One of my dad's friends suggested this place for his celebration of life gathering because it has an extra room to the side of the restaurant that we could rent along with delicious food.. My man and I wanted to try them out beforehand and they did not disappoint. We ordered a carne asada wet burrito and I loved the enchilada sauce they drowned it in, it tasted house made and not like something from a can which makes a huge difference. On the evening of the memorial I ordered a chilie rellano meal (it came with that same delicious enchilada sauce) chips and guacamole and my man ordered tacos. We were both very pleased with our meals, service was great and the room was perfect for our gathering. read more

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I found out that now they got 3 Street Tacos for $10. They updated their menu which makes you feel like you're dinning at a restaurant. When I saw their updated menu I was about to bring it to my table but I forgot I could straight order upfront. Service at El Sol has been great. I have not gotten any argument with El Sol. I did compliment that their food was great and I did not have to go to Pinole to get tacos! Sorry Que onda tacobar, I have return to El Sol. read more

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This Mexican restaurant, tucked in Rodeo, I've order once at the restaurant, the food is very good and the service as well. I usually do to go orders on the app, so I couldn't tell you how the ambiance is. My go to order is the Tiger prawn super burrito and the cheese enchilada plate. Get the guacamole and chips once in a while and the chips taste fresh which is good for dipping or just to snack on. They have other things like chalupas, quesadillas, and etc. I'd say it's a hidden spot, if you're looking for a good Mexican spot, stop in Rodeo and try El Sol. read more

El Sol Restaurant & Catering - Cheese enchilada plate - Mexican Near Me - Rodeo, California

I really wanted to love this place, but I was unimpressed. Supposedly I heard this used to be the place for authentic Mexican food when the owners parents ran it. My relatives, used to come all the time. I just happened to be in the area for a Dr. appt and wanted to get a quick bite. Ladies that took the order were cordial . Food was not even sub-par. Portions were huge but I took 3 bites and had to say no more. I ordered the chalupa. It was that bad. Beans tasted like they were from a can , carnesada tasted boiled and cheese was ick as well. Booo ! Unfortunately I will not be returning. read more

El Sol Restaurant & Catering - Mexican Near Me - Rodeo, California

I got here, there was no customers. If you know la Perla from back in the day. You get the meat potatoes, sour cream and cheese and you could pick other stuff to add. This place, they say do you want small or large. I get a small, they filled my bowl with a lot of potatoes, gave me a lil bit of cheese and sour cream. I told the guy, this is why I came and a lot of people come here, because they want it to taste like La Perla. I told him I was happy with it, to give more meat. I wanted more cheese and sour cream but don't ask. He looked at me crazy and said, well we are not our cousins from La Perla. He gave extra meat and said, he won't do that again. This will be my last time coming here. Everyone knows that La Perla was known for their hefty portions. They stingy here. They also made my food to go, and I dined in. I never come back. read more

El Sol Restaurant & Catering - I can make this at home. They customer service is horrible. - Mexican Near Me - Rodeo, California

I've been going to El Sol since we moved here 20 years ago and they are always consistent. The food- wide variety of items from quesadillas, flautas, fajitas, enchiladas and burritos etc. we love the flautas. And I got he chicken enchiladas with rice and beans. Also their potatoes con chorizo are delicious. The staff are friendly and accommodating and the inside is quaint and festive. read more

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I have only been here once but enchiladas were good . Very nice people . Definitely will return to try some other food.

Let's start with the highlights. Good service. Decent enchilada sauce. Which is rare in Northern California. And they have canned RC cola. Sadly that's it. Wife had the street tacos. Said they were nothing to write home about. I had the enchiladas combo with one chicken and one cheese enchilada. Quality of the chicken meat was not good. Rice was ok. Beans were ok. The part that was horrible was the use of sharp cheddar cheese. Made the whole operation taste bad. Either need to switch to a milder cheese blend or use cotija. As it stands, it's terrible and I would not return. read more

Food and Ambiance. Food taste like canned ingredients. No flavor. Tables were sticky. Feels dirty. Food tastes bland.

Order a barito after a long time but it's so disappointing taste is really bad and the salsa was just like water read more

El Sol Restaurant & Catering - Mexican Near Me - Rodeo, California

we've been coming here for years, but today I ordered chili Verde ... I actually had to ask if it was chili Verde, it was red and had no gravy and had no taste. The pork was shredded. I was told they make it with tomatoes. That's why it's red I probably ate two bites and gave it back to them. Wasn't offered a refund or even a sorry would you like something else? read more

Tasty Enchiladas, Friendly Owners, Spacious Seating! I don't normally order enchiladas from any Mexican restaurants, but always ordered them here! They're quite nostalgic to me because my parents always got them for us growing up. I ordered other items off their menu in the past which were also good, but it's their enchiladas that I really enjoy. I recently ordered the 2 chicken enchiladas combination plate with rice and potatoes. Enchiladas are rolled in corn tortillas with shredded chicken covered with their flavorful mole sauce and melted cheese. The rice is cooked to perfection and seasoned well. Their chorizo potatoes are real good and packed with flavor! If you're craving for some enchiladas, look no further and give theirs a try! read more

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We love this place. Their ground beef tacos are amazing and their combo plates are huge. Definitely a hidden gem in Rodeo.

Order for two to split as the portions are huge. Great food all around. Chicken special. Burrito we all had and loved. Good salad . Really crowded but still got good service and reasonable seating time on a Sunday afternoon. No margarita or cervesa which I think as a mistake. read more

got the pork tamale and the prawn enchilada last night both tasted similar and overall both shitty! The tamale shouldnt have been drenched in that weak ass sauce. Both tasted like it was straight from the microwave. Hands down the shittiest mexican food ive ever had. low quality ingredients i woke up with heart burn and very uncomfortable. how the fuck has this place been here for so long? maybe i ordered the wrong shit? im baffled. read more

First time coming here was top of the pandemic. I'm not quite sure what has transpired with the place since then. But it wasn't for the better smh this place sucksssss and I mean that with pure honesty. I got the beef & potato smh terrible big ass pieces of ground beef patty or somethin idk but I do kno it wasn't right then she put it in the microwave but when I opened it up it was still cold highly disappointed I ate some of the cheese and big ass pieces of beef patty with some chips and threw it away idk what's goin on but it seems like since the big sassy guy ain't there no more the food sucks ass anywho and stop sayin that shit ever tasted like La Perla that's mad disrespectful anywho receipts with be posted read more

I don't know, I don't feel safe eating here. I got a salad with the STRINGIEST Chicken. It smelled like old tuna. I couldn't eat it. I also got a Steak Burrito that was Luke warm at best. This place is right around the corner from me but I don't know if I will be going back again. Not very friendly service either. read more

I went in, spoke politely to the cute lady that was taking my order, and she was very nice. Anyone who's left low Yelp rating because of their attitude should be forced to trade places for a week with this kind and decent woman. This is Rodeo, can you imagine the sub-human Bayo Vista Trash that she has to deal with on a daily basis, (Trust me Homie, even your own Mother doesn't want you around) Back to reviewing the restaurant, the Chile Rellenos are great, I've been eating their Chalupas for 40 years, you can't miss, and their Mole is excellent! But, those potatoes, oh me oh my, can I please have Abuelas recipe??? Those potatoes are so damn good. El Sol is an outstanding restaurant! read more

I would've never come upon this semi-hidden, family-run Mexican spot in Rodeo had it not been for my recent discovery of the San Pablo Bay Regional Trail which provides a leisurely walkway, completely paved and aligned next to the Amtrak rail track built along the bayshore. The current terminus is Rodeo where I snugly walk through a chain-link gate onto Third Street. At Parker, I turned a corner and found El Sol. I didn't have any expectations as I walked through a rather worn wooden door and into a dimly lit space with a lot of Mexican decor. I was hopeful to find something healthy, and I did with the $10 Tiger Prawn Salad, a robust plate of iceberg lettuce unexpectedly topped with avocado slices, fresh salsa, pinto beans, shredded cheddar cheese, and quite a few grilled tiger prawns (photo: http://bit.ly/37tTSGQ). It wasn't artisan cuisine, but it was tasty and filling for sure. Of course, the complimentary chips came first with their salsa (photo: http://bit.ly/2Hsjz09), which was my unintended but welcome appetizer. I liked this salad enough to come back this evening via the now-familiar trail, and I decided to add the $2.25 Carne Asada Street Taco which was quite a satisfying treat in itself (photo: http://bit.ly/37vCwcI). I liked this place, and it's been around for nearly forty years under the same ownership. I can totally respect that and have a good salad to boot. FOOD - 4 stars...that tiger prawn salad is a keeper AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...a bit dark, and they don't open their adjoining dining room until they crowd up presumably SERVICE - 4 stars...definitely friendly TOTAL - 4 stars...a family winner in Rodeo RELATED - Hanging out in this part of Contra Costa County? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2VyCP18 read more

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I took my friend here for lunch this past Tuesday who is retiring at 84. The restaurant was nicer than expected but the service was a bit cold. There was a man at the counter who never greeted us and when spoken to, he barely responded. We didn't know we had to order and pay before we sat there. We stood there in front of the counter and tried to read their menu board which was handwritten and confusing. No one mentioned there were menus to look at. Finally, after about 5 minutes of standing there, we were told to pay for our orders. I got a shrimp combo burrito with beans (10.50) and my friend ordered the El Sol salad, side of beans and soda. The El Sol salad turned out to be shredded iceberg lettuce with a bit of cheese on top. The side of beans was about 6 dollars. His meal cost about 16 dollars and he had iceberg lettuce and beans! I enjoyed my combo burrito and there was a good number of tiger prawns in it but I felt sorry for my friend who didn't say anything positive about his meal. I paid for his lunch and he also ordered a "bean dip" for an additional 6 dollars. Basically, he got two bowls of beans and lettuce and we paid about 22 dollars for that. I feel like the food here is pretty basic and it's a hit or miss. You have to order carefully and don't expect great service. The man (manager or owner) was training a nice high school boy who was very sweet but we were ignored in the beginning. I'm not sure if I will come back. Also, I noticed that all their patrons are men and I was the only woman here. read more

Haven't been hear in a long time. It been in the community for centuries. Good on street parking

The service is great, and the food consistantly excellent! Their potatoes are fabulous along with their enchiladas. Ask for a fried flour tortilla with your next taco. It's the best!! read more

The burritos are just *chef kiss*. Haven't had much else.enchiladas are amazing! They are quick to get your food to you with good flavor.

Ive been eating here since I was little. Comfort food to me and very local. The food is okay now, service is trash the parents used to be so nice and kind and their kids who run it now are so rude and make you uncomfortable for being there so it's a no on the service for me. I know it's hot in there on warm days but they've ruined my experience. Good note. Flour chips are so good read more

The deets. They do have shrimp tacos, they don't use chicken broth to make their rice, and supposedly they have black beans but they gave me brown instead of what I ordered. Flavor was decent. It wasn't bad but it didn't particularly stand out either. The shrimp taco comes with avocado and pico de gallo was not as tiny as the guy described it and was good. The super veggie burrito was good in size, but disappointing that he didn't give me my black beans. Service extremely friendly. Food came out fast. read more

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Grew up eating here. It's good. But the attitude of the people working there makes me question if it's even worth spending my money with them. Ridiculously and consistently rude. read more

I'm visiting from out of town and found this to be a cute comfortable spot. Good ambiance. The food was delicious. (Tamales) Would recommend read more

First time here, ordered food to go & ate it an hour later. Pretty good. Ordered chicken & rice. Came with beans, salad, & I opted for the sweet plantains. Plain mixed green salad with a tart lemony dressing which was really good. Beans were pinto, standard and good. The meal came with this tangy hot sauce which was really good. Had a little bit of heat. I poured that all over my chicken n into my beans. Added really good flavor to both. Plain white rice. The chicken was seasoned well, some pieces were a little dry. Sweet plantain, basic, standard, but still good! Thumbs up! read more

I was in the mood for a wet burrito & this completely missed the mark. Burrito was poorly wrapped and the enchilada sauce wasn't flavored. The taste was similar to canned. My bf loves this place so I'll prob go again but maybe I'll stick to something simple like a taco. read more

A LOT has changed in rodeo in the last 40 years... but El Sol somehow magically never changes. If I had never been here and this was my first meal, I wouldn't be inclined to post a review one way or another. It's good food but wouldn't move me to write a soliloquy about it. But then again I'm not a yelper who thinks the world *wants* to hear my every mundane experience (yeah, I'm talking to you yelp elite ;-) ) - HOWEVER. This place feels like home. And not the shitty parts of growing up here... the good ones. Like selling cupcakes door to door on the weekend so we could get enough money to come get chicken burritos here after school during the week. It's the kind of place that you develop cravings for. It's not the same kind of food as most other taquerias in the area. It's food made by a mother in her kitchen with her family to share with you. And somehow every freaking time the food tastes exactly the same. They've never varied from their original recipes and I appreciate that. It's worked for 48 years. Why muck with it. Thanks el sol for being a reason I like to come back to my home town. read more

El Sol Restaurant & Catering - Dedicated to community - Mexican Near Me - Rodeo, California

I've been going to El Sol's for 30 years. Family owned business with great food and great prices. You're always greeted with a smile and warmth. Everything on the menu is delicious. Whatever you're looking for you can find here. This is Mexican food at its best. Tastes like home made. This isn't Chevy's, the food is authentic. You can order by phone. Street parking is available. When the world gets back to normal, there is also inside seating. El Sol is a landmark and gem located in Rodeo. Worth the trip, wherever you live. read more

I went here on a Thursday afternoon with a group of coworkers. The place is like a taqueria in which you order at the counter and they bring your food to the table. The food is mediocre. The portion size is huge while the price is quite cheap. One thing that was appalling is how they microwave some of their food. Other than that, the chips and salsa was up to par. I ordered chicken enchiladas which was good enough to finish more than half my plate. The rice, however, was a bit bland. Because of the above, I gave this place 3 stars. I'm sure there's a better Mexican food place than this one, but it doesn't hurt to give this place a try. read more

El Sol Restaurant & Catering - Chicken enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Rodeo, California

They have good produce and good meat so I usually get tacos from here can't go wrong with tacos

Excellent food here at El Sol. Mondo and his wife brought my family and I dinner when our home was vandalized. Such thoughtful, kind and generous owners. And of course the food was AMAZING. I went back to the restaurant today and ordered the Mondo Special burrito and added shrimp. Food is seasoned well and everything taste fresh. Staff was extremely pleasant. Can't wait to come back! read more

Great Mexican restaurant! Great people. This establishment is owned & operated by a great family who supports our community. Food is great, I personally am addicted to the Chili Verde. El Sol also operates a restaurant in Point Richmond that is equally as good. Try the Tiger Prawn Diablo Plate. read more

First time coming here since I've been living near by. I ordered a super burrito steak. It was OK. It was more packed with rice than anything else. The flavor was ok but definitely not the best. I would give it another chance since it's so close to home. Maybe the tacos are better? Tip- the guacamole was good but overpriced. I think it was $7. I also love the small town family vibes so I'll give it another shot. read more

Best Mexican food in West Contra Costa, enchilada sauce is amazing, along with chips, salsa, tacos, burritos, ordered weekly on Door Dash, and the order is always correct, hot, and well packaged. Try it, you will not be disappointed. read more

Poor. I never got credit for the take-out beer ($5) I ordered that they forgot to put in my order. Disappointing.

Called in an order for pick up yesterday and when we arrived it was all set to go. Excellent service and the food is delicious. Our go to mexican restaurant from now on. read more

Love the nachos. And the chicken tacos. Love how they make the nachos into layers not like most nachos you get where they pile everything on top. read more