I like the casual, old-school feel of the interior, and it has a good selection of beers on tap. But this is the most blase Mexican food it is possible to find in the Bay Area. I wouldn't say it's bad, just bland bland bland. I used to think El Charro in Lafayette (which I sort of like) was the blandest most watered-down pseudo-Mexican food in the Bay Area. Or possibly Mexicali Rose in downtown Oakland. This place is definitely from the same school of pseudo-Mexican food, it's just managed to far surpass the other two in being tasteless and uninteresting. It does come in a large plate, but really, who wants to eat a huge plate of crap food? Chile Jalapeno is a much better Mexican restaurant, just a few minute's drive away. read more

I heard about Juan's Place and hoped that I'd finally find an authentic Mexican food restaurant in the Berkeley area. I really wanted to like this place. They give both corn and flour chips which is awesome. They also bring FREE gucamole! However, after 2 visits, I am less than impressed. 1. Waiter was RUDE. Not only did he not greet us or smile, when ordering I told him I needed a couple of extra minutes to decide what I wanted. When the waiter returned, he didn't ask if I was now ready to order. He motioned a gesture that came across as "so you ready or what?"...Like I said, RUDE! 2. They are really quick to bring the food. Yes, that is a complaint. It's as if they just microwaved my plate. The food is not fresh at all. 3.I ordered the enchiladas verdes. It straight up looked like there was mocos (boogers) on my food. Very unappetizing. 4. To top it off, the food is overpriced for the quality. ...And so my search for awesome Mexican food continues. read more

Not sure why so many people love this place. It has been around forever, but I am not a fan. They have plates with refried beans spread out, spanish rice, seems "old school", not the style of mexican food I like. To each their own. read more

Authentic, delicious, big servings. This is our #1 Mexican place. The fresh-baked chips alone are worth the trip, or try the Quesadilla De Jesus. read more

Three different menu items ordered at the table, all of them on the not worth finishing end of the scale. The chips were okay, but not as fantastic as others have mentioned. And the customization options on the menu were very limited. I can eat nearly anything, but I will not return here again ever. read more

Blah. Food needed more flavor. Food portions are huge. Nothing special. Waitress poured horchata in my food :(. Had about 4 sets of arms reaching over my food to grab stuff off the table constantly. read more

Hands down my favorite place for Mexican food in Berkeley. I usually get the vegetarian super burrito, which is SUPER huge and I end up getting two meals out of it. The chips and salsa before the meal are amazing (I really enjoy the two kinds of chips to choose from)... it's hard to keep yourself from eating too much of them before the meal comes. I rated this place 4 stars (and not 5) because of the pricing. My boyfriend always gets the cheese enchiladas, which are $13.75, and to me... that seems a bit much for *cheese* enchiladas. Yes, they come with rice and beans, but still... for no meat being involved, that seems expensive to me. They are good though, and we keep coming back anyway... so go figure. Also, it seems like every time we go to Juan's, someone's having a birthday party there. Apparently it is THE place to go for your birthday :) read more

Juan's Place No Es Bueno I've eaten at Juan's Place for years, all the way back to the late '70s. They were decent long ago and quite popular with the college crowd. Back when I didn't know good Mexican food from bad, my friends and I liked the place; it was inexpensive, they served beer, and the food was OK. Now, with so many excellent Mexican restaurants around, Juan's is a pitiful excuse for Mexican cuisine. I go there every 3 years or so to determine A) if they're still in business, and B) if their food has improved at all. I've found that if A is true, then B is invariably not. Tonight was no exception. I ordered 2 tamales, rice 'n' beans, and a soda. The food came quickly and so did my heartburn. What an insult to the world's tamales! They were covered with enchilada sauce and an overabundance of melted cheese. They might have been all right without the gloppy sauce and queso, but even after attempting to remove as much of it as I could, it was still bad. Refried beans? More like a grayish slop that once resembled beans is more like it. I'm willing to bet that it came straight from a can. The rice was okay. And $2.75 for a small glass of soda that was no more than 8 ounces. $22 with tax and tip for a perfectly dreadful Mexican dinner and $1 for Tums afterwards. I'll update this review when I go back to Juan's Place 3 years from now. I can't believe that they still have the same pictures and crap hanging on the walls that they had back in 1981. Avoid this place! There are much better Mexican restaurants in the East Bay. read more

This place is over priced everything tends to be overbooked over-salted and nearly everything contains animal lard. Ew!

Meh, ok Mexican food. Nothing special about this place. Portions are pretty big. I ordered a super burrito and it was about as big as the super burritos in the Mission district in San Francisco, but not as tasty. Not sure if I would order from this place again. read more

A True Survivor . This is gonna be a really positive review because I was born in Berkeley, my friends and I have eaten here a few times over the years, and we've always gone home happy. I have no affiliation whatsoever with it's owners or employees. And I'm not a 'regular' by any means. If you're looking for pretty and pretentious look elsewhere. This Place is the real deal. It's not some attractive, Downtown, hip, meaningless, modern, superficial flash in a barrel. The word 'trendy' might as well be printed on their toilet paper. Juan's tortilla chips are made with white flour not corn flour. Fresh, flaky, absolutely delicious with a simple salsa. The dishes here are not meant to be processed into an appealing photograph. They are prepared in a way that intends to warm your soul. I'm sorry that I can 't comment on any specific dish right now. My bad. I can tell you that what you see on the plate will be traditional not trivial. . Your stomach will certainly prefer satisfaction over style. And if you have value for a colorful Santana tapestry on the wall vs some typical, impersonal, sepia-filtered, cutaway snapshot of some place south of here. Try this joint. Keep an open mind and a light heart and you'll see why - in spite of its odd location - it's become an institution read more

This place has the best chips. They give you one bowl of regular tortilla chips and one bowel of these fantastic crispy flaky ones. They are magic. Good prices, great food. Amazing staff. We love this place! read more

I'm a vegetarian, and always have to ask if there's lard in the flour tortillas or refried beans. I've been told both that there are and that there aren't by different people at Juan's. Until I find out for sure I'm sticking with corn tortillas. Fast service, and really nice, casual atmosphere. Great place to bring a large group. read more

Waited outside for 15 minutes until they opened @ 11:00am. The open signs turned on at 11 but both entrances remained locked. How smart do you have to be to unlock your doors when you open? How can I trust people this dim to cook food properly? Obviously we went somewhere else. I recommend Chili Jalapeno's on San Pablo. They still care about what they do. read more

green chicken enchiladas never disappoint!! love the environment, from the jukebox to all the old photos on the walls.

I try Juan's every five or so years, and come away confirmed that it just doesn't deserve the reputation. Yes, its managed to stick around a looooong time, but the food and drinks really aren't that great, and I love both greasy and healthy variations of Mexican food. I feel the same way about Picante.... read more

Mescal wine margaritas, if you don't like them, have another! Yummy. Mexican style BBQ pork ribs (Thursday special) always make me smile when I happen in on a Thursday. I think I've had the flan here, but usually too stuffed to get that far. If you can't handle Happy Birthday on the juke box which goes to one hundred and eleven, tough. I was annoyed the first 5 times, but now I really enjoy watching others get annoyed. Viva Juan's Place! read more

You know what? Juan's Place is awesome. I have been up and down, sometimes quick eats, burrito trucks, cantinas, even a bunch of a do-it-yourself home cooking and Juan's, when I was there the other week, was amazing. I always thought of it as this kind of comfort Mexican place but now.. its so much better than that. Everything is fresh.. delicious, ain't gonna rip you off of all your peso and ... and... AND... everyone is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice. read more

Oh yeah Juan's Place! Any spot that turns all the lights out and cranks the whole sound system up to 11 to sing happy birthday to anyone who is ready to party gets a thumbs up in my book, but on top of that, they front with delicious and sinful flour tortilla chips, excellent red salsa and cheesy hot plates that overflow with mexican food glory. Hurrah for Juan's and the party atmosphere it brings to West Berkeley. read more

Juans Place is where you can count on a good solid meal. They serve huge portions that will make your eyes widen, but don't worry the food tastes great for lunch the next day to. Their chips are so good and i actually really enjoy their wine margarita which surprised me the first time. I love their burritos and have enjoyed all the various items ordered, their specials are great! The service is awesome also.. because they come to often my sisters family has become friends with the owner and his sons who now treat us like family every time we come in. We really enjoy coming here when we get our whole family together because they are really accommodating for groups. Yumm i heart you Juan :) read more

Big ass burritos, but you will likely spend the next day on the can. Go on a Saturday so at least it's just a Sunday that you waste on the can. And, stay far away from the "Birria." read more

The service was great, had my food to go was ready when they said it would be... I ordered the chicken mole, it was decent I've definitely have had better homemade mole... But if you can't get it homemade then this isn't a bad option.... The food was nice and hot, black beans are screamin, and the rice was tasty... I will go back and probably try something else so keep checkin on your boy...... read more

This is a great place for authentic Mexican food. It can be a little more pricey then what your usually pay for Mexican food but its worth it. First off, they bring two types of chips and salsa, flour and corn chips. The food combos are great and the atmosphere makes you feel like you slipped back into ol' Mexico. The waiters are kind and they food is made quickly. There is a bit of a celebrity fan base that comes here and you will see their pictures on the wall. Come here with family or friends, enjoy a Sasperella (root-beer), and eat some good grub! read more

The food's not as good as it used to be (don't you just hate it when people write that?), but still the experience is a cut above -- nice, tasty, low-key. read more

Just how I remember it from years ago. Great food at good prices. Recommended.

Huge portions, tasty salsas, and a greasy yet addicting al pastor!

Green chili enchiladas, Mmmmmmm!!!! The green salsa is also top notch.

This was our first time at Juan's Place and they made us feel like family. The service was excellent and the fajitas were outstanding. We shared the dish and it was plenty. The flour tortillas were yummy and most of all the people were friendly and very attentive. We live in Concord and we will be back soon!! read more

We had a really snippy waitress here but otherwise I like Juan's. Large portions, really good chips, homey atmosphere.

Went with first generation Mexican friends and everyone agreed the mole was really good. The service was excellent and super-friendly. Be sure to request spicy if you prefer the food that way - especially for the guacamole (but you can just as easily add tomatillo green salsa to it). We'll certainly go back to this long-lasting gem. read more

What happened to Juan's place? I used to go here growing up and I used to love the place (I'm 30 now). It seems like the prices have gone way up and the quality has gone down. I still like the corn chips and salsa, but it seems like other mexican food restaurants have passed Juan's by. The salsas are not as good as many other places, the meat quality is average at best. The prices used to be way cheaper and I think that is why my family and I used to go here so often. One positive thing that they do now is they give you free guacamole to eat with your chips. The service is spot on and you will not go more than a few minutes without a chip refill or water refill. The service does not, however, have much personality or charm. The ambiance of the interior has a lot to be desired. I guess another positive is that they are on restaurant.com and have discount certificates available and that helps counteract the huge price increases. The place is definitely not as busy as it used to be, I think it is time to step up the quality of the food (especially the meat) and it is time to refurbish the inside. read more

I was just about 'over' Juan's when we needed a late night saucy food fix and no Indian joints were open. I discovered the chicken mole enchiladas and rejoiced in a rekindled affection for Juan's. Open til 10 and, you know what, they don't scrimp on the always good chicken. Lots of sauce, too. Skip anything pork- they totally miss the boat on pork. Cheap and large portions, which is often what you want for rice and beans. read more

6/8 I dunno. There was a lot of food my plate, but the flavorss didn't excite my taste buds. I had the fish taco's. The fish wasn't cooked enough for me, it was a bit wet and raw. Don't get me wrong I love sashimi and Hawai'ian style raw seafood. Hell, I could eat that ALL day long, but this was not it. No seasoning on the fish, if there was any at all. The refried beans, bland. Salsa, bland. My tacos were a bit soggy, and way too hot to pick up and eat. I had to wait for it to cool down, so I suppose that's how it got soggy. The rice that came along with it was alright. Though, me being me, I was hungry..so I ate it. Sad thing about this is I ate there once before (about a year ago) and enjoyed it,. What happened? Maybe the cook wasn't loving life today. My friend and I had a good time hanging out and chatting, so maybe thats why I gave it 2 stars. Oh, yeah. The service was prompt, the people were kind, the chips were tasty. 3 months later (9/11) i has the mole enchilada. tasty. i was happy about that. thanks guys. once again good, prompt service. friendly people. grat salsa and chips. read more

OK, so this may not be REAL Mexican food, remember I am Mexican, but DAMN this is some good ass food!!! Nothing fancy, nothing over the top, just your basic Mexican platters with a homey feel that you cannot beat! Not pricey, quick, fun and you leave satisfied!! Many of their servers have been there FOREVER so there's a sense of ownership amongst the staff, which is cool!!! Anyways, seriously check it out it's mighty yummy!!!! read more

Well I was in the area, saw this on TV ,read the reviews. SOOOO I tried this place ( no coupons) As good as they say. Great spicy green & red salsa. with corn and flour tortillas. Personnel was nice, food was fast and hot. My wifey loved her tacos. I had the chile rellenos it was good. BUTTTTTT an observation. At every place I have tried chile rellenos it all taste the SAME. Nothing special of this dish stands out.. Its good, it just too much trouble for me to make for myself. I am a OUTSTANDING cook (My Andreia is from Brasil and is not crazy for mexican,chinese or thai cuisine.) That all said....I will be back a great place to go for good food. and service read more

When I lived in Berkeley, this was a popular place to go for a nice dinner. The sauces are rich and full of flavor and the flour tortilla chips are great. I would give it a fourth star but I feel it's a tad overpriced and the meats are just average. The salsas on the table for the chips also didn't work for me. It has been about a year since I've been here so my recollection could be cloudy. Hmmm, maybe some flour tortilla chips do sound good... read more

Juan's Place is great. I love their quesadillas and also their carne asada burritos. When ever I am in Berkeley I try to hit up Juan's Place. read more

I love Juan's Place for their quick friendly service, their complimentary chips and salsa (the crunchy flaky ones are my favorite!), and then their incredibly delicious chicken "red sauce" enchiladas (the best enchiladas I've ever had). The red sauce isn't too thick and it enhances the shredded chicken in the enchiladas, which is cooked very well where it's soft enough to fall apart in your mouth. The portions are enormous for the price as well. I really want to try other items on the menu, but I'm always craving the enchiladas every time I go there. I did hear that the Super Burrito is very tasty as well. read more

Went to Juans Place for a colleagues bday for lunch. Awesome chips (yeah chips) and salsa, a few varieties of both were laid out for us as soon as we sat sown, then they served up plates of guacamole and pico too. I was already sold at this point, but then came the amazing margaritas :) The specials sounded really good, and I got the fish tacos. So good, but I ended up with a doggie bag that had most of my entree. My mom would have said, "I told you so", but I couldn't help but load up on the warm chips and salsas. read more

Their grilled chicken nachos with flour tortilla chips are famous at work. Yummy!