On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Thank you fellow yelpers for helping me find this place! If it wasn't for you guys, I would have missed out on this hidden gem. I honestly expected very little from this place, simply because their location hasn't had a great track record for successful restaurants. Despite my apprehension, I placed my faith in Yelp; after all it hasn't let me down it!
So I walk through the double doors, unnecessary IMO, and was immediately startled! Why you ask? Well, when I got inside there was no one at the front desk and was quite dark. All of a sudden I looked to my right and someone just appeared out of nowhere! Guess who it was...it was my reflection!!! Needless to say, that mirror freaked me out! I think they can do without that mirror!!!
While glancing over the menu I noticed two things; the lack of lighting and conciseness of their menu. I wish that the place was a little brighter so that the menu could be read easier. As for the food selection, I am glad they chose to focus on making a few great dishes instead of sacrificing quality for more variety.
I decided to try their Steak Burrito Mexicandio (mild tomatio sauce). With the meal came some home made chip and salsa. The chips were absolutely amazing. It had a perfect crunch to it and had so much flavor by itself that you didn't need the salsa, but trust me when I say you will want the salsa! I'm not quite sure what they put in their salsa but I would drink that stuff by the gallon full.
With such a great start to the meal I was eager to dive into my burrito. Sadly, it wasn't as amazing as I thought it would be. While the steak was tender and full of flavor the rice and beans fell short. I found that the rice inside the burrito as well as the small side portion, both lacked flavor and was a little dry. As for the beans, they too lacked proper seasoning.
On a high note, the accompany garnishes, salsa, sour cream and guacamole, were terrific. I assume that they make their salsa and guacamole in house because it was some of the best I've had. Also, I really liked the green tomatio sauce but sadly they didn't pour enough of it on my burrito.
Final Thoughts
I am willing to look pass some of their minor flaws because I believe that this place has more to offer if I just give it another chance.
We had kind of strange experience here- we went for lunch on a weekday, and we were literally the only people there. For an hour. At like noon. Not sure whether we were just here in off-season, or whether this place is suffering a little, but it was a little strange.
In the good news, I did enjoy the food- particularly the chips and salsa, which were extremely good. I can't remember the name of the dish I got- but while I loved the tortillas, the sauce was a bit too potent (some kind of mole sauce). If I lived here, I'd probably go back just for the chips and salsa, and maybe I would try something different.
We knew we wanted Mexican and were hoping to find a taqueria, but decided that a place with Cantina in the name would probably work. I thought the food was OK, but kind of expensive and $10-$20 for a smallish margarita was kind of a joke.
So if my review was solely based on how the food tasted, I'd probably give it 3 stars, but my experience with our waitress has me taking that down a peg.
Since we were eating lunch and I didn't feel like dropping $15 for a big plate of something, I was looking at the à la carte menu and ordered two cheese enchiladas and a side of beans.
$1.99 x 2 for the enchilladas and then $2.99 for the beans. Seemed reasonable -- $7 for what I wanted. But the waitress stopped me and told me that she'd just call it a plate and it would be cheaper for exactly the same thing. OK, sounds good to me.
Well, that plate was $9 -- and was exactly what I was trying to order for less. No big deal, I just shorted the tip by $2 and called it a wash.
But how lame is that?
Also, the place was almost completely empty when we were there and she tried to up-sell us on drinks 4-5 times during the 45 minutes we were there. It got kind of old. Won't be back.
while staying in monterey, i looked up this place on yelp, and had to try it. i love chile relenos, but its rare that i ever eat a really good one.
me n the bf went, and when i ordered a chile releno, they said they were all sold out! i was so bummed, so i ordered a cheese n chile tamale and chicken tamale as i read that was another favorite from yelpers.
the cheese n chile tamale was to DIE FOR. ive never had a cheese n chile tamale, and all tamales ive tried in general cant even compare.
went back a couple months later and took our food to go, since we had our dog, and this time i got a chile releno and the cheese n chile tamale. the chile releno was so-so, still not the best ive had, but the tamale. just thinking about it makes me drool!
This is one of the better Mexican food restaurants in Monterey. I think it's now the highest rated restaurant for the Monterey area. Good for them.
We were in town for MotoGP, arrived to our hotel late after riding all day, and we were STARVING.
Naturally I turned to Yelp to seek out a place nearby that we could head to. Saw the reviews for Lopez Restaurante Y Cantina and saw that they were very close by our hotel - we were on the bikes and out the door in a flash. Rolled up and realized that they would be closing in only 5 minutes - we sheepishly went inside and asked if they would still serve us food - YES!
The service was amazing, our waiter treated us like family - in fact the whole place gave you a feeling of family. We ordered up some chips and guacamole - best friggin' guac I have had in a very very long time! Fresh and with a hint of garlic! It went perfectly with the hot and fresh tortilla chips.
Dinner - I had the soft tacos...carnitas and pastor. I'm still dreaming of the carnitas...and the pastor - delightfully flavored and contained small chunks of pineapple(!!). Everything we ate was delicious, served fast and best of all - they didn't rush us. We knew it was past their closing, but the whole staff just seemed to not care - they were even singing in the kitchen!
The grand finale was the delicious piece of flan we were brought for dessert. Heavenly!!
If you're in the Monterey area - don't bother with the overpriced and crowded restaurants on the row, drive over to Lopez and experience the charm and deliciousness of a wonderful family owned place. You won't be disappointed!!
OMG the enchiladas are THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD
.
I had dinner at Lopez Restaurante Y Cantina last night and ordered the Cheese Enchilada's...words can hardly express the deliciousness. The sauce is unlike any I have ever had. It's apparently a secret recipe the Lopez family matriarch created. I whole-heartedly believe that they should sell this sauce on the open market...fame surely awaits them!
YUMMMM'O!
Yummmmmmy!
Prepare to be delighted!!! The food here is delicious, the service exceptional and the…
Read more »
I stopped by Monterrey and as I was driving around I spotted this place and decided to stop and check it out. When I walked in I sat down and they had dos xx, which was freaking awesome. The bartender immediately changed it from E to some futbol. The bar was very roomy and comfortable. I ordered some tamales which covered with red sauce but oh well they were still pretty good.
However, I got to talking to the bartender and we talked about our beloved Tri for about an hour. He was very knowledgeable and cool and was giving me recommendations of what places to visit while in Monterrey. If you are in the area, definitely stop by this place for great food, and experience.
Excellent family-owned and operated Mexican restaurant. We went to Lopez because we were late to make plans, everywhere else was booked and the reviews on Yelp were promising. The decor had been accurately described. Its dated and not very inviting. But the service and food quality had frankly been undersold. It was superb. We had burritos, enchilada's and churros for dessert. Everything was excellent.
We were on vacation in Monterey, and tried this restaurant based on the recommendations here. Let me tell you, this was a MISTAKE!! We were there for lunch on Sunday. We should have known something was wrong, because there were NO other customers.
We ordered the guacamole, chips and salsa. The guac. needed salt. It was at best just OK. The salsa had little flavor or spice.
I ordered the pan-fried tilapia with ensalada de mango. The meal came with rice and beans. First I noticed my plate was missing the "ensalada de mango" or mango salad. When I inquired, I was told the chef didn't have any. Why wasn't I told this up front? There was no offer to replace it with something else.
The tilapia was overcooked. The accompanying rice was mushy and tasteless. Frankly, I couldn't eat it.
Other's in my party had chile relleno that came out with unmelted cheese; someone else ordered a chimichanga, but was brought a burrito...This even though we were the ONLY patrons in the restaurant.
Their food was so substandard...that a greasy taco truck would have been a VAST improvement.
GROSS!!!!
I ordered the chimichanga for lunch and got a burrito instead No big deal - im easy It was really good The chips were fresh hot and salsa was tasty.
We happen to be staying in the area and looking for places to eat that got good reviews on Yelp and within walking distance of our hotel. The service was fast and friendly but the food was pretty mediocre.
The chips and salsa everyone raved about tasted a little off to us. I thought the oil used for the chips might have been old but my husband thought it was the masa. The lime completely overwhelmed the taste of avocado in the guacamole. On the plus side, the Margarita, chili verde, and rice and beans was decent.
I'm really surprised the Yelp reviewers loved the food so much. Even though I wanted to like the restaurant, I left feeling we should have just gone to El Torito.
Little place tucked away, but worth finding. I ordered the Chili Releno and If was one of the best I have ever had. The prices are very good and the staff was very helpful.
I went to Lopez Restaurante last month, and man was it delicious. I ordered my staple mexican food, chicken fajitas, and was very impressed. The chicken was great, and not dry, and the bell peppers and onions were perfectly cooked, not too mushy. The chips and salsa are fabulous. Also, if you have the opportunity, order their corn tortillas, they are handmade by mom, fresh every day. They are the best.
Great place to have a party! DJ and all. Move all the tables and you have a dance floor. Love the staff and always a good time here.
Ahhh yes... did I say their rice and beans are the s#@%? Chips and salsa too? Nachos... Mmmm.... … Read more »
I stopped by Lopez yesterday after reading the reviews and I was definitely NOT DISAPPOINTED! Since moving here from TX I have been hard pressed to find GOOD Mexican food. (don't give me that crap about TX not having good Mexican food!!! And yes there is more than just TEX-MEX in Texas! There is amazing Mexican food to be had in TX and NM! and by the way MexiCali isn't real Mexican either so lay off Tex Mex too).
The food here was very good I had 2 cheese enchiladas (around $10) and a Taco with grilled chicken (around $3) It was all very good, and I had 2 bowls of salsa!
I dropped in for a late lunch around 2:30 and obviously the place was deserted. It looks like an old lounge from the 70s which I think is pretty cool, it gives it that nice hole in the wall feel. My waiter (Chuy) was very friendly and attentive. I will definitely be back soon!
I am not in Monterey too much, but I was in Cannery Row and craving a burrito. Me and my girlfriend were no impressed with what they had down on Cannery Row, so we used her cell phone and yelp reviews said that this was the best place for Mexican food around, so we went without ever having been to or heard of it.
So we walk in are very warmly greeted, the staff was more then nice, very pleasant to talk and deal with. We got refills and were asked if we needed anything a lot and by more then just our waitress who was very good. I ended up getting a chimichangas since they offer to get that instead of a burrito. It was really good, they were really fast in getting the food and the chips they give you when you sit down are very tasty, I could have almost just filled up on those alone. Great food and service! Next time I am in Monterey I will make sure to check out this place again.
Ummmmm. Did I go to a different restaurant than everybody else? I feel horribly mean and out of place since everybody else raved about this place, but frankly, it isn't that incredible.
First of all, it's got a dingy, run-down, no-windows so it must be a creepy bar sorta feel to it. It was clean though, so I'll give them that.
Secondly, service was good, and the waiters seemed genuinely friendly, but I finished my meal and sat there reading for over 5 minutes before someone came to check on me and see if I wanted my bill. It wasn't even that busy and they had a million people working.
Thirdly, I got a Chimichanga Pescadero and it was horribly bland. There didn't seem to be much fish, and the fish there was tasted fishy. The rest of the chimichanga was filled with the same bland rice and beans that filled the other half of my plate. There was a tiny dollop of guacamole and a spoonful of sour cream - not nearly enough. If I ever go back I'll try the enchiladas, from the look of them on the table next to me they seemed like a better option. Not the tacos though, the lady at the same neighboring table was obviously not impressed with hers.
And fourth, I got two margaritas and neither were all that great. Weak, weak, weak. And they came in these weird glasses that I'd never seen margaritas served in before. The rims were really small. Small rim = less salt, and I like my salt, grrrrrrrrr.
So in conclusion, they're okay. I'd go back and give them another try, but unless they knocked my socks off, I probably wouldn't bother going back again.
Thanks Yelp for another awesome find!
Our food was incredibly good. We were all very impressed. Ordered the steak taco's, fish taco's and cheese enchiladas. Everyone was very happy. Also ordered margaritas, blended and on the rocks. YUM!
Will definitely come back when we are back in the area.
Service was fantastic as well!
My wife and I were visiting Monterey for a week and had a hankering for some Mexican food. The reviews on Yelp were stellar, so we gave it a try. The service was top notch. Andrea, our server, was very attentive, gave great recommendations on menu items, and was very pleasant. The food was amazing. I highly recommend the manchanmantel, which is their signature dish. It's a chicken or pork dish served with a red mole from the owner's hometown in Michoacán, Mexico. Amazing!!! The homemade tortillas are also a nice part of the meal. They also have an extensive selection of tequila, and their bar staff knows a lot about each of them. We love this place!
We arrived in Monterey famished, quickly checked into our hotel (Vagabond Inn, formerly known as Munras Lodge) and headed to find some dinner. Thanks to the handy dandy yelp app, I directed us to Lopez Restaurante Y Cantina. It was walking distance from our hotel but we didn't realize that until we pulled up in front of the restaurant. Luckily, we found a spot right outside the front door. (We also were not aware that there was a small parking lot on the other side of the restaurant.)
At 8 pm, the restaurant and bar were not very busy, just one large party and maybe another four tables with couples. The service was quick and friendly. I ordered a tamale meal with one jalapeno and cheese tamale and one chicken tamale. They were incredibly delicious and obviously homemade. If you do not care for spicy food do not get the jalapeno tamale, but I guess that may be fairly obvious.
Since we were on vacation, I let one of the waiters tell us about their desserts. He had me at "it is similar to a churro". This dessert consists of a tortilla sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and fried into a shell. Then they take a scoop of ice cream, cover it in corn flakes, quickly deep fry it and place it inside the shell. As if all that were not enough, they drizzle the entire pile of fried goodness with dulce de leche syrupy stuff. My blood sugar level will never be the same.
I just got home from this place and need to write this review before I do anything else. Lopez Restaurante Y Cantina has amazing in food and service. Chuy was our server and couldn't have been better. He knows his margaritas (and his beer) and hooked us up with great recommendations. The whole place could not have been more friendly and welcoming. Chuy let us know that his mom does most of the cooking and he and his brothers do all the other stuff. You definitely get the feeling that everyone cares about what they're doing.
The restaurant is very clean and open and the tables were spaced nicely. It looks like a great place for groups since they had several large booths. We went as just two people and had a nice booth to ourselves. The bar is also pretty big and had a huge selection of drinks with nice TVs.
We both had the enchiladas. The plates were huge and the food was insane! Really nice flavors and everything was extremely fresh. The free chips and salsa were also delicious. I wish we had room for desert, but we were completely stuffed.
If you're in Monterey, definitely stop by Lopez Restaurante Y Cantina. I wish we had this place in New York!
This was an amazing place! After hanging out at Cannery Row and working up our appetite we weren't overly impressed with the options down there. A quick look at yelp told us that this was the place to go, and it was right!
The service was awesome and the ambiance was cozy. I got the nachos and it's not often that I get nachos that leave me with extra toppings at the end!!! Most places I go end up leaving me with empty chips on the plate, but there was extra left over in this case. Luckily the chips and salsa were on the table and I was able to eat my entire plate of nachos! They were so tasty and the price was very reasonable.
There were plenty of choices on the menu and I hope to return next time I am in Monterey so I can try out other parts of the menu!
I must admit when I was first invited to Lopez Restaurante y Cantina, I was quite skeptical. It's the latest in a series of restaurants that's come through this property. The last place in this spot, also Mexican, was terrible and the memory of the bad food paired with the hideous décor that's leftover from the days of The Whaler almost led me to turn down the invitation. But I went along and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by Lopez.
I ordered my usual entrée--chicken enchiladas--that I use to judge all Mexican restaurants. The chips and salsa they provided while we waited were quite good, again, an improvement from the previous tenant. The chips were warm and, even better, weren't caked in salt (a BIG plus in my book!). The salsa was a perfect complement--the right consistency and an appropriate amount of kick to wet your palate. My enchiladas were great, with a nice helping of white-meat chicken (I do appreciate when they spare you the dark meat). I substituted a green salsa verde for the usual red sauce (which so easily overpowers) and it was a nice balance for the enchiladas. But it was the rice that really shined here--it was perfectly seasoned and the texture was spot-on. We all agreed Lopez provided a nice, authentic Mexican meal for us.
There were a few disappointments. I was a little surprised by the salad menu--when did Caesar or cobb salads become standard fare at Mexican restaurants? And the décor, well, it still hasn't changed. A fresh coat of paint was a welcome start, but the upholstery does need some work--it's so out of place with the authentic Mexican food they serve.
I'll definitely be back at Lopez--and hope more people visit this hidden gem so doesn't go through that revolving door like so many other restaurants have previously.
I had researched a restaurant to visit after participating in the Big Sur Mud Run... knowing we'd be super hungry and care less about ambiance and more about the grub! We arrived at 11:45 on a Saturday and the place was totally empty. The crew was super friendly and enthusiastic about the food. We enjoyed our cervezas and delicious chips and salsa - I mean, REALLY good after our run - and then our entrees arrived... Everything was so thoughtfully prepared, and the flavors were fresher than any Mexican restaurant I've visited in memory.
The chile relleno was so awesome. Beyond words. I am fantasizing about the next time I get to go down to Monterey and revisit the thing of beauty that is that relleno.
The place is a bit of a cave, but the dim atmosphere was really, really welcome after being in the hot spring sun all morning.
I hope this place continues to succeed, because it is something special.
The margaritas were on point. DH and I stopped by to have some anniversary drinks last month. The bartender explained the selections and poured up some potent libations.
They have an awesome selection of tequilas. Can't vouch for the food because we didn't eat there.
If you are in the area and want a good drink, stop by.
Lopez Restaurante y Cantina is run by my buddy from college. He always would say that he'd have to go home to help out at his restaurant. Finally, three years later, we ventured out to Monterey to visit his restaurant.
Would it be a hole in the wall? Would it be an upscale fine Mexican-fusion dining establishment? Would it be another Taco Bell? Our answers were solved the second we pulled up and saw the front. It was great. It was a mix of everything. The food was expertly prepared by our friend and his bros. And it was delicious. Damn delicious.
Family-run through and through, you'll be taken care of at Lopez Restaurante. Pick spicy, sweet, or a combination -- Lopez Restaurante has it all.
I got the prawns. Prawn tacos. Yeah. Tell Luis "Go Bears" from Berkeley and I'm sure you'll be treated like a king.
So glad we found this place that was delicious and inexpensive, away from the main strip in monterrey. First came with chips and salsa. We had two tacos with carne asada, which was delicious. The beef was cooked perfectly and still juicy, not overcooked and dry at all which can sometimes be the case. The pork tamale not as impressed, moist however there was not much filling. Also had the enchilada that came with rice and refried beans. The enchilada was great and the meat was cooked very well.
I hate to give this restaurant a bad review because the service was so good there. It seems as though a family owns this restaurant and one of the sons waited on us throughout our dinner. He mentioned that his mother makes the food. He gave us hands down the best service I have ever had in my life. He was so friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. It was a pleasure to have him for my waiter and I'm glad I got to meet him.
On the other hand, I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food and have been to many Mexican restaurants. The food at the restaurant was average at best. We had chips and salsa given to us complimentary and we ordered guacamole to go with it as an appetizer. The salsa was very mild and not very tasty. The guacamole was good although mixed with a little too many vegetables for my taste. For dinner, I ordered the steak fajitas and they were just ok.
If any of you are beer fans out there like me I do recommend going to this place if you want to try some beers from Mexico that I haven't seen anywhere else. I absolutely LOVE beer and I got to try some very delicious beers from small breweries in Mexico. My recommendation is to go there for drinks and an appetizer and then somewhere else for dinner.
Overall, I really liked this place. The cocktails were pretty good, a decent amount of bang for the buck. The food was good as well. The refried beans are from mom's recipe, and they make them with vegetable oil, instead of lard, so they are good and good for you! The portions were huge. As in gigantic! They let me order one cheese and one shrimp enchilada and both were really good. The quality of the seafood was good and the cheese enchilada, although cheesy wasn't overly-cheesed, which can sometimes happen in other places. I would recommend both. The chips and salsa were really good and they kept them coming. My husband got some gigantic burrito thing with carne asada. The sauce on it looked fantastic and he said it was pretty good as well.
Overall, we enjoyed our experience. The food was beyond satisfactory, with good quality ingredients, good portions, and definitely made to order. The drinks were also really good, with just enough kick to them to make it worh your while, but not so much that you only taste the booze. I want my drunkenness to sneak up on me after all.
I really recommend this place, go and support a local family run restaurant!!
Good lunch prices. Quiet on Sunday lunch, but great food and service. Will definitely go back. Staying away from mass verbosity as there's quite a few other reviews.
Update - After writing a negative review (now removed), I received a very kind note from the Lopez family. They apologized for the problems with the service explaining that a younger member of their family had been working that day. To their credit, the Lopez's demonstrated they care about i) the reputation of their family owned business and ii) customer satisfaction. Commendable traits both. Further, Mr. Lopez offered to have us visit the restaurant as their guests the next time we are in Santa Cruz. I feel I can't raise my low rating until I revisit the restaurant but I would ask Yelp members to give the Cantina a try.
AMAZING!!! the waitstaff (Janet especially) was super friendly. the guacamole was fresh and tasty. the free chips and salsa kicked some major a$$. i had a couple margaritas and steak fajitas and the husband had steak enchilada plate. the food was outstanding. sure the ambiance isn't the greatest but it looks like the way old family restaurants used to look 30 years ago. so we had no problems with that. we'll be back any time we're in the monterey area!!
The decor and location first scared us a bit, but once going in it was overall a pleasant experience. The food is good - solid and fresh, although the Fajita dish is a little to salty. Our waiter introduced us to a Mexican Micro Brew beer, and it was fabulous. The service was definitely 5 star - very friendly and warm. I would definitely go back when in town, and a slight update to the decor and slightly less salt in Fajita would make this a 5-star review!
Totally agree! Their chips and salsa rock- good and chunky salsa. I went with my friend over MLK weekend who was in town from DC and he inhales salsa like it's water-- literally he can go through 3 or four little bowls of it and not even put a dent in the chips. Loved the fact that there were more chunks and tomatoes than just a liquidy mess. We were in for lunch before heading to the aquarium and I was totally not hungry.... but I ordered the ceviche de camarones and he (of course was starving) got the chicken fajitas. Everything was really good and I cannot wait to go back and try some more grub.
Good kid quesadilla, a bit pricey for what it is but we enjoyed it and staff were great.
This place is RIDICULOUSLY GOOD. I live in SF, surrounded by tremendous food and I am tempted to drive to Monterey just to go back here. Wonderful chips, salsa, chile relleno, white refried beans, rice... everything. Isabelle agrees!!
salsa is mmm-mmm-good! the service is extremely attentive, courteous, and generous. our party of seven constantly got refills on chips and salsa throughout our meal.
i got the 3-item combo -- the cheese tamale was excellent and almost worth writing home about. the other items were almost as good. their special margarita on the rocks, with the shot of grand marnier on the side, was a nice compliment to the meal.
the decor could use a little update -- the live piano bar's a nice touch, but it's a little dark. i enjoy the complimentary copies of WSJ in the front, and i'll keep that in mind the next time i find myself dining out solo.
Great service by the waiter with more details about the menu than I have ever experienced at any restuarant. The freshest tasting mexican food I have ever had! We recommended the chicken enchiladas, fajitas, and the tres leches cake. Don't miss this place whether you are local or just visiting!!!
My friend is one of the owners and we stopped by during MLK weekend to say hi. The food was so good that we decided to come back again the next day.
Everyone is in love with their chips/salsa and I have to fully agree. Everything else on the menu is great too (especially "Nacho's Nachos" and the Shrimp Fajitas). The staff is all extremely friendly and I have absolutely no complaints.
Monterey, CA
Category: Mexican
Monterey, CA
Category: Thai
Monterey, CA
Category: Mexican
Monterey, CA
Category: Mexican
Monterey, CA
Category: Chinese
In no particular order, these are my favorite…
Loading...
