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Categories: Mexican, Latin American [Edit]
2058 Old Middlefield WayMon-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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This is the only taqueria I mess with in the bay area. Being from Texas I think I'm a good judge on tacos and burritos and its authenticity. Just wrting this review makes me hungry. The resturant/cafe is really nice - not all fancy, but a suitable space to get your grub on. Please don't go to that nasty Taqueria right next door - painted white. I remember gettinga burrito there that tasted like soup - when the Old Mill was still showing movies for $3.00. This Taqueria is for the birds. But Taqueia La Bamba will have you leaving singing La La Bamba!!! Mucho Man
I like this place for their carnitas because it's one of the few taquerias I've been to that make the meat slightly fried to a crisp (versus soupy, stewed, or braised carnitas).
The pupusas are also yummy (cheese or crispy carnitas).
Good people serving up good food.
Taqueria La Bamba = heart
This is one of my favorite places to get lunch! Try the super burrito with carne asada or carnitas (crispy but tender, mmm!) The burritos are huge and well priced. If you don't believe me, friend "Taqueria La Bamba" (http://www.facebook.co...) on Facebook and they'll send you a coupon for a free burrito. I redeemed mine today, and it was the best free lunch I've ever eaten. Totally worth it.
There can be a bit of a line for lunch, but it moves very quickly. My only complaint is that it's not the greatest place to sit around and have lunch with a group (there are some chairs lining the windows and wall counters, but that's about it). I wish they'd put some picnic tables or benches outside. But for takeout, it's a win!
For 20 years I've patronized this taqueria, and for as many years I've measured the goodness of every other burrito I've ever had against La Bamba burritos. Few have ever come close to the consistently solid burritos here, and I'm still struggling to figure out why this other little burrito place on the corner continues to get such rave reviews with La Bamba right next door.. ::scratches head::
Anyway, my go-to burrito here is a carnitas super burrito. I don't think I've ever been disappointed after quite literally hundreds of these. I *have* tried every meat on the menu, and it's all good, FYI. Carnitas is just my personal preference, probably something about the crispiness of the pork on the outside, the tender juiciness on the inside, with just the right amount of fat for flavor (I'm admittedly a health nut, so I am conscious about these things..).
The papusas are also to die for - a little El Salvadorian treat that really separates La Bamba from your standard run-of-the-mill burrito joint. If you haven't ever had all of the goodness that's contained in a homemade papusa, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. And if you don't like it, I will finish it for you :-)
Decor = Not much seating to speak of. Buy your food and take it home.
Service = N/A - not much of a sit down place
Food = Average
Value = Average
Kid Friendly = Not at all.
Recommendation = We tried the burrito and pupusa. The burrito next door at the market is MUCH MUCH better. Pupusa is fresh but ok.
First things first, I am in no way an expert on Mexican food. All of my SoCal friends assure me that I don't know what I'm missing, so I know my exposure to really good Mexican food is pretty limited. So take what I say for what it is.
Tidbits:
- I got the simmered chicken in my burrito. Pretty moist, but could be more seasoned.
- Like the other reviews have said, great service during the lunch rush when it comes to speed.
- I really hate cilantro and requested none of it in my burrito. But alas, had to pick a bunch of it out.
- The burritos here are JUICY! Good for taste, bad for whatever clothes you are wearing. Grab a stack of napkins.
The two things that really matter to me when it comes to a good burrito are GOOD MEAT and SPICINESS. I liked the meat, but there was nary a spicy bite to be found. :(
They only have bottles of their own salsa in the restaurant, but it does nothing to add a kick! I wanted to run home with my burrito and douse it with Tapatio. Next time.
After a YEE, the crew came here to eat. Having never been here, I tried the fish tacos.
It came out promptly but sadly, there was no free chips and salsa like there is at my local taqueria. The fish tacos (they were soft tacos) were tasty enough but it didn't stand out in mind as "OMG HAVE TO GET AGAIN!" type of tacos.
I think I had more fun hanging out with everyone than eating my tacos.
Mmm so yummy. This place has one of the best super burritos in the Bay Area. I got the carnitas and the meat was crispy and flavored just right. The service is super duper fast too! The only thing that I would say is semi-bad is that their salsa (the extra ones they give you if you ask for salsa) is only so-so. I definitely will be paying a visit here again soon when my Mexican food craving kicks in.
Yes - the BEST burritos in the area, including the Castro Street location. I'll admit, you have to sacrifice a little on the ambiance side, but hey - I'll give up a few frills here and there to have an off-the-hook burritto.
All I can say is "wow." Because I cannot believe all the positive reviews on here. My experience was very different. When I moved to Mountain View, I was excited to explore all the different taquerias, but was vastly disappointed by most of them. I think SF has better burritos, and they are much cheaper!
You should note that Taqueria La Bamba is a mix of Mexican and Salvadorian cuisine. My roommate at the time (who is half Mexican) claimed the flavoring was all wrong. She took two bites and threw her food out. I ordered the pupusas and ate them, but didn't think they tasted all that great. My first experience with pupusas were homemade ones from an El Salvadorian coworker. So I can definitely say I've had better. Oh, and this place works as a wonderful laxative.
I did manage to eat my food. However, I would never go back. I am one of those people that thinks the place next door is much better...but still not as good as SF.
I've been to probably 100 taquerias and I'd say this one is definitely in the top 5. I had a carne asada burrito and it was delicious. The asada had a really good flavor and the salsa was real good. My boyfriend got a pollo asada burrito and he really liked it, he said their salsa roja was really good as well. The burritos are really filling, I couldnt finish mine so I took it home for dinner.
Although this place was good, it is not fantastic or anything. And the stomach ache afterwards was probably the worst I've ever had.
My boyfriend really liked it so if we're ever in the MV area we'll probably stop by again.
I had a cheese pupusa and a taco with chili verde and both were really good. The taco was so full of meat, i couldn't pick it up. I wish the cabbage salad for the pupusa looked a little fresher but it tasted fine.
I am happy to have found a decent Mexican joint around here.
Certainly one of the best burritos I've ever had. The carne asada and al pastor super burritos were both incredible. Rumor has it, that the burritos are not as good as they once were, but I truly don't know how it could be any better. I had a few stomach problems after the meal, but I think that's generally the way to know whether or not you are eating a good burrito.
Cheers to a most incredible burrito!
We had a late dinner here after an Elite event.
It was close, cheap, and my hubby had liked the food at their other location.
I had a pupusa for the first time, and it was tasty!!!
I also had grilled fish tacos. which were ok. Pretty basic, but nothing outstanding.
The service was really friendly, and helpful, that earned them another star:)
La Costena next door used to win Best Burrito in Mountain View every year. That was until Taqueria La Bamba starting winning that honor.
Every time I go here, I get the carnitas burrito. It's simply amazing. I love that crispiness that the carnitas burritos here have.
Parking is a bit funky, and there's not many places to sit if you really wanted to eat here. I always get my burrito to-go, so no worries there.
The only thing this place is missing is free chips and salsa. You have to pay extra if you want chips and salsa. Los Altos Taqueria on the opposite corner has free chips and salsa with their burritos, and has comparable carnitas burritos, though I think Taqueria La Bamba's is still better.
If you're looking for a burrito in the MV area, this is the place to go.
Wow! Fast service even at noon.
Very good burrito with flavorful fillings. Looking forward to going back sometime.
Went here because yelp had good remarks. For me it's a typical burrito place, nothing special. Although it was pretty crowded during lunch. Ended up ordering:
Al Pastor Quesadilla: it was good, above average
Carne Asada Super Burrito: it was okay for me, nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary. It was bland, the only thing that was flavorful was the cheese and guacamole.
Total for the meal was $15.00 including a bottle of water.
Their house sauce was okay, a little watery. I don't know why so many people raved about this place when there's clearly other burrito places that are better. I even prefer El Paso on El Camino.
Was introduced to this place a few years ago. My friend kept saying "They have the best burrito ever". Well, now I'm saying La Bamba makes the best super burrito ever. I like soft textures so I always choose the simmered chicken, or carne asada for the meat. The rice is always moist, and they put just enough sour cream and guacamole. Service is fast and courteous.
Can't say anything about the other dishes because I've never tried them. Yes, I know, burritos are purely an American invention. Yes, I should broaden my horizon and try the pupusas. But the super burrito is too good to move onto anything else on the menu.
Only negative is that I feel a bit stupid when I mispronounce "carne asada" with a heavy American accent while I'm ordering. Gotta work on that.
yuck, I mean really, yuck. I've stopped here four times in the past months, each time hoping there was just something I missed. First time I ordered the chicken tacos. Cheap taco meat, everything made from low quality ingrediantes. As I bit in all I could think of was how I wasted six hard earned dollars. same thing for the seven dollar burrito. Don't get me wrong, I'm no cheapo, but the quality really was that bad.
I really hate to be negative, but I think this is the worst mexican I've ever had in my life.
I was craving me some authentic Mexican food and wanted to try a different location, then all the places in Fremont. Checked old faithful Yelp and saw this place in Mountain View will all these reviews.
Drove here and this place is truly a Taqueria, the place does have many seats. Most of it is at a counter style. Simply you take it to go or eat and get out. This is not a place to sit and chat. Do your business and get out.
They make the food here FAST! We just found a seat and our food was done.
Carne Asada Super Taco - good and large - NOT humongous
Pork Tamale - ehhh, seemed over steamed and not too meaty
Carne Asada Taco - good, lots of meat, small tortilla
Carne Asada Nachos - Wow, tons of meat and they separated the guacamole and sour creme
I remember going here one time really hungover with some friends and the food being the best I'd ever eaten. But on a recent second visit, the carnitas were flavorless and really dry. I was so sad and threw half of my meal away...only somewhat full but not wanting to cut my mouth on the carnitas chunks.
Also, when my order was called the guy kept yelling "25!!!" over and over and looking at me and shaking the bag with my order. I finally went up and said "Um, I'm number 87". He said "Ya ya, iz yours." Huh?
I have worked in Palo Alto for 10 yrs and have really had a hard time finding quality Mexican food around the area. I will have to say that La Bamba is the only Taqueria close by that I will eat at anymore.
Burritos and tacos are decent but the meat is always cooked inconsistent. The Carne Asada and Carnitas can sometimes be over cooked and dry. The Pollo Asado is pretty consistent.
The pupusas are good but a little greasy.
The service is good and the people that work there are friendly for the most part. One real downfall is that they are very stingy with the salsa. We ordered 8 burritos and they gave us 8 x 1oz cups of salsa(definitely not enought for an entire burrito). When we asked for some more salsa, they said they would have to charge for any additional salsas. Definitely didn't win points with that attitude.
All and all, La Bamba is an OK place to go for a much needed burrito/taco fix.
Delicious through and through. While there are many providers of victuals originating south of the american border, not all of them are equal.
Taqueria La Bamba has been my go to place for veg burritos (they have really good rice and well seasoned beans), salvadoran breakfast deliciousness, and refreshing aguas frescas.
The super burrito is the length of my forearm and a whole lot thicker. The tacos are cheap in price but not in taste. This taqeuria has a funky, divy kind of feel to it which enhances the overall experience. If you go there at lunchtime make it before 12N or after 2pm because there is typically a line.
My advice: Go there....NOW!!!! : )
THE BEST BURRITO in ALL THE WORLD!!!
This place is knock down the best mexican restaurant/ burrito joint the world has ever seen. They also have funky drinks out on the counter and other strange items depending on when you come in.
This is a togo restaurant. Sadly. So that is the only thing against it in my book.
Good, fast, and cheap, what more do you want? This is the place to go for a crispy carnitas burrito or quesadilla. The tamales are awesome, and the tacos are good too. I even liked the grilled chicken burrito, and I'm not a huge chicken fan. I usually get a Jarritos soda or Mexican Coke while I'm here, but next time I plan to try the horchata.
My favorite La Bamba moment was walking outside the building and noticing my boyfriend's obnoxiously bright yellow-orange t-shirt was the exact same hue as the garish building exterior. It was almost like he became invisible. Well, you had to be there.
Best burrito I've ever had? Yes.
Granted, I haven't had that many burrito's in my life.
After work I went there for dinner. My companion said they're known for their carnitas, so I took his word and got a regular carnitas burrito. It came with rice, beans, salsa, and a dash of onions and cilantro. A super burrito would have come with cheese, sour cream and guac, but I wanted to start small first.
Damn. Talk about a tasty burrito. The carnitas were crispy with a strip of fat every now and then. Guys, if you haven't realized yet, fat = flavor. Fat is good. The beans weren't mushy and the rice wasn't standalone omgosh as rice, but well, the sum is greater than its parts.
Decor is typical taqueria decor with solid colored walls painted with the different colors of the Mexican flag. Seats were scarce, but it wasn't a problem when I was there. Prices are cheaper than burritos at Chipotle or Qdoba. Add a drink and it comes out to be around 8 bucks.
Next time I'll probably try a super burrito. And maybe another meat. Note: I did say next time. I'll definitely be back!
I drive here weekly for my office (in Sunnyvale), place fax orders with anywhere from 2-10 different orders & they do an excellent job of keeping it all straight & writing my office-mates names on everything.
Ive only had 1 bad day in the year or so Ive been coming here & they fixed it the next week & made it all better.
The carnitas are top-notch...crispy, flavorful & plenty of it in their burritos. Im not a fan of chunky salsa so I have them use their tomatillo sauce....mmmmm, tom-a-tillo sauce.
My office-mates rave about the grilled chicken, carne asada & stewed meats.
Awesome value, awesome food & great service.
Places like LaBamba make my world go round.
I used to go to Rubys alot too but they cant get an order right to save their lives...even face to face.
Delicious delicious delicious!
I've gone here when i was a kid but this was the first time returning and it just goes to show that fancy meals doesn't necessarily equal a memorable experience.
I found the workers to be efficient, and the food to be sufficient. I had the beef quesadilla and it was awesome! The beef and cheese wedged between the fresh, folded tortilla was so tasty, it was hard to resist.
I also had their horchata, which was alright but i've had better.
The location is old, but it fits the homestyle atmosphere. I recommend this place!
mmmmm... I just visited La Bamba today... Burrito perfection... moist, soft beans, home made rice that's fluffy, a perfect blend of salsa chopped down to bit size- and crunchy carnitas on the outside, soft and moist (but not greasy!) on the inside...
Thank you La Bamba, once again.
Don't change a thing.
Did I mention that the pupusa is just as good?
I've been coming back here for seven years, and this is my favorite burrito spot in the Bay Area.… Read more »
The burritos here are to die for! The pupusas and quesadillas are pretty good.
This is one of the best places to eat. They are very unassuming, and now have a place on Castro as well. Mountain View Review has consistently rated them one of the top spots. Highly recommend them.
I tried it again - for the second time. Still agree with myself - best burrito in MV.
Best Burrito place in Mountain View.
A great carnitas burrito with all the fixings. I cant wait to…
Read more »
The carnitas is perfect.
Growing up in Santa Barbara I have pretty high standard for Mexican food, and this is it! Still cant decide if I like here or Los Charros more, but definitely one of the top two places for Mexican in the area.
Awesome tacos - carne asada are probably my favorite. Wont beat the quality you get for the price here...cant go wrong.
Hate to be a miser, but they lose one star for seating. Seating is limited when it gets busy and usually have to stand up at "taco bar" while eating...guess this could be considered authentic, but im lazy!
Oh my lordy lord, this place is DA BOMB YO!
Their burritos are fantastic... they don't have that huge puddle of grease at the end that is so typical of fatso burritos such as these, and the meat they use is so fresh so clean, clean and soooooo delicious! I've never been disappointed by my burritos.
It can't get any better than this...
...until you order up a pupusa.
Your life changes forever.
What is a pupusa? Mosey on over to Wikipedia and read up. It's a delicious treat, that's what it is! Just order it and put it in your mouth. You will experience a culinary boner unlike any other. They are soft, succulent, tasty, moist, satisfying, and other synonyms I haven't the time to look up in the thesaurus for my definition of perfect.
Eat here. Be happy.
La Bamba just didn't do it for me. I am not sure if it is between their hard to find parking or high prices? Oh and they didn't give me chips. My burrito was ok, it was too small for the price. I did like their Horchata, not too bad.
Lunch rush was really busy, a really long line.
I ate here sometimes daily from 1996-2006 and it is the benchmark by which all others are measured. This is the epicenter of all that is burrito. Lesser burritos cower in fear of this place. Papusas aren't bad either.
If you don't think this is the best burrito on the planet, I will fight you!
People from Mexico or El Salvador say, "There's nowhere to get real authentic latin food around here."
To which I ask, "What about Taqueria La Bamba or Fiesta Del Mar?"
"Oh, well, I meant besides those places. They're really good actually."
I've been getting take out from Taqueria La Bamba for about 20 years or so. I was about 8 or 10 years old then. My family would go there to get burritos, which are all delicious.
Their meat choices are all top-notch. Some examples...
CARNITAS: Crispy tiny morsels of pork. Hands-down the best I've ever had anywhere. If you like other pork products, but think you don't like carnitas, try it here. I've never had good carnitas elsewhere. Guess I'm spoiled.
POLLO ASADO: Grilled Chicken. Awsome.
LENGUA: Beef Tongue. My dad's favorite.
CHILE VERDE: My mom's favorite.
As I got older, I realized that their burritos weren't the only thing on the menu.
POPUSAS: Fantastic.
QUESADILLA SUIZA: Unlike any other quesadilla. A tortilla totally stuffed with grilled steak, great cheese, and the best salsa fresca (in the world?), grilled to perfection. This will fill you up. Simple and perfect. Remember that you can get it with meats other than carne asada. I also love it with carnitas or pollo asado.
TACOS: Your choice of meat, each with unique garnishing. Try them all.
NACHOS: Better with meat (like most things). Never get it to go, or the cold sour cream, guacamole, and salsa fresca will cool down the cheese. Eat it in the restaurant though, and you won't be disappointed.
TAMALES: Mouthwatering. Kinda messy to unwrap, but authentic.
After moving out of my parents house, I think I ate Taqueria La Bamba about 3 times a week for the next 2 years. Never got sick of it. Now I miss it.
I moved to LA in 2008. A Salvadorean-American friend of mine down here in LA even knows about this fantastic hole-in-the-wall up in Mountain View!
Came here after an event at another restaurant. Crowd led us here. Wow. I was impressed because I ordered a quesadilla and it was more like a burrito. It was rolled like a burrito, but grilled like a quesadilla. I like meat and cheese and this was basically that, except for the pico and the spices. It was really good. I really liked it. I also tried a pupusa. It was good, I am not a corn tortilla/bread fan so I am not as excited about them as some other. But is was nice to try. I liked my quesadilla. I am glad the group we were with took us here.
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
Mountain View, CA
Category: Mexican
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