We love this little Mexican gem. We've been coming here for years now. Whenever we make our way up to Russian River. Sometimes we'll stop on the way up or sometimes on the way home. This place has always been extremely satisfying with very solid food. I've had everything here from burritos to nachos to tacos, and I have to say that everything I've had here has been delicious. This is not a restaurant where you can eat inside. I just wanna let people know that from the start. They do have a lovely area outside, which is particularly nice when it's sunny. In the time we were here I noticed there was a ton of people picking up takeout. Not surprising. There is a little area inside where you order. The people that work here are always so kind and accommodating. We came here yesterday. There was five of us: two adults, two teenagers, and a toddler. We ordered several street style tacos. Chorizo, Carne Asada, chicken, and Carnitas. All were delicious. The carnitas was especially yummy. They were served on two little tortillas that were lightly griddled to give it a little crisp. I love that. In my experience, I feel like so many taquerias will at best give you a warmed up corn tortilla. I feel like they put a lot of care into their tacos, which means a lot to me. Sometimes the best things to eat are the simplest things, but sometimes the simplest things don't get treated with the respect they deserve.The salsa that they serve here with the chips is also really good. Nice heat, but not overly spicy. My stepdaughter ordered super carnitas nachos with "yellow cheese." They give you the option between mozzarella or "yellow cheese". I thought that it would be cheddar cheese but it was actually queso. Delicious, creamy, liquid gold. Now i don't typically order nachos with liquid gold (although I'm not above that!) unless I'm drunk and at a 7/11, but these were bomb. To all the people that have their own specific rules and opinions as to how you eat something or how you believe something should not be eaten, I can totally relate on many levels. But rules are also meant to be broken so a rule above all rules: If something tastes good to you then there are no rules. Some people might put their nose up to that, but not me! It was delicious. Although I think it would be equally delicious with the mozzarella. I also loved that it came served with jalapeños and sliced avocado rather than guacamole. Those were put on the side so you won't see it in the picture. This is a fantastic little spot. Thank you for all the wonderful food and terrific service! read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Super Carnitas Nachos with yellow cheese. Mmmmmmm - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

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Weekend mini vaca in occidental. Stopped here for a quick bite before heading out to the beach . We ordered two veggie burritos and a side of rice. The menu offers a nice range of options all made fresh to order. The service is welcoming and the atmosphere is quiet and cozy. Cute outdoor deck. read more

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We stopped by here for a quick meal on our way to Guerneville. We got 2 tiny tacos each - fish and al pastor and it was bomb. The tacos were wonderful and flavorful. The staff is friendly. It's a small shack with minimal outdoor seating. read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Fish taco - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

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My favorite Mexican food in sonoma county! My go to is the carnitas taco salad, the carnitas is always super flavorful. I love the salsa here also, tortilla chips could be a little better but the food is so damn good they get a pass !!! Cheers !! read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Carnitas taco salad!! - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

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Outdoor seating. Order inside first. (2 people allowed inside to order at a time.) El pastor tacos!! Amazing! Was incredibly satisfied with my taco and enchilada plate. (See pic!) read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Taco Enchilada Plate - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

I really wanted to like this place, but somehow knew it would fall flat. I ordered the vegetarian taco meal. I got two tiny corn tortillas filled with... wait for it... salsa. Nothing but salsa. That and a side of rice and beans and an errant black hair cost me $16 that went straight into the garbage. Bummer. read more

The staff are great! Always very friendly, but I just went back to correct an order and they gave me a whole extra taco!! Always love the food! And a great patio. read more

Always get the chicken tostadas and flan and it's always delicious. Great salsa too. Service is fast and always friendly.

This place was bomb. On our way back from a weekend in Monte Rio our friend suggested going here for lunch. Patio was dog friendly, food on point. To order food, the entrance has some meat locker plastic and a two person minimum but the guys were friendly and you can tell they had their operation down. I got the taco salad with carnitas. So good, big chunks of avocado, yummy cheese and salad, beans and rice on the bottoms. The chips were hella good and salsa had a kick. We also got the guacamole which was a little spicy but great as it has small diced jalapeño peppers in it. I would def go back and try the burritos or the enchiladas read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Taco salad with carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

SUPER good Mexican food that is bursting with flavor while staying well balanced. It's exactly the place you want to go to to get some food before a traveling or fishing adventure. This place has one of the best carne asada burritos I've ever had! Service is set up as a to-go place with seating. It's a two person operation with the interior kitchen taking up most of the space. You walk in, order, and get a seat on the patio. They can seat about five groups which is good for the town of occidental. Super chill and quick service. If you are nearby and want some tacos or burritos, it's the place! Highly recommend the supreme carne asada burrito. Ps. Chips and salsa here are done right, don't sleep on them. Fresh tortilla chips with spicy, chunky salsa. Other shops gotta stop salting everything to hell and learn! read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Fish, Al Pastor, Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

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I had the shrimp quesadilla. The portion was good and the crunch on the tortilla was nice. The salsa was good.

Big disappointment. Not the food, but the cold and unfriendly service. We drove up from Oakland for a drive though Sonoma County back roads and googled "best Mexican restaurant." Saw the very good reviews, praising the food and the "friendly" service. Not hardly. The counterperson was cold and brusque from the start, never smiled, and had the same grim attitude when he brought the food to us on the patio. Hey, could you try harder? Treating people decently is not that difficult. read more

Driving through Occidental looking for lunch and saw the El Mariachi Café so we stopped in and had a meal! I had the huevos rancheros so simple and delicious, the fresh eggs cooked perfect! My son had chicken enchilada Verde and he loved his lunch as well! Nice and well kept out door dinning, clean and well maintained bathrooms. Appeared to be a two person operation and they we're doing a really good job! Highly recommend and will return for a meal? read more

Food was pretty good. Not amazing but very good. I did like the quality of the meat for sure. read more

Yum, so good and filling Mexican food! We stopped on our way home from Monte Rio to have lunch here. My BF had cheese enchiladas plate that came with beans and rice. He was really happy that they were very good and he loved the salsa that came with the complimentary chips so he asked for more to add on top of his food. I ordered the breakfast burrito. A big flour tortilla filled with egg, beans, rice and pico de gallo. It was delicious and the beans were whole, not refried. The rice was very good too. I could only eat half and am looking forward to the other half for breakfast tomorrow. The staff was very nice to everyone and it was obvious that they had repeat customers. You order inside and they bring your food outside to you on their festive patio. We really liked this place and look forward to coming back as we visit Occidental, Monte Rio, and Guernnville a few times each year. read more

Vegan? There is lard in the refried beans but heres the vegan hack; get a small side of picante sauce, and order the taco salad no cheese or beans, add guacamole, grilled onions, and jalapeños, and enjoy. read more

Their food is outstanding. There were 4 of us. We had the burrito supreme, a chili relleno and enchilada platter, a carne asada platter and shrimp quesadilla. Everyone loved their food. I'm a bit of an expert in Chile rellenos and the proper sauce for them. El Mariachi does it right. The only downside is they only gave outside seating and no heaters. It works fir the summer but not now. Btw, chips and salsa were great too. Go. You won't be disappointed. Our bill was about $15 per person. read more

El Mariachi Cafe - a man standing in the kitchen - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

This food at this place is fantastic. I've been multiple times, and have never been disappointed.

The people working here were very sweet. Menu has lots of options. I liked their chicken burrito. The chips were good, too. The food wasn't life-changing, but getting takeout from here was a very positive experience. read more

These are my guys - I lived in Freestone for 15 years and went to El Mariachi many times a week. I really miss them - if you guys see this - you did me a solid. I loved your food more than mine. I can cook - but you do it better. read more

Have gotten the enchiladas every time and they haven't missed once! Perfectly cooked chicken that melts in your mouth and a verde that is the perfect level of spice mixed with flavor. A must visit every time your in occidental. read more

Delicious Mexican food. Carnitas were very tasty. Wish they open longer. They closed at 6pm on a Saturday

Wow! A San Francisco style burrito that lives up to the best of the Mission Districts Taquerias .... located in western Sonoma, no less! I ordered the Super grilled chicken burrito with the works and it just about knocked my socks off. It very much reminded me of my favorite Mission joint, Taquería El Farolito! In fact, no place in the city comes closer than El Mariachi of Occidental! The grilled taste of the chicken was perfection! Add to that, the perfect mix of fixings - all fresh and bursting with flavor! Thank you so much and please keep it up! read more

Amazing El Pastor burritos I mean I am a BIG burrito connoisseur and they are the best! No sure how they get their meat so flavorful, but it's honestly delish! So happy to have a really good restaurant in Occidental! Thank you for the amazing food. Blessings read more

Excellent food! Very tasty, if you like spicy ask for their hot sauce. It will blow your mind.

Been going here for a couple years now, the food is tasty, but the size of the super burrito which cost almost $12 was ridiculously small, I have gotten much bigger burritos for less money elsewhere. Unfortunately won't be going back unless they decide to give customers their money's worth. read more

Today I ordered a chicken supreme burrito and there was very little sour cream and one piece and I mean one piece of avocado in it. Also way too much rice and overpriced considering what I was given. This is the 3rd time and I won't be back. read more

We both ordered taco special (one asada & one chicken) w rice/ beans & a pop for under $25. It was good. We sat on the porch w a dog. Very pleasant. read more

I was glamping nearby and this place was recommended as a must try for local tasty Mexican food. I'm glad I came to check this place out for lunch on a Saturday. They have a patio area that is dog friendly and a huge menu. I went with the fish tacos and my partner got a burrito smothered in red sauce. Portions were pretty good but of course you get the most bang for your buck with a burrito. The Diablo sauce was spicy but not overwhelming. You also get complementary chips and salsa while waiting for the food to come out. The tacos were very tasty and packed with fish and garnish but the tortillas are street taco sized so I would recommend getting a side in addition to the two tacos if you're very hungry. There's a large parking lot right next to the restaurant and service was very friendly. They have menus posted on the wall outside so you can figure out what you want before placing a group order. read more

5 star because I have a crush on the bearded cook + the food is very very delicious

Annoyingly busy with tourists as everywhere in Occidental, but the food is good. Phone in an order and ask for a burrito and quesadilla and add jalepenos to both? Nah you ain't getting them. Working on auto pilot. read more

Such a cute hole in the wall type Mexican joint that probably gets passed by tourists due to its location. When we went there were lots of locals. Outdoor seating only but it was such nice weather that we wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Instead of parking right up front, go past it and park in the parking lot. It'll be safer getting out to the main road again from there. read more

Great service and super friendly staff, food was great and fresh. Tacos are the street style and great flavor. Enchiladas were delicious

The food is excellent, good enough to detour for if your in the area. Nice out door area. Salsa is bangin. Seafood tostadas will have you drooling on yourself until you finally eat it then afterwards you'll be wondering why you didn't order more then one. The Asada torta will have you getting one for the road. read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Awesome - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

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Small restaurant with solely outdoor seating. Food is great, tasty, and flavorful. Employees are welcoming and polite. Stopped in here on a Saturday afternoon before going zip lining and their service is fast and prices are reasonable $11-$12 for 2 small chicken tacos and a cheese quesadilla with chips and salsa. Definitely will stop in here again. read more

Came here 4 times over MLK weekend during a trip to Occidental. Had 2 wet burritos and 2 super burritos. All the meats were great, preference on pastor. Big slices of avocado in burritos a great addition. Staff are friendly as well! read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Burrito Diablo - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

Dropped in there this evening during the Fri. night market. They were super busy but got the food to us relatively fast. My taco salad was superb, the freshest and over all best I've had in the past year. They really do make the tastiest beans there; I wonder what their secret is? read more

El Mariachi Cafe - Fabulous specialty veggie taco salad. I had already cut into it, but you get the idea. I'm hungry again just thinking about it. - Mexican Near Me - Occidental, California

So bummed to be moving away from Soco (air, water, terrain, crazy people, etc) and mariachis is one of those reasons I'm bummed. The pork and tomatillo green sauce is the bomb and for an easy lunch, carnitas burrito has that same flavor design behind it as everything else this chef cooks up! Will be back some time not soon enough! read more

Good Mexican food. Hours sometimes change so call first. I eat here almost every time I'm in Occidental.

Posole was amazing for the cold weather day. Fish tacos and carnitas my kids loved. Outdoor patio dining with an awesome view.