good like the flavor, the birria consomme, the sauce, the meat. Everything just hits right. This is a legit hole-in-the-wall kitchen, and that's exactly what makes it special. No frills, just really good food that keeps you coming back. Every time I'm craving birria (which is often), this is where I go. The quality stays consistent every single visit, which is huge. You know exactly what you're getting and it never disappoints. For the price and taste, the value is excellent. You're getting authentic, flavorful birria without paying sit-down restaurant prices. If you're in the area and craving some birria tacos, do yourself a favor and try this place. It's the kind of spot that turns into a regular rotation real quick. Trust me, I'm proof of that.

Summary: Flavorful, but HEAVY…read more Details: They just opened up a new branch in SF, but we wanted an excuse to hit up San Mateo, and Latin American is always a good enough excuse. While photos of their SF location suggest some seeing, this OG location is pretty much pickup/delivery only: a fairly literal hole in the wall, located along a random quiet street. Most folks would probably opt to take home or eat at one of the "nearby" parks, but we've gotten in the habit of just eating in the car, which... not so great for something as messy as birria lol. I'll say that for most folks, this would probably easily be more a 4 star spot, while for us, it's more a 2 star since we're unlikely to come back. That's not to say the food was bad: on the contrary, the flavors were quite good, and the consomme was less salty than some of the others we've tried. But their food is HEAVY. Not just the birria itself, but also the burrito we got, and heavier than other places we've been for some reason, with the birria sitting in a pool of oil soon after we picked it up. This probably isn't a deterrent for most people though, so take this as you will. Accessibility: Not too relevant since this is really just a pickup spot, with the pickup window being at the usual height you'd find elsewhere.

While I'm not a pupusa snob, I do know what's good and what isn't growing up in the mission (SF)…read moremost of my life and visiting El Salvador every other year I've learned to detect my ideal taste and this spot does not disappoint! Ordered 2 pupusas (Revueltas) with the curtido and the salsa. These were really tasty and would come back in the near future. Place across the street is also known for their pupusas but have not been great the last couple visits of mine. Which led me to today's new adventure. Highly recommend! One of the few places you can get 2 pupusas and a drink for around $10. As fas as dining in, the vibe is definitely El Salvador.

Straight forward, real deal pupusas. Off the downtown, but it will transport you to El Salvador.read more

This was one of the first restaurants my family and I started coming to when we first moved to San…read moreMateo, CA. If you're Honduran, Salvadoran, or Mexican, you know about La Piñata! The best pupusas in San Mateo County IMO. We typically take it to go because the restaurant is always so jammed packed with customers. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for the real deal Salvadoran food!

This place was yummy! I needed some soup since I haven't been feeling well and this helped me feel…read morebetter. I ordered the sopa de pollo. It had a piece of leg and thigh and it was so tender. It fell off the bone! The broth was comforting and it came with carrots, celery and potato. The rice alongside was so delicious though the portion was tiny! They made up for it with the thick tortillas. Overall the dish was amazing and great comfort food. I ordered this to go.

We came here to celebrate an early Mother's Day brunch, and it was such a fantastic experience! The…read moremimosas were amazing, with a great selection of juices and the food was absolutely outstanding. Khin was our server she mentioned she was fairly new, but you wouldn't have known it. She was incredibly sweet, attentive, and took great care of our entire party. Thank you, Khin! We had a large group, and I really appreciated that they accommodated us inside since it was a bit chilly that day. They seated us in the front area, which we loved. Everything we ordered from the appetizers, to the main dishes was packed with flavor. Nothing missed the mark. Truly one of the best brunch experiences in town! I had the chilaquiles along with a champagne drink that came with different juice options and fresh fruit such an adorable and fun presentation. My family couldn't stop raving about how delicious everything was, including the dessert. We'll definitely be back for future family gatherings and next time, we're excited to try the outdoor patio seating!

We had brunch here with no reservation on a busy weekend!…read more Ambiance: 5/5 Beautifully designed and spacious restaurant that offers outdoor seatings with heaters. Pet friendly too! Service: 4/5 Our waitress was friendly and efficient. Food: 4/5 Guava pancakes are highly recommended. Fluffy and not so dense with delicious guava sauce that wasn't sweet at all. Veggies omelette - Tasty and loved the potatoes that came with it. Tuna salad - HUGE pieces of THICK tuna; well worth the money! Salad was incredibly fresh and tasty. *Free refills on coffee* I'd highly recommend this place and will be back.

Wow!! Very impressed with this restaurant. My partner and I hosted his mom and grandma for…read moreChristmas, they flew here from Florida but originally they're from Peru. We stopped at this restaurant on our way to show them around San Francisco and we were all blown away!! We ordered anticuchos and papa rellena for appetizer. Both delicious! For mains, we ordered seco de res, tallarín verde con bistec, and pescado a la chorillana. Everything was absolutely perfect. The food was presented very nicely with traditional flavors. No notes. I'll be back specifically for the tallarín verde!! So good. The restaurant is clean with simple but elegant decor, nice ambiance with salsa music playing. My partner's mom said "it feels like we're in Peru right now." The prices here are also great compared to other Peruvian restaurants around the Bay Area. If you want traditional Peruvian food and vibes, this is your spot!!

Food below par. The "Chaufa con mariscos" or "Seafood fried…read morerice", the seafood had a leathery texture, Overcooked. The rice itself no "chaufa" taste. The "Tallarines verdes con bistec" or "Spaghetti with creamy pesto and NY steak", we send the NY steak back as it was very wiry and hard to cut. Subbed with meat from their "Lomo saltado", ir was OK. The creamy pesto sauce missed the flavor profile, too garlicky. The "Papa rellena", The potato was OK, the filling overcooked.

Great tacos and ceviche! I understand why it received Michelin Guide recognition now…read more I ordered the ceviche trio, which included cóctel verde de camarón, dorado, and pescado. I also ordered the pescado taco and the cochinita taco. The food was flavorful and fresh. To end the meal, we ordered churros with some chocolate sauce, which were piping hot. I wish this place were closer to me because I want to try everything on the menu!

Had a reservation for 7pm on a Friday. The inside of the restaurant was full, but we chose the…read moreoutdoor seating option. Lighting wise - it's a bit dark at the outside seating. They have heat lamps outside if needed. We ordered: - ceviche trio: tortilla chips with three types of ceviche (camaron - shrimp, dorado - mahi mahi, pescado - fish) - pulpos salteados: octopus and calamari, potatoes, arugula, butter and saffron sauce - asado mixto: skirt steak, pork chop, chicken breast, prawns, chorizo, cactus, zucchini, onion, peppers, and tortillas The service is relatively quick, with food arriving around 10 minutes after we ordered. The fish and shrimp in the ceviche were super fresh and had a perfect level of tanginess and spiciness. The mango and avocado were great additions. The pulpo salteados was filling and comforting, with the octopus and calamari being tender, and the potatoes being boiled down to be soft. The garlic butter sauce was delicious! The asado mixto, in my opinion, is the best dish to get, since there's a bit of everything on the menu, from beef to pork to chicken to shrimp. Everything was cooked to be tender, and it was a delicious bite to wrap everything in the corn tortillas. The molcajete salsa had a perfect kick of spice. I always enjoy a dish with veggies as well, and the zucchini and peppers were great with the molcajete. While on the pricier end for Mexican food, everything was tasty and service is friendly and fast. I was stuffed this time, but definitely want to come try the churros next time!

Still delicious. Get the $13 entrée special at the counter where you choose items. It's 14$ with a…read morecredit card. Service is efficient and it's a cozy ambiance. Still amazing breakfast! Get the torta de huevo! Love it.

This place is a true Latin gem hidden among the heaps of Asian restaurants in San Mateo. We've been…read moreback here for the 3rd time in span of 2 weeks. I am listing below the 6 dishes we've tried so far in order of preference. (Note that I had a really hard time deciding the order of the first 4. It was such a close call that if I came back to write this tomorrow I'd probably rank them differently.) 1. Milanesa de Res. This is like a tastier version of beef fried country steak. It comes with a side of chicken-flavored rice, refried beans and potato salad. 2. Chicken Hen Pinol. When I used to live in Ecuador, my favorite item in an almuerzo (lunch) set was often the soup. This soup's flavor brings me back to those days. Pro tip: shred the pieces of chicken meat and let them soak in the soup for a while. 3. Pepian. A thicker version of the Pinol with a stew consistency. I'd say it has a more condensed flavor and tastes a tad different than the Pinol. 4. Huevos Rancheros. This Guatemalan taken on the popular breakfast dish puts the Mexican version to shame! So juicy and goes so well with coffee in the morning. I was inclined to put this in the 1st place until I tried the previous 3 items. 5. Chille Relleno. A big stuffed chili pepper. It was good although quite forgettable, which is why I cannot recall how it tasted like. But it was good nonetheless! 6. Beef Stew Hilachas. This was just ok. Nothing to write home about which is why I'm writing about it here and ranking it the lowest of the 6.