Average, took 49 min to get food when there was only 3 people on the whole restaurant. 15 min to get drinks. Mediocre food

This use to be one of our favorite places to go for over 10 years and over the last few years it seems like it's going downhill. The waitresses use to be so friendly and kind and now it's the same guy everytime that's not so friendly and kind. The last few times we've been there they're slack on the salsa, one time the guy had an attitude when we asked for more and this time he said he ran out but we seen him kept serving it to the guests as the walked in. If he wanted to charge us extra we would've paid but how can you be a Mexican restaurant and say you ran out of salsa. His reason was he had 2 big catering jobs. Catering jobs don't come in the same day so they should have prepared for them. We won't be coming back, we thought it would get better but it's getting worse, the food doesn't even taste the same anymore, it's super bland. Maybe they have a new owner. read more

Had a very mediocre lunch here this week. Chips are so-so, but the salsa was awful. Completely tasteless. We only got a small amount of it, for the table, and when we ordered additional salsa we were told that it was an additional $.75. That is a sharp business practice and unreasonable. Even if this salsa was decent. I ordered tacos, which clearly said on the menu "three tacos" but then I found out there were only two tacos served for lunch. It was two dollars cheaper than the dinner taco selection, but nowhere did it say that you got less tacos at lunch. I asked for tomato on the taco and he said "it comes with.pico." in fact, it came with a tiny amount of pico, and the taco was very dry. Rice and beans were both tasteless and mediocre. I found this restaurant's food to be of a lower quality than any of the chain restaurants such as El Dorado, and much more expensive. Do not recommend. read more

been wanting to try because of proximity, but ugh. Smelled funny when we walked in, cheese dip was grainy and so strange, entrees were mediocre at best. Could make a better quesadilla at home for 1/4th of the price. Again, we aren't tough critics but super disappointed with food here. read more

Ordered take out, Sante Fe enchiladas and Pasolini. Service was great and quick! Was super excited to try the Pasole, as you don't find that often on menus. It was very delicious but could have been spicier. The enchiladas were delicious, loaded with meat and sauce was tasty. Did not care for the rice. Would definitely go back to fine in. Casual ambiance. read more

Cafe Capistrano Mexican Restaurant - Santa Fe enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Not enough waitstaff, food just wasn't what it used to be. Didn't feel welcome. So sad because it was one of the best places. Now it's not even average. Wouldn't take much to improve. Hope they try!! read more

Another great meal at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Always consistent in Food and service. Look forward to our next visit.

Everything tasted good and was well prepared. The preparation of the mango shrimp was different from anything I have had before - there were several individual small tacos. The size of my wife's asada was too much for her and a lot went into a doggie bag. The soup was tasty, Our server, Zoe, was super. In my view, the food here is different from the typical Mexican restaurant perhaps that is why it says"California style". We will return. read more

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Another person who has seen it, heard others claim it to be excellent, and finally we met friends there about a week ago. My partner in dining got the mango shrimp dinner, and thought it was delicious. It came with the soup, which I ate. I really enjoyed it, but don't get to thinking it's like other chicken tortilla soups, it's light and tasty with basically chicken and tortillas, but in a very tasty broth, you get lime to squeeze in. I got the flatiron steak quesadilla, which was good, but I preferred HIS mango shrimp. Not bad, just didn't have the punch of flavor I thought it would. I did get a mixed drink that was really tasty, but I read the ingredients and got it...don't remember the name. We also shared dessert, the flan, which was VERY good. Yes, you get chips and salsa. I'd go again, but would get my own mango shrimp! Those and that greenish rice are delicious. read more

Absolutely love this place!! Great food. Great services. Wonderful specials. Reasonable prices!!

We've driven past this spot on Durant Road many, many times and finally decided to give it a try. We were NOT disappointed. Cafe Capistrano is located in a small strip of storefronts. Don't be discouraged by the full parking lot - there's musical theater next door, and when there's a show going on, the lot is packed. The dining room is nothing fancy but nicely appointed with tables with white table clothes. This restaurant bills itself as California style Mexican cuisine. And that's what you get! The menu is more limited than typical Mexican but all of the staples (burritos, enchiladas, quesadilla, tacos) are on there. Everything is prepared to order; service is efficient and quick. Upon sitting down, we got a basket of chips and 2 bowls of salsa. The salsa was excellent - clearly house made, and the chips warm. A nice touch is one bowl of salsa for each, so you don't have to make a mess dipping across the table. Word of warning - DON'T FILL UP ON THE CHIPS - THERE'S DELICIOUS FOOD COMING!! I opted for the mango shrimp. I ordered the appetizer size, so no accompaniments, but it was right-sized for dinner. The shrimp are served in halved, fried flour tortillas. The tortillas puff up and have a cracker-like consistency. Each half has a couple of plump perfectly cooked shrimp and avocado in an outstanding mango sauce. The sauce has a little heat to it, perfectly counterbalanced by the sweet mango. This was excellent! Amy tried the Mahi Mahi fish tacos. The fish was more of a mashed patty than a mahi filet, but was well seasoned and very flavorful. The tacos were stuffed with cheese , shredded cabbage and pico de gallo, and finished with creamy lime sauce. The lime sauce made these stand out - a little kick to it and a great complement to the rest of the ingredients. The side of smashed beans was excellent as well. Not the same as refried beans, or whole beans - these were a creamy consistency and very tasty. With 3 tacos for the serving, there was one left for me. Since no meal is complete without dessert, we tried the Mexican Wedding Cake. I've seen this on the menus many times, but never tried it. Man, was I missing out! The white cake is soaked in sweetened cream, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with raspberry sauce. The plate is garnished with dollops of a lime sauce atop a white chocolate sauce. The cake was super moist and the taste combo was superb. It's sweet - but really good. One odd thing is that the menu lists ~10 different specials. But only 2 of the specials are available. Ordinarily you would expect to see the daily specials annotated by day. This caused a minor disappointment because one of those specials looked really tasty - but wasn't available. Guess we'll have to go back for that one. Our server, Kameryn, was terrific. She knows the menu, helped us make selections and was enthusiastic and fun. The service was quick without being obtrusive. We spent $38 for two, with a shared dessert and no alcohol. Not inexpensive for Mexican food, but worth the price. With a number of other choices still on the menu to try, we'll be back to this place. read more

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The best Mexican food in the triangle. So good I travel from Fuquay-Varina to eat it. Excellent and chill vibe, excellent service and a smaller family joint. Fresh homemade ingredients and excellent food! Recommend the tots/chorizo on the appetizer menu with an over easy egg. To die for! read more

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! Absolute worst service and experience ever! Asked for a drink that they didn't have and was cut off with a stern NO by the waitress.. proceeded to order my food. That was a mistake. Food was trash. The chicken in the quesadilla was still pink! Not cooked all the way through. We didn't eat the food because of it. Wouldn't comp the food. Deliberately didn't even try to make things right. Downright rude and disrespectful. And the chicken tortilla soup had a bone in it that I almost choked on. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT come here thinking you'll get authentic cuisine or even at the very least, common decency, or quality service. DO BETTER! SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN read more

Great service! Delicious food. We had the mango shrimp starter. Creative and flavorful. For dinner Mahi tacos and Santa Fe enchiladas. Mahi tacos reminded me of my time in San Diego. We will definitely go again. read more

Let me tell you guys a secret about Cafe Capistrano, I have been coming to this restaurant since I was a child. I have fond memories, as a seven year old, eating beef tacos, on flour shell of course, with my family. I was mesmerized by the fountain in the middle of the restaurant. Literally, this memory was enough to keep bringing me back to Cafe Capistrano. HOWEVER, not only do I have great memories as a kid, but I used to come here every Tuesday in high school. My best friends and I would all cram into a car, and speed (not literally please don't report this review) to get a chicken quesadilla with a side of rice and beans. It would cost us all a whopping $5 each ,which was less than $20 total, for an amazing experience and meal. They even served us chips and salsa, except the bag of chips was literally a garbage sized bag. I kid you not that was enough chips to feed me for the next five years. Also, Omar is the nicest server I have ever experienced. He knows our names because of how often we come here, and he has become a good friend to us. It's always a pleasure seeing him and catching up with him. Wow, this review got so sentimental I forgot to even talk about the food. My pictures don't do this justice because I've been using my IPad a lot more recently. Oh, and I ate literally half of my food before I remembered to take a picture. But! The chicken quesadilla is always my go to order. It's extremely huge portion size, it tastes great, and it's served with a Santa Fe sauce. This Santa Fe sauce is literally so addicting I could drink it by the gallon. It's tangy and creamy. That's all that needs to be said. Also, their queso is bomb. I have loved this queso for my whole life, and I will never stop. I love Cafe Capistrano, I always have great food, the portions are big, so just come on down here with your friends, and I guarantee you'll have the best night. read more

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We (sadly) only recently discovered this hidden gem and it has quickly become our new favorite Mexican place. GREAT food, wonderful service (Omar is the best - truly provides service with a smile), reasonable prices and tasty $5 house margaritas. What more can you ask for?! We went back tonight and I got a burrito that was bigger than my head and my boyfriend got the blue crab quesadilla special, which he loved. If you haven't checked them out yet, you really should!! read more

Cafe Capistrano Mexican Restaurant - Burrito, margarita, and blue crab quesadilla (special of the day) - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Highly recommend this restaurant for their delicious, large portions and friendly hospitality! read more

Cafe Capistrano Mexican Restaurant - a meal in a styrofoam container - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

There were 4 of us for dinner. We had 4 margaritas, guacamole & 4 dinners. When we asked for addtl salsa we were informed there is an additional up charge of .75!!!!! What??? I find this pretty inappropriate after buying all the other items. We did pay for it, but that was ridiculous!!! read more

attending a conference nearby, and I needed a good lunch before a long day. Nice and clean, quickly seated and waited on. I had an excellent TORTA sandwich and tortilla soup-- white meat, chicken, well cooked and perfectly seasoned. I highly recommend! read more

It's been way too long since we've done the "California Mexican style" thing. Early Friday night and we had no problem getting a booth. (did get busy soon after) Huge Likes: 1) Nice pour of a good Chardonnay for $6.50. (varied selection to choose from) 2) Chilled glass for Husband's Dos Equis (he said it helped make up for not having brews on tap) 3)The Relleno: Server warned me that it would take 20 minutes, and it was worth every minute of that wait! I had asked for it to be spiced up and loved that 15 minutes in, I was queried as to how exactly I wanted it kicked up. (was given options). This was chicken/cheese relleno excellence! 4) Husband liked his Beef Chimichanga. 5) Complimentary Chips with a Fresh Lime/Cilantro Salsa Fresh and Flavorful! Must not wait so long to go back next time! read more

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The dinners were awesome!! I had Mahi Fish Tacos . The best fish taco I ever ate . The chicken tamales verde was top notch as well. Reasonable prices and very nice staff. I highly recommend this neat little restaurant. read more

I went in for a work meeting on a Monday. We got there right around lunch time but we were seated immediately. They did get very busy shortly after. Since this was my first visit, I wanted to try a few different things so I decided to go with the California combo, which came with a soup, salad, and a quesadilla. I really enjoyed the soup, salad was ok but I liked the quesadilla. It was well seasoned and flavorful. I'd definitely recommend the chicken quesadilla! Service was pretty good. Our server was the only server I saw but she was still very attentive and informative. She gave great recommendations. Though She did give one of my colleagues water instead of sprite. read more

Food was cold which is highly unusual for a Mexican restaurant and they were not even crowded When I called to give them feedback their response was "ok we will let the kitchen know" Avoid as there are way too many better options read more

We joined another couple and found there was an upcharge for more than 1 small bowl of salsa for the table. Ordered a $14 margarita which arrived in a 12oz glass overflowing with ice - weak diluted drink, so we tried beer, which was warm and flat. Finally the waters arrived, which were the best. Below average food at a premium price as nothing on dinner menu is less than 13.99. We won't be going back. read more

Fresh delicious food every time. Great service too. With friendly staff that is anxious to please. Highly recommend.

Great service! Friendly and attentive staff! Food is reasonably priced but quality is definitely not compromised. Good amount of food for the price and it's delicious. The flan is AMAZING and definitely a must get! read more

I came here after one day after hearing a strong recommendation. It was a rainy week day. I ordered beef tacos to go. The food was good and so was the service. This wouldn't be my "go to" taco spot but it was okay. I have driven by this place plenty of times but I always thought it was an Italian restaurant. The name is very misleading. I think it's worth a try. read more

Cafe Capistrano Mexican Restaurant - Doormat - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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We go quite frequently for the food. It is always excellent. The service is alway poor to really bad. Today they managed to hit a new low. 5 people in the place. We give our waiter our order. He drops off my soup and tacos. We ask about my wife's lunch. Server walks away. Fast forward 10min server is cleaning up the other tables (everyone else has left). He goes to drop off our check. We remind him that my wife never got her lunch. Server says he never put it in the order, so the kitchen didn't make it. Did we still want it? What? We say forget about it (my wife eats my tacos). Back comes the Server with our check. My wife asks for salsa to go (she is starving this guy didn't even bring her lunch). Server proceeds to charge us $7 for a to go container of salsa. Hint to whomever owns this place. 1. Server shouldn't be waiting tables. No one ever trained him. 2. If you aren't going to train your staff move to counter service. There is nothing worse than an untrained server between you and your food (this is why Panera is kicking everyone's butt) 3. You have excellent food. Just need to marginal service levels. This type of experience is why you will be out of business, not Covid. read more

We live right around the corner from Cafe Capistrano, and had not been there for years , so we popped in last week to check it out. I have to say we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. Our waitress was busy but attentive, I ordered Huevos Ranchero, which was delicious. My wife got the shrimp fajita, the shrimp was perfectly cooked, and the fixings and sauce were delicious as well. All in all a pleasant dining experience, we will definitely go back !!! read more

Food was very good. Great tasting food. A little pricey as the service sucked. One nice young man was a waiter for the whole restaurant and he was running everywhere.:. If you charge that much for food... you should price the service!! 84 for two of us for lunch... read more

Excellent meal with wonderful, quick service! The mango shrimp appetizer was phenomenal! The homemade salsa was terrific!! Will definitely go again soon! read more

This was one of the first restaurants I ate at when I moved here almost 9 years ago. When I asked the then owner what he recommended he said the mahi soft tacos was the best I would ever have. When I said no thanks I can't imagine fish in a taco he said if you don't like them I'll buy your whole table dinner. Nine years later, I'm still having to pay for my meal. Best fish taco hands down you'll ever eat. read more

Went here last night w my hubby and we really enjoyed our meals. We have eaten here quite a few times in the past, but it had been a while since we had been. I had heard they were under new management and was a little concerned and sure enough, when we were ordering, our waitress mentioned they had new owners. But other not having a liquor license (apparently temporarily) everything was great. The decor in this place has never been the greatest and the location doesn't seem ideal, but the food had always been delicious. I highly recommend checking this place out. read more

Update: came back for lunch again. This time my meal was extremely salty. I normally have a salty palate and enjoy saltier foods, but this was just not edible. One of us asked for a spicier version of their salsa and the waiter came back with a bottle of hot sauce??? The waiter was very slow and not very attentive. We've been waiting 10 minutes just to get our change for our bill. I'm not sure what is so different from the last time we were here, but the quality of food and service definitely isn't as good as last time. I don't plan on coming back here again, because our experience was so inferior to the previous visit. Went here for lunch. The food was very good! The portions were generous and everything was well-seasoned and flavorful. The value of food for the price was very good, I felt. Their tortilla soup is not your usually thick and creamy style, it's a brothy soup with actual homemade tortillas in it. The salad was fresh and the quesadilla was everything you could have asked for. The decor is artistic and tasteful, with a cozy California-style ambiance. I will definitely be going back again. read more

I have been going to this restaurant for years, because the food tastes great! However recently got food to go, I noticed an item that I ordered and paid for was not in the bag when I got home. I called the restaurant and one of to-go staff said he forgot to put it in the bag and it was here for me to pick up later. I told him I lived across town and it was just too far to drive back for one thing. I asked if he just refund my card for the amount of the missing item. He said no. He said the next time I go there he said will me and give me a credit instead. I offered to give him my name, but said said he'd remember me. I insisted on a refund for the item and he refused. It's one think to make a mistake, it's entirely different thing to admit a mistake was made and not fix it. read more

Not sure how this place is still open. Based the food. Service and around of people there during peak dinner hours, it wont be. We could walk here from our home but wont be returning......ever read more

Worst service in all of N. Carolina. I will never come back here due to the service we received this evening. Waited at least 30min to order. Never provided refills on drinks or chips unless asked after we'd been sitting thirsty for 20min, ordered a steak quesadilla and apparently they ran out of steak in the middle of making my order so without even consulting me decided to switch my order to fajita chicken, well I hate onions and peppers so to say the least my son and I didn't eat since we were sharing. Never once did the waiter apologize or act at all concerned with how we were being treated. NEVER IN MY LIFE have I experienced this BAD OF SERVICE. OMG!! Oh and BTW, the server is a one man show so you can't avoid it! ​ read more

We love the burritos. We have had a burrito night on Fridays for almost 3 years. Great staff and delicious food. It is definitely a highlight if our week. read more

My favorite Mexican spot in Raleigh. Very fresh ingredients. Unique dishes. Chicken tortilla soup is the best I've had.

We've been coming here for quite a few years now. The food has always been delicious, the menu choices are wonderful and the staff is friendly. The huevos rancheros are always my favorite because they're different from other places. When we all had to do take-out, Cafe Capistrano did the best packing job of any restaurant we went to! But we're glad to be able to be back to dining inside the restaurant. Everything tastes fresh and yummy. read more