Great service, welcoming, great vibe. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Outdoor seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Drive through. Original aguas frescas not offered anywhere else. The food is superb. And it's a very good value. A must try in El Cerrito. read more

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This place started out good, but now it seems like every time I come here somethings wrong. Last time there was a Franken piece on my smile that fell off in this entirety as if someone prepared to tamale and just stuck something on the top of it. Gross! Today I came by here to get dinner and I ordered five tamales. Two beef, two chicken, and one corn. The woman confirmed my order with me and said you ordered five tamales. So can you tell me that they are why there were only four tamales in my bag - two beef, one chicken (ordered two) and one corn.That is a long way to go for a tamale. So I have to say as much as I would like to these people are probably are not gonna see me again. I'd rather make a special trip to point in Richmond and get what I want rather than come by here and get something that is substandard! [[HIGHLIGHT]]It seemed nice inside, however, it's nice to think about that when you realize that you're missing food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] That's $3.75. I will not be getting back. read more

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I'm rarely in El Cerrito, but these tacos are absolutely worth the stop if you're nearby or simply passing through. The prices are great compared to many of the over-priced taco spots in Oakland and San Francisco. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Cute outdoor seating or hit their drive-thru if you're in a rush.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Masa Taqueria - Tacos con carne asade y pollo. Shot of tequila on the side to make the perfect pairing. - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Out of all the food. The beer battered shrimp baja taco stood out as the best tasting food item. 2nd was the birria taco with consume. The service is friendly and patient when you are ordering. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Outdoor seating was helpful for my puppy.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Good food overall. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Good ambiance.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Masa Taqueria - Quesabirria w consume soup. Baja Taco (shrimp) and street taco (steak). Chicken Tamale - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

With a location in Richmond, and a newly-opened location in El Cerrito, Masa Taqueria is the first (non-fast food) drive-thru I've ever seen in this town! Located right next to the El Cerrito Annex, the drive-thru offers their tamales, burritos, bowls, tacos, plates, a kiddo menu, and more. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There is also the option to park and go in to order and now, outdoor seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Also most recently I noticed, they have an alcohol license offering local beer on tap! There's something about the queso here that my friends and husband know has a special place in my heart. I usually opt for a chicken burrito and on occasion when I'm feeling like cutting the tortilla, a chicken burrito bowl with all the yummy fixings. Value in comparison to other taquerias in the area is comparable, food is solid. My only quarry is that sometimes the drive-thru isn't consistent in terms of items ordered and quality. I figure that's something that will come in time and for now, appreciate something conveniently located to our house where I don't have to leave the car with baby. Looking forward to watching your progress Masa, I wonder what's next on the horizon and menu! read more

Masa Taqueria - Chicken Burrito Bowl, Chips and Queso - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I took my car to Firestone to get an oil change and decided to walk down the street while I smoked a J. I have been a Massa before, but I had gotten the food a little later so it was nothing to write about., but let me tell you I just had a fresh!!!! I got the torta de Chilaquiles and it was fire! I wish I could've taken a picture of it, but I Thanos snapped that thing! Will I be going back hell yeah. Do I recommend it? Hell, yeah.! read more

The service was bad. I ordered a burrito with JUST rice and beans. They gave me sour cream too. When I asked them to fix it they wouldn't. They just said, "It comes with it." I am twelve and I feel like it would have been nice and not a big deal for them to just remake it. read more

I have been to both the El Cerrito and Pt Richmond locatio s. About half the time, the servers are surly. Today, I ordered online (didn't know there was a $2.50 online surcharge - that's new) at the El Cerrito location. I pulled up to the drive-through to pick up my order. She said I had to come inside. After inconveniencing the car behind me, I backed up, parked, and went inside. The person working drive through walked over, picked up my bag, and handed it to me. Ridiculous! Food was good as usual. Work on your customer service! read more

Great food, nice customer service. Ordered the chicken bowl with the crispy tortilla and it was so refreshing! It was such good flavor in every bite, would def get it again. read more

Masa Taqueria - chicken bowl with crispy tortilla - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I've been going this place for maybe a year. I pull up to order a burrito and I asked for extra pico de gallo. I'm then informed the pico de gallo is not included in the burrito anymore so they've removed a component so that they could leave their price the same I can understand that, but as a customer, I don't appreciate it. Once I've ordered the burrito I want I usually are with Tax to pay $22 approximately so I don't appreciate them taking things out of the burrito that I'm used to ordering. I know things are rough but if this happens again, I won't be going there again. read more

I love Masa it's absolutely a staple Mexican restaurant for me in the Bay. It's very consistent quality, your food will always be fresh and cooked with care! The quesabirria is to die for and they even offer it with shredded chicken if you're not interested in eating beef. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The Masa location in El Cerrito has the cutest outdoor patio which makes for a great spot to eat on a beautiful day![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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Rude tipping behavior. Went through the drive-thru for a kids burrito and some chips/guac and they shoved the tip request at me immediately. The slammed the window after I selected "no". This place turns me off, which is a shame because of how close I live. Will continue to stick with Gordo. read more

Awesome newish place on San Pablo. I've been here twice now, once to order To Go for me and my Dad and once with my girlfriends. Both times I got the beer battered shrimp burrito $11.99 Very tasty and filling. They have pretty good flan. There is a very nice patio with light cover, perfect for sitting outside during lunch. I saw a guy getting the Flautas $9.99 and they looked fantastic! Huge with lots of toppings. I really want to also try the Esquite (elote off the cob) $5.49. read more

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My review is not food related, it's regarding their tipping request in the drive through. The audacity. I understand someone makes your food but come on... this tipping culture is really toxic. Tipping is voluntary and should only be considered if you had table service. In addition I always order either a regular simple burrito or 2-3 tacos, not a big or complicated order. It makes me uncomfortable to be placed in that situation because I always fear my food will get tampered with if I don't tip. I still don't tip though, the food is expensive enough already and it's the drive through!!! Seriously...!!! read more

Bought a ground beef burrito and red tamale. Beef Tamale was dry and hard , crumbled when trying to eat it no . Both items were bland to taste. Really disappointed as this place used to be really good. Just bland to the taste you don't smell the aroma of authentic cooking food either. I'll give it another year and it'll prolly shut down if unless someone who really knows how to spice things shows up to help . I prolly won't return ... there's a taqueria on every block now. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]A lot smaller than the one in Richmond no bar like the one in Richmond but shots can be added to your agua fresca just FYI.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food and service was still amazing and [[HIGHLIGHT]]it was nice to sit outside while eating my food[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] ps the agua Frescas are sooo delicious must buy. read more

Masa Taqueria - Steak Quesadilla, Tamale Combination Plate & Tortilla Bowl - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Masa was so delicious! We had the flautas, an asada quesadilla, and a carnitas burrito. It was so flavorful and filling.

My introduction to the original Point Richmond location was not a fruitful one because I tried their weekend special, Ramen Menudo (review: https://bit.ly/3O779wt). I like ramen and I like menudo, but the combination just didn't work mostly because they used an instant noodle cup to replicate the ramen portion. Big mistake to me. Yet, I was still pleased they opened a second location. It was smaller than the restaurant and more of a takeout/drive-thru spot because this was formerly a Jack in the Box. The menu was also streamlined though they still offer that Ramen Menudo on the weekends. Jamie W. and I were shopping at El Cerrito Natural Grocery when we spontaneously gave Masa a try. We decided to share the $9.99 Quesabirria (photo: https://bit.ly/477mA0A). It was a trio of small tacos stuffed with shredded birria, cheese, onion, and topped with queso cotija. The key distinction was that the tortillas were dipped in birria consommé which gave a greasier texture to the hearty, meaty flavor. For an extra $3, they provided a small cup of the consommé for more dipping. We also ordered a couple of the $3 Strawberry Tamales (photo: https://bit.ly/473utnz). They were pretty flavorful though I think they needed some kind of sweetened sauce to round out the flavor. A couple of weeks, we found ourselves here on a Sunday afternoon after some libations elsewhere. We split the $11.99 Carnitas Torta, and it was just sloppy delicious with a grilled focaccia-like bread stuffed with frijoles, queso fresco, lettuce, tomato, red onions, jalapeños, and guacamole (photo: https://bit.ly/472Nw1o). FOOD - 4 stars...the torta was king, forget the ramen menudo AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...they keep things clean here, but it still felt like a revamped Jack in the Box SERVICE - 4 stars...efficiency via buzzers TOTAL - 4 stars...ok, I'm over the ramen menudo now RELATED - Exploring El Cerrito? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2VyCP18 read more

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This place started out great but has devolved into a burrito factory assembly line--and they can't even get that right. Unlike in a normal taqueria, you no longer have no input once you've placed your order. Which makes sense if you ordered online, but if you are standing right there you should be able to ask for salsa verde instead of the salsa they want to use, or extra cilantro. And if you order black beans you should be able to correct them when they try to put refried on one item and pintos on the other! But no. They seem to only want online and drive thru orders, and are highly annoyed if you try to talk to them. The food is meh and the cilantro is half parsley. Honestly, a chain like Chipotle is better--but this is NorCal and you can go to a real taqueria. So do that! read more

Masa Taqueria - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Tried it for the first time last night. Unfortunately it was a major disappointment- the veggie tamales barely had any filling in them. Ordered two and they were both just big lumps of masa (see photo). read more

Masa Taqueria - "Veggie" tamale interior - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Love trying new local restaurants. El Cerrito has been waiting for this new taco hub to open for months. I went through the drive-through, even though I was curious how they would pull off authentic Mexi like a typical fast food restaurant. It was a bit sluggish and took longer to produce the order, even though they had a line of cooks working hard over the counter. The quality of the food was good. We had a side of beans, carne asada street tacos, fish and shrimp tacos and their loaded fries. It was served up relatively quickly, packed into a paper bag and stuffed through the takeout window to our eager hands. The asada tacos were a good quality beef and tasty, but nothing fanciful. The shrimp and fish was battered and had a nice slaw on top, but the fries were amazingly stacked with ground beef, green onions, cheese sauce and who knows what else. Loaded is an understatement. The beans were also crave worthy, flavorful and creamy. But the reason we'll be going back is the tortillas... which were clearly homemade and to die for! I'm not kidding. They were amazing! read more

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Wow!! Perfect amount of spices & ingredients for authentic carne asada tacos!!! Love this place! read more

Don't waste your time or money. Food is bland, service is crap, and the prices for the food items...way too high! They messed up on our order then tried to argue with us-receipt in hand! After realizing their mistake, didn't even apologize. We had a party of 6, they gave is 2 napkins. When we asked for more, 3 additional I imagine we should have shared. [[HIGHLIGHT]]No indoor dining in this renovated former Jack in the Box.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Really tasty food!! The birria was great, as are the jugos!! Strongly recommend Masa

I ordered a chicken tamale and the churro cheesecake from here. Both items were... a disappointment. The sound of churro cheesecake sounded so good but it was so crumbly and so dry (almost like cardboard) and did not taste fresh. The tamale was not that good. I could tell by the masa dough that it wasn't made that same day. A disappointing way to spend my money. read more

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Food is good but it was much better when they first opened. Can be inconsistent with its seasoning, cooking temps, and flavor. I can't get too mad at price hikes, but when I'm paying more for less.. it makes me want to frequent much less. You also don't get the same service or questions in the drive through vs ordering in person. Anyways, good food.. just wish they were more consistent. read more

I hate to leave this review. I love Masa however their new location in El Cerrito just doesn't compare to their Point Richmond location. I ordered Baja fish tacos and a burrito bowl. The fish wasn't fresh - one of the employees pulled it out of a warmer, which I didn't worry about too much until I took a bite - the fish was over cooked and very crunchy, and the lettuce used in the slaw they put on top was starting to brown. My bowl tasted OK, however there was a hair in the bowl. Staff was nice but all women with no hairnets - I don't even trip over hairnets but with me finding a hair in my food it might not be a bad idea to have them wear protection. Given that this location has a drive through I guess they are focused on fast service instead of providing the quality of food the other location has. read more

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The food is just as good as Point Richmond but service & food came out a bit weird. Theres a drive thru also There's outdoor dining & a very small parking lot. read more

Need to approve customer service at the drive thru and they didn't give me salsa and when I asked for it, she only gave me 2 when I ordered a burrito and 4 taco. They rushed to give me my food at drive thru when there was no customer inside the shop, it took them awhile to notice I was still there. When I asked for extra salsa she only gave me 2 which was not enough. read more

Masa is solid. Everything is a la carte tough which threw me. When I got home with my bomb ass quesabirria (yes, they are good here), I didn't have consommé because that is an a la carte add-on. Makes more sense because the prices are low. I'll be back. read more

Masa Taqueria - Quesabirra! - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

If you like small servings in $15 burrito then this place is for you. They give half containers of salsa and not give you a choice whether you like green or red. The food is bland and the Spanish rice is undercooked. With all the competition on San Pablo Ave. They should really try harder. I would rather drive to El Tucan where the food is so much better. read more

I've been here a lot and it is just...not good. I feel like when they first opened here it might have been good? I'm not sure why I would have kept going back otherwise. I got a chicken burrito and it was 85% rice, had a stale tortilla, and weirdly tasted like fish?! Just the whole burrito was deeply unfresh tasting. read more

Love the tamales; beef and pork are the ones I order. I don't live near Masa's, so I bring a 1/2 dozen or so home and freeze them-always perfect. The restaurant service is quick, and what I like is that I don't have to order at the kiosk; someone is there to take my order. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant area is always clean, and they even have a water dispenser![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I do have one complaint - they can't be reached by phone. I called to double-check the opening/closing times on a recent holiday, as I drive from Vallejo, and thought I'd best check. No one was available to take my call. I chanced it based on the internet, and all was good; it just would have been a nice customer service gesture to either have a message stating/confirming the hours of operation or someone to take my call. read more

I've tried a lot of things from their menu and it's always fantastic! Staff is always friendly and fast. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's mostly for takeout though they do have a few outside seats.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Love the designs. Food was alright. Not tasty enough, a tad bland. Service. Was alright. Not fast, not slow. I like the outdoor seating. The ceviche was disappointing, it was really salty. Fish taco were ok, shrimp taco ok. Loaded fries- I didn't add the ladle of cheese... but it was ok. I didn't grab a fork and had to eat with my hands read more

Masa Taqueria - Fish and shrimp street tacos - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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We were eager to try this new outpost of Richmond's Masa T&T. Two of us ordered burritos; the third diner got a pair of veggie tacos. We all liked our meals, and it seems that I was the most enthusiastic of the three of us. I tried a birria burrito (with a flour tortilla, of course) and loved its creamy texture and rich flavors. I would have gone all in for five stars, but my two co-conspirators held up four fingers. So a four-star review this will be. Parking was easy -- while the small lot seemed to be filled up, there were lots of spaces on the street. As far as we could tell, there is no indoor dining. There are a few outdoor tables in front of the establishment, but takeout seems to be the way to go. We ordered online and found our meal was ready for pickup at the scheduled time. read more

Masa Taqueria - Two veggie tacos - Mexican Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I don't have an issue with restaurant chains. I'm even ok with expensive Mexican food. My problem is with overpriced, substandard food from a chain. Don't get me wrong - I am happy to see the area revitalized with the addition of a nice new building, but it still has to serve good food. I did enjoy the sweet corn tamales, but for Masa to be successful, the chicken has to be at least as good as Chipotle. BB read more

I have really enjoyed this place each time I've been there(3-4 times) and I felt compelled to review it. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Food is fresh and place is clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Has a drive thru. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Only downside on a cold day is seating is only outside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They have many dessert options.i highly recommend it! read more

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My coworkers had told me about this place and the original Richmond location. So glad for this new and closer location! As a first timer, we found Masa to have affordable and tasty food! We ordered burritos, ceviche, & tamales. I got asada meat and my husband tried the carnitas and both were delicious! I love that guac isn't extra. Think this might be our new go to Mexican spot & we'll definitely be back to try more items on the menu next time. There's about 7 outdoor tables for seating and there's a drive through option too. There is a private lot for parking but there were no spots so we parked residential and walked over. read more

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I so hate to leave negative reviews for restaurants. It's hard to make it out there. But this is my 2nd bad experience. I did the drive through. I ordered a chicken and a steak burrito. I got home and they gave me two vegetarian burritos. And, they were mediocre at that. I called the Richmond location as the El Cerrito one has no phone. I was told, "Sorry about that." read more