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Celia's Mexican Restaurant - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
4019 Judah St(between 45th Ave & 46th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
(415) 564-0662
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
89 reviews for Celia's Mexican Restaurant
Review Highlights
"The best margaritas that I have had ever, anywhere."
(in 25 reviews)
"...location has excellent rice, refried beans and tortillas."
(in 7 reviews)
"This place has great Margarita's and Enchilada's."
(in 4 reviews)
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89 reviews in English
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Review from Chiara A.
Updated - 9/10/2011
I am hoping, very, very soon that the first Celia's Mexican Restaurant opens very, very soon. I know it will be worth the wait for the re-opening!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/20/2011
NOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!
When I read on yelp that Celia's Mexican Restaurant had closed in SF, I could not… Read more »
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Review from Francesca N.
San Francisco, CA
1/21/2012
No wonder it is closed .This place was so bad I am talking about the one in Judah location.It was disgusting ,so dirty, the food and service was very bad. I eat in another Celia's once by San Mateo or Burlingame and it was descent .The one in Judah was gross. I would not be surprised if it is closed due to health code and sanitation violation. The service was very bad and their food looked disgusting like some vomit and colorless .They didn't even made an effort to put a sprig of cilantro or something to make it look more presentable. The service was even worse. they just didn't care about their place. Too bad I can't give zero star ,I would .
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Review from Shawn B.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 5/18/2011
I really enjoyed the food here, but I am very upset with this place. They have been closed since just after the last time I went there, with no Re-open date on the door. It seemed like the place was incredibly busy when I went and I have no idea why they would close it down for close to 6 months.
If someone could please tell me how this makes any financial sense, please do so. Also, if anyone could let me know when they plan on opening again, could you shoot me a message. I would love to eat there again. Thanks.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/5/2010
Place was pretty good. Food was reasonably priced and so was the alcohol. Chips and salsa were… Read more »
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Review from Mitch L.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2011
Not a bad place but I was hoping for more. The place looked to be too dimly lit to be festive. My server mumbled too much to be heard most of the time and the food was average at best. I really wanted to love this place to the point that I was denying the clearly obvious reasons to not like it.
If you are hankering for Mexican there are better spots in SF. -
Review from Courtney H.
San Francisco, CA
7/8/2010
I really hate to write bad reviews...but this was just bad enough that I feel I have no choice but to share. My friend and I decided to grab some Mexican...and we've been to the one in Daly City...but the one in the outer sunset couldn't hold a candle to DC. Our waitress was TERRIBLE. I mean...she checked on us MAYBE once while we were there. We watched people who got there after us (with a different server) get checked in with multiple times and get their food way before us. We had to ask a number of times if we could get more water/salsa/chips. The waitress was maybe just off her game, but it definitely didn't help the experience.
The food was mediocre, at best. The chicken in the enchiladas was chunks as opposed to shredded, and there was a lot of fat on it. Neither of us could finish our meals...we just stocked up on chips and salsa. Also--we ordered a medium sized guacamole--and it came in a little salsa dish. It looked like a decent amount for $5, until we realized that they had filled the whole bottom half of the little bowl with lettuce. Super not cool. Don't skimp on my guac!
Either way, I hate to leave negative comments, but with an experience like ours, I had to share. Chances are I will not be frequenting that place anytime soon... -
Review from RandD S.
San Francisco, CA
5/18/2010
If there was a no star option I would have used it. This was the first time we had ever been to the Celia's in San Francisco, for years we've frequented the one in San Bruno and had good experiences so why should we expect any less from the San Francisco location.
When we walked in on a Friday night the only area that was busy was the bar area, yet the host said that he would be with us in "5 minutes,"overheard him say this to 2 other parties who came in after we did. I'm not really sure what the wait was for considering one area was completely empty and the area where we were seated was only half full. We were seated and given menus, the waitress eventually came over and we mentioned that we had a http://restaurant.com coupon, she was totally familiar with it and even gave suggestions on how to make the most of it.
We ordered nachos with chicken as an appetizer and 2 entrees (crab enchiladas and chicken flautas). To begin with, they were out of the regular salsa for the complimentary chips and salsa. Maybe it's just me but how does a Mexican restaurant run out of salsa for the chips? They had a "back up" green salsa that was okay but not the salsa I'm used to enjoying from Celia's. The nachos came and they were okay, nothing stellar and nothing worth getting full on like I usually would. The chicken looked questionable - a little greasy and grisley - and the beans were bad.
Then came the entrees. The enchiladas were soggy and just a soppy mess. My husband, who usually eats everything on his plate and then some, couldn't even finish half his meal it was so bad. And my flautas...the tortilla was so soggy from the grease and when I decided to just pick out the chicken I couldn't find any actual pieces of chicken, everything I pulled out was either a piece of chicken fat or chicken skin but not one piece of identifiable chicken. GROSS! Good thing I didn't just bit into it otherwise I think I have have had to pull the napkin move. Even the rice and beans were horrible, how do you mess up rice and beans?
When the waitress came to check on us you could tell that she was used to people not being happy with the food when she saw that we had barely touched anything. Kind of reminded us of a "Kitchen Nightmares" episode when the wait staff is super nice because they know everything sucks yet they can't do anything about it. It was seriously the worst food I've ever had, to the point where we questioned if we got all the crap because we had a coupon.
I always feel bad throwing food away but none of this was worth taking home so we just asked for the check.
As we were walking out we noticed someone sitting at a booth playing what looked like solitaire, it was our waitress. Kinda makes you wonder what happened to the place when even the wait staff is hiding out.
Up until this experience I never thought it was possible to have horrible Mexican food from a Mexican restaurant. Taco Hell is seriously better than the Celia's on Judah. -
Review from Nathan E.
San Francisco, CA
Not so great. Nothing about Celia's really jumps out and says, "I'm ultra appetizing." Maybe Celia's is "authentic" Mexican, but it's simply not in my taste preference.
I will say that the portions can be monstrous depending on the order and so if you're looking for large plates, maybe Celia's is right for you.
In my opinion, Celia's is simply overpriced. Except to pay about $20/person (although there can be great variation in this amount). For this much money, there are hundreds of restaurants that are much nicer. -
Review from Sara K.
San Francisco, CA
6/15/2010
Totally expensive, totally gross, and just a totally horrible experience.
The service was okay, but the server was never really around, and it always took him walking by our table to do something else to realize he forgot to get us something (water, chips, etc).
Now onto the food. Ugh. I got the chicken fajitas and they were okay, but for the price it wasn't worth it. I can get twice as much at Chil's for much cheaper (and they taste much better). Tasted the enchiladas and tamal my boyfriend got... Hella salty! Yuck! The rice was dry and had no flavor, beans were really salty as well. Ugh... I guess I was supposed to eat them together?
Seriously, for being about $20 a person, this place is just plain not worth it. The Celia's in Daly City is much better, but as I always say... I'd rather get a burrito from a taqueria or taco truck anyday over a sit-down Mexican place. -
Review from Casey C.
San Francisco, CA
7/20/2010
I really didn't like this place. I woke up extremely hungry from an afternoon nap and decided to take a walk. I live two blocks away from Celia's and have been scratching the neighborhood eats off one by one, leaving only Celia's and that Crab House on 46th. I wasn't dressed well enough for the Crab House so Celia's was my choice.
I thought it was closed when I went in there, no lights on, no people and not even the smell of a kitchen prepping dinner service. This location is the exact opposite of the one in Daly City, where as the D.C location is clean, bright, friendly and a non eyesore this location plays the part of it's ugly, slightly stupid, short yellow bus riding cousin.
Let's put it this way...the highlight of the dinner came when someone decided to turn on the dining room lights, i had been sitting for 5 min and already placed my order. I thought since the sun was still up these cats where saving some money on the electric bill...
I had some huge plate, the Super Combo or something. Chicken flavor. Basically its tortillas stuffed with greasy, shredded chicken 3 ways, A fully enclosed tortilla gasping for air under a tsunami of melted cheese and what I think was red grease called a enchilada, a slightly smaller fully wrapped tortilla was the burrito and then the corn tortilla folded in half stuffed with the chicken known as the taco. It also came with a chili relleno. There musta been 12 pounds of cheese on this plate, 5 of those in the chili relleno. 3 covering the enchilada thing and another 4 mixed in with the 5 pounds of re-fried beans and rice. It looked like a competitive eating challenge!! no bueno!
Bland food, no fun, stomach ache and a blemish on a decent record for this bay area chain... aye carumba -
Review from Cynthia B.
San Francisco, CA
1/22/2008
Awesome enchiladas. This is where my family and I have gone maybe 50 times. My family all moved away but I still go to Celia's. Celia's is a chain restaurant, but it's great. I'll be eating here until I die.
That's kind of weird that I am reviewing two chain restaurants in a row and giving both of them 5 stars, but they deserve it. I have been to multiple Celia's locations, and they are all good. I am looking at the Celia's restaurants Website and this location is not listed. Perhaps it's not part of the chain. I'll ask them next time I go.
This location has excellent rice, refried beans and tortillas. So damn good. -
Review from Sara A.
San Francisco, CA
3/23/2008
They use ground beef in their burritos and I'm not talking about quality beef either because it's grounded up with cartilage and who knows what else. That plus the unmelted cheese which sat on top of the burrito made for a real disappointing dinner experience.
Horrible service too. We were one of just five people in the restaurant yet the waiter kept disappearing for long periods of time. I'm tempted to give this place one star, but the strong, frothy margarita was probably the only good thing I had at this restaurant. -
Review from Wilhelm Y.
San Francisco, CA
9/18/2007
Over the years I've dined here maybe six or seven times with my employers who live nearby and a group of co-workers. Most recently we had a late Sunday afternoon lunch following a 12 hour work shift. This review is based on that last visit just days ago.
The restaurant was not busy when we arrived around 4 PM. We had a group of ten in our party. Our cute, bubbly waitress seemed eager to serve and took our drink and food orders promptly. The restaurant has expanded their beer options since my last visit and there are quite a few more beer choices than the menu shows. I'll agree with some of the other reviewers that their margaritas are quite good. The sangria, however, was not too special; not very fruity it was just overly sweet. They served us small bowls of cold chips when we first sat down, but when we asked for more they brought us big baskets of warm chips.
Among the appetizers their guacamole is very good. The beef nachos grande uses ground beef, refried beans and lots of gooey, stringy cheese topped with more guac, fresh salsa and a puddle of sour cream. I don't mind the seasoned ground beef, and the taste is not too bad, but more chips and less toppings would improve it. The crab nachos sounded a lot better than it actually is.
Although our super efficient waitress kept returning to clear our plates and replenish our drink orders, the food coming out of the kitchen took forever. Looking along our tables and seeing lots of food being thrown out was a good indicator on how the food is. I had an Expresso Burrito with chicken which was massive in size but not entirely tasty. I ate the entire burrito because i was hungry, but quite honestly the boiled chicken while high in volume was quite tasteless. The red sauce that covered the burrito helped in melting the cheese, but it too had very little taste to it. My other disappointment had to do with the beans where you are given a choice of either refried beans or whole beans. No black beans!
My employers picked up the check as they always do so I can never complain too much about free food and drinks plus our waitress was superb and smiled throughout our visit. I had been thinking about a 2.5 star review, but taking these factors into consideration I've bumped it up to 3.Listed in: Black Beans Only Por Favor!
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Review from Amy A.
San Francisco, CA
1/16/2008
Growing up in Southern California instilled a special place in my heart for family style Mexican restaurants. I think they're an entirely different experience than taquerias, which I love for other reasons. I'm talking about the places inside fake hacienda or mission style buildings with fountains inside, where they serve giant Margaritas and deep fried ice cream. They're like privately owned versions of El Torito.
San Francisco really doesn't have too many of them, so imagine my delight to find Celia's! Unfortunately, I think I found it 20 years too late. The interior is incredibly run down. There's even clutter lying around.
The food was pretty good --nothing to scream about, but it wasn't as bad as I expected when I noticed the paint chipping off the walls.
The margaritas were damned good. Cheap and strong! Yay! Although, they only had 3 kinds of tequila and they were all Cuervo.
The price was right --under $30 for two dinners and margaritas.
I'd go back if I were in the neighborhood and found rockstar parking, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. -
Review from AIMEE C.
San Francisco, CA
3/27/2010
Damn Beach Burrito for closing at 9PM!
... so we ended up here.
The decor is random - very dim lighting, a huge bubble gum machine, half empty candy machines and an old, decrepit fountain which probably hasn't worked in years.
Whatever, we're super hungry... let's order.
Oh wow - did you notice that HUGE piece of carpet missing? Gross.
Anyway, I ordered the prawn fajita burrito.
Food came out in a timely manner (thus the 2 stars instead of 1), and on my plate was a healthy sized burrito, wrapped in foil, accompanied on the plate by a pile of greyish "salsa??", and an unnaturally bright green guacamole sitting in a pool of grease.
That is the first time, in my life, that I have seen guacamole sitting in grease. I couldn't figure it out and finally realized that they added oil into the guacamole. Ugh - why would anyone EVER do that? It tasted awful!
And the "salsa" on the side - HORRIBLE! I mean, I make salsa and guac at home and it's not hard at ALL to make good salsa and guac. This salsa had absolutely no flavor... in fact, I think it must have been at least a week old to have a faded, grey appearance and no taste at all. And the bright green oily guac?! WTF? I couldn't get over it.
Those sides pretty much ruined my appetite, and I should have sent the whole plate back (something I have never done), but I got myself to eat 1/3 of the okay burrito - nothing great at all.
Here's a tip - don't eat here. Go across the street to Beach Burrito where they use fresh ingredients and your meal will cost half as much! -
Review from mary ann c.
San Francisco, CA
10/30/2007
Are you allowed to write a review of a place you don't really remember going to?
Ok I remember going there, but once there everything is a bit of a haze.
The enchiladas were fine, good even but I was wasted... so how can you really go wrong with melted cheese
There was NO ONE in the place
My friends nachos were mediocre... the waiter seemed horrified by me
but then again I did want to call a cab to go three blocks....
which is why my friend was horrified.. -
Review from Wes P.
San Francisco, CA
1/24/2009
is this a joke? celias only gets 2.5 star rating? Come one... has anyone really eaten here?
This place is great! One of my favorite mexican places hands down. I have eaten at this location, the one in san rafael (where i got dumped once), and the one in daly city. I have gotten great service.... well ok service... but the food is always amazing! This is the kind of food i think about all week. Something you cant wait to eat.
The menu has a lot of options. Some good one... Any enchilada, the nachos, the tacos, the burritos, did i mention the enchiladas?? they are great!! Give this place a try. -
Review from Frankie F.
San Francisco, CA
8/23/2007
Celia's Mexican Restaurant gets 4 stars that's right haters 4 stars. I love this place simply for their margaritas and nachos!!
This is not a hot spot, no trendy Mexican cuisine, just straight up good, authentic Mexican food!
I understand that the dining room is not this elaborate, updated look but it's old school people!
I gave a 1/2 star for the fact that it is in my hood, and we like the staff. The food gets 4 stars: the nachos are incredible, they taste like nachos are supposed to...D4 (2 tacos and enchilada) is the perfect entree...the margs alone get 5 stars, they are real boozy, the way I like em!Listed in: The Sunset
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Review from Maria D.
4/24/2006
After a healthy walk to the beach from the Upper Haight with nothing but a large coffee to fuel me, I thought the best thing to do would be to completely gorge on some cheesy, greasy Mexican food. Oh, how wrong I was. After 3 weeks of being in places with small portions, my stomach wasn't really used to the astronomical amount of food Celia's give me in my "expresso burrito". I actually picked the meat OUT of it because it was too much for me to handle.
And honestly? It didn't even taste that spectacular. I know my Safeway tortillas, if you catch my drift. And do you really need butter on corn tortillas? Really? The lard in the refried beans doesn't have enough cholestorol for you, I guess. In any case, I doubt I will be returning to Celia's. -
Review from Sean C.
San Francisco, CA
9/5/2009
We we were craving some Mexican food and margaritas after work so we decided to check out Celia's. We were promptly seated and brought chips and salsa - the salsa was pretty good but the bowl it came in was tiny and only filled 1/3 of the way.
We ordered a pitcher of margaritas and were extremely disappointed that the only 100% agave tequila they had was 1800 reposado. The margaritas were weak - made with too much sour mix and not enough tequila to taste. After drinking 3 I didn't have a hint of a buzz.
The food was pretty bad as well - I had enchiladas with soupy re-fried beans and rice and my wife had an enchilada and taco combo plate.
Chevy's does a better job (and that's saying a lot) and is way cheaper that Celia's. I don't think I'll be going back -
Review from Philip M.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2009
I have been eating here for nearly forty years, and through two generations of the family that runs the place.
The food has not wavered in its quality since day one. And the margaritas are the best in the city.
My favorites are the Expresso Burrito and the Chile Verde.
Jarvy and Celia that run the business have a great mixture of staff, and many have been there over twenty years. These folks have become our friends, and we eat there weekly. The staff is very friendly, and very accommodating for large groups.
This is Mexican Comfort food, but their burgers are also good. They have a great bar staff that are friendly, and although we do not usually go for high holidays like Cinco de Mayo, I know that people have a great time - we went once years ago. -
Review from Sylvia M.
Philadelphia, PA
2/7/2010
My parents live here so they were eager to share Celia's when I visited... not too shabby! The atmosphere was very lively and apparently it was a slow day... I was told it's much better when they have live music!!
The food was great, I can actually testify and say it's quite authentic not Americanized at all! You get your money's worth and it's a shame to not be able to finish your meal... I know I couldn't!
This place is great! and I'm definitely going back! -
Review from Camille X.
San Francisco, CA
12/16/2008
I'm so embarrassed it was my idea to try this place.
I was raised on Mexican food. This isn't it. This isn't really even food. It is something pretending to be what non-Mexicans think of when most of them think of Mexican food.
I'd rather go to taco bell.
Unfortunately, I can't recommend an alternative "sit-down" Mexican restaurant, as I haven't found any good ones in San Francisco.
~sigh~
The night I went, the dining room floor was filthy, too. I hope they've done some steam cleaning since then. -
Review from Jamie J.
San Francisco, CA
4/26/2009
Let me break it down: good enchiladas, everything else is mediocre. I recently went here and asked for a veggie taco. The waitress replied with "what do you mean veggie taco? like, just lettuce?" and i was all "well, maybe you could add some guacamole instead of the meat. i just dont want any meat (because their meat is kinda gnar)." And then the waitress replied with "If we add on guacamole it's going to be REALLY expensive." And looked at me like I couldn't afford it. The taco i got was seriously just lettuce. I dont think there was even any cheese in it. They put sour cream on my friend's taco, but none on mine. I'm not VEGAN, i just dont want any of your nasty meat. When my friends ordered they asked for carne asada tacos. Nope. No carne asada. only ground beef. Seriously? Blah.
Someone needs to take over Celia's, because this place could be awesome. This is what you need Celia's: a VEGGIE taco, CARNE ASADA meat, WAY better tostadas (not just lettuce), a serious decor lift, and better service (I shouldn't have to get up from my seat and go to the bar and ask for my drink that I ordered 20 minutes ago). Good luck at this restaurant, ladies and gentlemen.
Oh, and a $75 bill for 4 people who split their food? damn. I guess their drinks are REALLY expensive.
Go to Tommy's on Geary, or Tia Margarita's on Clement if you want to sit down for some good mexican food. -
Review from MakeUp M.
San Francisco, CA
1/11/2008
The margaritas are strong, the tacos are Meh. Think Old El Paso home tacos...right down to the ground beef and mounds of cheese.
Why two stars?
They have a classic arcade (GALAGA!) videogame machine and two of the hottest guys I have seen in this city were sitting at the bar the night my friend and I went there.
Though...on second thought...those guys might have been a margarita-and-ground-beef-taco-induced delusion. -
Review from Angela M.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2009
I judge a Mexican restaurant menu by whether it contains three things: birria, carnitas and menudo. I like salsa that will melt my fillings. None of these are on Celia's menu.
Celia's is a fairly typical Americanized Mexican restaurant. We're talking comfort food - plenty of carbohydrates, and not much spice. For its type, it is pretty good. But I don't really come here for the food. We actually don't make it past the cocktail lounge.
Celia's has become our weekend stop when we're in the mood for a terrific, icy, sweet/sour Margarita. Theirs is delicious. The staff is friendly, and the service is good. They'll bring you chips and salsa (two kinds!) to enjoy along with it.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Brian J.
Berkeley, CA
6/9/2009
I tried this place about 2 years ago with Elle. It was so poor. I read the recent Yelp reviews and te poor memories of this pace came flooding back.
This place is right out of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares.
Our server was high on something. The way the place is run I would not be suprised if it's now closed. But I had to comment since the standards this place has is a joke. -
Review from Elizabeth I.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 9/7/2010
Just went to Celia's again and it still makes me happy. Close to the beach, so it's a nice way to end the day if you're hanging out there. I had written a more fun review in my head while I was there but then I had two margaritas. The best margaritas that I have had ever, anywhere. Tasty and spicy salsas.
Had the chicken fajitas this time, the chicken was good, and veggies were fresh. Didn't like the looks of the pinto beans so much and didn't try the fries but the other sides that came with the entree was good.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/4/2010
Visited for the first time last night and I am surprised by the low reviews. I only ate chips and… Read more »
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Review from Lucky L.
San Francisco, CA
8/28/2009
My children and I decided to have dinner at Celia's knowing that the food would be mediocre. We have tried on several occasions to like Celia's since the location is so very convenient. As expected, the food was mediocre and acceptable; but the cleanliness was was totally unacceptable.
1. Silverware was not clean
2. A fly (semi-conscious) was in one of our combination plates (Chile Relleno, Tamale and Enchilda)
3. The water was cloudy and the water glasses were not clean.
Needless to say, we will not be returning to Celia's even though the location is convenient and the servers are friendly. -
Review from Jason R.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2007
Update: 7/31/2007
I take it all back. This place sucks.
This place is clearly nothing special, but it ain't nearly as bad as some of you whiners are making it out to be.
The thing that it's got going for it is that this is what "Mexican" food was until 15 or 20 years ago,
I've been several times and tonight was by far the worst: service was mediocre, the beans were watery and nothing seemed quite right.
Still, it didn't suck. -
Review from Mark W.
San Francisco, CA
11/29/2007
It's not that bad, is it? Well, all I know is their Margaritas are Strong and I don't like it any other way when I am out at a restaurant or outside eating establishment. At home, lighter is okay. But when I am out and "paying" for my drink, I don't like to feel cheated and for the most part here, I don't. Food is okay. Average Mexican fare. I eat quite a bit of it and I would say it is smack dab in the middle. Had much better, had much worse.
Hence, the 3 stars. Middle = 2.5 stars
Add .5 Stars for the STRONG Margaritas...Listed in: Parkside - Sunset | SF.CA
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Review from Courtney H.
Berkeley, CA
10/12/2008
I was hoping that this would be better than two kinds of Mexican restaurants: chain restaurants that can hardly be called authentic and hole in the wall places that PROBABLY put questionable things in the burritos.
The chips were stale, my burrito was soggy, and the only thing that was actually really good was my virgin strawberry margarita.
Thank god our friend footed the bill. I don't know how I'd feel about paying for that kind of experience. -
Review from Herb E.
San Francisco, CA
1/23/2010
Margarita and a quesadilla. You will not be dissapointed! Best margarita in town and the best quesadilla. The restaurant is so incredibly pleasant and the waiters are so sweet. Everything else is fairly good too. Sometimes I don't understand yelpers.
Outerlands is good but come on... -
Review from Cindy M.
San Francisco, CA
11/20/2009
I think Celia's has its place. When you're craving basic Mexican and you have the kids, and you just can't stomach Chevy's but they're begging and screaming for "bobeedos", Celia's fits in nicely.
Parking can be iffy, but there is always a table available and it's nice to get off the beaten track. I'd avoid the margaritas and go straight for the sangria, and stick to the basics.
I do agree that butter on tortillas is sacrilegious, but come on, it tastes good. -
Review from Paula G.
San Francisco, CA
3/15/2009
My friends and I went there and had a horrible experience.
When we walked into the door we had to wait 5 minutes to get seated. We finally ordered our food and had to wait 45 minutes until we finally got it. I ordered a cheese quesadilla, my friend ordered nachos, and my other friend ordered E-5. Also, our salt shaker was working. The salt wouldn't pour out because the cap was clogged with a combo of liquid and salt. When we gave it to the waitress to get a new one, she just cleaned out the cap and gave us the same salt. Our waitress was horrible and we were about to walkout. The combination of the disgusting salt, the slow food and the inconsiderate waitress almost caused us to walk out of the restaurant. -
Review from Dixon T.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2006
when I was little I can recall coming here with my parents and falling asleep on the bench of the booth with a warm tortilla in hand. At that time my whole family thought this was pretty good eats.
Times change.
The food is edible, but not tasty. There are other Mexican joints in the neighborhood now, and even though they aren't so hot either, they are still better than Celia's. Beyond the food, the actual decor hasn't changed over time, yet it has degraded. At least they still have that Mrs. Pacman game... -
Review from Kathy K.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2008
Now I am a lazy beast I will admit this.
But I also LOVE...adore..no LOVE Mexican food (one of these days I will have to share my Latina in a Past Life theory).
ANYWAY....
Master P and I went to have dinner at Celias to cure my Mexican craving and to discuss work, life, friends of friends, and boobs.
Now this place wasn't swankety swank. Which is cool! I like hole in the wallish, dark, perhaps sketchy establishments. They are more legit in my opinion.
That being said, this place was super legit :-)
It was clean which is nice and had a quiet atmosphere which was exactly what I was craving--other than the enchiladas--which I got.
And frankly, they were damn good. The chicken was great! As was the cheese. I liked their sauce better than some of the other places I have been to, and the refried beans and rice were tasty.
I can't vouch for anything else on the menu, but if I am craving an enchilada for like $8 I am not opposed to hopping over to Celia's.
Better than a $12 burrito in Pac Heights any day. -
Review from Larry J.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2008
If you really hate yourself, go eat at Celia's.
I have given this place many opportunities to impress me.
They have failed every time. I live near by and want to support local businesses but this place seriously needs new management.
The service is terrible and downright rude!
The prices are way too high and the food is not that good.
The drinks are OK, but that is it.
The decoration is fine. I have no problem with their decoration as someone else about complained about. That is the last thing they need to change.
What annoyed me is that I can't get a carne asada burrito. The beef they have is shredded beef- the cheap stuff.
It's a miracle that this place stays in business.
Spice is non-existent.
Stay away from Celia's.
As much as I hate to say it, Chevy's does a better job than Celia's. Coming from me, that is an insult!
I don't like chains at all either. -
Review from Darrin G.
San Francisco, CA
3/14/2008
I'd seen commercials for years, and I'd always been curious. I recently stopped in. The food was really good, although I don't know how authentic it was. Get the nachos, they're amazing.
As far as the atmosphere goes, it seemed kind of like a white trash kind of establishment, and it was full of really normal people. -
Review from Chris S.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2009
Back when I was a little tike, creating chaos and havoc for my mom and dad (and got spanked for it, which caused me to stop and wait ever so patiently to create chaos as an adult,) I remember coming here with family. I don't really remember the food all that much, but I remember three things:
1. My mom loving the margaritas, and my mom NEVER drinks... at all... ever.
2. The awesome sitdown tabletop arcade of Ms. Pac Man in the bar area (which I never got to play... thanks a lot, Dad.)
3. The awesome flour tortillas in that tortilla-warming container that's typical of family-style Mexican restaurants, I'm assuming.
We moved to the Mission shortly after I turned five. Twenty plus years later, my family has been trying to make Celia's more of a birthday thing (My mom calls Cecilia's, and she also says 'neggid' instead of 'naked' and no matter how many times I try to correct her, she just sticks her tongue at me... I can't win.)
From the three or four times my sisters or mom wanted to come here for their birthday, the food was terrific, the margaritas were still good (my sister is now the margarita queen in the family) and the family still had fun. And they still have the Ms. Pac Man tabletop... though I think the game is different now... I'm not quite sure... I STILL haven't got a chance to play it. Thanks a lot... me.
I'd totally give this place four stars... if it weren't for the last time I was here for my sister's birthday. The family still had a good time and I think everyone was satisfied with their meal... but for some reason, I felt like I could have ordered this at Chevy's. Chevy's isn't THAT bad, but if I'm going to an 'authentic' Mexican restaurant, I kinda expect the food to be better. Maybe it was an off-night... maybe I've become more picky in quality... but I guess I'll wait and see.
I'm pretty sure when my mom or one of my sisters wants to go here again for their birthday, the rating and update will be different... hopefully for the better. And maybe, just MAYBE I'll be able to play the tabletop arcade cabinet I've been eyeing all these years :D -
Review from Joseph H.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2008
3.5 stars. My girlfriend and I go to the bar every so often; margaritas, guacamole, and nachos work just fine. The bar is dimly lit and small, but quiet. There are clearly some regulars there. ;-)
The food is indifferent but if you have a hankering for sit-down Mexican, it's perfectly serviceable.
