Cocina Central

Have passed by this place multiple times, and with a groupon in tow, my coworker and I came by for lunch today.

A little after 11:30 AM, there was only one other party eating. The establishment is large and I loved the interior. Our waitress was friendly and really helpful. We were greeted and given menus and chips and salsa. The salsa was tasty and the chips had a nice peppery touch.

I ordered the steak torta with a guava iced tea which tasted even better with some sweetener. My friend ordered the carnitas tacos which came on their homemade tortillas, rice, beans, and soup. Our food came out really quick, and the torta was bigger than I thought. However, the bread was cold, hard, and dry. Otherwise the steak, cheese, cabbage was good, but very little avocado and jalapenos.

Overall, the food was pretty good, and I will be back to try the other dishes.

(Review only based on Happy Hour, did not dine for entire meal)
Went for Happy Hour and ended up staying longer because I enjoyed my entire stay here!

Rad vibes/thoughts:
+ The Dynamic Duo at the bar Jesus squared (both bartenders for the night were named Jesus) were amazing! They were handing a large party outside (of what looked like 40+ people), the bar, and the entire restaurant and were keeping drinks flowing!
+ Happy hour was 4p - 7p, which is quite amazing. Great deals.
+ Vegan options are not only available on the regular menu, but HH too!!
+ Outdoor patio is pretty amazing. Would have been cool if there was a live band playing out there.
- Parking in shopping complex can be tough, it is a busy place.

LOVED IT! $10 for a delicious, filling meal!!

Tried this place out after driving by on the way to work all year! Definitely glad I did! Although some of the menu items are kind of expensive the taco special is a great deal and so tasty!

I got the soy chorizo tacos which came with a soup of the day, chips and salsa, rice and beans, and two tacos. Normally I'm not a fan of fake meat, but the soy chorizo was absolutely delicious. I can't wait to go back and try some of their other vegetarian options!

I want to give Cocina Central 5 stars for quality ingredients, attention to detail and how well they blend flavors, textures and aromas. I can't though because I feel like I was the victim of the "Old Bait & Switch". On a recent visit our server asked us to join the mailing list that would qualify us for a discount on every visit. On our next visit however; we were told that the discount was a one time thing. Hmmmm...that wasn't mentioned in the original spiel.

OK, long dramatic disclaimer done, we do really like the food, drinks and ambiance here! The outside seating is perfect for a cold drink and friends. We treat the tacos as tapas, order two of every kind and then share. For me the two vegan taco options are the best (Soy Chorizo and Fire Roasted Rajas). Ooh the chips are made in-house and have a great bit of greasiness to them...remember FAT IS FLAVA!!

High end finishes, cool artwork, quality well prepared dishes and location justify the slightly higher prices.

Worth a stop for chips and drinks; especially for a group of friends.

Cheers!

Delicious Vegetarian Options!

Cocina Central is located at the corner of El Camino Real (Mountain View) & N San Antonio Rd (Los Altos). You can see the restaurant right below The Village Signage Tower of Mountain View's San Antonio Shopping Center.

The Hubby & Me grabbed our dinner from here last Friday and it turned out to be an Excellent choice. The facility has a modern outlook with ample outdoor seating area. Our attendant 'Saul' did a fabulous job serving us with helpful Vegetarian/ Vegan suggestions & gave an uninterrupted & satisfactory service overall. Their complimentary chips & salsa were good, especially loved those crispy chips.

Here, Tacos are notable, for they are fresh & hand made with Corn Tortillas and comes with 2 or 3 Tacos serving options (Prices vary accordingly). The Corn Tortillas are made in house too. Generally, seems like all other ingredients at CC are locally sourced, organic & non-GMO.

We ordered:

# Soy Chorizo Y Papas with 3 Tacos ($11) - Corn Tortillas were soft and fresh as promised. This serving comes with Avocados, tomatoes & roasted potatoes mainly. Veggies were fresh including the leaves used for garnishing. The roasted potatoes added perfect flavor to the whole dish, simply YUM! & tasted more like Indian Chaat!

# Enchiladas De Papas ($13) - Pleased with the portion size, very generous. This serving comes with Rolled Tortillas (3 of them), having potatoes (again) as filling, but this time it was cooked differently with a good & distinct variation from the previous Soy Chorizo Y Papas. In addition, Rice and Black beans were also served. Both were cooked on point, definitely much better than those we get in Chipotles.

# Seasonal Margarita with Strawberry & Basil ($10) - Yelper's ravings about this one so far is true. Can't beat this cocktail. The ingredients were mixed at the right proportions & didn't taste too sweet.

# Regular Mojito ($10) - Mint worked well, tasted great & awesome variation compared to other places we've been to.

Cocina Central stands faithful to their tagline "ridiculously good urban Mexican food". It was quite a delightful stay with amazing quality of food & appreciable service. Will be glad to visit again!!

**They accept credit cards including Amex**

The problem with 3-Day weekends is that it's real easy to forget it's Taco Tuesday because you've tricked yourself into thinking it's Monday.

Luckily, I ended up and Cocina Central anyway.

It's crazy that I'd never been here since I feel like I've patronized all the other businesses in this area multiple times and somehow missed this gem, but I'm glad I finally got it together and tested out Cocina Central, and on taco Tuesday no less.

Let the record show I arrived early (for once) and please strike from the record the entire bowl of tortilla chips and salsa I ate before my dining partners arrived. That salsa was too good though. And lucky (again) for me, the service was so on point my server was able to refill everything before everyone arrived to see the destruction I'd done to the first bowl. Score!

We started with the ceviche, which was good but not exactly what I was expecting in terms of fresh fish... plus I realized I was happy with just the regular chips and salsa, which are paramount and worth mentioning twice.

For eats we split some taco plates that I'm ready to come back for for every meal of the day, they were that delectable. The grilled shrimp tacos were charred with that perfect grill flavor and I think I could've eaten a million of them if not for the very filling seasonal blackberry margarita (phenomenal, by the way- and they certainly don't skimp on the booze) and the roasted corn tacos with poblano peppers and cotija cheese taco we also ordered. Chef Eliseo is a magic man is all I have to say about that.

I'd order the tacos and margarita again in a heartbeat. I might even have enjoyed them so much that it kept me up at night thinking about the flavor and the next time I can back to Cocina Central to do it all over again.

I had previously given Cocina Central a 5, but under the new ownership and new chef I have to make it now a 4. I was disappointed to see that the menu had changed - I liked the old mix-n-match for the tacos, and I am sorry that they did not carry forward the Asian tofu taco. And I miss the old succulent kale salad - the new one is only part kale and part lettuce, and the kale was dry, not properly massaged with a small amount of oil.

On the positive side, the soy chorizo tacos are better because they aren't as hot-spicy; the Rajas taco is tasty; and the service is friendly as before.

Excited to make this place my 200th review! Was introduced to this place thanks to one of the best Yelp Elite Events I've ever been to, and a huge fan ever since.

First, the tacos are HUGE. $12-15 for 3 tacos might sound steep, but wait until you see how much filling they pack into them. I'm more than satisfied after two, and essentially stuffed after 3. They do not skimp on meat, and as a self proclaimed carnivore, their soy chorizo tacos are some of the best vegetarian tacos I've ever had.

The drinks are also seriously potent. They have fabulous margaritas and mojitos (the coconut from their coconut mojito is from fresh coconuts) and you will be in more than a very happy place after just one...except the drinks are so delicious it's also way too hard to stop after just one! It's great to see a place which mixes both delicious and strong drinks; you're definitely getting your money's worth here.

The staff, especially the chef Elias, are also super welcoming and friendly. They definitely care about their patrons and repeat customers, and the last time I was there Elias remembered me and treated us to chips/salsa and churros on the house!

Overall, super happy to have found such a great place (that is conveniently located across the street from me so I can enjoy my mojitos with impunity!). With great food, amazing drinks, friendly service, and great value, how can you go wrong? Am definitely excited to try out their Taco Tuesday and brunch special next time!

So I've been to Nektar, Safeway, Sajj, and Veggie grill, but almost always dismissed Cocina Central since its sort of in this strip mall. I saw a segment on the news that the dude who created the menu has worked at michelin star restaurants and decided to travel throughout Central America to come up with his own twist on a gourmet taco shop.

The result was a very present surprise and I was happy to reap the benefits of his research and travels! The tortillas are pressed and made to order, and each taco is stacked with a very generous portion of meat.

It's very good for a casual lunch after the gym on a saturday, but not a destination spot.

Been here twice now, and have been very impressed both times!
Let me start with the bad, why only 4 stars instead of 5.

Our first impression was that the place looks really cool! But when we sat down, two of my co-workers and I, we looked at the small bowl of chips on the table, and thought "oh no, it's one of those places that's going to nickel and dime us." And I hate places like that; the ones that skimp on everything but don't mind charging a high price.

The server seemed to read our minds, or just noticed that we are three good sized guys who can eat, and brought out a second bowl of chips for us. Even though they are free refills, who likes to keep asking and asking for chips. They made sure we had plenty. They also offered us a hotter salsa than the default one they have. While I am of hispanic descent, I don't look like it. One my friends is obviously hispanic, so I guess they thought he would need more heat in the salsa; and they were right! When I came back with my wife and kid on another night, they didn't offer the hotter salsa. But I'm sure we could ask for it.

Anyway, both salsa's were amazing! The chips were really good too. Pretty sure they make them there.

The next disappointment was the price for two and three "premium" tacos's, which just means better protein. $10 for two, $14 for three. (This disappointment changed though, keep reading).

And finally, the 3rd disappointment was that rice and beans cost extra. PLENTY extra. $3 dollars each for a small bowl of rice and small bowl of beans. The portions are actually enough for the meal, but still way too expensive. I only ordered the rice, and it was disappointing for my taste. It was quite bland. It had sweet corn in it, which my friend says is authentic in certain parts of Mexico, but I grew up eating savory garlic flavored rice that my mom made which was absolutely awesome. This came no where near it. I don't like sweet stuff in my rice. Nor do I like it bland.

Well, we each went for the premium taco's despite the price; between the three of us, we ordered the steak, carnitas and the blackened fish. When the taco's came, our disappointment in the prices immediately left us. All of a sudden, we couldn't remember our complaints. The portions of meat are HUGE! And while bigger is not always better, in this case, it absolutely was! The flavor of the steak was amazing! My two co-workers also had highest praise for the amazing flavor in their taco's. My friend who ordered the carnitas ordered the three taco's, but could only eat two of them. I was plenty full after eating my two tacos. The tortilla is also very tasty and unique. They make them in house and they are fluffy. Yes, fluffy, and also full of flavor. Altogether, those were some of the best taco's ever!

I had to come back with my wife the next week, and we tried the blackened fish. My wife was won over very quickly and now believed my ravings about the food here. As well, we had an appetizer that was so good I wish it was my whole meal! It was a cheese dip with peppers, onions, tomatoes and chorizo! It was out of this world. I'd come back just for that.

Service both times was very professional and courteous. They seemed genuinely interested in the customer and offered suggestions.

One word of caution: the chairs are very flimsy. The lady behind me, her chair fell as she stood up. I leaned over to get if for her, and my chair fell over; with me on it. I saw another customer put their jacket on a chair, and it fell over. They are very very light wood. I hope that gets corrected with some sturdy chairs in the future.

Anyway, it's a must visit! We'll be back for sure.