!Auténtico! A happy taco indeed! This place could be easily overlooked, in a strip mall off a main street in Half Moon Bay. Its position adjacent to a Mexican supermarket enticed me further to try this restaurant. I ordered a plate of huevos rancheros (eggs in a fresh, tomato based ranchero sauce) for dinner, shared a "small" nacho dish with my husband with carne asada, and he ordered tacos al pastor and asada. The first bite of the huevos transported me instantly to my honeymoon in Mexico. This sauce is 100% authentic and characteristic of sauces common to Guadalajara. I was not surprised later to discover the owners are from Guadalajara. The eggs are served on lightly fried tortillas and come with fresh rice and beans with a side of warm tortillas. This plate cost about $10.50 and was enough food to have for two meals. The "small" nachos for $5 are quite large and have fresh guacamole on top. There is a fresh salsa bar. The salsa fresco, with tomatoes, onion, and cilantro, includes diced jalapenos, giving it a lovely kick. I appreciate the flavors of the tomatillo green salsa, although mild. Given its location, the price is very affordable. The restaurant is clean and staff are friendly. The experience was somewhat hindered by a few patrons who were more interested in alcohol then food. The patrons went so far as to belittle other customers. I think a solution would be to reduce/eliminate sale of alcohol if it attracts this clientele. read more

While trying to cool off on a hot, lazy and late Sunday afternoon in Half Moon Bay sipping and enjoying a large cup of Javiva at Peet's, Wifey and I were deciding where to stop for dinner before we head back home. We saw this "Gay" place from across the strip mall, so Wifey decides to check the reviews. The reviews were mixed, but mostly rated good and decent for a 4 star average. We strolled on over here and wanted to see their meat options to determine if it's legit or not, and I was glad to see that they offer Lengua, Cabeza and Tripas aside from the Carnitas, Pollo and Carne Asada. This is one sign that it's the authentic Mexican rather than the Gringoized Mexican version. I also noticed that they had a great selection of cold Mexican Cervezas in their fridge. The vibe was truly authentic Mexican joint that you can find in the Mission. The sweet abuelita that was taking our order couldn't be more pleasant. So we ordered the following: Ceviche Tostada, Grande Burrito, Crispy Taco (Cabeza) and three tacos of Lengua, Carne Asada and Carnitas. You also get your side of chips and choose your salsas at the salsa bar. By the way, this is one of the better salsas I've ever had and I actually got a few more containers to go after our meal. The first to arrive was the Ceviche Tostada. It wasn't as tangy as I would expect a ceviche to be, but they had extra limon to squeeze some more juices to your desired taste. It was a good start - not great, but decent. (3 stars) Then the Crispy Taco came, and this one blew us away. The fried, crispy tortilla with the delicious filling of meaty, gooey goodness was a perfect combination of flavor and texture. (5 stars) For my burrito, I should have ordered the regular instead of grande as it came with sour cream. Totally my fault, but the burrito had plenty of meat and I added extra salsa on every bite to enhance the flavor. (3.5 stars) Then the platter of three tacos came and every taco was filled to the brim, and they didn't skimp on flavor either. These tacos were really, really gay. (5 stars) I'm not talkin' about "Maricon' gay, I meant contento gay....as in happy. Get your mind out of the gutter. Although a Maricon Taco might be fabulous. Oh lawd, I'm going to get crucified for that comment. After all is said and done, we were happy with our meal and we will definitely be back here again. read more

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Food was good the seating area was clean and the people were friendly would definitely go back

I ordered a Beef Soup. The meat tasted old and the soup didn't seem fresh. The tacos and salsa isn't to rave about. I was very disappointed. read more

Unexpectedly good! Stopped by this taco place for some quick lunch and was not expecting much from the store's exterior... but the cashier lady was super sweet and patient when we were ordering, and the food arrived quickly. The food tastes delicious and you get a lot for the price. 10/10 would recommend! read more

Ordered the carne asada taco salad and al pastor super quesadilla. The al pastor was super flavorful and better of the two. Some of the carne asada pieces tasted burnt so it made my taste buds weird. There wasn't anything too special about the taco salad, and the taco shell was super oily so every bite it tasted like oil. My brother ordered the super quesadilla with the sour cream on the side and said yes to guac. When we left and got to our destination, we found out that no guac was put inside of the quesadilla, which was super disappointing.The service took a long time, took about 20minutes to get my food to go which was frustrating since it wasn't that busy. Overall, the food here is decent but the service is lacking. Food: 3/5 Service: 2/5 Price: 4/5 read more

Happy Taco - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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I originally doubted that this place would serve tasty food because of the business name. Boy was I surprised! I've eaten here twice and will return when I'm in the area. Torta - Plenty of meat. You may need a fork to finish your feast. Chicken enchiladas - Very filling and creamy sauce. This is the place to be at noon, so arrive early to beat the lunch crowd. Good service by the staff. I will definitely post pictures on my next visit. I give it a 4 because there is no dinning-in (COVID) but I would hope that the service would remain the same. read more

Amazing food! You can taste the freshness of the food. Definitely worth coming back for more. Plus the customer service is super friendly read more

Happy Taco - Amazing food! You can taste the freshness of the food. Definitely worth coming back for more. Plus the customer service is super friendly. - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Completely satisfied with my two taco plate for my first visit to Happy Taco. Mixed it up with Carne Asada and Al Pastor. The rice and beans also on the plate were consume with a Modelo Negro. Dark beek and I are fast friends Happy Taco is the kind of place that will divert me everytime from where I have been going. namely Tres Amigos. Why? Just as good or even, better food coupled with lower prices and the same service. Happy Taco, a winner in an book! read more

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Friendly, fast, authentic NorCal Mexican at its best. Super large burritos, crispy chips, home cooked by experienced cooks!! Never had a bad experience!! Try it and you'll love it! read more

Happy Taco did NOT make me happy at all! The place was dirty and flies everywhere; should have left then! I ordered a posole and the cashier double checked with the kitchen that they still had some. After paying and waiting 10 minutes, cashier came back and said they were out and asked what I wanted instead. I ordered a burrito which was obviously cheaper. He said he would refund me the difference but never did! My husband ordered menudo; they brought out with no onions or lemons. When they finally did; the lemons were brown and dried out. Food was horrible!!! ZERO stars for me. read more

We got some Mexican burritos to go. The kids burritos were $5/each. The al pastor meat was okay. A bit dry. I still measure my Mexican food to El Grullense in RWC/Middlefield. read more

Walked in right before the closed and got okay service. They have outside seating which is nice and it was a good night to do that. Their food was okay, but their tamales were flavorless and dry. I didn't finish eating them, just the meat inside but, that was too dry too. I tried to add salsa on them but, that didn't help either. I would stop by again but not order their tamales again. read more

Happy Taco - Their enchiladas with rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Stopped in this morning for a breakfast burrito to go on my way out to the beach. Excellent all around! Burrito was great, salsa bar was delicious, coffee was good, and the cheesecake was a very pleasant surprise. This will be my go to spot for drives along the 1. :-) read more

Best tacos on the coast . Burritos are delicious as well . Fast service even when their busy . Stop in for some delicious Mexican food !

My husband works all over the bay and his favorite food is Mexican. He is always talking about this place and he finally had a chance to take me here. Excellent customer service and the authentic flavor explodes in your mouth! You won't be disappointed. read more

One of my favorite places to come eat. I typically order Caldo De Res (beef soup) and ceviche tostadas. Some of the best caldo and ceviche around! Typical taqueria vibes, a lot of yellow and bright lights so I like to take my food To Go. I live in pacifica and my food always keep well while driving back home. They have so much to choose from and everything I get is always fresh. The staff is super friendly as well! Definitely check this place out, what's your favorite thing to eat here? read more

We had ceviche, fish tacos and veggie tacos. Everything was great, their salsas are amazing. Will definitely visit again when I am in Half Moon Bay again! read more

The lost a star due to not having Regular public restroom. But let's talk about the food. I'd like to considering myself as someone who's more visual than most people. I mean let's face it, who wants ugly food? Right? I chose this place based on yelp reviews from the locals. It's highly rated and understandably so. Gratis chips and salsa are always a plus. Sadly the man chose a salsa that just about burned my lips off . It was so tasty that I couldn't help myself. Literally couldn't feel my lips...no lie! I ordered the small pastor nachos and he ordered an asada super wet burrito. I have no complaints and the man hardly said a word in between, "Nom, nom, nom, nom...". read more

Happy Taco - Small pastor nachos and the asada super wet burrito. BOMB! - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

This is my family's go to casual Mexican place. We've eaten at every place from Linda mar to HMB and this is the winner for us. Great salsas, tacos, and burritos. Other stuff (soups, entrees, and tortas) is fine but nothing special. read more

Authentic Mexican food right by the beach. Professional staff. Delicious food. 10 minute wait. Would recommend.

Tried this little spot as my first half moon bay meal on my vacation. Extremely friendly customer service and the food is very good. I had the super burrito and the portion size is very big. read more

Great tacos! They also have great burritos too. Good place for a fast meal. Plus you can never go wrong with this place

Well perhaps it's fitting that review #200 should be so prosaic. I've lived on the coastside for 30 years. As far as I know it's been here the whole time, but I've never eaten here. Had to grab a late lunch so I could take the prescription I'd just picked up, and I refuse to go to the invader chain restaurant (TB) which snuck in a couple of years ago. Had a chicken taco (regular) $2.01. I liked the tortillas, soft light and small. I liked the chopped cilantro and fresh white onion. The chicken was a great texture, but no flavor. I wanted to like it, but the hygiene factor ruled otherwise, but I'm still not defecting to Taco Bell. read more

After a day of riding at the nearby coastline beaches, we worked up a good appetite. We Yelp'd this nice little taqueria tucked away in this Half Moon Bay outdoor mall. Glad to have tried it out... We ordered up the pork tamales (so fresh), carnitas burrito (awesome), super nachos with carne asada (cheesy meaty goodness), and a cabesa taco (tender cabesa). Lots of agua frescas to choose from, and Mexican beers. Great little spot and very reasonable prices! Will be back again for sure! read more

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Hole in the wall places like this are ALWAYS the best place to get tacos. The good tacos I mean, not the ground beef and cheese ones that fast food offers. Happy taco came up when I searched for cheap eats in the Half Moon Bay area. A few friends and most of Yelp had come to the same consensus that if you're looking for tacos, this is the place to be. The place is small and the people aren't super personable, but the food is freaking fantastic. Two carne asada tacos, and a civiche tostada for about $7.50. Considering that the tacos were still street style yet still quite big and full, this is an amazing deal. The carne asada is grilled and has that amazing, crunchy, bark. It was flavourful and cooked to perfection. It has diced onion, cilantro, and there obviously homemade salsa (that does have some kick to it). The civiche tostada has a mixture minced shrimp and some kind of white fish. It tasted amazing as expected, and was a light, balancing out the tacos from earlier. It had four avocado slices on top, adding to the already fresh, freshness. It also has hints of lime and a very spicy salsa that had me panting for at least 10 minutes after. Definitely worth a check out if you're looking to get your taco fix on. read more

Happy Taco - Civiche tostada - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

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On a rainy day - in Half Moon Bay... You can't beat the flavor - of that burrito of which I savor. I've eaten here twice now and love, love, love, the carnitas! Happy Taco also has tasty salsas and refrescos authentico. Check it out, you will be glad you did! read more

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I like enchiladas, and I'd never tried chorizo in my enchiladas. Don't think I'll try it again because I just didn't love it. The side items and bottomless chips and salsa were plenty yummy, and I loved the blast from the past with the Stewart's Orange n Creme soda. Thank you, come again? Newp. read more

Happy Taco - Salsas! Fo free. They'll refill chips of you ask nicely :) - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Love Happy Taco... Lived in SF over 40 years... I lived at 16th and Dolores right off the mission, where Mexican food is available everywhere...Took over 2 years to discover Happy Taco...Best Taqueria in Half Moon Bay! Thx U for staying open during the Virus! read more

It was very busy at 7pm on a Wednesday night. We ordered dine in and were offered chips and individual containers of salsa while we waited. I got a small carnitas nachos, plenty of food one. Husband got the super burrito- carne asada. With a place like this, no need for fast food chain! There are a couple TVs to watch while you wait. We were in and out in 45 minutes. read more

Very tasty traditional taqueria. Everything is fresh and always good. I get the super burrito with carne asada, no beans, with lechuga (lettuce)... chips are "ok"... salsas are great. All in all, a very reliable and great place to dine for your standard Mexican food. Staff is also very cool, friendly and quick. read more

There is usually 2 ladies at the front. The chubby one is rude ! And the men working in the back are creepy. Never feel comfortable being there read more

Stopped here for lunch yesterday on the way back to SF. I came here based on the yelp reviews and was kind of diappointed. I mean the chile verde was decent but definitely not 4 star worthy. Maybe I'm spoiled with all the good mexican places down here in the central valley. But I can't even say the food is average. I mean its decent but not average. The rice was good and chile verde tasted like it had been sitting for a day or two as the chicken was not juicy at all. It felt like it was kept in the sauce for a while on the heat so it didn't dry out the chicken but definitely didn't taste like it was made that day. Sorry I have higher standards for chile verde. Since I can't give it a 2.5 I'll be nice and give it 3.0 read more

Small hole in the wall with great Mexican food. Had two carne asada tacos and loved them. They had a nice clean heat to them that complimented the meat and didn't over power. I'm lame though when it comes to spicy food so it probably isn't very spicy for others. Overall, good food! Would eat there again. read more

Happy Taco - Carne asada tacos and carnitas nachos. - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Happened to pass through Half Moon Bay and stopped at this place for dinner, as the locals recommended this taqueria and other restaurants were closing. There was nothing special about this place. The super veggie burrito was for $8+, though they had a side bar for salsas and pico de gallo. It's pretty busy place. People do lots of takeouts. Sitting area was decent and service was ok. I didn't find anything spectacular about their food. It was a Regular overpriced burrito, except the location is convenient for passerby and there is ample parking in this complex. Not impressed at all. read more

Just tried going here to order a breakfast burrito on a little trip to HMB and stood at the register for 5 minutes completely ignored. I turned around and left. One guy chopping stuff at the counter completely ignored me. Nobody in there, just 1 couple eating. Plus, it smelled bad, like it was dirty. Probably a good thing I turned around and left. I am all for supporting small businesses, but this was lame. I went to McDonald's and ordered 2 sausage burritos for half the cost. Ignoring someone who wants to order when they are standing there looking like an idiot is not a good way to attract customers. I am sympathetic to rising costs and not having enough employees, but this was just plain rude. Their food looks really good, too, so sucks that it was disappointing all around. I will warn my family who goes to HMB a lot to avoid Happy Taco. read more

Some of the best beef tacos I have ever had. Also got wet burrito but taking home to eat. Will 100 percent come back!!!! read more

Happy Taco - Taco shop - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Eh...as my husband put it, "it wasn't completely bad." The fish taco was a little burnt, and the chicken burrito tasted like it was canned tuna (super weird), but the carne asada was delicious and the folks were really nice. Also a good salsa bar, if you're into that kind of thing. Oh! Also a little pricy. Tacos are almost $3 each...yowza. read more

Happy Taco - Mexican Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Disappointing. I LOVE Mexican food but I'm always skeptical of trying new places because they're almost always a let down. This one had good reviews and was close to where I was, so I tried it. Ugh. I ordered the al pastor plate. Everything was lacking in flavor. The rice was crumbly.. the beans were ok. And the meat had so much potential but really needed more flavor. The salsas from the salsa bar were also just ok. read more

With a name like Happy Taco, how can you NOT come here? My husband and I were on our way to McNee Ranch and needed some fuel for our hike, so we stopped by Happy Taco for a quick bite. Several al pastor tacos, carne asada tacos, and a cheese quesadilla later, we were stuffed. I am by no means a Mexican food expert, but their al pastor is legit here, made the right way. My husband says the carne asada was decent, but al pastor was better. The salsas were great, I liked the chunkiness of the salsa (wish it was more tomato and less onion though) and the green salsa was mild and slightly tangy/sour. Prices here are slightly higher than other taquerias I've been to, but still qualify as cheap eats. read more