Won't be a repeat customer Called in a to-go order only to find that everything was priced markedly higher than on their advertised menu (ex. we were charged over $10 piece for burritos that were priced 4.95 & 5.50) We also asked if chips were included and were told "yes" however only approx. 2 handfuls of chips were included for four people. My $10 salad (price charged, not anticipated), which was ordered as a meal, had exactly 3 ingredients: lettuce, vinaigrette and avocado...not exactly satiating None of my friends were happy with the quality of their food and one friend said specifically that the carne was "chewy" I can't comment to the aesthetic of the restaurant or if it is a decent place to sit and eat but definitely will NEVER order from here again read more

Ruben is the sweetest human being you'll ever encounter in your life!! Burritos are pretty loaded with none of that extra $ this and extra $ that for guac, sour cream and other condiments. I always feel good giving this place my business. You'll be seeing me again for sure. read more

I think their food is very average. There is nothing about the flavor of their food that stands out to me . My family who can't cook at all and likes flavorless food goes there for lunch . I have tried to like their food but it all taste the same to me ... boring. And the waiters didn't even ask me how my food was because she could tell I was not enjoying it . read more

Chorizo con paps burrito es my favorito! Tambien me gusta breakfast burrito! read more

I always come here with my boyfriend for quick Mexican food on the go. It's right off University so we often stop here lunch before getting on the 80 freeway. My boyfriend loves the chile relleno burrito and I love the carne asada burrito and platanos maduros. Note** They dont have the complimentary salsa bar anymore, and they charge 1.80 for guac, and .35 each for cheese and sour cream. Still yummy! They have $2 taco Wednesday and specials on Tuesday. Check it out! read more

Montecristo Taqueria - Carne asada burrito - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is my favorite taqueria in Berkeley!! The price is definitely worth it! You get a good amount of meat for your tacos AND any other plate that I've had will definitely fill you up! If you want some tacos, they have Taco Wednesdays where tacos are $2 (they're usually $3) They also have tacos de papa and they are bomb AF! Nonetheless, I love the fact that they close late, I've gone there on night runs for their Mexican mocha and for their flan! I think flan is a bit over priced at $5 (I think) but it is absolutely worth it! read more

There's nothing better than really great guacamole and a large salsa bar. The guacamole here is so fresh and good that we needed one order per person. The chips are fresh and homemade and the burritos here have nice steak inside for the carne asada. I'm never disappointed when I come here. They have a large selection of auga fresca, which is seasonal and their fresh squeezed juices are also good. They have the option of different tortillas here which I really like and the family atmosphere from the owner and staff is wonderful. This is one of my favorite taquerias in Berkeley. read more

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This place seems to be losing the battle a bit with La Mission down the street in terms of popularity. But I don't see why..... their grande vegetarian taco is hella good! Nice interior, good salsa bar, friendly staff. I believe they are open til midnight too, which beats La Mission. Satisfied local right here! read more

I have found my favorite monsieur in the East Bay Taquerias. His name? Monte Cristo. While my Baja San Jose in San Rafael remains my true love, while I am away living and craving in the East Bay----Monte Cristo is on my mind. My latest obsession with him? His baja taco----2 for $7.50 and well worth the price. His salsa keeps me steamy hot, just how I need it. And although his sangria isn't the best, I will gladly come back for his Al Pastor burrito. Unique flavors and choices, Monte Cristo keeps me satisfied. . Even better? I can stop by as late as midnight if I want to get some before I go to bed. How fantastically perfect for a lady on the go. read more

3.5 stars. My hubby needed to go somewhere and we only had 30 minutes to kill before I had to drive him to his car at N. Berkeley Bart. He thought of this taqueria. I ordered a chicken tostada and a small aguas fresca (strawberry). This meal came with chips (and a free salsa bar - four types). Total: $5.33. That's pretty cheap! The aguas fresca was delicious and the tostada was totally edible and tasty. It is NOT Mexican food that makes you crave more, but it's very decent. The atmosphere is also very lively and clean. The chips were also good (free!) and the salsa bar is nice. AND, it's dirt cheap. Who can get a meal, a drink, AND chips and salsa for a little over 5 bucks these days? ***The only drawback is that it smelled kinda musty tonight. Not sure what that's about but it's true...it smelled kinda old or something. Maybe it's the hot weather. I dunno. My husband pointed it out (thanks, honey) and the smell lingered with me throughout dinner. It wasn't terrible, but it was musty...like an old linen closet! I'd probably not rush back for more food from here, but if I'm in the hood and need a quick fix, I'd probably not object. read more

Friendly staff, consistently delicious food and take out orders have always been on time.

Had lunch here with my little sister and grandma today never disappoints and my grandma is a tough person to please when it comes to eating out the food is so good margaritas perfect and salsa is bomb read more

Montecristo Taqueria - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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.: Tacos dorados :. Today seemed to be the worst day to go to Monte Cristo in Berkeley. It wasnt too busy either and i feel like everything was rushed or forgot. I came with my two workers Young and @frank_a415 and met up with my wife who will probably not return due the experience. The Flan was great and her mole platter was great. The tortillas came super late once she was already close to being done and i was told that there were noore chips. It was weird because when i was finishing up my dorados tacos i saw a customer eating the chips and i told the server oh man u guys have chips and she said yah we do now.... i was soooo confused plus somehow there was no change for my coworker frank who only wanted horcahata. After asking the server if he could just order a horchata from her since the line was long, she replied sure you just gotta pay later. So he waited for her to deliver so he could pay but no drink. Super random day all we could do was laugh but apparently other customers felt the unorganized ability of the staff today and voiced their complaints. Totally gonna think twice before coming back now. Food was good but the weird vibe about today hella put me off. #notschmackin read more

Montecristo Taqueria - Flan was great definitelty a huge slice - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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When you have a salsa bar that's not on ice or protectected by a SNEEZE GUARD that's a huge FOOD SAFETY ISSUE to me!!! I have been there ONCE and and that's one time too many... I had a chimmychunga that was more than I could eat it tasted ok and a mocha latte that was also okay but barely warm. They had a billboard menu that listed no prices which had small print that was very difficult for me to see. They also were selling brown paper bags of cold, greasy, tortilla chips on a counter near the front door. Who knows how long they were sitting on that counter - any number of other local places will give you HOT, FRESH ones FREE! The cushions on many of the chairs there were badly ripped and torn WTF?!!! I don't eat out often so ANYTIME I eat out at a place where I have the option of sitting down, I want atmosphere! I don't wanna look at that kinda janky crap. What happened to a "pleasant casual dining experience?" Next, OMG!!!! Their very scary "SALSA BAR" :-o there were several "serving bowls" with stacks of empty condiment cups on a counter nearby. The bowls contained different kinds of salsas. They were not covered, not sitting on ice or protected by a sneeze-guard... "jus help-yo-self" aut-auw - babe -- no thanks I -- I don't want none!!!!! Me and Sal Minella are neither friends nor acquaintances I don't want any more visits from her. I met her acquaintance once several years was ago; that was more than enough for me! Lastly, at the time I was there, it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner... 3:45 or 4:00. Maybe because they're so close to CAL's campus is why their service was unstructured, shoddy and essentially non-existent. There seemed to be no organized system for getting orders to tables. You weren't sure if you had to wait at the counter for them to bring the food there or if they would bring it to your table. When I have a taste for mexican food I don't mind driving a few miles, or venturing down International Blvd. This place needs Robert Irvine. I can't understand how for the life of me -- it got so many high ratings. For crying out loud, even the staff while we there all but acted as though we were invisible. Really bizzare place. read more

Took A long walk and ordered a burrito After waiting 20 minutes I went up and the burrito had been sitting for so long it was cold It was not busy maybe 3 customers. Couldn't eat the burrito cold and without flavor Much better taquerias around Sad for this experience The lady said I could have a free burrito when I come back but not planning to dine there any time soon read more

Great service great food highly recommend the food came very quickly and was amazing. The price is also very reasonable. I suggest this more then Gordos or other Mexican restaurants read more

Montecristo Taqueria - Lovely - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

First lets start by saying I ate at this place about 5 times a couple years ago. I tried last night around 9pm. I ordered a steak burrito w/ light rice, light beans, guac, sour cream, cheese and tomatoes. Drove home 15-20 minutes later only to find out that the Burrito was created disasterously. Hardly no steak, it was minced up so fine that all the other ingredients was basically mushed and mixed together that I had to split the burrito and pick thru the insides to attempt to make the meal edible. Here it is 10:15 the next morning and lets just say I just left the restroom and hopefully got it all out of me. Subway here I come at lunch. Go to Juan's Place: 941 Carleton St, Berkeley, CA 94710, I should have took the drive over. Taqueria Monte Cristo's hostess's were superb, so I got to blame it on the kitchen. read more

Wonderful surprise!!! Food was soo good. I had a quesadilla with chicken. It came with two AMAZING sauces (cilanto pesto and chipotle sour cream). Hubby got the Monte Cristo bunch. He said "It taste so good it feels like a sin" Our son enjoyed half of a kids burrito. (Big portion). Margaritas were so good. Now to dessert. Our son wanted Churros. We all enjoyed them, they were piping hot and had a yummy sauce. He decided to use his toothfairy money to buy another order of churros to go. Thank you Monte Cristo we will see you again. read more

A solid four star place. Open until midnight! The food is tasty and solid. It's easy to get water refills. The salsa is tasty. It's just casual enough without being too casual, which is my kind of restaurant. You can eat off real plates with real utensils, but don't have to deal with waiters and asking for more water. Hooray. The price is right. read more

Super over priced for mexican food.... For a burrito your better off going to Gordos. the only good thing is that this place is open till midnight. read more

The carne asada tacos are the way to go. Carnitas are a close second. I was underwhelmed by their quesadilla, but the tacos totally make up for it. Good chips, good salsa selection, and really nice staff. My go-to Mexican place in Berkeley, for sure. The good: solid tacos, and with lime! The bad: not so good with things beside tacos. read more

I'm always pleased upon grabbing a bite here. Good service, nice little salsa bar and the food is more than a step up from your standard taqueria. I especially like their mole and their quesadilla suiza is excellent as well. As far as burritos go, good size, right combination of ingredients and home made chips that come with it are very good. Atmosphere is also a plus as well as free parking.Recommended. read more

One of our new fav mexican food restaurant in Berkeley. The food here is really good and the service is great. They serve alcohol too. This place worked out great for my boyfriend's birthday dinner party. read more

Montecristo Taqueria - Chicken tacos dorado and chile rellano plate. Soo good. - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

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If you live in Berkeley and seek real taco-truck-style tacos without having to trek to the Fruitvale or Mission or Richmond, this is your best bet. Most places here insist on messing with the formula by adding cheese, beans, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, a hard shell, etc. but order a "taco tradicional" and you're guaranteed the basic tortilla-meat-cilantro-onion-salsa combo and nothing more. Was it good? The al pastor has been a little tough and chewy, but the carnitas is the real thing. read more

Good burritos. Salsa bar has delicious choices. Chips were good. Absolutely no complaints. Food was prepared quickly and staff was friendly. Good prices as well. Will definitely be back. read more

Used to be alright, now it is just expensive and stingy cashiers. One time about 10~15min before they closed, me and my buddy ordered couple of burritos for take out and my friend asked if he can get some chips, the cashier mean mugs him and throws a bag of crusty chips that they had 100's laying around behind her and she goes these are not free you know. Really? they were closing and have had these chips all day long and we ordered two of their overpriced burritos already. She had the nerve to say that and threw one like she was going broke or something. Anyways that happened to my friend, I don't like their chips anyways (too oily for me) their burritos are mediocre at best and at the price they charge you can definitely get much better burritos else where around Berkeley and save a little also. Not Recommended. read more

I've been going here for years and have yet to write a review. So here goes. I LOVE this place. The food is fantastic. The salsa bar is endless and yummy, with lots of avo salsa. The service is excellent most of the time. It's not fancy, but it's clean. It's also open until midnight!!! I usually get the Monte Cristo quesadilla with black bean instead of meat. It's super good and comes with cilantro pesto and chipotle sour cream that is off the hook. My husband says the carnitas burrito is "epic!" Definitely 5 stars for what it is. I'll keep going for a few more years. read more

Best burritos in the area. Seriously. It's amazing. It's cheap, they put a whole lot into it, and the taste is bananas. I don't even know why I'm not eating one right now as I type. They have a variety of homemade salsas which are also delicious. Like, steal them and bath in them delicious. read more

My husband and I have been coming here for about a year. It used to be really good, but a few times in the last couple months, the food has been kind of so-so. I ordered a chimichanga and the inside was cold, stale nachos, weird stuff floating in the salsa bar. Just icky. Most recently, we ordered from a woman that had a huge infection on her upper lip. A massive cold sore type thing. I know that some people get cold sores, I am one of them, but as a customer dining in a restaurant, I would prefer not see that. Hopefully this doesnt make me a horrible person :( read more

I give Taqueria Monte Cristo on University Ave in Berkeley a 2 Star Rating. Overall, I was not impressed. One star for the location and another star for the hanging plant inside. In my opinion, the overall price of food is expensive for a grab-and-go style Mexican restaurant. The place has the appearance of being a nice sit down style restaurant, but the majority of patrons order food at the counter and go. The quality of food was poor. I have had far better burritos then the one I ordered. My burrito was given to me wrapped in aluminium foil. The heat inside this wrapping caused it to moisturize, so when I got home the outside of my tortilla was wet. The beans tasted like they were out of a can. What surprised me most of this place was not the expensive cost of my burrito, but the giant portrait of a naked dancing woman on the wall. From my observation, most patrons did not notice her doing the Mariachi, topless. I just didn't find the naked woman fit the overall cheaply decorated Spanish motif and suggest patrons try to find another Mexican restaurant that resembles mis compadres south of the border. read more

Love this place. Great late night taco Wednesdays! Friendly customer service, and delicious horchata. Very generous with wine. At this point I'm still typing because Yelp is making me. read more

Montecristo Taqueria - Taco Wednesday Menu! - Mexican Near Me - Berkeley, California

Not bad for Mexican food in Berkeley. That should tell you a lot. I still eat there because it's open late, the portions are satisfying and the salsa bar is decent. They also have a good brunch selection (mmm...chilaquiles!) but be sure to arrive between 9am and 11am or you might just miss the breakfast menu. If you're looking for Mexican cuisine, head elsewhere (like their larger establishment, Monteros in Albany) as the atmosphere of this restaurant is lacking. I want to know if it's really necessary to play salsa music that loud when there are only four patrons dining in. read more

I've been here about 1/2 a dozen times now. Still making my final decision but at this point it is 2 stars mainly because one time it gave me intestinal issues 1 hour after eating it and another time the al pastor was just funk nasty. On the upside, the salsa is good, quesadillas large (but greasy) and the chicken burrito is pretty solid. read more

This is a weird place with good food. They have counter service yet will wait large parties. They are a Mexican taqueria that plays Jackson Five music. The counter serves cappuccinos with snicker doodles. The large mural on the far wall where the salsa bar is located shows the Chiquita banana lady bare chested topless. Last I checked the Chiquita lady isn't necessarily Mexican. Regardless of all these weird ironies, the Al Pastor torta I settled on was a tasty treat (probably the best I've ever had). The spices were just right and the sliced avocados on it were fresh. Then again I'm no judge for these kind of sandwiches as the only time I had them before were at the Midwest chain of La Bambas - and that's not saying much. read more

The prawn tacos are scrumptious and pretty filling. The Fazoli looks so good I will definitely have to try it next time I go back.

This place has crazy cheap food and it tastes amazing too. Service is quick, the employees are nice, and they have lots of indoor seating and a few tables out front too. We were a fairly large group, six of us, and we all had great food. I personally ordered three steak tacos and they were delicious. I will definitely be back. read more

The Monte Cristo, I am convinced, exists simply to feed people quickly, decently, and cheaply. The food is fairly standard pseudo-Mexican, that we're all familiar with. Nothing is overly spicy, and in fact is a bit mild. Everything is a little greasy, but not off-puttingly so. Their fajitas are filling, and quite satisfying. The soups are delicious, and very hearty, full of various veggies, and chicken. The salsa bar is always full, fresh, and actually quite delicious. Prices are at a student's budget, which can be appreciated by basically everyone. It's tough to spend more than 12 dollars, and it'll buy you more than enough. Every dish comes with generous portions of rice, beans, chips, tortillas, and some salad. That's even before the main item is added, which generally takes up half of the oversized plates. The staff is..... very quiet. I think they recognize my group and I, since we're there almost once a week, but it's hard to say. They're never rude, but they aren't exactly attentive either. That said, they've never once messed up and order, which is a huge feather in their caps. They're also very fast. You won't have to wait long for your orders, be it dine-in or take-out. So, why 3 stars? Perhaps it should be 3.5..... I mean, let's face it, this isn't gourmet food. This isn't some fancy restaurant. There's no pomp, no flair. It's not the kind of place you'll be bragging to your friends that you must take them to. What it is is what it does well: Be a neighborhood eating spot. Undeniably primarily locals go here, such as myself. And for that, we're all grateful. read more

What a great place! You can't go wrong with anything on their Menu!! All their ingredients are fresh and awesome! The Burritos or Sopes are a safe start for those who are hesitant. Go there. You won't be disappointed. I feel people giving this place a low-star rating don't really know much about Mexican food. read more

Good grief...Look, I feel for the owners here. They've got to deal with the douchetastic owners of the property where Andronicos/Savers used to be, putting up a GD fence around the parking lot and making it a pain in the ass to even walk here from the south. But come on...You guys have been running this business for years, and you still don't seem to know what you are doing. Case in point, three take out burritos ordered over the course of a month: Burrito one came with tortilla chips and two different varieties of salsa in take-out containers. Burrito two came with tortilla chips but no salsa. Burrito three came with two varieties of salsa, but no tortilla chips. How can there not be a standard way to prepare a super-common order to go? As for the burritos themselves, I've sampled most of them, and they all have one thing in common, they are dry inside, with no fresh ingredients, like onions, tomatoes or lettuce. Maybe I'm crazy for preferring my burritos as they serve them in the Chicago area, but just eating a big heap of dry rice, dry meat, and beans wrapped in a tortilla gets unappetizing really quick. Sure, there are other things on the menu. The tacos are pretty good, as are the nachos and tortas, but the prices have certainly shot up in the last year. Lastly, about 20% of the time, something is left out of my to-go orders. Either no sour cream on a burrito, when I asked for it; no dessert, when I paid for it; and one time, an entire quesadilla was left out of the bag. Oh, and when they do remember to put the sour cream in the burrito, it's always just a little teaspoon-sized dollop at one end. I really wish the owners or manager would get their act together and start thinking about quality control. I don't mind paying the higher prices, but when nachos with chicken cost more than $10, I expect the order to be fulfilled correctly. read more

This place can be sort of hit-and-miss. Their carne asada is really excellent though, so if you get carne asada in anything it tends to taste great. However, the rest of their meat isn't prepared as well (especially carnitas). The pricing is alright, but you have to pay extra if you want anything on your burrito (and I mean ANYTHING. Even cheese costs extra). +big serving sizes +extensive menu +open late +carne asada +good atmosphere and convenient location -extras cost a lot -I pretty much HAVE to get extras if I want to enjoy a burrito read more