Picante Taqueria
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
38 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
"YOU GOT TO TRY THE ACALPULCO BURRITO! Grilled prawns, bell peppers, onions, with crab spread. Honestly the best burrito I have ever had! I…" read more »
20 Reviews for Picante Taqueria
I have tried nachos all over the Bay Area and beyond. There is absolutely no other place better than Picante. Super Nachos with al pastor is the best there is (with steak or chicken comes a close second). The chips are thick enough to scoop up the sour cream, guacamole, cheese and meat without breaking. The rest of there food is really good as well (burritos are very filling). The service is ALWAYS friendly and quick, especially when you have only a hour for lunch. Super busy from 11:45am-12:45pm for obvious reasons. Go before/after their peak hour or call ahead for take out. They just recently installed wireless internet, so what excuse do you have now? See you there!
Nobody so far has mentioned the amazing tostadas at Picantes. Try the flour tostada with carne asada. Incredibly good, easily the best I've ever had.
I agree with other reviewers in regards to the decor and atmosphere, very pleasant.
My favorite Taqueria in Marin. The servings are like the ones in El Farolito in Mission. The plate servings are huge and I like their chicharones (pork rinds).
So when youre in San Rafael and craving for a burrito dont go anywhere else. Go to Picante.
My favorites are:
Chicken Quesedilla
Carne Assade Burrito
Choriza Burrito (warning: is not low fat)
Chicken Burrito
And the nachos are very good.
The decour is also great. With Our Lady of Guadalupe watching over it you cannot go wrong.
A favorite stop when in San Rafael , not as cheap as San Jose Taqueria, but fewer flies....... Out of the way, but still close to 580 exit, they did a nice job with the paint and mosaic interior.
Carne asada is usually moist and great salsa.
The Berkeley location has outdoor patio
GREAT fish burritos. SUPER DELICIOUS tortas. I highly recommend this place.
Picante is my absolute favorite taqueria in Marin. The Super Vegetarian burrito is burrito perfection - generous amounts of guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and all the rest of the good stuff, always in the right proportions. The staff and partrons are friendly. Their home-made red salsa is amazing. The place is clean and attractively-decorated. Everything about Picante combines to delight the senses.
All I really want to talk about is the tosadas. So good. Way above the crowd with this.
Hands down my favorite cheap Mexican food place in San Rafael (the high-end award goes to Las Camelias).
The carne asada and chicken burritos are very flavorful.
I dig the decor too. I always go here for lunch and sit at that big natural wood table that looks like a log.
I like that they offer free water.
The women taking the orders are always so sweet to me.
High quality food for cheap. That's what I am talking about.
The parking lot is rather small but I've never had trouble finding a spot.
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Pretty good. Flavorful enough...I remember enjoying my grilled chicken burrito but not lusting after it the same way I do at CanCun.
Personally rather go to San Jose if I was hoping for something local (more flavorful and less expensive..with unlimited salsa..woo!).
They are yet another one of the establishments that really hates to give you take home salsa.
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I wasn't a really big fan, but their burrito was alright. The chicken was decent, but not the best -- kind of chewy. The flavors were there, but their lack of salsa was a kick in the pants. WHEN WILL THEY LEARN!!!
If you don't offer a salsa bar, offer lots of salsa in those little containers for the grabbing. There wasn't even salsa in the burrito. When I looked in my to go bag and noticed no salsa there either, I turned back and asked for salsa (there were two burritos in the bag). The guy looked at me for a second, then said "OK", turned, grabbed ONE salsa container and gingerly handed it to me. NOT OKAY! It wasn't even flavorful, but under ripe, watery tomatoes with a little cilantro, and jalapen(umm, Yelp got something against the enne?)o.
Skip this place and just go to San Jose.
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Good food at good prices. Authentic too. Tacos are the best but they make good chicken enchiladas as well
This place is always blowing up during weekday lunch. I love the blue-collar crowd that comes in. They sell all sorts of bottled beer and even have a few on tap.
The only thing I buy here is the tacos. They're delicious and cheap. 2 Carne Asada tacos will run you about $3.50. Their carnitas is excellent, has very little fatty pieces, and is garnished correctly with cilantro and onions.
Their housemade salsa (very spicy) is at every table. I usually use half the jar every time I visit.
Also, huge jar of pickled jalapenos and carrots. LOVE IT.
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I've eaten a lot of tacos in my day. I have a mild obsession with them. I fancy myself a connoseur, even if i don't know how to spell that word. I love tacos, but I am also unimpressed by most of them.
But not here. This place has exceptional tacos.
The quality of both the Carne Asada and the Carnitas is excellent. This is the proper way to judge a taqueria. Not by the sorry veggie burrito or the stupid "super chicken". How good is the MEAT? That's all that matters.
Not only is the meat great, but they even dress the tacos differently depending on what kind of meat you have. different garnishes, salsa, etc. That, ladies and gentleman, is the marque of a fine taqueria.
oh yeah, food's cheap and so is the beer.
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This is the spot i go to if i go out for lunch while working. We went there for my birthday last year and all my co-workers were freaking out because none of them had ever been there and they thought i was going to take them to a dump... lo and behold... they all loved it! And they were all grateful because between the few of them it was only like $2 per person for my meal. It's cheap, generous portions and delicious food!! I like the tile mosiac murals on the wall.
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Another Mexican place in San Rafael on the South east side, the barrio. Building is an old fast food place that has been minimally redecorated. Ordering and pick up at the counter is still fast food method.
Has all the expected menu items: Burritos, tacos, enchiladas, tamales. Better tasting than the fast food chains, better ingredients and preparation. But still not one of my favorite Mexican places here in San Rafael. The rice is watery tasting, and the beans have little flavor at all.
The room always seems almost empty of people and the stone walls & floor reverberates with every !Clank! in the kitchen. Clean enough.
Prices are low enough for what you get. Not worth a special trip, but if you're close by, I guess this is an okay lunch stop.
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My absolute favorite burrito place. The quesadillas are awesome too, and the people that work there are great. A little rowdy sometimes on the weekends, I saw a guy being carried out at 7:00 on a Friday once, but with beer and good food cheap who could blame them?
This is my favorite taqueria. They make healthy food but delicious and so cheap! I would eat here everyday if I lived nearby. Try the tostada salad or the breakfast specialties. The staff is always nice too.
This place is very nice. too bad we do not get over that way too often.
The Quesadillas, and Tacos are wonderful, and the staff is very friendly.
always good, and the best chips anywhere.
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