Ramon was our server and he was amazing. I was meeting a client for the first time in person and he came in to check on us at the perfect times so he didn't interrupt. And he kept up with our drink refills, was very personable and all around awesome! The atmosphere with the music was awesome as well. Definitely coming again! read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Love this place. 2nd year in a row we have been to the Benedict Castle Concours and followed up with a great meal here. I think we need to start a tradition! The ambiance here is great and so is the service. My husband and I both love their cocktails, would highly recommend just asking to switch from tequila to Mezcal if you're a fan - awesome. Even their house margaritas are fantastic. They have this one margarita that is a little spicy, with hints of cucumber - so refreshing. Then there's the food. Their house chips and salsa are so fresh, need to be careful on overloading before your actual food gets there. My husband had the shrimp enchiladas- all I can say is wow. This has got to be the star. I got the carne asada steak - also grilled perfectly. Highly recommend this spot. Great place to go when you're in downtown Riverside, then after this meal maybe take a walk to the Mission Inn! I work in Costa Mesa, there's another Palenque there as well - will have to give that a try. If it's a good as this one in Riverside, it'll be a real temptation not to go there during my lunch hour. We'll be back for sure! read more

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The Salmon al Pastor and Sandia Pepino were absolutely delicious! The Salmon al Pastor is served with a pineapple salsa that's worthy of of five stars on its own. Sally was amazing, attentive, and delightful. Palenque will probably see me tomorrow. read more

Asia is the best!!! Amazing service and cool atmosphere. Highly recommend! My best friend has the best birthday! read more

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Having a girls night and we started out at one of the best places downtown! The drinks were absolutely fantastic and omg the appetizers alone will fill you up, but if you have room for more you will not regret it! We had both the Papas Bravas and the Puplo to start and paired it with a Margarita flight and their drink Mayan Pitaya . Just finished the Camarones à la Diabla and it was delicious, but the best part of eating was the customer service! Our server Artemica was absolute perfection. It's all about the vibes and she has it and then some. If you ever get a chance to stop by and eat here make sure you have Artemica as your server because you are in good hands with her! read more

Sally was very nice and attentive. Amazing service all around. Will definitely be coming back

I was very excited to try this Resturant. But unfortunately it wasn't what I expected. The food was mid and the prices are pretty high. They took too long to bring out all our food. All The food came out at different times so we couldn't eat together.The Resturant it's self it's really nice and clean. Staff was nice. read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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Thanks Christian !! You are the best! Had a great afternoon at this bar/ restaurant in Downtown Riverside. The Espresso Martini is DELICIOUS and the music was amazing.. a little noisy but actually fun to have drinks and you can still have a conversation. Highly recommend! read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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Second time coming here and The food was amazing!!! We loved the chips and guacamole and the ceviche I totally recommend. Not to mention our server Artemiza had such an amazing personality and was incredibly nice and welcoming!!! The atmosphere of the restaurant was on point as well. I will come back again read more

Great food and service! Atmosphere was lively and fun! Do recommend coming at brunch! read more

Artemiza is an amazing server, working the floor on her own when it's busy. Food was amazing she was quick, she's very attentive, very friendly as well. 10/10 server. The vibe in here is really cool laid back. read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Artemiza was amazing! It's hard to believe she's only been here for one week--she was incredibly friendly, attentive, and made us feel very welcome. The enchiladas were delicious, and the salmon was great as well. The atmosphere was fantastic with great vibes all around. Excellent food, service, and ambiance. We'll definitely be back! read more

Excellent service and Artemiza was the best!! She was very kind, friendly, and provided great service throughout our visit. She definitely made our experience even better. read more

Great food, drinks and ambiance. Our server was Artemiza and she was super helpful and attentive. I recommend the carnitas dinner with a Paloma. read more

This place is amazing! It's a family friendly restaurant with great music, food and ambiance. I highly recommend trying the pulpo appetizer and the quesa birria tacos. My wife loved their pozole, guacamole and their churros. Special thanks to our server Iris for being a part of celebrating our special evening. read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Pulpos appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Artemiza was the best server, she has the best personality and very friendly! Helped me and my husband with the best service, coming back to see her ! read more

Came for a friends birthday night out... Our host Artemiza is the greatest ! She is so sweet and has the brightest smile can't wait to come back ! read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Palenque is the go to brunch spot in Riverside! Artemiza was an amazing server! Food was amazing and the service was even better! I will definitely be coming back! read more

Artemiza and Vanessa did awesome! Great food, drinks, and even better service. Mango marg was great

Great place for people watching on a Friday or Saturday night. Lots of clubs and bars in the area and this restaurant also owns the club next door. Nice ambiance and decor. Boutique style plating. Service was good. Fajita portion was rather small, rice was about two teaspoons worth and was stuck together and hard. Steak was tough, rubbery and fatty and itbwas only two small corn tortillas. Chips and salsa was $5. The enchiladas had a decent flavor and the portion was cool. Says open until 1am on the weekend on yelp but they were closed by 12am. They should allow free admission to the club with purchases at the restaurant of a certain amount after a certain time. Ive frequented several restaurants that also had a nightclub attached that allowed that. Makes patronizing a little easier and fun. read more

Great experience. I had the Camarones Al mojo d'ajo and churros for dessert. The restaurant itself has a great vibe and food was delicious, the best margarita also, I think juice had to be fresh squeezed read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Churros. The best I ever had - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Came in on a date tonight and had the best time! First time here and will definitely be back again. Our bartender Ramon was excellent! I am so happy we came in and were so excited to make this place a date night spot as long as he's here! I truly hope management realizes they have a gem with him! read more

I went to Palenque by Mezcal twice last week -- once on Thursday with my fiancé, then again on Saturday with friends. Safe to say: we were hooked. Thursday night: My fiancé had the Torta Cubana (he LOVED it) and a beer. I went with the shrimp tacos and a Paloma cocktail. The tacos were tasty but spicier than expected -- I had asked for no spice, (if you have read my reviews you know I can't have spicy food) so that was a small miss. However, the real surprise was dessert: the tres leches with lemon and blueberries -- absolutely delicious! Not too sweet, refreshing, and such a nice twist on the classic. Saturday: We came back with a group and ordered a variety to try -- carne asada tacos, birria tacos, and octopus. Everything was solid, but the octopus? Next level. Perfectly cooked and packed with flavor. It stole the show. Prices are on the higher end, especially for Riverside, but honestly... YOLO. The vibes are great, the food is elevated, service is fair and it feels like a special night out without leaving town. read more

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An amazing experience from beginning to end! Our server, Victor gave us great recommendations from delicious drinks to apps and mains. Our food came out within an appropriate time and Victor immediately noticed our daughter's food had a sauce on it which we had asked to be on the side. He took it back and brought out the right plate without our asking! If we lived nearby, we would be here all the time! 5 stars! read more

Artemiza was amazing! She was so nice, patient, and attentive to our party of 6. The mole enchiladas, guacamole, empanadas, and chicken taquitos were delicious! The $10 happy hour margaritas were also so good! Thank you Artemiza and Victor for the amazing service! read more

excellent ambience. great location. good vibes. fabulous free churros (with a yelp review).

The waitress was very attentive and checked on our table frequently. My favorite thing at any restaurant is what they serve complimentary. Whether if it's bread or chips and salsa. That's what people look forward to and it was disappointing that you have to pay for chips and salsa here. They give you very little chips and small cups of salsa that doesn't pack any heat. The cubana sandwich was good. I think it can be shared between 2-people. The atmosphere is cool and I can understand why people come here. Nice decor and is a place you want to take pictures with your friends. It definitely isn't a place for me. I like quiet place to have dinner and to be able to enjoy conversation. Also it's a one man restroom so you have to wait in line to use it. read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Cubana - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

What a great place to celebrate my birthday our server was Christian he took our table and made us feel special. Loved the drinks and the ambiance. Christian is now our preferred server. read more

Situated in the culture and arts area of Riverside, this place was easy to get to from the hotel I stayed in for the week on business. Inside was beautiful and gave you Mayan heritage feel. They didn't have happy hour, however their drinks were reasonably priced. There were 4 of us so we ordered several things to try. The taquitos, ceviche w/ tortillas, fried octopus, queso were amazing! Our waiter was so nice and gave us a history lesson about the name of the restaurant and helped me figure out which mezcal I was going to try for the first time. Their chicken fajitas were really good also. They played good music which made the vibe even better along with the food and drinks. I would go back here for sure and try other dishes. read more

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Good food. Enjoyed their happy hour food and drinks although we had to ask for the menu. The tacos were so delicious and margaritas were good quality, the ambience is great and service is quick and attentive. read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Asada taco and Tonga taco. Margaritas. - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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Artemiza & Vanessa are amazing and service was incredible. Music was amazing on R&B with Love event

Artemiza was absolutely amazing and the food was really good. Make sure you ask for Artemiza if you get a chance to enjoy a meal here.

I booked reservations for a Saturday night and we were seated within a few minutes. Service was nice, our waiter was friendly despite seeming very busy. The restaurant is just a quick 5 minute walk from the Mission Inn. The inside is on the smaller to medium size with aesthetically pleasing neon lights in dim lighting. The food was just okay to me. The best thing was the guacamole but they such a little scoop in a big bowl. The presentation looked a bit disappointing because of that. I ordered the chicken enchiladas and the verde sauce had too much acidity for my liking. The chicken was moist but the flavor was okay. The Spanish rice was undercooked and hard with a funny chlorine taste to it. The margaritas were also a better a highlight as it was strong and pretty to look at it. Although the atmosphere is fun for a night out, I've had way better Mexican food at higher end places that cost just as much if not less. read more

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Check out Palenque in Downtown Riverside to enjoy traditional Mexican dishes with a different twist, in a more upscale, modern setting. The food had great flavors that went well with one of the signature cocktails. I started off with the Sandia Pepino, A Margarita with watermelon infused tequila, house citrus, blue agave, tajin rim. I tried the combo Fajita plate with sautéed poblano mixed peppers, onions, butter, sour cream, mexican rice, beans, warm tortillas, and guacamole. We were welcomed and seated right away. Great service! Definitely will be back the next time I'm in the area. read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Sandia Pepino - Watermelon infused tequila, house citrus, blue agave, tajin rim - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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Ratings as follows for the trinity: Food & Drinks: 3/5 * guacamole as a starter was great in itself. However, the chips tasted like burnt oil. The salsa that came with it was delicious. 3/5 * birria tacos were as expected and came with a solid consume and a side of rice and pinto beans. 4/5 * the asada plate was a bit underwhelming. The meat was not cooked to the temperature of our choice and was a bit chewy. Not really a flat meat. The vegetables, however, were solid. 3/5 * watermelon margarita. Very refreshing highly recommend to order. 5/5. Service: very attentive and accommodating. 5/5 Ambiance: lively with music and cute decorations. 4.5/5 read more

We visited Riverside last night for the Festival of Lights at the Mission and decided to grab some food beforehand. I had initially booked a reservation at another restaurant, but this place caught my eye and looked way better--so glad we switched! We arrived just before 5 PM, and they were able to seat our party of four right away. Perfect timing, because shortly after, the restaurant completely filled up, and a line started forming outside. The Festival of Lights clearly draws a crowd, and without reservations, we were lucky to get in. Had we arrived any later, we might've missed out on this gem! I consider myself a Michelada connoisseur, so I have to say the drink was just okay--but that's the only thing I wasn't wowed by. The carnitas plate? Phenomenal. Everyone at my table ended up stealing bites from my plate after seeing how good it looked and confirming it tasted even better. The fresh guacamole was another standout, and the esquites were pretty tasty as well. The service was excellent, and the staff was both attentive and (bonus points!) very good-looking. They made sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal. This spot is definitely worth a visit. I'd love to come back, but it'll likely be next year during the Festival of Lights again. Highly recommend this place if you're in the area--just be sure to arrive early! read more

Palenque by Mezcal - Carnitas -- highly recommend! - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Good service. Artemisa was great. Service was in par and she provided great suggestions. The bar tender Victor was fast and knowledgeable with drinks. read more

No vegetarian options besides salad & sides! So easy to do Mexican vegetarian dishes but not one on the menu.

They state online they offer so much for the guests but when I went in with a group of business associates to work on our laptops while we are eatting they said they didn't offer any WiFi for guests EVEN THOUGH they promote online they do have WiFi available for guests this ruined our experience we CANCELED OUR ORDER AND LEFT! I wonder what else they DONT HAVE AVAILABLE FOR THEIR GUESTS read more

Was in the area for the Riverside Mission Christmas lights and wanted a bite to eat. Located in the center downtown Riverside, definitely a great spot for Mexican food. Given how many people were in the area for the lights we were pleasantly surprised at how quickly we were seated by the hostess. Our server Jose is the sweetest! He came by immediately and brought us waters and got our orders for food. He even gave us some suggestions on popular drinks! He came by a couple of times to check on us and always has a smile on his face. Watermelon margarita 10/5 - took Jose's suggestion and got the margarita. Even comes with a slice of cucumber! Delicious and super addicting. Could've drank 10 of these. Fish tacos 5/5 - 2 beer battered fish tacos were delicious. Fish tasted fresh and seasoned well. Comes with a side of Mexican rice and beans. Fajitas 4/5 - comes with all the fixings of a fajita plate including meat, Mexican rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, and tortillas. The meat was a little watery for my taste. Other than that flavors were great. Will definitely come back to try more stuff on their menu! read more

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