I wish I was as "wow"ed as the tik tok video that brought us here made it seem. We literally took a 300+ mile each way weekend trip with this place specifically in mind, but luckily we always have something else to do around these parts otherwise I'd have been quite mad. The place is small and busy, there's quite a few staff running around but even they said "hold on let me see if we can seat you because the kitchen is backed up right now." We grabbed a seat on the patio and were quickly served chips and dip and within a few minutes a waiter came to get our drinks order. We had a few different waiters come by and they were all nice and attentive. We ordered the cafe de olla, the famous molcajete chil (the whole reason we came here) and a chilaquiles torta. I was quite disappointed that the coffee is served in a to-go cup, maybe they were all out of regular cups but it made it seem like the drinks are an afterthought. The molcajete was served in a plastic knock off, not an actual stone bowl, but presentation was nice otherwise. The torta was also presented really well. I was not a huge fan of the food, but we were both starving, and bf said he really liked his (except he only finished about half of his food so... hmmm..... not sure I believe him.) I feel the prices are a little high for what it is, the famous tik tok molcajete was $34, we spent a total of $80 for two with tip. Unless a friend REALLY wants to come here I will likely not be visiting again, but it was an experience we had to say we checked off our "tik tok made me do it" list. read more

Food was cold! Service was great but food was lacking for the cost. Ordered chilaquiles plate with steak and the meat was old, rubbery and over cooked. Chilaquiles seemed like they had been sitting for a while they were so cold. Also ordered the birria quesa taco plate. Consomé was luke warm at best and lacking seasoning. Tacos were good but again not hot enough to have the melted cheese and experience on the quesa taco. Rice and beans on both plates were also cold. Service and ambiance were nice but not enough to return. read more

We drove from North Long Beach for Saturday brunch. Got there right at 9:05am, 2 servers, who were hustling, many tables available and yet people were left waiting outside to be seated, WHY? Need more staff, especially Father's day weekend! $10 for a cafe Olla! At least it was tasty. We ordered our food togo just so someone else could be seated. My husband is NOT allergic to berries, he Hates them! So why do we bother to ask for No berries/sauce on his waffles when they are just gonna turn around and put them on anyway?? WTH makes no sense. I realize bacon is expensive, for $20 a plate: 2 eggs, potatoes, 1 pc bacon, pancakes n some refried beans, to me? not worth it. Now the bathroom was a whole other hot mess! Graffiti all over, not like artsy cool graffiti either, more like tagging the alley kind. My husband also mentioned there was no TP! At the beginning of the day? Unacceptable. Is this the image this resturant wants to show new (Carlos & Patty) customers? This place needs new management and a way to make the customer feel Welcomed instead of a nuisance. 1st time...last time read more

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Rogelio and Brian were very kind and tentative servers we appreciated the service that they provided my party and I! I will definitely be coming back! Good food good vibes and good service 10/10 read more

Something has changed with the way food is cooked here. I usually come here once a month, and always order the Birria taco and Consome to go with it. My issue is that the tack now is almost flavorless. The consome is extremely salty, very little spice, and no meat piece. I use to get a few spoonfuls of meat with the soup. But if you order just the consome, it's just a very salty broth with fat, and no meat. Please fix this. The other tacos I ordered were al pastor and chorizo. Al pastor was okay, but the chorizo was also extremely salty. Both taste different than a month ago. read more

Palapa - Order for take out and dining outdoors - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

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I have been a regular at Palapas Tacos for some time now, and I'm sorry for anyone who will not get to experience what this establishment was like prior to new ownership/management. This place used to have phenomenal deals on food daily, perfectly seasoned meat, and the best guacamole around. Unfortunately none if this is the case anymore. For some reason they decided to transition the restaurant from casual to sit down, and have completely altered the menu. They don't even have basic options such as Pollo, Carnitas, or Asada based Tortas anymore, and instead have opted to adopt an unnecessarily convoluted and overpriced selection of lack luster options. Service was fine and I have no complaints against any staff. Sad to say I will no longer be returning to what was one of my favorite spots in town. RIP Palapas :( read more

If you are looking for a real Mexican flavor, this is the best restaurant. I'm a Mexican who has been traveling through my country and it is Rare to find the Mexican flavor in a different country. Portions and prices are pretty good. The servicio and personnel are pretty good. Si buscan un restaurante con el sazón mexicano auténtico, este es el restaurante. Yo como mexicana que eh viajado por la reply loca es muy difícil encontrar en otros países el sabor mexicano único que tanto amamos. Este resultante lo tiene. Las porciones y el precio están muy bien. El servicio y el personal muy amable. read more

Ask for carne asada nachos .. get ground hamburger meat. The helper said hamburger meat is beef asada meat .. definitely not worth it !! read more

Palapa - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

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Stopped in for a quick lunch and everything was great!! Service was amazing and the food was on point!!

I called in an order, 2 burritos, 2 tacos, and some asada fries. The girl taking my order said i was required to pay with a credit card over the phone. I thought it was strange but whatever. She said my order would be ready in 10 mins. After I hung up, I realized the price for what I ordered was $62. I immediately called back. I told the girl on the phone, that I was overcharged for what I ordered. She said "prices have been raised, the prices on Yelp are not correct". I told her that I would need to cancel this order, as I am not paying over $60 for 2 burritos, 2 tacos, and fries. That's crazy! She said, "it's too late, your order is ready and I can't refund you. (Less than 5mins had passed). I asked to speak with a manager, She said she couldn't refund me because she was there ALONE and didn't know how to work the "machine". This place took me for $60+ and their refusal to refund me says a lot about how this biz is run. WAAAAY OVERPRICED MEXICAN FOOD! read more

I wish if the manager or owner responds to my my review I got with my friend 1Gobernador fries & Birria friez mine came to with sharp acid taste maybe tomato old or sauce bad , i went to the server and ask if she can make me burritos with shrimp no sauce & no tomatoes to be in safe side. I came back to find two small soft tacos looks ugly & said to her mom probably you didn't get my i asked for burrito & i did ask for refund to make it easier and she said to NO REFUND here,s your food & did throw whatever on the taco on burrito and give it me ,, i did ask if i can speak to manger or supervisor but she said no one here , i did ask for my money back for I didn't eat but she refused again with NO REFUND, so I did pay for food I didn't take plus attitude with worse service, BTW its not my first time to the restaurant , Im adding photos for the food the made me read more

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No, sorry but it was not what the pictures show or those insta posts. It's summer now here in Fullerton and it can definitely get to high 90s in the summer. Well it's a sauna in there,like turn on your ac ! I ordered the sopes, bad choice, the sopes were so hard I couldn't even cut them with the knife, and obviously hard to chew, ended up just eating the tiny amount of the meat on them. The pancakes look good in pictures, however the dough is rubbery like and too chewy , small pancakes with one , yes only one Oreo cookie on top and some syrup, was no good. It took for ever to get the waiter to come to the table after we sat down. Also I think is ridiculous that they demand a tipping, and to top it off they only accept CASH for tips , WTH? Why only cash. ? Won't be back. Over priced food, small portions and old hard cold corn tortillas and old hard masa. read more

While waiting for my Peruvian takeout next door at Savor Peruvian, I stumbled upon this spot and couldn't resist trying their tacos. I went for a trio: steak, Al pastor, and chicken. The meats were generously portioned, tender, and packed with flavor. The accompanying quartet of side sauces offered a delightful range of heat, tanginess, and flavors, perfectly complementing each taco. And the best part? Every taco was topped with a deliciously saucy dollop of guacamole. A serendipitous culinary adventure! I will be back! read more

My girlfriend and I ate breakfast here 1/18/25. It was really good we got Chilaquiles Verdes and Green Enchiladas. Everything had good flavor and the service was good too. The atmosphere is nice and the service quick. Overall good place you should give it a try breakfast at least . read more

Great place to have brunch. Food, drinks and dessert were perfect. Only thing better was the service! So nice and accommodating. Made us feel like we were the only ones in the restaurant. read more

First time attending Saturday Brunch and will be the last. Waited over an hour to be seated when restaurant had empty tables. Mimosas weren't cold nor bubbly and coffees were cold. Once we ordered it took over an hour and a half for our food. We watched other guest who arrived after us get their food before us. When following up on the order, Waiter kept saying one party left for our food to come out. Once we got our food the waiter never followed up with us. The bill was definitely not worth the service or food. Also there was a party that arrived before us that still hadn't received their food when we left. read more

Wow can't believe it took me so long to try this place, especially when I've been to the sushi restaurant next door a few times already. That birria ramen and taco combo!! Omg so good! I love anything noodle soup/soup so it was a must! The ramen bowl was packed with plenty of meat! The birria taco was dripping in consume but the shell was still crispy. They also have plenty of salsa & condiments to go along with your food. Everything was full of flavor. I've tried another birria taco place a week later and it doesn't even compare. Will definitely be coming back. Next time we'll be prepared with camping chairs so we can eat next to our car during these crazy Covid times lol read more

Palapa - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

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The food has always been so good!! My husband and I always come here for taco Tuesday and have really great deal but this time we found out they now have breakfast and miches, margaritas and beer. The service has definitely stepped up since we've last came. Plus the people here are so sweet. I highly recommend coming here for taco Tuesday. read more

Palapa - Recommend the asada fries or the spicy mango margarita - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

Order Uber eats for 22$ this is what I get.. what a joke this place used to be good. Since someone else took over the menu it's not the same. read more

Palapa - My 22$ menudo - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

Waited 20 minutes for host to seat us and instead he skipped over us and seated a party of 5 who had just walked in instead of the party of 4 who had gotten there right after we did. The shrimp enchiladas were so bland with no flavor at all. read more

Food was amazing for our first visit to their Que Huevos brunch. We were very impressed with the presentation of each meal as well as its taste. They had a variety of salsas the waitress was kind enough to share. Their cafe de olla was amazing. And service was great. We would recommend!! We sat in their outdoor patio, really cute set up, however, being near a main road it does get a bit noisey. Nonetheless, great experience and food! Friendly staff who shared a conversation with my toddler. read more

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3 of us came here for the 3 birria quesataco special that incl consomme. They were so packed that we each could've been happy w just 2 tacos each. We could've gotten away w 2 combos! Good to know for next time. Cuz there'll def be a next time. I think my complaint would be the flies on the patio. I know they can't control the flies. But, if they had a kid on the trash can I'm sure that would help. Plus, I do wish there was more cheese on the quesataco. Other than that, the flavor was great. And the tortillas were nice and crispy. Sometimes birria tacos, because of the broth, have flimsy shells. So I like that these kept their crisp. read more

This is the first time that we have eaten here and my hubby's beef taco meat was grizzly and the food was just okay and I had the chicken taquitos which were very good and I also had tried the chicken sopa and it was extremely grizzly and I did not like the flavor. To us. The food was just okay. We may try it again read more

This place waiting time beats the DMV. The food is decent at most. Sopes were so hard I almost broke my teeth.the place feels like a sauna. I would say the customer service is excellent and the mosas,but I wouldn't be back . read more

Ordered asada fries and the recipe COMPLETELY changed! Added a chipotle mayo sauce on top which did not taste good to me nor compliment the asada fries. They even changed the fries! Used to love the skinny fries and the old taste. Service was good, just definitely not the original taste. If I were to compare the taste, it would be to a Big Mac meal from McDonald's with a hint of chipotle. Bring back the original Asada fries! read more

Food was okay, poor service, it took them an hour and a half to bring in our food out while the party after us got their food within 30 minutes. We made reservations at 12pm and we got our food at 1:40pm. Don't recommend. Place is smaller than expected. read more

The food was good, nothing extraordinary. The pancakes were dry. The eggs were over easy and runny despite ordering over medium eggs. Service was okay. It wasn't until we received our bill AFTER paying that we noted the eggs that came with our dishes were charged an extra $3 for making them over medium (without warning or being informed of the up charge). Before I saw the receipt the group agreed we may go back sometime as the food was okay, although overpriced. But seeing they charge extra for how the eggs are cooked, that come with the meal, we determined we would never be back. That was just ridiculous. read more

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Birria ramen - 1/5 Definitely looked promising but lacked rich flavor, meat was okay, noodles were from a tapatio instant ramen bowl. Overall, disappointed. Tacos (Al pastor) - 0/5 Everything about it was dry, both meat and tortilla. Lacked onion and cilantro; however, they did give us two more cups. Avocado had no extra flavoring, it was like a plain avocado paste. Shrimp ceviche - 3/5 Can't mess up ceviche and they kinda did. Zest was there with the lime, but not traditional with the natural cooking of the limes. Shrimps were overcooked as well. Now about the service, we walked in during the afternoon and they had no customers. They rudely seated us, and one specific lady looked at us from head to toe. Maybe it was an off day for them, but I personally won't be coming back. read more

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I wouldn't even give them a rating. new owners. Cause there are new faces, CHARGING prices. That are NOT on their menu. They are very rude Service, the cashier girls Are not friendly. They don't smile. Nor do they welcome you.. The meat is different!!!!! . I do not recommend this place very bad service. They're not friendly. So they don't even deserve one star. The other owners were friendly with a smile. read more

Yo! This place was bomb!!!! I was so hungry after a long day of skating @ the ice rink next door. Didn't know what to eat but the owner Freddy recommended the birria and the shrimp tacos with the consume. So bomb! Topped it off with a beer... read more

Stopped in Sunday morning with my son to have breakfast. Excellent service and amazing food. read more

Palapa - Strawberry oreo pancakes. Amazing - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

I went to this place at 9:45 and they ask me if is for to go I can order coz they going to close at 10 pm and the app said 11pm they need to be more serious in the business time read more

Just had some stale nachos from this place, maybe the kitchen was busy since I found a blueberry in my food too. Normally the food here is pretty good but today I was very disappointed in my 16 dollar nachos read more

I came here after looking at the (outdated) menu photos on Yelp. Two huge draws were the tripe and beef tongue. When I got here, neither were on the menu anymore. So of course, I was already disappointed to start. I ended up getting a few of each taco: asada, carnitas, and pastor. Also got the pastor nachos. The guacamole was browning so it already didn't look appetizing. All the meats were dry, so didn't taste very good either. Also need to mention, that when I walked into the store, the first thing I see at the counter is the Square ordering and credit card system. When I finished ordering, the cashier mentioned there was a $1 credit card fee. This is one of my biggest pet peeves.. they should really build this cost into the price of the food. And the fact that the Square is right up in your face, it's easy to infer that that's the preferred payment method. Not coming back. read more

I'm never going back to this place! The service was mid, and so was the food. I've been going to this place on and off for a year and every time I've went it's been a bad time. They received a lot of costumers from the high school last year but stopped after their outrageous prices and switching to breakfast on Friday. The outside is always dirty and the lady who served my friends and I was coughing all over the place. And yelled at my friend for asking if they give refills so bad service and food. Do not come here! read more

This was the first time I tried birria ramen with tacos and I am blown away! I ordered a combo that comes with a birria ramen and a taco, along with 4 other tacos. They give plenty of lime and radishes on the side, and you can always ask for more. The ramen had so much meat inside and the broth was rich and flavorful. There is a bathroom inside and a decent amount of seating indoors and outdoors. They also have different deals each day of the week so don't pass on trying this place out! read more

Palapa - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

Poor service waitress does not know how to give customer service and poor food quality for price food was not hot when received at the table. read more

Breakfast only until 2?! Thats a good way to drive away anyone with a normal job. Used to be my favorite taco spot but now u can only order birria tacos before 2pm.... Like what... like any other normal job my lunch can be taken between 11-12 Pretty butthurt about the changes. 1 star because ill never be able to have tacos here again lol read more

I came in on a Monday and decided to try their all you can eat tacos. This was probably not a good idea. It was definitely a good deal but it came at the cost of everything being so incredibly dry. I came in at 2 pm so that may also have something to do with it as the meat isn't made to order, it seems like they make a huge tub of it at the beginning of the day. The salsas were good but nothing incredibly. In all fairness this place does seem to specialize in Birria so I will have to give that a try (hopefully it won't be so dry next time) like other have said it is a seat yourself place. The music is decently loud so make sure you ask clearly how the all you can eat option works because I didn't and there was a long embarrassing exchange of me saying "huh" to the chef repeatedly because I couldn't understand what he was saying with the music in the background. I plan on visiting again to try some of their Birria options but I will say I am leaving with a full, but disappointed belly read more

Palapa - Street tacos - Mexican Near Me - Fullerton, California

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Love the food! Burritos are always good, and deals are the best. Good atmosphere and great parking read more