The food is very flavorful, big portions and the staff is warm and welcoming. The chips and salsa speed pours they give you are a great idea. Over all very good experience and we've been coming here a lot lately because of it. read more

Maybe my rating isn't fair since I live in San Diego which has the best Mexican food in the USA. it was Tuesday and we were leaving the next day...figured why not do a taco tuesday. Chips and salsa....very entertaining...chips were definitely bulk purchased and not made in house...not faulting them for it ...they were ok. Salsa reminded me of the jarred/canned stuff from the 1980's (i lived in northern california at that time). salsa was served in adorable little syrup dispensers that you can dispense into plastic cups. props to them for the sanitary salsa dispensing system. tacos... girl got 2 carnitas ..she liked them...i wasn't a fan. i got one shredded beef which i liked and one alpastor which was ok. ordered a margarita and upgraded to Don Julio...it really wasn't good... but made up for taste by being big. 3.5 stars for the tacos 5 stars for the service (very friendly) 2 stars for the marg 2.5 stars for the salsa & chips pay at register when you're done. there are TV's playing sports so thats cool i would come back. i would like to try the regular menu and maybe a specialty marg read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

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Salsas were really good but the chips seemed store bought. Other than that the food was really yummy, large portions and great service. We are new to town and NEED a good Mexican food restaurant. We'll be back to explore more menu items. read more

Wife and I were in Arcata and decided to stop in here for lunch. The burrito was huge, it served as dinner too lol food was good and the service was great. read more

Super friendly service with a great atmosphere on the back patio to relax and unwind after the day. Food was tasty--especially the mole sauce and the chipotle sauce. Burritos are HUGE, so come hungry. read more

The service was amazing, even on a busy Taco Tuesday night. We got a pitcher of margaritas and two plates. Food was great, ambiance was great too. Highly recommend!! read more

Friendly service, generous portions were key. Tasty complementary chips and salsa--not too spicy for this lightweight. The house margarita was strong like a bull! Cute place, and they had the football game on the telly. read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - A super burrito with shrimp (note, not #62, but just as good) eviscerated. - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

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Can't beat taco Tuesday, we had the carne asada and chicken tacos both were tasty. The Cadillac margarita was large and quite good.

Came here with family to meet friends up from Eureka this afternoon. To no surprise, it was raining and we decided on albondigas. Another in our party had menudo (which she was thrilled to find available on a Saturday!) and another ordered fish tacos and guacamole for the table. Let me start with the albondigas because it blew my mind - it was exceptional and I give it my highest recommendation. It's a huge portion - so much that two of us (admittedly with smaller appetites) could not finish it. The broth was exquisite and the carrots and potatoes were expertly cooked. Oh, and the meatballs were good, but I honestly enjoyed the broth and veggies (including the mounds of onions and cilantro that came on the side) every bit as much. The person who ordered the menudo said it had good flavor and the portion was generous, but noted additional meat in it would have made it even better. The fish tacos were beautiful. They come 3 to an order and take up a full platter. The fish is coated and fried to a dark golden brown. A mayonnaise-based white sauce is served with it. A choice of flour or corn tortillas is offered (of which "corn" is the only acceptable selection ) We had a combination of regular and virgin margaritas and we were all delighted with our choices. The guacamole and chips were very enjoyable. One thing that's perplexing to me is that this place never seems to be overly busy, but it is awesome food! read more

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Great Mexican food! Staff was super friendly and food had great flavor! My burrito was the size of my arm!! read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - A large burrito and burria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

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Love this place !!! Came for lunch ; had the beef fajitas very tasty I'll definitely come back read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

Great food and amazing service! Have so much fun every time I come here! Big dining room with fun vibes.

Stopped in recently for dinner with some friends and we had a good meal and time while here. The service friendly and professional, my friends were already there upon my arrival so waiting to be seated was not an issue. The menu has a little bit of everything for pretty much all tastes. The Al Pastor tacos is kind of my standard bearer when trying a place, this is a pair of large flour tortilla tacos with sides of rice and beans, a large plate of food and the tacos were done well, the pastor was flavorful and seasoned nicely with pineapple, a bit different but still good - though a little on the greasy side. The rice and refried beans, were just that. Okay to better than average. The flan is also a nice traditional dessert here, a very large portion, rich, creamy, butterscotch flavorful and definitely shareable. This restuarant has a full bar, and by the name an assortment of margaritas, and a fair tap beer selection - I went for a cold tap Mondelo Especial, it was on par and again a good choice. This is a good choice for mexican food, in a town that has mostly just average mexican food. A solid choice, and better than most in the area and an decent choice for a good meal. Recommended when you're in the area. 3.5 Stars - rounded up for the friendly service 00760 read more

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Solid food, drinks Good value and generous portions (especially the 72) Lots of seafood options read more

Probably my favorite chips out of any Mexican restaurant I've been to, very nice servers and cashiers and cute decorations. This is where I would go if I didn't want to choose between late hours, good food, and nice ambience. I got a rice, bean, cheese, and al pastor burrito, it was pretty good, could have used more seasoning/flavor but ultimately nothing salt and salsa couldn't fix. read more

Food was incredibly bland. Although we weren't wanting spicy, there was a lack of any flavor. Bought a pitcher of Margarita and there was little to no tequila in it. Basket of chips brought to us was mostly cold broken pieces, like from the bottom of the bag. When we first arrived we were hopeful that it would be a wonderful experience because it seemed really popular with local Latinos. But apparently we weren't given the same experience. read more

Great food, clean place, fair prices, good service, excellent for have a great dinner with friends, work or partner!! read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

Delicious tacos and good margaritas. The enchiladas are not for me though, but I'm from Texas and picky about my enchiladas. Service is efficient and friendly. Ambience is cheery. read more

This was one of about three places open the day after Thanksgiving so I appreciate that. It wasn't our first choice otherwise and it did hit the spot only because of the circumstances - being hungry and having a serious case of the munchies. * SUPER BURRITO Comes with your choice of meat, lettuce, beans, rice, cheese, sour cream, guac, cilantro and onion. It was a good sized burrito for the price but looking back as I write this review my burrito was missing the guac, cilantro, and onion. The cheese and lettuce were on the skimpy side. There was a so-so amount of meat. My choice of meat was adobada which was nothing remarkable. Inside was mostly rice and refried beans, and the sour cream was noticeable. The bottom was soggy even when digging in immediately; I couldn't pick it up to eat because it was too wet so I had to eat it with a fork and knife. The complimentary chips were a nice touch although they weren't homemade. It came with two salsas which were too watery and lacking in taste. I am very unlikely to come back when I'm in the area unless I'm stuck in desperate times again. read more

My favorite things about Rita's are the friendliness of the staff, their hours, their location near the plaza, and their drink menu. If you are looking for a good place to enjoy a margarita, pina colada, or perhaps an appetizer to share with friends, this is your place. However, in my opinion the food is a tad bit bland, and the flavors are a little off. Nonetheless, the food is still good enough that I return from time to time. I never feel rushed while eating here and the wait staff is attentive and constantly wiping down tables. I've enjoyed many well-made drinks here, so I commend the bartenders. My recommendation for eating at Rita's is this: if you are looking for authenticity, you will not find it here. However, if you are ok with something more along the lines of Tex-Mex coupled with a good drink, you might find that this place will hit the spot. Some dishes are definitely better than others. Some of the better ones I've had include the Super Burrito with chorizo, and the cheese enchiladas. The dishes here are a little bit of a hit or miss, but my pleasant experiences outweigh the "eh" ones. read more

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We found this place while we were visiting our daughter at college. The two brothers that work there are incredibly friendly and funny. The crab quesadilla is so yummy. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is relaxing. We definitely will return to eat here whenever we are in town. read more

The spot itself is fine, a large mexican spot with indoor and patio outdoor options. The hostess was friendly getting us a seat but the server took forever to even stop by and take a drink order, two forevers more to take our order proper. There were hardly any other customers at this time either, so no sense of why we were being ignored. Food also took awhile, which would've been okay but what arrived was deeply meh, even the mole sauce on my enchiladas, which was the mildest and weakest tasting mole I've ever had - and I'd add that there wasn't much of it to be had. My buddy's experience with his burrito was similarly underwhelming. It'd be a three star review except for the completely underwhelming service on a quiet afternoon. read more

Found these guys through the door dash app and I'm glad I did! Super yummy vegan options that are easy to customize via the app (or just call lol). The protein choices are vegan tofu chorizo and reg tofu. I tried just the basic tofu option and it was seasoned/cooked well! My husband got the wet burrito and loved his too. I will definitely be ordering from here more often. Thanks guys; read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - Super Ranchero with tofu :) - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

All the food looked good but this is as far as I got in my meal before passing on the rest. It's extremely greasy. It had way way way too many peppers compared to meat. I had to make sure there was any meat in it at all it was so few and far between AND the meat I did get was flavourless. The tortillas hardly had a taste. We got Chipotle wings as well. I had about 3 before I fully processed how gross they were and realized it was only the ranch that made those 3 okay. I grew up in a Hispanic home. This is the worst Mexican food I've ever had in my entire life. I'm never trying it again. read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - Fajita burrito - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

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My son and I really enjoyed the tasty carne asada + sides at this traditional, family owned restaurant. He ordered the soft tacos and I had mole enchiladas. Both came with rice and beans. Yum. I also had a delicious (and heavily poured) strawberry margarita. I feel like the reviews about poor "service" here are elitist and so snobby. We entered at 8:20 (closes at 9) and the staff was already eating their family dinner. They greeted us from their table and we waited just a couple minutes for menus and service. Not an issue at all. This place is not the Olive Garden and service is going to be different; not less, just different. read more

I don't know why there are so many bad reviews on here. Rita's in Eureka use to be a weekly stop for us and we were so sad when they closed. Decided to make the drive up to Arcata to see if they compared. The raspberry margarita on the rocks was as delicious as I remember (Tajin on the rim, yum!) and all of our food was good. I got Al Pastor tacos and my partner got the Asada plate. The restaurant was clean and the staff were all friendly and professional. We didn't use the restroom this time but it doesn't just belong to the restaurant so you can't fault them if it's thrashed. If we lived nearby this would definitely be our preferred Mexican restaurant. read more

Ordered the nachos, they dumped 10 pounds of wet beans all over it so it was soggy and you really couldn't taste anything else other than beans. Its as if they use beans as a filler instead of complimenting the food. Very disappointed but next time i guess i will flat out ask for no beans. This is what restaurants suffer from these days, they think they save more money by putting in fillers and yes you save money on the more expensive ingredients but in the long run people will get fed up and will just flat out not eat here and end up losing business. Never try to save a couple cents here and there but go big or else people will just stop buying half*ss food. Honestly i would have preferred getting nachos from taco bell. Next time please do better. read more

Came in on a weekend afternoon after a movie, and got seated right away. Had a margarita and it was very very sweet. Large portions however, the meat lacks flavor. Chips were all tiny small pieces like bottom of the bag. Wait staff was fantastic but the food isn't very good. read more

I haven't eaten here besides the free chips and salsa, but their margaritas are pretty good. They come in a large glass, very tasty, and with a good amount of tequila. They also have a decent amount of good tequila if you like shots. Cool place, indoor and outdoor sitting, friendly staff. Someday I'll try something from the menu. read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - Margaritas! - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

Rita's there service is rude they imedeteley Starting speaking Spanish when I was picking up a order. They are all rude i kno they were talking about me . Next time I come I'm going to bring my friend who speaks Spanish read more

Rita's used to be the best place to get a margarita. They were always large, delicious, and strong, with a great variety of flavors to choose from. I was craving a classic Rita's margarita, but I didn't realize that the business is no longer owned by the original family who opened it. I was surprised to be served cold, store bought tortilla chips. While the service was good, and the food was good, the margarita was a huge disappointment. It was still a large portion, but I could not taste any alcohol, and the flavor itself was very bitter. The bathrooms required a code to open the door, yet despite that fact, they were totally disgusting inside. The bathrooms were thrashed and filthy. There was also no soap in the bathroom. It made me wonder how the staff was washing their hands. The margaritas used to be the whole appeal of this place, but I will not be returning to this location again. This is not the Rita's it used to be, which is disappointing. read more

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I have struggled with Rita's Quality for a few years now. I had put them on my No Way list but for some reason I decided maybe they had improved recently. I ordered Grilled chicken tacos Americano style lettuce, onions, sour cream. I myself ordered bacon wrapped jalapeños. The rest of our food was bland and unnecessary to even mention. My daughters tacos were shredded and spicy - shouldn't count eat them. I got half poppers and half bacon wrapped jalapeños- I can't have poppers. We ordered on door dash and my number is accessible via my message on the app. I wrote in the description for my daughter's tacos what she wanted. Once again and sadly Rita's goes on the NoWay list. It's so unfortunate- what happened? read more

You know, I really like the food. But when I'm working late and I try to order for take out the phone is always busy. The last time I drove down to tell them that their phone might be off the hook and was informed by the manager that when they get busy they take it off the hook so they can't be bothered. I find that extremely disrespectful, and it's happened now three out of the last four times I've tried to order. I won't be calling anymore. Plenty of other places which can be bothered with my business. read more

Funky town center location but food is great. They have TOFU tacos! Free chips an salsa. Worthy of 4 stars

There was a good amount of food but it was VERY bland, lacked any flavor, and the price was high. The staff were EXTREMELY FRIENDLY, so that was good, but unfortunately the food wasn't good. read more

I've never been disappointed by Rita's, except when Rita's isn't open. Great margaritas. Last time I had their tacos with homemade tortillas...HUGE! I couldn't finish, but they tasted great.i especially like that they have a dog-friendly outdoor dining area. read more

I hadn't tried Rita's in a long time. Tuesday this week I decided to order a couple of tacos and a tamale, what the heck right? Wrong. The masa for the tamale was dry, and so were the contents inside. I finished it and said to myself," so that's they're version of a chicken tamale, okay, don't order that from there again." Then I opened the box for the tacos. They looked appealing. I take a bite. What the hell? "Is there syrup or something on the shell of this taco? It's so sweet - WHY?" I look inside, and to my HORROR, there are pineapple slices galore. I did not order pineapple slices with a side of taco. Immediately I knew it was a poor execution and example of "al pastor." Based on shawarma spit-grilled meat brought by the Lebanese immigrants to Mexico, the pork should be marinated in a combination of dried chilies, spices and pineapple, then slowly cooked with a gas flame on a vertical rotisserie, very similar to how shawarma is cooked, with a piece of fresh onion and a pineapple on top. When ready, the meat is then thinly sliced off the spit with a large knife. It is served on small tortillas, with finely chopped onions, cilantro, and *occasionally a small slice of pineapple* and usually topped with some lemon or lime juice and hot salsa. This is NOT what they offer at Rita's. The meat was not marinated like it should have been, there were no flavors other than pork; the obvious (lazy) attempt to reinvent al pastor was to toss pineapples in the taco. It was a HUGE disappointment. I do not recommend their version of Al Pastor. Or their chicken tamale. Two stars instead of one, because the service was just fine. It was the product itself that was poor. read more

Rita's Margaritas & Mexican Grill - Pineapples in my taco. No thanks. - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

A friend requested a Rita's gift certificate for his birthday. I decided to have lunch while I was there. I ordered the carnitas tacos a-la-carte and a beer. What a great little meal! They were delicious and the portion was very generous. Paying the bill I was surprised! The total was under $11.00. Now I know why my friend eats here all the time. Thank you, Rita's for the awesome lunch! read more

Ordered chips and salsa and a burrito from DoorDash and didn't even get a burrito. When opening my food I noticed that it was messier than I expected and realized that they didn't even wrap my burrito. It was just lazily folded over like a soft taco but had so much filling that it was impossible to eat normally. Also the filling was just all bean and rice. I barely had any meat as I picked through the open burrito with a fork. The chips were also very stale and the salsa had no flavor except for a sweetness which reminded me of cheap grocery store salsa. read more

So disappointing I ordered a super burrito that had absolutely no flavor! Waste of money never going back.