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    El Rafa's Cafe

    3.7 (109 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    El Rafa's Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    EL RAFA'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - El Rafa's Cafe

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    Carne guisada, one of the best cg in town!
    Rasiel G.

    Love me some rafas! Some of the best carne guisada in town. This place is usually packed & parking is small. I'm always greeted & seated right away. Service is always good fast & friendly. Get some cg!

    Menudo
    Michaleen C.

    We ended up at El Rafa's The selection of their menu is good. It's like your mama's kitchen and you are her favorite son... (don't be mad now- I didn't make the rules) But we all know I was there for ONE THING only. Let's start with what it is not- No enchilada sauce sazon or consistency No tomato based nothing Not super salty Not served with cilantro or oregano Is not bright red (which is weird to have menudo bright red... it is not normal color of red chili cooked down ) - overall a win What it is- It is served with lemons, onion, diced jalapeno, and homemade tortillas Off the stove top hot Has a touch of 'the stank' when it arrives to the table (which if you get your beef fresh from a place that doesn't scald the tripe this is normal) The soup sazon is caliente with enough kick to get your sweat going The tripe to hominy ratio is 3:1 Plus it is seasoned well, although I would like a more mas- it's like mom's kitchen and you know it is made with love so... Try El Rafa's in San Antonio Service is great They had 5-6 servers for fast service The cooks are on their A game as well... Honestly, the roof might leak but the food and flavor are real... which keeps the seats packed and will have me returning to them for my fix

    My daughter her husband my grandson and great grandson and my daughter brother in law
    Gilberto C.

    Comfortable I guess it was slow service because for all the orders to come out at the same time and when I saw the waitress carrying 5 plates at the time you don't see that often

    Puffy tacos plate
    Carolina E.

    Food was okay, not a fan of the picadillo or the chicken crispy tacos. The carne guisada was good though and a good size taco for $4.39. My kids puffy tacos were like cups with meat and lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. The chalupas also were okay but not our taste. Maybe missing some spices? Very clean restaurant though and our server could have been more attentive. My sisters liked their tacos.

    Outside
    Sophina M.

    My husband had been given really good reviews about this place so instead of taking a left on Fredericksburg that day, which we would normally do to go to a different restaurant, we took a right and ended up here at Rafa's Cafe. Chips and salsa don't hit the table unless you order them, it's $2.50 for the portion which is decent, but the chips were very bland and they gave us warm ranchero sauce in place of actual salsa. That, for me is a no. I ended up getting the Rafas plate and my husband got 3 tacos which were very average because their tortillas on that particular day weren't very good. I think they make them homemade, but they weren't fluffy at all and actually got hard as we sat there. We had leftover tortillas which I will normally take home from a restaurant if they're homemade, but we left them behind. The Rafas plate was very salty. I couldn't enjoy anything but the tostada including the taco. The restaurant looks clean, but the bathrooms were pretty disgusting. I'm worried about what the back of the house looks like. Service was ok but our drinks were never refilled and that salt almost turned me into a raisin.

    Door
    Jose C.

    Well first things first my food and coffee were cold. I understand it was a rainy day and there are so many people to take care of. That is no excuse however, I almost had to eat with no utensils and no straw for my drinks. If the food wasn't really tasty I would of left a one star review. Come on staff do better, this place used to blow my mind...

    Chicken 1 Meat Quesadilla

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    4 months ago

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    19 days ago

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    1 month ago

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    16 days ago

    This is a neighborhood place that's been there forever. Great carne guisada plate! Pairs well with the delicious tortillas.

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Love this place. One of the best little restaurants in town. Freah flour tortillas are awesome.

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great food awesome service. Very friendly waitress The food was very delicious . We were served right away. The food was fresh

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    2 years ago

    Why were 3 tacos 17$? Geez. Not good enough food to warrant that price. The tacos also came to our table pretty cold.

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great mexican food served hot! Homeade tortillas! Very nice staff! The portions are just right and it is worth the price.

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    4 years ago

    We had to split tickets and lady at the register over charged us. When we try to correct her she denied it and didn't refund us.

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    Page 1 of 3

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    Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery - Flautas de Pollo

    Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery

    3.7(4k reviews)
    3.1 miDowntown
    $$

    I have been here several times. It's one of those staple tourist places that you have to visit when…read moreyou are in town. Service is fast, place is decently clean for the foot traffic, the servers all look happy and eager to work. I ordered tortilla soup, I usually like it with a cup of rice and avocado like most places serve it. However, I definitely think this is a safe Mexican food restaurant when it comes to not overdoing it with spices and the extra stuff. My soup had a decent amount of chicken. I had a mimosa, loved that they used fresh orange juice. Flour tortillas were delicious! Before heading out you need to have the sweet bread!! So goooodd!

    People say when in San Antonio, do like the San Antonian's. Nobody really says that. I mean, I just…read moredid, but I also just made it up. With that being said, let's make up a review. Except I'm not actually making the review up, I've been to the place. Both San Antonio and the restaurant moments away from being reviewed. I'm always down for solid Mexican food. It's always pretty damn good. I mean, at the pure base of things, it's basically the same few ingredients, just different vessels to get it to your mouth. I'm never bad about that. I love transportation. Mi Tierra was a pretty great looking place. Plenty of space, a nice outside waiting area, plus a bakery. I have never been to a place with a bakery that I didn't like. It seemed like a very authentic place, and that's coming from a resident of Michigan. A resident that eats Taco Bell. A resident who eats Taco Bell and think's THAT'S authentic Mexican. The first thing I noticed was that this place did not seem to serve burritos. Not a marker really for me, but it was something I've never came across before. I also thought that you were stuck ordering enchiladas or tacos in a meal type of setting. Upon further questioning, you can order a la cart. That was a relief. I ended up ordering the enchiladas Verdes because sometimes I ignore my color palate and go for green. And because I can't just stop eating one form of meat, cheese, and sauce, I ordered a taco. Actually, I just ordered a taco because I wanted a dryer enchilada. Or did I order the enchiladas because I wanted a wetter taco...I don't know anymore. Anywho, I ground beef, American style taco. Now, I've always been a big fan of chips and salsa. Some salsa hits, some miss. Some salsa is pureed and is basically red water. Some salsa is just a full tomato. I like my salsa like I like my orange juice. With extra calcium. Wait. Mild pulp. That's it. This salsa pretty much hit those notes. Had good flavor and a little spice left to linger. The main course came out and everything looked delicious. Green enchiladas looked exactly like I expected. However, it took me a moment to realize I was not looking at a burrito...but instead, my taco. It was served a peculiar way. wrapped, seam down, with a little bit of the meat on top, pico and lettuce on the outside, next to it. It was a burrito peacocking as a taco. I've never seem this display before, and I have been to many Taco Bell and non-Taco Bell restaurants. The taste was pretty good, though. All the taco flavor in a burrito jacket. The enchiladas were pretty decent, too. Everything tasted like it had all the ingredients and that they were in all the right spots. No doubt about it, I was full after e

    Photos
    Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery - Balcony in the bar

    Balcony in the bar

    Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery - Triple Chocolate Cake. @coreyd123 on ig for all your photography needs!

    Triple Chocolate Cake. @coreyd123 on ig for all your photography needs!

    Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery - Chocolate cake. @coreyd123 on IG. Contact me with product/marketing photography interests

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    Chocolate cake. @coreyd123 on IG. Contact me with product/marketing photography interests

    Panfila Cantina And Restaurant

    Panfila Cantina And Restaurant

    3.8(299 reviews)
    13.8 mi
    $$

    Surprised the wife with a trip to Pan Fila for her favorite hot chocolate and concha. We started…read morewith the Pan Fila Conchota combo that is a combination of the two that is 1/2 gallon of hot chocolate made using a base of Abuelitas with additional cinnamon, and cocoa along with something special. It was delicious! The concha was soft, buttery and flaky, with just the right sweetness. We took home the majority of it and it stayed nice and soft instead of turning hard like so many others. We decided to try several appetizers to go along with our concha to get a wider taste of their food than we would by just ordering a couple entrees. Let me tell you, this was a great idea! We ordered the Tosti-Ceviche Verde, Panela Asado, Mexican Street Corn, and their Spicy Bean Dip. The Ceviche Verde was excellent, the freshness of the fish and shrimp was wonderful with the chipotle mayo and avocado. We chose to have it on the salsa Verde Tostitos and it was all great combination. The Panelo Asado was a completely new dish for us and was extremely good with a savory flavor from the salsa Tlaquepaque that mixed well with the Panela cheese. Their tortillas though not made in house, are made for them and taste like mom made them. The Mexican Street Corn was great and had the perfect bit of char taste from the corn. It was creamy and flavorful, we did think it could use just a tad more lime juice though. The Spicy Bean Dip was very good. You can't go wrong with Oaxaca, Chorizo, and pieces of pork mixed with some mildly spicy beans. Our server was fantastic. She had great recommendations for us, and was quick with checking on our drinks and generally helping us throughout our dinner. The food was prepared quickly, was hot, tasteful and refreshing. We definitely will be going back, and recommend Pan Fila to all of you.

    La comida y el servicio siempre esta phenomenal! Ive been here twice and both times the food and…read moreservice and vibes were 10/10. I recommend the cafe de olla y el flan the most theyre delicious. Its a nicely decorated restaurant and the music is great too! My new go to for brunch or happy hour.

    Photos
    Panfila Cantina And Restaurant
    Panfila Cantina And Restaurant - Chicken Milanesa torta

    Chicken Milanesa torta

    Panfila Cantina And Restaurant - Chips and salsa

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    Chips and salsa

    El Rafa's Cafe - mexican - Updated May 2026

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