Palapa has been a Simi Valley staple for over twenty years, and it is no wonder. We moved out of state about ten years ago, and hubby and I often relish our memories of the delicious, authentic Mexican food served here. Flavio, the manager, is always welcoming, and even after a 10 year absence, he remembered my favorite: Chile Rellenos! :) He was prompt with taking my to-go order, packaged everything nicely, and completed the whole order with a smile. I ate the street tacos (chopped steak, cilantro, onions) right away, and it was perfection! I was actually taking some of the food back home, and the burritos survived the trip! Hubby and I enjoyed our burritos: chile relleno for me, carne asada for him! A day later, and an ocean away, the food still tasted amazing! Their chips were crispy and I ate them all in one sitting. Their house salsa is marvelous! Hint of smoke, salt and sweet, I could drink it as a drink, or use it for a Bloody Mary. I actually did drink the salsa out of an extra to-go ramekin... mmm..mmm... delicious! There is no question that this place is a MUST-STOP, if you are ever in Simi Valley. read more

Decided to try this place, I'm new to Simi so looking for good Mexican food. I door dashed carne nachos and enchiladas. It's so bland and nasty, my salsa has a chemical flavor and my beef has a fishy flavor. Never again ! read more

The lunch specials are extremely affordable and taste great! We're always warmly greeted when we enter. It's a bit dark inside, so if you're looking for romantic, this is a good choice. Today, I had the 2 item:Hard beef taco and Beef Tamales that comes with a side of rice and beans and an iced tea for $14.99. One of the best tamales I've had in a long time! Lots of beef, which I find not too common anymore. It is my new go-to order. read more

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This place deserves higher star rating I used to com here with my old coworkers for a drink after our serving shift and the establishment would make sure we were well taken care of. The drinks are so good and mixed to perfection. The chips and salsa have a perfect tomato to spicy ratio so we went ham on those bowls. Always checked on and made sure we had everything we needed. read more

Beware, this place adds $1.25 to your tab, without advising you, for using a credit or debit card! It shows up on the receipt "after" you pay.... Seriously? I will never go back and the food was average at best and service was average as well. This place is trying to be like the casinos in Vegas with resort fees.... With as many great Mexican food choices in Simi, steer clear of this clip joint.. read more

La Palapa is one of my favorite Mexican spots in Simi. The food's always fresh and full of flavor, tacos loaded up, burritos big enough to share (but I never do), and their chips and salsa are addicting. Camarones a la Diabla are delicious and my favorite is the machaca con huevos. The staff is super friendly and makes you feel welcome every time. It's relaxed, casual, and just has that "neighborhood favorite" feel. Prices are fair, portions are huge, and I've never left hungry. Honestly, I could eat here every week and never get tired of it. read more

We came in for dinner , hostess or lead waitress ignored us, didn't even greet us, we waited for 5 minutes. She totally ignored us while counting receipts or something . We finally got her attention and said you know what we are leaving. She simply replied "ok" and didn't even care or ask what's wrong. Place was not busy , there was no one else waiting for a table. Only Us.... We called manager an hour later and told him , he also said "ok". Made no effort to do anything . I used to go here all the time . Never ever again . Worst customer service I have ever seen . Even the manager didn't care . Wow just wow read more

I read a lot of the reviews for this place. Honestly, all the one stars are coming from ENTITLED Karen's that think Pelapas owes them everything. My husband and I have been coming here for years. I'm Mexican and when I first moved to Simi it took me a while to find authentic Mexican food with great drinks & even better vibes. And pelapas definitely delivers. I recommend the steak ranchero and the menudo. Sit at at bar! The bartenders make great drinks and are very personable. We have also made so many friends coming here. Love this place! read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Bar - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

This place beets Yolanda's any day for authentic Mexican food! Love the family ambiance and the staffs pretty good. Only thing is they close early so ya gotta get there early because after 930pm forget it. Foods worth it though. Oh and delicious margaritas!! read more

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The service is terrible. They didn't want to give me a salsa to go because it didn't come with my taco. I've never heard of a taco eatery that doesn't give salsa. Taco was bland. Don't recommend this place. read more

Love the food, service always fast and orders accurate, ambiance always feels upbeat no matter what time or day. I worked at Bank of America for years and this was our go-to spot. I miss the asada tacos with the chile toreados. ahuevo, Toro. read more

Visited Ronald Reagan Museum sought out a good Mexican eatery. So glad that we chose this place. Great food, great service, great menu actually! Four of us ate all different foods and all different foods were quite tasty! read more

The food is a hit or miss & drinks are awesome. Everyone is very attentive & It is a very cozy place to have a meal.

Won't be coming back. Sat at the bar and even though I had the bartender in front of me I never got my food. He was clearly just paying attention to his usuals. 45min passed and he never came by to check on the other people around me. I had to wave and loudly told him to close me out. He FiNALLY noticed I never got my food when he asked where my plate was. I told him "i never got it and you never checked on me". He didn't even say sorry or try to make up for it. Just ignored me after giving me my check and went on. Wanted more drink... left hungry. Never again. read more

Not a huge fan of Mexican food but Palapa is authentic. Service is excellent. The ambience presents as you are guests but familial in their home - service is the same. Food muy bueno! read more

So good! The food is delicious, lots of menu options to choose from. The service was super friendly and responsive. Plenty of parking. We had a great meal and will definitely return! read more

First time visit. Seems like three spots for you dine- outside, bar area, or a little quieter room. Friendly staff. Chips and salsa- salsa had more kick than I'm used to from most places, but good. The fajitas are a great deal and so flavorful. It reminded me why I love to order fajita. The rice could use more flavor. Over all, though, solid visit. read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Mixed fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

Great food and service plus a friendly staff. Ambiance is cool and chill. Definitely recommend.

So this was at lunch. I ordered alacarte. The food was okay. The chile relano had a very small chile inside, it was more of the surrounding batter than anything else. The floor I noticed all around was full of crumbs from maybe the night before, not sure because there was only 3 tables that had customers. And all the floors by the booths were dirty. Another issue is that they never said that they charge a 1.25 service fee to use a card. I feel that they should say something. Then someone can decide if they want to pay by card or cash. I had no idea until I got my receipt. read more

Came here for late breakfast and asked our server what she recommended. Chiliquiles with steak over medium she said. Sounds perfect, and it was perfect! Only I missed out on was perhaps a margarita. Again, it was early, not even noon... too early to start margarita drinking. LOL. My husband had carne Asada burrito. He cleaned his plate. Good food. Good service. read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Carne Asada Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

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Horrible service. The servers cater only to regulars, although we had a regular at our table. That individual received a lot of attention & service. Other people at our table waited nearly 30 minutes for margaritas. They asked three times about their drinks & at one point the server said, "they are waiting for lime juice." Maybe it had to be shipped in. Meanwhile the regular was receiving drinks quickly. We asked to have the two margaritas removed the bill & received a flippant response, the server said she would need to ask her boss. She never followed up & actually went home. When the bill arrived we disputed it & the owner's son said we should have returned the drinks if we didn't want them. No apology, no response that they would follow up with the server, & no offer to improve the experience. He blamed us, the customers for not returning the drinks. This is not the first time we have had service problems but it will be the last as they have lost us as customers. Somehow people forget how to deliver good service, apologies are important, & following up with guests. read more

Love the service. Luis is amazing!The girls at the front thank you! Compliments to the chef! read more

Palapa Mexican Food - House Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

It's not easy getting older, and aging is not for the young. My wife and I were sort of kicking ourselves for not coming to Palapa more often. It's on the opposite end of Simi from us, and sits off the road in a shopping center, hidden behind some tree's planted to block their signage it seems. Last night we wanted something that was a little different from the usual haunts and we decided to try Palapa. Both of us were very happy with this idea. Mama got the Flautas, had them filled with their very tender shredded beef. Her only complaint was they were almost twice the size she was used to at other restaurants; such is life. I had their very crispy beef Milenesa, which maybe the best I've had in ages. They served it with papas, arroz, y frijoles and that is way too much food, next time I'll say hold the beans. The dish was almost perfect otherwise. Oh, we both had their iced tea, and it tasted fresh and had enough ice which lately seems to have been an issue elsewhere. Friday night the place was very busy, but we were seated within two minutes of arrival. They took our beverage order, we perused the menu, and ordered, we added soup and salad, one for each of us to the dinner; my albondigas was tasty, and the temp allowed me to enjoy it without waiting for it to cool; I like that. Our meals arrived at about the time we were finishing the add ons, which was about perfect. One very nice place with great service and a friendly staff. Good for couples or larger parties so drop by and explore the menu. The menu does have smaller print, just felt that needed to be mentioned. Cheers. read more

Traditional Mexican food, friendly staff and VERY fast service! I also loved the salsa. It seemed fresh and homemade. It may seem like a small thing but I have had "from a jar" at some other restaurants or the flavor was meh Also ice tea was fresh too Would definitely come back!! read more

Best place ever. Best drinks. Best margs. Best food. Best workers. Amazing. I will always be at palapa. It's my fav

Haven't been here in years and thought I would give it a try again. I ordered the taquito plate with rice and beans to go. I was kind of surprised how pricey it was, about $20 for a few taquitos cut up. I also noticed that I was charged a service fee and not told when checking out. I did think the meat was good and enjoyed the enchilada sauce on top of the taquitos but tbh Campos is just as good and half the price tag. read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Beef taquitos - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

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The service from our waiter was horrible! Took our order correctly but once our food came, he missed my burrito and I waited for over 10 minutes for him to even bother to check up on us. At the point I no longer wanted the burrito. He walked around our looking over but never came to our table and asked if we wanted something else. Or how was our food, or anything read more

jessica was an amazing host & provided such excellent service. Making sure we had everything we needed. The margarita's we're strong & tasty as well.. I will definitely be back read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Taquitos (Happy Hour) - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

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The food is always good and service is excellent I love that they use no lard and I can get my yummy burrito

It was my first time going to Palapa even though we've been in Simi for just under 2 years. When we first moved here I begged my BF to find out about any local joints that were good. This place was a suggestion from a friend of his that frequents there and is good friends with the family that owns it. YES, you read that right, FAMILY OWNED. I think that family owned businesses definitely give a place a different vibe. Pride of ownership I'm guessing... and a last name that lives on in the future, right? Associated with a multitude of things... service, food and atmosphere. So here is my experience for the first time: Atmosphere: I found the place almost homey in a way, like I went to my uncle and aunts house with their large custom bar and high to tables. Friendly atmosphere and unique decorations. It gave a nice feel. Service: We were greeted immediately upon entering the restaurant and sat down with our friend who was already enjoying a drink, some chips and salsa and awaiting his order of food. The servers helped each other and were very friendly, warm and threw around a few jokes here and there which made me feel comfortable! Food: We ordered the ceviche, had some of their fresh chips and salsa, (nice and spicy!), shrimp cocktail and totally not Mexican food, but for keto-sake, we got buffalo wings. The ceviche was by far my favorite! FINALLY legit ceviche. Served with tostadas/chips... so so good. Craving them as I write this review. The shrimp cocktail is not my cup of tea, but the shrimp were perfectly cooked and nice and cold as they should be. The wings were good, nice amount of sauce, served with carrots and celery as usual. Ok the most important category that I didn't mention earlier: DRINKS! Please make sure you drink a margarita when you come here. Kudos to the bartender who makes them PERFECT. They even have a "skinny" margarita... served in a skinny tall glass. LOL! We had a great time here and went back for some drinks/chips, but sadly they were closed... they do close a little bit early 9pm or so. But in Simi Valley, everything closes up early. Highly recommend! read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Skinny cucumber jalapeño margarita. Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

I have been going to this restaurant since it opened and they finally lost me as a customer. When dining there recently we walked in and only about 6 people were inside and 3 female servers 2hours before closing time. We ordered our meal and two margaritas. My meal was fajitas and its was soo greasy and popping all over and it was mostly onions and 2 shrimp 2pieces of chicken 2 pieces of meat. I asked for extra napkins pointing out it was so greasy that was not acknowledged. Fatima was out server and not once did she even come by ask how everything was and if we wanted another drink. Two men came in possibly regulars and the girls hung out with them at the bar taking shots and again not once asked did we want anything. We waited and waited for a bill and u til we stood up and went to the register when Fatima finally gave us the bill elected no tip and I was calm and said the experience we had and she was more concerned no tip. The next day I called and asked for the manager and she Carmen who listened and said oh ok .she too was not even concerned. I was not asking for anything but did expect Carmen to truly address this with the staff. If the restaurant had been packed I might have overlooked the poor customer service. So even giving them 1star is not ok and drinking on the job is a big heck no for me !!!! There is a better restaurant in town Elvira's and they will get my business from now on !! read more

Best Food Food, Service and Ambiance in all of Simi Valley. The Bartenders and Servers are the friendliest as well. Highly recommended and see for yourself. read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Cadillac Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

Some of the best Mexican food in town. Well priced and always fresh. I love the Chili Colorado Burrito. Spicy but not too. Healthy helping on fillings. The chips and salsa are great as well. read more

I love the food! They have the best shrimp dishes and great chips & salsa. I love coming with family.

Tamales were horrible. Somehow it came soaked with enchilada sauce and cheese. Maybe because it was not fresh, the edges were hard, we can't even cut it with a knife. I found hair in my food. So disappointed. read more

Hands down the best Mexican food I've ever had. I had the chili relleno and my wife had the beef chimichanga. Chips and salsa were so good. Had excellent service from Vanessa. Very comfortable and fun environment. They had the dodgers game on. What more could I ask for? read more

wow, wow, wow. i do not even know where to start. one thee best restaurant i have ever been to!!!! best staff and service, the yummiest food (cannot go wrong with anything), and just such a comforting environment. seriously could not recommend this place more and i always look forward to being able to come here. thank you for the amazing service and food. i am treated so kindly and i could not respect the staff anymore. thank you! read more

I have been here many times and they always have great service. Food and drinks are delicious read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Delicious Margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California

Worst food ever , I won't be going back. Makes Taco Bell taste like the best Mexican food around. Ewwwww Awful. read more

Chilaquiles verdes were on point y mangorita was good, service was fast and checkout as well. read more

Palapa Mexican Food - Chilaquiles verdes and mangorita - Mexican Near Me - Simi Valley, California