Estrellita Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
61 reviews
Cupertino, CA
"This place is really nice. I came here with some coworkers yesterday for lunch. It's very clean and nicely decorated inside...has a classy…" read more »
39 Reviews for Estrellita Restaurant
This is a good mexican restaurant...nothing too special though. IMHO it doesn't compare to Hola or El Burro, but those 2 places are awesome. El Burro for their sauces and portions and Hola for their sauces (different from El Burro), chips, and burritos AND also the ambiance. Estrellita has a good burrito, but the meat here is not as quality as the two others. I'm sure, if you go....you will have a pleasant experience and enjoy yourself, but for the price, you are better off elsewhere.
Ambiance - 1 dining room, colorful mexican decor, crowded tables, noisy a little run-down
Quality - good, but not excellent
Service - good - friendly and attentive...go before peak hours
On a scale of 1 to 10 - how much would i wanna come eat here if i had the choice???? probably a 5.
YUM YUM YUM. Family owned and run, and I love that they put all the specials out as you walk in so you can see exactly what you will be getting if you order them. The owner is an alum of the local elementary school and this restaurant has hosted students for many years to teach them about such Mexican holidays as Dia de los Muertos. I appreciate their friendly service and wilingness to modify orders according to taste.
What I like best about Estrellita are their specials. When you walk in the front door, there's table with plates showing what the specials are, descriptions of the sauces, and bowls of the sauce with some chips to taste them (though on my last visit, these sauce bowls weren't there... :-( ). SKIP THE REGULAR MENU and order from the monthly specials. You will be much happier that way. The regular menu (combo plates, etc) are nothing to write home about, frankly. But the specials are much more authentic Mexican food, and way tastier.
Chips and salsa at the table are good. I liked the heat in the red salsa. The top o' the line margaritas are pretty good too, and are fairly strong.
Service is pretty slow, yeah. They don't have a huge staff. While I don't go often since I don't live nearby anymore, I do enjoy the food there, and recommend it to people who want to try something other than the usual americanized enchilada/rice/beans combo.
Decor is pretty fun too - it's been spruced up a bit recently. Give it a try, c'mon!
A very nice, old-fashioned Mexican restaurant. Take visitors from out-of-town here for a quality meal that rarely disappoints.
My husband and I shared the wet burrito for lunch. Huge portion. Tasted ok. Too doughy. Red mild sauce was flavorful.
Sleepy Mexican restaurant that offers a number of unique and authentic-sounding dishes - "country style mexican cuisine." I tried one of the specialty combo dishes that had an enchilada, tamale, and pork if I recall correctly. Everything was "hmmm, good" but nothing was like "wow, this is great!".
I've passed by this place hundreds of times and it's weary sign out front facing San Antonio Rd. has never attracted me to stop and check it out. (It's right near Armadillo Willy and Chef Chu's which I have been to lots of times.) Apparently it has been around since 1958. A friend recommended it and decided to check it out. Went during a weekday lunch and patrons were surprisingly sparse in this open and bright restaurant.
Parking is a slight pain. They have a couple spots out front, but otherwise you have to park in the alley in the back of the restaurant and walk around couple bldings to get to the restaurant.
Bottom line: 3.5 stars. Enjoyable food and I'd come here again if I happen to be in the area, but I wouldn't drive a long distance for it. I like the long history behind this place, but it does seem a bit tired and needs some revitalization.
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Maybe this place was having an off day, but I didn't like this at all. The service was absymal and the food was so-so. I don't think I'll make a return trip.
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Word of caution: if you are planning to get a doggy bag for your leftovers, strongly advise that you (a) personally put your food in the box yourself, (b) supervise the placing of your food into the box by waitstaff, or (c) explicitly specify to waitstaff what food should or should not be placed into the box.
The other night I ate at Estrellita, and while the food was decent to good, the service was utterly lacking. Since I was in a leisurely mood, the hideously long wait times for everything (from seating to ordering to getting the check to getting change) were at least withstandable. The real horror was what happened when I asked for a box for what I hadn't eaten.
I had ordered a two-item special, combining a grilled fish taco with chicken chilaquiles. This came with the requisite rice, beans, guac, etc. I ate approximately half of each item and asked to have the rest boxed up. The waiter whisked my plate away and returned some minutes later with a miniscule styrofoam box that weighed something like 2 oz. Befuddled by how such a substantial amount of food could have fit into so tiny a container and weighed so little, I opened my to-go box to find only my lonely half of a fish taco, staring back at me plaintively, as if to say, "Hello. Do you know where my companions have gone?"
Okay, like, I could *almost* understand if they threw out my rice and beans (although, for reals, leave it to the customer to decide what should or should not go in the box...he's the one who paid for it, after all). But come on, the chilaquiles were half of my entree--hardly dispensable garnish, right?
When the waiter finally returned with the check (about 20 minutes after he boxed up our food), I delicately asked where the rest of my food had gone, gesticulating to the mostly empty box. "The chilaquiles?", he immediately answered, suggesting that he knew full well what he had thrown away. I nodded in the affirmative. He then proceeded to stare blankly at me for a hugely awkward 30 seconds, interspersed with some vague stuttering, before mumbling, "Just a second," and dashing off to the kitchen.
Eventually, he reemerged and presented me with an entirely new, piping hot order of chilaquiles. It is too bad that they had to make a whole new plate for me, but on the other hand, I really have never come across a restaurant that took such liberties in deciding for its customers what food is worthy of bringing home. Service blunders aside, Estrellita makes some pretty good food, and I would be curious to try some more items on the menu on another day (when I have a few hours to spare...)
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My buddy, who works in Palo Alto, has been raving about this place for months. I should have known better than to trust a skinny man's opinion about a Mexican restaurant.
Yelpers, you're right on, the service at this place is slower than pond water.
The food was hot and cold. My chicken oaxaca was dry and boring. My friend's steak fajitas were tasteless, and the salsa was milder than the Bay Area climate.
On the other hand, everyone who had the monthly specials loved it.
Honestly, I'll take Chevy's and their steak fajitas over this place every day except when I happen to be on San Antonio.
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I really like the family feel, the fun decor, and the food here. I don't know if it's the best Mexican I've ever had, but it's one of the better places I've tried in the Bay Area (admittedly, a somewhat small pool). Really good for lunch. Tasty.
I have been here a couple times and the food is consitent. Portions are large - so go hungry! Prices are a big steep for a mexican place, but it's Los Altos, what in this town is cheap!? LOL. Quality is good, service could be a little better. One star off because I was there once and there were flies.
UBER-TASTY!!!
3 salsas!!! yum...
great crunchy tacos...
pina colada without alcohol...
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing ever goes in the microwave.
I know.
I worked here in high school.
I need to visit soon....
This is by far the best, and most authentic, Mexican restaurant in the state. Their Oaxacan dishes are to die for.
Estrellita's has always been a destination restuarant that I'll go out of my way to introduce to someone and I've never been disappointed.
Salud!
This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. The only one I like better than this is Dona Tomas in Oakland. They have specials that change monthly and the best one is the Mole special. I *think* they do one in February with a rose petal chocolate sauce (sounds awful but it's actually divine). Any time I come here I go with the specials and have never been disappointed. They also have Margaritas that will kick your ass. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I've never had a problem with the service-the same people have been working here for years & are always nice.
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I was at a company luncheon where this place was the caterer. The food arrived stone cold, so I had to microwave it. The meat had a funny taste to it and nothing tasted even close to authentic. I tasted a few of the items then threw the nasty mess away. I became violently ill within a few hours. Don't go near this place unless you want to loose 5 pounds the hard way.
I thought this place was a nice find. When you walk in there are the monthly specials which have an interesting appeal. The service is very very friendly and the food is decent. The mole enchiladas I had were good but certainly not the best I have had. I did like the perk that if you pay with cash they give you a free dessert. Too bad I didn't have cash on me. Overall decent.
I really, really wanted to love this place.
They catered at our daughter's walkathon and the chicken mole they brought there, while cold, was delicious. Based on that we went there for dinner.
Horrible service, truly marginal food ... we will not go back.
I am SO BUMMED!!
I've never had chalupa this good! Taco Bell has nothing on this place! I love the decorations and ambiance. It's also a big plus that you can taste their sauces! The generous portions and tender, seasoned meats oozes bodacious authentic mexican flavors! The service was great - attentive, but managed to make our table feel intimate. They also modified the seating arrangement so that my friend's baby can be parked in our table. This was my first time here and it certainly won't be my last!!
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OHHH....I so wanted to give Estrellita a higher rating but I just can't justify it. It's like when you meet someone on line and you begin to IM. You wonder where has this person been your whole life!? The conversation is flowing, you're beyond giddy, you think you finally might have met that "special" person. Then you meet. There's no spark! There's no passion! There's no chemistry!! Estrellita you have let me down. The food is alright but I can't justify the prices we paid. $50 for a couple of beers and some decent Mexican food. If I'm paying $50 for Mexican it better be PORN STAR KICK ASS Mexican. And unfortunately it wasn't! Did someone say "Los Charros"...Let's ROLL.....
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Didn't even know this place existed till I was introduced to it by some friends. The food, at least what I ordered, was absolutely amazing. The decor of this place is very well done down to the detailed carving on the chairs (someone else pointed that out to me ;) ). The service was great and the portions were big, definitely got me full.
Will be going back to this place to try the other stuff they have here.
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BEST MEXICAN FOOD EVER. I have never had better tasting Mexican food. Hands down. I bring all of my friends here and they all have similar reactions to mine. Mexican food is easily my favorite kind of food and this place is the best. Try any of their specials, enchiladas, chimichangas, anything! It's all great stuff.
P.S.- Try the enchilada sauce no matter what. I always ask for a bowl to dip my chips in because it tastes so good.
Hey Kathy, Whatcha got goin on today?
Nothing really.
Wanna do lunch?
Sure, where?
Im wanting mexican food, lets try that one hole in the wall place by Chef Chu's.
Ok, lets go.
This is how the journey began. Havent eaten here before but I heard it was good. We drive up and from the outside it looks dumpy. But most dumpy places have the best food. We walk in and they have a great set up in front where they have several dishes out for display. The food was great. Very authentic tasting. I loved the big basket of chips and TWO choices of salsa, the green and red! And the chips were good. Not the cheap huge bag you can get at Costco type chips. Definately a place to visit again. And they will do To Go orders. :) FYI they have B-fast burritos that arent on the menu that they will fix. But they arent open till 11am.
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Truly gourmet Mexican food. They let you try the different sauces they have that day, so you'll have a good idea as to what you're getting. The service is typically very good, especially when the restaurant isn't too crowded.
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Having recently relocated to Palo Alto from the Los Angeles area, I have been having a strong craving for authentic Mexican food. I saw the many positive reviews for Estrellita's here on Yelp, so I decided to give it a try tonight.
I arrived at 4:45, and when I noticed they didn't open until 5, I sat in my car and waited. (A side note: parking spots out front are difficult to back out of, because they are so close to the street. You have to wait until cars pass to back up.) I was the first customer in, and was promptly greeted in a polite and friendly manner.
The chips came with a red and green salsa with cute little wooden spoons for serving. The chips themselves were extremely hot, which I always enjoy. The green salsa was pretty tasty, but the red wasn't very exciting. Sweet and a bit spicy, but nothing exceptional.
I ordered the carnitas, which was one of the monthly specials. I was happy to see the carnitas were in larger chunks, because a lot of restaurants cut the pieces very small, and when it gets fried they become chewy and hard. The carnitas at Estrellita's were very tender, but did have a fair amount of fat and gristle on them. The flour tortillas seemed to be homemade which was a pleasant surprise.
The service was on the slow side, but the employees were very nice. I did enjoy my food, but part of the reason I didn't give more stars is that all of the food was bland. Everything needed just a kick of *something* to make it really good.
I will be coming here again to try something different. Estrellita's didn't satisfy my craving for good LA style Mexican food, but it was a decent meal.
Shatangi wishes they delivered to the city. By far, the best and most authentic Mexican country fare I've had in Cali. I'm not sure what they add to their food to make it so intensely flavorful. Can't wait to get back out that way.
Shatangi told you
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Estrellita is hands-down our favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. The restaurant started in 1958, and the same family has run it since the late '70s. Previous owner Nancy Corlay retired recently and her nephew Russell Clark took over, breathing some youthful enthusiasm into an always excellent restaurant.
The Corlay family hails from the Chiapas area of southern Mexico, and their cuisine reflects the tropical influences of Central America, more than the firey northern Tex-Mex style that many Americans assume defines Mexican food. Most of Estrellita's food won't put sweat on your brow. Complex sauces reign supreme, like the handmade mole poblano, or green sauces made with tomatillos and pumkin seeds.
Skip the menu at Estrellita and order from the specials displayed on the table by the door. These change week to week, reflecting the seasonal foods of Mexican holidays and regional traditions. Among my favorite items includes Chile Nogada, a large pasilla pepper stuffed with apples, raisins, walnuts, a hint of cinnamon and vanilla scented sour cream on top. Around Valentine's Day this might include pomegranate seeds and rose petals. Try finding that at Taco Bell.
I wrote a much longer review of Estrellita several years ago (www.flavornotes.com); and in the intervening time since Russell Clark has taken over the prices went up a tiny bit to face reality, but the food has gotten even better. He has a passionate enthusiasm and attention to detail, and his community spirit pervades the business. Russell grew up in the neighborhood, with his aunt's restaurant, and he treats the business like an extension of himself. I think this good energy pervades the food on every plate.
The burritos have been famous for a long time under the original owner. They used to be a luncheon favorite. The original owner's son has now taken over and has remodeled the restaurant and reworked the menu. Since then I have only been there once for lunch. The burrito seemed to be as good as before.
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A decent Mexican Restaurant. The quality is pretty good. I like the food display they have when you walk in. Also, the people are nice here and there's a lot of festive decor to take in. The chips really are good... piping hot right out of the oil. One problem, the parking can be kind of a pain at times.
Really good mole and albondigas. That is what I ordered recently. Also very good Tacos, Rellenos. You can taste the special sauces by the entry way (they spread the specials so you can view and taste). This has been around for 20-some years and just recently changed owners, stillt he same family though. During Halloween, they do awesome specials (more better than usual) and great decorations. Oh also really good basic margaritas...
I love this place for the specials! They usually have a display near the door of their specials for the month, with the sauces available for sampling with chips. The chicken with rose petal sauce was delicious.
The food is decent, but the service is terrible. A couple months back we walked in and the restaurant was pretty empty, but there were several people at the front waiting to be seated, and the guy at the register was ignoring everyone. We left. We decided to give it one more try a couple weeks ago. Went in and the restaurant wasn't very crowded, but the guy at the register didn't even look up. No one said anything to us. Finally a bus boy walked up and said something to the host/waiter and he waved his hand at a table. The bus boy sat us, brought us water and chips, then....NOTHING. We sat there for at least 10 minutes and the waiter never came by our table - wouldn't even look our way. I don't know what's up with the place, but we left and won't be going back. Food and service are much better at Vive Sol.
If you're looking for authentic mole, this is the place to go.
Their mole sauce has an amazing flavor-- a bit of dark and spicy with chocolate undertones. At first it tasted very rich and bitter but as it rests on your tongue, you can really get a sense of all of the different spices that went into creating this sauce.
I always order this when I visit, and I ask them to put it on my chicken enchiladas (instead of their red sauce). Last time I had the mole sauce on my chicken tamal and enchilada and I couldn't get enough.
I also recommend their salsas-- they give you the green and spicy red as you order your meal. Their chips are really good too; they consistently have warm, salty, and crispy homemade tortilla chips.
You should also try their pina colada and margaritas. Very good.
we actually liked!
we drove by estrellita's almost 10 times before i found it on yelp. "huh? there's a mexican place near my apartment? wha?" so we went to try it out last week on a whim, somewhat hopeful that the yelp reviewers were accurate. and... the 4 stars were right on the spot!
we loved how adorably decorated the place was. and we loved how friendly the waiters were. they were fun, and fast, and albeit busy, as attentive as they could be and very accomodating. when the food arrived, we were pleased. a tad bit on the salty side, but my bf's mole sauce had some serious kick. and my fish was fresh and delicious.
yum yum yum. bf said the drinks had a lot of kick, so if you plan to go, bring a DD.
and as the others said, pulling out of their parking spots can be tricky. you're backing up onto san antonion, which is never fun.
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Hmmm... I live very close by so I wish this was one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. It's not (I like La Fiesta and Palo Alto Sol).
I've had slightly unfriendly service (I guess she was really busy that night) and luke warm food and I think they shortchanged me, but I discovered it too late. I never went back after the wrong change thing happened. I have a guy friend who moved to Boston and really misses this place though.
Estrellita is a classic family-style Mexican/Southwestern restaurant. Huge bowls of chips, lots of beans and cheese, margaritas, enchilada/tostada/chile relleno combos, etc. So it's safe to bring the parents or Grandma.
What makes Estrellita really special are the rotating specials. They have four regional Mexican dishes a month. It's a great opportunity to try dishes you normally don't see. What's nice is that you can sample the sauces for all the specials, so you can get an idea of whether or not you'll like it.
The service is impersonal, but very efficient. The decor is nice -- make sure you check out the cool chairs (which you can actually buy!).
The Mole sauce in this restaurant is the most flavorful, most complex I have ever tasted. Being something of a chocolate addict, I have been trying chicken Mole at several places. This is the best. The Mole Poblano is on the regular menu, but there is often a special, too. Very regional cuisine, very cozy place, unique decor. Check out the specials on the table by the door. Service can be a little slow at lunch time, but it's worth the wait. I've tried several other dishes that were unique and excellent as well, but the Mole Poblano will keep me coming back.
This is the best place for authentic Mexican food in the area. I have been eating here for at least ten years and at times I could not remember the name so I would say something like "oh that Mexican place on San Antonio Road across from Village Court shopping Center -- it's the best, cozy and very friendly." The specials are just as super as the classes dishes are -- pick anything and you will fall in love!
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