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    El Talpense Mexican Restaurant

    4.3 (143 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    El Talpense Mexican Restaurant Reservations

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    El Talpense Mexican Restaurant Photos

    EL TALPENSE MEXICAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - El Talpense Mexican Restaurant

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    Cevice! Large portion!
    Marcy S.

    First time here. Craving Cevice and El Talpense was close by. I ordered the Ceviche and a El pastor street taco. Was surprised with the generous portion of the Cevice. Simple and tasty. I added more salt and lime to my taste. It was ok! The taco was very good. Very impressed. Will come back for their El Pastor tacos for sure! Service was awesome. It was mid day on a Monday and quiet by the University. Duper nice staff.

    Chicken Steak Fajitas & Guacamole
    Rosa C.

    Came here for Cinqo de Mayo for the good food and the good vibes. We came a little earlier ahead of the happy hour rush and got seated quickly. The staff was super friendly and nice, attentive too as our waters were refilled often. I love the colorful decor and family vibe. The food was fantastic! I don't normally like beans but I loved how creamy the beans are here. My fish tacos were fried lightly (not batter-heavy) and to perfection. The michelada was also massive and not too tart. Overall a great spot near the campus.

    Menu (1/4) as of 7/17/25
    Winston L.

    Salt galore in a nicely decorated restaurant. We got the #9 Traditional Combo, the Carnitas House Special, and the A Large Combo. Decent flavors and large portions. However, the salt levels were quite elevated in the combos and out of control in the Carnitas. It was borderline inedible

    Jasmine L.

    This restaurant used to be my favorite but the service wasn't great the recent time we went. It was very busy and the chips are no longer refillable. Can't remember exactly how much the refills would be, but just unfortunate! Mangonadas have also been a hit or miss recently, depending on who makes it. It seems like overall the service and food is a hit or miss depending on how packed they are / who is making it. The recent few times we've visited, we've tried their burritos. The portions are massive but the meat quality (carne) was quite cheap/tough. Flavor was decent though, and I can definitely only eat half. Also, it is very hot in there as there's no AC, and the ceiling fans don't really do anything. If it's packed in there, I wouldn't recommend coming.

    Strawberry mango frozen margarita
    Hawk A.

    One of my favorite places to go for margarita pitchers and a great deal on a taco Tuesday. They have taco Tuesday and Thursday deals from 4 to 10 PM. The food is pretty solid, but for me the main attraction has to be the pitchers and towers of margaritas they have. The service is always quick and efficient. And the staff is always patient even when the college students can get a bit rowdy. My favorite has to be the strawberry mango margaritas. And celebrating birthdays here he's always a great time.

    Chips and salsa
    Daniel A.

    Para bailar La Bamba Se necesita una poca de gracia... Service was great! We had a reservation set up as it was right after the UC Berkeley graduation. They had a table set up as we took up a big table. The servers were very attentive even with a large group and little ones. Ordered El Tio combination plate that came with a chicken flauta, shredded beef hard shell taco, chile relleno, carne asada, enchilada, salad, beans and rice. Yes food coma... Guacamole was just avocado, wish they would have thrown in some diced onions, cilantro and jalapeño just to add a little flavor. The windows were open so the interior felt fresh. Nothing like a sunny day in the Bay Area. The lights had a cover that looked like a piñata. If you're in the area and want to listen to La Bamba or other good songs while you eat give it a try it's right by the university. Street parking available just pay at a nearby kiosk or on the app.

    Avocado Tostada
    Maxine L.

    Spacious Mexican restaurant right next to the Berkeley campus with a large variety of options. Came in for weekday lunch/dinner and it was pretty empty. I ordered the avocado tostada because I wasn't too hungry. It hit the spot though omg. The beef was so yummy, crispy tortilla, loaded with lettuce and plenty of avocado. The free chips and salsa were also really good. Overall simple yummy Mexican spot. I imagine it would get busy with students during peak hours, but was very chill when I went.

    Margarita Pitcher
    Felix D.

    Came just for the margaritas and they do not disappoint. Thank you to the staff and business owners for being hospitable. I would recommend the margarita pitcher to celebrate with friends or family. We were able to get six glasses out of the pitcher (but you might get more out of it if you're lucky!) Plenty of seating and great service.

    Taco Salad with chicken

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    8 months ago

    Good food and service was fast. Our server Erick topped the overall experience off with great humor and overall conversation

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    Page 1 of 4

    El Talpense Mexican Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - El Talpense Mexican Restaurant

    What days does happy hour go down?

    Every week they do specials for taco Tuesdays and Thursdays now! Great deals on food and drinks.

    When is happy hour?

    4 to 7 pm

    Do they have happy hour?

    Yes but not much of a discount

    View All 4 Questions

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    Las Cabañas Mexican Grill & Taqueria - One can never go wrong with asada tacos.

    Las Cabañas Mexican Grill & Taqueria

    4.0(360 reviews)
    0.8 miDowntown Berkeley
    $$

    Las Cabanas is tucked away on MLK Jr Way a block away from University Ave. Parking is a little…read morechallenging but you can always park on Hearst and it's definitely worth a visit. The staff is friendly and food is prepared promptly after ordering. I'm obsessed with their Baja fish burrito which you can get it grilled or fried, and upgraded to a super burrito. The garlic cream sauce is addicting and tasty, plus the fish is always fresh and succulent. I also love the avocado & cilantro salsa. I honestly think about this burrito at least once a day!

    In my opinion, Las Cababas is a 3.5 star establishment. So I round up to 4…read more We came in around noon on a Friday, ordered, Huevos Rancheros Plate, 2 Asada Tacos Plate, and the Baja Fish Burrito and took about 30 mins for the food to be ready. They were busy but everyone that was sitting down already has their food on the table. Huevos Rancheros Plate is good with good flavor, but the black beans had no flavors what so ever. 2 Asada Tacos Plate with extra Rice was good, the steak was tender, but again lack flavor and the rice was good. Baja Fish Burrito, you get an option of getting grilled or fried fish, I took the grilled because I figured it would have been seasoned well, I was wrong, again no flavors and same for the black beans. It is street parking only, if its a busy time, you'll probably have to park several blocks away.

    Photos
    Las Cabañas Mexican Grill & Taqueria - Cute mural on the wall(love the T-Rex - LOL)

    Cute mural on the wall(love the T-Rex - LOL)

    Las Cabañas Mexican Grill & Taqueria - Quesadilla

    Quesadilla

    Las Cabañas Mexican Grill & Taqueria - Shrimp Quesadilla

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    Shrimp Quesadilla

    Picante - Tender pollo asado style tacos are seasoned with achiote paste, and grilled to perfection, and tucked inside handmade corn tortillas.

    Picante

    3.5(1.8k reviews)
    2.3 miWest Berkeley
    $$

    I work nearby this restaurant and often pick up a bowl for lunch. Last week I ordered a chicken…read morebowl, and when I got back to my office I realized it was pork instead of chicken. I called them and they asked me to come back for a replacement. It took about five minutes, and they were very kind about it. I don't like wasting food, so they told me I could keep the original bowl. I brought it home and my daughter was very happy to eat it. Both meals ended up being great. They also gave me an agua fresca to make up for the short wait, which I really appreciated. Mistakes can happen anywhere, and what matters is how they're handled here...they take care of you. Many thanks for the quick repair.

    It is a nicely remodeled space. Its very large now, and has dining on two sides. The space is a bit…read morecool but it was also winter. The tables were clean, and there is plenty of seating. There is a parking lot on the corner but street parking is available right out front. When you enter the restaurant you pay and find a table. Staff bring your food and drinks to you. Staff seemed nice. We dined on chicken enchiladas and fish tacos. Salsa is available in the frig near the door, and you can help yourself. The food was just okay but we're also not big fans of tex-mex style cooking.

    Photos
    Picante - Bar and ordering counter

    Bar and ordering counter

    Picante - Super Nachos

    Super Nachos

    Picante - Enchiladas de la plaza are from Mexico City and have a rich, chile sauce with veggies atop handmade corn tortillas with a sprinkly of queso

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    Enchiladas de la plaza are from Mexico City and have a rich, chile sauce with veggies atop handmade corn tortillas with a sprinkly of queso

    Taqueria Talavera - Tacos

    Taqueria Talavera

    4.1(626 reviews)
    1.8 miBerkeley Hills
    $$

    $18.20 pollo burrito with the necessary adds of cream, guacamole, cheese. Not as cheap as the menu…read moreimplies once they are added. This was recommended but I think it was a bit bland or at least lacking in verve despite choosing spicy salsa. I've definitely eaten much better. Good enough for locals maybe, but not worth seeking out.

    Absolute ableist lazy garbage people. Lazy, uncommunicative, pick up time is always half an hour…read morelater than it says in an app. When you walk in there to try and find out what's going on, the music is so earsplitting and they won't turn the music down to listen to you if you're wearing a mask. So they hate disabled people too. Like that's literally a violation of the ADA, to demand someone take off their mask because you can't hear them because your music is too loud. Placed an order for pick up and the DoorDash app said it was time to go inside and pick up our order so we did. The staff inside had the music blaring so loudly that my friend had to take off her respirator and she's immuno compromised just so they could hear her. These are ableist jerks. On top of that when it was trying to pick up the order in the DoorDash app, my friend walked into the restaurant to pick up our order physically and they said it wasn't ready yet. Now it's running 20 minutes behind schedule. I will never give these people my business or time again, I will warn every disabled and Covid conscious and chronically ill person to not go there because they won't turn down the music and they'll pretend not to hear you if you're wearing a full face mask. The horrible timing is just not worth it.

    Photos
    Taqueria Talavera - Decorations inside

    Decorations inside

    Taqueria Talavera - At Albany beach, enjoyiny my chicken flauta.

    At Albany beach, enjoyiny my chicken flauta.

    Taqueria Talavera

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    Comal - Salad with beets, snap peas, avocado...

    Comal

    3.4(1.5k reviews)
    0.5 miDowntown Berkeley
    $$

    Had an amazing dinner here. We read really good reviews online and of course the Michelin…read moreRecommendation, so we had to give it a try. The menu changes daily, we got the chips and guacamole with the salsa trio. The tacos and the quesadilla. Everything was exceptional. The flavors were so clean and crisp. You see exactly the vibe they were going for because they nailed it. The restart itself was super cute. Definitley giving industrial rustic. The staff were so friendly and accommodating. We arrived 20 minutes early and lucky for us they sat us right away. 10 out of work would go back.

    Food, ambience, and *usually* wait staff are so excellent here, it's always my go-to for friends…read morevisiting from out of town. I still feel that way, but recently I reserved a table for 4 and two things really stuck in my mind negatively after spending the evening there that wanted to alert the restaurant to. I worked in restaurants for 15 years so I know not every day is your best, and that getting things right is the first priority, not schmoozing, so this isn't about friendliness. The server was fine in terms of checking up on us, but didn't engage our request for recommendations for dinner or wine; no biggie, but when the check came she a) didn't mention that the tip was included, and my generous boyfriend (who wanted to snag the card and pay quickly without letting others get a chance) would have tipped another $80 had I not gotten up from the table and asked whether tip was included. On large checks the server should tell the group immediately not to worry about calculating the tip, and still act like she is earning it by taking good care of the table, refilling wine glasses when we ordered a bottle, etc. what really got me though was when we requested -- she didn't offer-- the remaining food on the table to go, she came with two piles of boxes and put them on the edge of the table. Again, my no-fuss boyfriend said he didn't mind packing the food up, but I think if you spend $450 on a dinner they could at least offer to neatly pack the food to go. It's a chore that I want to leave at home, plus it can be messy. It annoyed me a lot that the money we spent didn't seem to be appreciated and we had to basically clean up our table at the end. Not a good service night. Can you make it a policy to at least offer to pack the food? Comal isn't that type of pandemic restaurant that drops customer service in favor of pretend hygiene, and I just wonder if the standards are slipping or it was just a one off

    Photos
    Comal - Back dining area

    Back dining area

    Comal - Berkshire pork carnitas , fennel - orange claw , salsa verde

    Berkshire pork carnitas , fennel - orange claw , salsa verde

    Comal - Fresh tortilla chips

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    Fresh tortilla chips

    El Talpense Mexican Restaurant - mexican - Updated May 2026

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