Our 19th hole lunch. Got there about 1:00 pm and it definitely was not crowded; in fact it was empty inside? I haven't been there since before pandemic. Everything looks the same but the food has definitely gone down a few notches. Service was okay. The best eats was the fresh chips and salsa on the table! Not gonna speak for the others so will only review the Carne Asada Super Burrito that I ordered. It was not as tasty and cost has gone up a lot. The super burrito looked like a nice size, but it was all FULL of rice and beans and a sprinkle of carne asada. It was very, very dry. The cost for a super was the mini scoop of sour cream and guacamole on the side. You needed to pour the salsa from the chips on top to be able to eat it without it being so dry. Don't think I will be back any time soon! read more

La Penca Azul - Super Carne Asada Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

Went here last night, and the Drink i ordered all the time was Watered down however haven't been here in maybe 2 yrs and my Fajitas were not as good. read more

I haven't been here in years and I WILL NOT be back. This place has really changed and not for the better. I should've walked out the moment I walked in and smelled something a little off, almost old and damp like. Mom ordered combo plate with 2 enchiladas (cheese & carnitas) and 1 chile relleno. Mom said flavors were lacking and she would not want to come back either. Like me, she reminisced of how good the food use to taste and how we no longer have good Mexican spots like MexiCali Rose that never disappointed when you wanted a nice enchilada dinner. I don't eat meat so I figured how can you mess up a cheese enchilada, well you can. I ordered a 1/2 cheese enchilada meal and as shown in the photo, left more than half. The rice lacked flavor and overall the food was just okay, they tell you to watch out because the plates are hot but that's just about it, your food is cool in less than 5 mins. Like everywhere else, the prices have really increased but for the quality of food or should I say lack thereof, they should be shame. I will say literally EVERY table around us was drinking so perhaps their meals tasted good enough for them but I cannot stress how much of a disappointment the entire experience was and for almost $50, I wish I would've just drove and picked up a sandwich. I will say our server Angelica was pleasant but I really hate I didn't check Yelp before wasting my time and money on the place. I rely on my Yelp community but in this instance, I relied on past times, HUGE MISTAKE! read more

La Penca Azul - 1/2 order cheese enchilada - lacks flavor - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

Decent food and great service. I went with a large group everyone had a good time. I had the carnitas plate that was huge. Enough to bring some home. The meat was a little dry but everything else was tasty. They have excellent salsas and a very hot and spicy sauce if you ask for it. read more

La Penca Azul - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

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This was underwhelming. They could have done less, and turned out a better meal. We started with some margaritas, they were mediocre at best. The queso and vegetable dip was a little too much going on. A simple queso dip would have been better. The Chile Rellenos were loaded with overcooked random vegetables. They ruined the batter coating on the chiles and added nothing to the meal. Had they been mentioned on the menu, I would have asked for them to be left off. We were planning on enjoying some drinks, but the experience was so lackluster, we left after we ate. Decent service, meh food. read more

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I love this place! I a while back, I used to start a night out, in Alameda with stopping here, first. Whether it's the main restaurant floor, or the "taco stand in the adjacent suite, you will find tasty flavors of the Southwest. (I always test a Mexican themed restaurant by how they do their carnitas. They won't disappoint. The birria options for burritos and tacos are the best! If you're into Tequila, this place has dozens of brands to try out... if that's what you're looking for. Service personnel seem to love it here. It's always lively in the kitchen. Excellent food, service and options! read more

Decent spot for Mexican food in Alameda. I tried the steak tacos with refried beans -- the flavors were good, but nothing mind-blowing. Service was friendly and the atmosphere felt lively. Prices are a bit on the higher side for what you get. Worth a visit if you're nearby, but not sure I'd go out of my way. read more

Food is good. Service is excellent. Ambience is OK. Everybody here is attentive asking suggesting feeling like you belong. Thank you for the great service. read more

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Worst 21$ super steak burrito I've ever had. It had 14$ worth of beans, 5$ worth of rice, 1$ worth of meat, and 1$ dollar worth of chips and guacamole. When the best part about it is the guacamole you got problems. You will never get my return business! Trash! read more

When i had my order door dashed it was horrible my burrito was very dry I bought 2 and was very disappointed

Very good food for a long time. Fair prices. Good service and nice people. It has done a good business for a long time. I also like their place in Bay Farm Island on Island Drive. read more

I ordered from DoorDash I got a "super Burrito", when delivered it was obnoxiously long, when I've been to the restaurant and they usually just make it fat not long.I ended up cutting it in half so I could eat it and it was literally all LOTS of beans, rice with a sprinkle of meat, a dash of Guac and cheese inside,18$ just for that? I feel played, they also forgot to add my soda. read more

La Penca Azul - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

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Standard Mexican restaurant, in the same ballpark as an El Torito. - Lots of seating inside, as well as some outdoor seating - The Carne Asada was lacking flavor, which was a shame. It was masked decently well with the flavors of the other parts of the dish - Ground Beef Enchilada was your average enchilada (nothing super exciting or different about it) Overall, this restaurant is great for large groups as there is a lot of space. It's great for drinks as there is a whole bar in the back (whether you're drinking there or grabbing a drink before going elsewhere). The service was good - our waitress checked on us, provided us with what we needed, etc. Parking is available via street parking or in a local parking lot / garage. read more

La Penca Azul - Carne Asada Dinner - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

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Food: 5/5 I ordered Gloria's quesadilla off of the appetizer menu hoping that it would be a smaller portion and something unique. The menu describes it as "Fresh Dungeness Crab, mushrooms, calabacitas, queso oaxaca, chile pasilla & corn". I loved that the tortillas were made of corn masa, the portion was perfect for a medium sized meal, crab tasted fresh, and the salad in the middle was refreshing. Unique flavor combo, the cheese was light which allowed the flavor of the crab to come through. I had this with habanero salsa which was spicy, my second favorite I have ever tried, blended very smooth, a nice peach color. Service: 2/5 Upon ordering, I had asked for habanero salsa with the meal. I had to remind the hostess a second time for this when the food came out. Water was refilled for certain guests and not for others at our table of 4. One guest requested a soda and waited 15-20 minutes for it, then had to request it again. Granted the place was busy but I also did not see anyone using notepads which could maybe help? Regardless the host was friendly. When you check-in the app advertises a free cheese quesadilla appetizer which I showed the hostess, then she mentioned it is only if you buy a pitcher of margarita. After we checked-in the image popped up where it did verify what she mentioned. I felt this was misleading, and should have been written on the check-in from the beginning. Especially for those ordering margaritas anyway. Ambiance: 4/5 The area is very lively, music is a bit loud so a difficult to maintain a conversation, beautiful murals and artwork. The evening was busy so they accommodated us by arranging some tables in the next room over. If the service improves, I highly recommend it. They have a lot of seating although walking in, it felt a little disorganized as everyone was walking in and overcrowding the hosts while servers had to walk through holding hot food to serve to the waiting tables. A very precious amenity is they offer half-portions, and entrees without rice and beans (with lower prices). For those who prefer not taking leftovers home and/or wish to eat smaller portions for health reasons this is very helpful and I hope more restaurants start to do this. Most other restaurants let you order without beans and rice for the same price or I end up leaving it on the plate wasting it which does not feel right. read more

La Penca Azul - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

Nachos and 4 beverages ( not premiem) $100.00....come on. Really???? Bar service was slow w only 5 other patrons...we specifically ordered the Nachos w minor adjustments. Did not happen...very disappointed read more

First Timer: My boyfriend has been here before but it was my first time and I was craving authentic Mexican tonight. We let our waitress know that we were trying to make a movie in 2 hours so wanted to be sure we're out on time. The restaurant was packed on a Friday evening with really huge parties that were quiet loud and conversations echoed throughout the restaurant. Our table was located on the wooden deck this time. My partner and I ordered the following: Horchata no ice - extremely watered down Enchiladas Suizas w/ Pollo - I ordered black beans and they had no taste whatsoever. It was horrible; stick to the refried or whole beans. Chips & Salsa - was delectable Carne Asada Enchiladas - was very filling. we definitely had leftovers as they serve huge portions to begin with. However the meat was more over cooked and more steak-like strips of beef rather than marinated cut pieces of carne asada. Service was alright. I know we told our waitress we were rushing but she was just too busy to even check on us, refill our waters or anything. I may go back in the distance future later on to try something different on the menu and give this place a chance. read more

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This restaurant wasn't too bad. I was able to eat lots of chips and salsa. My burrito was pretty good. The customer service was efficient and attentive. The ambiance is casual but a little noisy. Food is on the pricier side for Mexican. I would still recommend this place. read more

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Came to this restaurant as it was advertised to have Taco Tuesdays. We were alerted by the waitress that they do not offer taco Tuesday specials. I asked why then was it offered when googled. She could not answer. As it was late, we decided to stay and ordered street tacos along with a side of refried beans with a scoop of ground beef, my favorite dip. The tacos were not the best. The side of refried beans were cold and the ground beef was in a pool of what appeared to be grease. I asked the waitress what was all the liquid and she told us it was the soup that the ground beef was in. They started closing up while we were dining, turning off the lights in our dining area, putting chairs on the tables and mopping the floor. It wasn't much of a quest experience. Made us feel unwelcome. It wasn't a good vibe. All in all, we will not be returning to this restaurant. The prices were expensive, ( 9.49 for a side of refried beans ), and the food quality was sub-par. We considered it a waste. read more

Busy restaurant on Park Street. Parking can be a challenge and you'll likely wait during peak dinner hours. Food is hit or miss, we like the pricey street tacos and the Seafood Platter is average and pricey. Grilled fish and prawns are the best things on the grilled platter while clams need to be cooked longer on the grill so that they open on their own and not needed to be smashed open. The Dungeness crab pieces were previously frozen as the meat was tasteless and meat not firm. Go here for the chips, Street tacos, grilled fish and liveambiance. read more

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I have over 95 check ins here .... This restaurant WAS my spot Last nite was a disappointment!! Sat at the bar... Didn't see a bartender for a good 10 minutes The area I was sitting at was dirty Previous customer plates and garbage ... When the bartender finally made himself be seen I ordered my favorite (watermelon margarita) Drink was not the same as before, no more fresh chunks of Watermelon ... BOOO Bathroom was disgusting!!! All new bartenders..... miss the old crew Chips and salsa stayed solid !! Thankful that hasn't changed read more

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We've been coming to this place off and on for years and years. It has gone so far downhill that our recent visit is probably going to be our last They've ruined the atmosphere by trying to modernize it with horrible gray walls and harsh lighting. The servers try hard but they're always overworked. The margaritas in my opinion are not awesome... Ours came in hot glasses and we're not cold. Our server screwed up our order three times - it was painful. Fish tacos used to be awesome now it's basically some fried fish on a tortilla. Chili Colorado on our previous visit tasted like barbecue sauce dumped on some meat. The pork tacos were so salty he literally could not eat them. So disappointing - and extremely expensive. Also - even though it was a normal dinner hour, they had a bunch of chairs upside down on the tables like they were trying to close and rush people out. Every surface (table, chairs, menu) felt a little ...sticky. Very unpleasant. Just overall extraordinarily mediocre. Their salsa is still the bomb though, so I gave them two stars for that. read more

La Penca Azul - Let's put the tables up while people are eating! - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

I'm writing this review specifically about the owner Octavio Guzman. I met with Octavio in person on July 26th, 2025 at the park Street restaurant. I wanted to talk about a large catering order for a party I was having on August 2nd, 2025. At the time of our conversation, Octavio gave me his personal cell# and asked that I speak with him direct for my order. I asked him how far in advance I needed to place the order? he stated at least two days, so I would need to order no later than Thursday, July 31st, 2025. Since July 31st is my birthday and I had plans, I called Octavio on Wednesday, July 30th. I called the cell# he provided and there was no answer so I left a message. I also called the Park Street restaurant and they told me that he had already been there and they weren't sure if he would be back, but they said he would be in the next day (7/31) starting at 8 AM. I did not receive a call back from Octavio on Wednesday so I tried again on Thursday, July 31st. I called his cell again and the restaurant on Park Street, he still did not answer and Never acknowledged my calls at all! As the owner of this establishment, this is the worst possible Customer Service. Needless to say, I was super disappointed with the lack of response because I was excited initially about placing my order for my upcoming party. However, as it turned out, it was probably better that he never responded or acknowledged that I had even tried to get in contact with him because I ordered food from La Pinata in San Leandro instead and the food was EXCELLENT! And I had a much better experience with the order. I am sad that Octavio behaved in this manner and just ignored me! I used to be a pretty regular customer at LaPenca Azul, and now I have no need to ever go back because clearly Customer Service does not matter to him. read more

RIP-OFF ALERT, RIP-OFF ALERT. I tried repeatedly to place an order and have it delivered tonight, and I wanted one tamale à la cart. The menu said that the cost of one tamale à la carte was $9.99. But every time I added it to my cart, the charge was $20.48. So I just canceled the order, and got some food somewhere else. Please be very careful and vigilant when you're ordering from these people. There's obviously some deception going on somewhere in the food chain. read more

I haven't been here in years but it's definitely just as good as always! I was not disappointed at all! We parked behind the restaurant entered thru the back. We were seated immediately and gifted with warm chips and perfect salsa! We got a pitcher of margaritas & wet carne asada burritos. This was the best meal I've had in years! I checked in on Yelp and got a free quesadilla with my purchase! I love the ambiance it feels like family is cooking for me! There's a clean bathroom near the kitchen and bar,while the not so clean one is in the hallway near the back exit. The meal was over 100$ as we got a pitcher of top shelf and the burritos are about 20+$ but the taste and portions are worth the money! We had a lovely sever he was attentive and friendly! Keep it up La penca read more

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I placed a to go order specifically bc I was craving shrimp cocktail. Not the kind you just dip shrimp in cocktail sauce. This was the only place I could find it in the alameda area! Very good, lots of avocado and plennnnty of shrimp. They do not skimp! They also have great salsa it's a little smoky and finely chopped and medium spicy. I'll order again forsure and hope to dine in soon! 2/1/2024 read more

La Penca Azul - Shrimp Cocktail had SO much shrimp, they don't play around. Loved all the fresh veggies and avocado! 2/1/24 - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

Great food and great service. The food was very delicious with a lot of flavor and it was hot, just how I like it. They were busy but the food came out fast and they brought us chips and salsa without having to ask. Will definitely be back! read more

La Penca Azul - Mole platter - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

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Quick local love drop in. The bar is bustling and my Margarita was tasty. Chips and Salsa super good. read more

La Penca Azul - Dynoooomite' - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

This place is just okay. I think the downside is that I didn't think the guacamole was all that great and I alo didn't like my beef enchiladas. It would have been nicer if the service was better and the dishes were hot with a little more flavor and less salt. read more

La Penca Azul - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

We ordered 2 appetizers, 2 entrees to share ( for 3 ) everything was delish & in huge servings. The tortilla chips were crispy, salsa tasted fresh with mild spiciness, the way I like it. The servers were all friendly and attentive. read more

This is our fourth timing visiting La Penca Azul here in Alameda; this thanks to a recommendation made by a friend. The food has been consistently pretty good. We've tried the enchiladas with their agave sauce, pollo en agave sauce, flautas, combo cazuelas, and super famous burrito with shredded meat, amongst other items. The agave sauce, although tasty and listed as not being spicy hot, has sometimes been mildly hot or hot. Now mind you not everything on the menu is good..avoid the oysters and the tacos. Also, a plus on our side, we haven't gotten sick to our stomachs, but you might want to bring out the tums. In sum: PROS: *Customer Service: Excellent *Food: Two thumbs up *Price: Fair *Food Poisoning: None Cons: *Bathrooms need to be cleaned more often, last time I went I felt like I needed a shower. Customers are at fault for not doing their part. *Parking: Street parking -can be a headache *Ambience: Loud and can get crowded. Sometimes there is a wait. *Too much beans in the burrito *Tacos and Oysters -2 thumbs down read more

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we enjoyed the food. my enchilada and tamale had a lot of chicken inside and the beans were smooth and delicious. But the service was impressive. They were professional attentive, but unobtrusive. We enjoyed the food and the company, spending over 2 hours there. read more

The food is good. The atmosphere friendly. The service was exceptional. I will return next time I'm in Alameda.

Great food and service! Ordered their Birria on Sunday and tasted just as good as a home cooked meal. Their tortillas were also hand made!

Service at the bar was professionally attentive and swift. Knew his menu and which options were better than others. If happy hour is this good, I can only imagine how good dinner and brunch are. Recommended. read more

La Penca Azul - Happy Hour Mango Margarita $10 Mini Enchiladas Verde $8 Sorry, ate all the chips & salsa B4 photo lol - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

This restaurant is amazing from the drinks to the food itself, what had my attention was the famoso burrito, which is a wet burrito asada with sauce and cheese on top. It was really good, I tried their horchata with coconut water and it was delicious totally different from what I had before. This is a perfect place to bring a date, they have enough space either near the bar or if you want a quieter experience with a nice view of the street. I recommend to go at night. Oh and the service is top, my waiter treated my family like his own and kept bringing more drinks, napkins and other items when asked for. Will definitely come back read more

My go-to place for when people are in town and want some good food. The portions are large!! No reservations so first come, first serve. Get their house margarita!! Fun vibe and energy read more

Great happy hour spot. Their drinks are great, you get complimentary chips and salsa. There were no more seats at the bar, but the waitress said we can order from the happy hour menu at a table too, which was definitely a plus. read more

La Penca Azul - Happy hour menu 06/2023 - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

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Food came out fast, but not hot. I wanted to ask them to put the burritos plata in the oven for 10 minutes, like the mexican restaurants used to do not long ago. The food is sizzling when it hits the table. There wasn't much steak in the carne asada burritos, but they were tasty. I wish they had been hot. read more

Viva Berria !!!! I had such good fortune to take their quesabbirria tacos for lunch- damn they were delicious Slow cooked beef that melted in my mouth wrapped in a homemade corn tortilla- fabulous, and don't forget to take them au jus with the rendered beef juices they fortify with diced onion, citrus, and spices... Five enthusiastic stars for quality, price, and friendly staff ! SABOR !!!! read more

La Penca Azul - Quesabirria - Mexican Near Me - Alameda, California

Wish I found this place sooner. Quality and quantity for anything I've ordered from here (even on Doordash). Well seasoned meats. Rice and beans are done right. Salsa picantes are actually spicy. Can't complain at all. read more