Taqueria La Bamba

11/11/2017

• 3 check-ins

Awesome little mexican joint, definitely a nicer interior, so somewhere you might be able to bring a date or some friends visiting in town.

I have to agree with one of the previous reviews and recommend the regular burritos (ideally with pastor) because any avocado/sour cream/other toppings would ruin the delicate taste of the meat and burrito balance.

12/10/2017

• 1 check-in

Stopped by last night to grab a quick bite before a movie. Long lines but quick and friendly service. I ended up settling on a pork and cheese papusa and a super quesadilla with al pastor. In hindsight, I should have just ordered two papusas and it would have been perfect.

Super quesadilla - it was enormous. Biggest quesadilla I have ever seen. In my opinion it was way too big for a single person. While the menu did detail everything that was included, I didn't realize everything was INSIDE of the quesadilla. I really prefer just cheese and meat in mine and all the condiments in the side. This one was filled with sour cream, avocado, and fresh salsa. I love all of those, but when you put them inside, the cheese doesn't really melt very well because they are all cold. So if it were on the side, I could still enjoy them and have melted cheese. Also, I  was only able to eat half but because it was filled with all that stuff, reheating it later wouldn't have been tasty. So I had to throw the other half of it away.

The pork and cheese papusa was delicious!!! Only tip, eat it quickly!! It came out hot and crisp but got soggy within minutes.

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  Pork and cheese papusa

  Pork and cheese papusa
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  Al pastor super quesadilla

  Al pastor super quesadilla

2/2/2018

Yeah, no. I found what appeared to be a rather small, curly hair (please don't say pubic hair!) in my regular burrito. Otherwise, I was having a good time with my coworkers.....

3/28/2018

Ordered two burritos to go, one beef and one veggie. They were labeled incorrectly, so one person ended up not fed because the veggie burrito was eaten half by the time the error was noticed.
Also, I have been given two very small containers with salsa, and when I asked for extra I have been told that they can only give me one per burrito. Very disappointing!

3/18/2018

This has been my favorite burrito place in Mtn View for several years now and my go-to burrito place to pick up burritos for lunch w/ my coworkers. Not only is their al pastor always delicious, their chorizo breakfast burrito and their California style (with french fries inside) burritos are equally tasty when you are looking for a change of pace.

9/7/2016

• 1 check-in

Pretty much an average Mexican food restaurant. Nothing stellar or absolutely wonderful that would make me come back. Since I went to college for four years in San Diego, I've had a lot of good Mexican food. I've been hesitant to have Mexican food in NorCal since nothing will really be the same as SoCal but since our first choice for dinner was too busy, we decided on having Taqueria La Bamba.

I ordered the California Burrito which is usually my go-to meal. The french fries in my burrito did not taste fresh and were a bit stale. If they had been crispier and fresh, I think the burrito definitely would have tasted better.

Tip: Be weary of sitting outside since they have a jump house in the back where you will hear little kids screaming and shrieking the entire time throughout your meal.

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  California burrito

  California burrito

12/28/2017

First off horrible customer service. Ordered 4 tacos plain & a side of rice & beans, explained they're for kids, received tacos loaded with cilantro, onions & salsa. Went to exchange tacos & was argued with that I never said plain. I know what i ordered & how i ordered it especially when dealing with 3 picky kids. Also got the flauta plate for myself, no guacamole on plate asked for a side & was told I needed to pay for it. Said it's suppose to come with it & was given a side of guac with an eye roll. Never coming back here again. Rice & beans were bland, only the flautas were decent.

12/20/2017

• Ordered Online with Yelp

I've been a long time fan of Taqueria La Bamba. Its biggest Achilles heel has always been the inconsistency from one trip to the next. One trip it's incredible and the next it's absolutely average. I recall raving about them to a group of friends and taking those friends over to La Bamba only to have them try it for the first time. Unfortunately, it was on an "off day" and I lost all credibility in their eyes and missed the opportunity to introduce a new group to my favorite burrito spot. I used to forgive this inconsistency and chalk it up to human error but it's become so undependable that it's not worth the calories or the money to take a chance on such a mediocre meal.

The final straw was trying to call them a couple days ago and having a pre-recorded call direct you to an online web app via a text. First of all, super annoying to be re-directed when you call the number expecting to speak to a human. Second of all, the online service they are using is clunky at best and wouldn't show the whole menu on my phone. So we didn't order it at all.

If you guys are listening, you're going to lose a TON of customer's through this very experience. It's fine to try this new service but offer an option to speak to a human as a fallback. The prompt says to call back to speak with a human but it just goes right back to the prompt. I think I'm done with TLB for a good long time... maybe for good.

12/12/2017

La Bamba used to be the standard for Mexican/Salvadorian burritos and papusas.  I'm talking back when they were at the corner of Middlefield and Rengstorff.  Now they are the highest price place around and you practically have to beg for chips and salsa with your order.  It's a sad loss when success makes a business feel they are above their core customers.

12/11/2017

Large fish tacos, delicious! Shrimp quesadillas vegetarian taco salad and fajitas! Flavorful almost absolutely everything I've tried. Spacious place, whether eating inside or outside. Will return most definitely.

11/15/2016

nice size menu.  Casual place with a lot of tables and outside seating.  Good place if you've got a large group with no reservations.  The food is good.

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  plantain

  plantain
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  tamale

  tamale
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  quesadillas

  quesadillas czuufwvyazztzq
• See all photos from Michael L. for Taqueria La Bamba

4/2/2017

What happened to this place. It used to be my favorite restaurant a few years ago. But ever since they moved to the new location, the food isn't  good, they charge you for everything extra -like an additional salsa. And it's in a tiny cup as well.

I now have to order extra meat in my burrito to make it taste as good as it used to be.  I'm done with this taqueria!

4/3/2016

• 2 check-ins

We were doing laundry next door and feeling hungry, so we stopped by to check out this taqueria. I used to go to their old store (rengstorff & old Middlefield) but this was my first time in this location.

The restaurant is very spacious, lots of tables and seating both indoor and outdoor. The menu is very extensive from the usual tacos, burito to pupusas and some el Salvadoran food. Prices were a bit on the high side, imo....i remember it was a lot cheaper when they used to be at the other location but perhaps the rent is higher here and the restaurant is nicer (the old location was more a hole in the wall like).

I ordered a shrimp taco 4.28, el pastor and tongue regular taco it's 3.28 each. Hubby got the 3 enchiladas plate with cheese, grilled chicken and steak filling, came with rice and beans 13.79

Total was a bit over 27 bucks for our meal without drinks...

Food came out within 10 minutes, they gave us a number, we found a table and they delivered the food once they are ready.

The tacos... certainly worth 3+ bucks each as the meat was abundant! Certainly could make 2-3 tacos with the amount of meat they gave. The shrimp super taco however was a bit on the skimpy side.. only 4 pieces of small-medoum size shrimp..the rest were just lettuce, Pico de Gallo and grilled green bell pepper. ...a bit steep for the price tag $4+ as at Sancho's, the other taqueria about 2 miles away usually give plenty (maybe 6-8 pieces of shrimp) for the same price and the shrimp that sancho's uses are  more plump.

Flavors are yummy and well seasoned....and I did try hubby's enchiladas and I thought it was delicious too..the grilled chicken, especially, was very flavorful. I even loved the flavor of the rice and beans.

Not a bad place for a quick bite...the thingis..none of their salsa is spicy..I'm a bit bummed by this..

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  Shrimp. AL pastor and lengua tacos

  Shrimp. AL pastor and lengua tacos
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  Enchiladas plate

  Enchiladas plate

8/15/2017

• 2 check-ins

There used to be a triangle of top mexican spots. La Costena, La Bamba, and Los Altos Taqueria. I basically was going from place to place based on my mood. They were truly the top spots for a burrito in Mountain View. Each location had their speciality. La Bamba was my favorite for the shrimp burrito. Unfortunately this location is not as good as the old location. This used to be my favorite shrimp burrito, but that changed last week when I revisited this place after over a year. They even changed their menu, so it's not the same burrito you used to get at the original La Bamba location. They didn't put fajita peppers and onions in their burrito before and honestly all of the ingredients are just different. This was my last time to visit this place. So long La Bamba, you made amazing burritos for many years and will never be forgotten, but this place is not the same place.

11/11/2017

My husband and I drove to San Jose and Atherton to see family this weekend. It has been about 20 years since my husband has been to La Bamba and he has been talking about their amazing quesadillas for about that long. I found them, they had moved, and my husband was beyond thrilled. We drove there today and after being totally and thoroughly grilled by my husband, he wanted to be sure they were the right La Bamba and not some knock-off, They were the original, that he remembered. He ordered a quesadilla de sauza (I hope I am saying it right).
It was HUGE and fresh, loaded with delicious shredded beef, tons of vegetables and cheese and to my husband's absolute joy and delight, had the SAME delicious flavor that he remembered from so long ago. AMAZING!!!! The service was excellent. The owner was warm and courteous. Food was served quickly and presented beautifully. Hot and fabulous. Thank you, La Bamba, YOU ROCK!!!!!

10/17/2017

This place is a quintessential 3 star restaurant. The food is decent , i got a veggie burrito, but way overpriced , totaling 8.53 . If it was a dollar or 2 lower , id probably come here more often. I get the same burrito , probably a bit better quality with a small side salad at Mi taqueria in menlo park for 6.53 ! Another huge problem for me was the aerosol spray in the bathroom, that thing stinks up the whole bathroom with toxic, likely carinogenic aerosols, and it was hard to breath in the bathroom. Are we in the 80's?? restaurants should know that this is a harmful and outdated practice. For that , this place is lowered to 2 stars for me .

1/30/2017

I love La Bamba. It is my favorite Mexican place to go. I can find not just Mexican but also Salvadorian food like fried platain and pupusas. Both are awesome!
I would go sometime for just rice and beans (yeah, I am that "weird") and they would sell them to me.
One of my fav spots to go with my hubby.
Friendly staff, great atmosphere, and amazing food.
:D

9/26/2017

I came here to show my wife one of Some licon Valley's original on a midweek lunch 'date'. The Chicken Fajitas seemed very weird with squishy slimy rubbery chicken.  I brought it back and they offered to cook it more, as it seemed undercooked. Once cooked more it became clear that the chicken must have been past its prime. The sides also were tasteless and half heartedly theown onto a plate.  Overall I think this place really lives off its Silicon Valley heritage, but is badly executed.

3/5/2017

My husband loves this place !
Although it's far for us from Los Gatos, we make the trek often.
Burritos are HUGE,  fresh and delicious !
Made to order and wrapped to go!
Eat in or take out!
Been going there for years - never stopped enjoying all the food .

5/28/2016

• Ordered Online with Yelp

Best burrito in Mountain View.

thats it, thats all you need to know.

Now stop reading this and go get one!