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I would give this place five stars, if only for the green salsa. However, the food wasn't as yummy.
As with most nice Mexican places, Cafe Del Sol serves up a side of tortilla chips and salsa for their patrons to munch on as they decide on what to order. I believe that these tortilla chips were homemade seeing as how they were extra long and pointy! Their shape suggests they were hand cut and fried. They achieved a nice balance with just enough salt and no stale taste! The chips come with two types of salsa:
(1) fresca - just the regular cilantro+tomato+onion
(2) green cilantro goodness - My friends and I debated the ingredients of this salsa. We have it down to: cilantro, chillies, lots of garlic, lime? and definitely a little bit of oil. THIS STUFF IS ADDICTIVE LIKE CRACK. We had to ask for another serving of chips just to make sure we ate all of the green salsa!
I ordered a quesadilla which was only okay. I should have taken my friend's lead and gotten the special grilled shrimp quesadilla. Everyone else seemed quite satisfied with their tamales and their enchiladas.
Ambiance is great. The place is very clean and well lit. The service was wonderful as well. They let us sit one by one at the table and wait for all of the members of our party to trickle in. Water glasses were promptly refilled and our second basket of chips delivered in a timely fashion as well. The only quibble I had with our dining experience was that the dining area where we were seated became quite loud during the lunch hour as all the tables filled up. It made it difficult to have a conversation with people sitting only 3 feet across the table. I have been told that the dinner hour is much quieter, and thus the time to go.
Highly recommended! Go for the green salsa!
The good: Good rice. Good mango salsa. Nice sear on the shrimp (camarones a la plancha).
The "eh": too much plate decoration with sauces makes it hard to place your utensils on your plate. The shrimp could have been cooked a little less. The potato taquitos were overhyped in the other reviews--needed more seasoning. The guacamole was good, but not great.
This place rivals some of the best taquerias in the Mission. Tortillas are cooked until crisp and browned on the edges (not steamed!) Quality of meat is great, ingredients are fresh, concoctions are creative. And the sumptuous green salsa they serve with chips is a power-packed mouthful of joy.
I'm ecstatic to have found a place that is comparable to my SF dining experiences. Now if we could only get a decent Thai restaurant in the area...
The BEST Mexican food in Menlo Park. Everything is so fresh, so flavorful, so good! My only gripe is that this place isn't open on Sundays.
I love their food and smoothies and crave their special sauce. However, I have decided to stop going there because I do not believe that their food is worth the price. The other day I ordered a smoothie and a rice bowl and spent over $15!! With that I could have gotten a much better meal...so, unless they lower their prices I will have to say farewell.
Authentic, fresh, fast and tasty. If you love great Mexican food, this is a real gem. It's somewhat hidden (across from Su Hong To Go), but worth seeking out.
I had chicken enchiladas with a fabulous red sauce that had just enough heat. My companion had the "new caesar" which had very little in common with a true caesar, but the carmelized onions were delicious, as was the mole/red sauce chicken on it.
The tortillas, pico and salsa verde served as apps were fantastic.
The service was a bit slow, considering we were the only folks there for a late weekday lunch.
This would be a fantastic pre-movie spot if you are headed to The Guild.
YUM! YUM! PLEASE STA Y IN BUSINESS! I'LL BE BACK SOON!
The service was so bad we left.
There were about 8 tables open. It was Friday at 7:30, the waitress passed us 3 times and did not even acknowledge our presence. A waiter did the same thing twice. Didn't look like the kind of place that you seat your self and we were trying to catch their eye, anyone's, a waitress, bus person, a matrid' . No one even looked at us and we were like 2 feet away from them! It was obvious, they didn't want us here - so we left and walked around the block, there are several places within walking distance.
Oak City, while not Mexican food, was happy to see us.
Did we smell or something, del sol?
This is easily one of the best restaurants in Menlo Park (Mexican food or other). Everyone in our office makes at least 1 trip a week. Service is great, always give us complimentary chips and salsa while we wait even though we take our orders to go. Price is very reasonable for Menlo Park and the servings are large.
Sadly the quality and service has gone down a notch and frankly, I don't really care much for places who let their patrons wait for someone to take their order down after 15 minutes; let alone receive any drinks within the first 10 minutes.
I was very disappointed from the beginning to end and they usually are on point every time I visit this place.
I came back with Ken and we had dinner here on a Friday night.
Their food is modern but tasty. They…
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Who needs chips and salsa? I fell in love with the potato taquitos they serve as a complimentary appetizer the first time I went there, and sometimes I'll stop by for just an order of the taquitos and a cup of the chicken soup.
Whenever I feel like I have a cold coming on, I start to crave this amazingly comforting chicken soup. The broth is so tasty: a little salty, tomatoey, garlicky, with a hint of jalapeno heat. Then there's the incredibly succulent chicken pieces, vegetables, and rice to round it out. And I love that they serve it with fresh-made tortilla chips that you can crumble onto the soup like croutons. The shrimp quesadillas, served with a mango salsa, cilantro sauce, and crema, are also fantastic. So, as you can tell, this is nuevo Mexican food, and it's delicious.
Cafe del Sol is definitely one of my favorite places in Menlo Park. Service can be slow on occasion but everybody who works there is super nice.
BTW, the taquitos make a great contribution for a pot luck or party and the price is very reasonable.
We love this place - great as a couple or with kids. The shrimp dishes are hard to beat!
We also never have an issue getting a table...
The food's really good, let's get that out of the way first.
I almost always order the burritos. They're of the fancy "fork" burrito style, but good, a nice mix of rice, beans, meat, fresh salsa, cheese, and guacamole. They have take-out for lunch, and the prices are fair. I just can't go over three stars though, and that's even being generous. The service is slow, and poor. Every time I've been there (5 or 6 times now?) there's been only one hostess/waitress/server and so everything from ordering to getting the food to paying the bill takes far longer than lunch should, and often longer than I have time for.
So, if you have time, and are more patient than I, stop in and get a burrito, you'll enjoy it. But only if you have plenty of time.
Location: 3
Parking: 3
Look & Concept: 3
Service & Courtesy: 4
Inventive & Variety: 4
Quality & Taste: 5
Serving Size: 4
Price: 4
Total Score (Lowest: 8 Highest: 40): 30
My Rating: 3.75
Summary of Review:
Cafe Del Sol stands out from all mexican restaurants because they exhibit the true meaning of QUALITY over QUANTITY. The restaurant is hidden on the side streets of downtown Menlo Park. The place is small in size but it brings an intimate and cozy feel when you get settled in.
My wife was introduced to Cafe Del Sol by one of her ex co-workers. When she got home, she raved about their Grilled Chicken Burritos and their fresh green salsa and chips. One weekend, she drove from our home in San Mateo to pick-up lunch. After sinking my teeth into the burrito, I fell deeply in love with the flavors and the mesquite taste of the chicken. After lunch, I spent a few minutes looking at their menu . . . planning our next visit and my selection (s). It took us a week until we drove to Menlo Park. We decided to go there for dinner. Since then, my favorites have been . . .
1. Enchiladas de Mariscos - Bar none this is the best mexican dish I've eaten so far. They are very generous with the servings and the combination of the adobo and chipotle tequila cream sauces with the mixed seafood are to die for.
2. Ceviche - The red snapper marinated and cooked in lime juice is fresh, flavorful, and a delight.
3. Grilled Chicken Burrito - This is what hooked me in. The mesquite grilled chicken drizzled with their fresh green salsa is a necessity.
All in all, Cafe Del Sol is a must place to dine at. I recommend everyone to order my favorites and test my review. Lastly, don't forget to order a couple bottles of Negra Modelo to complete the experience. Enjoy!!!
Chinese food...Filipino food.. and Mexican Food have one thing in common. A vast majority of these cultural cuisines are diet breakers. Its hard to scan through the menu and decided whether a hundred more calories is worth the added minutes on the treadmill. On this lunch visit with my buddy Mika, I hesitated for a bit. I had the calculator running through my mind as I added up today's lunch. Chips and salsa were already added to my hunger pains as I steered away from the tantalizing enchiladas and taquitos ( I was eyeballing the other dishes next to us ).
Finally, I made my selection - the Burrito. I know not the best choice. But wait....substitute the chicken, pork, and beef with the shrimp. Yes, they serve shrimp (close to prawn size). I was pleased with the freshness and new flavor of this seafood burrito entree. Minus the baked beans ask for the Spanish rice instead. The presentation was well generous keeping my appetite within means. I am sometimes bothered that a light lunch will get me hungry again in a few hours. Instead, I didn't regret having a wholesome healthy lunch here and stayed within my calorie limits. However, I didn't do a very good job in the chips and salsa department. I know went well over 15 chips.
Ambience: Small intimate setting with pleasurable dining space making it perfect for business lunch visits and dinner dates. Business casual is a plus. We were surround by business patrons on this day.
Helpful Staff: Now this is where they need improvement. Three stars because of short hands. We found ourselves waiting quite a bit and looking at the watch. As I understand this is a family owned restaurant. I'm suggesting another visit on my behalf to see if service will be better.
Parking: During lunch, I would suggest to arrive here by 11:30am. There's street parking around the restaurant but tough to find open spaces. We got lucky to find a parking lot within walking distance.
This is without question one of the best Mexican restaurants in the Bay Area. The best dish in my opinion is the seafood enchilada (i think it's called enchilada de mariscos)... i forget the name bc I now just get the veggie burrito which is also excellent.
The chips and salsa are also the best of any restaurant in the south bay. They improved their green salsa which I used to not like very much so both of their salsas (tomato and green) now are awesome.
Between this restaurant and Fiesta Del Mar in Mountain View, they are pretty much the best in the South Bay and possibly all of SF Bay Area.
It's funny bc this restaurant used to be so hidden, not many people knew about it 2 years ago but somehow the word got out and even though there's construction you actually have to wait to get a table sometimes now.
Anyway, the secret's out and the people at the restaurant seem to be very nice so I'm really glad that they are starting to get the traffic they deserve.
This was my third Mexican meal in three consecutive nights (in three different cities) - catching up with good friends was the order of the day.
The place is quite small, it has the feel of someone's house converted to a restaurant, which isn't a bad thing, though the tables are quite close together.
Food was pretty tasty - I'd give the food four stars.
Two aspects of this place being small came to haunt us - firstly, the room we were in had a party of about 10 that were seated on the opposite side of the room from us, but they were loud - so loud that we were having to almost shout to hear each other at our own table.
Secondly, after we were done and still chatting, the waitress came to us, full of apologies, and asked us to leave as they had lots of folks waiting to eat. She did offer us a free appetizer on a future visit, which the two of our party who were local took them up on.
Hopefully the new residents of our table didn't want to talk to each other as they were going to be in for a loud night.
It's Sunday night and we're jonesing for Cafe Del Sol. Sadly they are closed.
Just the thought of their mouth watering chips and salsa makes my stomach growl. Their entrees are also delicious, presented in an upscale way and made with meats that are seasoned slightly different than your typical Mexican place.
Do yourself a favor and go check it out.
My husband and I recently visited this restaurant on a Thursday night. We were so impressed that we returned on Saturday night and had another great meal. This is easily the best Mexican restaurant we have found on the Peninsula. The appetizer plate that comes with every meal is wonderful, and the presentation of each and every dish is outstanding. In addition to great presentation, the food is outstanding and the service is excellent! We are lucky to have such a tiny jewel in our neighborhood!
I love this place. Don't let the outside fool you. If you are on this block and considering the two restaurants, Del Sol and the greasy crap across the street at "Su-Hong Take-Out", there is absolutely no debate.
Consistently excellent food. Very inexpensive for the quality. Huge portions. I tend to have a pretty large appetite and I am typically satisfied when I leave here. The only exception I take is with the burritos. Nothing to do with the flavor. They taste great, but I like a massive burrito. They aren't as big as I would like.
And it seems that the to-go orders are never as substantive as when you dine at the restaurant.
I typically just rate based on the quality and taste of food though. That would be an absolute 5 stars, especially since they give you those delicious taquitos to munch on while you peruse the menu. But, being that Mexican without margaritas is not as much fun, I deduct 1 star.
A friend has been raving about Cafe Del Sol for ages and ages ... Me, being the Mexican food snob that I am, always shoved off the idea of venturing out of my fave zone. But finally one eve he caught me at a weak moment. "Ok. Sure. Let's meet at Cafe Del Sol." I mean it's Mexican food. It's gotta be good, right?
Well, it's good. But just good. I was definitely not won over by their offering. It's pricey - too pricey for what I think you get. My fajitas were served swimming in oil. They did serve us 2 taquitos right when we sat down - that's cool. But I learned that was in lieu of chips & salsa. We had to pay for that ... What? I'm sorry. I draw the line when a MEXICAN RESTAURANT makes the customer PAY for CHIPS and SALSA ... That is just a crime! And there was only 1 type of salsa to choose from. Let me correct myself: 1 chunky salsa (very mild) and 1 other type of salsa (also very mild).
Bummed.
I must rave about their shrimp quesadilla I had the other night and the snapper.... HEAVEN!
The neighbors and especially my mom come here often for dinner. My mom actually loves this place she… Read more »
A different Mexican food experience that what you would get a little further north in Redwood City. Most of your standard Mexican options but with little twists on the traditional flavors.
Our waitress was a little surly, think she was the same one that Grace K had.
Taquitos instead of chips and salsa? I'm ok with that.
I got El Combo with a carne asada taco and a chicken enchilada. The carne asada was very good except for a few chewy fatty pieces and the enchilada was decent, I would have preferred a less sweet, more spicy sauce. Hubster liked his fish tacos, one was salmon and the other was some white fish. The white fish was very good (I tried some) and Hubster said the salmon was good, but paled in comparison to the other fish.
A nice place, but the food wasn't anything outstanding.
A lot of white people in here, I guess that says something.
This place might look very low key and like its from the 1970s but boy, the food is quite modern and tasty. Instead of just giving plain tortilla chips and salsa like every other Mexican joint, they provide potato-filled tacquitos. Props for being unique and more props for making it work. The grilled shrimp in sweet salsa and guacamole was stellar for appetizer. I had the braised pork ribs that was completely broken down. Eating that with the cilantro rice was pretty money stuff.
Eating at a restaurant like this is a completely different experience from the typical Mexican food outing. You really get a new perspective and appreciation for Latin-inspired dishes here at Del Sol.
My first time here. It was more like 3 1/2 stars, but that was based on the carne asada in the taco. Everything else was outstanding. I didn't have any issues with the service.
I had the "el combo". Taco and enchilada, with choice of beef or chicken..
First comes a complimentary tacquito. Although the filling was decent beans, the guac/sauce was very very good. I loved this (and did I mention complimentary?).
I usually stay away from standard taco enchilada fair at Mexican restaurants, but it was what my tummy was calling for.
The taco was good, although the carne asada was tough but flavorful. Minus 1/2 star. If this was better they would have earned a real 4 stars.
The chicken enchilada was very good with a very red sauce on top, and very well seasoned chicken.
The beans and rice are as good as it gets. The beans were flavorful with authentic queso mexicano. The rice wasn't typical orange spanish rice, but green in color, and a more cilantro flavor. The guacamole was excellent.
Also beware - Beer and wine only.
I am definitely coming back.
One of the best Mexican places in the Silicon Valley. The place looks very non-descript but the food is amazing. Beautiful presentation, great flavors. Ceviche is amazing, caesar salad is the best around, and my favorite is shrimp burrito. This is my favorite place for lunch in the area.
Came here for lunch one weekday and was pleasantly surprised. Don't expect traditional Mexican food, for that try a taqueria in Redwood City.
This is more "fancy pants" Mexican. Interesting flavor combinations and new takes on old favorites. I had a chicken burrito that had some interesting Indian spices in it. Also I loved the green salsa they served with chips. Overall the food was great and for lunch the prices were very reasonable (not really anymore than a burrito at the taqueria). I'd like to try them out for dinner some time. The restaurant is very small so it may get crowded on the weekends or evenings- there was no wait for lunch on a Thursday.
Shrimp burrito. Best. thing. ever. Ok, I mean, I like other things, too. But their shrimp burrito is flawless. It's got grilled shrimp, seasoned rice, refried beans, guacamole & mango salsa. And it's sooooooo sooooooo good. The seafood enchiladas (I order them with shrimp only) are also very good, with a little bite. The shrimp tostada salad is basically the burrito on a bed of lettuce, so obvs it's diet. Ha. And then the salsa...the trick is to mix the green salsa with the salsa fresca and it's my favorite salsa ever (I mean it). I want the recipe to make it at home. I'm almost obsessed with this salsa.
Yum yum! Perhaps the tastiest Mexican food I've had in the Peninsula. Their dishes are unique and have a real down home savory taste to them. The cilantro rice is super delish and their sauces all have different flavors, unlike many other restaurants that simply use the same generic green or red sauces.
I do have two quips with Cafe Del Sol. The service was certainly not as impressive as the food. I recall our waitress being particularly surly and not very helpful. If I'm paying $15 for enchiladas that I know I could make at home for a cool $8, I'd like the extra $7 to check up on us at least once during the meal and not reply rudely to each of my small requests or questions (a little more water? the check? C'mon, don't those things come standard with being a server at a restaurant? I mean, the check for cryin' out loud!).
The bathroom is in a totally awkward place. Definitely do NOT drop any kids off at the pool here. Don't even think about it.
This place is an amazing find. I almost don't want to write a positive review because it'll just make the place harder to get into. The best Mexican restaurant on the Peninsula, bar none.
UPDATE: Upon further review, I feel that this is the best Mexican restaurant in the City as well. Sure, you can find fancier and more expensive Mexican, but not better.
THE BEST chicken nachoes on the PLANET!
They must marinade their chicken for days, it just tastes awesome.
The only REAL downfall to this place is that their staff is SLOW! I always have a long wait to even get water. Besides that, prove me wrong about the nachoes...
Very good food. It is a nice sit down place. I have been there 3-4 times. Usually for lunch, once for dinner. I really liked the green sauce and spicy sauce. Vegetarian burrito was good. Service is good. I did not enjoy vegetable fajitas as much.
8/10
For lunch get the burrito. It is kind of like a chicken tikka burrito. It is excellent.
For dinner the seafood tamale is outstanding. I know, I am sketched out by seafood at mexican restaurants, too. I don't why either.
You can trust Cafe Del Sol.
Arguably my favorite Mexican restaurant. It's consistently good and a place I would return to without thinking twice.
The mexican food here is unexpected. By that I mean that isn't just a variation of the same 5 ingredients with rice and beans on the side. The menu is modern and refreshing. I's also very affordable. The last place I expect to find affordable food is Menlo Park but I was very pleasantly surprised. I prefer to come at lunch time as there is more on that menu that appeals to me.
The only gripe I have is that the service is always a little slow. But other than that this place is a gem.
Take out or eat in ... the big decision.
The sauces sell the food. It is a not a purist version of Mexican food that way but super tasty. The service is good and it is a small restaurant so you will get to know your neighbors while you dine.
The mango salsa is muy sabrosa. You might like ceviche if you like salmon and gaucamole -- a bit different but it works. There are several shrimp dishes that are nice as well as the rellenos. I found everything to be savory and not too hot spicy but with a kick.
If you like the regular Mexican food, you may be put off by the "fusion" of sauces but they work with the dish. I was skeptical but I think it works.
!Disfrute!
The best part is you feel like you are at home. The wait staff really takes care of you and never rushes you out. Nice!
After waiting awkwardly in the cramped waiting area for several minutes with some other patrons, Mr. T and I were finally seated. This was a pretty good preview of things to come: the service was s-l-o-w. The people there seemed like they were working very hard, they just seemed understaffed. Mr. T was slightly grossed out by the lipstick mark on his water glass (hint: he was not wearing lipstick.)
The food was alright, maybe slightly better than average, though also more expensive. I had a really good spinach salad, though my black bean soup was just really, really salty. Mr. T enjoyed his pollo adobado.
I've lived in the Bay area for almost 20 years and have been to tons of tacquerias and Mexican places all around here. I've been to several supposedly amazing Mexican restaurants in Mexico City. But this place blows all of them out of the water.
I discovered this restaurant the other night when we wanted to get a quick dinner before a movie at the Guild Theater. I ordered something pretty basic--a beef taco and chicken enchilada--and wasn't expecting anything too earth-shattering, just some typical Mexican food. I couldn't believe how good it was.
For one thing, the presentation of the food is meticulous and not slapped together like you might see at other places. But much more importantly, the food was ridiculously good. I don't know if it was the sauce, the quality of the meat, other ingredients, all of which were excellent, but this places manages to create a taco and enchilada on a different level compared to every other place I've been to. I was really surprised. After having had so much Mexican food over the years, I'm used to everything being in the fair to very good range, and I didn't know it was possible to produce something truly excellent with these simple dishes. I can't wait to go back.
One nice bonus is they give you a complimentary chips, guacamole, and tacquito appetizer, which are quite good. The only negative was the service was kind of slow, but when we asked them to step it up, they brought the food right away.
man this place is seroiusly jumpin. from the outside u seriously cant tell its a really quaint, nice joint that gets a ton of business. especially during lunch hours.
well my friend and i both ordered the combo set, which ran us about 10 bucks each. i got two enchiladas, he got a taco and enchilada.
the enchiladas are really good man. theres a homemade taste about them that u wont get at a regular taqueria. maybe its the cheese, i dunno, but it was good. there was a lot of food and it looked really nice too. the guacamole on the side was also quite nice. the only complaint i have is that the enchilada was a bit too warm. it shoulda been hotter.
but i ordered beef and chicken.. the beef wasn't shredded like other places, it was actualy little nice cubes of beef and was very tender and juicy. good stuff. the chicken, although i sually dont like chicken in my enchilada cuz its dry, wasn't dry at all, and was tender even for breast meat.
and the salsa. wow the salsa is really good. i dont know what they put in that stuff but its one of the best salsas ive ever had.
well one bad thing was basically there was only one waitress so it took quite awhile for us to get our food. and they didn't bring out one of the things we ordered. but they did give us some ice teas as an apology. now i dont wanna complain bout free stuff but the ice tea was too sweet, but hey its free.
so whats holdin it back from 5 stars? well its a little expensive. expect to go around 10, 11 bucks a person. and the service is slow too. but the food is really good. even if all the people eatin there are white people... its one of the better mexican places ive had.
Order the seafood chili relleno. Every. Time. I don't even care what else is on the menu. In fact, my first time there I made the mistake of not ordering the chili relleno and I regretted it. It was some shrimp dish that was a totally unsatisfying rip-off.
The chili relleno really is that amazing. Huge, crispy on the outside, succulent and cheesy and juicy on the inside. The sauce its sitting on is very flavorful as well. The chips and salsa at the beginning are also great.
Chili Relleno.
Great place. The ingredients are fresh with a nice slant toward seafood which they do quite well. The fresh mango salsa is really good, I have had shrimp diablo, fish tacos and both are fantastic.
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Italian
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Mexican
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Middle Eastern
Menlo Park, CA
Category: Delis
Menlo Park, CA
Category: French
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