I have been coming here since I moved to the Bay area many years ago. The food is excellent, the atmosphere is homey. But what keeps me coming back is the service. Everyone is so nice and accommodating. Oscar is my favorite. I love it here!! read more

I always stop by Juan's for dinner when I'm in the Bay Area. Chicken Enchiladas with red sauce, half order with sour cream and guacamole is my regular order. A Corona makes the meal complete. read more

I'm never ever going there again. The waiter just brushed his hand against my breast as he was serving my food and had the audacity to pretend that it was "nada". Sure he and the staff apologized, but that's all it takes for me to boycott them completely. read more

Nice service and nice flavors inside a clean authentic spot that seems like it might be family owned and operated. That's enough to keep it on my radar. The extra wood surroundings and framed photos and the little bar in a separate room off the side imbibe the place with a wholesome family cantina vibe. I expected to be in the middle of an old western somehow. It didn't happen, but I'll be back in case they're filming a different day. read more

I had a horrible experience today! : ( as my Daughter & I wantd a Bite after Church,we were served the Green Enchiladas (Chicken) Dinner & it ws served Luke warm, had no seasoning & was terrible.I told my daughter we should return it & get something else, but she had already taken a Couple bites & Didnt want to. I had pain in my stomach shortly after & the worst heartburn I've ever had in my Life! I was almost about to go to the Emergency Room! I wouldn't take my worst enemy there for dinner. I would have done better to go straight to the bar & Not Eat a Thing.Very disappointing & scary read more

I LOVE this place. The burritos are three meals' worth, the chips are seriously to die for, service is great. Adam got sick as a dog the last time we went, so I'll have to find other company for my next visit. read more

This place kind of reminds me of like a neighborhood version of Chi Chi's - you know, one of those Mexican places with giant plates of food smothered in cheese and piled with rice and beans - nothing particularly bad, but nothing particularly fresh, healthy, or great about it either. The chips were freshly made but pretty greasy, and it kind of has a greasy-spoon of Mexican places feel to it - nothing fancy, very causal, and just kind of here-you-go no-nonsense service. I think our waitress may have actually grunted at us. Overall it was ok, but I'm not running back any time soon since there are plenty of other places I like better. read more

Not a fan of this place, have definitely had better Mexican food, was really disappointed with the food.

What the he** is wrong with some of you people???? I am looking around here and see a bunch of one and two stars. Are you NUTS? Juan's has some pretty d@mn good mexican food and I am a mexican food snob I make the drive from Vallejo to Berk and usually get lost finding this place but once I do, I'm quite happy. Unlike most mexican food places, their salsa tastes fresh and GOOD with tasty chips to match. A bunch of you are knocking on the gringos for eating there. Only be scared about not getting good mexican food if the gringos are waiting on you and working in the kitchen. This place is muy bueno and the chicken mole enchilladas are a must have. The service "EH" when they close, they are closed, you better take your last bite and pay before they sweep you out the door. read more

to be taken lightly. For the prices, the ratio of food per dollar is amazing at Juan's. The food is good too....well.....sort of. I've eaten here a few times and unfortunately, I regret it every time. Its one of those places when you are there and eating, everything is great for the first 5 bites, but then you realize..... I should stop now, but you dont. The homemade flour tortilla chips are my personal favorite part about this place. Everything else, is a well, its comfort americana-mexican food. Lots of colby/cheddar cheese and lots of enchilada sauce. I'd get a half order and split it with someone. read more

Huge portions of flavorful food. The place is a bit of a dive, and the food's a bit old-fashioned, but it is all yummy. The Pork Carnitas was the most tender and flavorful I've ever had. read more

i wasnt disappointed, but i wasnt wowed either. dont get me wrong--the food is good, the portions are large, and the atmosphere is homey and comfortable. maybe my mistake was that i ordered a non-grilled chicken burrito and expected the meat to be dripping with flavor and to melt in my mouth. it wasnt and it didnt. the chicken was not imbued with the classic mexican flavor i had hoped for and it was...stringy. the prices were average as well. service was a tad too slow for my taste, but that could have been because my friend and i caught the last free table before the lunch hour was in full swing. i can see myself going there on a super-chill night with some friends and enjoying a couple of cervezas with the duo of flour tortilla chips and corn tortilla chips in the small salad bowls. the flour tortilla chips are decadently saturated with oil like chimichanga wrappers. i should be disgusted by these chips, but ill admit right now that im not and i actually like them quite a bit. i will never like that the salsa is served in condiment cups with lids. i imagine most people dip their chips right in there and that the containers dont get cleaned or rinsed between diners. im not a clean-freak by any means, but i know how messy i get when im on a chip-dipping frenzy and i expect others to be the same way. id definitely go back and try something other than the chicken burrito. read more

LOVE IT. This is the best Mexican food I've found in the entire Bay Area so far. So good! Fast and friendly service. Awesome gaudy decorations, totally family-owned, totally legendary. The food is great and greasy and worth the many extra calories. It's a festive atmosphere with oh such perfect salsas and you will not leave hungry. If you want an obnoxious birthday party- go here! read more

This is the worst spinout of 70's, bland, Mexican food ever. The only thing on the menu that is even worth trying would be the fried flour tortilla chips...now these were delicious & addictive. As for the rest of the menu and the place itself; It needs a deep cleaning and the food it just gross. Sorry, but it's gross. read more

The service was wonderful. And the red salsa is just out of this world. And I love those chips that everyone else is raving about.

i love mexican food. i have always loved mexican food. i am picky about mexican food. if juan's were a taqueria - apparently the preferred form of mexican food dining in norcal - i probably wouldn't even bother with a review (the food is good, just not momentous). but since it is actually a family style, unpretentious, sit down and order some traditional mexican food place, i love it. it fills a hole in my mexican food lovin heart. the portions are gi-normous. the beer is cold. the service is attentive. and the fried chips and salsa verde are so good, i don't even really need to order food. i wish i wish it wasn't rude to show up at a restaurant, eat all their free offerings and leave. read more

I grew up in San Diego in the 1980s. Juan's Place provides the sort of Mexican food I remember from my youth but can rarely find done well in the Bay Area. Juan's is the opposite of upscale Mexican food like you'll find at Dona Thomas or Comal. It's also not deep/southern Mexican food. This is Border Food, dammit. Comfort food. And it's just freaking tasty as hell. Best plate on the menu: the Two Matadors, which is the closest they've got to a chimichanga. Good stuff! read more

Best Mexican I've had in the YAY! Quesadilla ala Jesus is by far my favorite dish! But everything here is good. The flour chips are a must!

First off Juan's is in no way a taqueria. It is a good mexican food dive. We really liked the salsa and the never ending two kinds of chips(flour and corn). Also refills on aqua fresca was nice. Good service and ok food read more

The only reason I give them one star is because you have to. I have been to many Mexican restaurants. This one, is the worst by far. I so wanted to like it. Especially since you can tell some of the waiters here have been working at this place for a long time. Which makes me think that, may be, many, many, many, years ago it was actually good. If you are looking for authentic, this is not the place. I ordered a chile relleno. I couldn't even tell that's what it was when I got my plate of food. It was obvious to me that most of the stuff on my plate came from a can. Everything was swimming on some sort of sauce, or cheese. Or both. I will say that the chicken inside my enchilada was actually ok. Provably because they actually cooked it themselves. Service was ok. But we were rushed the whole time we were there, even tho, the place was only half full... read more

Some of the best Mexican food ever. Authentic home cooked. Neighborhood where it is located is a bit different though. Ambience is great and the place reeks of cool. Same as it did when I was in college. Wish I lived closer still. read more

i got there super burrito and MAN WAS IT SUPER i should have gotten the little burrito there so generous with there food you'll sure to have left overs for breakfast! and a lot of it! the place was a little dark but the owners are so nice and will take care of you. yes ill be coming back here for more food hmmmm read more

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if its possible, i am a Mexican food snob. having grown up around the best mexican food outside of mexico will do that to you, i guess. anyway, i had high and authentic expectations for juan's. and their enchiladas were good. just not that good. an extra star for the flour chips, though! read more

The tortilla chips tasted stale. The burrito is bland and was full of rice and not enough meat. The refried beans tasted like they were straight out of the can. The salsas were ok, but again it tasted like it was dumped straight out of a jar. I am questioning on the age/freshness of the salsas. The dishes pretty much are lackluster and it seems like the chefs/cooks do not really put much effort into their cooking. The servings are really big, but what's the point if you can't even taste anything? it is such a bummer because they're so close to my work and it would have been cool if we had a Mexican Restaurant close by that served amazing food. This one is just BLAHHHH! read more

I may be a bit bias. I grew up eating in the Mission district of SF, where you can get super good authentic mexican dinner for two for under twenty five dollars. That's if you go big! I ate at Juans and wasn't impressed with the food but then the waiter came with a fifty dollar bill and thats when I felt really sick... So I paid the crazy bill, now I'm at home with a belly ache and I just don't see the hype Juans is not even worth the side talk. read more

We took our kitten to the Humane Society today to be spayed and noticed Juan's Place across the street. When we came back to pick her up they wanted to keep her a little longer, so we decided to eat an early dinner. The minute we walked in we noticed the fragrance. We look at each other and said this is going to be good. I eat corn tortillas and my partner eats flour tortillas. What a surprise when both corn and flour chips were presented to us. I rarely like green salsa. Let me just say I could and probably will crave the salsa verde at Juan's Place. The rice and beans were some of the best, especially what I've had in the East Bay. I had the grilled chicken tostada and will probably have it on my next visit. My partner had the crab enchilada and said the crab was fresh and sweet. This is by far, hands down the best Mexican food we have found since moving to the East Bay. read more

I came in asking for birria and was disappointed to find that they had ran out. I opted for nachos instead and asked for it to go. While waiting for my order, I was brought chips and salsa even though I resisted at first because I was just taking out . The waiter brought it out regardless and even went as far as giving me a side of guac. While still waiting for my meal, they managed to find the last bit of birria just so I didn't have to leave without satisfying the craving for it . I insisted on paying and they refused. The service here in unmatched . This restaurant is full of good hearted people and if you want to eat somewhere where they make you feel wanted and like family, I would recommend Juan's place . This was my first time here and I will definitively be coming back often. Thank you guys! Shoutout to Jesus and Jorge ; you guys are amazing read more

Maybe back when the only choices in Berkeley were Mario's La Fiesta, Casa de Eva, and Juan's, could you make a feeble case for heading to this mediocre relic across the street from the animal shelter. Now, it just sheer laziness or lack of taste. Go to International in Oakland, Picante, Dona Tomas, etc. The places on par with Juan's are Fraustos, Sombrero, and El Asadero. read more

When I moved to the East Bay from Stockton (a hotbed of awesome Mexican food), I thought I was hot shit because I found La Pinata in Alameda after being here for a few months. I lived my life for about 4 years thinking that La Pinata was the best home-style Mexican food in the East Bay. Then I was told to scope Juan's by my good friend Adam. My life has not been the same since. This is the place. Home style Mexican cooking featuring huge portions, friendly and fast service, corn AND flour tortilla chips, and pictures of racehorses on the wall. You will leave with a pain of having 3-5 too many bites and your only regret will be not fitting in a few more. God, if you exist, and if there is a heaven, please make it like Juan's. Except make it have a liquor license. That's right folks, wine margaritas. Bummer. That said, it still has like 2 stars to spare because the food is so damn good. I recommend the Enchiladas, Chile rellenos, and the Matadors (similar to flautas). The re-fried beans are vegetarian (not actually re-fried), so be sure to enjoy that rare treat, if you don't eat the meat. Thank you Juan, wherever you are. You make life in the East Bay awesome. read more

a sh*t-load of food for the price you pay and it's one of those places if you crave heavy but not super grease-y mexican food with yummy fish tacos and rice and beans. it's the place to go! horchata is good. fish tacos (get one if you weigh less than 150 lbs cuz it's still a lot of food) free chips tortilla with your fish taco is soft and warm and warmmmm this place is really not as "tucked away location" as others put it. it's easy to access and parking has never been a problem. read more

fast yummy great chips appetizers i like the flour more than the corn. i had the bbq ribs special which isnt always posted but i saw it on their special board and i had to try. very saucy fall off the bone things w cheezy refried beans and rice. the sauce has no spice but it is yummy i could only imagine a kinders and juans place collabo 4.75 out of 5 since today they werent on point w my water refill read more

Juan's Place - bbq ribs - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

How can any local Mexican joint that serves up two kinds of freshly cooked chips (both flour and corn) for free possibly merit only three stars on Yelp?? I'll tell you, and then you will be sad. Firstly, those chips are great; let's get that out of the way right now. However, the horchata we had was too thin for my liking, although I generally liked the level of sweetness. The tamale plate I ordered was huge, but otherwise very ordinary, consisting of nothing more than a run-of-the-mill pork tamale, refried beans and rice. Definitely good quality but not amazing by any definition of the word. And finally, what self-respecting local Mexican joint won't fry up some carnitas on a Saturday?? C'mon now, that just ain't right. My buddy might be pissed if she reads this, but hey, I gotta call it like I see it... read more

honestly, i used to really enjoy eating at juan's place. and for the life of me, i can't really remember why. i find juan's place to be extremely overpriced. there are very few ala carte items, and very few reasonably priced side dishes and the like. also, it's not very vegetarian friendly. my friends love this place, though, so whenever they want to eat here, i just eat before i leave my house and have a few drinks (and chips) at juan's. read more

I heart Juan's. As everyone else says, the flour tortillas are especially awesome. It's funny how large every single order is. I wasn't that hungry once, and got a chicken salad. There was probably half a chicken's worth of meat on there. read more

Awesome food, and great staff. I ordered a 4 dollar taco, and it was a feast; full meal in a taco. The menu is a little pricey, so expect to spend about 15 to 20, but its also well worth it for dinner. Good atmoshpere and they have a bar area where we watched the Warriors get killed on Monday! read more

So, I don't get it. We went for lunch. EEgads! cold chips, watery, too sweet horchata and the portions are ENORMOUS! way too big, The tamale and the tostada were ok. The chicken was chunky white meat which was good but for @%$^&* sake it doesn't have to be piled so high that you can't decipher a single ingredient. I do not plan to go back. It is not cheap and I thought the food was sloppy. But, hey- that's what some people like. I would rather go to a taco truck or Tacubaya for Mexican food. read more

Been going here since childhood, this is a place to go for real authentic mexican food. Average prices, never have to wait long for food, and great for large groups (we're usually 7-10 people). read more

Food is bland and mostly from cans. Nachos without guacamole. Service slow, and they don't pay a lot of attention. Overpriced for the quality. read more

the chicken mole was to die for and the chips are homemade (and therefore greasy and delicious) with some awesome, spicy green salsa the service was pretty good (they were constantly refilling our chip bowls and soda cups), but i was disappointed when they failed to come through for my boyfriend's "birthday" -- i needed some cheesy birthday music to cap off the night and they must have forgotten because nothing happened! will definitely return read more

This is probably the best mexican place my husband I go to. We really like the chips (addictive) and the Fajitas rock.