The food was excellent. Had the shrimp bowl and it was very tasty. Every thing was cooked to order. The place is hard to find. It is in Stevey's bar. The signage outside is hard to read. Missed the place twice before we found the place. read more

This place is located inside Steve's bar. It's a sports bar vibe in terms of ambiance, sound, environment. Service was attentive and quick. Food was absolutely delicious, we had the steak taco bowl, fish tacos and chicken quesadilla. All of it was flavorful and very filling. All of us are looking forward to coming back. read more

Still horrible....any more than one order and they are overwhelmed. I door dashed into the bar instead of waiting on this molasses I'f service. Not even acknowledgement of a person at the window. 2x...2 horrible experiences. Football Sunday....perhaps more than one person doing EVERYTHING?!?! Just not serious about your business, I guess. read more

It was tasty! Located inside a bar, they have darts, TVs, pool tables, 2 bathrooms. Definitely divey vibes and dark. Service was friendly, and fried fish taco was flavorful. Salsas were tasted authentic (like those from my local taco spots in SoCal). Fried elote was both crisy and soft at the same time: it was weird but also tasty and a generous portion, so would recommend sharing. Plenty of parking in the plaza. A decent spot on the way from the airport to Santa Cruz/Monterey, but probably would not go out of my way to eat here. read more

ABVE The Basics - Fried elote: both crispy and juicy - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

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Came here for the first time. Wasn't really sure where the location was since this spot is located inside the bar. Glad I found the spot. After carefully viewing the menu/pictures on yelp we decided to order. what we ordered: - deep fried oreos: 2/5, Oreos were ok, and they tasted like churro. If ordered eat them on the spot. we made that mistake taking them home and is just not the same reheating them. - cali burrito:2/5. Burrito was descent, and large. Meat was good just had too much seasoning for my like. - tostada 3/5. the tostada was good and big. had great taste. probably the best dish here. overall, was a fun experience. played some music in the juke box. customer service was ok. Expensive for what it is! read more

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We had Gabe and his team cater a celebration for my sister and he made an already special event even more so. Gabe and his team were so easy to deal with, so professional and produced absolutely the best tacos, salsa and quesadillas we have ever had! Abve the Basics should be called WAY Abve Everyone Else! I have been to dozens of parties with tacos, etc. over the years and none of them even come close! Gabe brought the best meat, salsas, and sauces (especially his orange sauce) that our crowd of 100 or so had ever had! Everyone wanted his contact info and I believe two of our guests have already booked him for events! Even better than the food (as if that is possible) is being able to simply count on Gabe to make it happen. No baby sitting or worrying needed...Gabe is a pro and he has got you covered! Enjoy your party and let Gabe do his thing...you will not regret it! Lastly...the question everyone is probably asking...the price! Gabe was absolutely priced fairly and given the quality of the food he produces, was an absolute steal! The fact that two of the attendees from our event have already booked him should be proof of that! I hope this review is helpful and now I just need to convince my wife to let me hire Gabe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Forth of July, my birthday, her birthday, and any other holiday I can think of! Call Abve the Basics...you will be glad you did! EF read more

Was a bit skeptical about stopping in for lunch because some reviewers mentioned it's in a bar. Wasn't sure what the crowd was like. But lunch time it's chill. They have music going but it's not loud. It was a nice day so they had the doors open. They also have pool tables if you want to play while waiting for your food. They do have seating inside. They have self service water or you can order a drink or soda at the bar. Food was delicious. Surf and turf burrito was so good. But the shrimp taco was the clear winner. So flavorful, seasoned so well. They also provide chips with your meal! The salsa wasn't hot, mild maybe?--goes well with the chips. I'd skip the Mexican garlic fries. Good but not worth it. The steak taco was also good. Honestly, no real complaints here. We came from out of town and we'd probably stop in here again if we're ever in San Jose. That memorable, that good. Highly recommend. read more

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Stopped by for lunch on a Friday and tried the Bay Area Surf n Turf burrito ($19) and the 7-piece fried Oreos ($11). The steak in the burrito was chopped really fine instead of cubed like in the photos, and the tortilla was a bit burnt. Not a huge deal though -- after peeling off some of the burnt parts, it was still really tasty and full of flavor. Unfortunately, the Oreos were a letdown. The batter was bland, hard, and chewy, and the Oreo inside tasted stale -- the whole thing was like biting into a hockey puck. I'd definitely give the burrito another shot, but I'll skip the Oreos next time. Edit: Added pics of my burrito vs. the menu photo. Still tasty--simply pointing out the difference. I'd also suggest chopping the shrimp (at least in half) for a better filling ratio. Lastly, as someone who eats a lot of fried food, I opened the plastic container right away in the car to avoid sogginess from condensation--but the Oreos were already hard and stale. Appreciate the response though! read more

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Happened upon ABVE the basics for lunch one day and am so excited to know of it! Service was pretty quick and friendly. The menu is extensive and food tasted flavorful and fresh. We tried the surf n turf burrito as well as the pork belly street bowl and were very happy (and very full) from their delicious plates and large portions. Feels like they use good quality ingredients and everything is made from scratch. Will definitely be cooking to try more things; also enjoy that's they're inside of a bar; nice way to get a great casual lunch and drink! read more

ABVE The Basics - Bay Area surf and Cali Style Surf N Turf Burrito - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

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Was craving mexican and saw this saucy looking tacos on yelp so had to stop by. Fried Elote: This was really delicious. Corn was individually fried and were extremely crispy. All the sauce along with cheese and chili made each bite really flavor packed. However the oil that it was fried in might be old bc I could taste it in the elote. A little lime on yhe side would be nice to help cut the creaminess by a little to balance the elote. Overall still delicious. 4.5/5 Cali Pork Belly/Fish Tacos: Super flavorful and saucy. Fish was fried to perfection and pork belly was grilled to where you could taste the char but meat was still juicy. I will say that I was misled from the yelp photos since it seemed like their shell was crusted with cheese. 4.5/5 Surf and Turf Taco: Not bad but compared to the other ones we had, this one was lacking. I didn't like that there was rice in this one and the overall flavor was lacking. Didn't see any sauce. Meat portion was small compared to the shrimp that was given. 2/5 Mexican Garlic Fries: The portion was HUGE. We were expecting like a medium order of fries but there was a lot of fries. Fries were a little undercooked and not crispy. They doused the fries in garlic and cotija cheese but it honestly just felt like too much. The seasoning didn't really stick to the fries and overall just a mess. 1/5 Despite the minor things, the food here was really good and I see myself coming back. Definitely recommend their Fried Elote and Cali Fish/Pork Belly tacos. read more

ABVE The Basics - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

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We have been coming here for ages and for the last year + with a group of 3 or 4. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and the food is wonderful. Highly recommend the quesadilla with Carnitas and the Smashburger. Javier, thank you for so many delicious meals!! read more

FINALLY tried this spot after it was on my list for a loooooooong time. We went on a Friday night around 6ish and the bar (Stevie's) was definitely filling up. It's actually a really cool setup having the restaurant window tucked in the back...great use of space. I ordered the fish taco and carnitas taco while my partner ordered a small (it was HUGE) order of the steak fries and carnitas bowl. The food was ready in a reasonable amount of time and I felt we definitely got our money's worth. The fry order alone could have fed a small family. The carnitas bowl was also a great serving size with good proportions of meat and rice and toppings. I ordered two tacos thinking I'd need that to not leave hungry but honestly packed up one to go because the other (fish) filled me up. That being said, I was semi bummed about the fish taco. All the toppings and the tortilla were 15/10, but the fish itself had been overcooked so it was rather dry. I did take a bite of the carnitas though and that is 1000% worth getting again. Overall, you can tell all the components are fresh and likely made in house. Will definitely be back to try more items on the menu! read more

I decided to try this place again today. I went on a Saturday morning. It's located inside Stevie's Bar & Grill still. I got the Carnitas Street Taco, Fish Street Taco, and 4 churros. The carnitas were crispy but there were burnt pieces in there. After I was done eating it, it left a burnt taste in my mouth. Fish was crispy as well and a bit salty, but overall flavor was okay. Churros were okay as well. All in all okay place. read more

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4/10 Review - came back for more and the star review still holds. The fish taco is exactly what a fish taco should be. Fresh fish, grilled to perfection, spicy, crunchy cabbage, fresh thick corn tortillas that hold together perfectly. The surf & turf tacos were exceptional. The shrimp taco is delicious and fresh, also holding together like a champ! The veggie tacos are super flavorful with a nice smoky flavor. The taco has a kick to it and it's perfect. The smashburger was good but the Mexican food is really the star of the show. Worthy of continued visits for more! Don't be in a hurry because it takes time to make delicious food. read more

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"Veggie street bowl" more like "rice bowl" Ordered a veggie bowl, got 5 cups of rice and 4 corn kernels. Also seeing how negative reviews seem to hurt the owners ego is a cause for concern. If your running a small business I think customer service should be your strongest suit. "ABVE the basics" More like "BELOW average" read more

Possibly the best quesadilla that I have EVER had. They cook the cheese down so it's somewhat crispy throughout and it's LIFE-CHANGING! This spot is located in a bar, but during a weekday dinner the place was chill and absolutely worth going to! read more

ABVE The Basics - Quesadilla and Cali fries - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

Food was pretty good but would I crave it, probably not. I think it's on the pricier end but it had good flavors. It's also nestled in a restaurant that serves a wide selection of beer. So good food option to pair with your drinks. Not pictured is the churros I orders. I was not very impressed with it but still not bad. It just didn't satisfy the churro cravings for me. Maybe needed to be more crispy? It had a lot of sugar coating though. Overall not a bad place to chill and grab some food. read more

ABVE The Basics - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

ABVE the basics is located as a little window in a bar which made it a little hard to find. When I showed up no one was at the window and it didn't look like the kitchen was open but someone came quick and my food was still out in under 10 min! Lots of TVs which was great. I loved the surf and turf - delicious. My only complaint was the steak in it looked like ground beef maybe? instead of real steak like I've typically seen steak be in burritos. The flavor was incredible though! Would recommend. read more

*First and last time ordering* I ordered as soon as they opened today (11:30am). I kept seeing their ads on DoorDash and looked them up on Yelp prior to ordering. I ordered a Mexican pizza, elote and churros. Mexican pizza: about 3 oz of meat in total, pinto beans (whole) and onions. The problem? Barely any meat, the listing says refried beans but I got whole beans and they added onions which wasn't listed. A few onions is awesome but this thing was primarily cheese, whole beans and onions that wasn't on the listing. Big sloppy $17.50 mess that is going in the trash. Elote - this is fried. And when it says fried, believe them. It's essentially pockets of oil. They deep fry each individual kernel. Kernels are tiny therefore it ends up being little pockets of grease. This was my bad having wishful thinking-- I wish they had a fresh option. Churros - $8 for 1 churro. It's cut up into 8 pieces to look like a better value but just go to your local Mexican place and get a churro for $1.40 Wasted $43 on today's lunch. read more

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We saw Abve the Basics mentioned in the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the best places to get fish tacos & so we knew we had to check this place out! Turns out it is in a plaza that we have been frequenting for years and we did not even know it was there! It is tucked inside of Stevies Bar & Grill so if you are not specifically looking for this restaurant, it may be easy to miss. Abve the Basics is definitely worth the hype! We started with the Deep Fried Elote that we read rave reviews about & it was outstanding! Great textures from the crispy corn & the creamy dressing & so flavorful. The only complaint I have is that it is not a larger serving! For mains I ordered the Cali Fish Tacos and Cali Shrimp Tacos and they were amazing! Everything was perfectly seasoned & the crema & chipotle garlic aioli were so flavorful. My husband ordered the Cali Carnitas and Cali Steak - also both excellent choices. Can't wait to return to try some of their other dishes! read more

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Honestly this place says it all in the name they really take it above the basics. It's your typical traditional California Mexican cuisine with culinary elevation, the taco has crispy cheese on the tortilla, a chipotle aioli drizzle, tender steak, guacamole, cojita cheese, and cilantro, the flavor is absolutely unmatched. The surf and turf burrito has the same good steak, as well as shrimp, and it's absolutely bomb, that's all I can say Customer service is decent, nothing crazy, and the ambience is cool, it's in the back of a bar (but the bar does have a nice vibe). I 100% recommend this place, one of my favorite tacos in the bay read more

Shrimp taco: 8/10 Pork belly taco: 4/10 Steak taco: 4/10 Shrimp bowl: 7/10. Shrimp and sauce was good, but too much rice read more

These are definitely the best fish tacos in San Jose. You don't need to go anywhere else! After a disappointing meal of ceviche and fish tacos from another restaurant, ABVE The Basics showed up on Yelp. For tacos, we ordered - pork belly (similar to adobada and contains pineapple), fish, steak, and carnitas. I wouldn't trust any other restaurant for fish tacos as someone who lives in LA. They are located inside Stevie's Bar and Grill, so it's perfect for good grub and a cold beverage. The tacos were LOADED and I felt full after two of them. Their golden tortillas were handmade and grilled to order and you can definitely tell how fresh the food is! The same person who took our order was also working in the kitchen and served us. I didn't get his name, but he was very accommodating and followed up with us after the meal. I'm super glad we stopped by since my faith in finding good fish tacos and solid tacos in the San Jose area has been restored. read more

ABVE The Basics - Carnitas and pork belly - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

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Breaking news, the Smashburger is back! I love the food here, the tastes are so very unique and fulfilling. The owner, Gabe, is very customer-Centric and an awesome dude. The surroundings of Stevie's bar makes it all the better. read more

Shrimp taco, delicious. Steak taco, delicious. Carnitas bowl, delicious. It's inside Stevie's Bar, so maybe best for adults, but highly recommend the food. read more

ABVE The Basics - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

Abve the basics is a modern mexican fusion restaurant that incorporates a lot of standard mexican dishes but with a more open taste to the American influences. They are located inside the bar and you can either order online or at the back (just beeline straight from the entrance and ur at the ordering window) Feel free to grab a beer separately while you wait as well! We got their bay area surf and turf burrito with steak, the guac and chips, and one of the bowls and the flavor was explosive. Lots to unpack and super flavorful all around. Overall would definitely recommend if you have a chance to check them out and if you check in on yelp you get a free order of churros! Parking might be hard cuz of the supermarket in the same plaza but lots if street parking! read more

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Fish tacos used to be unique and great tasting. Gone are the combo flour/corn tortillas, replaced with a slightly greasy corn tortilla. Even the "number" of tortilla chips has shrunk. No longer worth dropping in. read more

Edit 3: response to business owner: you are a creep. You can't take negative feedback, and YOU escalated it. You comment on my character but you can't handle the fact that some poeple don't like your food. You are the problem here. You are hurting your own business with your lack of professionalism. I didn't do shit. Edit 2: response to business owner: your ego is bigger than your talent for making food and running a business. Why would I create another account and waste my time on useless people like you? Sit down little man. There are better people, food, restaurants and things to do and think about besides you/your food. You are the least professional business out there. So glad you're posting publicly so people can see what a joke you are Edit 1: foodresponse to business response: so being defensive and not taking feedback is how you guys roll. Good for you, I hope that works out for you as a business. Fyi I am also complaining about the lack of vegetables. I was very balanced in my feedback, saying both the positives and the negatives. I am now more disappointed with your response then I was prior. I actually enjoyed our interaction in person but now no. Now there is no way I will will be returning or giving your food another shot. And, after your response, I will definitely not be recommending my friends come here either. Best of luck to you. I do not just sit here trying to hurt small businesses. I have one myself. I am giving honest feedback and hopefully you will actually take it and not be defensive but whatever... do you. I wish you and your business well. **** What a waste of my money. The people who work here are very nice and the service was fine. But the food... I ordered two vegetarian bowl which promised to have some grilled vegetables. I took guac out of mine due to being allergic. And when I finally got to eat this thing (I got take out), it was 90% white rice, some sauce, a handful of grilled corn and a few grilled onions and cheese and French fries. That's it. I paid 20 bucks for a bowl of rice and fries. The rice was amazingly seasoned, mind you. Very flavorful. But has zero nutritional value. For a Mexican bowl i expected at least some beans, some grilled bell peppers and maybe some other veggies. But no. Look, vegetarians deserve to be offered some protein choices as well. Either some tofu or beyond meat or something. The are really nice, but the whole thing was very disappointing.i wish seriously that I could get a refund on that food as it went straight into the trash as soon as I discovered it was just carbs and starch. well seasoned carbs and starch if that's your thing though. It was tasty. I'm not gonna lie.E read more

Saw the pictures of the food here and it definitely caught my eye. I went to see if the taste matched the presentation and I can safely say, that it did not disappoint. Amazing food, that is Mexican influenced and had all the traditional bases, but enhanced with a creative touch that leaves you that feeling of trying something new for the first time. I couldn't believe the bursts of flavors that I was eating, everything was so delicious. I wanted to order everything on the menu. On top of that the customer service was great and friendly, they were very accommodating. They told me that they are planning to open a new location in Sunnyvale someday, which would be nice because currently it is in a bar, which isn't bad but at times was a tad bit noisy. read more

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Spicy and delicious The habanero salsa packed a punch but I loved it. The chicken tacos were juicy and full of flavor. Tortillas were fresh and warm. If you love spice this place is for you read more

ABVE The Basics - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

Ambiance: located in a bar, so casual. There are tables to eat at though and there are pool tables. Food: soo good!! Everything we ordered was really good with great flavor and good portions. We got the carne asada fries, deep fried elote which was really different, surf and turf wrap, chips and guac. The carne asada was cooked amazing & juicy! Shrimp was fresh. The chipotle sauce had a small kick so if you don't eat spicy food, maybe get it on the side. Service: you order and pay at the window before sitting down. Unfortunately, the food takes awhile (30-45 mins) which is why i took off 1 star. They are understaffed so the person taking orders was also helping out in the kitchen. Ordering and receiving the food both took awhile. I actually had to go to the window and ask if we could get our guac and chips first before waiting for the rest of the food to be ready after about 35 mins of sitting there. I've ordered take out and also dined in and had to wait awhile for both. If you're ok waiting awhile, it's definitely worth a try! read more

ABVE The Basics - Carne asada fries and deep fried elote - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

Tried the steak, chicken, and fish tacos. Some of the best fish tacos I've ever had. They were crispy, filled well, and the orange sauce they put adds a good spice. Steak was also pretty good. Not the best but didn't disappoint. Chicken was above average. Definitely want to try the pork belly tacos next time! They were out when I went. I came here to catch up with friends and it was kind of hard to since it's in a sports bar. Very noisy but that's on us! Just beware this is not a good place to have lengthy conversations. read more

Unexpected and awesome. Finding this place was a complete happy accident. It's easily missed being inside of a pretty cool bar with a few pool tables and plenty of flat screens, it's got character without being dicey or seeming inauthentic. The food is the best part still, like food truck fare but with that twisty approach you'd expect. Brought my wife and two preteen girls. read more

For ordering something pretty simple and the place not being full they took a while to have our order done. The ambiance was fine, people were simply enjoying a Football game of the Niners Vs. the Packers The food... Now we love a good Esquite and thought "how could you mess up an Esquite?" Well... they did. The Deep Frying was not necessary, leaving it fresh would've been way better. Not just that but had too much mayo and cheese. 3/10 Then the deep fried Oreos came. It was like an oreo inside a churro, yes it sounds good but too much of the sugar on the outside and too much batter. It just didn't hit like we thought it would. 3.5/10 read more

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This restaurant is actually located inside the bar & grill. The food is a bit pricey but it's a big portion size and it's actually very filling. I could've easily been full off of 1 taco. For mexican street tacos, i usually need to eat at least 2. The ambiance was great and the staff at ABVE and the bar were very friendly. The elote was my favorite dish. I'd definitely come back again for lunch. read more

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The Surf n' Turf taste really good. Service was great and the cook, great dude. If you are trying to watch a game, play pool, or just enjoy some good food. This is a good place to do that. read more

ABVE The Basics - Surf n' Turf! Omg sooooo good. - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - San Jose, California

Ambiance - None It's inside of a bar. Food - Good. We had the steak, chicken, shrimp and kids chicken tacos. Chips, salsa and Guacamole. Food was good. tables were sticky, you order buss your own trays. had an 8 and 70+ year old with me. Accessible - kind of. There is a handicap table in the corner read more

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Best fish tacos and surf n turf burrito we've ever had! The chips were warm and I think freshly cooked. They had a watermelon lemonade was delicious, too. Next time we're in town we're definitely coming back read more

My first attempt to try the food here on Sunday - I stopped by after a work event but was informed by a staff member that the kitchen was closed until Tuesday. At work today, I ordered the surf and turf burrito via Doordash and I've got to say, one of the best burritos I've had in San Jose! Flavorful and generous with the fillings! Would definitely recommend! read more

ABVE The Basics has a formal kitchen now! ...Sorta? Originally pop-up and food truck only, they just had their grand opening and now reliably found within Stevie's Bar and Grill as a casual locale. Their food left quite the positive impression when I tried them out at a food fair, so it's exciting that they're in a traditional kitchen now (mostly cause I can get to them more easily). Location doesn't really have much signage indicating as such, but ABVE The Basics is indeed located inside. Look forward towards the kitchen window that's straight on as you enter and you'll start to see signs you're in the right spot. Parking is a bit tight and spots are often labeled specifically for a particular restaurant, so a bit of caution as you're visiting the place. Service is limited as it's a fairly casual dining experience so you can just grab what you feel like from bar or ABVE whenever you so desire. The place is quite low-key and is basically open-seating, with TVs for the sports as well as darts and pool tables for those inclined for light games. After you order things up front you get a buzzer to let you know when things are ready; wait time was just a smidge slow at the 25min mark for food, but quality was on point so it's worth the wait (plus I'm sure they're still working out kinks). Staff are very polite and helpful too. The good folks are still honoring their yelp check-in bonus for churros, so nab those along and give them a solid try! ==Tacos (Steak, Chicken, Carnitas) - 5/5 Not everyday you can really say you have really potently flavored tacos like these babies, but it's definitely the case with the meats. The cheesy-crisp shells with generously portioned guac and delectable charred meat is hard to argue against. The chips and salsa that came with them were also quite fresh too, so all around I had no qualms. Definitely recommended! ==Pork Belly Bowl - 5/5 Quite the hearty bowl, but a bit carb heavy for my personal tastes as you have french fries on top of a solid serving of rice. It all blends together very nicely between the cheese, sauces, a bit of pineapple salsa in the mix, and oh-so-perfectly grilled slabs of pork belly. My brother devoured them before realizing he left me with not too much to eat, but plenty to savor their glory (and leaving me upset he didn't leave more). Packaged ready to go for leftovers too. ==Churros - 4/5 A good moderately sweet finish to the meal, though the interior were a smidge on the dry side. We did get all the food at once though, so it might've just been cause they got cold. It's not a whole lot of churro to be had as the pieces are bite-sized, but works well as a lightly seasoned dessert. That all being said, I'm probably spoiled by Costco and the churro stalls around the area. read more

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