The service was too bad. We ordered something but the waiter got it wrong. But when we asked about it the waiter was like " no you did order it". This was unacceptable. read more

The service was decent but the food was not great. We will not be going back. The mole was so SWEET. Like too sweet. read more

Mezcal - I didn't even take a pic of our food. - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

First time here last weekend for a birthday celebration. Right when entering I loved the décor and aesthetic. Good vibes. :) There was a group of 10 of us sitting outside. Our waiters were prompt and very nice. I ordered a mojito for my drink and it was delicious. Best one I've had in a long time! For food we shared the red chicken mole and the memelitas. The mole was just okay. It was warm and wasn't hot and something was missing from the flavor. The memelitas were bomb. So simple, yet delicious. The salsa they serve with their chips is sooo good! I want the recipe. :) I definitely would come back here to try other menu items and they are reasonably priced as well. read more

My co-worker recommended it and I have been around the area many times doing other stuff. So my workplace finally decided to have a lunch here for our department because our other tried and true upscale Mexican restaurant is not doing lunch now. Average everything basically Chips and salsa - it was ok I ordered the mole enchilada - it was ok The grasshopper appetizer - it was ok The tequila margaritas -- my favorite ___ It was a good average place to go that is on the pricier spectrum but it's fine. My overall criticism for the cuisine is it could have more flavor. Spicier, saltier, whatever... no lasting impression. read more

Food was mediocre. The chicken in the mole was dry and very small. The enchiladas weren't stuffed with anything, it was a rolled up tortilla, covered with sauce and topped with an (add on) meat. Food was also lukewarm when we got it. Service was incredibly slow, we spent 2+ hours in the restaurant. It took forever just to get the menu, we ended just grabbing our own from the front of the restaurant, and then they later came and replaced it with a different menu, that they said had "2 additional items" but the only difference I saw was higher prices. Getting the check and food also took ridiculously long, we ended up snacking on the dessert we bought from a bakery that we originally planned on eating afterwards. The restaurant was also incredibly loud. Came out with a headache. read more

Service was super rude, we would ask for extra things and they would never bring them, never once asked if we needed more water or drinks, waitress would pass by and mug us, when we were getting ready to leave she charged us 40% for a "tip" if u take 6 or more people, which we weren't aware of until we got the check, THEY ARE STEALING MONEY FROM PEOPLE, would not eat here again and i do not recommend it unless u want them to scam you, the food mas bland too. read more

Came here for drinks stayed for dinner. Ordered the Oaxacan Mule which was delicious! It came with a tamarindo sucker which I thought was cute. We ordered the guac with chips. The guac was missing some lime and salt but your regular guac served in a molcajete. We shared the mole. It came with 2 handmade tortillas *which I appreciated* and a side of beans with queso cotija. The mole was very delicious as everything else was. Service was okay but not terrible. The restaurant was cute inside with beautiful paintings of Frida Khalo. read more

Mezcal - Mole - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Lunch spot for today. Chips were ok, salsa could've been better (watery and bland). The chicken flautas and chicken enchilada suizas were on point. Yummy dessert. Chocolate lava cake and the tres leches cake were awesome. Server was friendly and attentive. read more

Went back to Mezcal during Covid times. They were so gracious there. We were the only ones there with clients but the atmosphere helped close the deal. Food still so good! Thanks again Mezcal and will be back again. read more

Mezcal - Crickets - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

I love the vibe of this place! Artsy ambiance, perfect for date nights or nights outs or simply just enjoy a nice meal. Their drinks are to die for!Love coming here for any occasion read more

See all

Stopped by to have some Café Mexicano and Churros with lovely service from the staff and owner Adolfo. read more

The salsa is fire!!! Other than that I had a shot of Clase Azul Service is awesome! read more

Chill spot for a margarita and some enchiladas. Nice staff. Came by with some colleagues and it was nice overall.

We got to the restaurant early for our reservation and had a seat at the bar. The bartender proceeded to ignore us for 15. He would not make eye contact, and kept his back to us. Finally he asked if we were going to order food or just drinks. We said drinks, and then he ignored us for another 5 minutes. We finally got drinks. It came time for our reserved table to be ready and the friends we were meeting arrived, so we all sat down. I let them know we were waiting for 1 more person, who was just parking the car. As soon as that person sat down, he was asked if he was ready to order... um no. So we get our food order in, and then we proceed to wait again. We had to ask about the food. It came out room temperature, and it wasn't good. There was little to no seasoning in any of the food. The people who ordered chicken enchiladas, were served cheese enchiladas with anemic looking chicken on top. Our server was inattentive, and we had to flag him down for the bill. The restaurant is cute and clean, the food is uninspiring (only the salsa was good) and the staff is inattentive at best. I will not be going here again. It was probably the worst Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. read more

Great local spot! This is my 2nd time going and loved the food. This time I ordered the chicken flautas and we're super good. I would say if you like big portions of food I would not order this. If you are interested in smaller plates this will fill you up. read more

Mezcal - Chicken Flautas - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Came here with the office during lunch as we were challenged by another office to try out the cooked grasshoppers. We were a group of 16 and we were seated promptly. Servers were nice and attentive during our meal. Chips and salsa were put on the table almost immediately. Of course the first thing that was ordered was the fried grasshoppers. They came out pretty quickly. Once the group was done taking pictures and dealing with the grasshoppers, we finally placed our orders. The menu has some pretty good choices, and I decided to go with the chicken taquitos, served with rice and guacamole. I thought it was pretty good. Other's ordered tacos, which looked great. Guacamole was also ordered for the table. The guacamole is made right at your table, which was cool and tasted great with the chips! There was also a decent menu when it came to alcohol, mainly tequila and such. The place looks like it turns into a pretty good bar scene at night. Mezcal is a pretty decent Mexican food restaurant. I consider coming back one day. read more

Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

I visited this restaurant a couple of years ago and it was ok. so I've decided to go again with a few friends. Unfortunately, the experience was not very pleasant :( To begin with the waiter look and behave as he was mad, despite my effort to make him chilled. The food was really average and pricy. The drinks ( my margarita) was water down. My son ordered some chicken wrap and they barely had any chicken in there mostly lettuce. They took awhile to bring the food. The decoration looks very nice but they must work the points mentioned above to have me come back again. read more

Had the verde enchiladas that weren't very good. Something in the sauce was really tart and sour. Also had the chips that were very hard and the salsa was basic. I would have to say the churros were amazing! Came with dulce de leche and chocolate sauce. The coffee was also really tasty. Reminded me of Abuelitas but coffee. read more

A lot of variety, with continental fare and Mexican food, is probably how Mezcal has survived San Jose's restaurant apocalypse. I had the "airline" chicken, AKA pollo al horno, which was served with an orange sauce and just-enough cooked carrots and broccolini. Also on the menu, ribeye steak. Both never before seen at a Mexican restaurant. Quesadilla was cornmeal covering a cheese filling, deep fried, with a drizzle of black bean sauce. Unlike every other Mexican restaurant that has flour tortillas, meat, cheese and pico de gallo. Unexpected but good. Our Perfect Margaritas with orange liquor were a perfect accompaniment. Service was very attentive and super friendly. Excellent ambience, brick walls, nice tables, add up to a great dining experience. read more

See all

Such a cool interior with disappointing menu change and an "okay service". We placed our names on the wait list as well as on Open Table. They never called us to let us know our table was ready so we used our open table reservation. Once we got there the place was half empty. They completely changed their menu and everything we got was just okay. Definitely not worth the price and wait. We will definitely be exploring different restaurants in SJ and wouldn't recommend this place. read more

Come with a full stomach and buzzed brain, 'cos by the time your drinks come you'll be sober. I recommend wolfing down a burritozilla before sitting down at Mezcal, you can ruminate and process one of those by the time your food arrives. I almost thought this is a 'farm to table' kinda situation, meaning they started the farm for my tortillas after I placed my order. But, but, but when the food arrives they do a fine job of underwhelming you with the tacos and the mole enchiladas and the chapulines that you will feel like it was well worth the time and money you have wasted. I believe this is the kind of place that teaches you to fish rather than giving you fried fish - the restaurant cultivates this deep desire develop some cooking skills, to prevent you from mistakingly wanting to visit them again. For a Mexican restaurant to give extremely extremely mediocre carne asada tacos take skills. El Gurllos and El Cerritos may have spoiled me, but I am surely going to signup for that Carne Asada masterclass. Pros: Beautiful tables with 4X4 legs ( the kind that give a reassuring sense of safety), a stone molcajete for the guac(unlike the plastic ones in El Torrito), great Sansevierias, warm servers, excellent chilled water Cons: food and drinks read more

Come here if you want poor quality food & horrible customer service. This review is impacted by the customer service. 1. Made reservations on open table months ahead -- ignored by the front desk/waiter for a couple that were walk-ins. 2. Appetizers were crazy salty & only the mashed sweet potatos saved it. 3. Miscommunication on our cocktails: When I talked to the waiter our order was incorrect. He looked annoyed, grabbed the cocktail and left. 4. We sent back a cocktail because it tasted like sea water. The waiter looked at us rudely and reluctantly took the drink back. 5. Entrées were okay. Main thing that made everyone stop eating was the hair I found in my dish 6. When I brought these issues to the manager. He immediatly became defensive, refused to listen, made attempts to make me feel bad for bring up our issues, refunded the dinner, took a picture of me without my consent & said not to come back. I love small businesses & chose this spot for my out of town friends last day in California. It was suppose to be a special occasion. Money doesn't matter. What matters is how poorly we were treated & the manager not properly looking into the issues. I felt insulted because the manager acted like we wanted a free meal. Completely & utterly disappointed. Will not come back & do not recommend anyone to waste their time here. Wish I read the other reviews before choosing this place. read more

Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

I just won't back to this restaurant because the server is so rude. And he said he's the only one in that restaurant ‍‍‍. The food was ok. Prices quality and good ambiance but no the service read more

Mezcal - Margarita - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

Horrible service and blan food. We went here for our company dinner Saturday night We had reservations for 6 people and were seated pretty fast. However after the waiter took our drink order he never came back for 30 mins. Then he took our food order didn't ask if we wanted more drinks or dessert. Then it took 12 minutes for us to hunt him down for the bill and then another 9 mins for him to bring us the machine to pay. Then he said they added an 18% gruity onto the bill already. He was not worth that much in a tip in my opinion and I am a service as well. Also the chicken was dry and had no flavor. I would not recommend this place at all. Very dissatisfied. read more

Decor and restaurant interior was relaxing and open-air, but it was the food where I had a few issues. Their grilled chicken quesadilla was the star of the show, but three carne asada street tacos for $14 that were close to crunchy beef chips were what threw me off. Customer service was wonderful and understanding and accommodated our requests, yet I couldn't get over the high price to low amount of food ratio. I had high hopes there would be a decent sit-down Mexican restaurant in downtown SJ, but this wasn't it. read more

You must try Mezcal. I have been skeptical of reviews that set the standard of a restaurant fails if it is not life changing. Then you stumble across a place that you expect to be decent and instead it is transcendent. That is Mezcal. I want to tell people about it. Now don't misunderstand. It is nothing to look at. Yet the food is so good I feel lucky to have dined there. It was just terrific. The specific region represented is Oaxaca. The word sublime is not typically used with the phrase price point. This was sublime at the price point. Here is a means of putting into perspective how good this meal was. My wife and I had a long weekend vacation with our little dog. We went to San Luis Obispo. We stopped at Carmel on the way down and San Jose on the way back up. We had lunch in Carmel, then four meals in SLO, and all were very good. But this is what my wife raved about. She is how you should trust. We had the hand made corn quesadillas. They were simple but wonderful. The taste was sophisticated, with a blend of spices. The texture had enough roughness to be intriguing, what you would wish to savor on the tongue. We also had the tortilla soup with chicken and avocado. That had the faintest spiciness. My wife is averse to too much heat, and she found it acceptable. I rarely use the word piquant. That is an apt term. The apogee, culmination, highlight, whatever term you wish to use, was the mole negro. It was complex, demanding contemplation, different from anything else, and with so many ingredients according to the menu (chiles, spices, sesame seeds, almonds, pecans, peanuts, chocolate). It covered chicken. It would be a cavil (dictionary definition: petty objection) to say the chicken in the dishes was the weakest aspect, serviceable. That does not matter. Whoever is in charge in the kitchen, they have the skills to transform the raw material they are provided. Unless you were the best cook, you would not imagine you could replicate the results; actually those lacking competence might suppose they could do so, since an important aspect of skill is recognizing even stronger talent while those lacking it do not comprehend what it takes to achieve the outcome they are looking at. We sat outside at one of the very few tables. Our dog was able to sit with us. The window showed a notice they have applied for a parklet. I hope they are able to install it. It was, incidentally, quite cold when we were there. That only added to the experience. We had to tough it out for the cuisine. It felt right. The waiter called me "boss." I am never sure if that is sarcastic. He was fine. He was attentive. I hesitate to say "authentic," Authenticity is contested, rightly so. There are at least three arguments against it. The first is substantive: what are the standards, are they appropriate, are they unyielding, quashing creativity. The second is procedural: the critic declaring the standards, are they knowledgeable -- I am not and do not wish to the succumb to the Dunning Kruger effect. The third, however, is an even more important critique: by what right, does even an expert have the authority to decree norms, and perhaps they are partial to a specific region, and they dismiss, say, Tex-Mex as a corruption even though it has its own unique lineage. Since I cannot opine, with any sense of humility, on whether this place was authentic, I will limit myself to what I have said: it is magnificent. My wife knows more about Mexico, having traveled there extensively with someone who was knowledgeable enough to be teaching about the subject, and I will quote what she said: this was the best Mexican food she has ever had outside of Mexico. I can say it whatever words you wish to use to describe unsurpassed pleasure from eating, you ought to substitute your own nomenclature. It is a rare opportunity on Yelp to declare to others in the hope of influencing them: here is what you are looking for. But the best aspect of the experience is how unassuming the business is, next to a sports bar, and how modest the price for a transcendent moment of savoring flavors and gaining sustenance. I urge you to try this restaurant. read more

My friend and I wanted to go out for a birthday dinner and drink and decided to give this place a shot we ordered two drinks and food I should have recorded when I saw this happening but I was in complete shock. I look over as the bartender is making one of our two drinks and the female bartender that was there at the time literally had her fingers in one of the drinks trying to pick something out of it wiped it on her pants and continue to try to pick whatever she was trying to get out of the drink The bartender continue to do this about 4 to 5 times and then gave our drinks to the server to bring them to our table. I honestly regret not recording it because my friend and I were an utter shock. I then informed the server that I would not be accepting the drink she made and informed him why. We were honestly just disgusted as to why the female bartender would think that this would be OK at all let alone think to serve the as her nasty fingers were repeatedly fishing around in the drink she had made! I highly recommend staying far away from this place, unless you like fingers in your drink. Absolutely disgusting. read more

The decor, the aesthetics and the drinks...amazing! The service was also great - initially a little confused why we were seated (one person was missing from our party) but it wasn't completely full so not sure why the hostess refused to get us seated. Luckily, a gentleman then showed up and was fine getting us seated even with the party not being fully there. I had vegetarian enchiladas and they were good, I was told they came with beans and rice...I never got the beans. read more

Recently returned to Mezcal and the authentic Oxacan flavors and quality ingredients are still the same, to my delight. And the service is excellent. The staff is attentive. I had the tlayuda - a14" corn tortilla with a black bean puree, Oxacan, cabbage, guacamole, and chicken. You can also opt for carne asada (steak), pork, or chorizo. My husband had the same, but with steak. We loved it. However, in retrospect, we should have shared it because it was huge. My kids ordered from the kids menu which comes with french fries or rice, plus black beans, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My daughter had the quesadilla with carne asada. They use the yummy Oxacan cheese. My son opted for the chicken tenders. In the past we've had the moles and the enchiladas - all delicious. read more

Mezcal - Tlayuda with chicken. You can also get it with steak, pork, or chorizo. Oxacan cheese + lettuce + beans puree... - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

The food is delicious! By far some of the best Mexican food in the Bay. We come all the way from Oakland to eat at this place. Definitely worth the drive. The atmosphere and the service is wonderful. The only downfall is the drink selection. We have tried different drinks, but nothing seems to really hit the spot. We always end up just drinking straight shots as drinks don't seem to get any better. I highly recommend this place for a dinner date or any special occasion, it's very pretty. read more

See all

I arrived w/3 friends on a busy Saturday evening without a reservation thinking we may have to wait a bit, but the hostess was quickly able to accommodate our party. The ambiance/decor is delightful: soft lights, greenery, and art. I was a little worried bc the negative ratings on Yelp, but the servers were friendly, food was served quickly and delicious! The guacamole, mole (black & red), enchiladas and salmon salad were all very flavorful. Honestly I would give this place 4 1/2 stars, only because the tortilla chips were pretty dry/bland (not salted enough for my taste) but the flavorful salsa, guacamole, and mole all made up for it. Mezcal margaritas didn't disappoint! I hope my 5 star rating helps elevate their average, the 3+ rating doesn't serve this restaurant justice. I would definitely go back. Thank you for a memorable experience! read more

Food was so bad. Worst mexican food i've ever had. I honestly didn't know bad mexican food was a thing until this place. The meat was tough, bland, and dry. Nothing was worth it. Super expensive for what I got. Will never be coming back. read more

I booked a reservation here for my birthday dinner. Originally for 10 people at 7pm, but I called and changed the reservation to 8pm and I asked if it would be okay if we had minus one or two people. The man who was speaking to me on the phone said sure we could talk about it when I get there. He was friendly and gave me the impression that this wasn't an issue. So my party was a bit late but I was there around 8:15 and let someone know that I had arrived. I was trying to communicate and let someone know that we now had a party of only 8 people. The girl was rude for no reason and said we needed to wait because now they needed to re do the table? So we waited. One of my friends ended up showing up during this time so I told them it was now 9 people and that it was okay if we could just pull up an extra chair or something. Now it was a guy that helped me but he was also being rude. He said " well that's why we asked you how many people and you said 8 so now we have to re set the whole table. " This made no sense to me, and even if they do need to re set the entire table, they shouldn't be rude to their customers. I don't know if it was the owner or a manager but eventually a man who had a Spanish accent took over the situation and seated us, he was very nice and accommodating so thanks to him the night took a turn for the better. All in all food was good, drinks were good, service was horrible so I won't be returning. read more

Booked in OpenTable, as we've done before. The host offered us a booth seat which we gladly took, since we had an infant in a stroller, it seemed easier. The short Hispanic waiter was rude within the first 2 minutes of us sitting down. He told us right away that we needed to put our baby stroller/car seat in the booth. When I mentioned we tried and that our stroller/car seat wouldn't fit, he got annoyed and rude and said that my baby wouldn't be safe with his stroller parked there. He didn't offer a solution or an alternative, just that my baby isn't safe there. There was only one other table being served while we were there. So they weren't busy. We ended up walking out since he obviously had a bad attitude for nothing. Somebody needs to retrain him. His communication skills were bad! read more

The food was not good. No flavor. The server recommended the Swiss style chicken enchiladas. They tasted of nothing. The guacamole was okay. The margaritas were good. Overall will not be back. read more

It's a standard Mexican restaurant. Not much creativity in the food and a bit overpriced. The service was ok, sometimes sporadic. The ambience is nice, it feels like a colonial building. read more

I got the chance to try Mezcal for a company lunch and had a great experience here. Here's what I tried and what I thought about it: -Guacamole:loved it! definitely has a kick to it, big portions, served 5 people -Salsa: kind of spicy, not chunky salsa -Chicken nachos: very good, large portions, perfectly shared for 11 people -Crickets: I did not try, but others at my table liked them -Calamari: good, loved the sauce it came with -Milanesa De Pollo: tasted okay good, it came with a pretty generous scoop of guacamole -Oaxacan coffee: loved it! the coffee has a hint of cinnamon flavor The service here is great. Our server was very attentive and got us everything we needed. read more

See all

Terrible comunicación!!!! The person in front/answering the phones does not communicate well. This was supposed to be my birthday dinner. This person ruined it. She said and confirmed my reservation. Ugh terrible. Thank god the Resturant down the street "EL CABRON " took us in no reservation and served us Quick!! read more

Ok, truth bombs. If you are looking to drink and have some delicious appetizers (and happen to be an AARP member since they closed at 8) then this place is for you. I had the Paloma and honestly--deliciousness! If you are hungry and looking to eat a delicious meal, please go elsewhere. I ordered the Enchiladas (beef) suizas... what I received (pictured below) was some deconstructed enchilada lacking flavor and the "en-chilada" part. The meat was incredibly salty and sitting on-top of my tortillas....(así las hacen o andan de huevones?) empty rolled up bland tortillas...topped with what has to be green seeded water. The sauce lacked salt, flavor and frankly the meat should have been IN the tortillas. My mom is looking down on me from heaven and judging. (Eso te estás tragando? Pendeja). The rice had nothing going on from it either, just sitting there trying not to get noticed in order to not disappoint. But if your on my plate, imma eat you. At least I tried. I just couldn't. I played with my plate and had them just take it away. I did eat the meat (since I could hear my mom saying "por lo menos comete la carne", Im dehydrated now--please send water). As for the service, not the best. Not the worst. Just seemed like it was lack of experience. I expected the server to ask us our drink orders, appetizers and then place our entree orders--nope. While he offered us more time to order, he wanted all of it at once and made no recommendations (I mean now I know that there weren't any real recommendations to make). Everything felt rushed and pushed on to the table so that they could tend to someone else. No connection, no interaction--just people in the same location with Frida being witness to our terrible dinner. Speaking of Frida--the place was beautiful. There is a huge tree in the restaurant that is beautifully decorated, paintings of Frida were thoughtfully curated and the unique light fixtures created a lovely ambiance. So to recap-appetizers and adult beverages--ok The rest of the menu--nope Also, if anyone figures out what the little paper bags on the table are for, please message me. Current theory from my faux-bro "mini barf bags". read more

Mezcal - Painting - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Good Service. Finding parking sucks. Well drinks are good, a little to strong, like the Paloma. Need more variety on beer tap other than Mexican beer. Inside dining and outside dining available. Pet friendly. Love the decor. Food is good, could be better in taste and more variety. Bathrooms are clean and don't have a bathroom smell. read more