This place is BOMB! Like the person before me, I'm not sure why there's been some bad reviews...the food is killer, I love Chicken Mole but each restaurant has its own style of making it...this place makes it the best! Also, jalepeno jelly??? I could spread that on anything! Their margaritas are what really keep me going back though. All of them are amazing, one of my fave's is the Zorita which is actually made with vodka. Atmosphere is great, servers are always very friendly. It's a pretty small place though so be prepared to wait awhile for a table on busy nights. read more

I went there with my wife and we had an exceptional meal. I had a vegetarian enchilada with mole sauce and it was one of the best I have had since eating in a very upscale place in Austin. The margaritas were great and the service was truly amazing. The portions were od a good size, but not outrageous as you might find in some burrito joints. It was a special occasion and the staff was so nice once they found out that it was unbelievable. The overall ambience was very warm, pleasantly busy and welcoming. read more

Red pepper enchiladas are to die for, so good and taste great everytime! Very friendly staff and authentic feel to the restaurant - favorite spot read more

A traditional but yet not your average Mexican food establishment. Quick and lovely service. The dishes each have a small twist to it that accents the flavors in just the right way. Soo good ! Both the tilapia poblano and Durango enchiladas were stellar ! And the salsa can be enjoyed by the spoonfuls alone because it is just that good. read more

The best margaritas in town. There special enchiladas are all amazing. I usually get the Durango enchilada and am blown away every time.

The food here is pretty darn good. The Mole is fantastic, which is no small feat. The service was pretty good. At no time were we left waiting. The margarita was large and ont he strong side, which is exactly what was needed. read more

Love these guys, their food, y la bebida! La Comida Mexicana with endless tasty twists and turns. Tapas. Real mole. Fresh, fresh mariscos (seafood), local produce, and flan to die for. Or mud pie! About 50+ tequilas, but the "house" margie is damn good. Go there, its small, no reservations, and I guarantee a line on the sidewalk weekends and holidays. Worth it - a local treasure. read more

So tasty! I know if you look at my profile I review a bunch of restaurants and they all have 4 and 5 star reviews but I really like the places I go. Tortilla Flats is another of the local spots I love! it's small and can be kind of a hassle to get into but thats a sign of an amazing place right? That being said, you gotta hit this place up. I have never has a meal and thought "uh, that was OK." Everything I have ever ordered was awesome! It is worth the wait. read more

Bland food and inconsistent service. We waited a long time for a server to come over. Once she did, she was friendly, but the other waiters had no problems walking by us (as we were looking around for help) without offering any service. read more

Excellent sit-down Mexican fare. A lot of care goes into the food here, the ingredients are all high quality, and they import a lot of obscure Mexican peppers that cannot be found around here for use in their delicious sauces. They prepare a different mole sauce every week and every one I've tried has been absolutely delicious. The specialty enchiladas are also remarkably good. They use a lot of local, organic produce it shows in the superior quality of the food. The specials are always a good choice, veering subtly off of the beaten path. The house-made chips and salsa are superb, they have an excellent selection of tequila, and they make a great margarita. Best sit down Mexican food in Soquel Village (better than Chipotle down the street or Little Tampico on Main) and possibly the best sit-down Mexican food north of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County (edging out El Palomar downtown). read more

Love this place...Different than the usual beans & rice that you find at most Mexican restaurants. They have a great Tapas menu a couple of days a weeks and the Margaritas are huge.....It's a little pricey, but very fresh and flavorful. read more

Let me start off by saying that the flatlander tacos here are everything, especially for a vegetarian. It's so inventive and delicious whether in crunchy taco form or in a tostada. I also love the iced tea- it's legit, strong, and unsweetened, all aspects that are hard to find in restaurant iced tea. The atmosphere is cozy and we can always find a table (at lunchtime at least). The only reason why I didn't give Tortilla Flats 5 stars is because for some reason there's always only 1 server (who does a great job) but that can make service a bit slow. I also can't quite get on board with the Buena Vista social club soundtrack playing ad nauseam. Other than that, great mexican food and I highly recommend it! read more

My Favorite place in town for mexican food. Food is delicious, and the atmosphere is great for dining with the fam. I love the red pepper enchilladas, plus all the regular mexican fare like enchiladas and tacos. They always have very good specials as well. read more

since it's no longer a secret... this is the best authentic mexican food around. it's been in business for 25 years! **T-flats has an unusual menu with what are essentially gourmet meal items. this is not your average mexican place, chances are you will be surprised by both the quality of food, the quality of service, and the unique items on the menu. if you want a taco bar- go to a taco bar- if you want mexi-americana go to one of the dozens in town. **tuesdays= tapas menu= excellent. ** they also have a calendar of special menus- tamale week, mole week, cactus week, friday khalo week, dia des los muertos events, etc. **the day of the dead offrenda/display every year is gorgeous. **the waitresses are all super. almost zero turn-over of staff= which definitely says something about the management/owners. **NOTE= you will hear they have the best margaritas in town... this is true= however, be sure to order the "original" margarita.... not the "house". they also have an extensive selection of fine tequila. (ps- for the ""margaritas are expensive" crowd: it's because they are enormous and potent! certainly twice the drink you'll get anywhere else! **the only bummer about T-flats- which is true of all the best restaurants in this county... you may have to wait.... read more

Tortilla Flats - rio grande carne asada - Mexican Near Me - Soquel, California

See all

Great fast service. Great selection of vegetarian food. We loved the vegetarian enchilada. The vegetarian green corn tamales were also good - it does not come with vegetables but comes with a side of rice and beans. Very nice decor. read more

I'd give this restaurant 3.5. It's always immaculate. The food is great. The servers are always pleasant and efficient. The only thing is that it's small and sometime you have to wait. read more

The decor and environment is very authentic Mexican, which is very nice. Kinda your hole in the wall spot. The waitstaff is SUPER friendly. The food was okay. I understand that it needs to be universal for everyone, but I enjoy my Mexican food with just a little more kick in it. But overall the service is amazing and friendly, the prices are good, the food is okay. Oh! But the drinks are great and generous. 4stars, would recommend read more

Holy crap! Amazing. This is some seriously great mexican food. The red pepper enchilada and green tamales are insane. So good

One word: margarita. They are delicious and huge! The food is fantastic. I'm a big fan of the tamales which are naturally sweet from the corn yet savory with the delicious sauce. Everything on the menu is great, and the chips and salsa are fresh and infinite. The service is on par with everything previously stated, a full staff of friendly, smiling, and attentive servers. read more

Margaritas are amazing. Salsa had great flavor. Had the pablano rellenostarter. Really good. (Goat cheese, chorizo and onion). Husband had the Chipotle enchiladas. I had taco and enchilada. Only place on the planet I can think of I don't have a problem paying so much for Mexican...it's really that good. (Did I mention the amazing margaritas? ) read more

The food is really good! The Enchilada's are amazing. The Margaritas are huge and tasty! Our waitress Jenny is not only adorable but her service was a 5 star+! She is friendly, fast and sweet! She knows her menu well and makes great suggestions! She has an incredibly warm smile and was attentive to the requests of the table. She suggested the Mexican chocolate cheesecake and it was incredible! Possibly one of the best have ever had! This place is wonderful. Good food, exceptional service and nice ambience. Keep up the great service Jenny!!! You were the tables favorite part! read more

We have eaten here twice in the past two years and found the service good and the food good. Decor is very nice. Last nite, however (Monday) we got there and ordered our meal and asked for a glass of wine and a beer. They were delivered and then, two or three minutes later, here came our meal. We had been in the restaurant about 15 minutes. Our server was very aloof, never asked if we needed anything (except dessert at the end). We were in and out in 30 minutes, and the bill with tip was $50. Very disappointing and made us wonder if they are having business problems. I know this is a very popular restaurant, but we won't be going back. read more

We're vacationing in Aptos. I came to Tortilla Flats 15 years ago and loved it. Not a good experience last Friday evening. The noise level was deafening. I ordered a small salad and asked if I could get some avocado on it (for which I was willing to pay). The waitress said, "We don't do avocado." What a ridiculous statement. I then ordered a guacamole bowl and got plenty of avocado. The waitress seemed totally unaware of the irony, but she was so busy and distracted I didn't say anything. The vegetarian tamales weren't really tamales-- they were some kind of corn meal mix. We invited 3 life-long friends to dinner with us and we couldn't wait for dinner to be finished. read more

My wife and i had lunch last sunday. Another wonderful experience. Service is excellent and prices are reasonable and they have a wonderful selection of healthy vegetarian food. I highly recommend this place. read more

I love Tortilla Flats! They call themselves a Mexican restaurant but they also have very creative dishes from Central and South America. They consistently change their menu specials so that they literally have something that will please anyone. For example, I took my sister and mother and niece and nephew there recently. The kids are 9 and 10 yrs old. My mom is picky, picky. My sister eats so much Mexican food in her home town that she almost always wants to try something else when traveling. They all really enjoyed the food. Tortilla Flats has tapas also which are small dishes with very unique flavors. read more

Oh crap! Tapas are awesome here. Definitely have the chicken lime soup. I have never tasted any better!!!

Mole, mole, mole. The chicken mole enchildas are awesome. Our whole table ordered the same thing so I don't know how everything else is but I will definately be back. read more

We wanted to try something since we arent from the area. So we called at 850 to see what time they close and they closed at 10. We come at 9 with 13 people on a saturday. They said they couldn't take us.the head waiter called the owner and the owner said no. There were table available they just didn't want to cook or stay later than 10... They said they couldn't serve 13 people because she was the only waiter. O well that would have been 200 plus in she would have gotten a big tip. So instead we went to Denny's. read more

I always go there but the best days to go are Mondays and Tuesdays - Tapas Night! The albondigas are amazing and so are the coconut prawns. I would skip the Pastel Jaiba (crabcakes) next time since they always taste a little burned (nice touch of sesame seeds though). Service is always attentive and I recommend making reservations since the place is small and fills out fast. The margaritas are AWESOME!! read more

Hands down the best margaritas around. Super yummy food and very good service. Go with the specials and you will be happy. If you get a chance and they have blood orange margaritas, go for it. read more

I hate to tell you, those who love the Margaritas at Tortilla flats that the recipe has changed immensely. I have been going there for years and mostly because of their amazing Margarita, but the last few times we've gone they tasted like limeade. We thought it was just a bad night, or maybe someone was watering down the tequila, but no, tonight we asked and they've definitely changed the recipe and the tequila. Sad!! Because for years we've recommended this place as the BEST Margarita in California, but now the margaritas taste a lot like the Kirkland mix you get at Costco. Nice staff work there, but I hate to tell you we'll be going to Palapas from now on at Seascape. Although their Margaritas never measured up before, they're now MUCH better than Tortilla Flats now and they have a tremendous view of the ocean. read more

I have to stand up for Tortilla Flats because most of the reviewers don't "get it". Tortilla is not really a Mexican restaurant for someone looking necessarily for "authentic" cuisine. It is sort of "California cuisine" ala Mexico and does really well at that. You won't find organic salads in most taco places, but Tortilla Flats has them and they are excellent if you into that. Most Anglo-Mexican restaurants don't serve a good Mole, either, but you can get it here in several different great dishes. (The only other place I know of in the area is Jalisco's in Watsonville) I think most people miss the hot zing of a really spicy salsa at Tortilla Flats, but as I said, that is not what its about here. Also, people may be put off by the higher prices, but again, this is not a Tacqueria, it aspires to be cleaner, more creative and high end than that. If you really want authentic and hot, you need to find the poorest area in most any California town and eat at a place where the customers are 90 percent Hispanic. Better yet, saddle up to one of those taco stands with flies buzzing around a spit of meat that you see on the streets. The food in those type places is better than any tourist trap restaurant you will ever find, and 5 times cheaper. read more

This place is fantastic, super clean, nice decoration, great service and the food is delicious. One of the things I really like is they provide you a small carafe of salsa so you don't have to keep asking them for more. Seems silly but I dig things like that. Very friendly staff and as I mentioned the food is excellent. This is one of the few places that can prepare a veggie meal for me that I will be totally satisfied with. The jalapeno jelly for the poppers is amazing, highly recommend you try that when you go here. Great date place and in a beautiful location. I would hit this place up if you are heading to the Capitola area. read more

Pretty good food, outstanding margaritas! Very small place but they are friendly and the fruit margaritas alone are worth the trip. The food was nothing special but I can't say I was unhappy with it. read more

I've been going here for close to 20 years and the food is consistently great. I'm a huge fan of the tostada grande with the cucumber dill dressing and the chicken mole enchiladas are the best I've had anywhere. The atmosphere is very cozy and comfortable. Definitely check this place out if you're craving some on-point Mexican food!! read more

Awesome food. Ive been here multiple timea and the food was always great. They are picky on seating....no waiting on others to arrive due to the evening crowd. The house margaritas are good but toxic. More than 1 and you run the risk of a dui or hangover. read more

I live close to Tortilla's and go there more than any other restaurant. Its reasonably priced for what you get and I've never had a bad dish. I almost always order the special for variety. They have dishes you get in few other Mexican Restaurants, some from central and south america. Go ther, you won't be disappointed!!! read more

Love their specials and festivals. Always good and tasty and unusual and well worth going for. The regular menu can be a bit blah, although the chicken mole enchiladas are a good standby and I also like the red pepper enchiladas. We tend to go on Fridays to get the Seafood Burrito which is awesome. Their happy hour cheaper dishes are also good if you find yourself there at the time in between lunch and dinner. Original margaritas will knock you over - among the best I've tasted. Portion size is fine - I never need rice and beans. Buy a jar of their jalepeno jelly. We use it all the time on everything from fish to lamb and it is really wonderful. read more

Best margarita in santa Cruz! The red pepper enchilada is to die for! Not open as late as manuels but soo good. Got drunk here with my mom and had no idea how funny she could be! Tequila+my mom=funny! I really really like this place! read more

Excellent food, service and tequila selection! All dishes are fresh tasting and healthy. My partner swears it has the best carne asada in the county, I know the original margarita's are. Cheryl the owner is constantly adding new items to the menu along with various specials which are always a must try. If your looking for Mexican food that is a cut above you must try this place. read more